We're back for another Shortcut Quilt with this beginner-friendly, yet impressive-looking quilt using one of our favorite precuts - the Layer Cake! The

Layers of graham cracker crust, chocolate cake, chocolate ganache, toasted marshmallow filling, chocolate frosting and marshmallow fluff.

At last, the sewing portion of a Square in a Square quilt made from (2) layer cakes (or scraps). Earlier posts on fabric selection and cutting are HERE and HERE. Recap of the pieces you should have: Take the center square and fold in half - right sides together to make a crease. If you have darker or busy fabric - use a marker or chalk. I used a white pencil. Take your middle triangles and fold them in half wrong sides to together - and make a center crease. (Pictures below) Put the middle triangle on top of the center square - and the creases should fit into each other. That's your mid-point and while for this particular block finding the exact center isn't necessary - it's good practice for more refined blocks you may make in the future. Pin two triangles on opposite sides as shown above. Then flip over the whole unit and start sewing with the center square facing up. I like smaller pieces on top of larger ones so I can see if anything shifts or needs aligning. Because I also tend to crumple up the tiny tip of the triangles when I chain piece this block - I cut the thread and restart sewing a new unit each time. Follow the outline of the center square which is 5" and trim off over lapping ends. Iron seams open. Then do the exact same thing on the other two sides. Match creases, pin and sew. Flip everything over again and below is what is looks like from the back when you are sewing. The picture below shows how the block looks with seams pressed open. To trim - I use a 7.5" ruler which makes it very easy - but any sized ruler will do. Find the mid-point at the top (red arrow) and mid-point at the side (blue arrow) and trim. That's the 3.75" mark on the ruler. There are many ways to make a square in a square block. The picture below is more representative of how others make their blocks - they leave a 1/4" between the point and the edge of the block. This means that the 'squares' are tighter next to each other and the points almost touch when everything is assembled. Whereas you can see from the dreaded red arrows below - my way leaves lots of fabric between the points and the edge of the block. This is because I trim as little as possible to use as much fabric as I can from each layer cake. The original size of the layer cake (10" x 10") dictates the basic measurement of 5" squares for the center and middle portion. And, I am not keen on cutting more than an inch off the outer square to 9". Any more cutting and it defeats the whole idea of using a pre-cut. We still have the outer triangles to assemble and trim - but that's it for now. More pictures and directions will finish off this block in the next post. Until then, here is your amazing 7.5" x 7.5" square. Here is a picture of what the final block will look like and how much you trim for each block. It's mostly from the last square - but more on that later. The final unfinished size should be 13.5" x 13.5" - which I can never do because one side is always off. I will put the blame on my love of steam ironing (haha) - but realistically you can get nice 13" to 13.25" square. I trim down a little further to 12.5" because I have a ruler that size and it works for my minky quilts. Thanks for reading :) December 2020

The greatest Bon Appétit recipes of all time—according to Bon Appétit readers!

