Erik HOMEMADE

A Note from our Production Manager, Jeff

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello everyone

I have a bit of disappointing news for today...the photos of the 2 Benjamin Franklin quilts are not ready...the quilts are, but the photos aren't. My original intent was to take the quilts to Philadelphia, Ben Franklin's hometown, to be photographed...a plan I intend to keep...Erik and I had time to go together in the past two weeks, but when we started making plans, the weather in Philly and NW Ohio would not co-operate; cold-wet-rain-cloudy...the Non-Traditional Quilt is big and needs to be taken outside to be fully seen and photographed! We tried to take some decent photos, but I am not happy with what I took....and you would not be either. The photos don't do justice to these beautiful quilts.

That said, I urged Erik not to use the photos we took under the clouds since they do not do justice to the quilts. He is disappointed, too...I know how long this project has taken and how happy he was, and you will be, with the sense of accomplishment when you finish.

It's Saturday, 21 May, and it is still raining here...no rain on Monday...but I won't be here...and rain the rest of the week?! Fingers crossed, maybe that will change...

I am not sure of the exact date the photos will post...I will be away from my camera this week, but I can tell you as soon as my schedule allows and the weather co-operates Erik will have his photos to post! He will keep you up-to-date and all of this...even if the quilts don't get to Philadelphia right away, you will at least get good photographs from me in the meantime...so please hang in there...and accept my apologies for the delay...I think once you see the quilts, you will be pleased I made this decision.

My best to all of you

PS: Erik wanted me to remind all of you that there is one post left after today for the quilt instructions! There will be another post after that with information about the Ben Franklin Mystery Quilt (block list etc.)

Another fresh new year is here!

 

 

Another fresh new year is here...

Another year to live!

To banish worry, doubt, and fear,

To love and laugh and give!

This bright new year is given to me

To live each day with zest...

To daily grow and try to be

My highest and my best!

I have the opportunity

Once more to right some wrongs

To pray for peace, to plant a tree

And sing more joyful songs!

                                --William Arthur Ward

 

Happy  2016  from all of us at

Erik Homemade!

 Click here to-->Download Year's Favorite Block Pattern

 

Late Summer 2014

 The question begs every year, "where has the summer gone?" Here in NW Ohio, the precocious hardwood trees are showing colorful signs of Fall and the farm markets are bursting with generous bounty! It continues to be a rough year weather-wise (hot-cold too dry-too wet) and Autumn, in its hope, will bring some welcome relief...

Things are moving along at Erik Homemade(R) as well! More graphics have been added to our Farmhouse Make-Over, Halloween is getting photographed, and the first 'Family' block for our next BOM mystery is done! Stay tuned, right here, for more excitement as it develops...

Block 24 of the Benjamin Franklin Mystery Quilt has just posted! We know many of you are waiting for more information we have promised...there are still a few blocks to go and the finishing for two different styles are also on the way. After much discussion, we have decided, instead of posting both sets of finishing instructions at the same time, we will post one set first (probably the 'Tradional' setting that uses blocks set with sashing) then the 'Un-tradional' set (blocks set with and without sashing). This will be less confusing and easier to understand than having everything post at once. There will also be some fun additions to the Ben Franklin category: visits around the Web and the world! We know it has been a long journey along this quilt project; Dr Franklin had a long and interesting life!

For the meantime, we have included a re-post of a favorite recipe to help you celebrate National Sandwich Month and an icy new recipe...both would be nice to eat on the porch, in the backyard, or anywhere you enjoy your summer shade!

 

January 2014!

 

 

It is so hard to believe that the holidays are past and we are well into 2014! Where does the time go? Here in NW Ohio we are toughing out the coldest winter we have had in years...a good time to organize, sew,  of course finish projects, start a few new ones, and stay inside!

First and foremost we want to thank all of you who have been following us for awhile, and welcome to our new subscribers just joining us! It is wonderful to have so many people enjoying our content from all over the world! We want you to know you are all very special to us.

2014 promises to be an exciting year here at Erik HOMEMADE(R)! In just a few short months we will be finishing our Benjamin Franklin Mystery Quilt. As the project comes to its end, we want to remind you that we will show you 2 different ways of finishing the quilt: a traditional setting and a non-traditional setting. We will include the instructions for both!  

As the Benjamin Franklin Mystery Quilt finishes we will announce our next mystery quilt project...a sampler style block-of-the-month that revolves around the family! Will you make it as a special gift for someone? Or keep it for yourself? Or use the project to teach a family member how to quilt! Either way, it will be a great project that we will give your notice further down the road as the time nears.

