Quilts, Rabbits, and Lynx

I finished making a beautiful scrap quilt for my oldest. I machine stippled it.

It's a summer quilt with only an old flannel quilt in place of the batting. This gives it the weight but not the loft. These quilts tend to be cool feeling in the summer and are great as added weight on top of blankets in the winter.

I wish I could post a pic, but alas, the camera is broken and we have no replacement yet. : ( All in good time.

My large garden is growing (and so are the weeds). The farmers have started their first haying in the back field (just when I thought allergy season was dying off....)

My daughter and my husband (her dad) are in the midst of building a rabbit pen. These have to be partially underground to prevent them from digging out (or from predators digging in). I hope the foxes across the road move on.

We heard a lynx next door to us one evening a couple weeks ago. Sounded like a couple cats fighting, but when I got on the deck, I realized that it was only one voice...and it was deeper and bigger than a mere housecat.-- http://www.junglewalk.com/sound/lynx-sounds.htm

Shampoo Recipes

Here are some links for shampoo recipes:

http://hairrecipes.homestead.com/shampoorecipes.html-some non-castille

http://chemistry.about.com/od/cleanerchemistry/a/makeshampoo.htm-uses alcohol though

Conditioner recipes:

http://hairrecipes.homestead.com/deepconditionerrecipes.html

Fabricville sales

McCalls is on sale until tomorrow, June 15, at 3.49$ each and Vogue goes on sale from June 16-21 at 5.99$ each and 50% off all their spring/summer fashion fabrics.  Not bad!

Free Online Underclothes and other Sewing Patterns

Here is one to make panties (been looking for this for a long time!)
How to sew a half slip (PDF) 
How to sew a bra (this will save us a ton of money!!)

Tons more patterns for various clothes here: http://craftstew.com/sewing/free-clothes-patterns

My Homemade Bread Recipe

Here is the bread recipe we use to make every type of bread imaginable:

3 tsp yeast (regular, old fashioned dry yeast)
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup of warm water

*dissolve sugar into warm water and sprinkle in yeast. Let rise until bubbly.

4 cups water
1/4 cup oil
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar (1/2 cup molasses for brown bread)

*Mix in a bowl with yeast mixture. Add whatever grains you any want (1/4 cup-1/2 cup) (or 1/2 cup raisins and 2 tbsp cinnamon for raisin bread). Add flour (about 6-8 cups?) and knead until elastic (not sticky, and not dry and crumbly).

Once dough is kneaded, spread the top with butter and put a hand towel (non-fuzzy) over it. Let rise to double its size.

Once risen, pound down to get air bubbles out. Cut in 3 equal parts and shape into loaves or rolls. (I roll it flat and then roll it up like making cinnamon rolls, tucking the ends in).
Let rise until it makes a nice sized loaf. Bake for about 15-20 minutes (until golden brown)

Makes 3 loaves.