Thanks for the Great advice on Freezing without doing the Pectin sugar syrup way. Also I read back in a book about 10 years ago.. our forefathers and mothers use to take barrels or Brandy and Preserved their peaches that way. Modern times would be is take 24 oz mason jars- Peel and Pit your Peaches cut in 1/2 -Sterilize Mason Jars after sterilized jars set up- Stick a cinnamon stick a the innards of a vanilla Bean (of course both are optional but it's to give it more flavor- fill Jar with peach leaving at least 1in from top-..Warm a Med expensive Brandy (plain Unflavored- Not the cheapest not the most expensive) Or you can even do it w/ Southern comfort- ( make sure you get enough Brandy ( it's not as cheap now as it was back then) warm brandy on medium heat ( do not boil but make sure it's Hot- Take off Heat- and fill up jars- Put on lids and screw on tops . Put in canner and do a hot bath for 10 Min. let it cool down for 24 hours to make sure tops have set and sealed.. Label and set date.. Alcohol is a Natural Preservative.. No sugar or Pectin needed- Can last for probably 3= years- ,, so what do you do with the peaches-?.. Peach Pie.. Peach Jam it with have the flavors of the Brandy and spices but the alcohol will Burn off-- What do with Brandy? well now you have All Natural Flavored Vanilla Cinnamon Peach Brandy-- This could be used as a sipping brandy for special occasions.. Holidays etc.. I Make Rum, Bourbon and Brandy Balls around the Holidays-Make a Brandy Cake (Instead of rum or Bourbon) Marinade a Duck, Turkey Pheasant, or Chicken In a Baking Bag and Let it Cook in a Baking Bag- You will have the most succulent tender bird.. and the alcohol cooks off.. Save enough put it in a Gravy pitcher.. Light it on fire and pour over your Bird.. for a flare of elegance.. (it burns Off)

The problem I have the most with these cupcakes is the frosting tends to dehydrate and get very crusty very quickly. It still tastes great but I want it to keep the creamy texture it has when I first make it. I assume it's the Bailey's evaporating. I've done it multiple times with different proportions and it always does the same thing. It's the only frosting I've ever made that does it. The only thing I've found so far that works is making the frosting a day ahead, giving it time in the fridge to evaporate and get crusty and then rewhip it with a little heavy cream. That seems to bring it back for good. I'm also considering heating the Baileys up on very low heat to allow most of the alcohol to evaporate so I still get the flavoring without the dehydrating effect. No one else seems to have an issue with this so maybe it's just me! But these are definitely one of the favorites in my baking business.

Got an update on the cake. The birthday girl loved it, thank goodness! She ended up taking it up to Chili's where they met some people for dinner. Apparently, the servers even got some as they were impressed with the layers. Carolyn said they came back and asked for a second piece to share with the other kitchen staff! And to top it off, one of Carolyn's friends wants to place and order with me for another cake. Thanks again guys for all the encouragement. Oh, and Joe, I'm still LOL at your compliments on my glasses and old pink apron. You made my day! Here's a pic Carolyn took of the cake after it was cut.

Is it possible they just shrunk? I've read to expect 3-5% shrinkage of even the best quality quilting cotton. It's just the nature of cotton fibers. I've also read that fabric shrinks more on the straight grain than the cross grain, so you could expect uneven shrinkage in a pre-cut block. If I wuz you, I'd spray a bit of sizing on there and iron it out in the direction I wanted another 1/4 inch to appear. Of course, that doesn't actually make the fabric bigger, but it would be a way of automatically 'easing' in a bit of irregularity. What I've really wondered about is the laser cut applique pieces that I see for sale. It seems like 5% shrinkage after sewing on a piece of applique would be particularly noticable.