4/18/17

Popping the Cork

There's plenty to celebrate here at the Three Cats Ranch. We're not quite to Mike's retirement date, but we're just ten days out now. This is when most normal people would start counting the days, but we've always been overachievers that way. Also, the Quiltmaker's Garden quilt top is finished!!!!! Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay! Let that play in your head for a minute and then feast your eyes.


I don't think I've ever been so happy to finish a quilt top. Of course, it still needs quilting and binding, but that should be easy compared with what I've done so far. This is my project for

so I'll be linking up at the end of the month.

The leaves were pretty quick to top-stitch. I had 14 of the 26 finished, and then took a break for a little while.


There was a break between rain showers, and so I got outside for a few minutes to straighten my back, rest my shoulders, and clear my head.


After a short break, I went back inside and finished the rest.


This would never have been accomplished without the help of my trusty cat.


When that was finished, it was time to start dinner. First, though, I mixed up some bread dough to make a Crusty Cranberry Walnut Bread. (That's a link to the recipe there if you're interested.) I've made this bread a couple of times before, and it's always a winner. The dough is easy to mix up, and then it sits overnight to be baked off in the morning. Annnnnnd...done!


Speaking of recipes, a few of you have written to me asking for the recipe for the sweet daikon radish pickles. It seems a good time to say that I'll always share links to recipes when I can find them online or if it's my own creation. Often enough, I'm using a recipe from a published cookbook. When that is the case, I'll do a search for it online, but if I don't find it there, then I won't share it publicly on this blog. There are too many horror stories circulating about copyright infringement, and I had one bad experience myself. Now, I'm pretty careful. That doesn't stop me from sharing it with you privately, however. If I write about something I've cooked and I don't link to the recipe, it's always perfectly okay to email me (my email address is in my right sidebar), and I can share it with you that way. And if you say you got the recipe from me, I'll deny it to my dying day.

Today is a run-around day. There are five stops on my list, which is stretching my patience a little. It means I'll have a day at home tomorrow, however, and so I'll suffer through. If there's still time to sew when I get home, I'll get to work sewing the jumbo rickrack onto the Mommy & Me baby quilt.


I'm still waiting for the elephant applique fabric, and I can't rule out a trip to the fabric store today to look for something else that might work better. If time allows, I just might do it. The baby isn't due until June, but I'd like to have the top finished before we take off for some traveling next month.

16 comments:

Dorothy said...

The quilt is wonderful, and now that the vine is sewn down, it gives the impression that is is climbing up from behind the gazebo. Enjoy that glass of merlot in celebration :-)

beaquilter said...

awesome quilt and congratulations!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnmhtU_Z1vA

Debbie said...

Wonderful wonderful!Here's to you. The quilting will be a breeze. It looks so good!

Vroomans' Quilts said...

Congrats!!! You deserve a piece of that wonderful bread - no , two pieces.

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

Congrats on the finish!

crazy quilter said...

Yippee! I love finishes especially when they have been as trying as this one has.. Congrats one more down... The bread looks absolutely Devine! One of these days I might try some myself. Thank you for the inspiration.

WoolenSails said...

Your quilt is beautiful and you did a beautiful job with the stitching, I really need to learn to do more machine quilting.

Debbie

Brown Family said...

Hip-Hip- hooray! It is beautiful and I know you are relieved it is finished, this far!

Dana Gaffney said...

I know it's been a pain in the butt, but it turned out really beautiful.

piecefulwendy said...

Yay! It's done and it's very nice. Glad Smitty could be there to help with the final touches. That bread looks fantastic, and the tulip is beautiful. Enjoy your day of celebration!

Denise :) said...

That means that today, you're single digit midgets! Hurrah! Great finish -- congratulations!!! (And good thing you had your trust cat-aid nearby to help 'speed' things along!) :)

Judy1522 said...

Well done with the quilt top finish it looks beautiful. I'll bet Mike is having a hard time going to work on his last few days.

Lyndsey said...

What an awesome quilt top. All the struggling with the quilt was well worth the effort.

Patty said...

Amazing quilt top! Thanks for linking up with Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal and congrats on your finish!

Scrapatches said...

Beautiful quilt top will make a beautiful quilt. I liked this pattern when I saw it and saved the steps but never actually sewed. Reading about your experience I may think twice before starting this one. It is beautiful though. Congrats on finishing ... :) Pat

Karen's Korner said...

You have "grown" a beautiful garden. Well done.