Sweet Home Quilt Co.

As 2012 winds down, I just wanted to take a few minutes to say thanks…for your business, your love and support, and your encouraging words along the way. It was a great year at the shop, beginning with the phone call in January telling me that Sweet Home had been selected as a Top Ten Shop for Quilt Sampler magazine, followed by weeks of frantic preparation for the photo shoot in early March, and then the agonizing wait until May when the official announcement was made at Quilt Market. There were times I thought I’d burst with the news, but we managed to keep it quiet. The outpouring of love and congratulatory messages received from all of you when the announcement was made were both humbling and heartwarming, and served as proof that Sweet Home is as loved by you as it is by us! We’ve met so many wonderful new friends from all over the U.S. and several other countries as a result of the magazine article, and I never tire of hearing “what a wonderful shop!”, which always makes me smile…it makes every effort worthwhile!

In the midst of preparing for the Quilt Sampler photo shoot, we welcomed Terry Atkinson of Atkinson Designs for a workshop in February. Sixty-five quilters spent two fun-filled days working with Terry testing a quilt pattern from her then soon-to-be-released book, Graphic Mixx, which has proven to be another hit for her! Every single time I look at the Graphic Mixx book I think to myself “we had a part in that!” Today, almost a year later, I still hear comments about how much fun that weekend was, and when can we do it again?

So many special moments from throughout the year … I could write a book! But I won’t since you’re probably getting ready for champagne and fireworks! I do especially want to thank everyone who has helped support our charitable efforts this year. Thanks to you, more than 500 pillowcases have been donated to ConKerr Cancer, and over 100 pet beds went to the local animal shelter. When Hurricane Sandy devastated the Northeast, you were quick to answer my call for help, contributing nearly 100 quilts and blankets and money to help with shipping costs. I really think we made a difference in a lot of ways this year, and I’m so proud to have the support of such giving hearts! You lift me up every single day in ways I never could have imagined!

Tomorrow brings a new year. I’m excited about this one. Good things are planned. Good things are happening. I’m ready.

Wishing you happiness,
Wishing you health,
Wishing you blessings …

Happy New Year!

~Melisa

The holiday season is a sensory overload … of gaily wrapped gifts, twinkling lights and trees, cookies and candies, over-excited children and exhausted adults. But now, after the gifts are unwrapped, and the wrappings cleared away – it’s time to pause … sit quietly with a hot cup of cocoa, breathe in the smells of Christmas, reflect on the memories of favorite ornaments on the tree, and give thanks for the many blessings of the season.

From our house to yours, we wish you love, joy, and peace in this season of hope.

Melisa & Mike

I’m one of those “I hate fruitcake” people…there, I said it! Is there a holiday food more ridiculed than the fruitcake? Bad jokes abound about fruitcakes surviving all sorts of catastrophic events intact, or the “gift that keeps on giving” that gets passed around from year to year! And is there a more dreaded Christmas gift? Who in their right mind thinks a gift of fruitcake would be welcomed?

Everyone knows there’s a lot of bad fruitcake out there. Especially those dense, dry loaves speckled with lumps of green, yellow and red that don’t resemble any fruit I’ve ever seen! Even those that are steeped in booze are often inedible, giving off clouds of alcohol fumes strong enough to give you a serious hangover! I remember my mother baking fruitcakes weeks in advance of the holidays, wrapping them in rum-soaked cheesecloth (and periodically dampening the cheesecloth with rum again!) leaving plenty of time to “cure.” Ugh!

Forget everything you know – and perhaps dislike – about traditional holiday fruitcakes. I’m sharing one of my all-time favorite recipes with you, and I promise it is unlike any other fruitcake you’ve ever had. Even better, it’s a breeze to make and a little slice to nibble on is just the right amount to satisfy your sweet tooth!

No Bake Ice Box Fruit Cake

1 box vanilla wafers or graham crackers

1 can Eagle Brand milk

1 box coconut

1 box golden raisins

1 qt. chopped pecans

Crush vanilla wafers or crackers with a rolling pin. Mix all ingredients thoroughly by hand. Roll into about a 2-inch round log (recipe will make several logs), wrap tightly in waxed paper and refrigerate for several hours (best overnight). Slice into about ¼ inch rounds to serve. Will keep several weeks in refrigerator, tightly wrapped in wax paper.

