On a Coaster Roll!

Another set of coasters completed - and the start of another quick project (below)! I'll be visiting a friend in a couple of weeks and am hoping to have a little baby quilt finished as a gift - the little one will be celebrating his first birthday soon! It's inspired by a quilt in a calendar I received as a Christmas gift - the AQS Quilt Art 2007 Engagement Calendar (week of March 12th) 'Parallel Universe' by Susan Roberts. I'm trying to challenge myself to be more random. Hope to post some progress on the baby quilt next week - in the meantime, I'm delivering these blue coasters to Copenhagen this weekend!

She Sews!

Finally! Just two little sets of coasters as gifts, but still, it's some sewing! The little carrot ones are an Easter gift, the other set, a thank you gift. Hope to get one more set of coasters finished this week as a gift for a friend I'm visiting this weekend. Can't say enough about how easy these criss-cross coasters are - definitely a nice way to break in my new sewing space (same apartment, just rearranging things). Picture below from the new sewing room: Take a picture quick! Things are actually organized!

Where does the time go?!

Just wanted to check in: Finally standing still here in Vaasa for a while, but now I have had some visitors! Very nice.

Thought I would post a recipe and a photo (from Helsinki in December), since there is nothing crafty going on in my life. I did move things around in my apartment last weekend and now have a new creative space. Hoping to get in there on Sunday!

Moosewood Cardamom Coffee Cake

1 pound (4 sticks or .45 kg) butter or margarine, softened
2 cups light brown sugar (470ml)
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (10ml)
4 cups flour (940ml)
2 teaspoons baking powder (10ml)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda (12.5ml)
1/2 teaspoon salt (2.5ml)
1 Tablespoons cardamom (15ml)
2 cups sour cream (or yogurt or buttermilk) (470-500ml)
1/4 cup light brown sugar (60ml)
1 Tablespoons cinnamon (15ml)
1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped (60ml)

Preheat oven to 350F/175C. Butter and flour a 10-inch (or larger) tube or bundt pan.
In a LARGE mixing bowl, beat butter with 2 cups brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Stir in the vanilla.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and cardamom in a separate bowl.
Add the flour mixture, 1/3 of it at a time, to the butter mixture, alternating with the sour cream. Stir just enough to blend after each addition. Don't beat or otherwise overmix.
Combine 1/4 cup brown sugar, cinnamon, and walnuts in a separate small bowl.
Spoon approximately 1/3 of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with half the nut mixture, then add another third of the batter. Cover with remaining nut mixture, then top with remaining batter. Lightly spread into place.
Bake approximately 1-1/4 hours or until a knife inserted all the way in comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then invert onto a plate. Cool at least 30 minutes more before cutting into it. Enjoy with some cardamom tea or coffee!