Favorite quilt – thus far
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This is, thus far, the longest-term quilting
Double Wedding Ring
project I’ve made. It was started in 1989 and finished in 2006 as a gift for DH Bob in thanks for tolerating me through the years of our long marriage. Each piece was individually scissor-cut.
During the 17 years it took to make, there was much time it was put aside as I made other quilts and when life got in the way. When the top was finished, I used it to entice Bob to built the quilt frame of my dreams. As soon as the frame was complete, this quilt was loaded, and a custom quilting design was developed. I call the design ‘daisies and darts’ which perfectly describes our marriage. We are daisy-poor and we both have tempers as sharp as darts. The center of each daisy has a circle within a circle, where I used our wedding rings as the template.
Fabric for this quilt came from my own scrap bag of fabric pieces left from making clothes
Quilting detail
for myself and family and from that of my grandmother,
who was my quilting teacher/inspiration. When she saw this Double Wedding Ring pattern, she made several, using her scraps and some of mine. My stash misses getting together with her for trading fabric. She also loved scrappy quilts and the added variety made them even better. I love laying under my quilts and remembering where the fabric originated. Each quilt contains a lifetime of memories.
The quilt was completed with a ‘scallop and point’ knive-edge finish and all the piecing, quilting and finishing were done by hand. It is queen-plus size.
Shirl
Categories: Quilting
I know, I know. It’s been a long time.
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I know it’s been a long time since I’ve posted and I have a hundred excuses (none of them noteworthy).
Our much loved Nugget developed cancer last year. We chose to care for him until his pain was no longer manageable. When his quality of life diminished, we had him put down. It was a hard decision but one I wholeheartedly believe was most humane. He is buried with his quilt in his favorite spot of the yard. I think of him and miss him every single day.
Between Quilt – finished 09/13/12
In September, 2012, I finished the ‘Between’ quilt. It has a 2″ black inner border and ‘piano keys’ outer border with rounded corners and is backed with beige squiggle wide fabric. It is hand quilted in a lattice design and now resides on my tall, queen-sized bed. It hangs 4″ from the floor all around and is wonderful as my newest bedspread. I’m enjoying it!
I decided to learn English Paper Piecing in making my next quilt top. It’s a ‘Grandmother’s Flower Garden’ without stones or paths. The main part of the top is finished but I’m undecided if it should have borders. It’s patiently waiting for a decision.
I’m now working on two quilt tops. The first is an English Paper Pieced ‘Tumbling Blocks-Star Layout’, made exclusively with batiks and black Kona fabric. It’s striking and I’m enjoying hand piecing it as I watch movies at night.
Quilting prior to binding and washing
For my February birthday, I purchased a Singer 301 sewing machine manufactured the same year I was born – L O N G ago. I absolutely LOVE it! I’ve been sewing away on it as I’m making 144 segments for a ‘Split-16’ scrappy quilt. The blocks are finished and I’m currently sewing them together and deciding how I want it to be bordered. I’m anxious to get it into the frame for hand quilting.
I’ve managed to sneak in a little travel since last posting. My brother, Jim, and I took his shiny new red Hyundai Tucson to Big Bend National Park, Big Bend State Park and to McDonald Observatory in the Davis Mountains. I was able to map a route that did not include any freeway – a nifty feat when traveling from east to west Texas! We saw lots of small towns and countryside and thoroughly enjoyed the stress-free driving trip. We will do it again!
Jim and I recently went on a short eating/gambling tour of southwestern Louisiana. We both love Cajun and seafood and Spring is the perfect season to enjoy these fresh delights. We took advantage of complimentary free rooms and gaming at L’Auberge and Coushatta Seven Clans casinos. While crawfish are still in season, we are planning to return in a few weeks. Crawfish Etouffee, here we come!!
Shirl
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Dog Quilts
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I’ve recently made quilts for our 3 dogs using scraps left from the ‘Between Quilt’ I’ve been making. The first finished was Nugget’s quilt but I mistakenly gave it to him before snapping a photo. Now, it’s near impossible to see the quilt without the dog! As the picture indicates, he loves it.
