I’ve always been interested in vintage fabric. So many things left in attics and estate sales remind us of life in by-gone times. Those days folks did not use disposable paper products the way we do today. Now, I’m hoping to never need to figure out how to do without toilet paper, but I remember the days before paper towels, paper napkins and Kleenex. I still have an assortment of beautiful handkerchiefs, cloth napkins and dishcloths from my mother. The dresser scarves and crocheted doilies seemed to be everywhere in my grandmother’s home. I have found many similar items in antique stores and flea markets. Besides representing how my parents and grandparents functioned in their homes, I find them a great resource of one-of-a-kind beautiful fabric.
I recently visited Apple Hill Antiques in State College. This large warehouse-size building is divided up into individual sections for individual sellers. This building used to be the local roller-skating rink back in the 1970’s and 80’s. I have fond memories of learning to skate with my kids back then.
If you like to wander through small shops with an assortment of items, Apple Hill Antiques is a great place to visit.
Usually, I find it helps to focus on a specific time period or a specific kind of item from toys, glassware, furniture or textiles. Otherwise, I find the mixture of items overwhelming. When I focus on vintage fabric my eyes look for a certain kind of display.
Some items, like quilts, are displayed tucked into trunks.
Things like handkerchiefs and napkins are often piled into baskets.
Larger items like hand towels and tablecloths are often hung on hangers or racks.
I have a project in mind this time–Christmas Ornaments–so when I stopped by, I focused on smaller items. I was looking for edging on handkerchiefs or embroidery on hand towels. A few crocheted doilies looked promising.
Here is an example of what I hope to make…enough to give as gifts at Christmas:
Therefore, I’m looking for unusual edging on handkerchief or interesting doily patterns.
Apple Hill Antiques is a great place to spend time…to relive the past or to search for special items for your own collections. Here’s their flyer with more information:
You could even join their mailing list:
A great way to spend some time! Enjoy!
Please leave a comment or email me directly if you have questions at marykisner@comcast.net.
Fall is in the air! The garden is winding down, the evening dusk is coming earlier every day and school buses have started to roll by. The last of the garden produce is ready for harvest. Luckily, the echinacea flowers are still spectacular and the lavender flowers are going strong, so the garden doesn’t look abandoned.
Here’s the latest tour of the garden plots:
First, the raised planter still has one batch of lettuce growing well. The last radishes are in the refrigerator ready for the next salad. The lettuce on the left was cut a few days ago, but the roots are still there. We’ll dump the whole bin shortly.
The spearmint is in flower and the bees are busy.
The cucumbers are long gone but just a month ago Bert planted a lemongrass plant, just to see how it would do. Pretty huge now, but I know it won’t survive the winter.
On the left the chamomile is pretty flat, but I was able to harvest some of the flowers for future use. In the center is lemon balm and on the right is stevia. Kind of got out of control with the heat, but the bees are loving the flowers.
The red and green basil is crazy too. On the right is thyme. Time to cut it all back. The thyme and rosemary (hidden behind the basil) should come back next year if I mulch it over the winter.
Up in the garden on the hill, the row of lavender is beautiful. I am cutting stems of flower buds to dry. The row next to it is carrots. They are pretty much done growing but we’ll leave them in the ground for another month or two. We’ll dig them up as we need them.
This section had two rows of carrots and two shorter rows of beans. We pulled the beans last weekend and dug up most of the carrots. (Remember that carrot cake I wrote about last week!)
This section is green beans just beginning to flower. They were planted in late July and I wasn’t sure they would make beans before the first frost. We’ll see!
These two sections had tomatoes and early beans. Last weekend we pulled the tomato plants. A dozen tomatoes are on the kitchen table. We’re eating them every day. Delicious!
And the beautiful echinacea are blooming their hearts out. They should reseed themselves and come up next spring.
A few flowers have turned black, so soon I can cut them to save the seeds!
Another hint that fall is coming is the furious feeding frenzy of the hummingbirds. Usually they disappear around Labor Day, so each day we see them is a gift. Just as we were excited to be anticipating gardening season, something about the change of the seasons seems just right. Fall has its own beauty here in Pennsylvania. Time for pumpkins and apple butter! I’m ready to have cooler nights and fall colors. Enjoy!
