Erik HOMEMADE

Our Susannah! Quilt pages 11 and 12

Let's add the side borders! Measure through the middle of your quilt like we did last time...you will need the remaining Susannah blocks and the last two border strips. See you next week for Our Susannah! Quilt photo and final thoughts!

 
(Join the blocks following the directions)

Following the diagrams on Page 11, join the last ten blocks.

 
(5 blocks in a line)

Make two sets of 5 blocks, matching seams following Erik's tip.

 
(Add the border fabric strip)

Sew the Outer Border fabric strip to each set of five blocks; press.

 
(Measure through the center of your quilt following the diagram on Page 12!)

Measure quilt according to the diagram on Page 12. Use the measurements for both side borders following Erik's tip on Page 7. Like the last step, you will trim the extra fabric from the Outer Border fabric end.

 
(pin, pin, pin)

As in the last step, do not be afraid to pin a lot to match seams and/or blocks! Doing so will help keep your border straight and your quilt flat! Add the Left Side border, matching the first block to the block already sewn across the Top border.

 
(Left border sewn in place)

Once the left border is sewn and pressed in place....

 
(pin, pin, pin)

repeat for the Right border!

 
(Right border sewn and pressed)

Match the end blocks as you did on the last border!

Click here to print a copy of page 11->Download Craft pdf Template-Our Susannah! Quilt page 11

Click here to print a copy of page 12 of these instructions->Download Craft pdf Template-Our Susannah! Quilt page 12

This is the 7th post in a series to make Our Susannah! Quilt. Next Monday we will post the final thoughts and photographs of the finished quilt as well as announce a contest for those who have made the quilt in this quilt-a-long mystery! 

If you need to print more copies or are missing any of the instruction pages, click on the DON'T MISS A STEP Susannah Block photo button on the right side of our Main/Home Page. If you need help or further instruction, please contact Erik HOMEMADE(R)! 

Marinated Tomato, Olive, and Mozzarella recipe

Marinated Tomato, Olive, and Mozzarella recipe 

Inspired by Spanish tapas, make this dish a day ahead so the flavors can fully develop; it will be ready for the picnic or patio in no time! Blanching the cherry tomatoes is worth the extra effort, it lets the tasty marinade really soak in!

Ingredients

1 package cherry tomatoes, about 1 pint, blanched and peeled

water

1 can pitted ripe olives, about 1 cup, drained with 1/4 cup of the liquid reserved

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 green onions, sliced thin

1 tablespoon garlic, chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

1 8oz mozarella cheese ball, cubed

In a medium saucepan, bring water to a rolling boil. Add cherry tomatoes and boil for 15 seconds; remove from flame and immediately rinse in cold water. Gently remove skins from tomatoes using a paring knife if necessary; place in a large bowl. Drain olives, reserving 1/4 cup of liquid. Add drained olives to tomatoes. Add sliced green onions.

In a small bowl, combine reserved olive liquid, vinegar, garlic, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Stir until well blended; pour over tomato mixturee. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight; stir frequently. Chill until ready to serve.

Fold in mozzarella cheese cubes just before serving. Eat with wooden picks right from the serving dish, or use a slotted spoon to put onto plates to eat with silverware.

Yield: 4-6 servings.

To print this recipe for your Erik HOMEMADE(R) cookbook, click here->Download Recipe pdf Template-Marinated Tomato, Olives, and Mozzarella

 

This is the first in our Summer 2011 recipe series! Look for more delicious recipes as the summer goes on that are easy to make and you can enjoy anywhere!

Our Susannah! Quilt pages 9 and 10

It is time for the top and bottom borders! Good measurements and six Susannah blocks are all that you need! We are on the home stretch now...only two more weeks left to go! See you next time!

 
(joining the Susannah blocks)

Following the diagram on Page 9, join your blocks together as needed.  

 
(Top border blocks)

Due to the way the Susannah block is constructed, all the seams may not "nest". Try turning the block one quarter turn and see if the seams "nest" better. If not, you may need to match the seams, pinning them in place, and then sewing them. There are few seams to match; it should be easy. 

 
(Outer border strip added)

Sew two strips of the Outer Border fabric that was cut in Step 5 is in place! This will finish out the border as shown on Page 10. Make both top and bottom strips in the same manner following the diagrams on Page 9.

 
(as always, measure for the borders through the center of the quilt!)

Measure across the quilt as shown in the diagram on Page 10. We are just adding the top and bottom borders this week. You need only measure across the quilt this time! See Erik's tip on Page 7 for cutting the border strip.

 
(pin, pin, pin!)

