Microwave toffee recipe

My favorite holiday treat is my toffee recipe.  It started as 'almond roca', but over the years I have omitted the almonds and I like it just as much (and that is one less ingredient to have on hand.  This is a recipe that I almost always have the ingredients to make.

Start with:

3/4c. salted butter (1 1/2 cubes)

1 c. packed dark brown sugar (light brown can be used too, but I prefer dark)

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Add butter and brown sugar to a 2 quart microwavable bowl:

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Microwave on high for 1 minute to melt the butter and whisk together well:

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Microwave on HIGH for 4 minutes. 

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Whisk together well - it will start to separate at first, but whisk it until it comes together and looks opaque.

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Mircrowave on HIGH for 3 more minutes (some microwaves might take a little longer).  Whisk well and then quickly spread onto a greased foil-lined cookie sheet (it is still cooking as you pull it out of the microwave, so do this quick so it doesn't burn right in front of your eyes!)

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Sprinkle with 1/2-3/4c chocolate chips (I use Ghiradelli dark chocolate, they are larger than normal chocolate chips)

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After the chips are completely melted (will only take a couple minutes), spread evenly over the whole top.

You can add chopped nuts at this stage if you prefer

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Cool in the fridge for 1/2 hour, break into pieces and ENJOY!

 Toffee recipe:

3/4c. salted butter

1 c. packed brown sugar

1/2c. dark chocolate chips

Microwave butter and brown sugar on HIGH 1 minute.

Whisk.

Microwave on HIGH 4 minutes.

Whisk.

Microwave on HIGH 3 minutes.

Whisk and pour onto greased foil-lined cookie sheet.

Cool, break into pieces, and enjoy!

Scrappy Irish Chain, WeePlay and Pezzy Prints

I am *finally* quilting my American Jane Scrappy Irish Chain quilt.  This one was made from strips cut from a FQB of Wee Play, a jelly roll of Pezzy Prints, and a jelly roll of Moda Bella red.  The WeePlay has a few squares that were pieced before quilt assembly to utilize every bit of that precious fabric as possible.  I am doing diagonal straight line quilting, the same as I did for my original Scrappy Irish Chain I made for MBS.  I adore this pattern, it won't be the last quilt I make from it!

Happy Halloweeen quilt

I finished this quilt last week, but thought I'd share today (Halloween!)
It is made from scraps from previous Ghastlie's quilts and orange/purple/gray/black scraps gathered along the years.

crazy trips quilt top

I just realized that I hadn't shared a quilt top finish with y'all....  it is my tiny scrappy trips quilt top (aka: crazy trips).

STATS:
fabric:  Mill House Inn, Fig Tree & Co for Moda
pattern: scrappy trips around the world by Quiltville (although my strips were 1.5'' wide)
finished quilt top: 84.5''x84.5''  (that is 7,056 @1'' squares!)

I was calling it 'tiny scrappy trips', but it is definitely now ''crazy trips'' haha!

I joined 4 of the blocks together to make one larger block - then I arranged them to very randomly.  It made the quilt top look like a maze, LOL.  What is weird about pictures - the differences in the blocks don't show up like they do in the pictures - the colors look much more harmonious in person :)

Now, any suggestions on quilting?  (remembering I do all my quilting on my Pfaff sewing machine and this quilt top is about twice as heavy as a normal quilt top)

Vacation and mean people

I don't like to announce I will be going on vacation, but we did and it was great!  My family has 2 summer cabins on a lake in BC and we went there to stay for a week.....  it is my favorite place on earth.

The cabins are super rustic (no electricity or running water), but that is what makes it special I think.  Just makes it seem so disconnected to the outside world, like you are in another time period.
Our Lucy love love LOVES it there too - she gets to be outside anytime she wants to be and she would swim in the lake multiple times a day on her own.  She was pretty much wet 24/7.  Smart girl as it was in the 80's the whole week!  (Lucy is the Saint Bernard, the black Lab is our oldest son's dog Tikka).

So, I was on a 'high' from the wonderful week at the cabin, and today I see two snarky comments (from the same person) on my latest MBS project.  One saying something to the effect of 'why on earth would anybody make a quilt that will ravel on the front' and one saying something to the effect of  'the white spaces look like paper plates'.  Didn't her momma teach her 'if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all'?  Just ruins my day :*(  I love that quilt and for someone to be so blatantly RUDE, it just hurts my heart.

Moda Bake Shop - Improved 9 patch quilt

This post is going to be picture heavy!  I finally finished my latest MBS project (project post here) - a full size raw-edge applique quilt.  I quilted it in a traditional feather wreath - my first try at feathers (and done on my DSM, a Pfaff tiptronic 2030).  Without further ado.....

It has been washed and there was absolutely zero blue on the white background (or on the color catchers!).  Love that Moda!  The raw edges haven't frayed much yet, but they will the more it gets washed and used :)  This one is a keeper!
I have made one other raw-edge quilt - that was my raw-edge circle quilt.  It has been my couch quilt for a few years now and it looks as good today as it did the day I made it.  So, yes, this technique still makes a sturdy quilt!

Quilting feathers

It has been 5 weeks since I broke my toe, so I was finally up to basting my upcoming MBS quilt.  I can't show much, but I will show you the border quilting :)  This is my first attempt at FMQ feathers, whew!  Lots more to go, but I am liking how it is coming out!

Finished the new vintage quilt

I haven't been up to basting the vintage quilt that I repaired since my shingles and now my broken toe  (I have to go to my moms and baste it in her floor as I don't have a large enough space).  But, I did finish a quilt.... the top was one in boxes of things my brother-in-law gave me that was his mother's. The plaid flannel backing (and binding) was in another batch of boxes he gave me.  So, I put them together and finished the quilt with fluffy poly batting, stitch-in-the-ditch quilting along the horizontal seams, and then tied (with yarn from the gifted boxes) at the intersections of the blocks.  Definitely has a 70s vibe to it :)  It finished at 90" x 75".  Good for a queen or full size bed.

Feet up sewing

Well, sewing this week will involve a lot of feet up.  I broke a toe on the 4th. I tried to resume as usual and it isn't working out.  I have a velcro hard-boot I use for walking, but it just seems so confining.  It wasn't getting better, so I went and got xrays.  It is a spiral fracture, but is aligned great the doctor said (it was quite crooked before I taped it). 

Anyhow, I am working on some hand-sewing.  Back to working on my hexagon flower quilt top.  One day, this will be finished!