From competitive marching band practice to swimming lessons, I had a wonderful two days with the Grandkids near Pittsburgh. I went to attend the first public practice of the high school marching band. The stands were filled with enthusiastic parents, grandparents, siblings and friends. Food trucks outside the field were ready with their specialties and everyone was ready to have a good time. Ben, age 14, is a freshman. I was impressed with the organization of the whole experience. I had no idea what “competitive marching band” meant until I saw this practice session. Band back in my day meant we marched in a parade or two, and planned for a half time show at the weekly football games. Ben’s band is involved in that…and so much more! They also practice for competitions with other high school bands around the region, some in other states! Oh my! Ben has been having long, full day practice sessions since June and will continue when school starts with after school practice. The director has a great reputation and has built a cohesive group of students. Very impressive organization.
Volunteer parents are essential to making this band successful. To help parents and families feel part of the process, part of this public practice invited parents, grandparents and siblings to join their student band member on the field. They participated by marching along beside them and following the same directions. It was fun for Kathy and Anna to be with Ben on the field. Can you find them?
Can you find Ben, Kathy and Anna? Look near the top, right of center.Ben on the left, Kathy beside him and just the back of Anna’s hair on the right.When the band turned to practice marching you could see all the extra people on the field.
Then we got to watch the band practice some moves as a group. Looks pretty spiffy when it all comes together.
Before the end of the session, we watched clouds move in and lightening in the distance called a halt to the practice session. Luckily, it was another 30 minutes before the rain started so we had time to vacate the stadium.
What a great way to practice and include the whole community in the work of the band. Here are two pictures of my handsome grandson:
So, that was my Thursday evening. Friday, I took both kids to Barnes & Noble Bookstore. It’s a great way to see what they are “in to” by seeing what books and toys they choose. Of course, it wasn’t cheap, but it was fun. Ben had another band practice and a football game to prepare for in the afternoon, so Anna and I had time to play.
Anna’s birthday was coming up, and since I would not be there, I brought her an early birthday present. A purple remote-control jeep was just what she wanted! She had fun putting the stickers on and then drove it all over the house…and outside! It didn’t do well in the grass but the driveway and sidewalk were perfect.
Then, Grandma had personal instruction on how to dribble a basketball, with pretty good competition from my granddaughter!
Then, we took Anna to a swimming lesson and watched a mermaid come alive! I think she’s got the back stroke down and the body movement for a future butterfly!
Daisy and Steve greeted me Saturday morning to wish me safe travels home. I was glad to spend time with Ben and Anna (and Kathy, Steve and Daisy!). It brought back memories of how busy life was with kids at home.
It’s been a while since I made carrot cake but a new pile of carrots from the garden was irresistible. A neighbor who was generous with her potatoes, which we didn’t grow this year, inspired me to make carrot cake, with an extra to share.
Since I knew the carrot cake recipe has many steps, including shredding the carrots, chopping the nuts and measuring out all the other ingredients, I figured it would be easier to just do both cakes at the same time.
Here’s the recipe:
Note: A little change to the recipe…this needs to bake longer than 45 minutes…probably 50-55 minutes. I usually make cupcakes and they cook through fine, but the center of these cakes was still too moist. The toothpick came out clean, but when cool the center was not cooked enough. I kept the cake in the refrigerator and that helped, but in the future, I’ll go back to making cupcakes.
To make two cakes I needed a lot of carrots. Luckily, we had just dug some up from the garden. I still needed a few extra, but the little ones from the store didn’t shred very easily. I finally had to chunk them up before feeding them through the food processor shredding blade. (Note to self: start with more big carrots!)
(Sorry…I forgot to take a picture of the food processor working).
I measured out all the ingredients in matching bowls so I wouldn’t miss anything.
Before I mixed everything all together, I preheated the oven and sprayed the pans…
…and scooped the batter into the pans.
While the cakes were baking, I washed up all the dishes. I was amazed how many dishes I used to make this double batch. Whew!
The cakes turned out just fine…but not quite cooked in the middle. I noticed that didn’t stop us from eating it!
A little sprinkle of powdered sugar dressed it up. My neighbor seemed pleased to give it a try! Enjoy!
