Daily Blog

  0

fShare

Tweet

Are you done with Holiday shopping and just kicking back?

If not, how many presents left to go?

  0

fShare

Tweet

Just about a year ago, the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles had a great exhibit called Still Crazy which featured glorious Victorian crazy quilts from the Museum's permanent collection.   According to the museum a crazy quilt is "A purely decorative art object that fused a 16th century Japanese patchwork tradition with the fine embroidery revived by the British Arts & Crafts Movement, the late 19th century crazy quilt presaged modernists' use of abstraction and collage techniques, and was a forerunner of the contemporary art quilt."  It is truly a visual treat for the eyes.  Enjoy!

  0

fShare

Tweet

Sparrow has been making the most of her time waiting for Santa, but she didn't want to be left out of the holiday fun.  So here's a recipe you can make from home for all of your kitty friends to keep them occupied while they wait for the jolly old man in the bright red suit.

Savory Cheese Treats for cats

• 3/4 cup white flour
• 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 5 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
• 1/4 cup cornmeal

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine cheeses and yogurt. Add flour and cornmeal. If needed, add a small amount of water to create a nice dough. Knead dough into a ball and roll to 1/4 inch. Cut into one inch sized pieces and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake for 25 minutes. Makes 2 dozen.

Recipe from www.petplace.com.

  0

fShare

Tweet

Here is a perfect Last-Minute Gift for the Tech-Savvy Quilters and Quilt-Lovers on Your List.

Thousands of quilts will be at your fingertips with Quilt Index To Go, a new mobile application just released by the nonprofit Quilt Index, the premiere online archive of quilts.

After downloading the software for a one-time fee, you will be able to view historic and contemporary quilts straight from the Quilt Index with detailed information about pattern names, dates, quiltmakers, and the collections that contributed them.

With Quilt Index To Go, you'll get a unique quilt image every day, but the app also allows you to scroll endlessly through the more than 50,000 quilts in the Quilt Index contributed by more than 25 museums, libraries, and documentation projects. You can follow links to their detailed collections records on the Quilt Index for even more information.

If you don't know what an awesome resource the Index is (or you don't own an Apple device),  go check out the online version free to everyone, www.quiltindex.org.

Cost of the app: just 99 cents. Proceeds go toward Quilt Index expansion and sustainability. The app is available for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad.

  0

fShare

Tweet

Big "bubble" eyes have a way of making animals--whether large or small--just so darn appealing. This week, we have two easy projects ideal for those on your last-minute holiday gift list.

Do you know a little one who's afraid of the dark? (WHO-O-O wouldn't want another cuddly companion to keep close?) This friendly night owl is the perfect plush pal. Use the child's favorite fabrics and colors to create a whole nest of unique buddies that he or she is sure to give a hoot about! Check out this kid-friendly project at Bernina's Sewing Republic.   (Wait just a second after clicking, the project will come up automatically.)

Then, surprise a quilter with a clever needlecase project designed by Nancy S. Brown (Episode 701), featuring the very fashionable penguin shown here.                        

Find more great quilty gift ideas on our Projects page here. 

  0

fShare

Tweet

Ashley, one of the newest members of the TQS family, has a wonderful story behind her Animal Cookies.

"When I was growing up, start of the Christmas season was marked by the annual tradition of making 'Animal Cookies'. Although I'm not sure why my great great aunt named her recipe as such, the taste of these delicious cookies is as wonderful as the process of making them. Cut-out cookies take a bit of time to make, and then there is the frosting and decorating, but the final result is oh so worth it!

As a little girl (that's 3-year old me in the foreground of the photo) we would devote an entire day to this delicious activity. Mom would fill the house with the irresistible smell of the freshly baked cookies early in the morning, and we knew that we would soon be able to dive into the colored frosting, sprinkles, gum drops, and other decorations. Fast-forward many years, I still uphold this tradition with my son. I pre-bake the cookies so that when decorating day arrives we can get right into the fun part!

My secret for making these cookies more delectable than most cut-outs is to roll them to about 3/8" thick, and trim the baking time to 9-10 minutes. If you pull them out of the oven before they're 100% baked, they will remain soft and rich-tasting. The added thickness will ensure that the cookie is sturdy enough to handle even the most wild decorating scheme! Spend some time making these for your loved ones this year, and know that I'll be frosting away with my 9-year old son, so that he too, can pass this tradition on to his children someday.

Happy Holidays!

Animal Cookies
2 cups sugar
1 lb butter softened (do not melt)
3 eggs
3 T vanilla extract
1 t baking powder
1 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
6 cups flour (add 1/3 cup for high altitude)

Mix sugar, butter, and eggs, and vanilla in large bowl. In separate
bowl combine baking powder, salt, soda, and flour. Gradually add
flour mixture to butter mixture, until completely combined. Chill
dough for several hours before rolling.

When the dough is firm, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough onto
floured surface, to 3/8" thick. Cut with cookie cutters and place on
lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake 9-10 minutes or until cookies are
set. Remove from oven, let rest 2 minutes on cookie sheet before
removing from pan.

When cookies are completely cool frost as desired.

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 block cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 T vanilla extract
2 lb powdered sugar

Mix cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together. Gradually add
powdered sugar until frosting is thick but spreadable. (You may not
need to use all of the powdered sugar). Spread onto cookies, decorate
as desired, and allow to set overnight before storing.

  0

fShare

Tweet

First Place:  Autumn Birch by dcrine

A big "thanks" goes out to all who entered our TQS "Quilter's Choice" Contest. The range and creativity of the entries was just astounding. The choice was very difficult, but--with the help of our TQS members--we're thrilled to announce that the top three winner's are:

First Place:  Autumn Birch by dcrine

Second Place:  Cherry Thieves by EsterAliu

Third Place:  Loving Nature by dreamquilter

Don't forget: we will, as always, be sharing the patterns with our members very soon.

  0

fShare

Tweet

For their holiday party this year, the hard-working TQS crew have decided to have a cookie exchange.  We thought about doing an "Ugly Sweater" party, but some people were a little insulted that we found their sweaters "unattractive."  So instead, we are going to share our favorite cookie recipes.

First stop is Mary Kay's for her mother's persimmon cookies.  While she was growing up, Mary Kay's mom, would have to hunt down persimmons at the grocer's to make the cookies.  They were a somewhat exotic item. Now, Mary Kay is fortunate enough to have a persimmon tree in her own backyard.  Her only challenge is grab the persimmons before her dog Shade eats them all.  

Here's a bit of spice to start you on your holiday journey.

Persimmon Cookies

1   cup persimmon pulp

1   teaspoon baking soda, sprinkled over pulp

1   cup sugar

½   cup shortening, part butter or margarine

1   egg, beaten

2   cups flour

1   cup walnuts, chopped

1   teaspoon cinnamon

½   teaspoon cloves

½   teaspoon nutmeg

½   teaspoon salt

Beat thoroughly the persimmon pulp, baking soda, sugar and shortening until creamy.  Add the egg, flour, sifted spices, and nuts.  Drop by spoonfuls on greased baking sheet.  Bake in 375 degree oven from 12 to 15 minutes.  Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

  0

fShare

Tweet

Not only is Yvonne our 2010 TQS Legend - but also a dear friend. Learn how this remarkable lady has had deep influence in our community as well as in life generally. Pass the word that this show is FREE for all to enjoy during the month of December- Go here to watch now!