Friday, November 30, 2007

The Old Stone Fort

The Old Stone Fort is located in Schoharie, NY and is now a historic museum with emphasis on its participation during the Revolutionary War. The Old Stone Fort has a Festival of Trees each year and this year I decided to decorate a tree. The tree is artificial and is 3 feet tall. Each ornament (and angel topper and tree skirt) is hand made by me. These have been ornaments I have done over the years and the tree skirt itself was made in 1991. If you would like to see the entire display of "Christmas at the Old Stone Fort", go to Schoharie, NY December 1-9, 2007. www.schohariehistory.net for more info.

Today, Friday, November 30 and tomorrow, Saturday, December 1 you can find Green Spiral Herbs vending their herbal goodness at the Holiday Farmers Market in Cobleskill, NY. Held at the Elks Lodge at 1 Legion Drive, the Market runs from 3-7 pm Friday and 10-4 on Saturday.

Sunday, December 2, from 11-5, Green Spiral Herbs will be vending at the Chocolate Expo and Holiday Marketplace at the New York State Museum Institute on Madison Avenue in Albany, NY. Stop by and say hello and get your herbal goodies for the holidays!!!

Friday, November 16, 2007

Lemon Herb Bread

3/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp chopped fresh lemon balm
1 Tbsp chopped fresh lemon thyme
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh lemon verbena
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
6 Tbsp butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 lemons
Confectioner's sugar

Add herbs to milk and scald. Let sit until cool and strain. Mix flour, baking powder and salt together. Cream butter and sugar, beat in eggs. Alternately add creamed mixture, flour mixture and herbed milk. When mixture is combined, pour into a lightly greased loaf pan. Bake at 325 for 50 minutes or until insterted toothpick comes out dry. When cool, make lemon glaze by combining juice of lemons with enough confectioner's sugar to make thick glaze. Pour onto loaf.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Beaded Ornaments


There was a request on a crazy quilt list: please show us your beaded ornaments. So, here are some that I have beaded over the last few years. They get to be rather addictive to make! My holiday tree is decorated with handmade ornaments I have fashioned over the years. I have made a crazy quilted angel and tree skirt as well. In mid December, when the tree is set up, I'll post a picture. This year, I'm decorating a tree for the Historic Stone Fort in Schoharie, New York as part of their festival of trees.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

First snow of the season

Yesterday, November 10, we awoke to the first snow of the season. It was just 2 inches, but left a pretty coating on everything. It melted with the sun. This morning it was 15 degrees. So, autumn has definitely departed, no matter what the calendar says. I still have clean up to do in the garden - putting away decorations, bird baths, etc.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Necklace for Business Cards


Discussion on a list turned toward what you can make with crazy quilting that wasn't a quilt. I've made lampshades, vests, jackets, ties, runners, box covers, etuis, pillows, purses, tote bags, book covers, wall hangings, Christmas tree skirts, Christmas ornaments and an angel tree topper. And lots of other things. I made this necklace to hold business cards in the mid to late 90s. It's been through a lot of wear, as you can see by the missing beads on the right hand side of the fringe at the bottom. It's just large enough so I can fit a few business cards in it. If I am teaching at a hotel conference, the room key can slip into it as well. I knew someone who made them a little squarer and called them "Prom purses". You could fit a condom package into the Prom Purse! Fill yours with what is most useful.

Monday, November 5, 2007

Clematis




Clematis are lovely flowering vines that come in a wide variety of colors. There are vining clematis and bush clematis. The clematis in the center is an example of a bush clematis and is called 'Betty Corning'. It is absolutely covered in blossoms for most of the summer. Clematis likes its face in the sun and its feet in the coolness. So, we make sure other plants are around the base of the clematis. So far, it has worked well for us. The clematis on the left I can't remember the name off the top of my head! I'll look it up later. The one on the right is 'Polish Spirit'.

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Journal Quilt for Houston


For the past several years, Quilts, Inc., who run the huge Quilt Festival in Houston every year, have had a journal quilt exhibit. They have asked artisans to make up an 8.5 x 11" quilt page as though from a journal. Participants were asked to do a page a month. You could try new techniques, play with color, whatever. This year, the idea changed slightly. Rather than send in several pages, make one larger page that was equivalent in size to four pages. Dimensions were 17 x 22. So, I decided to join in on the fun this year. The top portion of the journal page, which I have entitled, "Spiral Out", is based on an old engraving and shows an alchemist/philosopher breaking through the cosmos. Last night was Halloween/Samhain. Tonight and today are when the veils between the worlds are thinnest and perhaps breaking through is easiest now? The bottom portion is pieced with my favorite fabric. Tool has a song called Lateralus. Part of the lyrics: "Following our will and wind we may just go where no one's been, we'll ride the spiral to the end and may just go where no one's been. Spiral out, keep going." (BTW, Tool is terrific in concert - we saw them this summer!!) So combining all these elements and mindful of my sister, brother, and friend who have all passed in the past two years, this journal quilt was conceived and created. Nearly all the work was done by hand. The only element not done by hand was the piecing of the spiral fabric in the block in the bottom portion. All embroidery and quilting is by hand.