Quilting Peace Signs

Life has been anything but peaceful in my household as of late, but I did take some time off and joined my other friendship group, The Pinheads, for a get-together at Bolts to Bindings on Wednesday. I took my “Peace, Love, & Haight Ashbury” quilt top along and got it sandwiched while I was there. I sure appreciated those large tables!



After fiddling with a bunch of different threads, I finally decided on a Coats & Clark variegated cotton thread called “Rainbow”. The colors not only looked the best, but the thread handled really well and didn’t pose any tension issues like the others I auditioned.

I have just begun slowly quilting in some basic peace signs, hearts, and motifs common to the 1960s. I will eventually enhance the surrounding areas with free motion stitching to provide more definition.

Here is the largest peace sign. A little difficult to see right now, but it will become clearer as I add filler stitching in the background.

Wow! Wow! Wow! All Clean!

 

Well, it is one day later, and my studio is ten times neater. The only thing worse for wear is the bottoms of my poor feet. They were so tired last night but have recovered this morning.

This is the view of my studio as you come through the door. I love this corner. There are three windows.

This is one set of cubbies. I think they were supposed to be chicken nests. Go figure.

This is the other set of cubbies. I was actually able to squeeze the little set of plastic drawers into the middle slot. It had been sitting on my kitchen counter taking up space.

Here is my table. Notice, it is empty. Yay!

Here is the dreaded closet.

And a close-up so you can see that I did not cut any corners.The stacks aren’t perfect, but that is as good as they are going to get.

Thanks for all of your encouraging words yesterday.

Yowza! Yowza! What a Mess!

 

Well, my studio has gotten so cluttered and messy that I can’t even sew there. These boxes do have their proper place. I guess I have been too busy working and sewing to put them back. Isn’t that why we have summers?

This is the closet where I recently found the backing fabric for “Peace, Love, and Haight Ashbury”. Suzanne wanted to know what else was in that closet. Well, there you have it, Miss Suzanne. Mostly batting, various and sundry fabrics, and large paper patterns that I have drawn out for future quilts. I really need to take the batting out to my storage room in the garage. It is very thick and is for cushions and upholstery. It takes up a lot of room.

I am sorting fabrics out into new plastic containers.

I am making a little progress in this area. I bought two sets of these cubbies from Hearth and Home a couple years ago and love them. They have gotten very disorganized as of late, however.

At least someone is seeing some humor in all this work ahead of me.

Blanching Tomatoes

 

Look what has been growing and ripening while I have been busy with a million other things. I remember planting the seedlings and putting wire cages around them when they got a little larger, but not much else. I didn’t have to water a whole lot since Neighbor Tony’s flower bed is back to back with my tomato bed and his automatic sprinklers come on almost every night. The spray doesn’t reach my tomatoes since there is a fence in between, but the water seeps under the fence in just the right amount. Tomato plants set more fruit when they are not overwatered.

These are the large Early Girls.

These are the smaller ones, although I wonder if a cherry tomato plant somehow got mixed in with the Early Girls. There were quite a few clusters of these draped over the top of one of the tomato cages, which is not typical of that variety.

In order to beat the heat, I got up while it was still dark this morning and heated a good-sized pot of water in preparation for blanching the tomatoes. All 16 pounds of them. When the water was boiling nicely, I dropped in as many tomatoes that would fit without the water running over the side of the pot. Within minutes, their skins had popped open. Perfect!

As soon as the skins pop, I scooped the tomatoes out with a slotted spoon. I set them aside in large bowls to cool for awhile before I will slip the skins completely off the fruits, core and quarter them, then finally, place the wedges in freezer bags for storage. Come winter, I will have lots of home grown tomatoes for soups and stews.

Almond Joy Brownies

 

This deliciously decadent recipe crossed my path one day on Facebook. The flavor is spot on for those yummy Almond Joy candy bars I used to enjoy so much as a child.

I looked for someone to credit for the recipe but couldn’t locate the name of a person or company. I have tested it, and based on that, will suggest some modifications.

Ingredients:

1 box of family size Chocolate Fudge brownie mix
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk (I would recommend using only about 2/3 to 3/4 of the can. The treats become so sticky that it is very difficult to pull them out of the cupcake papers. The full amount of condensed milk also significantly increases the cooking time.)
1 (14 oz.) bag coconut
1/4 C milk (Add sparingly.)
1 C chocolate chips, melted (Add a little milk if the melted chocolate is too thick to drizzle.)
1/4 C almonds (or nuts), crushed or sliced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line (regular size, not mini) cupcake pan with paper liners. (Don't skip the paper liners as the treats are very sticky).

Make the brownies according to package directions and pour batter only half way up the liners.

Bake in preheated oven for 12 minutes. While they are baking, mix the coconut, sweetened condensed milk and milk together.

Remove brownies from oven and spoon on some sweetened coconut. This works best if you use a dinner fork in each hand.

Place in oven and continue to bake an additional 14-16 minutes. This took up to 20 minutes when the full can of sweetened condensed milk was used. I baked the brownies until the coconut was lightly toasted on the top.

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

Drizzle on the chocolate then sprinkle on the almonds.

Chill in the refrigerator for several hours prior to serving. Makes about 22 treats.

Quilters, Cupcakes, and Therapy

This evening was the first time in ages that I was able to make it to my friendship group meeting with the Sewful Sisters. No one brought quilts tonight, and many almost didn’t come because their hearts and minds were heavy with worries.

I was glad I spent a good part of today preparing these treats: Almond Joy brownies baked in cupcake tins. Lois also made a tropical cake with peaches and pineapple mixed into the batter.



