Veggie Swap Pincushion

No, it's not a purple pear--it's an eggplant! Really it is. I made this for a pincushion veggie swap we did over at the yahoo group Crazy About Pincushions . I was determined to make an eggplant, but didn't realize what a challenge it would be. I think the next one I'm going to make the top part wider. I used purple and green velvet and then embellished it with some feather stitching and beads. And speaking of eggplant I thought I'd post my favorite recipe for the veggie. It's so good and tastes a bit like thanksgiving stuffing!

Eggplant Casserole

2 lb eggplant, peeled & cubed
1 qt bread crumbs
½ cup evaporated milk
1 medium onion, chopped
8 oz cheddar cheese, grated
2 Tblsp butter
3 eggs, beaten
½ tsp powdered sage
1 Tblsp salt
Salt & pepper

Soak peeled & cubed eggplant in salt water overnight. Steam 30 min. Soak crumbs in milk and mix with eggplant. Add eggs & seasonings. Mix well by hand. Put in a casserole dish and top with grated cheese. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Civil War Pincushions

I thought I'd let you take a peek at a swap that I'm sending to a friend--she's out of town, so she should receive them before she sees this. We had a pincushion/sewie swap on the P&R board and this is what I made her---a square pincushion with strawberries on top--stuffed with raw lambs wool, a little sewing ditty bag with pockets--I made up a little story about these being buried during the civil war and being found again and tucked it into the bag-- and that litte roll pincushion that actually hangs. I've seen these little roll pincushions--well photos of them--not in real life, but they've all been new ones, so I'm not sure about their history or the reason that they hang, but I like them. I hope she likes them too and if you happen to run into Deb--don't tell her!

Show And Tell Friday--Some Favorite Things

I've recently discovered Show And Tell Friday hosted by Kelli http://kellishouse.blogspot.com/

Make sure you check out her site and visit all the other Show And Tell Fridays.

For my first Show And Tell Friday I chose a little spot in my sewing room right above one of my work areas. I keep some of my most favorite things in this little spot--which is part of a large built in bookshelf area.

There are pincushions and sewies made by friends, Deb H, Kelley B, Terri P and one by me. The big doll--Ophelia was made for me by me very good friend Donna B, the itty bitty spool doll was made by Terri P. The framed sewing machine picture is actually the cardboard envelope that held matching stationary and I just loved the picture so much that I framed it.


I hope you've enjoyed my Show And Tell Friday share and now I'm off to visit the other Show And Tell blogs to see what they're all up to. Don't forget to visit blogs link.... http://kellishouse.blogspot.com/ Enjoy the weekend!

Primitive Pincushions & Sewies to Drool Over!

Wow! Look at the totally awesome pincushion and sewies I got in the mail today! These were made by Deb H for the Pincushion/Sewie Swap we're doing at the P&R and she spoiled me good! Thank you Deb!

This first one is a gorgeous prim pincushion out of civil war repro fabric that sits upon a little box--great for storing sewing tools and notions in. I love the little extras she pinned to the top, some great old buttons!

Oh you should see the punchneedle work on this beauty! I love this bird! A gorgeous sewing pocket also out of civil war repros. The pictures just don't show how beautiful these pieces truly are!
Here's a view of the pocket open, complete with a prim pincushion stitched in and then on the side is a very unique sock darner from Lancaster, PA and a wonderful smelling lavendar sachet.

Deb these are absolutely gorgeous and I'm just tickled pink! Thank you!!!!

A Wonderful Surprise!

Look at the wonderful surprise I received in the mail today from my friend Kelley B http://kankerdoodle.blogspot.com/ She made me this as a housewarming gift and I absolutely love it! There's a cool prim heart, a bowl full of ceramic buttons and little garden and sewing pins and this awesome punch needle pincushion! The pictures just don't do it justice! Kelley's work is just gorgeous! I don't think I'll be using this as a working pincushion--it's just too pretty!

Thank you Kelley for this primitively awesome treasure! I will think of you everytime I see it!