A Small Finish

After a busy week it feels good to finish a little something. I started working on the patchwork detail for this pouch two weeks ago and it feels good to finally see it finished. I'm really happy with the way it turned out. Specially because I made it for a dear friend. She lives faraway and I don't get to see her often, but every once and a while I like to send her little handmade gifts. I think it so wonderful  to find an unexpected package or a letter in your mailbox  from a friend who lives faraway or that you haven't seen in a while. It really makes your day, don't you agree?  I hope she likes this one.

Have a wonderful week!

XX

Martha.

Patchwork Progress

Currently on my table... a tiny patchwork (1" squares) project I started last Sunday with  some hand quilting and linen my absolute favorite fabric. 

I hope you are having a lovely week.

*Linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced*

XX

Martha.

Little Skirt

This weekend I tried my hand at garment sewing. I made this cute little skirt for my  3 year old goddaughter. I was inspired by the skirts shown in the book 1,2,3 Sew. And I used the measurements given on the book for a size 4.  It was such a fun project and I think I would like one for myself.  I love the idea of making my own clothes and one day I would like to have a wardrobe of mostly handmade pieces. Handmade clothes are the best I think. When I was growing up my mom made most of my clothes; she was super talented and  even created her own patterns. So I always I had very unique pieces (and every time I wore them I felt super special). 

I'm currently working on a tutorial for this skirt and I hope to share it with you soon.

Have a great week!

Martha.

Patchwork Frames Quilt: Finished

Happy Labor Day! I hope you had a nice weekend and enjoyed the holiday. It was nice to stay home one extra day and catch up on things around the house. I finished my Patchwork Frames Quilt. The pattern is by the very talented Beth @ Plum and June. You can find her tutorial for the block and the quilt pattern here. It is a beautiful pattern and it comes together really easy. And they fussy cut in the center of each block is a great opportunity to showcase pieces of your most treasured fabric pieces. I used some of my beloved Alexander Henry Paris Flea Market. I have been saving it for something special and I thought this was it. Specially because I decided that this quilt was going to be for me. lol.

While the quilt top came together quite fast it felt like it took me a while to finish this quilt. The quilting really took me a long time. I decided to do Free Motion Quilting all over and  I hit a few bumps along the way. One time I forgot to set the stitch length to zero and the thread kept breaking and I had to do a lot of unpicking (not fun). I checked and checked and everything seemed right with my machine, but the thread kept breaking. I was so frustrated (I even cursed my machine a few times), and when I was ready to give up I realized that "little detail" about the stitch length. I felt so silly afterwards. But after that incident the quilting was a smooth sail. And the whole experience made me feel more confident about FMQ.  I really love the way it turned out with lots of crinkles all over. I backed the quilt with flannel. This is my fist time I use flannel for a quilt backing: it feels so soft and cozy! 

Quilt Stats:

Measures: 54.5"X74"

Fabrics: Alexander Henry, Glimma Kite Tail, Glimma Trees, Moda Comma, Kona Steel, Legacy Studio Natural and Joann's Quilter's Showcase.

Quilted by me.

XX

Martha.

Slowly...

I finally finished the quilt top for the Frames Quilt I have been working on and I started to quilt it. Since my last attempt to Free Motion Quilting was somewhat successful I decided to to try FMQ for this quilt. But it is going very slowly.  It seem like if this quilt doesn't want to get finished:)

I hope next week I'm more successful and I finally finish it.

Have a wonderful week!

XX

Martha. 

Zucchini Brownies

I made brownies... not that one needs a special reason to make brownies, but I had a couple of good ones. Things have been crazy busy around here and I needed a little pick me up and what's better than chocolate to brighten up a bad day (or week). And I had zucchini in the fridge that needed to be used.

I intended to use a recipe I had. I don't know where I got it from or how long ago, but I remembered the brownies were good. However, I couldn't find it anywhere... Mmmm I think I need to organize my recipes! But that is another story. I was determined to make zucchini brownies and my missing recipe wasn't going to stop me. So this recipe is the result of my desire to use up my zucchini and eat some chocolate. You can hardly taste the zucchini in the brownies, but it helps to create a lighter brownie.

Probably next time I'm flipping through the pages of one my books that old missing recipe is going to turn up. Now that I no longer need it. That always happens, once you stop looking for something it shows up unexpectedly. 

Zucchini Brownies

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons coconut oil

8 ounces (about 1 cup) semisweet or dark chocolate chopped

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 cup grated zucchini

1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

1 cup walnuts chopped (optional)

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit . Line a 9 inch square baking pan with parchment paper leaving a few inches of overhang (that really helps when removing the brownies from the pan). In a medium bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and set aside.

2. In a large microwave safe bowl combine coconut oil and chocolate. Heat in the microwave at 30 seconds intervals until all melted stirring every time to combine well. Stir in sugars and mix well to dissolve. Add eggs, grated zucchini, vanilla extract and walnuts. Mix in flour mixture until well combined without over mixing. 

3. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let them cool for about 20 minutes. Remove from the pan and cut into squares or triangles. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. 

                         

Enjoy!

Martha.

Remember These?

My fabric covered coffee cans that I made a while ago to store my fabric scraps. Well I'm super excited because they got featured in the current issue of Quilt it Today Magazine. Super fun magazine filled with quilty inspiration and great patterns.

If you would to make your own you can find my tutorial for covering tin cans here.

XX

Martha.