Thank God for dear friends! By the time our meeting ended, our little group of "demure" quilters was all tuckered out from laughing so hard. We left no ridiculous topic unexamined and felt free to comment boldly without repercussion. Our spirits were definitely lifted by the lively camaraderie.

What a wonderful blessing!

P.S The recipe for the Almond Joy brownies will follow tomorrow.

Peace, Love, and a Groovy Backing

 

There were many years that I thought I had lost my mind the day I purchased the bright multicolored batik that is draped over the right side of the settee pictured below. I wouldn’t even store it with the rest of my treasured batiks. It just didn’t seem to fit in. Too outrageous! Into a dark closet it went, and out of my mind.

Then just this past winter, I created “Peace, Love, and Haight Ashbury”. At the time, I auditioned several backing fabrics for the funky wall hanging, but none seemed just right. Wait until summer, I thought. No need to jump the gun and buy something new.

Well, as you know, summer always does come, and I was back to deciding what to do about a backing for this free-spirited quilt. On a whim, I pulled open the before mentioned closet door, and there was that big hunk of rainbow fabric. Just over 3 yards of it.

I held it up next to my quilt and shook my head.

Perfect, I think. Maybe I did know what I was doing when I bought that wild fabric.

Yogini, Rest in Peace

 

Sunday was a very sad day. Courtney Anne, the model for the yoga cat on my quilt, “Yogini and the Candy Dish” went to heaven. She had been struggling with heart problems and inflammatory bowel syndrome but was a small and mighty fighter. She awoke me as usual at 5am, demanding her breakfast. She ate most of a can of food and seemed fine until about 4p.m., then passed within a matter of minutes.

Courtney started her life as a barn kitten, but the minute I spotted her beautiful brown and white coat, splashed with orange, she was mine. She was about 8 months old when I snapped this photo of her.

My sincere thanks go to each of you who has generously posted pictures of “Yogini and the Candy Dish” on your blogs, websites, and yes, even Pinterest. This sweet and devoted soul will never be forgotten.

Quilting Flowers in Free Motion

 

I have completed all of the quilting on the sashing rectangles and cornerstones of “Rainy Garden Windows”. This morning, I exchanged the walking foot on my machine for the darning foot. It was time to do some free motion quilting!

I chose a simple floral design to fill in the circles created by the stitched arcs on the sashing pieces. Here is the first one.

Look who I found sleeping in my studio this morning.

That’s what I get for leaving the lid off of a box of fabric. At least she is Friendly.

Marking and Quilting a Simple Sashing Design

I have been getting a lot of questions about how I am accomplishing this quilting design. It is much easier than it looks!



I simply cut a rectangle the size of my sashing pieces out of gridded plastic. Then I drew a gentle curve from one corner to the other on the plastic, preferably with something that does not smudge or could eventually be cleaned away. You will have to experiment with various markers, pencils, and so on to find what works best for you.

Before I cut along the drawn arc, I gently folded the plastic in two across the middle of the long sides and checked to see if the arc was the same on both sides. Then I adjusted my drawing line as needed, and carefully cut along the arc.



Keep both pieces because both are useable.

Next I lined the template up against one side seam of a sashing piece and marked along it with a disappearing marker. Then I rotated the template and marked the overlapping arc.

Since working with fabrics and batting never results in exact measurements, your template might be a tad big or small on some rectangles. Don’t worry. Just slide the template so that your final marking line will extend exactly into the corners where your pieces meet.



When stitching this design, start at one end of a row, stitch along an arc, cross the cornerstone diagonally, then stitch the arc on the next sashing block. It will be on the opposite side of the arc on your first sashing block. Continue along the row of sashing blocks and cornerstones in that manner, sort of like a meandering snake. When you get to the end of your quilt, turn, then snake back the other way.

In the picture below, you can see that I have already completed the stitching along the horizontal sashing rows. As I stitch across the vertical rows, I will NOT stitch over the X that is already stitched in the middle of the cornerstones, but will stitch in the ditch on either side of the cornerstones. Thus, I will NOT be weaving along like a snake on these rows, but stitching rows of arcs connected by short, straight lines.

 

And as to the question in regards to what kind of machine I have: It is a Janome Memory Craft 6500 Professional. The reason I bought it was because the bed is a little larger than standard machines, so it helps a bit in dealing with bulky quilts. I also had heard good things about the machine from quilting friends. In fact, some thought they would upgrade to a fancier machine and sold their Janome 6500P—only to regret their mistake and buy another one.

Hopes this helps.

Quilting Windows

Summer is finally here, and I am officially on holiday until the middle of August. It is time to pull out those quilt tops I finished during the winter months and get them quilted.
Yesterday, I finished up the little bit of ditch-stitching that remained on “Rainy Garden Windows” and got a start on the decorative quilting. So far, so good.





Zee is happy I am home for the summer. She’s already back into my purse. Fish and chips, anyone?



I received all kinds of good questions about the quilting design on this quilt. I have written a tutorial here: http://quiltedtimeposts.blogspot.com/2013/06/marking-and-quilting-simple-sash-design.html

Border Blocks Finished and Pinned

 

Finally, the border blocks are finished and pinned to the design board. Sorry the picture is a little wonky. The border blocks are extending past the top and bottom of the board, and the the board is trying to fold in the middle. Any who, you can sort of get the picture. I will also be sewing a small border of the neutral butterfly print around the outside as well, then a green binding made of the same fabric as the snail block in the lower left hand corner.

Good thing summer is here and I have some time to work on this. So far, it has been a lot of fun.

Miss Money Bags

 

It’s a good thing “Zee” can’t drive a car, make phone calls or logon to her favorite websites…

because she sure seems to know where I keep the money and the credit cards. She does this every time I set my purse down. And no, there is not food inside.