Friday
Memorial Day Sale
Tuesday
New Embroidery Classes
My Soul Belongs to the Wildflowers Embroidery Workshop
Each workshop comes with a kit to complete each project, instruction, lunch and laughs. We love our embroidery classes because of the slow pace we set to really enjoy the art of embroidered florals.
Field of Flowers Embroidery Workshop
You can find the schedule for the upcoming classes on the sidebar of our blog with registration in The Shop. All classes registrations are on sale with code Workshop15 giving you 15% off. This sale ends next Monday so don't delay.
Print Shop Collection
We are so excited to share with you the newest addition to the Tweetle Dee family. We have been collecting our favorite photographic prints and barn quilt photographs from our past five years and now have a fabulous new way to share them with you.
Each photograph tells a story and we are so pleased to bring them to our shop with free shipping on each framed piece.
Farmer's Daughter Print
Corn and Beans Star Barn Quilt Print
Prairie Trail Print
The Feathered Star Barn Quilt Print
Going Home Print
Home on the Mountain Print
The Texas Star Barn Quilt Print
Monday
Austin Star Barn Quilt Pattern
Over the stormy grey weekend that we had here is Utah, I had the chance to write the pattern for one of our most asked for patterns, the Austin Star Barn Quilt. We designed this quilt last summer and painted it with our favorite Prairie Paint Colors against a striking black background. I love to think of this design as a cross between our most purchased Texas Star and the really big grand dad of all stars, the Lonestar.
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Austin Star Barn Quilt Pattern
Our patterns are designed to be scaled to any size barn quilt board or surface you want to paint a design on. One of the key issues with scaling a design is how to get something really complicated onto a board and I am so happy to say that our How To Paint A Barn Quilt Guide will answer these questions.
The biggest issue is just as in fabric quilting, the more complicated the design, or the smaller the block, the more tedious it is for paint of stitch. Larger is often times so much easier to create. Our patterns are adaptable to any size. I have painted stars on little itty bitty barn quilts for birdhouses and angels and have also painted the same design to cover an entire floor. It is so fun to use the same design in all kinds of places!
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Wilde Daisy Embroidery Kit
Our Wilde Bloem Collection continues to grow today with the addition of the Wilde Daisy Embroidery Kit. Daisies dotting the fields and roadways in the rolling fields of the east and northwest are such a beautiful gift from nature. Have you ever wondered why they grow in tough places?
Historically Daisies symbolize hope. When I research the meanings of flowers, I always wonder why a certain meaning is attached to a gift of nature. I wonder if it's the color, structure, growth patterns, etc. It's funny to me that I spent many summer afternoons picking petals off of Wild Daisies asking the question. "Does he love me? Does he not?". Maybe that is the hope? Maybe it is the color of white with a bright center of yellow. Yellow like the sun and the light. Possibly the symbolism of hope surrounding light.
The Wilde Bloem Wilde Daisy Embroidery Kit includes the instructions, all materials and the frame to complete this beautifully simple flower. The raised and layered petals of this daisy were created by using two tones of cream and white with long, smooth stitches that are angled to give the illusion of many delicate flowers. You can watch the stitching of these petals on the Tweetle Dee YouTube Channel.
Kincaid Star Barn Quilt Story
Often I am asked what was the story behind a quilt design, whether it is created on cloth or wood. I love a good story, and creating a design with elements that bring that story to life. We have designed many original quilt designs for people who wanted to honor their own stories. Today, I want to share the story of one of my family branches and the way that story made it's way into one of my favorite designs.
Wednesday
A Weed Is A Flower
A weed is just a flower in disguise if seen through loving eyes. I have loved this thought for so many years. It was hand-written into the cover of an old book gifted to me by my husband, and of course it found it's way into one of my most loved embroidery samplers.
This saying is loved for the reminder that all things can be seen as beautiful and can hold value when seen with love. In my drawings, paintings and natural dye processes I have found the most deep and beautiful colors in what some would call weeds. All creations on earth were created by a creator whose nature is love.
In our shop we have kits and frames for this embroidery sampler. It is stitched on hand dyed fabric, simple black and includes lace flowers, wood buttons and ribbon leaves. Also included in the kit are hoops, needle, snips, marking pen, and batting. The frame for this piece is also available in our frame collection.
Spring is Here
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All of my ceramic bunnies became a collection of dark chocolate bunnies with a couple of coats of Espresso Brown Satin Spray Paint. I gathered them together with some vintage Easter cards and Prairie Paint eggs. It was quick and easy and was the perfect look for my spring table.
The snow melted off just enough that we could have a small egg hunt on the lawn and the back patio and we all soaked up the rich, golden sun. It was a lovely day to be together and help our two toddler grandbabies find their eggs. It took a little wrangling to get them to put them in their baskets, but it was a really fun time.
As soon as that sun was setting we lit up the porch lights and made our Sourdough Pizza Dough and fired up the Ooni. We love having pizzas on the back porch because of how simple it is to prep for and each person can make their own creation. My husband runs the oven and we had a great dinner as the sun set.
One thing I have learned is that it doesn't matter what the menu is, or what the weather is, or how many or few we have, as long as we gather together, we will feel love. I'm thankful for the blessing of family and friends. I'm also so thankful to see the sun shine on our fences, knowing that the snow will melt and new growth will come soon.
