Beth's Crafty Things

Two walker/wheelchair bags finished

2012-01-02T17:42:00.000-05:00

As flurries fell outside, I sat in the kitchen this afternoon and finished up two more walker/wheelchair bags. Yep, I sat at the kitchen table. No more freezing in the cold basement for me! Mom and Dad got me a new Brother sewing machine and I pulled it out today and sat at the kitchen table while Chris lounged on the couch reading his new George R.R. Martin book (also thanks to Mom and Dad):

Pjs and wheelchair bags

2011-12-14T08:11:00.000-05:00

Hiya! By Wednesday, my official third day off from studying, I'd already done more craft-wise than I've done all year. Do you remember the pjs I made for Chris awhile back? Well, I used more of the same remnant fabric and made me a pair. There are four pleats in the front and two pleats in the back. The shorts are hard to pull up over the hips, but fit wonderfully once I get them up. I

BurdaStyle's Christmas giveaways

2011-12-05T22:18:00.001-05:00

In case you've forgotten, BurdaStyle's annual Christmas giveaway is currently underway. Stop by daily to check out the prizes and comment to win! Good luck!

Pjs, some hemming and a quick update

2011-09-11T21:13:00.000-04:00

Hello! How've you been? Did you think I forgot about you? :) I just finished a pair of pj shorts for Chris this afternoon. It felt great to finish a project and have something to show you. I have much more of this fabric and plan to make me a pair of pj bottoms, too. That's actually next on my list, as well as, a shirt for me. I also sewed a button (for the second time) on a pair of shorts

Cake mix (from scratch)

2011-08-12T15:59:00.001-04:00

Many of the cook books I have unfortunately include cake recipes that call for a cake mix. I don't really like mixes because they always seem to get a funky taste after a couple days. They also don't stay as fresh as from-scratch cakes.Last night, as I was flipping through some recipes, I came across a chocolate cherry cake that I really wanted to try, but it called for a Swiss chocolate cake

Mango fruit leathers and kitchen disasters

2011-08-10T17:31:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend I whipped up my first batch of mango fruit leathers. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be, and the fruit dried a lot quicker than I expected. I'm still learning how to use my dehydrator, but I'm getting better at it each time I use it. I made three sheets. Two were dried on wax paper since only one fruit leather tray came with my dehydrator. The manual said use

Summer Squash Saute

2011-07-27T16:32:00.000-04:00

I took of some of the squashes I got from our garden the other night (see here) and decided to try out a new recipe. This is called Summer Squash Saute. It's from Frances Musser of Newmanstown, Pa., and is a recipe she submitted to "Taste of Home." I found the recipe in a "Savings Pack," which is attached to several other recipes Nannie used to create a recipe book for me. Nannie used

Squashes

2011-07-26T11:58:00.001-04:00

I found these in the garden last night. I had a smile on my face all evening. :)Our garden has not done well this year but these squashes, especially the volunteer winter squashes, have been a treat.- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Cowl-neck, stripey Sadie tank

2011-07-18T14:29:00.000-04:00

OK. I actually finished this a week ago, but have not had time to post it. I used the same BurdaStyle pattern as this shirt, but used the version that adds a cowl neck. The Sadie has a nice fit to it, I think. It's a little snug, but I like it. I could go up another size, but then I think it would be too large. This material is from the stash Nannie gave to me. I did not cut it so that the

Sweater update

2011-07-09T10:00:00.001-04:00

Just a quick update on Chris' sweater. Only 2.5" left to knit in the round before I can bind off! I'm just about finished with one sleeve! Then on to the final sleeve, assembly and the collar. As you have probably guessed, I've sort of dropped out of the 2011 Sweater Challenge. I should be completing sweater 3 by now, not still working on No. 1. But I'm fine with that. I've been enjoying

Finished scrapbook!

2011-07-08T13:37:00.000-04:00

I just finished my second scrapbook! I had forgotten the second "s" and had to create a strawberry out of an "e." :) I started this scrapbook of desserts a few years ago when I first started scrapping. In it I've placed all the dessert-related recipes I've collected over the years, including family recipes. On this page I've got Mom's "Cherry Crunch," Nannie's "Canned Apple Pie Filling"

Tofu scramble

2011-06-24T10:25:00.000-04:00

Our local Super Dollar just started carrying tofu so I bought a box of super firm, cubed the other day. This morning I thought I'd whip up some breakfast using it. I decided on a Tofu Scramble: The tofu scramble before I added in the spices. (Photo taken with my iPad) The finished tofu scramble. (Photo taken with my iPad) This was a pretty tasty dish. Some things I did differently: - I

Knitting and Crochet HD app

2011-06-23T16:42:00.002-04:00

Remember me asking about the Knitting and Crochet iPad app? Since I now have an iPad, my interest is piqued once again. I've found it in the app store and took a closer look. It has 4 out of 5 stars, so it seems like it's worth getting. And it's currently $2.99 instead of $4.99. But I still don't know if it's worth the cost. Here's what it has: - 20 patterns,though it doesn't say how many are

