Jennifer Beckstrand

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Jennifer May 02, 2016 2 Comments

This recipe was passed to me through 2 generations of very capable cookie makers. I’ve tried MANY oatmeal chocolate chip recipes, but this is my favorite. These cookies are soft, chewy and so delicious. I ALWAYS double the batch (it makes approx. 5 dozen cookies), it fits just perfectly that way in my KitchenAid, and I love freezing the extra dough or cookies. So if you’d like to do a smaller...

Quilting Bee — Spring Table Runners — Week 3

Jennifer April 28, 2016 0 Comments

I love machine quilting! And I’m excited to show you a new quilting technique that I saw on WeAllSew.com by Bernina: quilting with a twin needle. A twin needle gives you twice the stitches in the same amount of time. Remember that photo above? The double quilting lines look tedious to sew, but they are super easy with a twin needle. Here’s another example. For those of you who have used a...

Author’s Corner — Save the bees

Jennifer April 25, 2016 2 Comments

My neighbor used to have the most delicious-smelling honeysuckle bush right up against her house, and the bees loved it! She eventually cut it out because it got too unruly, but I was always fascinated at how many bees hovered around that bush. I could hear them humming all summer long. When I came up with my concept for “The Honeybee Sisters” series, I thought it would be so fun if the...

Quilting Bee — Spring Table Runners — Week 2

Jennifer April 21, 2016 0 Comments

Hello, fellow quilters! Last week, we pieced our quilt top out of jelly roll strips and picked our border fabric. (Find these instructions here.) I picked two border fabrics, by the way. I couldn’t decide which I liked best. Today we are going to make our quilt sandwich in preparation for quilting the table runner next week. Don’t run away! I know this doesn’t sound very exciting, but this...

If you want romance, try Rhode Island

Jennifer April 18, 2016 7 Comments

Dear Anna and Felty, I would like to have a girlfriend, but girls think I am boring. Do you have any suggestions for making myself more exciting? Boring on Bonduel Dear Boring, Anna says: It takes practice to be exciting enough to attract the girls’ attention. You probably have a small mirror at home for shaving. Take a few minutes every morning to practice making different faces in the...

Quilting Bee — Spring Table Runners — Week 1

Jennifer April 14, 2016 0 Comments

You’re starting to wonder if I sew things besides table runners. Yes, but I couldn’t resist showing you two more runners that are just simple variations on the Valentine Day table runner. (Find that runner here.) As you may have noticed, I like quilting projects that are easy—beautiful, but still easy. And nothing is easier than taking a pattern you already know how to sew and, by making a...

Tales of a Frustrated Farmer — Spring Time Pruning

Jennifer April 11, 2016 0 Comments

Spring time. The snow has melted, the birds are flying north, and the grass is beginning to turn green. It is also time to prune our fruit trees. It is very important to prune some varieties of fruit trees. Peach and apple trees need substantial pruning. Pruning does for a fruit tree what exercise does for the human body. In order to produce quality fruit the peach tree needs to have much of the...

Quilting Bee—Table Runner—Week 3

Jennifer April 07, 2016 4 Comments

It’s week 3 here at the Quilting Bee, and I have promised to show you some absolutely fun, straight-line, machine quilting. And it looks spectacular, to boot! By now, you have sewn the back, front, and flannel lining together, turned this inside-out, given the quilt a good press, and added a few safety pins to help hold everything together. (Questions about any of these steps? Click here to go...

Quilting Bee—Table Runner—Week 2

Jennifer March 31, 2016 3 Comments

Welcome to week 2 of the Quilting Bee where it is time to make the kind of quilt sandwich that enables stellar quilting. First, make sure your quilt top is even and square. (We talked about this last week. Click here to see that post.) Now, find a spot in your house that is flat and larger than the quilt. I'm using my kitchen table. Because this quilt is going to be a table runner, I decided to...

Heavenly Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Jennifer March 28, 2016 8 Comments

These are the best cinnamon rolls in the entire world. Making cinnamon rolls from scratch is a little time-consuming. But we love the idea of watching something so fantastic emerge from simple ingredients. We make these for Easter morning, so we thought we would share them with you today! The batch I make will give you about 40 regular sized cinnamon rolls. If you do jumbo cinnamon rolls you will...

Quilting Bee — Spring Table Runners — Week 3

Author’s Corner — Save the bees

Quilting Bee — Spring Table Runners — Week 2

If you want romance, try Rhode Island

Quilting Bee — Spring Table Runners — Week 1

Tales of a Frustrated Farmer — Spring Time Pruning

Quilting Bee—Table Runner—Week 3

Quilting Bee—Table Runner—Week 2

Heavenly Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

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