Triumph in the Troublesome Tulip Tournament

Awesome Alliteration. Yes, the tulips are finished, kaput, terminated, defeated. I always knew I could win, but first I had to survive with my sanity intact. I finished the final two yesterday. I started with this one:

When that one was finished, I took a break to peel and devein a pound of shrimp. It was probably the one thing I might have done that was more tedious than paper-piecing, and it actually made me glad to get back to the final flower. Also, Smitty took this opportunity to flop down in the middle of my workspace to clean the pine pitch off his toes. Purrsonal hygiene is very impurrtant.

Finally...the tulips were finished.

Earlier in this process, someone requested a group shot. Here you go...all ten terrible tulips.

The original pattern for this quilt was published in five parts. I'm working them section by section and Section Two had just a few more pieces to go.

Perhaps the biggest challenge with this quilt is going to be keeping the many sections organized. I think this quilt will be gorgeous when it's all finished. Here's how it looked in Quiltmaker's publication:

You can see why I want to keep after it. The section I've just completed is highlighted below:

Possibly it was a mistake to do this, but I took a peek at Section Three when I finished yesterday. I'll be making some butterflies, the watering can, two birds and the roses in the lower right corner. I was worried that there was more paper-piecing to be done. As it turns out, only the watering can is paper-pieced. The roses, butterflies, and birds are traditionally pieced. The section explaining the roses was a little confusing. I'm thinking if I return to it with a fresh brain (as opposed to one turned to mush from the tedium I'd just endured), I'll be able to figure it out.

That was my sewing day yesterday. Today, I'm packing up for my Dawn White class tomorrow, and that means Big Bertha will be replaced on her sewing throne while Pfelicity will go into her suitcase.

♫ She's a travelin' girl....Whoooooaaaa, 

She's a travelin' girl. ♫♪

(And apparently prone to breaking into song at a moment's notice.) Dawn White will be teaching us her method for inset circles...a skill I am woefully lacking. We were told we could make something up or just use one of Dawn's patterns. I chose this Full Moon Rising table runner pattern:

Mine will look a little different. I'm using fabrics from my stash that are close, but not exactly the same. 

This morning I'm walking with my friend Sue. When I get home I'll get to work making dinner since the dishes I'm making tonight are better left sitting for a while before they are eaten. Also, I'm using the cherries and apricots I purchased on Wednesday for my Baking on Friday dessert. I'll be making this Apricot-Cherry Upside Down Mini Cakes dessert in my once-per-year effort. It could qualify as a dessert for two recipe. It makes dessert for two for two nights. You can find the recipe right here.

If I have time for sewing, I'll get to work catching up on the May and June blocks for 

Recall that I'm making cats from the "Cats in the Attic" pattern by the late Pam Bono.

Pam Bono's pattern was available free online, but it was taken down at some point following her death. Mine was all marked up, but recently I found a second copy that is clean. If anyone would like the pattern, please click right here for a free pdf.

Next up is to make the green and light blue cats. These are the cats I've made so far. 

Before I go, I wanted to tell you about last night's quest to use my weekly CSA share of veggies. Last night's effort was to use the collard greens...something completely new to Mike and me. I'm guessing you folks in the south probably eat collard greens often, but we Yankees are less adventurous. I found a recipe from Martha Stewart for Shrimp with Bacon and Collards. I served it over Jasmine rice. The recipe suggested serving it with a "few dashes" of tabasco over the top. I'm a fan of Mae Ploy Sweet Chili Sauce, and so I used that.

Just as I was searching for that picture, I found a recipe to make it myself. Since my huge bottle is nearly empty, I think I'll give that a try in the near future.

Anyway...to get back to the collards...the recipe was quite good, and we both liked the collards. Mike allowed that they tasted good, although he claimed they were like chewing on a thin piece of leather. Ha! I just thought they were yummy, and I liked the texture. Here's how it looked when I served it up.

We each had a generous serving and then had seconds, and there is still enough left for another dinner or (more likely) lunch for me. Also, the recipe notes that you can use Swiss chard, kale, or cabbage in place of the collards.

Time for me to eat some breakfast. Sue and I generally walk between 5-7 miles. One must start off the morning with a good breakfast.

Have a Fabulously Fine Friday!