We will continue to post projects and other fun things for you to enjoy! By the Holidays we hope to have video content for you! Fingers crossed, we are working studiously! Our redesigned, albeit slightly delayed, 'Farmhouse' look is also (still) on its way...

We would also like to invite you to look for Erik HOMEMADE(R) at  Amazon (where you can find books we are using in our research for our Ben Franklin quilt!), Craftsy (where you can follow us and get updates on our patterns!), and Zazzle (where we post some of our unique gift items!). If you haven't visited these sites, check them out, they are a lot of fun. If you are looking for an adorable Valentine project, we have reposted guest designer Carol C's Cupid Wall Hanging (or runner) pattern!

As always, we welcome your comments. We wish you the best for the new year! Happy sewing! Happy Projects! And stay warm!

Here is a classic colonial recipe for a hot punch to warm you up! Tradionally, punches were made with only 5 ingredients, and very popular in Ben Franklin's day...however beware, as Poor Richard warned: "He that drinks his Cyder alone, let him catch his Horse alone"!

• 1 quart apple cider
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon whole cloves

In a small piece of cheesecloth, tie the nutmeg and cloves (or place in a teaball). In a medium saucepan, bring to a simmer the cider, lemon juice, and cinnamon; 15 minutes. Steep the spice ball in the cider mixture while simmering, until desired taste. Serve warm in mugs. Serves 8.

Welcome October!

It is so hard to believe that the long hot summer here in NW Ohio has come to a close and we are enjoying cool nights and bright sunshine-y days. This is my favorite kind of weather...some call it sweater weather, I call it wonderful October!

October is a great month here at Erik HOMEMADE®! We are well into our Benjamin Franklin Mystery Quilt project--a project many of you anxiously await! We have been receiving fantastic photos of your beautiful blocks, each one as expressive and unique as the quilter who made it. We post these photos as we get them in our "Readers Share" photo album on the left side of our page; click on the album to open it, then scroll through the photos. Each one is an inspiration of its own.

October is also an exciting month! This week we welcomed our 1,493 subscriber! In fact we have welcomed quite a few new subscribers with the advent of our latest mystery quilt...we are so happy you have decided to join us and look forward to having you in our circle of readers.

This October has seen the opening and additions to our Craftsy.com store-a page where we feature for sale and free patterns and downloads, as well as the opening of our Zazzle.com store where we feature original designs and souvenirs for our readers. You can access our Craftsy store through the link on our Main/Home Page, and the Zazzle store by clicking on our Gift Shop button where you will find the store window. Both stores accept Paypal(tm) payments and the Craftsy downloads are immediate. We hope you will visit our two stores often; we plan on adding our original designs whenever we can!

This October has also seen work on finding our permenant studio location. We have been busy working out and finalizing ideas and financials that, we hope, will turn into our design studio home where our readers and followers can come to learn, create, and be inspired. We are waiting with bated breath (and fingers crossed!) (heck, toes, too!)and will keep you all posted as this develops...

October is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We know many of you are out walking, riding, and raising monies for Breast Cancer Research...and we commend your unselfish efforts. We have updated our Pink Boutique this year with craft items, books, and other items that we thought you might be interested in. Breast Cancer touches so many of us and strides in one cancer are strides in all cancers. Check your local community for events in your area.

Thank you all for making October such a special month for all of us at Erik HOMEMADE®. We look forward to the coming holiday season and more of our Benjamin Franklin Mystery posts. Please keep in touch, send us a photo of a project you have made from our instructions, patterns, or recipes, or leave a comment. It is wonderful having readers like you.

 

It's Our 3rd Birthday!

 
on the World-Wide Web!

January Welcome

2011, Looking Ahead!

 
Here we are a few weeks past the New Year and at Erik HOMEMADE(R) we are getting ready for some exciting projects to come!

In the next few weeks we will finish our CHRISTMAS 2010 MYSTERY QUILT...by the end of February, give or take a week. This particular project presented us with some challenges that we didn't expect, but in the long run, was a great learning experience; lots of same size pieces, a little confusion, and a few major holidays added to the mix! We hope you are using your scraps and having fun! When this project ends we will announce a contest for you to submit photos of your finished (quilted, bound, embellished!) projects for a new photo album for our side bar! We are very excited to see what you have made! Next week will announce the winner of our SCRAP PILE MYSTERY QUILT contest!

In late February we will offer a "trip to the Tropics": a week of short posts inspired by Erik's holiday trip to Hawai'i! We have a some fun things to share with aloha that we hope you will enjoy!