Do you like cookies and cakes? We adore them. And we don't mean by just adoring them in a kind of a platonic way, we meant that in a „we have to have a dessert every single day“ way. To pick out a wedding cake can be a complicated and difficult task. It is hard to match the taste of every single guest. We decided to write an article that could help you out and picked out 5 cakes that could make everyone happy. For your summer wedding, check out our wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses and flower girl dresses. Chocolate cake Chocolate Wedding Cake Colin Cowie weddings> Let's be honest, who doesn't like chocolate? We are sure that someone like this doesn't exist. A chocolate cake is a complete hit for kids and grown-ups alike. Simplicity goes well with this cake, just make sure that the chocolate used for it is top quality and you're guaranteed that it will be gone in mere seconds! If you wedding guests are all grown ups, don't hesitate to put a little rum in it, it will make this great cake even more delicious. If your wedding is held during summer, it would be great to serve some ice cream aside, and if it's held during winter, your chilled chocolate cake will go great with warm fruit topping. Sounds really yummy, right? As for the decorating, a simple chocolate cake can look spectacular. You can go with a chocolate net, or white flowers, it will look really romantic, and a black and white combination will add a touch of elegance to it. Fruit cake Fruit Wedding Cake the bridal detective> Ok, we know that not everybody likes them, but you've got to admit that during hot summer days, fruit can be a life saver when it comes to refreshing yourself. It is important that the fruit is fresh and seasonal so that your cake can have a full flavour, and it will probably be more healthier than the chocolate one(we are sorry, chocolate cake, we love you). For the last couple of years, cakes that look unfinished have become very popular. If you like that boho and rustical look, make sure that the sponge, cream and fruit layers are visible. Have additional decorations in form of flowers and fruits. If you're up for more traditional look, glaze the cake with cream and decorate it with fruit and chocolate. Alternatives Cupcake Wedding Cake traveller today> In case you're not a fan of cakes, this is rare, but it still exists, what do you think about pannacotta? Or tiramisu in cups? Desserts in cups can be really cute and practical at open air weddings. Especially during summer, than you can also serve ice cream or fruit in cups. Muffins and cupcakes have quietly made their way to the wedding menus in the last couple of years. Why? Probably because they are too cute, especially when decorated. Make sure that the cups are elegant, and use satin ribbons for them, and wedding cupcakes will look great with flowers and beads served atop of each other. Cheesecake Cheesecake Wedding Cake wedding.persiamag > If cheesecake is your favorite cake, why not have it on your wedding? A cake that will suprise everybody, and it can look elegant, and you are probably wondering why? Decorate it with flowers or lace. If your cheesecake is with fruit then you should also decorate it with fruits. If its made of chocolate, then decorate it with combining black and white chocolate to add a dose of elegance, along with shimmer. Lemon sorbet Lemon Sorbet b lovely events> It's a hot summer day, and it's your wedding day. You are probably day dreaming about a ice cold glass of lemonade. Nothing better than that, right? Well, lemon sorbet is better. Light, fresh and perfect for a summer wedding. This cake is best decorated with daisies and/or lemon slices. Cake should be made out of eco lemons, to give it more intense taste. And most important, serve cold. Take a look at our new collection of flower girl dresses.

I am a fan of Bonnie Hunter, the queen of scrap quilts. (You will find a link to her Quiltville blog in the right column of this blog.) I have purchased most of her books and have constructed nearl…

Square in a Square - The Beginning Square in a Square - The Math Square in a Square - Time to Sew (Part 1) Square in a Square - Time to Sew (part 2) Arkansas Crossroads in Good Fortune Old Mill Path Halloween Style Tilda's Plum Garden Terrazzo Quilt Kaleidoscope Quilt and More Low Volume Pineapple Quilt Finished (Part 2) Bee Joyful Quilt Finished Part Two Making a Bee Joyful Panel Layer Cake Quilt - Part One Making a Low Volume Pineapple Quilt - Part One Old Mill Path in Safari Life Hourglass Quilt in Le Vintage Chic

This special layer cake is made of two layers of green velvet cake with a layer of cheesecake in the middle.

Hostess with the Mostess® If you’re on a *treasure* hunt for pirate party ideas… x marks THIS spot! ;) I’m excited to share the new Pirate Birthday Party theme that I recently designed for Fisher-Pri

I made this Lego cake for H’s birthday. It’s a triple layer 6” coca fudge cake with vanilla buttercream filling, and chocolate buttercream on the outside covered with semi-sweet chocolate ganache. The...