The quilts were made with 3 layers of extra-loft batting and tied with yarn left from another project. Each quilt has a backing made with UBER-bright fabric I wouldn’t use anywhere else. The dogs don’t seem to mind.
Lolita and Coalie have been presented with their quilts and love them as much as Nugget loves his. Our living room now resembles a brightly colored, furry folks slumber party! I like it!
As is always the case, I have leftover scraps from making these leftover scraps quilts. No worry. I’m preparing to make mug rugs with some of them and resigning myself with the fact I will ALWAYS have scraps.
I still need to add borders to the Between Quilt. I plan to frame the main body with a narrow black border, then add a piano key pieced border to finish the top. All the pieces are cut and I will soon give them my undivided attention.
Serious stormy weather plowed through our area last night. Our Internet service has taken a beating so we will be focused on lots of repairs in the coming days. No fun!
Since we’ve chosen not to plant a vegetable garden this season, it’s a little surprising to look out and see a healthy bunch of dill plants. They appear happier than those purposely planted and lovingly watered last year! I’m hoping to find some volunteer basil too as the season progresses. Unfortunately, there are no cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers or peas to accompany them. We have dandelions and morning glory instead.
Shirl
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Satisfying a Tex-Mex Craving
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I’ve often been asked how I survive living in the only area of Texas where GOOD Mexican food is 100+ miles away. My answer is, “The same way I survive being 100+ miles away from GOOD Chinese or Japanese or French foods…. I make it myself!”
Here’s an extremely easy recipe I often make using leftover grilled steak, chicken, roast beef, pork chops, smoked brisket, etc.
The pictures show today’s lunch prepared using grilled ribeye leftover from last night’s dinner. Pardon my lack of exact measurements but they aren’t necessary. This recipe feeds 3-4 hungry folks.
Ingredients
- a dollop of butter or margarine
- 1 sliced onion
- 1 bellpepper cut into strips
- a fist full of sliced mushrooms
- small can of chopped chilies
- diced jalapeno (optional)
- thinly sliced cooked meat
- 1-2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder (optional)
- 1 tsp oregano
- grated cheese (cheddar, jack, colby or whatever)
- 6 flour tortillas (fajita size)
- salsa, sour cream, enchilada sauce, pica de gallo, guacamole, etc. (optional)
Directions
- In a 10-12 inch skillet (cast iron is best!), saute the onion and bellpepper in a dollop of butter over medium-high heat, stirring often. (Photo 1)
- While the veggies are cooking, lightly brush the top-side of each tortilla with butter and stack them on a plate. Cover them with another plate, a glass lid or a paper plate.
- When the onions become limp, add the sliced meat, mushrooms, chilies and spices, stirring often (Photo 2).
- When the mushrooms begin to darken and the meat is hot (Photo 3), turn off the heat and top with grated cheese. (Photo 4)
- As the cheese melts in the pan, slip the tortillas into the microwave and zap on high for 1 minute.
- Assemble the ‘burritos’, using a healthy portion of the meat/veggie mixture with whatever condiments you like (Photo 5). Fold or roll it and enjoy! Today, I used extra cheese, sour cream and salsa. Makes 6 FAT ‘burritos’. Total prep time: less than 30 minutes
This recipe is a great way to stretch leftovers. Today’s lunch used about a third trimmed, medium grilled ribeye and fed 2 big eaters with plenty left to feed another. For feeding a larger crowd, this recipe can be easily expanded and served with chips and salsa, refried beans, Spanish rice, guacamole and/or a salad.
Don’t forget the Mariachi music! (optional)
Shirl
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Categories: Cooking
Leftover Between Quilt
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Between Quilt
After realistic assessment of my remaining years and deteriorating health, I’ve worked to complete all UFO’s (UnFinished Objects) and have vowed for the rest of my life to finish what I start. When I pass, I don’t want to burden my family with deciding what to do with bits and pieces of projects. Finished quilts are easy to cherish, whereas unfinished ones are a quandary!
