Quilting Class Week 5

Our class did not meet last week. We are all smart ladies, and when there is freezing rain, snow, and sleet falling and the wind is bitter, we go home after work and stay there, usually with some warm jammies on. Being stuck inside last week turned out to be very productive for me. I finished a crib quilt and a full size quilt top that I had been working on for a while.

Last night, everyone came, and we sewed and pressed and trimmed happily for two hours. We also talked about the next winter storm on the radar. We are winter weary and will be thankful when spring gets here. Spring always comes, but it is easy to forget that after last week's roller-coaster weather.

Remember this scrap windmill quilt top I showed you a few weeks ago? I finished another one this week using the same blocks and the same pattern. I changed the fabric to a solid red. Can you see a big difference?

In the meantime, our stacks of blocks keep getting higher and higher.

This class is made possible by a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts. Thank you!

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Amish in Stantonville, Tennessee

Last week, my sis and her hub went with us to the Amish community near Stantonville, Tennessee. It was a beautiful day, and we love driving to new places and finding new treasures. We enjoy these mini-trips we take together, where we giggle a lot and get caught up on everything. Also, the squirrels ate all our tomatoes, so we needed to find some to buy. You know the food you are buying is fresh when they bring it from the field while you are standing there waiting for it. Here is part of what we brought home, and it was all delicious. Stantonville is located in McNairy County, Tennessee, northwest of Shiloh National Military Park.

Holy Smoke Pie

I think it was in the late seventies that I first had Holy Smoke Pie. It was at a party at Debra Morris Harville's house. After we ate, Debra had to give the recipe to everyone there. I came home and made it for my family, and it has been a favorite since then. I always make it at holiday dinners, because I believe tradition is important. It has become a favorite of our granddaughters. I've heard it called Chocolate Delight, Four-Layer Chocolate Dessert, and other odd things. We call it Holy Smoke. Here is how I make it: Chop us a cup of pecans; set aside. Add a stick of softened butter (NOT margarine) to one cup of self-rising flour. Cut the butter into the flour. Add the chopped pecans, and work it all together. Save two tablespoons of the pecans to sprinkle on top. Pour into a 9" x 12" pan that has been sprayed with cooking oil. Spread it over the bottom of the pan. It helps to use your hands (or hand, if you have t

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