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Welcome to American Homestead. I'm happy you have found my blog. Make yourself comfy and see what's been happening around here. I write about the things that interest me ~ creativity, travel, food, nature and a happy life. I'd love to read your comments.

Sunday, June 30, 2013

Honoring Women's Rights ~ Week 44

A bit of "Taking Care of Business"
On July 1 Google Reader will cease to
exist, so if you follow this blog on Google
Reader we will no longer be connected.
I took the advice of other bloggers and
went to  www.bloglovin.com and just clicked
a button to switch to that site and I get to
keep all the blogs I follow very easily.
Then I added Bloglovin to my favorites
list so I can easily access them.  I hope you
will do the same or something similar so
we can easily stay connected. Thanks ~ Ellen
 
Star of Hope

 
We are quilting along with Barbara Brackman's
Block of the Week, Grandmother's Choice.
 
 
This is how I made my block, it
may differ from the original.
 
Fabric Requirements:
 
Fabric A: Red
4 - 3  3/16'' squares
 
Fabric B: White print
2 - 4 1/4'' squares - Mark a
diagonal line on back.
 
Fabric C:  Blue
1 - 4 1/4'' square
 
Fabric D: Green
1 - 4 1/4'' square
 
Fabric E: Fussy Cut
1 - 3  3/16'' square
 
 
Make Half Square Triangles:
 
Pair 4 1/4'' squares with right sides
together in the following combinations:
 
1 - B/C     1 - B/D
 
Sew 1/4'' away from each side of drawn
line, cut on drawn line.  Press seam to
the darker fabric.  Use for Quarter Square
Triangles.
 
 
Make Quarter Square Triangles:
 
Mark a diagonal line on the back of the
B/D Half Square Triangle unit going from
the opposite corners from the seam.
 
Place a B/C and B/D Half Square Triangle
together with right sides together.  When you
pull back the corner along the seam it should
look like the photo above.  Sew 1/4'' away from
each side of the new drawn line, cut on drawn
line and press seam open to reduce bulk.
 
 
Now we must square this unit to 3  3/16''.
(To halve 3  3/16'' would just be going too
small so we are using a generous 1 9/16'')
This is a bit tricky since we now will have to
deal with small measurements.  I have marked
my ruler with tape to show the intersection of
the 1 9/16'' lines .  Place the point where these
2 lines intersect on the middle of the Quarter
Square Triangle (where all the fabrics meet in
 the middle). Make sure the diagonal line of the
 ruler is on the diagonal seam line. 
 Trim the top and right side. 

 
Now rotate the block so the untrimmed
edges are on the top and right sides.
Square up the block to 3  3/16.
Make 4 of these units.

 
Layout units as shown and sew together
in 3 rows.  Press seams in rows 1 & 3 to
the outside and seams in row 2 to the inside.
 
 
Sew rows together and press the final seams
open to reduce bulk.  Square to 8 1/2''.
 
Check out everyone's work on Dustin's Flickr site:
 
 
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on Facebook.  Please "like"
my page.
 
 
 
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Saturday, June 29, 2013

Why?

 
When we can, Mr. Wonderful & I like
to get up early and go for a Bike, Hike, Bike.
 
 
We bike along our town's new bike trail
to our favorite hiking trail and then bike
home again.  The trail is lovely and it reminds
me of the lanes through the tulip fields in Holland.
 
 
We pass by pretty houses decorated for
our holiday next week.  The birds are
singing, we even hear a rooster cock-a-doodling...
 
 
We started noticing there were other
visitors along the bike path.
 
 
Each time we go we see a few more
creatures have been added.
 
 
I find it to be a little creepy,
especially after they have been
in the rain.
 
 
Is this some new "thing" like yarn
bombing or is it unique to our trail?


 
 
 
 
 
 

Friday, June 28, 2013

What's Your Sign?

 
I love old trade signs.  These signs were
from a time when many people could not
read and identifying the type of business
had to be done visually.  This is part of the
sign collection of the Carnavalet Museum
in Paris.  Any guesses as to the types of
business?
 
 
 
 





 
This could be mine!





Thursday, June 27, 2013

Another fun thing about travel...

 
 
This morning I finished reading Dan Brown's
book, The Inferno.  As in most of his books,
you are globe hopping with the main character
Robert Langdon.  We started in Florence and
then Venice and ended up in Istanbul.  That was
when it really got interesting for me because I was
there just a year ago.  So, I thought I'd share some
of my photos so you could see what these places
actually look like.  This is the Obelisk on the
Hippodrome.
 
