Block Party

Good morning, my friends. That most-hated task, grocery shopping, is finished for the week. We got off to a late start yesterday morning. It was after lunch time when we got home. We put everything away, had our lunch, and then we each took naps...pretty much required after a grocery shopping trip. Finally, I was able to get back to my sewing. 

It took a while, but I finished the hand-stitching on the ninth of nine blocks for the Merry, Merry Snowmen project.

Good grief. It was after 4:00 p.m. by the time I finished. Now all the blocks are complete, but they are not sewn together. Here's what I have for this project so far.

Pawing through my stash, I came out with these fabrics to finish it off. The tan on the left will be the quilt cornerstones. In the middle is the fabric for the inner border. The one on the right will be the outer border. 

I wondered if that was too patriotic, but then decided there are enough stars in the quilt blocks that it can work in a winter-themed quilt too. And I wouldn't say this is a Christmas quilt exactly, but there is enough Christmas symbolism to suggest that.

Okay, and the only other stitching I did was to make some more progress on "A Year in the Garden." I haven't taken any more pictures of my progress yet, but this is the one I'm stitching. I'm a lot farther along than shown here. It should be finished in the next day or two. There is just a little bit of the curtain at the top, and the flowers on the left side. Probably I won't finish it today, but tomorrow is a pretty good bet.

Knowing I'd need something new to stitch, I went ahead and traced the design for Le Jardin. This is the third block.

If you've been paying attention, then you know the first block I stitched wasn't quite right. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the drawing I used to trace the design onto fabric was cut off at the bottom, and so I simply turned it around and drew it like the top. As you can see, the one on the left had the lower two lines closer to the 15¢ price. The one on the right should have been done the same way. 

So while I had this project out of its box yesterday, I took a look at the rest of the blocks. As it turns out, I should have been piecing the finished designs log-cabin style. I'll endeavor to get those caught up when the third block is finished. But I figured out that the blocks are different, and so it won't matter that the first one was stitched wrong. Also, I went in search of pictures of the finished quilt. I found this one on Pinterest. Most everything I clicked on related to this quilt had been removed from the internet. This was the best photo I could find.

So no worries about the blocks I've already done, and I'll catch up on the piecing soon. 

It won't take long to stitch this third block, and so I looked ahead at my embroidery projects. The next one I'll do will be a "Short" project. Since I can never choose from my long list of projects, I let Mr. Random Number generator do the choosing. This time, he chose #21, which happens to be Autumn's Harvest Pumpkin from Crabapple Hill Studios. Sometimes Mr. Random chooses wrong, and I have to ask him to pick something else. This pick is perfectly timed.

Here's a closer look at the designs on the pumpkin.

That will be a fun project for fall. I'm pretty sure someone gave me this pattern, but I can't recall who. If it was you, then thank you. I'm going to have fun with this. And all of that to say that one of today's agenda items is to sort through my stash of embroidery floss and come out with some good colors. 

There was a new recipe on last night's menu. This is Grilled Halibut with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce.

We're not big fish-eaters, but we like salmon and halibut. I'm trying to incorporate more Mediterranean Diet principles into our dinners, and so I'm working at adding more fish to our dinner menus. This was pretty easy...easy enough to do in the RV, which is always a bonus. The red pepper sauce is made in a blender or food processor, and then the fish marinates in it for 20 minutes. Some sauce was set aside for serving. I roasted the halibut in my toaster oven at 400°F for 20 minutes. 

The recipe suggested serving it with summer squash. It's Mike's favorite vegetable, so sure. I slice it, add plenty of garlic salt, and a couple of pats of butter. Then it's microwaved for about 8 minutes until it's softened and cooked through. So that was an easy and tasty dinner.

All right. Today I'm getting my monthly pedicure. The last one was back in May, and so you know I've got some gnarly looking toes right now. It'll be good to get some TLC for my feet. I have a couple of easy housekeeping chores on my list. I'm hoping I'll have some time for sewing, but maybe not. If I can avoid getting into rush hour traffic on my way home this afternoon, I'll be a happy camper, sewing or no sewing.

