This weekend I finished the quilt top that I have been working on for my husband, a green and yellow "plus" quilt for our 6th anniversary. I was able to get it pieced much faster than I thought I would, so now I have right at a month to get it finished. Hopefully I will get some pictures of it today so I can share more tomorrow. I started working on the backing yesterday but ran out of Kona coal so now that will have to wait a few more days until more arrives.

I really want to get a little more practice before I quilt it for him, so I am thinking of making up a few simple strip quilts. I have a couple tablecloths that have randomly sized stripes of bright colors that I really like so I might try that.  I really have a thing going for solids right now, so I may just not use any prints and see how it goes. I have a lot more confidence picking out solids than I do prints!

See what I have to contend with to get a picture?

That's about all the quilty stuff going on here right now. But there is more going on in the kitchen if you want to stick around.


Still here? Ok, well it's a lot of randomness but here's what's going down in the kitchen this morning:

This pound of coffee is getting added to a bunch of cold water,

(I added more water after I took this...)

and is going to hang out for a while until it becomes coffee concentrate for making delicious iced coffee. There are several "recipes" for this floating around the internet, but I remember reading it first on Pioneer Woman, so that's who gets the link.

These bad boys, along with some more that I picked last night are also going to hang out on the counter for a while. I have never made fermented pickles before so I thought I would give it a try. I like foods like sauerkraut and kimchee, but the thought of actually fermenting something for myself never sounded like anything I would be successful with. But, I saw this on Chiot's Run the other day and she made it sound easy so I thought, "Why not?" We have plenty of cucumbers right now so if they turn into a jar of slimy green funk I really haven't lost too much.

 

And finally, nothing tastes better at the end of a hot day working in the garden than one of these babies:

This is actually from last night, but chances are good another one will be consumed tonight. So good.

Beach Robes

As soon as I saw this pattern by Dana the other day, I knew I needed it. That is saying a lot because usually when I see something I want to make, I bookmark it and come back to it in a couple weeks, or forget about it totally. 

But this beach robe is just what I was looking for. It is simple to make and uses thin towels for the material. My boys love snuggling up in their towels after they get out of the shower, so I was sure they would like a robe. Earlier this spring I bought a different pattern for a kids' bath robe, and after opening it up and spreading it out on the floor, I realized it just wasn't going to happen. I'm a pretty smart girl but commercial sewing patterns and I just don't get along. Dana's pattern is perfect. Simple instructions, and open to lots of variation. It comes in three sizes and I made one of each. Max's is a 12-month, so it is still a bit big on him, but I'm sure it will be no time before he has outgrown it!

When I made these robes, I was in a bit of a hurry and wanted to get them done before a weekend trip to Cincinnati. I knew there would be lots of swimming in the hotel pool and the kids would need their robes for the chilly walk back through the lobby and up to our rooms. So I made the simplest version and used store-bought bias tape for the trim. I still think they turned out really cute. I can't wait to make another round of these for the boys, using cute fabric to line the hoods and make cuffs for the sleeves. I may even get crazy and make my own bias tape. Eeek! I was so excited about making more that I bought several towels from Ikea (during the Cincy trip) just for these robes.

The only change I made from the pattern was to shorten the length of the ties.  I made the  version with the attached belt, but after making it the length the pattern suggests for Wyatt's robe, I knew it would be way too long for the other boys. I did change the order in which I sewed the pieces, only because I was using different colors of thread for sewing the pieces together and attaching the trim and I was getting tired of re-threading my machine.

Cutting the towel material made for quite a mess in my sewing room. I was finding little bits of towel everywhere, even after I had vacuumed. Dana suggests serging or using a zigzag stitch to finish off the inside seams of the robe to keep them from shedding little bits of material. My machine has an overlock stitch that basically stitches the seam then sews the thread around the edge of the seam to "lock" it in place, kind of like a simplified serger. That is what I used and I really liked it, only I must have been not paying much attention (me??) when I was sewing because after I threw them in the wash I found a few places where I hadn't gotten them sewn together well enough and had to go back and redo a bit.

Such an agreeable model.

Overall I would definitely recommend this pattern. So cute and easy, I think they will be great for gifts, too.

Garden Squares

One of my favorite things about summer is going to the fair. And what are two of the best parts of the fair? Of course...the food and the quilts! 

