Love Muffins

Did you exchange valentines when you were in grade school.? Do you prepare a special meal for the special person in your life on Valentine’s Day? Combine your cooking skills and your quilting skills for a special Valentine’s Day 2021. I made this quick little wall hanging with leftovers from a marbling project and other scraps. Stir up the muffins as a special way to start a special day. Here’s brief instructions for a valentine wall hanging but take the idea and do your own thing. For the Valentine Love Muffins you’ll want to follow directions carefully.

Love Muffin Wall Hanging

To make the letters:

Choose a font , enlarge to 6-6 ½” in height and print on freezer paper in outline format. Apply a paper backed fusible to the wrong side of the fabric you have chosen for the letters. Iron the freezer paper letters to the right side of the fabric. Cut out letter shapes.

Cut (4) 8 ½” background squares.

Cut (4) heart shapes and fuse to background squares. Use a decorative machine stitch to secure the raw edges.

Fuse the letters on top of the heart shape and machine applique using a buttonhole or other decorative stitch.

Join blocks with sashing strips cut 1 ¼” x 8 ½”.

Cut and sew two inner border strips 1 ¼” x 34 ¾” (sides) and two 1 ¼” x 10” (top and bottom).

Cut and sew two outer border strips 3 ½” x 36 ¾” (sides) and two 3 ½” x 16” (top and bottom).

Layer backing, batting and top and quilt as desired. Finish with binding in width of your choice ( I use 2” strips).

Valentine Love Muffins (makes 12) 18-20 min 400 degrees

Topping:

2 T. flour

5 T. sugar

½ t. cinnamon

½ t. raspberry extract

2 T. butter, soft but not melted

Mix first four topping ingredients together and cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or fork to resemble coarse crumbles. Set aside.

Muffins:

2 c. flour

1/3 c. sugar

1 T. baking powder

pinch of salt

¾ c. + 2 T. milk

1 egg

1/4c. melted butter

½ t. vanilla

1 c. fresh red raspberries

1/2c. white chocolate chips

Combine dry ingredients in medium sized bowl. Whisk egg, milk and vanilla together. Add liquid ingredients and melted butter to dry ingredients.   Stir just until moistened, batter will be lumpy. Gently fold in raspberries and chips. Spoon into greased muffin tin and sprinkle top of each muffin with the topping mixture. Bake.

Vintage Inspiration

Repurposing a dresser scarf can make a quick and easy accessory for the guest bedroom. I dyed this scarf in a pastel coral and aqua. Cut the embroidery that was still usable to adorn the fronts of pillows. Of course it would make a great gift to commemorate the work of a loved one.

One could say I have been very productive during this unusual summer.Being an introvert, it has not been a real inconvenience to stay close to home and we are fortunate to live in a rural setting so I have had lots of inspiration to parlay into quilted projects.  My latest one is titled “Covid 19: Wash Your Hands”.  It was made from an old tablecloth which I painted, stamped, appliqued, cut apart and sewed back together with no real idea of what the end would be.  My first thought was “laundry day blues” but that just wasn’t to be.  As the quarantine recommendations continued to be in effect, “Wash Your Hands” emerged as the topic to pursue.  I had some fabric that I had marbled several years ago and cut in circles for some reason unbeknownst to me now but they made good germs.  And then there are the iridescent organza bubbles appliqued as we have to have a foamy lather to wash away the contamination.  Tulle bunched up with slubby yarn and attached with beads completed the bottom edge.  It was a fun, creative activity to commemorate one aspect of an unusual year.