Ready for Quilting

Good morning, my friends. I'm writing fast today since I need to leave in a while to get a badly-needed (and highly-desired) pedicure. My last pedicure was at the beginning of July, and you know I loves me my monthly pedicures. Why such a long dry spell? Because the woman who does my nails has been experiencing some significant health problems, and actually had to retire from doing nails. I was to meet up with her way back in August, but she canceled our appointment at the last minute. I was out of luck until we returned from our trip. Finally, today, it's going to happen. 

Yesterday morning, things were moving fast. I had just a few more seams to sew on the Heartland Barns, and I was excited to finish it up and get a look at it. Smitty was excited too. He couldn't wait for me to get busy with my sewing (and my dispensing of catnip). 

In about a half hour, it was finished. It ends up at 64 x 64 inches.

I've trained myself to make a quilt back whenever I finish a quilt top. Making quilt backs is my second least favorite part of quilting, and so I don't want them stacking up on me before I do my first least favorite part of quilting...sandwiching. Here's what I did for this one. 

I bought that leafy barn fabric at a quilt shop in International Falls, Minnesota, while we were traveling. They had only 2-1/4 yards left on the bolt, and I bought all of it with this quilt in mind. The dark brown was a gift from my friend debbiegsp. She was kind enough to send me several yards back when I was making the Appalachian Memories quilt. A few more of the fabrics she sent were used in this quilt top. So, thank you, debbiegsp. Your gift was appreciated, even if there was a delay in using it. I'll be using that same dark brown for the binding.

Well. Don't you know that made me feel like celebrating. I decided it was time to bake the Gingerbread Biscotti that's been on my mind for about a week. Yum. It's so tasty with our afternoon cup of espresso.

The biscotti is made with slivered almonds and crystallized ginger. I make lots of different kinds of biscotti, but this one is my favorite. I was going to link to the recipe, but the link no longer works. I'll copy and paste from my Paprika database. Here you go:

Gingerbread Biscotti

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup slivered almonds, roughly chopped

1/2 cup chopped crystallized ginger

4 ounces white chocolate, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°.  Beat butter with an electric mixer at medium speed until creamy.  Gradually add sugars, beating well.  Beat in eggs.

Combine flour and next 5 ingredients; add to butter mixture, beating at low speed until blended.  Stir in almonds and crystallized ginger.

Divide dough in half.  Using floured hands, shape each portion into a log 3 inches wide and 1 inch high.  Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Bake 25 minutes.  Remove from oven and place on a rack.  Cover with a tea towel and cool 10 minutes.  Remove to a cutting board until cool enough to handle.  Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.  Cut each log crosswise, using a butcher knife and applying direct pressure to cut straight through cross-wise into 1/2-inch slices.  Do not saw.  Place slices on ungreased cookie sheets. 

 Return to oven and bake an additional 7 minutes.  Turn cookies over, and bake 7 minutes more.  Cool completely on wire racks.

Drizzle with melted chocolate or dip ends into melted chocolate.  Place on wax paper until chocolate hardens.

* * * * *

Okay, I might have taken a nap there...pretty sure I did. And then I returned to clean up the piles of fabric in my sewing room. I must have had about a quarter of my stash sitting in different places around the room. It was time to try again on the embroidered snowflake for the larger snowflake mini. Here's the before picture. 

So I took that out, and tried again. It's still not perfect, but it's good enough. It's my third try, and I'm satisfied. Probably I could have more easily swapped out the little fabric square, but then I'd have to give up the story about it.

Sadie took a look and gave final appurroval.

So now it's ready for quilting. I've been perusing Pinterest and YouTube looking for ideas, and I think I've settled on something. More later.

It should be an easy week ahead. I have a couple of things to do in town, but the housework is mostly caught up. When I'm home, I'll spend most of the week sewing. For now, it's time to eat some breakfast and get ready to go. My toes are going to thank me at the end of the day.