Quilting Continues

Yesterday I was able to continue on quilting the doors on the Doors of Ireland quilt. It's always a challenge to keep my tension right, and especially when I start quilting directly onto applique. It makes for slow going because I'll quilt a little, then stop and check, then quilt a little more, then stop and check. Sometimes things are stitching along smoothly. Other times, they're not. But on and on it goes, and I'm starting to feel restless for this one to come to a close. There is still lots to do, and so patience and perseverance are my watchwords today. Here's what I did yesterday:

For the Mad Hatters Dingle, I simply outlined the doors and windows and the little placard. and then, I outlined around the sign to give it some definition.

For the castle below, I added mortar to the stone and outlined around the details.

For Druid Lane, I gave the stone some mortar and then outlined around the sign, the door, and the window.

I'm working only with gray thread for now, and there are still quite a few doors that are in need of that color. It's a pain to rethread Eliza, and so I'm working with one thread color at a time, even if it means working on multiple doors. With the Irish chain blocks all quilted, the quilt is pretty well held-together at this point, and I can move it around at will.

Yesterday Sue and I had a nice morning walk. It's been stormy and rainy all week, but we awoke to a nice sunny day. We started with our favorite oatmeal breakfast at the South Store Cafe, and then took a walk at the bottom of our hill. Usually I take pictures of this barn from a different angle, but yesterday I took a shot straight on. I'll probably add this one to my Barns of America quilt if I live long enough to make it. I think I have some weird setting going on with my camera because everything yesterday seemed overly pixelated.

As we approached our starting point, we came across these deer grazing on one of the grassy lawns.

They were pretty tame and stood while we talked to them. We could approach surprisingly close.

When I turned in the other direction, there were three more off in the distance, and there may have been more that we couldn't see. These were all does and young ones...no bucks that we could see, although I've seen one running around our field.

Sunny days at this time of year usually mean cold temperatures, and it was 35°F. when we got up this morning.

Gracie knows what to do. I usually turn on the electric blanket for her when the temperatures get colder. It feels good on older bones, and yes, my cats are spoiled.

Today I'm taking a second stab at some pickled Brussels sprouts. The first batch I made is so strong of vinegar that I've taken to calling them the "cruel food". Don't be fooled by their pretty faces.

I'm all for sour pickles, but sometimes enough is too much. I'm opting for a recipe this morning that has more sugar and a little more seasoning in the form of turmeric and mustard seed. Fortunately Brussels sprouts are cheap right now. I was "talking" with another reader recently about Brussels sprouts being widely available on the stalk right now. Usually, when I see them they've been pulled from the stock and are in bulk bins. It's kind of fun to find those little trees of sprouts, and I can only think they are fresher when I see them that way. It's tempting to try a recipe for Thanksgiving when I have some other sprouts lovers sitting at the table. When it's just Mike and me, I'm the only one who will eat them.

Also, I'm still working away on this week's block for the Live, Love, Teach quilt. I should finish it up this morning, and that's where I'm headed right now.