Merry Christmas to all!

Hey yall! I just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! 2014 has definitely had its ups and downs around the farm. The kindness and friendships that I have experienced over these last few months have been so overwhelming and truly appreciated!I am so grateful to have you all in my life and truly appreciate you letting me share in yours. Merry Christmas everyone! xo jan

Pecan Pie Muffins.... yummy!

Hey yall! I just wanted to pop in this afternoon and share this yummy recipe with everyone!
Pecan Pie Muffins! Yall these are scrumptious! And so simple to make. I love having these ready for gifting and ready for a late night snack! The recipe makes 1 dozen.

Pecan Pie Muffins
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup All Purpose flour
2/3 cup butter, softened ( I like to use real butter, salted)
2 eggs beaten
2 cups chopped pecans ( or Walnuts!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sugar and flour and mix well. Add in pecans and toss well, then add softened butter and eggs. Stir until well blended. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake 15 - 18 mins or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. ( I had to bake mine for almost 20 minutes.) Let cool or slather with butter while still hot and enjoy! :)
They are also yummy when cooled.
Enjoy!
xo jan

Happy Thanksgiving!

 I am so grateful for YOU my friends for all your love, encouragement and friendships! I hope yall have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
xo jan

Books and a Beanie...

Hey yall! I hope everyone is staying nice and warm. We have had below freezing temps and snow on the mountain! I took this photo the first day of November from a friends hay field. When the hubby told me we were going to start hauling 70 or so rolls of hay home, I was very happy to know that I would be the one driving the truck, where it was nice and warm!

I carried some yarn and a crochet hook with me since I have been struggling with carpal tunnel again with my right wrist/hand. I can crochet and knit, but it really hurts to hold a needle and hand sew!

I love this yarn. It is a very warm acrylic blend. Since I lost my hat last year to a fresh cow patty, I don't like to use good yarn for wearing around the farm, just in case a cow patty claims another one. I really think that my color choices whether I am sewing or crocheting is highly influenced by my surroundings. However, the color name of this yarn is "Teddy Brights"! ha!

 Missy was very intent on supervising my progress! Or maybe she was counting stitches :)!

At least for a little while......

Then I think the warm sun shining into the cab while the wind was howling outside was just too much! I lost her quick! Sleeping on the job. Snoring too!

About the time hubby had the load ready to take home, I was making good progress on my beanie.

  And on a totally unrelated note, I wanted to show y'all this old home that we pass by on our comings and goings.

Isn't it gorgeous? Look at those triangular windows up top! It seems like I should know the history behind this house, but I can't recall it. I will definitely have to look it up.
    When we returned for the 2nd load, I decided to give my hand a rest and finish up a book that I was reading.

. This is "The Funeral Parlor Quilt" by Ann Hazelwood. It is the third novel in the Colebridge Community Series. The first and second books in the series are "The Basement Quilt" and "The Potting Shed Quilt". Now I want to say that I have mixed feelings on exactly how much I want to say here about these books. I am not an experienced book reviewer but I would give all three of these 4 stars. If you go to Amazon and look at the reviews there, you will find everything from 5 stars to 1 star!.The series begins with introducing you to the local florist, Anne Brown, in the small town of Colebridge and her extended family that gather to finish a quilt. There are some very repetitive phrases used throughout the books, especially the first novel, that are mildly annoying. I do not like to analyze why an author uses certain phrases, repetitive or not. Maybe that phrase holds certain memories for the author and she is just wanting to share. I certainly did not let simple over usage of a phrase or incorrect grammar deter me from enjoying what I think is a very well written set of events that brings you into the fold of the community within Colebridge.After all, The Basement Quilt is Ann Hazelwood's first novel!
  Now the books are set up as a SERIES! Someone actually wrote in a review that the books "left you hanging". I did not feel like either of the first two books ended badly.They could be stand alone books.  However, the third book, The Funeral Parlor Quilt, does leave you hanging. And at a crucial point! This, I did not like. It is like one of those movies where something happens right at the end and you don't know the outcome. It kinda leaves you aggravated, for lack of a better word.
  I also want to mention that the series has some "Supernatural" events going on that some reviewed as making the books unbelievable. Ya know, I am one of those people that kinda believe in "Live and let live". Once again this is an issue that did not deter me from enjoying this series. I think the author did a very good job in making the reader feel the attachment that "Anne Brown" feels to the supernatural powers within the books.
  Now all that being said, I have enjoyed reading each of these novels and I have already ordered the fourth in the series, The Jane Austen Quilt Club and the fifth The Ghostly Quilts on Main! From the first book to the third, I often found myself searching for my book. Whenever a book makes me feel like I know the characters personally and I can't wait to see what they are up to next, then I count it as a good book. It's been a while since I carried a book (s) around with me everywhere I went, but I have with this series. I just hope Amazon hurries and gets the next two to me quick! I need to know what happened!

