Holiday with Matthew Mead Giveaway

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Ruffles

Too many ruffles can be a bad thing...

but when used in moderation, ruffles are any easy way to add a little interest. Take these simple beige curtain panels for example:

After using a few yards of inexpensive white muslin to add ruffles:

I measured out an 8" wide strip of muslin, then folded it in half and sewed along the long open edge. I then turned the tube of fabric inside out and pressed it flat with the seam at the side. By hand, I sewed a gathering stitch about 1/2" in from the edge and pulled tight to create ruffles. I pinned the ruffle into place on the back of my curtain panel and sewed along the edge to secure it.

Baby Blanket

My friend Laurel is expecting a little girl this spring. I made her a fleece baby blanket using a cute pink and green turtle print paired with a simple pink stripe for the other side. I got to try out one of the fun stitches on my new sewing machine, and finished the edge of the blanket with a row of pink hearts.

Growing like a weed

S: You could say we have green thumbs. We're very good at growing weeds.

S: Winter left us with a pretty sad lawn, but magically, at the first sign of warm weather, a blanket of weeds sprung up. I'm just grateful that the worst of the weeds are confined to the backyard, leaving our frontyard looking somewhat respectable.

At 43 inches, I think this may just hold the record for tallest residential weed...

Z: We have to give weeds some credit as masters of stealth. Similar to the rabbit, or more aptly, the roach, the weed simply takes to the tactic of living to germinate, you know, weed sex. One weed in your yard recieves pollen from another and the lovemaking weeds soon spread their progeny all over God's green earth making it more, uh, green. And ugly. Below, you can see a dramatic interpretation of the weeds desire to rule the planet.

Z: Since weeds only care about sex and reproduction they are luckily shallow, in their root system of course. They are also shallow morally, but I won't proselytize you weed lovers out there. After a few hours of pulling, tugging, and some minor digging, I had uprooted the majority of the weeds.

S: Now if we could just keep them from coming back...
Z: That's easy Sarah! We can teach the weeds about birth control and monogamy. Or we can spread atrazine everywhere and destroy them. Seeing that weeds can't hear and are also pagans, we'll go with the weed and feed and burn them out

Happy Monday!

Gluten Free Fig Cookies

I came up with a gluten free version of my great grandmother Sarah's fig cookie recipe. My dad has a serious sweet tooth, but has Celiac disease and can't eat gluten, so I made these as a special treat for his birthday.

Filling ingredients:
1 pkg dried figs (I used Calimyrna figs)
Raisins
1 navel orange
Spices (optional)

Dough ingredients:
1 1/2 cups rice flour
2 tsp guar gum
1 stick butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup honey
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Ground nutmeg (optional)

Cut the stems from the dried figs and soak in warm water for a few minutes. Drain well. Grind in food processor along with a handful of raisins and some orange zest. Set aside.

Combine dough ingredients in food processor until it forms into a ball. If you're lucky, you may be able to roll the dough out. I had to press it in to place to keep it from crumbling/sticking to the countertop.

Place a line of fig filling at the edge of the dough. Roll dough over filling and cut off excess dough. You should have a long roll of dough filled with fig. Cut the roll into 2 inch segments and place on a cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

The fig came out tasty but the rice flour makes for a pretty powdery cookie. So I think I will keep experimenting for a better alternative, maybe tapioca flour. My dad also suggested a gluten free pizza dough mix he likes, which might work with a little sugar added. I'll let you know how my next batch turns out!

Green Felted Spider

I had a custom order last week for a green spider. smart customer. everything is better in green :)