Tomatoes galore! I now had about 3 dozen tomatoes sitting on the kitchen table and a decision needed to be made…what should I make with them? While we don’t frequently have homemade pizza, I thought it was time for me to figure out how to make a good vegan (or at least cheese-free) pizza. I have not yet found a good vegan cheese that melts like mozzarella and actually tastes good. I’ll have to do without cheese, so that means the sauce had better taste good!
I decided to make a hearty sauce with the tomatoes plus green peppers, onion, garlic, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, sugar and canned tomato paste.
All my tomato recipes start with dipping the tomatoes into boiling water for about a minute and then shocking them in ice water. This loosens the skins so they are easy to peel. (If you want to see that process in detail, see the post at https://marykisner.com/garden-update-august-9-2021).
Tomatoes ready for their boiling water bath!Chopped tomatoes, onions and green peppers.
When the tomatoes were soft and bubbling, a lot of water had floated to the top. Without stirring the mixture, I was able to scoop off about 3 cups of watery juice so the whole mixture would be thicker.
When completely soft but still lumpy I put the mixture through the food processor to make it smooth. Then I added the tomato paste. This made a nice thick sauce. I added the dried basil, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper and about 1/3 cup of sugar.
This is a 12-quart pot and it was about half full.
We took this whole pot of sauce and put it in the refrigerator overnight. This morning I ran the dishwasher with 19 half-pint jars. (Turns out the canner holds 19 pints, but 24 half-pint jars! Next year…). I froze a few containers that were left over.
Sterilized lids and rings.
Bert started loading the canner with filled jars. (Sorry, no pictures of that exciting process!) However, after a few jars were lowered into the hot water, one broke spilling out sauce all over the other jars. Bert had to start over…taking out the unbroken jars, dumping the hot water, carefully removing the broken jar, rinsing the canner, and adding water and vinegar back (we have hard water and vinegar keeps the sediment off the jars). Luckily, I had an extra jar ready to go so 19 jars went back into the canner.
The jar broke right along the bottom…looked like a clean break. I’ve never had a jar break…ever!
The bottom broke right out!
Now the pressure canning process: Bert has rigged up a burner with propane that we use in the garage. The canner is too big to fit on our glass stove top.
Tomato sauce with additional stuff like peppers, onions and garlic is processed at 10 lbs. of pressure for 30 minutes. It always takes longer than that because the canner has to be vented first, then brought up to pressure, held for 30 minutes and then cooled down until pressure is back down.
So…we sit in comfortable chairs in the garage and visit or read while we wait. Occasionally, neighbors will drop by to see what we’re doing since the garage doors are open and we look open for a visit!
Finally, the jars are ready to come out of the canner. They will sit on my kitchen table for a few hours to cool down. I’ll write on the lids what they contain and the year. After that, they go to the basement shelves…ready for Pizza! I’ll let you know when I give that a try…maybe I’ll find some vegan cheese to try too. Enjoy!
Ok ok. If you have two greyhounds you have a “brace” of greyhounds. If you have more than two…like a whole bunch…it’s called a “leash”. Sorry if I offended anyone. At least a bunch isn’t called a “murder” (like crows) or a “herd” (like cattle) or “flock” (like chickens).
So…on Sunday I enjoyed spending time with a “leash” of greyhounds! Read all about it in my previous posting!
What a wonderful experience I had at the annual “Gathering of the Greys” also called the Greyhound Picnic, at the Nittany Greyhounds facility outside of State College! I learned several months ago that a bunch of greyhounds is called a Brace. I’m not sure how many folks attended but I know over 100 had signed up to come…most with their dogs!
I thought I had some idea of what to expect because I had hugged quite a few greyhounds over the years as I made coats for them. But one at a time was nothing compared to more than 75 dogs (all on leashes of course) at a gathering. It was amazing!
As they arrived a few at a time with their special humans, their calm personalities showed how well they fit in, in a variety of settings…waiting in lines, standing beside their humans as folks caught up with friends they hadn’t seen for a long time. The dogs checked each other out of course, but no barking or growls were heard. A few had muzzles on for general safety but I didn’t observe any issues among the crowd. I suspect any dogs that were uncomfortable in large groups might have stayed home.
Folks came with chairs, mats for the dogs and a casserole to share for lunch. Nittany Greyhounds provided the meat, drinks and a huge cake! It felt like any normal gathering of people at the beach…except each human had one or more dogs beside them. The field had some shade so of course folks set up their chairs and mats for the dogs in the shade.
