Maida Heatter Cookies and Fusible Applique

Recently I borrowed from the library this book Cookies by the very famous Maida Heatter.  This is a serious cookbook with 225  recipes of just about every cookie imaginable. You can find this book  here at Amazon.com, used, for a few dollars.

Only recently have I learned about Maida Heatter.  Where have I been hiding?!

This post from Mad About Maida introduces her quite nicely.  She is very highly respected in the baking world and is called the Queen of Desserts...if one is to have a title, what a sweet one to have (no pun intended).
One of her cakes is famous, the Haleakala Cake which features pineapple in the filling and a marshmallow icing.  I'm impressed! Anyway, the recipe is also found at the Mad About Maida blog spot which is written by Phillip Oliver.  I expected it to be complicated but it is really a very simple recipe.  This is Phillip's cake.  Doesn't it look good enough to eat!!

Here is a sneak preview of my next project based on  Kay Mackenzie's designs from her book Inspired By Tradition. (as  mentioned in a previous post).
I really like this book.  It provides great beginner practice designs that could help you build the skills necessary to tackle Baltimore or Morris inspired blocks.  At least, that's the idea I have for myself.
                           

                                     Sunday was my start to what will be a short project.  I just can't tackle anything long after the last quilting project lasted nine months. I chose six simple designs featuring flowers familiar to me that I have grown at different times.

The method I've chosen is called by a couple of different names, raw edged applique or fusible applique.  Above I've just traced out the templates for this flower.

 Using a fusible paper is a completely new process to me.  So far I can see its appeal.  It is very fast compared to needleturn and wrapping the fabric around  freezer paper.

I was able to trace and cut out three flowers, iron the templates onto fabric, cut those out, fuse them to the backing cloths, all in no time at all it seemed.  Truthfully, it came together so fast I felt like I was cheating. But this method leaves raw edges and those have to be sewn over, typically with a blanket stitch by machine or hand.  I've been binding my raw edges with hand embroidery which is making this no longer such a fast paced project and me feeling a lot less guilty.

Here is a little Youtube video describing the process.

The beautiful sun we had for the three straight days of the long weekend enticed lots of flowering all over the property.  The fruit trees most notably benefited from the heat with the buds appearing as if by magic. By Day 2 they were opening, not wasting another second. This is the very old McIntosh tree and its stunning blossoms. The bees were around them in the hundreds and the smell that was lifting into the air was heavenly.  If only I could share that with you.