The Ultimate Onion Ring!

Have you ever met someone who couldn't enjoy a good, greasy onion ring? This recipe will wow your family… these old fashioned onion rings taste just like diner fare. So try them on your next movie night, and top off supper with a root beer float!

~1 1/2 lbs. large sweet onions

~1/2 cup milk

~1 egg, beaten

~3/4 c. flour

~salt & pepper to taste

~oil (for cooking… we usually use coconut oil, but you can use anything you like)

Peel onions and cut into thick slices. Boil 1 cup water with 1/2 tsp. salt and add onions. Cook until tender (about 5 minutes). Separate rings. Heat oil to 375 degrees. Beat remaining ingredients until smooth and dip onion rings into batter, letting excess batter drip off.

Deep fry a few onions at a time for about 2 minutes or until golden and slightly crispy, turning to cook both sides. Drain on paper towels. Serve with ketchup!

picture-perfect patterns!

Hello everyone! We have some exciting news… our new pattern covers have arrived, along with the frilly fandango apron pattern and the gracie ruffle skirt pattern! We've spent this evening folding and packaging patterns. And Nan is here to help, too– she makes the time go by so quickly.

Ta-da!

The day of our celebration sale is fast approaching. We are really excited about this! Our gracie ruffle skirt and frilly fandango apron patterns will soon be available through our website, Lord willing. (But if you just can't wait… go ahead and drop us a line via email!)

yummy goodness

Mmmmm…. nothing like fresh, homemade, hot rolls, right? Try these…. oh so good!!!!

Buttermilk Rolls

1 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons shortening

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

2 1/2 cups flour

Heat buttermilk till lukewarm. Add all the rest of your ingredients, except the flour. Stir well, then add flour. Knead well. Form into balls and place in a greased 9 x 13 pan. (All the rolls should be touching.) Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. You can spread butter on the tops of the rolls after getting out of oven. *Note: This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.

PS:: Remember to sign up for our newsletter if you haven't already! Our big sale is getting closer and closer!!

happy sweet sixteenth to our Abigail American!

Dearest Abs,

We all love you so much! We are thankful for your sunny smile and friendly ways. You are such a joy in our home, scattering gladness wherever you go! It's just so hard for us to believe that our Abi could possibly be sixteen– no longer a little girl, but an amazing young lady with a heart for Christ…

We like to tease you about your mis-matched socks and your somewhat odd-tasting muffins, but please don't misunderstand. And don't ever change. Because we love you like crazy, every day!

xo, us

smiling thinking

pretty.

Pincushion Party! sewing kits… coming soon from marie-madeline studio!

Short Post (but better than none at all!)

Finally, (quite awhile later technically) we're getting to show you this neat-o handmade gift certificate that we made for our dear friend (and blog reader!), Kailey! Naturally, since she reads our blog we couldn't show you till well after her birthday. We just loved the way it ended up– pretty, personal, and, shall we say, "very marie-madeline". And we had to sew on one of our cute tags too. If anyone is interested in a gift certificate, let us know… we'd be glad to personalize one for you!!

Designing your own clothing collection!

**Note to our very kind blog readers— long time, no post… computer was down!— just got it back last night— tried to post then, but it wouldn't upload… so!

Tips on designing your own girl's clothing collection…

from marie-madeline studio

#1 What does she need? How much sewing time do you have? What is your budget? Consider all of those things when beginning your collection. Also, think about your lifestyle and build your child's wardrobe around the things you do everyday… start planning outfits from there.

It is often easiest to start with a few sewn items. For example– a dress, a jumper, two skirts, a top, a pair of pants or a jacket. Fill in with ready-made items such as t-shirts and leggings or tights. (We'll talk more about that later!)

#2 Pick your patterns! This is always a fun step for us. Browse the pattern books at the fabric store or shops on the internet to find the pieces you want in your collection. Don't buy anything you don't love, or it may end up hanging in your closet gathering dust.

#3 Take notes. Keep your child's measurements on hand. Write down the fabric yardages and notions (thread, buttons, zippers, etc.) you'll need to complete your projects… then never leave home without your little notebook!

