Pillowcase Update July 2012

July 2012 One Million

Pillowcase Challenge Update

The weather is hot, but it's the perfect time to stay inside and sew! 

Tip: host an ice cream social pillowcase party to beat the heat and help others in the community at the same time.

The counter continues to climb and now reads more than 423,000 pillowcases! 

Here at Abbi May's, we have put together pillowcase kits USING KIDS PRINTS with a variety of fabrics from our shop. Each kit includes a pattern and fabrics needed to make one 20 Minute Pillowcase
*Included in kit:
Free 20 Minute Pattern
3/4 yard main body
1/4 yard cuffed edge fabric
2" accent strip
Skill Level: VERY EASY

Purchase your kits here for $5.00 each + shipping: Pillowcase Kids

Snow Days Batiks Quilt Kit - Winter Trio

Winter Trio includes 3 table runners each 16" x 24"

Edyta Sitar designed this pattern for beginners.

Fabrics included in this kit are:  

Gloves

Snowman**

Snowing

Backing included for all three is our choice.

Included in kit are all the fabrics shown** + quilt Pattern Winter Trio.
Purchase your kit here for $54 + shipping: Winter Trio

**Snowman quilt background is our choice
 

This is how Girlie Girl keeps cool

Just Arrived: Snow Days Batiks from Moda

by Laundry Basket Quilts - Edtya Sitar.

Snow Days Batiks

Edyta Sitar creates beautiful batiks for Moda to that rejoice in the unexpected winter freedom experienced on a "snow day." 

Tranquil shades of blue are complemented

 by the taupey shades of an overcast sky. 

Hand dyed in Indonesia on premium 100% cotton.

Edyta designed new patterns for this collections:

Fuchsia and Moda Summer House Quilt Fabrics

We do like pink and white!   Do you?

Moda Summer House

Yum Yum! Rhubard Dump Cake!

4 c. rhubarb, cut into 1/2" pieces

1 small box strawberry jello--regular or sugar free

1 c. sugar

1 pkg. yellow cake mix

2/3 c. water

1 stick melted butter or margarine

Place rhubarb on bottom of greased 13x9 pan. Mix jello & sugar & sprinkle over rhubarb. Crumble yellow cake mix evenly on top. Pour water over mixture & then pour butter over that. Top with chopped pecans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or Cool Whip.

I had a piece of this cake and it was really good! Thanks Julie for this recipe!

As Seen In: Quilt Almanac 2012 - Vintage Stars

Pg: 116 - 119. Designed by: Roxane Wright.
 Vintage Stars

Roxane designer this quilt using vintage reproductions:

 and if you know us you know we like brights and chose the Clematis fabric collections from Clothworks. Isn't this fun! This pattern is great for showcasing large florals!

Finished size: 68" X 88"
Block size: 12" square
Skill level: Intermediate

Fabrics used in this quilt are as pictured (no substitutions)
Purchase our kit here for $89.95 + shipping: Vintage Stars
Included in kit: 8 yards yards fabrics for top, borders, binding & backing 
(Quilt Almanac magazine not included with kit)

Yum - Yum! Shortcut Chicken Cordon Bleu

from Cambell's Kitchen

SHORTCUT CHICKEN CORDON BLEU

1 tablespoon butter
1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons Chablis or other dry white wine
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 cup chopped cooked ham
1/2 of a 12-ounce package medium egg noodles (about 4 cups), cooked and drained

Heat the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 10 minutes or until well browned on both sides. Remove the chicken from the skillet.
Stir the soup, water, wine, cheese and ham in the skillet and heat to a boil. Return the chicken to the skillet. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve the chicken and sauce with the noodles.

Eagle!

He (she) is about 125 yards away.  I got out the big lens so I could get a close up picture.

I waited for 30 minutes for this eagle to do something.

Not much happened and it just flew away............

New Pattern Designer: Sweet Clover Canyon

Welcome! Sarah Whitney of Sweet Clover Canyon our newest pattern designer!