After that, we will begin a short series to make a quilt we call "Our Susannah!" It is a simple quilt with a border using the SUSANNAH block! This quilt would make an excellent quilt for a gift, or better yet, a beautiful quilt to use to teach someone else to quilt! Of course, Erik is using Civil War fabric, but any pretty fabric will certainly due. We hope to post a photo-tutorial with the pattern for the SUSANNAH block as we make the quilt!

We will also launch 2 block-of-the-months...one post a month with a whole month in between to make the block! Our redwork blocks will feature an easy to embroider download for you to use as you like. We will also start posting one block per month for a new sampler quilt based on the life of American patriot Benjamin Franklin. Each month will feature an short introduction, historical fact, or short story relating to Dr Franklin's incredible life along with a quilt block that will fit into a sampler style scrap quilt! Even if you are not a fan of American history, the traditional block patterns may still be of interest to you...a great addition to any quilter's pattern library. Once we have dates set, we will pass the announcement on to all of you! The fabrics are on the cutting table as we write!

Of course, we also will have a few recipes and craft ideas scattered here and there! We are happy to have you as our readers...and look forward to creating many more projects for you enjoy! Happy New Year, and Happy Crafting!

 

 
  

Our Warmest Christmas Greetings 2010

 

From Erik and everyone at Erik HOMEMADE

We wish you warm Christmas Greetings

 
Vintage Christmas card (circa 1940's) from Erik's collection 

Christmas Greetings sincere,

To say "How do you do?"

 And to wish just the best,

"Happy New Year" for

You!

Click here to print a copy of this vintage greeting card->Download Craft pdf Template-Vintage Greeting Card Christmas 2010

WELCOME to our New Site!

Welcome to our re-decorated and re-designed Erik HOMEMADE(R) Coffee-Break eZine! Take care; the paint might still be wet! The site went live this morning (at 1:20am EDT) after much preparation--but as they say, the time spent preparing, is time well spent! Everyone on our Action Team appreciates comments and criticisms from our readers, some of them leading to changes on our page 

The most obvious change is the color banner at the top of our Main/Home Page. The plan right now is to keep the banner current with the season or holiday. Each photograph has a corresponding box explained on the Banner Sources Page, another new feature. Instead of plain words, each category has a ribbon button to click; the pages,a typewriter key. We have added Facebook plug-ins, and enlarged the right side bar to accomodate larger photos. The text has been enlarged for easier reading. The Archives Page has been eliminated and a few things simply re-named.

With all of the changes, everything you are used to is still here, though it might have moved from the left to the right, or vice-versa. We left everything in plain sight and none of the URLs, as originally published, have changed. In theory, all external links should still be valid. We chose to leave some photos as they were simply to keep some bearings in line. If you can not find something you are looking for, or need help, please let us know.

We truly hope you enjoy this new site! We look forward to hearing your comments...For our subscribers, expect another post later in the week, just to see how things are moving along and that all is working as it should be. 

Enjoy exploring the new site!

Welcome, Welcome!

 

With the recent announcement of our Mystery Scrap quilt, new members are subscribing everyday--something we are very excited about here at Erik HOMEMADE(R). We would like to extend a very hearty welcome to all of our new friends! For those of you who are new to our site, we invite you to spend some time to get to know us; click through the Categories, and browse our Pages. There are certainly more projects you may like to make, or at the very least, download. Although we are almost through our first year, there are recipes, treats, or projects for you! On the left side of the screen there are also links to our recipe blog, BLESS THIS LITTLE KITCHEN, and our Stash-One-Day-at-a-Time calendar, where you can find photos of fabrics from our quilt fabric stash!

If you are a long time subscriber, welcome back! We are glad you are a part of Erik HOMEMADE(R)! We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued interest, and to invite you to re-aquaint yourself with our site; flip back through the older posts, pages, and categories, and see what you like! And if you are not into quilting, not to worry! We will still post more great projects and recipes you are sure to enjoy!

Soon we will announce the 3 lucky winners of our WARM WINTER WISHES sticker embellishment packages! There will be a tasty Mayonnaise Muffin recipe (made with ingredients you may already have!) and of course new surprises, reviews, and craft projects, and more--not just a mystery quilt!

We are glad to have you all as quilters, crafters, and most of all, readers! Don't just feel free to write us a note, or leave a comment, but also email your friends, share our site--reblog, tweet, hoot, or holler our content as you see fit!

Above all, WELCOME!