We hope you had a wonderful weekend and enjoy all the little things that this season brings into your life. Remember that everyday there is something to celebrate, something we can dream about & hope for, and something we can create. It's the way I have survived and thrived in my life and I know there is something magical when we look for the small things we can celebrate and feel gratitude for, something we can dream-or hope for, and something we make with our hands and hearts everyday.
Sending you a hug for a great week!
Monday
Sweet & Light Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
Every spring we make cinnamon rolls for your family. It's been a tradition for 30+ years with the scent of sweet dough and cinnamon that brings you home. This year with the a new sourdough journey, we made a smaller sourdough batch of rolls with many of the tricks we've learned over the years, and they were the best we've ever made! So I though with Easter coming this week, it may be nice for you to try them as well.
Sweet & Light Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
140 grams milk
28 g melted butter
1 egg
100 grams active sourdough starter
300 grams flour
5 grams grey salt
Cinnamon Filling
2 tbs soft butter
1/2 c sugar
2 teas cinnamon
1/2 c brown sugar
Glaze
1/4 c soft butter
1/4 c soft cream cheese
1 teas vanilla
3 c powdered sugar
1 to 2 tbs of milk
First, let's make the dough. Pour the milk and butter into a small bowl, whisk and set aside. In your stand mixer bowl, add egg, active sourdough starter and with the paddle attachment mix together. Add the butter/milk mixture until incorporated. Add flour and salt. Mix into a sticky mixture, cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes in 68 to 75 degree temps. I like to turn on the light in my oven and proof my dough in the oven with the door closed. This is especially helpful in the winter.
Change the mixing attachment to the dough hook and knead the dough for 5 minutes on a low speed. If the dough is too sticky while kneading, add a little more flour until the dough forms a soft ball. Butter the sides of a large bowl and place the dough in it, cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm (68 to 75 degree) place to proof for 12 hours or overnight.
When the dough has proofed and it should be doubled in size. Oil and flour your counter surface and lightly pull the dough from the bowl onto the prepared counter space. Let rest 20 minutes. This is a good time to make the Cinnamon filling.
In a small bowl add white sugar and cinnamon and whisk together with a fork. get your brown sugar and soft butter ready. Prepare a 9" springform pan by placing a piece of parchment paper in the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Set aside.
Lightly roll out the dough into a 16" x 12" rectangle om the oiled and flour counter. I like to make a few soft rolls with my rolling pin and then use my fingers to stretch it into shape lifting and lightly pulling it into shape. Once you have the shape, spread the softened butter over the dough. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture onto the butter and then sprinkle the brown sugar over it all.
Now it's time to make your rolls. Take the long side of the dough and roll it from one side to the other to make a long tube of dough. Using a piece of baker's string, slice 2" rolls by sliding the string under the roll, and then crossing the two ends of the string to cut off each section.
Place each roll into the parchment lined pan. Make sure to give them some space.
When all of them are in the pan, use your fingers to lightly press each roll down a little to make them more round than upright. Cover the pan and let rise for 2 hours in a warm place.
When the 2 hours are up, preheat oven to 350 degrees and place in middle rack of the oven. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the tops are slightly brown. Remove from oven and let sit in pan for 10 minutes before lifting the parchment paper out of the pan to cool on a rack.
Strawberry Vanilla Bean Jam
It was just two baskets of store bought berries, and it took less than 10 minutes to wash and lop off the green leaves, quarter and place in a medium stockpot. I added a cup of water and two cups of sugar, turned on the heat to medium high and gave them a stir.
Just look how bright they are. After they were cooking for a few minutes, I thought about the Vanilla Sugar I made a in January and wondered how adding fresh vanilla sugar and a bean or two would make the strawberries taste. Curiosity always wins, right?
I opened the jar of Vanilla Sugar and felt like I was floating, it was so fragrant and light. I added a cup of the vanilla sugar to the pot and pulled out two vanilla beans. To make your own Vanilla Sugar take some real vanilla beans and press down the down into the center of a jar of granulated sugar, top with a lid and store for 6 to 8 weeks. It's the perfect way to have a little extra vanilla in anything you use sugar with.
The pot of strawberries kept at a low boil for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile I stirred it a few times and watched it thicken slightly. After 20 minutes, I took it off the heat and poured it into a jar and placed it in the refrigerator to cool.
As it cools, it thickened to jam consistency and I got my sourdough out to slice and toast. I couldn't wait, and called Mike in from the shop to enjoy a yum moment with me. He loves warm, fresh sourdough as much as I do and even more, homemade jam. I didn't tell him that the it was infused with real vanilla.
Friday
Flora Angels
Angels Among Us was one of our very first collaborations when I married my husband and learned that he knew how to use tools. I had been designing and stitching angels for the years that I was a single mom, stitching in the evenings after work at the mortgage company. In fact, my very fist embroidery pattern that sold was a garden angel with the saying Whatsoever Ye Sow, So Shall Ye Reap. I think I needed all the angels I could keep around me.
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Our Flora Angel is a sweet minimalist angel made from wood and wire. Her cedar wood basket is stained and filled with bright wool flowers to welcome the garden's most beautiful guests.
This year, we have also added the option to purchase kits to make your own Flora Angel. The kits include the wood cut out pieces, wire for the halo and basket handle, and wool to make your own flowers for her basket. We are so excited to offer these kits so that you can create a little joy for yourself in making your own angel. It's like sharing the creative happiness with you!
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