Please bear with me while I belabor this COVID vaccine issue for just one more post. Yesterday I received the regular newsletter from the Oregon Health Authority. Contained in the newsletter was this notification:

I'm still hopeful that our governor will sign an executive order so that everyone can get the vaccine without a prescription. Also, I feel fairly confident my doctor will provide one. Aaaaannnd...I'm hoping we'll get into the study I signed up for yesterday that will pay us to test the new protein-based vaccine side effects. If none of that works out, we can always drive north about an hour and cross the border into Washington. We can get the vaccine there without a prescription. So there. There's more than one way to skin a cat. But please...don't skin any cats. With winter coming, they're going to need their fur coats.

It's Snow Surprise

Good morning, my friends. It was another easy-going day. Today will get a little busier. We need to do our grocery shopping. We had a short list last week, which means this week's list is longer. Oh well. As a team, we can get through our shopping excursion pretty quickly. After that, I'll get back to the Merry, Merry Snowmen. 

There was good progress made on yesterday's block. I expected to get the fusing finished, and I did.

Sadie showed up about that time. She was appawlled at the mess on my work table. She's a tidy cat, and may I just say that Tidy Cat is her favorite kitty litter. (Actually, we use Fresh Step, but don't tell her, okay?)

What surprised me was that all the top-stitching was finished too. The applique pieces are stitched down, and I was able to machine-stitch in some of the details. 

There is still some hand-stitching to do on the snowmen faces and words on the sign and the hat. Then, I'll need to add some embellishments. I should finish it easily today. Slow-stitching those details will be a good way to settle myself down after grocery shopping. 

By the time Smitty showed up, everything was finished, and I'd even cleaned up my mess. Oh well. Another day, Buddy. He's sad on days he doesn't get to sew. I know the feeling.

Back upstairs, I looked out the window to see this guy. 

Our squirrel population is definitely down from previous years. I've seen this one big guy...or maybe there's more than one...but we generally only see one at a time. Mike and I both think our theory of cyanide poisoning might be correct. They did it to themselves by stealing all the cherries off our tree, and then breaking open the pits and eating the inside where the cyanide is located. The evidence is still scattered all over the sidewalks and patios.

We went out for dinner last night. I had a yen for the Chicken Bibimbap they serve at a local Korean restaurant. When we arrived at the restaurant, we found it closed with a sign on the door saying they were closed until the 17th, taking care of some business in Korea. Really? People who own a Korean restaurant in Korea? Who would have thought? So...anyway...certainly people have a right to take some personal time, but my taste buds were fixed for that Chicken Bibimbap. I guess we'll have something to look forward to in a couple of weeks.

Instead, we went to a different restaurant. The Reuben I had there did not satisfy my desire for Korean food, but we had an appointment with some watermelon sorbet at home. It helped to take the "dis" out of the disappointment. I'd churned this earlier in the day.

It's so tasty and refreshing. It's cold enough to give you a brain freeze. It's easy to make. I given you the rundown on how to make sorbet along with recipes for different fruits right here. You'll note they all add a little bit of vodka or some other liquor. It's a tiny amount that's added with the idea that it will keep the sorbet from freezing solid. There are substitutes for this. According to my friend The Google, some alternatives include adding a small amount of corn syrup, honey, or sugar to your base, as these ingredients help lower the freezing point. Other options include stabilizers like xanthan gum or gelatin. A less conventional but effective method is to add a small amount of food-grade glycerin, which also lowers the freezing point of the mixture. I can't say I've tried any of those, but if you're trying to avoid alcohol, you might want to give one of them a try.

Okay, so it's time for me to be on my way. Those groceries aren't going to buy themselves. Also, the man I live with is hoping I'll include him in my breakfast plans. It's time for me to go save a life. But before I go, a little follow-up from my soapbox rantings from yesterday. It's hardly a soapbox moment, but if you avoided yesterday's, then today's won't make much sense.

I may have found the solution to our COVID vaccine problem. For one thing, our governor will probably sign an executive order making COVID vaccines available to everyone without a prescription. But the alternative is to take part in a study going on at Oregon Health and Sciences University (my previous employer). We can get our vaccines, and then we would need to fill out a daily diary for a week, noting any side effects from this protein-based vaccine. They're trying to determine if the protein-based vaccine will lead to fewer side effects than the current mRNA vaccine. There is even monetary compensation. So, I've signed us up. We're hoping to get vaccines via the study within the next couple of weeks. I'll tell you more as I know more.

