AMANDA'S BASKETS: Prairie Point Easter Egg

Thursday, March 18, 2021

Prairie Point Easter Egg

It rained most of the day today...dark and cloudy as well as the type of cold that goes right through you. And it is still raining this evening but the forecast is for dry weather tomorrow and then high 50's and 60's the next ten days...maybe spring has finally sprung.

That means I can really get back to working on Duchess. I finally found a new water heater. The type I use is a manual and the majority of water heaters are electronic. Was hoping to get parts but no one has them so I will be getting the complete 6 gallon heater for Duchess...basically replacing the same model.

So I added some more trim to the Easter Egg to see how it looks. I need to add some decorative trim around the middle but then it's done. To make an egg you need a styrofoam egg, either loose or compact, fabric (cut into 2" by 3"), a lot of pins, I used sequin pins which are shorter than regular pins, a scissors and then trim.

The best way to start making the egg is to make lines from top to bottom. First divide it in half, then each half into quarters. This is not an absolute requirement but it does make it easier to keep the rows straight.

To make a prairie point take one piece of fabric, right side down, fold down about a quarter inch and pin in the folded part close to the top as shown.

Pin the fabric to the egg...

Fold down the right side and pin as shown...

Repeat on the left side, then pin the two corners at the bottom as shown...

Some folks overlap the two folds and use only one pin. I prefer this way even though it uses one more pin. Don't worry about the fabric at the bottom, it will be covered.

So, now that you know how to make a prairie point, find the top center of the egg and place four prairie points so that they cover the entire top part of the egg. For the second row and from then on, use 8 prairie points. To keep the points in line, I use a 3 by 5 card and indicate the space from the top of the point to where you place the top of the next row of points with a pencil. I can refer to that mark to make sure the rows are in line.

For the top part of the egg, I add prairie points about 2/3rds of the way down, then turn the egg over and repeat the process finishing the bottom 1/3rd. When they meet, I add a ribbon or a piece of the fabric to cover the unfinished part of the egg.

It's really easy to do, and very repetitive. You may want something to push the pin in to save your fingers. Hope you give it a try.

See you tomorrow...

CRAFTING IDEAS

I am always looking for a small piece of paper to write down something which will later be disposed of. I decided to use some of the scrap paper of which I have a ton. I mostly use the paper for glueing projects. I decided to cut the paper into a small size. (Six pieces from a piece of copy paper.). But just having them sitting on my desk would get messy without a container. So, using a cardboard box, I cut it down to size and using a hot glue gun I glued the ends together. Using a picture from a magazine cut into pieces and stick craft glue, I glued the pieces to the box inside and out. I also used some decorative tape for the outside edges. And to finish the top corners which were not covered, I used straight pins with colorful tops. Looks nice and works well.

MAGAZINE IDEAS

(New) One article in the Farmer's Almanac 2024 is a list of trends. One I knew about is the trend to downsize in just about every area. Another trend that I was surprised about was called ''The Human Library' which offers people on loan to talk about specific subjects. Finally, more folks are adding pets to their family and as a result, stores are adding more pet food, toys and medication to their offerings. There's also a nice garden article which suggests mixing vegetables and flowers together for success.

RECIPE IDEAS

Have you every made Cherry Dump Cake. It calls for 2 cans of Cherry Pie Filling (21 ounces), a white cake mix, 1/4 -1/2 cup butter, melted & 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans. In a 9 by 13 pan, spread both cans of cherry pie filling. Add the melted butter to the cake mix and break apart the resulting mixture and crumble it evenly over the pie filling. Sprinkle the pecans evenly over the mixture. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 - 45 minutes until the topping is golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream. Fast, easy and very delicious.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

What if you want to establish better habits, then decide what habit you want to work on. Again, try an easier one first for that good feeling of success. Let's consider more exercise. Start small. Don't try to run a marathon right away. Set the amount of time, the type of exercise and when to do it to begin making sure that it is within your reach. If it works for you each week add a bit more. Walking is one of the best ways to get good overall movement but there are many exercise videos on YouTube of varying lengths and difficulty to check out. Change your exercise routines to eliminate getting bored. For hardcore exercise with weights, give yourself a day in-between to recover. Even on days you would rather not exercise, do it and see if you feel better. It takes an average of 66 days to establish a habit. Just think 66 days to establish a good habit for a lifetime. Sounds like a good thing to me...how about you?

AMANDA'S BASKETS

Thursday, March 18, 2021

Prairie Point Easter Egg

Fabric Flower

CRAFTING IDEAS

TODAY ORGANIZE

Dinner Made Simple

BOOK IDEAS

Farmer's Almanac 2024

MAGAZINE IDEAS