After I finished my book, I finished my Beanie!

Ain't that color gorgeous!

 Yeehaw! for a warm noggin!
And no wise cracks about my gray  silver hair!
Time to head home!
Y'all, thanks so much for stopping by! I know my blog has been rather quiet lately but it really does hurt to type much. Hopefully my wrist/hand will improve soon.
Happy stitching and reading dear friends! 
xo jan
PS. I forgot to mention, these books are published by American Quilters Society and each book has a link for a quilt block pattern! Free! You Can't beat free :)!

You can take the girl out of the Sewing Room but.....

You can take the girl out of the sewing room BUT you can't take the sewing away from the girl!
10 hours at the Cattle Auction!
Yeehaw!
Happy Stitching yall!
xo jan

A flop is a flop is a flop.....

     Do you ever make something and it turns out to be a flop? That is how I feel about this block.

  I actually cut it incorrectly. I had intended the block to be ( working from the outside to the middle) brown floral, white floral, brown floral, red floral, cream background and then the center fussy cut red rose. IF I have enough fabric after all the blocks are made, I will remake this one! Yep! All 60 seams :)!

 So to make myself feel better I went ahead and made another block. This one I love :)!

I haven't used plaids much before, but I think I am loving plaids with florals and polka dots!
 So tell me, have you ever made a flop? Did you leave it or re-make it?
Happy or Happier Stitching yall!
xo jan

Aurifil BOM and Giveaway

Hi everyone!
  Have yall been following along with the Aurifil Block of the Month? Each month a different Designer posts a block with instructions. You can make the blocks out of the fabric of your choice and link them up on Flickr. Pat Sloan is our host and each month she chooses a winner from all the blocks for that month. The winner wins a scrumptious box of Aurifil thread!
  This is my September block:

Oh, I loved making this block! It is "The Stars of My Life" designed by Pat Wys of Silver Thimble Quilts! I just love Pat and this design. You can read all about "The Stars of My Life " here!

It is not too late to join in the Aurifil Block of the month!

Happy Stitching yall!
Have fun!
xo jan

Have a Cow why don't cha and Giveaways!

EDIT: THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED> THANK YOU FOR ENTERING> WINNERS ANNOUNCED TUESDAY SEPT 30th 2014. 

Hey yall! Happy Autumn !
   Well, yall may as well grab a chair and a cup of tea because this is going to take a minute. But there will be cuteness overload  I promise and some giveaways to boot!

Photo Courtesy of Mary Jane Butters Milk Cow Kitchen

Awwwww!! Cute!!!!!!!! Told ya!
   Yall, I was so excited last month when I received a copy of Mary Jane Butters latest book "Milk Cow Kitchen to review and giveaway to one of my readers!

"Milk Cow Kitchen" by Mary Jane Butters

  Mary Jane wants us to have a backyard milk cow and she shows us how in her 5th book "Milk Cow Kitchen!

Photo courtesy of MJB Milk Cow Kitchen

In her 400 page book, MaryJane starts off with teaching us about the differences between store bought milk and homegrown milk. The meanings of all the different milks offered in our Supermarkets like Skim, 1% Low Fat, 2% Reduced Fat, Whole Milk. Cream Line, Buttermilk, Old Fashioned Buttermilk and Organic! And how those differences affect the recipes offered in the book.

Photo courtesy of "Milk Cow Kitchen"

Oh and recipes? How about Sweet Cream Butter, Cultured Butter, Flavored Butters, Cultured Buttermilk, Cultured Sour Cream, Cultured Plain Yogurt, Cultured Greek Yogurt, Cultured Kefir? Then we get into the cheeses. Soft Cheese,Cream Cheese,Cottage Cheese,Mozarella, Monterey Jack,Cheddar, Colby-Jack, Feta, Manchego, Gruyere,Swiss, Parmesan, Asiago, Blue Cheese and Brie! There are lists of all the equipment needed and each recipe tells you which type (s) of milk works best. Thermized, pasteurized or raw! There is a description of each cheese presented and step by step instructions with photos.