Since completing the last quilt, I’ve been a little lost without a new project. Also facing Jacob’s leaving for his new out-of-state job, I KNOW I need a fun distraction to occupy my mind and hands. For the first time in many, many years, I won’t be an on call, full-time, all the time mom. Yikes! SCARY!
Being in a state of flux, I’ve started what I’m calling a ‘Between Quilt’ (between the last quilt and the next!) while deciding whether to undertake a more major, time consuming project in the future.
In the quilting world, this pattern is called ‘Blockade’, ‘Hidden Pinwheels’ or ‘King’s X’. It mostly uses the cut scraps I’ve saved from past quilt projects. I’ve machine-sewn the block segments and will assemble them by hand. The current plan is to piece the back with stash fabric and quilt it using thread left from other quilts, making it a true ‘leftover’ quilt. I love how bright and cheerful it’s becoming with nary a financial investment. Rejoice my frugal heart!
Shirl
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Categories: Quilting
Finally done
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Altered Lemoyne Star top and back
After having this Lemoyne Star quilt in the frame for over a year, I’ve finally finished it. There were many months I didn’t touch it because I was busy gardening, canning, sewing, traveling, goofing off, etc. but I continued to want to see it finished.
Because the quilt back is black-on-black, it’s a bit hard to see the actual quilting. It’s not extreme but it turned out nice. See 12/27/10 post for more info about the quilt.
Our family is going through some changes. Jacob has been offered the job of his dreams but he will have to move out-of-state. He’s ready for a change of scenery and we are very excited for him. The job starts in a week so there’s much to do. He plans to return home often to continue helping with the business until the dust settles. I’ll miss him terribly but I’m so happy to see him skipping along on these next steps of his life’s journey. GO JAKE GO!!!
Shirl
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Jerky!
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Homemade Jerky
Upon doing some research, I’ve decided to try my own hand at making beef jerky. The instructions seem pretty straight forward – de-fat, slice thin, marinate, dehydrate.
Bob purchased a 3.5 lb. lean shoulder roast. I slipped it into the freezer for a short time to make it frosty and easy to slice thinly. For the first batch, I decided to use a basic marinade of soy sauce, Worcestershire, garlic, onion, ginger and course pepper. Had I had some, I’d have probably added a few drops of Liquid Smoke but it should be delicious without it. Tonight I’ve loaded the dehydrator, anxiously anticipating yummy fresh jerky sometime tomorrow. It smells HEAVENLY already!
After deciding I’m sick of looking at the same old Lemoyne Star quilt in the frame, I’ve been devoting several hours each day in an attempt to finish it. There are only a few more hours of quilting until it comes out of the frame and I apply the edge binding. I’m ready to see it finished and washed.
I’ve recently purchased a new android cellphone. It’s an amazing toy and I’m very pleased with it. Since I have no MP3 player, I’ve really enjoyed using the cellphone for listening to music while I quilt. My cell plan allows unlimited data transfer so I’ve loaded Pandora® on the phone and with ear buds, I can listen to my favorite music without disturbing anyone. It’s made the quilting hours fly past.
Shirl
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Stuffed Sewing Box
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Sewing box with goodies
My brother-in-law (Paul) and I have a special long-distance friendship. We email often but our favorite thing to do is to find bargains at thrift stores and garage sales or make things and send them to each other. Sometimes I send him canned veggies from my garden or homemade egg noodles and he sends wonderful items he finds in his thrift store travels. It’s so fun to get surprises in the mail… the bigger the bargain the better!
Today, the mailman came with a huge heavy package from Florida. I was excited as I opened it to find cargo shorts for Bob (his favorites!), vitamins to make us stronger, a book I’ll enjoy and this beautiful stuffed sewing box.
Digging through this sewing box brought back happy memories of doing the same with my grandmother’s supplies. I used to love rewinding threads, sorting and organizing all the treasures in her sewing box. Today, I felt the same pleasure.
As I dug through it, I immediately contacted Paul to express my love and appreciation. He explained when he purchased his used sewing machine from a neighbor, it came with this stocked sewing box. Since he rarely uses the machine and only for the most basic sewing, he gifted the sewing box and all its goodies to me. How neat is that?!!
