Sew what's cooking with Joan!: Spiced nuts! Wine bag tutorial too!

Preparations for the "Ugly Holiday Sweater Party" are in full swing. Both nuts that I will serve are done! These are quick, you can have them done for this weekend too! I use mixed nuts, but you can use one type of nut too!

Scroll down for a wine bag pattern, you can whip up today!

Also, 25th Anniversary party pictures, last night with Jack Nicklaus! So fun!!

Ingredients

1 1/4 pounds mixed nuts
2 T. coarsely chopped fresh Rosemary leaves
1/2 tsp.cayenne
2 tsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 T. melted butter

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the nuts on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes until they are warmed through. Meanwhile, combine the rosemary, cayenne, brown sugar, salt and butter in a large bowl. Toss the warm mixed nuts with the rosemary mixture until the nuts are completely coated. Serve warm.This can be done days in advance and store in an airtight container.

Thyme-roasted marcona almonds
Ina Garten- barefoot contessa foolproof

1 lb. roasted, salted Marcona almonds
2 tsp. good olive oil
2 T. minced fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp. fleur de sel

Preheat oven to 350 F

Place the almonds, olive oil, thyme, and kosher slat on a sheet pan and toss them together. Roast the almonds foe 10 to 15 minutes, turning them every 5 minutes with a metal spatula, until they are lightly browned. Watch them carefully: they go from underbaked to burnt very quickly.

Sprinkle with the fleur de sel, toss, and set aside to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Sewist's here is a segment for you!!

You can make them in holiday fabric or a muted fabric to be used year round.

Looking for a quick yet impressive hostess gift this weekend? Need something to make a dull and boring bottle of wine a little more personal? How about whipping up an easy wine bag? I found this tutorial and thought you would enjoy it!

Whether you're gifting wine, spirits or olive oil, this fabric gift bag adds a special touch.

Change up your fabric and this makes a great gift for a hostess, your girl friend or that hard-to-buy-for guy. Our friend's Ruth and Jim like to make you guess what wine we are tasting, when we go to their house for dinner. He has an amazing cellar and has taught us so much about aging wine...not that we do....well, we try Jim ;-)

It's a great way to use some fun and festive fabric, and it takes 30 minutes or less to sew. (Gotta love that!)

Supplies:
2 Fat Quarters (coordinating prints)
rotary cutter
quilting ruler
Quick Turn tool
iron
coordinating thread
hand sewing needle
scissors

* All seams are 1/4."

Let's get started!
1. From both fat quarters, cut a piece 12" x 17."

2. Decide which fabric will be your outer fabric and which will be your lining.

3. Fold your fabric in half length wise, right sides together. With your outer fabric, start at the bottom of the fold and sew along the bottom and along up to the top. No need to backstitch.

4. Press your fabric. Using your ruler, mark a 1.5" x 1.5" square on each bottom corner of the bag.

5. Use your scissors and cut away the squares you just marked.

Pinch your bottom seam and side seams together on each corner to make gussets. Match up the edges and sew with a 1/4" seam. Backstitch at the beginning and end.

6. Repeat steps 3, 4, and 5 for your lining fabric however, leave a 2" opening along the tall side of your fabric, backstitching at both ends of the opening. You will turn the fabric bag inside out through this opening in a few minutes.

7. Now, turn your outer fabric right side out. With your lining fabric (still wrong side out) place your outer fabric inside the lining fabric so that right sides touch. Nestle the bottoms of the bags together and line up your seams and top raw edges.

Sew the top seams together, all the way around, back stitching at the beginning and end.

8. Pull the outer fabric through the opening in the lining then press the opening closed. Using a blind stitch or ladder stitch to sew the opening closed.

9. Push the lining fabric down into the outer fabric and shimmy things around a bit until it fits nicely. Now topstitch along the top seam to give it a nice finish.

10. To make the coordinating tie, cut a 2.5" x 20" piece of lining fabric. Fold the fabric in half, right sides together and sew using a 1/4" seam.
Use the Quick Turn to turn the fabric tube inside out. Press with the seam centered in the middle. For each end, fold the raw ends inside the tube about 1/4" and stitch closed, backstitching at both ends.

Wha-la! You're done! Pop in a bottle of wine, spirits or olive oil and you've got something special!

~~~

Pictures from last nights 25th Anniversary Party of our community, Desert Mountain. Jack Nicklaus was here to speak, he designed all six of our golf courses, working closely with Lyle Anderson, the developer, who was here too. He told us he will be working closely with us to further improve our golf club community....well it doesn't need much improvement in my book, but, knock yourself out Jack!