To recap, the previous posts are: The Beginning, The Math and Time to Sew (part 1). Now let's finish this off with the final square, Put a pin to mark the center point of the 7.5" x 7.5" trimmed square. Fold over the larger triangles wrong sides together and make a center crease. Line up the center crease with the pin ... and pin away. Now, flip the pinned unit over and begin sewing with the smaller square on top. It is not necessary to begin at the tip of the triangle - but start about 1/2" away from the middle square. The pictures above show what you should see when you begin to sew. Press seams open and trim excess, using the 7.5" block as a guide. Do the same thing all over again on the remaining side: put a pin in the midpoint and line up with a creased larger triangle. See pixs above. However, for this last bit of sewing - do not flip over the unit to sew. Because the triangles are now smaller than the whole unit - it's easier to sew with the front facing you. Start sewing at the tippy top of the triangle and continue all the way to the bottom. Iron seams open and voilà - the final block is complete. The unfinished size is a wonky 13.5" so I suggest trimming to 13.25" or 13". On the left is Grand Canal by Kate Spain and on the right is Finnegan by Brenda Riddle. Both made from two layer cakes each and perfect for a beginner. Even if everything goes horribly wrong - just trim the middle and outer squares a consistent size throughout and while the block will be a little smaller ... no big deal. There is enough fabric between squares to trim and never loose a point! It's obviously great to make this quilt with fabric on hand. I have a variety of blacks and greys from Zen Chic - and the square in this tutorial is from that. A quick mock-up of what my next 'Square in a Square" quilt will look like is here. 15 squares will start with a dark center, light middle and dark outside. And, 15 squares will start with a light center, dark middle and light outside. Any combo is possible and I hope in the New Year you try this and enjoy it as much as I am. Here's to a happy and healthy 2021 - Ruth :) December 2020

This doctored up cake mix recipe is better than any from-scratch cake I've ever tried. You can use any flavor cake mix, but chocolate is my favorite. It's incredibly moist and fudgy thanks to the added sour cream and pudding mix. It seriously never dries out and tastes fresh for days.

