More preserving FUN, alittle sewing and crochet fun...

I just LOVE the way food looks all preserved in canning jars!!!! Here are a couple of my latest... Dill Pickles and Pickled Banana Peppers...so pretty...

Since last post I have now started to take over the 3 big shelf in our pantry....

Few more pretties up close.... Canned Summer Squash (great for squash casseroles!) Pickled Hot Peppers (going to be a present for someone!!) and Anise Pears

And I've dried and vacuum bagged about a bushel of apple rings, lots of sweet potatoes and bell peppers!

Anyone know what this is???? Its a Cushaw squash!! This huge squash was only $5!! And they are sooooo good!! Many meals can come out of this on squash (it weights ALOT!)... soup, pies, just roasted is really good to!

I even canned some Cushaw butter! Anything you can do with sweet potatoes or winter squash you can do with a cushaw!

Yep.... Muscadine wine in the making.... also Elderberry wine, Concord wine and an Apple wine.

It takes so long though... which is why The Bald Man and I have been continuing our TN wine country tour!!!

In the middle of my new obsession I have been using my embroidery machine on thrift finds! Like this shirt below... I did the embroidery on the front shoulder....

And on the back using Anita Goodesigns... added alot to this plain shirt... I've done others.. just haven't photographed them.

Did this little door panel for the holiday... which I got at hobby lobby last year after Halloween for $2! It was fun to decorate... and sewed up super fast using fusible fleece for the batting.

And finally finished my crochet sampler!!!! I love it!!!

I am looking forward to more sewing after all the canning is over.... I've got alot of alterations to make too... that I'm not looking forward to!

I also finished another crochet afghan!! Thats going to be a present... yep... Its time to start all my Christmas sewing!

Have a great week!!! God Bless!!

Marathon cooking Monday!

I am very much in to healthy whole food eating. But if I don't plan some meals.. Especially lunches I grab easy things like nuts or a green juice.. not enough to keep this body going! something I started a few weeks ago on Monday was what I call marathon cooking. I make up a couple of high protein desserts and snacks , a couple of easy things for a few lunches and dinner with enough leftovers for the next days dinner or more lunches. A couple hours in the kitchen and solid healthy food for days! While things are in baking/cooking mode I use that down time to organize patterns , work a simple project or promote/check social media. Don't let ok at it as, yuck 2 hours of cooking .. I look at it as 2 productive hours of multitasking. Today's marathon cooking consisted of,, simple egg salad that we like put on a low carb wrap with spinach. Huge Baked sweet potatoes which I'll cut in half and eat for lunch or a snack with butter and goat cheese mashed up! Super yum! A huge ...

Work in Progress Wednesday: Natural Dyeing, organization and new fleece!

Ok! Well I had so much fun posting yesterday's theme post I decided to do one today too! Organization is a big deal for me. I live in a small house but I have big crafty area needs! I need areas to dye , to store fiber, yarn , to blend fibers and card, to spin, to occasionally sew, to make and store soaps .. and on and on! Dyeing is done now on my back porch and green house. I have a stove, stainless steel work table , shelving and screens. Picking and drying fleece also takes place there. Solar dyeing saves time and energy too! Only certain plants will successfully dye this way though. This works well! Gets the dyeing components out of my house kitchen! And gives me a large area to spread out and do several things at once. Organizing work in progress projects has been a challenge until now! No fiber person I know only has one project going at a time. It can get messy and confusing! I try to limit myself to 4 crochet ( or knitting) projects at once. I come up with this...

Knocking it off dress

I feel in love with this Chanel look last spring.... so instead of making a Chanel jacket I decided to put that time toward knocking this off the best I could.... I am pleased with my results! Fabric from Miami's Rex Fabrics for the top..... and ofcourse fabric for the jacket and skirt... I found a close to perfect match at walmart! Of all places! Add so hip chain belts and here is my knock off! I made the skirt longer than the original.... and no collar on the little jacket... lower neckline on the top... and a bit longer on it too.... I have several other Chanel outfits I want to knock off too... soon as I can find similar fabrics for them! I had fun with this outfit and fun wearing it! Next V8489.... I bought this fabric on a trip to Panama City, Panama. This was an easy pattern and I will use it again in the future. I added a personal touch to the dress but it didn't photograph at all... asymmetrical from shoulder across the waist and to bottom I hand beaded swarvoski crys...

Handworks Crochet and then Some!

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