Just like with my grandmother’s sewing box, I’ve rewound thread, thrown away bent/rusty needles and organized everything. What fun!! Not shown in the picture but included were 3 Raggedy Ann patterns and required fabric to make them, a package of unwaxed tracing paper, 1/2 lb. of new steel pins, several Pfaff bobbins, machine needles and some buttons.
Thanks again, Paul, and thanks for all the love shared through our many years.
Shirl
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Quilt Washing
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Quilt Washers
We’ve once again come to the time of year when I wash quilts. It’s not a job I like but it’s necessary for those quilts we use daily on our beds.
I choose to never wash quilts in the washer as the agitator rubs the fabric and weakens it (not to mention what a heavy quilt does to the washer!). I guess a front loading machine wouldn’t have this issue but I don’t own one of those models.
Instead, I wash quilts in the bathtub with one of the antique clothes washers I own. They work wonderfully and their long handles eliminate the need to spend time on my knees bent over the tub with a rub board or at the river stooping over a flat rock!
These old washers are designed to work like plungers, forcing soapy water through the fabric and removing dirt in the process. When rinsing, clean water is forced through the fabric to remove the soap.
After thoroughly rinsing a quilt, I lay the antique washers horizontally across the top of the tub and stack the drippy quilt on the handles. Gravity works to drain the water from the fabric. After an hour or two, the quilt is nearly dry and I’m able to tumble it in a warm dryer or lay it in the yard atop clean sheets to quickly dry in the sun.
I’m proud to have these antique washers and feel connected to our fore-mothers each time I use them.
Shirl
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Categories: Quilting
Honey, I’m home!!
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Vacation
After 22 days and 8,000 miles of glorious, disaster-free travel, we arrived back to our homes and families. To say the least, WE HAD A BLAST!
We drove through parts of Texas (duh!), Oklahoma, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and New Mexico, visited loads of national and state parks, drove scenic highways and byways and saw scads of interesting sights and timid creatures. We even experienced the pleasure of driving through southern Utah’s first snowfall of the season (radical contrast to the 100° Texas temperatures we left behind). Bryce Canyon could not have been more beautiful with its fresh, white frosting!
I highly recommend traveling with no itinerary or charted course. When we missed a turn (several!), we enjoyed seeing unexpected sights and without an itinerary, we had the freedom to turn around and revisit areas we particularly enjoyed. We were never lost… only misplaced!
After making many observations on our trip, I have a few comments:
- To all 76 Gas Stations – had you posted your debit card only requirement at the first station we visited in CA, you would have made a few hundred dollars from our trip. You didn’t therefore you didn’t.
- To National Park rangers – there is a fine line between land management and gross misuse. Look at the damage caused by ‘prescribed burns’ and carry the responsibility of destroying many centuries of precious tree growth to say nothing of air quality. Those trees belong to our earth. We frown upon the same practice in rain forests. Shame, shame.
- To Tuba City, AZ – dumping your stray dogs at the area motels is disgusting. Travelers are unprepared to rescue these innocent animals. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand the benefits of spaying and neutering. Try it.
- To Gilroy, CA – thanks for all the garlic, stuffed olives, veggie chips and especially for the tastiest jelly beans in the world. Wish we bought more.
- To Bakersfield, CA – hands down, you win the Trashiest Area of the West award. Nice example you set for your children. YUCK!
- To Tehachapi, CA – kudos to you for having a pristine, friendly town and making us feel so welcomed. Thanks also to Hungry Howie’s for quickly delivering delicious subs and salads to weary travelers.
- To Tequila’s Mexican Restaurant, Cortez, CO – thanks for another unbeatable, memorable meal! The drive was well worth it!
- To Officer John McCartin #310 of Steamboat Springs, CO – Thanks so much for pulling me over for driving too slow. Since I am a notorious speeder, it made for continuous laughs on the remainder of our trip. Now that I know my way around your darkened town, I assure you my next visit will be much faster. VROOOM!
- And finally to Janice – what can I say? THANKS! I’ll never, ever forget it.
Shirl
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Categories: Travel