Photo courtesy of MJB Milk Cow Kitchen

I have never seen a more thorough collection of recipes.

Photo Courtesy of MJB Milk Cow Kitchen

Then we get into the recipes that utilize these cheeses such as Creamy Garlic Breakfast potatoes,French Toast casserole,Grilled Cheese and Pear Sandwiches,Eggplant Parmesan,Salad dressings,Buttermilk Biscuits,Kitchen Gravy, Pastors Pie, Four Cheese Macaroni and many many more! Geez I'm starvin" :)
Then she teaches us how to make Ice Cream, cookies and Ginger Snaps! And thats just the first 200 pages of the book! The next 200 pages are dedicated to how to buy a good quality cow, why it is so important to keep good breeding records, how to care for your cow, how to milk the different size cows, yes cows come in different sizes. Full size, mid size, mini and micro! lol!
  The differences in feed, how to get rid of pests, how to build shelters, vet care, dehorning, ear tagging, and companionship. Now we get into the business side of this adventure!  Do you want to sell your extra milk? The legalities of selling raw milk. Zoning laws. Home decor and if that ain't enough, she rounds it all off with how to braid your hair like a milk maid!

Courtesy of MJB Milk Cow Kitchen

No, I wasn't kiddin! There is a section just for Milkmaid Fashion!
  Yall I have to tell you, this book is the first book that I have ever seen that actually tells you step by step how to "Have a Cow"! Whether it is in your backyard or on the farm. Now, we have around 80 cows at the moment. But I have shied away from keeping a milk cow because it is just my hubby and I at home. That was before I found out about Mini -jerseys! They give 1 -2 qts of milk a day! I think I could handle that amount of milk! And a mini! Sweeeet! So, I guess I know what is going on my Christmas wish list!  My very own copy of Milk Cow Kitchen" and a Mini Jersey!
   Now, if being an author and organic farmer isn't enough to keep MaryJane busy, she is also a fabric designer. Her past collections of Glamping and Bee My Honey were so adorable! She has a new line to go along with her book Milk Cow Kitchen and the Fat Quarter Shop was kind enough to send me a little to play with and some to giveaway!
I fell in love with the cutesy cows on that butter yellow background. I knew right away that I wanted to make a table runner for my big table and to use on my sideboard.

I used a charm pack and my tumbler template. Those tumblers remind me of an old fashioned milk jug!

I bordered it with Moda Essential Dots in Mocha ( think Chocolate milk!) and Crazy Girls in Butter!
I took it outside to see what my babies thought about it.

I think Clover approves!

I added a little grass to the lower forty for those pretty girls on the back!

I used a super yummy Aurifil 2105 for the quilting and Aurifil 2372 for hand stitching the binding. I love to hand stitch binding! I think it just gives a very pretty finish!

I stitched in the ditch around the borders and did a simple meandering in the center. I love these cows!

I made a couple of tumbling coasters with the extra charms, insul-brite and flannel.

Yall, this project has been so fun. My mother in law used to have a milk cow. She had 8 children at home. I can definitely see the benefits of having a source of good nutritional milk right outside your back door. We have several full size Jerseys but I don't milk them. We would never use that much milk. But I would love a mini Jersey!
  Now I promised some giveaways. So let's see what we have:

First we have Mary Jane Butters new book Milk Cow Kitchen. Thank you folks at Mary Janes Farm for sending this incredible book for me to pass on to one of my readers.

Next we have a charm pack of Mary Janes newest fabric line Milk Cow Kitchen. Thank you Fat Quarter Shop for offering a charm pack to one of my readers so they can make their very own project!

And finally we have a 10 spool set of Mark Lapinskis "I Can Fly" Aurifil 50 wt thread collection! Thank you Aurifil for offering this collection for one of my readers!

Woohoo! THREE great giftaways! So how do you go about winning one of these prizes?

You have up to 7 chances to win! Enter once or all 7 times!

1. Leave a comment below. I would love to know if you do any type of  hand stitching?AND which gift you prefer if you win!( first entry)

2. Drop by MaryJanes  Facebook page and tell her Jan from Sew and Sow Farm said hello and what you think about her book! (optional 2nd entry) Let me know that you did.