 

"I have loved colors, shapes, and creating things since I was a little kid. After earning my computer graphics degree from the University of Missouri in 1988, I spent my professional career working in television designing both print and on-air graphics for local news stations. My grandmother had been a skilled quilter. In 1991, I took my first quilting class as a tribute to her, having no idea I would love it so! Today, I am happily married and now a stay-at-home mom and entrepreneur. By combining both passions, design and quilting, I am having the time of my life creating quilt patterns in my Sweet Clover Canyon design studio."

  

Her patterns are full of tips and hints and have different colorway choices.

These are the patterns we will be carrying:

We will also have these patterns that showcase our new fabric collection The Edible Garden

Anthology Fabrics - We welcome our new fabric manufacturere!

Anthology Fabrics: A fabric is first judged by visual appeal, catching your eye even at a distance. Then, by touch you assess its quality. These two characteristics - superb design and exceptional quality - are our foundation.

We'll be carrying their batik precuts: 10" squares and 2 1/2" strips

Also, these prints coming soon: Sweet Tea (we love these very tiny prints!)

to

Fun new project - Caddy Pads - clever iron tote and ironing pad in one!!

These adorable totes open up to become your personal ironing pad!

 They come in two sizes: Caddy Pad for a regular size iron and Caddy Pad Jr for a  travel iron.

We made ours out of Fresh Cottons from Moda.

It's easy and the instructions are great with lots of text and pictures.

Cooler Corn?

Am I the only person who hasn't heard of "cooler corn"? I received this email cooking tip from a friend and thought I would share it with you!  I wonder who wrote the original email???? Oh well, thanks - great idea!

The Best Way to Cook Corn on the Cob for a Crowd?

 

Over the weekend I was blindsided by the simple genius of this method for cooking loads of corn on the cob perfectly.

Short story: We like corn on the cob. And with eight adults at the table, that means a couple of dozen ears. We would have used the lobster pot to cook them all, but the lobster pot was busy steaming lobster. Then my sister, a capable Maine cook with years of camping experience says "let's do cooler corn!"

Before I can ask "what the heck is cooler corn?" a Coleman cooler appears from the garage, is wiped clean, then filled with the shucked ears. Next, two kettles-full of boiling water are poured over the corn and the top closed.

Then nothing.

When we sat down to dinner 30 minutes later and opened it, the corn was perfectly cooked. My mind was blown. And I'm told that the corn will remain at the perfect level of doneness for a couple of hours.

Turns out, Cooler Corn is pretty well known among the outdoorsy set, but for those of us who avoid tents as much as possible, it's perfect for large barbecues and is way less of mess than grilling. In fact, I may even buy another cooler just so I'm ready for next summer, now that I'm in the know.

Mr Fluffy likes our fish fabrics!

Gone Fishing (not for Mr Fluffy) fabrics from Benartex

Quilt Kit: Shooting Stars!

Our quilt sampler Sue designed this quilt using batiks from Abbi Mays.

Finished size: 87 1/2" x 87 1/2"

Block size: 8 1/2" square***
Skill level: Intermediate
We like the instructions in the book because they are easy to follow with lots of pictures!

Our kit includes approx: 12 1/4 yards off all fabrics  pictured for top, borders and binding.

Included in kit:
Quilt Book: Fat Quarter Cottage
27 fat quarters for star blocks and inner border
2 1/3 yards for for setting triangles and alternate  blocks
2 1/4 yards for outtern border
7/8 yards for binding

Kits can be purchased here for $149 + shipping: Shooting Stars

 This quilt was quilted by Judith Kracker Quilting: (269) 325-7140


***When you need to make a lot of flying geese - try the Quilt in a Day Large
 FLYING GEESE RULER!

Auriful Thread: Spring Bouquet by Edyta Sitar

These threads were designed by Edyta Sitar to coordinate with her Over the Rainbow Batik fabrics coming in August!

Over the Rainbow kit 10 Small spools-cotton 50wt Colors 220 yards each: 1130, 2545, 4030, 1100, 1135, 1114, 2892, 1125, 2730, 1133. A color wheel of threads for every project.