 
Here is the Hagia Sophia at night as they
would have seen it.
 
 
And how it looks in the daytime.

 
The book describes the interior of the
Hagia Sophia accurately.  I have studied
this building since I was a teenager...

 
...but words cannot prepare you for the
beauty you behold when you walk into
this space.  It is something that must be
seen in person.
 
 
This is the ancient cistern of Istanbul,
known as Yerebatan Sarayi or sunken
palace.  I stayed on this street when I
was in Istanbul and wondered what was
beneath my hotel.
 
 
The Head of Medusa in the cistern.
 
 
One of the spice shops of Istanbul.
 
When you travel, the places you visit become
a part of you.  So, when you see those places
in the news or films or books you can put yourself
right in the action.  You know the scents, you can
hear the sounds of the city, you have walked the
same streets and that is priceless.  I read a quote
recently that said, "Travel is the only thing you  buy
that makes you richer." ~ I agree!
 
Remember tonight... for it's the beginning of always.
 
 
 


Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Elle's Kitchen: The Summer of Pie²

Strawberry Pie
 
 
We are just at the end of Strawberry
season in our neck of the woods and
I had to be sure to include a Strawberry
Pie in this year's Summer of Pie!
 
 
Ingredients:
baked pie crust, cooled
strawberries, stemmed
8oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 tabl. raspberry liqueur
apricot preserves
 
 
Mix cream cheese, confectioner's sugar,
and raspberry liqueur until well mixed.
 
 
Spread cream cheese mixture in
bottom of pie shell.

 
Top with strawberries as shown.  Melt
a bit of the apricot preserves in the microwave
and brush on top of the berries to make them
glisten.
 
 
Chill and serve.
 
Enjoy!
 
 
 
 
 
 

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Me Time ~ June 25, 2013


I was back with my friends at 
Me Time today for a few hours of fun.

Look at what I found at the shop today.
Connie's interpretation of my felt ornaments.


She added beading ~ they are gorgeous!


An owl pillow someone made.


An applique piece.


Someone is making a project with 
fabric they brought home from Hawaii.


I was prepping some felt applique
for a new quilt pattern.








Sunday, June 23, 2013

Honoring Women's Rights ~ Week 43

A bit of "Taking Care of Business"
On July 1 Google Reader will cease to
exist, so if you follow this blog on Google
Reader we will no longer be connected.
I took the advice of other bloggers and
went to  www.bloglovin.com and just clicked
a button to switch to that site and I get to
keep all the blogs I follow very easily.
Then I added Bloglovin to my favorites
list so I can easily access them.  I hope you
will do the same or something similar so
we can easily stay connected. Thanks ~ Ellen
 
 
Gentleman's Fancy

 
We are quilting along with Barbara Brackman's
Block of the Week, Grandmother's Choice.
 
 
 
This week I made the block according to the
given directions even though I am triangularly
challenged.  I could have made this with half
square triangles but you would not have been
able to fussy cut.  My block is wibbly-wobbly
but it is finished!!!  Did you hear my screams
all the way in Australia?
 
 
Sew a Fabric A small square to opposite sides
of the Fabric D fussy cut square.  Press seams
 to the outside.
 
 
Sew Fabric A small triangles to the remaining
sides of the Fabric D fussy cut  square,  press
seams to the outside.  Square to 4 1/8''.
 
 
Sew a Fabric B small triangle to each side
of a Fabric C large triangle as shown, press
 seams to the outside.  Trim dog ears.
Make 4.
 
 
Sew a Fabric A large triangle to the top of the
unit we just made as shown. Press seam to the
Fabric A triangle.  Do this to all 4 units.
 
 
Sew 2 small Fabric A triangles to the above
unit as shown, press seams to the outside.
Trim dog ears.  Make 2 of this unit.
 
 
Sew 2 of the above units to the center diamond
in a square unit.  Press seams to the outside.
This is the center diagonal unit.
 
 
Sew the 2 remaining triangle units to each side
of the center diagonal unit, matching seams.
Press to within an inch of its life ~ with starch!
Square to 8 1/2''.
 
Check out everyone's work on Dustin's Flickr site:
 
American Homestead is
now on Facebook.  Please
"like" my page!