Retro Crafting Friday: Blue Ribbon Flag Place Mat

A few years ago I entered my design for a flag place mat into the Dupage County Fair. I’ve entered many things over the years, but this did the best. It got a blue ribbon in its category as well as a purple Special Award. It’s pretty easy to make.

This place mat is about 13×17″. I cut 1 1/2″ strips of the red and white fabrics. Cut 8″ squares of the blue fabric. I sewed five strips together first: RWRWR for the upper stripes. Then I cut those into about 10″ sections. I pressed the stripes away from the white ones. Then I sewed the bottom stripes: WRWR, about 17 1/2″ sections. Attack the shorter stripe groups to the blue squares, then sew those to the bottom. I had Warm and Natural Batting, and sewed all layers together, leaving an opening at the bottom for turning, pressing, and hand sewing. This could have been quilted, but it was fine without. It’s a nice, easy patriotic craft for folks who want to learn to quilt or are experienced. Seam allowances should be 1/4″ but sometimes it’s easier for me to do 3/8″, especially whh something that will be washed a lot. Enjoy!

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Farm Journal’s Cherry Cobbler with Handwritten Comments

I’m mentioned before that I love the Farm Journal cookbooks. If you are a collector and like to actually make the food from vintage titles, these are gems. this recipe is from FJ Complete Pie Cookbook, 1965.  I particularly enjoyed the handwritten comments on the bottom:

“Good – used cherry pie filling & heated in oven in brown dish.” I wonder about the magical properties of the brown dish, but this certainly sounds good. I like the use of the tapioca as the thickening agent.

1 (1 lb., 4 oz.) can pitted tart cherries, undrained. (2 c.)

1/2 c. sugar

1 tblsp. quick-cooking tapioca

2 tblsp. butter

1/8 tsp. salt

4 drops almond extract

Cobbler Topping

Combine cherries, sugar and tapioca. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick and clear, about 15 minutes. Stir in butter, salt and almond extract.

Pour hot mixture into 10″x6″x1 1/2″ baking dish. Add Cobbler Topping at once.

Bake in hot oven (400F) about 20 minutes, or until crust is browned. Serve warm with cream or vanilla ice cream. Makes 6 servings.

Note: If you like more cherry filling, double the recipe, but use the same quantity of Cobbler Topping.

Cobbler Topping: Sift together 1 c. flour, 1 tblsp. sugar, 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder and 1/4 tsp. salt. Cut in 1/4 c. butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix 1/4 c. milk and 1 slightly beaten egg. Add all at once to dry ingredients. Stir just to moisten. Drop by spoonfuls on hot cherry mixture.

For the topping, I’ve made the letters of my sons’ names – J and O – from the dough.

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Happy Birthday Josh & Handwritten Recipe Wednesday: Strawberry Jam Cake

Today is Josh’s 10th birthday. It’s actually my sister’s birthday as well, but I won’t put her age here. So a fun day all around. We are blessed indeed.

But I had to put up cake today.

Strawberry Jam Cake

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup butter

3 eggs, beaten separately

2 cups flour

1/2 teas nutmeg

1 teas. cinnamon

3/4 cup Strawberry Jam

1/3 cup sour milk

1 teas.soda

Cream butter & sugar, add the beaten yolks, then the jam. Add a little flour to bind the mixture, then the sour milk, then the flour, then the spices, then the whites of the eggs. Bake in square pan about 35 minutes.

The instructions here are a bit scant, but clear enough to make me want to bake this today! What are you baking?

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“Cook Your Own Frankfurters” and Apple Panky

This menu is supposed to be served “After Bowling,” according to the 1965 Today’s Woman Entertainment Cook Book. I was especially intrigued by the cabbage with frankfurters on skewers in it. Here are the instructions if you wanted that thing on your table:

Hollow out center of cabbage large enough to hold a can of canned heat. In the head of cabbage, surrounding canned heat, insert cocktail frankfurters on skewers. Guests can then “cook their own” frankfurters.

Wouldn’t the cabbage burn?

This is much more to my liking:

Apple Panky

1/2 cup biscuit mix

3 eggs

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup coarsely chopped apple

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Combine biscuit mix, eggs, salt, milk and butter. Beat until smooth. Add coarsely chopped apple. Pour into greased 9″ heavy skillet. Sprinkle with sugar mixed with cinnamon. Bake in moderately hot oven (375F) for 30 minutes. Serve with honey butter. Makes 6 servings.

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Retro Crafting Friday: Three Dimensional Painting on Glass

This craft is from a 1971 booklet I have in my collection. It reminds me a bit of shadow boxes. How did this get popular? I couldn’t do it for sure, but it’s always interesting how trends emerge. Did the painted velvet craze come from this?

I do like the instructions – how the brush strokes are broken down. The following pages have steps of which to paint first. It makes it seem easy but I know paint and I do not always agree…

 

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