Needing cover suggestions

2011-06-21T16:34:00.000-04:00

So I bought an iPad and now I'm looking for a way to keep the screen protected. I could buy a cover, but I'm thinking I could save money by making one. Plus, I'm sure I could make one much more attractive looking than the ones currently offered through Apple. Jennifer over at CraftSanity has made a really neat one for her husband. If I were to make it though, I would probably try to figure out

The Knit and Crochet Show

2011-06-10T10:25:00.000-04:00

The Knit and Crochet Show is coming to the Greensboro, N.C., area in September. Will you be there? I learned about it from Ravelry friend hartroadhomestead. So, I've emailed Mom and my sis to see if they want to go to the Greensboro show, which is Sept. 23-25. There's also a show in Minneapolis, Minn., in July. Might want to check that one out if it's closer to you. The show features vendors

Much improved skirt

2011-06-09T17:05:00.000-04:00

I spent the largest part of this week in N.C. since I had something to do down there every single morning -- meetings, a doctor visit, you name it. Since I was going to be there for a while and I had a lot of mending to do, I grabbed a bag and stuffed it with a tank-top, shorts and a couple of skirts that needed fixing. Thanks to Mom, I was able to complete every single one of those projects!

Win some Crafty Chica books

2011-06-07T17:37:00.000-04:00

Corinne Leigh over at Craftovision (formerly of Threadbanger) is hosting a give away with Kathy Cano-Murillo, a.k.a. Crafty Chica. Cano-Murillo has started writing novels and she and Corinne are giving away two. To win 'em, you have to like Craftovision and Crafty Chica's Facebook pages. You can do that here and here. To learn more, watch the current Craftovision video:

Progress is slow, but at least there's progress!

2011-06-06T13:25:00.000-04:00

Look what I found in the garden this afternoon! This is the first thing I've pulled from the garden this year. We planted the summer crops late because of the rain we had for a month or more. And now it's so hot, the plants are struggling to hold on. But this little pea pod gives me hope! I found two more pea pods starting to grow and a couple more blooms on the vine. So, there's still hope

Leafy Embroidery

2011-06-06T10:30:00.000-04:00

It's finished! I completed the embroidery on my polo-to-tank-top shirt on Friday evening. Not too bad for an old men's polo shirt, huh? Haa, haaa! I like this picture of me scratching my head. Chris meant it as a joke, but I think it's one of the best shots he took. :) I really don't like having my picture taken. Blah! This is probably the best "normal" shot Chris took. What do you think?

From Polo-to-Tank Top

2011-06-01T13:04:00.000-04:00

My second knit, my first tank-top and my first refashioned item! My polo-to-tank top An old polo shirt. I used BurdaStyle's Sadie pattern and cut up one of Chris' old polo shirts. The top is just a bit snug, but I like it. I can't wait to wear it over and over again! I had a little trouble with the bias tape binding. The pattern calls for cutting up strip of fabric to use as the binding,

Squash ideas

2011-06-01T10:52:00.000-04:00

So just about this time of year, if you have a garden or have family/friends who do, you're probably inundated with summer squash. Usually I feel pretty limited in what I can do with all the crooknecks, butterstick and zucchini squashes. I like them sauteed with some butter or olive oil, fried or served as fritters. And, of course, there's the zucchini bread I usually make at least twice during

Free Pattern Month and buying fabric online

2011-05-12T09:45:00.000-04:00

Hiya! Just a quick reminder to stop by Grosgrain to enjoy Free Pattern Month through the end of May. Click the button below! Also, Rae over at Made by Rae is hosting her annual Spring Top Sewalong. Submissions should already be in and judges will soon narrow down the tops down to the finalists, which we'll get to vote for our favorite. One of the judges, Deborah of Whipstitch Fabrics,

The Margie Shirt

2011-04-27T13:24:00.000-04:00

It is finished! The Margie I'm calling this shirt The Margie after my mother-in-law. She gave me the material with a turtle-neck dress pattern that she never started. I think the fabric worked perfectly for this project! It really didn't take that long to finish the shirt, but I didn't get down to the sewing room for a few weeks and it's taken more than a week to get this post up. So, what do

Zucchini (Squash) Fritters

2011-04-23T15:32:00.005-04:00

After making zucchini bread for the National Scrapbooking Day scrap last weekend, I had a lot of leftover grated veggie. So I made zucchini fritters! This is actually a recipe called squash fritters, which I use summer or crook neck squash to make. Zucchini, of course, is a type of squash, so works perfectly in this recipe, too. Squash Fritters 6 squash, boiled and mashed or grated 1 egg 1

Grosgrain's Free Pattern Month starts Monday!

2011-04-22T10:01:00.000-04:00

Kathleen over at Grosgrain announced this morning that Free Pattern Month begins Monday! The event coincides with Kathleen's announcement of changes taking place at Grosgrain. You can read about those changes here. Click on the button below to go visit. I'll also post this button on my page so you can easily find it in the future.