I Make the Best Darn Granola

Years ago when I first lived in Kenya, I learned to make granola from scratch. Back then you could occasionally find muesli in the store which is the German answer to granola. Basically it’s untoasted granola (not my favorite). My recipe is fairly simple, but the process is time consuming because you have to watch it carefully while baking it. It burns easily.

The flavor is so yummy that every time I try some other kind of granola, I just end up wanting more of mine. Recently I took the time to make a batch since I’d been craving it. I’m not disappointed!
Here’s the recipe -
Combine in a large bowl:
2 cups flour
7 cups oats (regular works better than the quick kind)
1 cup coconut
½ cup raw sesame seeds

Blend together separately:
1 cup warm water
1 cup honey
½ cup olive (or canola) oil
1 T. vanilla
1 t. salt

Mix the dry and wet ingredients together well and spread over two large cookie sheets in a single layer. Break up into small pieces as much as possible.
Bake at 350o for 45-60 minutes, stirring often!

Let cool, then stir in:
1 cup craisins
1 cup slivered almonds

I have to confess that I did not come up with this recipe. My friend Laura Jane did. All credit to her.

What’s In the Bag?

After the chenille I started a bag fetish. I made the first one after seeing it at a friend’s house some time ago. The material came back from Kenya with me because it was so cute. It’s considered curtain material there. These are usually a kind of a cheap blend of synthetics that is about the weight of canvas. This one had the animal block prints in two columns with borders that I used for straps.

The straps sewn on create the pockets – thus it’s called a 6-pocket bag.

It turned out pretty cute but I thought it too small for my needs.

The Lorraine Motel

Right up there with the most significant stops on our tour last fall was the visit to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Memphis. It was a moving display of the history of African American freedom struggle. I know that some of the Afrizo students had an “ah-ha” moment when the finished the museum. They had studied the history in school, spoken with other African
Americans along the way, but were finally able to put the significance of certain pieces together after experiencing this museum.
I too enjoyed a deeper understanding of our black brothers and sisters from our visit to Memphis. I think our Memphis hosts were nearly as significant a help in my historical understanding as the museum. Definitely a stop I will not soon forgot.

Chenille from Scratch

Earlier this year I mentioned the handmade chenille project I had seen. It’s one of those things you read about and sort of think, ‘oh maybe I can get to that project in another life.’ I guess I’m having another life right now.

I wasn’t about to attempt a whole baby blanket at first. I knew this project take a lot of time and material (i.e. expense) so I decided to do what I am calling a sampler. It turned out to be about 15” by 24”. I am not crazy about how the binding turned out, but the chenille affect is so cool. It really works. Now I will have to make some more!

I'm Hooked!

Despite the challenge of working with a possible stretch factor I just couldn’t resist doing more patchwork like the first one. The fact that it wasn’t all measured and calculated makes in so much more fun! But it also means I can succeed at these early attempts because I wasn’t trying to follow a pattern.

I absolutely love how this table runner turned out! It’s too fun!

Why Sewing and Quilting?

Last fall I traveled all over the US and one stop was in Lancaster, PA. I remembered a quilt museum there from the last time I passed though and it didn’t disappoint me this time either. The quilts were truly inspiring and that’s what caused the first push into this new hobby.

This is just one of the quilts from the museum.

It was so dramatic and intriguing that I had to try to get a similar effect. However, I soon learned that sewing diagonally cut fabrics can be a bit tricky. The stretch!

My very first attempt at quilting (and patchwork) is this table runner.

What Have I Been Up To?

Well, the New Year is speeding along, with or without my blogging. I’ve been busy but if I had a job I’d be a lot busier than I am now. Thankfully, I don’t have to account for the time spent Bible reading. I must say it’s a great luxury to have extra time each day for reading several chapters in different areas of the Bible. I’ve been doing a few other things too.

On Thanksgiving weekend I took up a new hobby: Quilting. I’ve learned a few new terms. For example, if you quilt something it usually means you have put layers together and sewn through then for a puffy effect. Patchwork is when you piece fabrics together. You don’t have to then quilt them, but often quilts (blankets) use both of these techniques.
In addition, I’ve taken on some other sewing projects; I wanted to try my hand and homemade chenille since it looked so intriguing when I first saw it was possible on a craft blog well over a year ago. I’ve also been into fabric bag making.

So just for fun and because I should have something to show for my time, I’ll be sharing some of these projects here in my blog. Maybe you’ll be inspired too.