Introducing 'MARDOL' ... 18 PDF Lap Quilt Block Patterns ... Quick and Easy ... Layer Cake & Jelly Roll friendly Using Layer Cake squares & Jelly Roll strips, each of the 18 Blocks are an EASY LEVEL, suitable for BEGINNERS ... & those that have never quilted before!!! QUILT SIZE: • The double sized quilt will be constructed with 36 blocks, (you will be making two of each block), & the finished quilt will be approximately 85.5” x 85.5” in size. Each individual block will be approximately 13.5“ x 13.5” in size. • There will be some fabric left over when all 36 blocks have been completed, if you want to increase the size of the quilt MATERIALS REQUIRED: • 1 PRINT LAYER Cake … this should contain at least 40 squares … each square needs to be at least 10” x 10”. • 2 PRINT Jelly Rolls each containing at least 40 strips ... each strip needs to be at least 40” in length by 2.5” width. These should complement or contrast with your Layer Cake. HINTS: - For this project the Layer Cake & Jelly Rolls should be from the SAME fabric line, eg, Bonnie & Camille … Brenda Riddle … Fig Tree & Co … Lella Boutique … etc, etc. EXAMPLES: - Bonnie & Camille’s ‘SMITTEN’ Layer Cake & ‘WOVEN’ Jelly Rolls - Brenda Riddle’s ‘FINNEGAN’ Layer Cake & ‘AMBLESIDE’ Jelly Rolls’ OR … how about using MATCHING Layer Cake & Jelly Rolls? - Fig Tree & Co’s ‘SCARLET & SAGE. - Lella Boutique’s ‘HARVEST ROAD’ But whatever you choose … have fun with your selections! • For sashing / borders I’m using 28 Honey Bun / Skinny strips in a background / block colour ... each strip needs to be at least 44” in length by 1.5” width. My preference is: https://www.dorsetpatchworks.co.uk/ourshop/prod_5679728-Robert-Kaufman-Kona-Cotton-Skinny-Strips-White.html ... but another complementary block colour will also look good. Some of you may prefer to cut your sashings / borders from yardage, or use Jelly Roll strips ... both are absolutely fine! • Binding … 10 additional Jelly Roll strips each measuring at least 40 inches in length by 2.5” width, for binding … in your choice of print or background fabric or combination! … or 3/8 yard of fabric. • Backing … 7 7/8 yards of fabric for backing with 2 horizontal seam … backing dimensions 93.5” x 93.5”. EQUIPMENT: • Sewing machine in good working order & a quarter inch foot if used. • 100% cotton thread … I like to use Arufil 2000, or other light greys, beige, white & ivory colours work well. • Threaded bobbins. • Scissors. • Seam ripper, (always useful!). • Cutting mat … I like to use Ansio’s Double Sided Self Healing 5 layers Cutting Mats. • Rotary cutter … mine is an OFLA 45mm. • Long quilting ruler … I use Omnigrip or Creative Grids rulers. • Steam iron. • Flat surface or design wall, (to plan the layout of your blocks). • Camera or camera phone. • Pins … my favourites to use are Rimobul Quilting Quilter’s 1.9” Head Pins. • Useful but not essential … Alphabitties numbers for labelling your jelly roll strip sets after cutting … or make your own! Each pattern includes: Detailed instructions for making the 'MARDOL’ double quilt, using Layer Cake squares & Jelly Roll strips including lots of colour diagrams, taking you through the process of completing the quilt, step by step. Lots of hints & tips along the way! In addition ... an introduction to the project, along with instructions for finishing your quilt ... & as a bonus ... how to make each of your blocks into a whole quilt! Quick & easy patterns for a beginner to complete … some with no matching seams! These are digital patterns & instructions – after purchasing you will receive a link to download the PDF files. You will also be sent an email, (to the email address you have registered with Etsy), with the link for download shortly after payment has been received. The PDF file link can also be found in the purchases section on Etsy. I hope you enjoy making this fun & easy quilt! Please do not copy or reproduce this pattern without permission. Eleri To see other quilt patterns I have available using Jelly Roll strips, please click this link: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/easyquiltingpatterns?ref=seller-platform-mcnav§ion_id=21789235 & Layer Cake squares: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/easyquiltingpatterns?ref=seller-platform-mcnav§ion_id=21795321 & Jelly Roll strips & Layer Cake squares: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/easyquiltingpatterns?ref=seller-platform-mcnav§ion_id=26891889 easyquiltpatterns [!at] outlook.com https://www.facebook.com/groups/137216823523125/ Pattern copyright 2020 by easyquiltingpatterns. All rights reserved. No part of these patterns may be copied or reproduced in any form without written consent from Eleri Taylor.

I recently finished a square in a square quilt using this pretty Finnegan fabric from Brenda Riddle. These blocks are referred to as economy blocks and can be made in a variety of sizes. I used 2 layer cakes. This way I get a whole beautiful collection picked out for me by the fabric designer - and not much left over fabric to add to the never ending scrap hoard. Before you cut your pieces, look at the patterns and colors of the layer cakes. See what fabric you might like for a center. What color or pattern contrasts with that for a middle area - and finally, what looks good as your largest square - the outer one. With a strong collection like this Grand Canal collection from Kate Spain - the sunflowers became the center square and the larger scale images worked nicely in the outer square. For this quilt, flowers added visual weight for the center. Whether it's by color or with design, try to make a distinction between the center, middle and outer squares. Shown above are the stronger center squares and softer middle pieces laid on top. Lastly are the larger outer squares that can match in color even if there aren't enough duplicates in the layer cakes to make everything perfectly match. The layout above shows all 30 blocks made from two layer cakes. The next post will be about the specs and cutting dimensions so you too can make this fun pattern. With a little planning on what fabrics to emphasize in each square - scraps are just as effective. Each block has only nine pieces and trimmed to an unfinished size of 13" x 13". This is not a forever project but one that is easy to keep track of for those times when you want something simple to stop and start. Materials: Finnegan layer cakes by Brenda Riddle / Moda December 2020

