Sunny Goodness

March 8th, 2010 ingridbarlow.com No comments

Little Elias and I did some binding in the afternoon sunlight.  He is great at holding my thread!

Here’s a future re-make project that I am really excited about.  This piece was left in our house when we bought it and I have held on to it because I think it has some fun potential.  I am going to paint it white, put some paper or fabric along the back paneling, and put some new knobs in.   ohhh, I think it will come out swell!

New fabric=new pattern

March 1st, 2010 ingridbarlow.com 2 comments

I got my hands on some of Heather Bailey’s new fabric–”Nicey Jane.”  Love it!  After a few days of pondering and dreaming, I came up with a pattern I think fits well with the fabric.  Between Tony and a very sensitive baby monitor I was able to get some sewing time in today.  New fabric and new patterns–so much fun for me!

And how much fun are fresh cookies with a mug of milk?!  Someday Elias will enjoy warm cookies when he gets home from school…because that is just the way it is supposed to be right?

Popovers and summer goodness!

February 28th, 2010 ingridbarlow.com 1 comment

Here’s my little buddy hanging out with me in the kitchen.  Maybe he will be a foodie someday…

Tony has been craving popovers for the last few days, so tonight I gave it a whirl.  Wow!  Maybe it is beginners luck, but they turned out fabulous!

Here’s the recipe thanks to Ms. Betty Crocker.

-heat oven to 450 degrees.  throw your pan in the oven to get it nice and hot.  (I used a dark muffin pan since I don’t have a popover pan.)

-mix 2 eggs, 1 cup milk, 1 cup flour, and 1/2 tsp salt.  just mix until smooth…don’t overdo it.

-take your pan out of the hot oven and grease well.  (an extra tip if using  a muffin pan–try to use every other cup to allow for lots of air flow.)

-fill the cups half full and bake for 20 minutes.

-reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake for 20 more minutes.  Popovers will be dark golden.

-Remove from pan right away and serve hot.  yum!

You can make these ahead and then just warm them up before serving as well!

A friend brought over a pork loin and a jar of homegrown green beans yesterday, so we dined well tonight.  This jar just makes me crave summer and the gardening season!  It will come…

Pillowcase Pattern

February 23rd, 2010 ingridbarlow.com No comments

I love free patterns!  Here is a pillowcase pattern that I use all the time.  The finished pillowcase doesn’t have any raw edges so it looks professionally done.  Check out the pattern below and get making some easy gifts for yourself and your friends!

This is a pillowcase I made using the pattern just last week.  After the little guy’s diaper leaked a bit on this one, I decided I better have a back-up.

Handmade Pillowcase Pattern

Use 42-44” wide fabric.  Use a ¼ inch seam unless otherwise noted.

2/3 yard fabric for base of pillowcase

2 ½ inches for accent strip

1/3 yard fabric for header of pillowcase

  1. With right sides together, place accent strip on header fabric, sewing down the long edge.  Side edges may not match—that’s ok!
  2. With right sides together, sew base fabric to accent strip along the long edge.
  3. With the right side facing up, roll up the base fabric and then match the raw edge or your header material with the seam that you made when you sewed your base fabric and accent strip together.  Pin in place.  This will form a tube with your base fabric lying inside.  Sew ¼ inch seam along the edge you pinned.
  4. Pull the base fabric out of the header.
  5. Fold the pillowcase in half with WRONG sides together.  Trim side edges even.  Sew across down the side and across the bottom using a scant ¼ inch seam.  Turn wrong side out and press.  With right sides together, sew a 3/8 inch seam making sure to cover the raw edges of the previous seam.  Turn right side out, and press seams.  Enjoy!

A few handmades

February 21st, 2010 ingridbarlow.com No comments

My mom came to stay with us all last week and it was wonderful!  Having an extra person to soothe a fussing baby in the middle of the night made a huge difference.  Also enjoyed having a hot drink served to me in the morning and a few shopping trips.  Moms are so good at pampering!

In the baby department…I can’t believe how much they go to the bathroom!  We have gone through so many diapers already and 2 whole boxes of baby wipes in less than two weeks.  My sister-in-law gave me a recipe for homemade baby wipes and they are working fabulously!  Below is the recipe.

-Cut a roll of paper towels in half.  (I use the rolls that have half sheet cuts)

-Use an 8 cup round container with lid

-Mix 2 cups water, 3 Tbsp baby oil, and 2 Tbsp baby wash in the container

-Put your cut roll of towels in the bowl and then immediately lift out and put the dry end in.

-Pull out the brown tubing from the middle

-Pull towels from the center

I also made an Amy Butler coin purse.  It will be nice to throw on my wrist when I have to run somewhere quick.  (I have found that having a baby requires taking a few more items with you when on the go.)