wip- sweet sixteen quilting

The winner of last week's give-away is Paige from Quilted Blooms.  I've sent you an email, Paige.  Thank you everyone for your comments.  I now have a new list of books to read:

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (recommended twice)
Anything by Brandon Sanderson
Anything by Julie Klassen
Anne of Green Gables
A Girl of the Limberlost
Hitler's Escape to Argentina by Harry S. Cooper (I've already started this. . . fascinating!)
Cinder
The Secret Sister
The Forgotten Seamstress
Author Janet Evanovich


I'm trying to finish my Christmas Tree quilt before all the kids come home for the holidays.

Straight line quilting would look less organic on my domestic pfaff, but I love the throat space on the hq sweet sixteen.

My next project for this week is making the giant sugar cookies for our extended family party this week-end.

This is a great opening activity for a Christmas party.   While everyone is arriving, they sit down at the kitchen table and decorate their big sugar cookie.

The cookies are pretty big so there is one cookie per plate.

 Grandma's and kids love it . . .

Grandpa's love it . . .

Teenager cousins love it . . .

even Dads who think they're too cool for this artsy stuff get into it . . .

Then you stack them all in the other room out of the way till it's time for dessert.  YUM!!

RECIPE:

Giant Cookie Cutter Cookie Recipe

(Do not chill dough)

1 c. butter – softened (let sit out several hours)

1 c. sugar

1 lg. egg

1 tsp. clear vanilla (Mexican if possible)

2 tsp. baking powder

3 c. flour  (use a little less, start working in at 2 cups)

Preheat oven @ 400

Cream  butter and sugar.

Add egg and vanilla

Add dry ingredients , baking powder first.  Add flour 1 cup at a time.  Dough will be very stiff.  Last cup,  add by hand.  DO NOT CHILL DOUGH.

Roll a ball of dough onto cookie sheet, ¼” to ½” thick.  (spray Pam on cookie sheet?).

Dip cookie cutter in flour.  Cut cookies on cookie sheet and pull away access.

Bake on middle rack for 10 minutes.

Let stand 1 – 2 minutes.  Cool on wire rack.

Place cookies on paper plates, one cookie per plate.

Double batch makes aprox. 12 lg. cookies.

Make ahead and freeze.

FROSTING:

4 Minute Butter Frosting

½ c.  soft butter

pinch salt

3 c.  sifted powdered sugar

¼ c. milk

1 ½ tsp clear vanilla

Cream butter, salt, sugar (1 cup at a time) until fluffy.