3. Follow the Fat Quarter Shop blog "The Jolly Jabber", like their Facebook page, or check out their You Tube channel! ( yes they have their own channel.Leave me a comment letting me know which you have done.( Optional 3rd entry)

4. Drop by Aurifil's facebook page and tell them Jan from Sew and Sow Farm said hello and if you have tried Aurifil thread! Or sign up for their newsletter Auribuzz!(optional 4th entry) Let me know which you have done.

5.Sew and Sow Farm followers New or Old get another entry! (optional 5th entry) Leave me a comment letting me know that you do. 

6. Help spread the word through facebook, twitter, pinterest, instagram or your blog! Leave me a comment letting me know how you shared ( Optional 6th entry!)

7. Visit one of my followers from the sidebar and let them know that Jan from Sew and Sow Farm sent you! Let me know who you visited.( optional 7th entry)

What?  Yall, I have so many nice people that have helped me along with this blog and I want to show them some love. Over on my right sidebar you will see Google Friend Connect followers (just click on one of the icons) and Bloglovin followers(click on followers). And also Google + followers.(I can't see my email followers) Just look around and pay a visit to at least ONE of them.( Try not to all visit the same person/blog as everyone else is) You may even decide to follow them. That is up to you. But I would love for you to just pick someone NEW to you and pay them a visit. Give them some encouragement!You will find so much inspiration and be so glad you did. If you need help, let me know and I will walk you through how to visit! Leave me a comment of who you visited! ( Now this is the 7th optional entry!) Kinda like a blog hop, giftaway ,visiting party! Yeehaw! AND when someone reaches out to you and visits your blog, try to return the favor if you can! I am certain they would love it!

That is 7 possible entries! Enter now through Sunday September 28th 2014! Winners will be picked at Random.org and I will announce the winners next week! 

This giveaway is open to everyone, everywhere! Also if you are a no-reply or anonymous commenter, please include your email in your comments. 

Yall, this has been so much fun! Thank you so much to our sponsors that make this all possible! Have fun everybody! And Good luck! 
Thanks for stopping by! 
I gotta go drink me a big glass of Chocolate Milk!
xo jan

Slow Stitching Sunday Sneak Peek!

Hey yall! Happy Sunday! I hope that yall have had a chance to do a little Slow Stitching today! I am working on hand stitching a binding. I love to hand stitch especially when it goes this smoothly! I can't show you the whole project yet as it is for an upcoming giveaway later this week! Actually three giveaways! Yeehaw!!!
So stay tuned for that. Happy Stitchin' yall!
xo jan
I'm lovin these two Aurifil colors! # 2372 and 2105!
Have fun yall! Linking up with Kathy over at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Stitchin Sundays!

"Sew Your Own" and 5 Giveaways!

EDIT: This giveaway is now closed. Thank you for your entry. Winners will be announced Tuesday 8/5/14.



Recently I was in Chattanooga at Spool to attend a lecture being presented by Alex Veronelli for Aurifil thread company and I came across this adorable fabric panel:

Cute right?  I knew immediately that I had to have it and exactly what I wanted to make with a couple of the panel blocks.
So I dug out my scraps from a Kimberley's Garden 1930's jelly roll that I purchased from the Fat Quarter Shop and went to work.

I sewed strips together and then subcut them into 2 1/2" strips and then sewed them into a large panel.

 I then decided on the backing fabric and cut out the "Sew Your Own" panel and attached strips on both sides until I had it as wide as my biggest sewing machine. I have several machines and some vintage ones that do not have a cover. I decided to make a cover big enough that I could use on whichever machine that was currently in use.

 I think it turned out so stinkin' cute! I sewed three strips across the top and a panel of the 2 1/2" squares for the back. I bound it scrappy with leftover strips.

I used the twill tape from a fat quarter bundle for the ties on the sides. I love that the cover is adjustable for any of my machines.

I used Aurifil thread 12wt for quilting it! 12wt In My Machine! I set my stitch length to 5, the longest that my machine offers.  I love, love how it looks!

The thread color is # 4668! And its variegated!  I usually machine stitch my bindings on the front and hand stitch to the backing, however this time I wanted to play with this gorgeous thread some more so I stitched the binding to the back and then flipped it to the front and machine stitch it with the 12 wt thread!  I love the vintage, chunky look that it gives.

I used 50 wt in the bobbin. It worked fine. I think a 40wt would work great too!  And a cutsey little floral print for the backing. 

I decided that I wanted to try out my Aurifloss and have started using it on the panel. I should have done this first, but you know me, if I can get the cart before the horse, I do it everytime! :) But I have been able to embroider through the panel but not all the way through the batting and backing. So far...

