Show and Tell Tuesday...How to grow SPROUTS!

So far, today has been productive.  I took my girls to school and decided to get the weekly grocery shopping done so I headed off to Winco.  First of all, I have to say, about a year ago I swore off Winco, for numerous reasons I won't bore you with.  But the biggest reason was I would go there, fill up my cart because I knew stuff was so inexpensive and spend my whole grocery budget for the month in one trip, but need to go back the next week for more stuff.  So I decided I would just go to Fred Meyers, use my rewards card, and just get what I needed instead of always stocking up.  As far as I can tell I spent about the same at both places, but much less headache to go to Freddies because it is closer and they bag my groceries which sometimes is so worth it!  But in the mail last week I received a $10 off coupon for Winco and I decided I wasn't going to let that go to waste.  So I trekked there this morning.  I would have to say with my coupon it definitely was worth the trip.

On to the SPROUTS...

About a year ago, I posted a tutorial on growing sprouts and this morning when I was eating my egg white/sprout breakfast sandwhich I felt the post was worth reposting.

Step 1: Buy sprout seeds.  I buy them at my local health food store.  Put a couple TBS in a glass jar cover seeds with water and soak overnight.  I founds the handy dandy lid at the health food store too.  It makes draining them a lot easier, but cheesecloth would work too. 

Step 2 (Day 2):  Drain water from jar, and let sit on counter for a couple hours, then fill jar with water and drain.  Repeat this process, every day for a total of 2-3 times per day.  This keeps the seeds moist so they can grow.

Day 3: They will start look like this.  Keep filling jar with water and draining.

 

Step 3, Day 4-5: Pretty soon you'll have millions of pretty little sprouts! And at this point you can refrigerate.  I continue to add water and drain as needed.

Step 4: EAT!

Show and Tell Tuesday...New Pattern

Announcing....my newest pattern.  The Sally Bag!

Named after my dear friend who I work with at the fabric store.  She asked me to make her a bag...she loved it...had a lot of people want the pattern, so here it is.

It's a simple bag to make with a pocket on the outside for keys and phone.  The inside has 6 pockets, Yes, I said 6!  And it could have more depending on how you customize them.

The strap is long enough to put over your head or it can be shortened.  Bag closure is Velcro.

To give the bag more form I used Soft and Stable (a thin foam like material)...love the stuff!

I guarantee this is an easy bag to make...let me know if you have any questions.  Pattern can be purchased on my website, Etsy, or at Greenbaum's Quilted Forest.  It will also be on display at International Quilt Market in Portland in May!

Thank you Timeless Treasures for the fabric!

ps. the model is my daughter...sorry you can't see her beautiful face.

My love for sewing...

A friend just sent me this photo and I had to share...yes, this is me sitting in front of my mother's Featherweight when I was 8.  I am reminded that my 'love for sewing' started at a young age.  We were living in Alaska near a town called Wrangel, out in the middle of nowhere...fun memories.  My mom still has that little Featherweight and I might have one or two also ;)

Have you ever wanted to sew or create something with your hands?...for me it's a daily need.  If you have that desire, but are scared to begin...I encourage you today to do just one small step to start the process.  Maybe it's a trip to your local craft store to browse, maybe it's just picking up a pencil and making some sketches on paper, maybe it's looking thru a magazine to get some ideas...no matter what you decide to do, just take a step, then tomorrow take another step, and the next day another.  It takes many steps to accomplish a goal, but you can do it.

Show and Tell Tuesday...Pom Poms

Every day my thoughts and actions are all about getting ready for Market...but, once in awhile I do get to enjoy some time to look through blogs and I came across this great tutorial on making pom poms.  I always thought to make them a fancy tool was needed, but not the case when Dana makes them.

Enjoy the tutorial and visit Dana's site...she has great sewing and craft projects, and takes fantastic photos, as well as always has fabulous painted nails.

Show and Tell Tuesday

Tax time...ugh!  Does this scene look familiar in your house?  And it never fails every year that there is one receipt hiding from me...and, no, it's not the one in the photo ;)  I will keep up my search till that little booger is found, or die trying.

 But why is it when I should be looking for receipts I want to be sifting thru my fabric dreaming of what I'm going to make with it...like the chickens above.  My plan is to make kitchen curtains out of all three prints.  It's no secret in my house that I want real chickens someday when we live in the country...so maybe my husband will get sick of seeing them posted all thru the house and get me some real ones. tee, hee

 In the meantime...I will resume my search and daydream of good hair days and pretty little house quilts that hopefully someday I will get to make...

 Oh, and one more thing...see the scissors below? Yes, those are fabric scissors, not Rose Bush snippers. :)  They are the sharpest little scissor and great for snipping Rag Edge Quilts.  The spring loaded action makes them easy on the hands.  Leave me a message and I can tell you the brand name...for some reason it alludes me right now, just like that receipt.  Toodles!

Quilt Market Preparations

  Today has been busy...I've been working at my computer most of the day working on getting patterns to the print shop (Inkspot of Salem, Oregon) where Jim does an amazing job at making my photos sparkle and then prints them.  It takes a lot of computer time to get patterns ready for printing and that's where I've been spending most of my time.  From taking the pattern front photos to typing the last step of the pattern to stuffing them into bags...I do it all (with tons of help from my husband and children too).  They are good stuffers.

So with coffee in hand (at 1:05pm) I'm ready to get back at it, after running to the Sign shop (One Day Signs) to get my booth sign printed for Market.


In the midst of all my bag making and pattern writing, I did manage to buy some beautiful linen, cut 18" squares, serge the edges, and make cloth napkins.  I had hoped to use them for Easter dinner, but didn't quite get the lace put on.  I was thrilled that my serger worked perfectly and the stitch looked real nice.  I used a 3 thread rolled edge...whoooo, hoooo, I like that.

 
Needless to say, my house is overrun with bags right now. :)  But my family doesn't seem to mind...they are so kind.