Yes, We Have No Tomatoes

Good morning, my friends. The great tomato extravacanza has come to an end. Since I did no canning last year, the empty jars have been stacking up to an alarming height. It was good to put some of them back to work. When all was finished, there were 10-1/2 quarts of tomato sauce and 7 pints of salsa. That should hold us for a while.

While I was waiting for those last jars to process, I was able to finish up the stitching on the Sashiko piece. Here's your peek. Any guesses?

Now I need to decide how to finish it off. I've trimmed it close to the stitching. Probably I'll use the solid gray below for a stop border. After that, I'm not exactly sure what to do next. I'll use one of the two blues on the left for an outer border. The gray batik on the right could be a back or a binding. 

I'm still mulling it over. 

Knowing I had nothing to stitch this morning, I traced June's block for A Year in the Garden.

These are the blocks I have for this quilt so far:

There was time to start on the stitching while we watched the news last night.

I'll pick it up there this morning. Also on today's agenda...plenty of R&R...but there are still some things I need to do. For one thing, I want to get back to my Bowflex workouts. I've returned once since we got back from our trip. Today I'll increase the resistance a little bit. My first attempt was ridiculously easy, but no achy joints afterward. I'll continue to increase the resistance conservatively. Also, there are a couple of easy housekeeping chores to finish today. 

Mainly, I want to get busy making the ninth block for the Merry, Merry Snowmen. 

It'll be good to move this project along to the "Quilt Tops to Finish" list. 

So that's a full day, but I'm going to take plenty of time to relax. Our weather has cooled off significantly, and we're expecting quite a bit of rain this week. I want to weed the herb garden again, but I'll probably hold off for that soft, wet soil next week. Fall weather is approaching, my friends. I'm looking forward to it. 

Tackling Tomatoes Today

Good morning, my friends. It's the day I celebrate and dread all at the same time. Yesterday I picked up 40 lbs. of tomatoes from our CSA farmers. Wanna see what 40 lbs. of tomatoes looks like?

Beautiful, aren't they? We're down to our last jar of pasta sauce, and the last jar of salsa is open in the refrigerator. And not to brag, but I think homemade pasta sauce and homemade salsa taste better than anything available in the grocery store. And so...it's a big job. So far, I'm willing and able to do it. 

I didn't do any canning last year. We haven't had a garden for the past two summers, and I still had enough of everything to get us through the year. So that means I've had a two-year break from canning. Still...what a lot of work. I'm dragging my feet this morning at the thought getting started. Thankfully, our farmers left me a gift watermelon at the pick-up site. That was a nice surprise!

Before heading out yesterday morning, I spent some time on my Sashiko piece. The hand-stitching is very close to being finished now. When I left home, Sadie was snuggled up in her quilt. It's been a while since it's been cool enough for this.

When I got home, I sorted and washed jars and lids. Everything is ready to go for today and tomorrow. There was still time left in the day for a little sewing. My goal was to sew The Sewing Room blocks into a little banner for my sewing room. I first sashed them together in a column.

Then I added a stop border all around.

Then I added side borders, and checked to see if it would fit in its future home. It does. Barely.

And then I added top and bottom borders. I decided to make them a little wider to show off that fabric some more. I might decide to trim a little from each one. I'll give my eyes some time to get used to looking at it before I do any cutting.

It ends up at 12 x 47 inches. I used that same solid lavender to cut binding strips.

I'd selected a couple of different fabrics as potential backs. There was just a little left of the floral...not enough to do much else...and so I decided to use that for the back. Now, I have just a few scraps left.

Now I've listed it under the "Small Quilts for Quilting" heading. It won't have to wait long for its turn. There is one other small quilt ahead of it. I'll use this length of purple ribbon to make a banner-style hanger for it.

So my day will be pretty well filled by tomato tonnage. If there's time for sewing, I'll return to my list of WIPs. 

Next up will be to make the ninth of nine blocks for the Merry, Merry Snowmen. Here's what I have so far:

This is the block I'll be making.

Before I do anything else today, I'll spend a little time on my slow-stitching. And then...tomatoes. Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes. The next two days will be taken up by tomatoes. Wish me luck, my friends. I'm going in.