#4 Choose a main fabric. What colors look best on your child? What scale of print is most pleasing for her? We like to start with one main print, and then add a few coordinating pieces to achieve the maximum mix-n-match.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the fabric world, here is some helpful info… the latest fabric collections will almost always be in the latest colors. In other words, if you purchase your main fabric from a newer line, it will be easier to find complimentary ready-made pieces. However, there are some lovely older fabric lines, too! And since white and cream are always available, one of those colors is bound to match almost anything you choose.

Mod Girls Park Slope

Ava Rose Farmers Market

#5 Purchase your fabrics and notions, using the information in your notebook. Try doing it this way: make your one-piece outfits (dresses, jumpers) in your main print(s). Make your skirts and tops in coordinating prints so they can be worn together. Then, make your last pieces (pants, etc.) out of a very simple fabric that goes with everything else… that way you can wear the pants under the skirt with the top, or under the dress, or with the jumper and top… you get the idea!

We will typically choose a larger floral print of some sort for our one-piece things. Smaller prints for our skirts/tops, and a check or dot or stripe for our pants and accessories.

#6 Cut swatches of your fabrics! This is so important. We are notorious for literally carrying around half-a-dozen envelopes stuffed with little bits of fabric. Swatches are essential for matching your fabrics to your ready-mades, and make it easier to choose accessories such as cardigans, tights, headbands, etc. Don't underestimate this little tip!

#7 Go shopping! With swatches and notebook in hand, head out to find your ready-mades such as t-shirts and leggings. Stick with a solid color for these– it will be simpler to mix and match your outfits if you choose only one color… then they can be worn with everything. Besides, too many fun prints will give girlie the clown look (oops!).

For our last collection, we found most of our ready-made clothing at our local Target. Target now has an OshKosh brand that is both high-quality and more economical! We also love Lands' End— check out the overstocks.

#8 Sew up a storm. And while you sew, imagine all of the cute little combinations! Here are some of our favorites…

dress + tights

dress + cardigan + leggings

dress + pants

jumper + tee + leggings

jumper + turtleneck + tights

skirt + top

skirt + top + leggings

skirt + tee + pants

skirt + tee + cardigan

skirt + turtleneck + tights

top + pants

top + leggings + cardigan

…and the list could go on and on!

Do any of you have tips you'd like to share? We'd love to hear from you!

PS– We plan on hosting an enormous celebration sale in the next couple of weeks! Sign up for our newsletter for the latest.

And one more PS– Gracie Ruffle Skirt pattern available soon!

Let it snow! (But not quite yet…)

Here's a little peak of what we have in mind for the holidays– ruffle skirts, soon to be up in the shop. Won't these look darling with a sweater and some leggings, for Christmas Day?

Oh, applesauce.

And apple pie. And apple danish. And apple everything. That's right– the pickle story all over again, but this time it's apples that are comin' out our ears! Seven bushels of apples, to be precise. Seven very large bushels, we might add!

So… check out two of our favorite apple recipes. Oh, yes– and you're all invited over to help us can! (Warning: this could prove to be an all-nighter!)

Oh, Applesauce!

1 bushel= 12-15 quarts

Wash apples. (We like Jonathan)

Quarter apples.

Cook down in large pots with about 1/2 cup water per pot. Once boiling, stir occasionally for 10-15 minutes, or until apples are soft.

Let apples cool slightly; put through strainer or food mill.

Fill quart jars with sauce, plus 1 tablespoon of sugar per jar. (You may like more sugar– we prefer our applesauce to be tart!)

Process in hot water bath canner for 20 minutes.

Before eating, we like to dump our applesauce into a freezer container to get "slushy" first. Yum!

Good Ol' Apple Pie Fillin'

Makes 7 quarts. Slice enough washed cooking apples (we use Jonathans) to fill your jars.

9 1/2 cups water

4 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup cornstarch

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Combine above ingredients in large saucepan. Cook until thickened, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Add 3 tablespoons lemon juice (optional).

Layer apples and syrup into jars (otherwise there will be too many air pockets), leaving 1" headspace. Don't let your jars get too full, or syrup will spew out during canning time (trust us, we know!).

Tighten lids. Process in a hot water bath for 25 minutes.

Pst… don't tell anyone that we'll eat apple pie for breakfast occasionally! After all, ice cream is very much like milk, if you think about it… right?