Tea towels, decorating frames to be featured

Information on making boutique tea towels, decorating frames and cooking with dry beans will be the featured topics on “Creative Living” 9:30 p.m. Tuesday and noon Thursday.

linkDesigner Laura Bray is going to demonstrate how to make no-sew boutique tea towels using an adhesive for the appliqué technique. These can be made at a fraction of the cost of those you’ll find in boutique stores. She represents iLoveToCreate.com and lives in Aliso Viejo, Calif.

Designer and crafter Shannon Bielke will demonstrate how to make fabulous frames using scrapbooking paper and embellishments. Bielke’s company is Sha & Co. in Payson, Ariz.

Jeane Wharton is with the U.S. Dry Bean Council, and she’s going to talk about how nutritious and delicious beans are. They are not only versatile but a good protein substitute in certain diets. Jeane lives in Jackson, Wyo.

Information on creating tapestry crochet, making a Messenger type bag and new information on sewing with sergers will be the featured topics on “Creative Living” noon Tuesday and 2 p.m. Saturday.

Tapestry crochet expert Carol Ventura will discuss and demonstrate tapestry pieces she’s acquired from Guatemala, Cameroon, Israel, Finland and Switzerland. She will also talk about the types of yarns and threads involved, stitches and the tools needed to create tapestry crochet. She’s from Cookeville, Tenn.

Sewing expert Pat de Santis will demonstrate how to make a Messenger type bag incorporating a dimensional grandmother’s fan by using the EZ Dresden tool. This quilting lesson is a play on the Dresden plate but much easier to do. She is now deceased, but at the time, she was the vice president of Corporate Marketing with Wrights in West Warren, Mass.

Sewing instructor Nancy Lovett will explain that most sergers are capable of flatlocking, which can be done with either two or three-thread machines. Not only is a flatlock seam durable, it can be very decorative as well. Lovett represents Ann Silva’s Bernina Sewing Center in Albuquerque.

Bean and olive tapenade

• 1 can (15-oz.) kidney beans, drained, rinsed, chopped into small pieces

• 1 can (4-oz.) chopped black olives

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 4 Tbsp. capers, chopped

• 4 Tbsp. fresh basil, sliced into thin strips

• 1/4 tsp. ground oregano

• 2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, chopped

• 3-4 Tbsp. red wine vinegar, or to taste

Cayenne pepper, to taste

Mix all ingredients together and chill thoroughly. To serve, place a teaspoon of tapenade on a thin slice of toasted baguette or cracker. Makes 48 appetizers. *You can substitute white beans, black beans, pinto beans or black-eyed peas for chopped kidney beans.

“Creative Living” is produced and hosted by Sheryl Borden. The demonstrate is carried by more than 118 PBS stations in the United States, Canada, Guam and Puerto Rico and is distributed by Westlink, Albuquerque.