I felt welcomed by owners and dogs alike. All owners were delighted with my interest in their companions. Any dog I put my hands on leaned into my touch and let me give them a scratch.
These greyhounds came in many colors, but the brindle shown here was especially striking.We had a beautiful summer day…about 80 degrees, not too humid and no threat of rain. Just perfect!
About noon everyone was encouraged to gather together around Bob Koch, the president of Nittany Greyhounds, for announcements and a prayer. At the end, one energetic person (who remains unidentified) let out a howl of, “ROOOO”. All the dogs responded with their unique sound of “ROOOOO”. It was wondrous!
Over the next hour or so folks went through the buffet line and enjoyed lunch with friends. A huge delicious cake was shared by all.
I wasn’t able to get the picture before the cake was cut!
One event that I was not able to watch was the timed runs. The participating dogs were timed as they ran, one at a time, a 60-foot course. I had read that a greyhound could hit over 40 mph in just 6 strides. The fastest dog on this course was timed at 34 mph! Amazing! I had to chuckle when Toni shared that the slowest dog was just 16 mph…because he stopped to pee! Too funny!
Of course, the reason I was at this gathering in the first place was to share the products we had developed to help with specific greyhound issues…a healing salve for their paws, a healing soap for their sensitive skin and a bug repellent to keep the fleas and ticks away. (See my post from August 5, 2021 for more about the products…Greyhounds Still in my Heart.)
Feedback was generally positive with quite a few folks using the bug repellent spray on their dogs and the salve on various sores evident on their noses and skin. The soap was hard to test, but no one really requested to test it. A few did buy it anyway.
Once they realized they would be able to purchase the product at Nittany Greyhound’s store on Etsy, many decided to wait to order them when they got home. I could see why. Being a vendor at this event was certainly different from any other conference I had attended. All of the participants who stopped to look at stuff had at least one moving dog on a leash beside them while they tried to ask questions.
I did hear many great stories about the needs of the dogs, but trying to put a salve on the dogs’ paws while they were standing on the grass was out of the question. The Bug Repellent was easy to spray but they did not have an extra hand to rub it onto the dog’s fur. Everyone did comment that the spray smelled good and were glad to give it a try since they were going to be sitting around in the grassy field.
So, while we did not sell a lot of our products, I learned a lot about trying to be a vendor when each interested human had their hands full with one or more dogs moving around them.
Nittany Greyhounds is a dedicated group of greyhound owners that have the well-being of their dogs in mind as they deal with issues common to all dogs, and many issues specific to the breed. Marketing to this group will need to be creative and supported by word-of-mouth advertising. The internet Facebook group and Etsy store will be instrumental in getting the word out.
Thank you, Nittany Greyhounds, for letting me share a day with this “Brace” of greyhounds. It was wonderful!
About 10 years ago I volunteered my sewing skills to make memory bears for a local Hospice organization. Over several years I made over 100 bears for families who had lost loved ones. I learned a lot about how to make a stuffed bear from almost any kind of fabric.
All of my work was arranged through a volunteer coordinator and a Chaplain with the Hospice organization. It was very rewarding work. Over the years, the volunteer coordinator’s position changed and memory bears have not been requested for a long time. I miss making those bears…and I think they meant a lot to the families.
I’d like to share pictures of a few of those first bears. Then I’d like to show you how you could make one too, or at least what kind of fabric makes the best bears. You might want to save something from a loved one in the future.
The very first bears I made were for a family who had just lost a young mother. They gave me a while fluffy bathrobe that she wore in her last days. It seemed pretty morbid at the time, but I found it very healing to be able to offer a way to remember her.
Since it was a full-length bathrobe, I couldn’t make just one bear and throw away the rest of the robe. So, I kept going and made three large bears and then was able to make 5 little ones too. They were shared with the extended family. This first project was the most meaningful for me!
These bears were made from one full-length bathrobe.These bears were made from a single flannel shirt, in memory of a Grandpa.
While I was waiting to get more requests from the Hospice volunteer coordinator I went to Goodwill and picked up a flannel shirt to make a sample for the Chaplain to show families.
I also went to the Army/Navy surplus store and found a camouflage shirt. I thought I might get requests from a military family and wanted a sample to share. The military shirt was a major challenge…very little fabric available that didn’t have pockets all over it! (Incidently, I did not have a single request from a military family. I guess around this area we don’t have a huge military presence.)