The pieced blocks can be a bit uneven and stretchy. Don't be afraid of pinning often in order to keep the border straight!

 
(Top border)

Once the Top border is in place, press the towards the Outer border (outwards).

 
(Bottom border)

Once the Bottom border in sewn in place, press it outwards. 

Click here to print a copy of page 9 of the instructions->Download Craft pdf Template-Our Susannah! Quilt page 9

Click here to print a copy of page 10 of the instructions->Download Craft pdf Template-Our Susannah! Quilt page 10

This is the sixth post in a series to make Our Susannah! Quilt. The instructions will every post Monday for the next two weeks and are offered as a quilt-a-long mystery. If you need to print more copies or are missing any of the instruction pages, click on the DON'T MISS A STEP photo button on the right side of our Main/Home Page. If you need help or further instruction, please contact Erik HOMEMADE(R)!  

Shortcake Cupcake recipe

  

We made these adorable (and tasty!) "shortcakes" using our  Sweet Cream Cupcake recipe! Bake the recipe in a greased 9-inch square cake pan. Cut squares of cake and add your favorite vanilla frosting and colorful red and black gummy berries! Best thing is, you can make them anytime of the year since the gummy fruit is always in season! Serve in foil pans or on bright paper plates...everyone will want to stack their own! Try the same recipe with frosting and fresh berries for a delicious summer flavor! 

 

Our Susannah! Quilt pages 7 and 8

(the Inner Border added to the center of the quilt)

Now we add the Inner Border! Cut your lengths as you need them from the strips you made in Step 2! Follow the diagram on Page 8 to add the borders in order. Same time next week for the next step--have your Susannah blocks ready!

(proper measuring will assure a flat and even border)

Measure your quilt through the center to find how long to cut the Inner Border strips. Cut both (top and bottom) strips to this measurement (Erik recommends marking the correct length and cutting the fabric strip a little bit longer, just in case you need a tiny bit of fabric at the end). The diagram on Page 8 shows where to measure for the top and bottom borders.

(measure for the side borders after the top/bottom borders are sewn on)

After the top and bottom borders are sewn in place, measure as before following the page 8 diagram, and sew these borders in place. Always measure through the middle of the quilt; gravity and stress and make the outside edges larger and distort your quilt. If there is a big difference in the measurement taken from the middle and the outside edge, you will need to either gently stretch the border piece to fit, or lightly ease the center of the quilt to the length needed. Usually there is not too much distortion in Rail Fence blocks because they are cut straight of grain (on all sides!). It is a good idea to use this technique for all of your quilts since it really helps to keep the quilt square!

Once your boders are in place, cut the Outer Border strips for the next set of instructions.

Click here to print a copy of page 7-->Download Craft pdf Template-Our Susannah! Quilt page 7

Click here to print a copy of page 8-->Download Craft pdf Template-Our Susannah! Quilt page 8

This is the fifth post in a series to make Our Susannah! Quilt. The instructions post every Monday until complete and are offered as a quilt-a-long mystery. If you need to print more copies or are missing any of the instruction pages, click on the DON'T MISS A STEP Susannah Block photo on the right side of our Main/Home Page. If you need help or further instruction, please contact Erik HOMEMADE(R)!

Our Scrap Pile Mystery Quilt pattern is now available on CD!

Here is a complete copy of our Scrap Pile Mystery Quilt pattern just for you! 

A wonderful  project for quilt clubs, group project, or a quilter's camp or class, this CD features our scrap quilt designed to use up the scrap pile! The CD features all 24 pages of instructions in PDF format, as they appeared here, 4 photographs in jpeg format (to use as you need), and a simple end user agreement.

Quilt teachers and project co-ordinators will like this convenient CD because they can print as many copies of the instructions as needed, in addition to photographs to use to publicize your project!

Click here to download an order form-->Download Order Form Scrap Pile Quilt  then send it to Erik HOMEMADE®!

The cost of the CD is $6.99 (US) plus shipping and handling. See order form for complete details. Each CD will arrive in a plastic case. The Instruction pages are in PDF format; you will need the latest version of Adobe Acrobat to open, read, and print the files. 

Click here to print a copy of the order form-->Download Order Form Scrap Pile Quilt

Look for more of our projects on CD, in our GIFT SHOP, as they become available!

Our Susannah! Quilt pages 5 and 6

                                                 (finished Susannah quilt block)

This time we make the Susannah blocks! Use the left over scrap yardage from the Rail Fence blocks you used earlier to cut pieces for these blocks, like we did. Follow the diagram on page 6 to piece the blocks that we updated for rotary cutting and easy piecing. You will need to make 16 blocks for this quilt!