It’s the ONLY fruitcake I’ll eat! I hope you’ll give the recipe a try, and let me know how you like it!

Melisa

Time is getting short for Santa to be shopping … and the Elves have been working very hard so Santa doesn’t have to. We’ve created a whole section of WRAPPED & READY GIFTS to help Santa out. Choose from a variety of stocking stuffers, books, kits, notions and gift items all beautifully WRAPPED & READY for Santa to take home and put under the tree. Of course, if you have something else on your wish list for Santa, we’ll be happy to wrap that, too! You could even buy something for yourself and put it under the tree … one surefire way to get what you want for Christmas! And if Santa still isn’t comfortable choosing a gift for you, a reminder that GIFT CERTIFICATES in any amount are always available will solve that dilemma!

We want to make sure you get exactly the quilt-y gifts you’ve been dreaming of under your tree and in your stocking! Tell Santa there’s no excuse … we’ve covered all the bases!

Last year about this time, my friend, Roseann, at Rosebud’s Cottage showed me how to make tin ornaments using my Sizzix die cut machine. Time got away from me and I never got around to making any, but I finally gathered all the materials last week, and started playing.

It’s been so much fun that I want to invite you to come and try your hand at making these holiday ornaments this Saturday … December 1st …10am to 2pm. You can choose from my die cuts, and I’ll show you how easy it is to use the machine. Then you can sit down and ink and embellish your ornament however you’d like, and finish it off with a hand-turned wire hanger. Each ornament you make is $4.99 plus tax.

Everyone loves a handmade gift and these would be perfect for teachers, co-workers and friends. I’m also planning to add them to a few special gifts as package tie-ons!

Hope you can join us!

~Melisa

At this time of year, we pause to count our blessings.

…Consider yourself counted.

~Melisa

One of my favorite things about living in Georgia this time of year is the abundance of fresh pecans. I love cooking with them, and I love eating them raw…fresh-cracked, of course! A favorite childhood memory is us kids spending Saturday afternoons picking up pecans at the neighbor’s pecan orchard and getting paid a nickel a pound for all we picked up! We didn’t have any of those fancy gizmos that you see today for picking up the nuts either…we had to stoop over and pick up every single nut by hand! We didn’t know it was work, though…we were happy to be outside with our friends and earning a little spending money!

At our house, pecan pie is a must for the Thanksgiving (and Christmas!) dinner table. Over the years, I’ve perfected my pecan pie recipe and it is always the first dessert to disappear! I always make extra pies so the kids can each take one home to enjoy later. We like our pecan pie plain…just the ooey-gooey filling and crunchy nuts! But a little whipped cream or vanilla ice cream is good, too, especially if the pie is warm out of the oven!

Here’s my recipe…if you make it, drop me a note and let me know how you like it!

PECAN PIE

7 whole eggs
3 cups pecans (I use whole halves, but you could coarsely chop the nuts, too)
2 cups light Karo syrup
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 stick melted butter (the real stuff, NOT margarine)
3 teaspoons vanilla extract (again, real vanilla extract, not imitation)
3 deep-dish frozen pie crusts (I use the frozen pie crusts because I’m usually making many pies and time is a factor for me; feel free to use your favorite homemade pie crust if you’re so inclined!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients (except pie crusts!) and mix well; divide filling evenly and pour into pie crusts. Bake for 5 minutes at 350 degrees, then lower temperature to 300 degrees and continue baking for one hour or until firm. (Note: I usually add one tablespoon of cornstarch to the mixture before baking for a firmer filling.) Allow pie to cool at least one hour before cutting. This pie freezes well; allow 30 minutes to thaw before serving.

Do you have a favorite dessert that always makes an appearance on your holiday table? Share the recipe…I’m always looking for new recipes to try!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Melisa

Sweet Home Quilt Co. will be closed on Wednesday, July 4th, in observance of Independence Day.

We hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable holiday…thank a soldier for your freedom!

Melisa

 Happy Mother’s Day from Sweet Home Quilt Co.