This was the first pattern I used. I have since tweaked the pattern so I liked the shape better. I found the tiny bear pattern on another stuffed animal pattern…like a toy for the stuffed animal!
Almost any stuffed bear pattern would work, but the simpler patterns were the easiest to work with. If I were making just one bear, a complex one would make a nicer bear but would take longer to make and need more fabric. Since this was a volunteer project and I was making multiple bears, the most important part was the actual fabric of the loved one…that’s where the memory resided. When I start with a loved ones’ clothing, I feel compelled to make as many bears as I can with it. The little bears even make good Christmas ornaments!
Of course, by now the only bears I have around the house are a few I made out of soft fabric for my grandkids (along with a few stuffed dogs!).
Of course, I had to try a stuffed greyhound puppy…I worked hard to figure out the ears!This is how we remember Otis and Max. I even made dog tags with their names on them.
Steps to make a memory bear
I managed to persuade a friend to let go of a soft fleece shirt that she didn’t wear anymore so I could take pictures as I made a bear. I prefer to work with flannel…it doesn’t stretch as much and is more colorful.
First, I laid the pattern pieces on the shirt to make sure there was enough fabric to make the bear.
Sometimes a logo can be appliqued to the finished bear. I’ll make the bear first and then see if the picture/logo will fit.
The next step is to cut the shirt apart along the seams. I removed the zipper and discarded the collar. (My mother would be proud of me…I saved the zipper!) The front is folded to cut two of the front pieces; the back is folded to cut two backs. The sleeves when opened up work well for the smaller bears.
I baste pieces together by hand first because the fabric is so stretchy that sewing around the curves makes it hard to keep the two pieces aligned.
Basting is especially helpful on the tiny bear!
My finishing touches include tacking the ears, adding button eyes and nose, a ribbon and a small red heart button on the foot. If I know a bear will be loved by a child, I’ll use the eyes that are fastened through the fabric…see the dogs above…but I really prefer buttons. The tiny bears have only the heart button, so it can be cut off if necessary.
I still haven’t decided whether to add the logo from the shirt. I will have to make it smaller by using just the picture and not the words. It just feels too big, but I’ll ask the recipient first. What do you think?
Making memory bears for Hospice families was one of the most rewarding volunteer activities I’ve ever done. It was more than just making stuffed bears…it was preserving memories of a loved one. Enjoy!
August is the month when the garden comes to fruition! Yesterday, the kitchen was hopping…and warm! Time to process the last of the beans and deal with the pile of tomatoes that are ready now.
Luckily, the carrots have just begun to fill out. We’ll munch on these for a while and let the rest get bigger.
Lavender
The lavender is finally flowering so I’ve begun cutting a few of the stems. A tray of lavender will be sitting around for the next few weeks as they dry. When dry, I’ll rub off the flower buds and let them dry some more. They’ll be useful when I make lavender-infused olive oil.
Dehydrating Beans
This was the last picking for this second planting of beans. We pulled the plants as we picked. I snapped the beans, blanched them and chilled them in ice water.
Then I laid them out on the dehydrator trays. They filled 4 trays.
And 10 hours later…
It always amazes me how little space dehydrated beans take up, compared to putting them in the freezer. Since I use them mostly in soups and stews it’s a very efficient way to store them.
Cooking Tomatoes
We have eaten the first tomatoes to ripen. This larger batch of tomatoes will be cooked enough to soften them but I won’t put them in the food processor to make them smooth. I’ll use these in vegetable soup.
The tomatoes are washed. I cut the tops off to get rid of any ugly stems. Then I turn each tomato over and cut an X on the bottom.
Next, I bring a pot of water to a boil and drop a few at a time into the boiling water. In less than 1 minute the peel starts to split and separate from the tomato.
Then, I quickly transfer them one at a time to a big bowl of cold water with ice cubes. That helps loosen the peel.
Then, I stack them gently into a bowl until I’ve done them all.
Now, I sit down at the kitchen table and take each tomato, remove the peel and cut the tomato into smaller pieces. These go into a pot that will go back on the stove to simmer until the mixture is soft and some of the water is boiled off. The time depends on if I’m going to run them in the food processor or not. I like a chunky mixture for my vegetable soup. If I’m making spaghetti sauce, I’ll cook them longer uncovered and let more water boil off.