So when I saw AnneMarie's genius idea of the Summer Fair, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. The only problem was that the only quilt I have ever made all by myself lives almost 1,000 miles from me and I really didn't take many good pictures of it before I sent it to my nephew. I know many other quilters would just whip out another quilt in a day or two, but with three little boys, even simple projects can take weeks. Luckily, I had another quilt that I started earlier this year sitting in my closet, patiently waiting. 

You see, early this spring I bought a new sewing machine and after I got it home I just HAD to make something. I'm a little impatient, so instead of taking the time to really plan out a quilt I just started cutting squares of my beloved Heather Bailey fabrics. Pretty soon it was sashed with some Kona Ash and the top was done. I got it backed and basted only to realize that the walking foot I had did not work with my new machine. So, the quilt got pushed to the side in favor of other sewing projects. I eventually got the walking foot but still put off finishing the quilt. 

Until I heard about the Summer Fair that is. I thought it sounded like so much fun that I brought the quilt out and got to work. A few naptimes later it was finished. My second quilt was officially done and I love it. I knew this quilt was going to be used for snuggling on the couch, so I didn't want to quilt it too heavily, just straight lines through the sashing, 1/4 inch from the seams. Kona ash was definitely the safest choice for the binding, but it is what I had on hand so that is what I used. Given more time I would have liked to have been more adventurous with my binding choice. I also sewed the binding on with my machine using Rita's tutorial. I am generally not a fan of machine-binding, but as I was pressed for time I thought I would give it a shot. It was easier than I expected, but I still prefer the look of hand-sewn binding. 

Overall, I am very happy with this quilt and learned several lessons. Most importantly, I have to pin more when I baste. The back of the quilt had several puckers that may have been prevented had I pinned a bit more. Also, I should have pressed the the top again before I quilted, but didn't want to take the time. Last, I really need to get better at recognizing the sound of an empty bobbin. Really. 

How could I leave you without giving you the inevitable "baby on the quilt" shot? You're welcome.

So there you have it. Thanks for checking out my exhibit at the Summer Fair!

Lemon Ricotta Muffins at the Fair

Is there anyone that doesn't enjoy going to the fair? 

Here in the Midwest, fairs are serious business. There are livestock to be worked and groomed, jams to be canned, and tractors to be pulled. But they are also so much fun! There are also water fights to be won, friends to see, and the best lemon shake-ups to drink. At our county fair we even have a cricket-spitting contest! I have never had the desire to enter it, but I'm continually amazed at the number of people who do.

Seriously, who doesn't feel just a little bit more patriotic and hopeful for the future after walking around seeing kids working their hardest to earn a ribbon? Around here, fairs really do bring out the best in people.

That's why I was so excited to see that the lovely AnneMarie of Gen X Quilters was hosting this: 

Quilts and cooking? Sign me up!

So for my part in the cooking festivities, I give you Lemon Ricotta Muffins. Don't they just sound good? And I guarantee they taste better than a cricket!

This recipe is from Giada de Laurentiis of the Food Network. The original recipe calls them biscuits, but they are not at all biscuit-like, so I call them muffins. 

     Lemon Ricotta Muffins

     2 cups all-purpose flour
     1/2 teaspoon baking powder
     1/2 teaspoon baking soda
     1/2 teaspoon salt
     1 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar or more as needed for sprinkling
     1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
     1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
     1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
     1 large egg
     1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
     1/2 teaspoon almond extract
     1/3 cup thinly sliced almonds

Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat 1 cup sugar, butter, and lemon zest in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the ricotta. Beat in the egg, lemon juice, and almond extract. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until blended (the batter will be thick and fluffy).

Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle the almonds and then the remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar over the muffins. Bake until the muffins just become pale golden on top, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 Fresh from the oven...

Doesn't that look good?

And how about those cupcake liners, or as my kids call them, "muffin peels" ? Aren't they cute? 

I found them at Ikea. I don't usually even use liners, but I liked these so much I went ahead and got some. They are a little oddly shaped, but once you get the batter in them they spread out a little more and aren't so rigid looking. 

These muffins freeze wonderfully. I made a big batch right before I had our youngest son and put them in the freezer as a quick breakfast for the other boys when I needed an easy way out.