At last, the sewing portion of a Square in a Square quilt made from (2) layer cakes (or scraps). Earlier posts on fabric selection and cutting are HERE and HERE. Recap of the pieces you should have: Take the center square and fold in half - right sides together to make a crease. If you have darker or busy fabric - use a marker or chalk. I used a white pencil. Take your middle triangles and fold them in half wrong sides to together - and make a center crease. (Pictures below) Put the middle triangle on top of the center square - and the creases should fit into each other. That's your mid-point and while for this particular block finding the exact center isn't necessary - it's good practice for more refined blocks you may make in the future. Pin two triangles on opposite sides as shown above. Then flip over the whole unit and start sewing with the center square facing up. I like smaller pieces on top of larger ones so I can see if anything shifts or needs aligning. Because I also tend to crumple up the tiny tip of the triangles when I chain piece this block - I cut the thread and restart sewing a new unit each time. Follow the outline of the center square which is 5" and trim off over lapping ends. Iron seams open. Then do the exact same thing on the other two sides. Match creases, pin and sew. Flip everything over again and below is what is looks like from the back when you are sewing. The picture below shows how the block looks with seams pressed open. To trim - I use a 7.5" ruler which makes it very easy - but any sized ruler will do. Find the mid-point at the top (red arrow) and mid-point at the side (blue arrow) and trim. That's the 3.75" mark on the ruler. There are many ways to make a square in a square block. The picture below is more representative of how others make their blocks - they leave a 1/4" between the point and the edge of the block. This means that the 'squares' are tighter next to each other and the points almost touch when everything is assembled. Whereas you can see from the dreaded red arrows below - my way leaves lots of fabric between the points and the edge of the block. This is because I trim as little as possible to use as much fabric as I can from each layer cake. The original size of the layer cake (10" x 10") dictates the basic measurement of 5" squares for the center and middle portion. And, I am not keen on cutting more than an inch off the outer square to 9". Any more cutting and it defeats the whole idea of using a pre-cut. We still have the outer triangles to assemble and trim - but that's it for now. More pictures and directions will finish off this block in the next post. Until then, here is your amazing 7.5" x 7.5" square. Here is a picture of what the final block will look like and how much you trim for each block. It's mostly from the last square - but more on that later. The final unfinished size should be 13.5" x 13.5" - which I can never do because one side is always off. I will put the blame on my love of steam ironing (haha) - but realistically you can get nice 13" to 13.25" square. I trim down a little further to 12.5" because I have a ruler that size and it works for my minky quilts. Thanks for reading :) December 2020

At last, the sewing portion of a Square in a Square quilt made from (2) layer cakes (or scraps). Earlier posts on fabric selection and cutting are HERE and HERE. Recap of the pieces you should have: Take the center square and fold in half - right sides together to make a crease. If you have darker or busy fabric - use a marker or chalk. I used a white pencil. Take your middle triangles and fold them in half wrong sides to together - and make a center crease. (Pictures below) Put the middle triangle on top of the center square - and the creases should fit into each other. That's your mid-point and while for this particular block finding the exact center isn't necessary - it's good practice for more refined blocks you may make in the future. Pin two triangles on opposite sides as shown above. Then flip over the whole unit and start sewing with the center square facing up. I like smaller pieces on top of larger ones so I can see if anything shifts or needs aligning. Because I also tend to crumple up the tiny tip of the triangles when I chain piece this block - I cut the thread and restart sewing a new unit each time. Follow the outline of the center square which is 5" and trim off over lapping ends. Iron seams open. Then do the exact same thing on the other two sides. Match creases, pin and sew. Flip everything over again and below is what is looks like from the back when you are sewing. The picture below shows how the block looks with seams pressed open. To trim - I use a 7.5" ruler which makes it very easy - but any sized ruler will do. Find the mid-point at the top (red arrow) and mid-point at the side (blue arrow) and trim. That's the 3.75" mark on the ruler. There are many ways to make a square in a square block. The picture below is more representative of how others make their blocks - they leave a 1/4" between the point and the edge of the block. This means that the 'squares' are tighter next to each other and the points almost touch when everything is assembled. Whereas you can see from the dreaded red arrows below - my way leaves lots of fabric between the points and the edge of the block. This is because I trim as little as possible to use as much fabric as I can from each layer cake. The original size of the layer cake (10" x 10") dictates the basic measurement of 5" squares for the center and middle portion. And, I am not keen on cutting more than an inch off the outer square to 9". Any more cutting and it defeats the whole idea of using a pre-cut. We still have the outer triangles to assemble and trim - but that's it for now. More pictures and directions will finish off this block in the next post. Until then, here is your amazing 7.5" x 7.5" square. Here is a picture of what the final block will look like and how much you trim for each block. It's mostly from the last square - but more on that later. The final unfinished size should be 13.5" x 13.5" - which I can never do because one side is always off. I will put the blame on my love of steam ironing (haha) - but realistically you can get nice 13" to 13.25" square. I trim down a little further to 12.5" because I have a ruler that size and it works for my minky quilts. Thanks for reading :) December 2020