They really are quite easy to peel at this point!
This is how much I put in the freezer yesterday…and the tomatoes are just starting to ripen! It’s going to be a busy August!
Bert just came in with more tomatoes! Yikes!
More Beans?
The next planting of beans is still pretty small, but they look good. I’ll be watching the weather in early September to see if we get any beans before the first frost.
So that’s what’s happening in my kitchen the second week of August! I know I’ll appreciate it in the winter when I want to make soup! Enjoy!
Over the last few months I’ve been working on researching and producing various products to make life more comfortable for greyhounds and their owners. Thanks to Toni Duchi and Nittany Greyhounds, their wealth of knowledge and experience with greyhounds gave me a lot of guidance on what some of their issues were.
Healing Salve for your Paws!
An issue shared by the greyhounds was the difficulty owners had with keeping their dog’s paws soft and their noses undamaged. The salve that I made with calendula-infused olive oil and beeswax felt good on our hands as a lotion bar. Why not make something a little softer with the right essential oils that were safe for dogs? I also discovered the great healing properties of Manuka Essential Oil while I was researching Manuka Honey. I tried using the honey in my products but it just didn’t incorporate easily into soaps and lotions easily. I found Manuka Essential Oil had many of the same healing properties but incorporated well into those products. This salve was soothing and helped with healing paws and noses.
I’ve now made over 60 salves and they are ready for labels. We will share them at the Greyhound picnic on August 15.
Healing Shampoo Bar for your Fur!
I was asked if I could make a flea soap for the dogs. I’ve been making soap for several years…actually, it’s melt-and-pour soap with enhancements…so I made a batch with a goat milk soap base to see if I could incorporate the necessary essential oils to repel bugs. I gave this soap to a volunteer at the kennel who also grooms dogs. I also gave her one of my Aloe Vera soaps that I make for myself, since I’m not happy using goat milk soap…may be my allergy to milk? She used them on two dogs that were in the kennel at the time. She said she preferred the Aloe Vera soap! Interesting! Thanks to Teresa for testing these out!
Why not just medicine for fleas?
Dogs can be given a pill that will kill the bugs if they bite the dog. This medicine is hard on the dog’s system and really is too little too late. If they have already bitten the dog, they leave behind a sore, itchy spot that is irritating. According to the research any soap will wash off the fleas, however the flea soap can aggravate the sore spots.
So now the focus shifted to a healing, soothing soap and then we’d figure out a topical spray that could deter the bugs from landing in the first place. Essential oils have a good track record of being soothing to the dog while offensive to bugs. Let the experiments begin!
My Aloe Vera soap recipe uses an Aloe Vera soap base with an additional Shea Butter soap base. Then, extra Aloe Vera gel and powder is added. Finally, Lavender and Manuka essential oils enhance the healing qualities of the soap.
Even the shape of the bar matters…a smooth oval was deemed too slippery when wet. The heart shape seemed to give the appropriate hand hold in the notch.
I now have 50 shampoo bars of Aloe Vera soap ready for the picnic. Since I can’t put a label on the bar, I’ll put each bar in a mesh bag so I can include the card with each one. It’s important to me that folks know exactly what’s in the bar.
Natural Bug Repellent for Dogs, not Cats!
The next challenge was to figure out what kind of spray would keep the bugs off the dogs. The first issue was to research which essential oils are safe for dogs. After reading many lists from many sources, I settled on this combination of oils:
For healing (and apparently the bugs don’t like these either): Lavender and Manuka Essential Oils.
For bug deterrent: Eucalyptus, Lemongrass and Rose Geranium.
Because there are very few essential oils that are safe for cats, I’ll make sure to put on the label that this spray is not for cats!
I was going to mix up the spray in 8 oz. spray bottles but decided that they might not travel very well. So, we’ll offer the refill and folks can buy the spray bottle or go home and use their own.
We’ll offer these tester spray bottles at the picnic so folks can try it on their dogs right there.Now I have a bunch of bottles ready for labels!
These are not necessarily the finished products, but we’re hoping folks will give them a try and give us feedback. As I said at the beginning of my blogging adventure back in March, the Greyhounds are Still in My Heart! Enjoy!