Come back here tomorrow for a fresh new quilt!

 

I am so excited to be a part of this Summer Fair so I must give a big thank you to AnneMarie for hosting!  Now go check out the other goodies at the Fair!

My Take on the Gathered Clutch

I think that nearly every sewing blogger I follow has probably made a version of this little bag. Why? Because they are super cute, so easy to make, and everyone can use one. Or twelve. I have used several of Anna's tutorials and they are all very written and easy to follow.

So far I have finished two of these babies. Notice I said finished... I had some issues with the first one I attempted. Totally and completely due to my own sewing inabilities, but the next two went smoothly and turned out great.
Here is my first completed clutch:

 After the fiasco with my first one I decided to use fabrics that I really didn't care about in case I messed it up again. I still am not crazy about the green, but the fabric for the main part of the clutch has really grown on me. Here's the back so you can see it better.

You know how sometimes when you do something the first time, you do a really good job, but when you do it subsequent times it looks awful? Well such is the case with the zipper-tab-cover-things. I am really happy with how they came out on this bag, but the next one doesn't look good at all.

Not perfect, but I think they're great. I actually use this bag as my wallet in my diaper bag, so it has gotten a lot of abuse the last few months and held up well.  On the next clutch I decided to make it just a bit bigger and I used fusible fleece as the interfacing. I'm not sure what my logic was on that move, but it didn't turn out too bad. In fact, I used it to hold my make-up recently when we went on a trip to Cincinnati over the Fourth of July. Apparently I haven't worn make-up since that trip because I had to get it out of my suitcase to take these pictures.

I'm not sure why I made it into a wristlet, because it is too big to really use it that way. I think I just wanted to use the hardware.

And here we have the example of a poorly-made zipper cover, yet I had no desire to rip it apart and try again. Lazy much?

While I was cleaning out my wallet to take these pictures I remembered my fun checkbook cover I made using Crazymomquilt's tutorial.

So simple you really shouldn't need the tutorial, but I love seeing the fun fabric when it's time to pay the bills.

I Found It!

You know that quilt I was telling you about the other day? The one I made in college that I got sick of after piecing the top and my dear mama finished for me? Well I found it this morning so I decided to have a little quilty photo shoot today to show some of my other quilts. I had forgotten about one that I made my first son when I was pregnant with him, so it got thrown on the line, too.

 And here she is, in all her glory. Looking at it today, I realized that I really do like this design, just not the execution. It is not even close to my style today, but who knows, maybe it will be in another ten years?

Here is a little closer view of the quilting. Mom hand quilted this, bless her. This quilt is about 81" by 91". I just don't have the patience for that kind of thing right now, but I'm glad she did.

Up next we have the quilt I made when I was pregnant with Wyatt. For some reason, I thought it would be a good idea to find out what we were having but not tell anyone else but my parents. But, I made this at my parents' house when we were there for Christmas, forgetting that my brother and sister and their families would then see it. Smart. So naturally they figured out we were having a boy, but I was only a month away from having him, so my game was fun for a little while anyway. It's about a 36" square.

Snazzy, huh?

Had I been paying any attention at all to what I was doing, I might have fussy cut those squares so there was actually a focal point in them instead of this:

Headless horsemen and stray butts

The final quilt on our tour today is the one I made for my middle son. Actually it basically matches the quilt I made for my oldest son except for the backing and a few fabrics.  And when I say "I" made them, I really mean I made the tops and Mom quilted and bound them. She's swell like that. They are both about 61" by 81".

Here's the thing about their quilts...my husband really thought they should have a John Deere bedroom. I really didn't. I have no problem with John Deere, they make great tractors, but I'm not all about plastering their stuff all over my house. Two-thirds of my kids' toys are John Deere so them not getting JD bedding doesn't break my heart. This was as close as I could do.

I really like the binding being orange. When I bought these fabrics I had never heard of any certain designers or modern quilting in general, I just bought what I liked. I think most of them came from Sew, Mama, Sew because I could use their "shop by color" feature.

Y'all are lucky you are even getting these pictures. Look at what was terrorizing me while I was trying to work:

He looks innocent, doesn't he?

First Tomatoes!

Guess who's having BLTs for supper?