Cats and Kittens

Good morning, my friends. I'm writing fast this morning. Sue and I are meeting up for breakfast. She has a birthday tomorrow, and we always buy one another breakfast for our birthdays. 

Happily, I'm catching up on some projects that have been set aside waiting for this thing or that thing. Or else, I was just behind from traveling. When I headed into the sewing room yesterday, I found Sadie ready to get to work.

She was worried about those Cats in Pawjamas. Was this pre-washed fabric really acceptable for the borders? Rubbing her cheeks on it, she gave me her purrmission to continue with the borders.

You may purrceed.

Phew! Having crossed that hurdle, I went to work cutting, sewing, and finishing off the Cats in Pajamas quilt top. It finishes up at 72 x 72 inches.

I'd already selected this fabric for the back, and I had exactly the right amount to finish the job. With just one long seam, the back was finished too. (Thank you, Ila.)

And then there was a little bit of the background fabric left. I used that to cut strips for the binding.

And now that one will go onto the pile of quilts to be sandwiched. The pile is getting rather large now. I still have four quilts already sandwiched for quilting. I'll finish those off before I sandwich any more quilts, but the the sandwich pile is growing alarmingly tall. Possibly, there could be a quilt-alanche. Could we possibly survive such a catastrophe? 

Okay, well, we're taking a risk by continue to sew more cat quilts, but then...cats. What are you going to do? It's time to make September's block for the Kittens in Cups.

I've made enough of these now that I believe I've made peace with the pattern. The last two went together with no errors, and so I'm hoping September's will cooperate as well. September's colors are light blue and/or light green. These are the fabrics I've selected:

I spent the remainder of my sewing day cutting all the pieces I'll need.

I left them covered with rulers before turning off the lights. That's where I'll pick it up today.

There are just a few more things on today's agenda after breakfast with Sue. I have one small housekeeping chore, and then I'm going to try a recipe for a plum crisp. The plums are ripe, and I've made a Magic Apple and Plum Cobbler and the Original Plum Torte. Ordinarily, I'd be making plum chutney or plum barbecue sauce with the plums, but I already have enough of that stuff. Still, it seems a shame not to do something more with the plums. So, I went searching for more things I could do with them (not jelly, please...I have enough of that too). I found a recipe for Apple Crisp in the Baking Illustrated book, and so I'll give that a try today.

So that's it from me for now. I think I still have enough time to fit in some slow stitching before I need to get ready to go. What's going on in your sewing room today?

Itching to Stitch

Good morning, my friends. It wasn't terribly warm yesterday, but the humidity was high, making it feel warmer than it actually was. Smitty was outside for quite a while. When he came in, he fell over in a dead heap to cool his tummy furs on the wood floor.

My day started with a Bowflex workout. I backed off by half on all the weight I'd achieved before we left for Alaska. Some of the weight seemed ridiculously light, but I had no sore muscles at the end of the day. Even my knee was feeling good. I'll add weight gradually with each workout. 

With that done, I did a few house-worky things...started some laundry...did a little cleaning. When all the chores were finished, I sat down for an afternoon of stitching. It took a good part of the day, but in the end I turned all four corners.

I didn't get any kitty help with this. Sadie was 'spicious about all those bears. Yeah, they were sleeping. Who's to say they won't wake up and become marauding, cat-eating monsters? Huh? Well. Sadie kept an eye on them from a distance. A cat can't be too careful.

Even without kitty help, I had myself a finished quilt by day's end.

Here's how it looks from the back.

Now it's ready for shipping off to the newest resident of Planet Earth. I'm told he'll arrive no later than September 11th. And, well, I sped to a finish with my goal for September's

and so I'm ready to link up at the end-of-the-month party.

So, it was a busy day, but not a lot got accomplished in the sewing room. I have one small chore on today's calendar, and I'm going to make a macaroni salad for tonight's dinner. After that, I can get back to my sewing. Today I'll finish putting the borders on the Cats in Pajamas.

When that's finished, I'll make September's Kitten in a Cup. I've already selected the fabric for this month's light blue and/or light green block. 

Also, I'm making good progress on my Sashiko piece. It's about two-thirds finished now, and I'm thinking about how to finish it off. Here's your peek:

Okay...and that's where I'm headed next. Stitching before housework. It's a good rule of thumb.