What takes 18 processes, lots of colors, countless hours, many days, lots of love, and one set of hands to complete?

An Original Little Craft Cottage Pattern

TO MAKE A PATTERN:
1.Come up with an idea in my minds eye.

2.Draw design on paper

3.Draw out rough draft pattern pieces

4.Cut out pattern pieces

5.Choose fabric, either from my stash or visiting some Quilt shops

6.Wash fabrics

7.Place pattern pieces on fabric and cut out fabric pieces

8.Sew together while jotting instructions on scrap paper

9.Type up instructions in terms everyone including new sewers and crafters can follow and completely understand

10.Re-draw professional drafted pattern pieces, create a pattern cover

11.Take professional looking photos of finished items

12.Print out the completed pattern

13.Choose another fabric

14.Cut and sew a new item using this completed pattern & instructions

15.Print out the pattern & instructions many times over

16.Print out many photos

17.Glue photos to pattern covers

18.Fold and place in bags for distribution

And this my friends, can take anywhere from 1-4 weeks. According to how much life gets in the way during all these steps of the process.

Happy Saturday

Well I figured since I had made one toilet seat cover I would make another for the master bathroom while it was still fresh in my mind. I only had small pieces of the matching fabrics left that I used for the valance. I had gotten ambitious years ago and cut it all into quilt pieces thinking I would someday make a quilt for the bed to match. After all I had made a matching valance over our bedroom window besides the shower curtain. I found the pieces all cut and half sewn into quilt blocks but no pattern in sight to know what I had been sewing. Oh the story of my life! The best plans, I get started, then life gets in the way. At least I had all the pieces together tucked in a plastic shoebox waiting to be finished. So I guess that bed quilt will probably never get finished since I used the center squares that were supposed to go in the stars and made the toilet seat cover. I got smart and drew a pattern and instructions up while I was making the second one. In case I decide to change the colors in either bathroom in the future. Here's the second one. Just goes to show you how life gets in the way...I still have yet to finish the pattern and samples of the priarie flowers I was working on a couple weeks ago! I have to admit it felt really good to make something for me and our house for a change.

Next I wanted to share a really good tasting recipe I got from the Nate Berkus show. As I removed the pan from the oven it turned out looking pretty ugly, glad they didn't taste as bad as they looked! Recipe link follows. Pecan Butterscotch Bars   Scroll down and it's the 4th recipe on the page. Mine looked like theirs only in the center square. I'll show you a picture.

                  Mine was a flop in looks but not in flavor.