Improvisational Fun

This is my first attempt to make a block for the Project Improv charity quilts. I started with a fussy cut of some bird fabric that I adore. The orange wing seemed like a good place to start for the pink/orange colorway. Because of this, I want to love it unconditionally but I’m not sure. I mean, I do love it but I’m not sure I hit it the first time out. It was loads of fun to do and I’m more than willing to give it another go (or two).

Foodie Hits and Misses

I haven’t posted about food in a while. Maybe overload on the holidays. I have had a few successes… and failures. And of course, I never remember to photograph them.

My mother-in-law gave me this booklet and I was excited to try some new recipes.

Let’s start with the good news first. I made sourdough bread without additional yeast for the first time. It was a sandwich bread which had a softer crumb. The recipe indicated a 5-6 hour cycle from start to finish. Mine was over 11 hours. I barely got it out of the oven before I went to bed. I was really surprised because I put the dough to rise on the wood pellet stove, nice and toasty warm. It was a good loaf.

The next quasi-success was a sourdough skillet biscuit. It had great sourdough flavor but was quite dense, a little more than my family liked.

The abject failure was sourdough chocolate cake. I have never in my life thrown away three quarters of a chocolate cake. It saddened me to do it. The instructions were specific on the order of ingredients but I’m sure that’s where the problem was. I was to add flour and sugar to a half a cup of starter. This made for a thick, lumpy mix. A thick, lumpy mix that was not remedied by the addition of the wet ingredients. It formed small, dense balls of dough within the cake. The taste wasn’t that objectionable but the consistency and appearance was awful. Even the kids wouldn’t eat it. I actually have a picture of the cake but it’s so unappetizing that I don’t want to post it.

Another winner (not from the book) was Butternut Squash Risotto. I used brown basmati rice instead of arborio and it was great. Even better the next day. (Watch the salt if you use store bought chicken stock.)

The insanely addictive Christmas appetizer (which I made for two gatherings) is Buffalo Chicken Dip. If you really like chicken wings and blue cheese and have self-control issues, don’t read further. I may make it for the Super Bowl but then I have to lay off it. Of course I changed things after reading the reviews as I often do. Here’s my version. Mix one 8 oz. block of softened cream cheese with half a jar of Marie’s Super Blue Cheese salad dressing. Add chunks of real blue cheese if you really want to go crazy. (Who doesn’t like lots of stinky cheese?) Spread in an 8 x 8 pan. Shred one cooked boneless chicken breast and toss with Texas Pete’s hot sauce to moisten, more or less to taste. Top with a handful of shredded cheddar cheese and heat in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. Serve with celery and carrot sticks, dipping crackers or just a spoon (when no one is looking.) Enjoy!

New Blocks

These are the first blocks for my sister-in-law’s wonky square in a square or courthouse steps quilt. Call it what you will. All the blocks will have off-white sashing in between. That should set them off nicely.

Blooming Nine Patch Top Done

Almost. I think I’ll add a narrow border of the green in the outer triangles. Piece the back then it’s done, for me anyway. This one is going off to the longarmer.

Back in the Saddle Again

It’s sooo good to have my sewing machine back. It’s runs so smooth now it’s like buttah. And quiet. I’m horrified by how out of whack it got. Never again.

I should have started on some of the older projects but I had to go for some instant gratification. I sewed up some of the Urban Couture blocks. I’m really pleased. But now I can go back to the older quilts that need my attention. I’ve got about half of the top done on the Blooming Nine Patch and that’s going well. So happy to be sewing again!

Traffic Jam with UFOs

Oh happy day!! I’m getting my sewing machine back today. I’ve had a pileup of projects that will need my attention. In addition to the two quilts I still have to finish, I’ve cut the fabric for two more. I’m not sure I know where to start. Oh and I’m dying to start on Project Improv. It looks like people are having so much fun.

The new quilts are the Urban Couture lap quilt that I’ve posted on before (all those triangles on a roll pinned and ready to go) and one that my sister-in-law has requested – a wonky square in a square (centers and strips cut, ready for wonkification). These are her fabrics.

Off to go get the machine. The kids are at Grammie’s and I’m going to sew! Oh happy day!

I think I’m in love

with Tina Givens fabric. The colors are rich and lush with a splash of the unexpected, the designs are graceful, elegant and at the same time, somewhat whimsical. All the things I like. I’m not sure what I want to do with these yet (I already have four quilts in progress). It will have to be spectacular to live up to these fabrics.

If you build it, they will come

And boy did they ever. The fabulous Jacquie at Tallgrass Prairie Studios threw out an Improv Challenge to make some blocks for charity.

Within 2 days over 100 quilters signed up. Wow! That’s quite a few quilts right there. Jackie of Canton Village Quilt works and her friend Pam have offered to longarm quilt all the quilts. Another Wow! There is a flickr group to watch the progress of the blocks as they are completed. Already quite a few posted and it’s only day four. It’s an exciting and creative project that will spread some great benefits to others. You can’t go wrong with that.

Urban Couture Quilt Design

I wanted to try designing a quilt pattern for my Urban Couture FQs and I liked the possibilities that an assymetrical block gave you. I did a variation on the half square triangles and strips that were in this quilt and came up with the block below. I’ll be using 7 or 8 different fabrics for the yellows, blues and greens. The reds have four fabrics and the browns have five. The colors are much more dominant than when I tried this approach for this quilt so I believe that the result will be more cohesive. I’ve got all the strips cut and half of the “Triangles on a Roll” pinned and ready to sew. I got a call from the repair man about my baby and it should only be a week or so, phew.

Sewing Room Makeover

That’s what you do when your baby is in the shop for repairs. It could take up to three weeks… gulp! The repair man was effected by the ice storms before Christmas and has a backlog. So I’m cleaning, planning and cutting.

I turned the sewing table so that the quilts could have room to move as I’m quilting them. (Notice the new extension table there that’s waiting for a trial run. If you can, after all, it’s clear plastic.) The cutting table is adjacent and the ironing board is right behind. A compact little working space. The shelves in front have current projects, batting and some home dec fabric. I’m pretty pleased with it so far. The test will be when the machine comes back and I give it a good workout.

One of the new projects I’m cutting for is a lap quilt made from a fat quarter pack of Urban Couture by Basic Grey for Moda. Aren’t they gorgeous? More on this one later.