Top off their smash cake with the perfect accessory! The gold cake topper reads "One" in an artistic script with a mirrored finish. Add it to the top layer of their cake with the two attached plastic picks. Add the finishing touch to their first cake with this classic accessory. Mirrored Gold 1st Birthday Cake Topper product details: 4 1/2in wide x 5in tall SKU: 891302

First of all, can we just say that starting Monday off with Tracy + Mark’s Tulum wedding totally put us in an amazing mood for the week ahead? She’s an interior designer and he’s in finance, and they had the most fun group of 60 guests travel to Mexico to celebrate with them. Destination Weddings Tulum brought it all together at the...

To recap, the previous posts are: The Beginning, The Math and Time to Sew (part 1). Now let's finish this off with the final square, Put a pin to mark the center point of the 7.5" x 7.5" trimmed square. Fold over the larger triangles wrong sides together and make a center crease. Line up the center crease with the pin ... and pin away. Now, flip the pinned unit over and begin sewing with the smaller square on top. It is not necessary to begin at the tip of the triangle - but start about 1/2" away from the middle square. The pictures above show what you should see when you begin to sew. Press seams open and trim excess, using the 7.5" block as a guide. Do the same thing all over again on the remaining side: put a pin in the midpoint and line up with a creased larger triangle. See pixs above. However, for this last bit of sewing - do not flip over the unit to sew. Because the triangles are now smaller than the whole unit - it's easier to sew with the front facing you. Start sewing at the tippy top of the triangle and continue all the way to the bottom. Iron seams open and voilà - the final block is complete. The unfinished size is a wonky 13.5" so I suggest trimming to 13.25" or 13". On the left is Grand Canal by Kate Spain and on the right is Finnegan by Brenda Riddle. Both made from two layer cakes each and perfect for a beginner. Even if everything goes horribly wrong - just trim the middle and outer squares a consistent size throughout and while the block will be a little smaller ... no big deal. There is enough fabric between squares to trim and never loose a point! It's obviously great to make this quilt with fabric on hand. I have a variety of blacks and greys from Zen Chic - and the square in this tutorial is from that. A quick mock-up of what my next 'Square in a Square" quilt will look like is here. 15 squares will start with a dark center, light middle and dark outside. And, 15 squares will start with a light center, dark middle and light outside. Any combo is possible and I hope in the New Year you try this and enjoy it as much as I am. Here's to a happy and healthy 2021 - Ruth :) December 2020

The seven creative pursuits of Shelley Detton

Similar to the classic dirt pudding, kids and adults alike will love to dig into this Oreo-filled Dirt Cake.

Chocolate sponge cake layered with vanilla buttercream icing. 8" round. 20 servings.