   Look at those yummy colors. Aurifloss is a six strand 100% long staple cotton floss. Great for embroidery, Sashiko and blanket stitch applique. Just about anytime you want a chunky embroidered look. And,  it can be seperated like any other 6 strand floss.And it comes on these adorable wooden spools! LOVE!

 I also want to do some embellishing with buttons and ribbon. 

When it is not in use, I can open it up and throw it over the back of my chair.

 Sew? Would you like to "Sew, Grow, Bake and Ride Your Own"? I kinda got carried away and bought 

5 (five) panels to giveaway! And Aurifil and the Fat Quarter Shop have decided to help! So here we go with the giveaways! There are 5!

First is one (1)  4 block panel and a 10 Spool Box Collection of Mark Lipinski's  50 wt. "I Can Fly " Collection!!! Woohoo! Aren't those colors yummy!

Second is one (1)  4 block panel and 2 large spools of Aurifil 12 wt variegated thread!

Third is one (1)  4 block panel and two (2) large spools of Aurifil 12 wt variegated thread.

Fourth is one (1) 4-block panel and 2 large spools of Aurifil 12 wt thread:

AND Fifth is one (1)  4-block panel, 1 large spool of Aurifil 12 wt thread AND a  Bundle of 1930's Playtime 2 Petite from the Fat Quarter Shop!

WOOT! WOOT!! Yall, I 'bout fell outta my chair when I saw this! How gorgeous would this all be together! And how cute would a machine cover be made with those little spools print on it???

So, how do you go about winning one of these AWESOME giftaways? Well if you've been here before you probaly have a good idea, but here goes. You have 5 chances to win! You can enter once or all 5 times, that is up to you. I will leave this giftaway open for 5 days to give everyone time to play as much as they want!

 To enter:

1. Leave a comment below. ( first entry) ( I would love to know what you would like to make if you won one of the giveaways.I want to make a casserole cover with the "Bake Your Own"! Cute!)

2. Sew and Sow Farm followers New or Previous get another entry! (optional 2nd entry) Leave me a comment letting me know that you do. 

3. Help spread the word through facebook, twitter, pinterest, instagram or your blog! Leave me a comment letting me know how you shared ( Optional 3rd entry!)

4. SHOW OUR SPONSORS SOME LOVE and GRATITUDE! Drop by Aurifils blog  Auribuzz and  by  The Jolly Jabber (the Fat Quarter Shops blog) and sign up for their newsletters! Did you know that The Fat Quarter Shop has an awesome selection of Aurifil and a You Tube Channel! Or you can visit them on their face book pages  here and here! Be sure and tell them I said hello! (Optional 4th entry!)

5. Visit one of my followers from the sidebar and let them know that Jan from Sew and Sow Farm sent 'cha over to say hi and visit awhile!

What? Yall, this is something I love to do. I have so many nice people that have helped me along with this blog and I want to show them some love. Over on my right sidebar you will see Google Friend Connect followers (just click on one of the icons) and Bloglovin followers(click on followers). And also Google + followers.(I can't see my email followers) Just look around and pay a visit to at least ONE of them.( Try not to all visit the same person/blog as everyone else is) You may even decide to follow them. That is up to you. But I would love for you to just pick someone NEW to you and pay them a visit.Tell them I said howdy! :)  Give them some encouragement!You will find so much inspiration and be so glad you did. If you need help, let me know and I will walk you through how to visit! Leave me a comment of who you visited! ( Now this is the 5th optional entry!)
 Kinda like a blog hop, giftaway ,visiting party! Yeehaw! AND when someone reaches out to you and visits your blog, try to return the favor if you can! I am certain they would love it!

 For those that are not familiar with Blogger,You have to click on Comments below to leave comments to be eligible to win.

Whew! Don't worry you have 5 DAYS to enter. Enter once or all 5 times, it's up to you! Mr. Random will announce the winners next week!

This giveaway is open to everyone, anywhere! I will ship Internationally!  Also if you are a no-reply or anonymous commenter, or not sure, then please include your email in your comments. 

 Yall, I would like to say a HUGE THANK YOU to the  Fat Quarter Shop and to Aurifil! You know, these companies are huge, but yet they still take the time to offer their generosity to a small blog like mine. They are both very caring and generous companies and it shows through the support that they give to our quilting and sewing community! So show 'em some love!

Have fun yall! And good luck! 
xo jan