Today is the last day of the Hugs & Kisses Blog Hop and it’s MY day to post!
This is the first time I’ve participated in a blog hop and I was really feeling the spirit! I have three things to show you, and one thing to give you.
First up is a child’s quilt! My friend Dee and I participate in the We Bee Learning on-line flicker bee, and for her block (January) she chose one that I had had my eye on for awhile. So after I made her block, I continued on and made 12 more to assemble this sweetie-pie valentine’s day quilt:
This is a Because you Matter quilt, and will go to the receiving home and into the arms of a little girl who could surely use some lovin’ right about now.
I backed it with this cute pink check that was donated to my Because you Matter cause by my friend Carrie-Lyn (thanks, Carrie-lyn!). I did stitch-in-the-ditch with my sewing machine using dark pink thread. I’ve never done this before, and now I know for certain (though I’ve always suspected it) that my sewing machine just simply was not built for machine quilting. Not it’s fault…it was born that way. I like to think that the uneven top stitching adds a certain shappy sheek to the little quilt…but let’s face it. Sloppy is as sloppy does. Sigh. On the bright side, some little girl will have an extra bit of cheerful pink and white security to hide under during uncertain & scarey times.
Do you ever wonder who is the guy behind the quilt? This is my husband, Mr. C. We had our first date on Valentine’s Day 1980 and got married 7 months later. Yup! That’s 33 years ago!
February is Lynn’s month in the We Bee Learning bee, and she asked for 2 wonky houses. Do you hear serendipity calling? I sure do! I made her a valentine house! I don’t know what the second house will be yet, but I had fun making this. I didn’t use a pattern…I saw a picture of one very similar to this and figured out how to re-create it. I’m pretty happy with the result and I hope she will be, too!
And because Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate those we love, I did some extra-special baking!
These are sugar cookies that I iced with pink icing and decorated with sprinkles. I made them from scratch (except the sprinkles…Superstore made those).
And now for a present for YOU! I am sharing my sugar cookie recipe. This is my Great Grandmother Bess Luton’s sugar cookie recipe! Yes – I am sharing a treasured family recipe with all of you and I think she would be pleased. Good recipes need to be shared so everyone can enjoy them, right? That way they live forever and so do the people who made them.
Nita’s Great Grandmother Bess Luton’s Sugar Cookies
Cream 1 cup shortening
Add 1.5 cups white sugar gradually, creaming until fluffy
Add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating after each
Stir in 1 tsp vanilla. (I also added an extra 3/4 tsp almond extract, but that isn’t part of the original recipe)
Sift together: 3.5 cups flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking soda & 2 tsp cream of tartar.
Add gradually to creamed ingredients.
Chill overnight.
Roll on floured surfact to 1/4″ thick. Cut into shapes.
Bake on ungreased sheets @ 375 for 6 – 8 minutes. Cool slightly on sheets, finish cooling on racks. Makes 3 dozen.
Decorate and Enjoy!
Don’t forget to hop on over and see what everyone else is posting about.
Hugs & Kisses to you all!
that quilt is just lovely, I love the heart in the corner! And the house block is so cute!
oh Nita a love all your creations!!! thanks for sharing
Your beautiful pink quilt is a gift of love. The quilt police are not looking. I think it is gorgeous.
That is a beautiful quilt for a little girl to love. and hello Mr. C!
Oh your quilt is pink heaven, just beautiful. What a lucky little girl to receive this beauty!
And cookies, I so want one, thank you for sharing your recipe.
So sorry for the mix-up, I thought I had you on the schedule twice.
Lovely pink quilt and how sweet that you are giving it away to someone who could use a hug and know that someone cares for them. I do quite a bit of pro bono quilting and know it blesses the giver as well as the person who receives it.
Sewing machines can be a real pain sometimes. Somehow I have 5 at the moment and depending on thread choice I would only consider using 3 of them for machine quilting . only one would I trust with monofilament thread. Maybe the presser foot tension or regular tension needed adjustment if the walking foot isn’t working out for you??
Your quilt is so cheery, I love it. Thanks for sharing.
Love the pink quilt! I have two machines, one for piecing and one for quilting. Love that I do not have to adjust the tension etc every time I change projects.
Hi Nita..your quilt is beautiful…apologies for thinking you were another lady who won on Tuesday, we all thought you were up twice as your blog was not loading…you have been added on our list and I am pleased Mara let me know ….
your stitching and colours were a perfect choice
Thank you for sharing your family sugar cookie recipe, that is my favorite type of cookie. Lovely job on the quilt and I hope that you are able to do a little dancing again.
Beautiful quilt to make a little girl happy. I love that heart in one corner. And a helpful handsome hubby too. Lovely!
What a happy and colorful quilt. I’m sure the lucky girl will cherish that quilt for a long time. Can’t wait to try the Sugar Cookies! They sound so yummy. Hope you get back to dancing real soon!
Because You Matter…that quilt is so pretty. I’m sure the little girl will cherish that quilt! Thank’s for sharing the sugar cookie recipe. I can’t wait to try it.
Great QUILT! I am sure that little girl will LOVE IT! Yummy looking recipe too! Might have to surprise my Mr Fantastic with some this weekend.
Hugs
What a beautiful quilt, and a lovely gift. I hope the girl will take it as a reminder that she is loved and beautiful. Your husband is adorable, and what a sweet story of your courtship. 🙂
A beautiful quilt and the little little girl that receives will love it and won’t critique your quilting which looks fine to me. The cookies look yummy. Thanks off sharing.
The quilt is amazing!!! I hope the recipient of this loves it!! And I’m sure she will!! GREAT job!!
Oohh those cookies!!!!! 🙂
Thank you for inviting us out last night – it was a great evening!! 🙂
Lovely quilt and what a wonderful gift to receive! Love the iced cookies too! 🙂 Thanks for sharing
Your quilt is awesome. I really like the white squares with the pink tones. Some lucky girl is going to love this quilt. So very thoughtful of you to donate it to a great cause.
Very nice quilt to such a wonderful cause! I’m sure it will be loved! Thanks for the recipe….looks delish!
Sweet quilt!!!! My machine didn’t like quilting in the ditch so I got a longarm:) haha!!!! She does sew amazingly well though:)
Your quilt is super cute!
What a beautiful quilt…she will be so blessed by all the love wrapped into every little stitch! May your weekend be filled with hours of dancing and joyous laughter twirling on the strands of music!
Sew cute and such a good cause. My stitch in the ditch is a bit untidy too. 🙂
WoW! What a gorgeous quilt! It’s just so yummy and the red heart on the bottom right side, a neat surprise. How special that soon this quilt will be keeping a sweet child warm. Lovely house block as well. Wouldn’t it be fun to have heart shape windows and doors? hehe. Thank you for your Great Grandma’s sugar cookies. I’m a big believer on sharing family history, stories and of course receipies. Thank you for sharing with us, awesome job!
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Great quilt! And thanks for sharing the cookie recipe!
Such a cute quilt and with a great purpose, thanks for sharing!
I love your quilted projects! How beautiful. I use the exact same sugar cookie recipe and think it’s the best one out there. Thanks for sharing your creations with us today!
What delicious projects! Love the donation quilt–that will be one lucky little girl to get such a fun cuddle quilt! Thanks for sharing!