Making the Susannah block is easy!

 
(layout your scraps before you sew them)

Follow the block diagram on Page 6 and cut the necessary pieces. Lay the pieces out to see what the block will look like; lay the D pieces over the C pieces where they will be sewn.

 
(flip the D pieces over to get them ready to sew!)

The D pieces need to be prepared before being sewn into place.

 
(D/C units sewn and ready to be trimmed)

Draw a digonal line through all of the D pieces, layer on top of a C piece; sew on the drawn line. 

 
(trim the corner pieces for the 1/4-inch seam allowance)

Cut off the corners as shown leaving a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Sew the A/B pieces together.

(all of the block units ready to make the block)

Continue to follow the Page 6 diagram to lay out the units that make the whole block. The D/C units turns as it goes around the block. Press your pieces in the direction shown on the diagram but do not hesitate to repress any seam if it creates less bulk.

 
(this block is ready to be completed)

Once you are happy with the arrangement of the pieces, sew the block together. It is sewn Four-Patch style.

 
(scrappy variations of our Susannah blocks)

Make 16 Susannah blocks as scrappy as you like! Once you get the hang of it, you will have fun changing the variations while you make each block. This block will be 8 1/2 inches unfinished.

Click here to print page 5 of these instructions-->Download Craft pdf Template-Our Susannah! Quilt page 5

Click here to print page 6 of these instructions-->Download Craft pdf Template-Our Susannah! Quilt page 6

This is the third post in a series to make Our Susannah! Quilt. The instructions will post every Monday until complete and are offered as a quilt-a-long mystery. If you need to print more copies or are missing any of the instruction pages, click on the DON'T MISS A STEP Susannah Block photo button on the right side of our Main/Home Page. If you need help or further instruction, please contact Erik HOMEMADE(R)!  

Cinnamon Roll Muffins recipe

Cinnamon Roll Muffins recipe 

 

Much easier to make than actual cinnamon rolls, these quick-fix muffins have a similar great taste! The delcious aroma will sure to wake everyone with a smile on their face! Serve these muffins warm for the best flavor.

Ingredients

for the topping:

5 tablespoons butter, at room temerpature

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup pecans, chopped

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch of salt

In a medium bowl, combine all topping ingredients and set aside.

for the muffins:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cups pecans, chopped

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400-degrees F. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients and whisk well. Make a well in the center and add eggs, milk, and oil. Stir until thoroughly moistened; do not over beat. Batter will be thick. Fill greased muffin pans 2/3 full or use paper liners. Spoon a dollop of topping onto the center of each muffin. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until done being careful not to let topping burn. Remove from pans immediately and allow to cool slightly on a wire rack. Drizzle each muffin with a glaze of 2/3 cup powdered sugar and 1-2 teaspoons of milk blended thoroughly and dropped with a fork.

Yield: about 10 muffins.

To print this recipe for your Erik HOMEMADE(R) cookbook, click here->Download Recipe pdf Template-Cinnamon Roll Muffins

Our Susannah! Quilt pages 3 and 4

 
(random Rail Fence blocks)

This time we complete the center of the quilt; Page 4 has the row diagram! We marked our pink strip in the instructions to help you orient your blocks (if you have 1 like strip throughout)...next week page 5!

 
(left over Step 2 Cutting blocks)

After you have laid out your blocks as indicated on the quilt center diagram on Page 4, you will have 2 extra blocks. You can use these blocks to trade around as you work on the layout of the center of the quilt! 

 
(sewing the 'A' row) 

Lay all of the blocks out in rows of six across. Once you are happy with the arrangement, sew the rows together. You will need to make 4 A rows; press your seams in th direction indicated on Page 3 of the instructions.

  
(sewing the 'B' row)

Sew the B row in the same manner, making 4 rows. Press your seams as on the instruction page so that they will lay opposite the A rows. 

 
(a happy quilt back!)

Careful pressing of the blocks and rows will not only help your quilt lay flat, but also keep it square! 

Click here to print page 3 of the instructions-->Download Craft pdf Template-Our Susannah! Quilt page 3 

Click here to print page 4 of the instructions-->Download Craft pdf Template-Our Susannah! Quilt page 4

This is the third post in a series to make Our Susannah! Quilt. The instructions will post each Monday until complete and are offered as a quilt-a-long mystery. If you need to print more copies or are missing any of the instruction pages, click on the DON'T MISS A STEP Susannah Block photo button on the right side of our Main/Home Page. If you need help or further instruction, please contact Erik HOMEMADE(R)!