Yum Yum - Loaded Caramel Pumpkin Blondies

Loaded Caramel Pumpkin Blondies - Clean out the cabinets with these Loaded Caramel Pumpkin Blondies – filled with Pumpkin Spice Hershey’s Kisses, chocolate chips, toffee and a caramel layer.
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Dash of cloves
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
1 cup Pumpkin Spice Hershey’s Kisses, roughly chopped (about 28)
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup toffee pieces
1 bag (11 oz) caramels, unwrapped
1/3 cup evaporated milk

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with parchment paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray. In a bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cloves. In another bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar.

Stir in the egg and vanilla, then add in the pumpkin. Add in the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Add in the chopped Hershey’s Kisses, white chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips and toffee pieces. 
Pour about 2/3 of the mixture into the prepared pan. The mixture will be fairly thick – use a spatula to spread the mixture to the edges.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
While the blondies are baking, combine the caramels and evaporated milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until the caramels are melted and the mixture is smooth.

After the blondies have baked for 10 minutes, remove and carefully pour the caramel over the top. Take the remaining dough and drop by spoonfuls over the top of the caramel.

Return the pan to the oven and let bake an additional 30 minutes, or until cooked through.

Let cool completely before slicing and serving.

North by Northwest Quilt update: quilting the quilt!

We just got our quilt back from the quilter: Judy Kraker Quilting!
What do you think?

Judy did a lovely job quilting this because
every block was quilted differently!

Quilt Kit: Santa's Sleigh + Free Pattern!

The fabrics used in this quilt are Starry Night by Lynette Anderson for RJR 

The was piecing blocks were designed by Wendy Shepard

and applique and embroidery blocks by Lynette Anderson

Finished size: 91" x 91"
Skill level: AdvancedThere are 18 yards of 25 different fabrics in this kit!

Retail Price: $216.00 Each

Instant Savings: $18.00

Price: $198.00

Available here: Santa's Sleigh

Happy first day of Fall!

Hello Fall!

It is the summer's great last heat,
It is the fall's first chill: They meet.
–Sarah Morgan Bryan Piatt

Yum yum- Easy Crockpot Potato Soup!

Easy Crock Pot Potato Soup

Ingredients:
1 30oz. bag of frozen diced hash browns
1 32 oz box of chicken broth
1 can of cream of chicken soup (10 oz)
1 pkg. cream cheese (8 oz, not fat free)
3 oz bacon bits
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Put the potatoes in the crockpot. Add in the chicken broth, cream of chicken soup and half of the bacon bits. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.
Cook on low for 8 hours or until potatoes are tender.
An hour before serving, cut the cream cheese into small cubes. Place the cubes in the crock pot. Mix a few times throughout the hour before serving.
Once the cream cheese is completely mixed in, it's ready to serve.
Top with cheddar cheese and some additional bacon bits.

24 Hour Pillowcase Sew-a-thon

Make a Pillowcase, Make a Difference for KIDS!

Here at Abbi Mays, we have put together pillowcase kits USING KIDS PRINTS with a variety of fabrics from our shop.
Each kit includes pattern and fabrics needed to make one 20 Minute Pillowcase.
Available here for $5.50 each

Pillowcase kits for kids!

North by Northwest Quilt update: appliqueing the blocks!

The blocks with precut fusible pieces are now ready for me to machine applique.
I said out loud "oh my - this is going to be a challenge!"
There were 20 blocks + the chain link borders! 
Here are few blocks with long, pointy and narrow pieces and those little 1/2" circles...yikes!

It was a good thing I just took a class this summer from Kim Diehl on machine applique because her method made it very easy! I used nylon thread and did a tiny zig zag stitch.

This was fun and easy (as long as I didn't get distracted).  The blocks are now finished and ready to be assembled with the other pieced blocks for a finished quilt top (95" x 112").

This quilt kit is available here: North By Northwest

Good morning!

2001 Houston Chronicle: Quilters express patriotism by the stitch

Here is an snippet from this local paper from 2001 about the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Tx.

MADELEINE McDERMOTT HAMM, Copyright 2001 Houston Chronicle Home Design Editor | October 27, 2001

While we each react differently to tragedy, after Sept. 11 an unrelated army of passionate quilters focused their emotions on what they do best. They began making quilts.
They expressed their shock, their horror, their grief, their hope and their love for this country in pieces of cloth. They stitched their personal interpretations of the Stars and Stripes, the American eagle, the Statue of Liberty, even the collapsing World Trade Center towers.

Within a few days after the attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., Houston quilting impresario Karey Bresenhan was online encouraging quilters wanting to piece together a response to the tragedy. Bresenhan promised a special exhibit of the works at the upcoming International Quilt Festival.

A new exhibit called America: From the Heart was quickly organized for the already jam-packed quilt festival that opens Wednesday night at George R. Brown Convention Center.

Bresenhan, who is president of Quilts Inc. and director of the festival -- which she originated in her Great Expectations Quilt Shop in the 1970s -- expected about 100 quilts to be submitted for the spontaneous exhibit. That was early October.

"We have more than 250 quilts that will make a wall of images and messages down the middle of the show, from one end of George R. Brown to the other. They have come from all kinds of people, from well-known artists to a fourth-grade class. It's going to be a very therapeutic exhibit," Bresenhan said. 

 "These quilters have poured out their feelings in these pieces," Ritter said, explaining that when setting up the display , earlier this week, "it was hard to keep from crying as we opened up each quilt."

"But," she added, "many express so much hope. Quilters tend to be very hopeful. Women have always used needles and cloth to express themselves." Ritter's quilt, New Tears, will be shown.


You can read more about this here: Houston Chronicle

American Glory Quilt Kit features fabrics from Robyn Pandolph!

We saw this quilt at Spring Quilt Market - and "oh my" it was beautiful!

The fabrics featured are Faded Glory by Robin Pandolph from RJR and was designed by Diane Nagle of Peddlecar Quilts.

Kit includes
Pattern: American Glory by Peddlecar Quilts
Fabrics: Approx 8 3/4 yards fabrics for top, borders and binding
Fabrics used in these quilts are as pictured (Faded Splendor from RJR by Robin Pandolph) We made no substitutions

Outside border:

Retail Price: $129.99 Each

Your Savings: $13.00

Price: $116.99

Shipping cost: $5.95

Available here: American Glory

Where's the spider?