Oh Happy Day!

Good morning, my friends! Finally, finally, finally, I've finished my village of Tiny Houses. Nobody is any happier about this than Miss Sadie.

She likes to sew, but all that paper-piecing really chapped her hide. 

Here it is: #36 out of 36. Phew!

I hated making every single one of these, but I do love how they look when they're all laid out together. Seeing them like this is the only thing that kept me going.

Eventually, I'll sew them into a quilt top. Probably I'll give them a narrow black sashing, and I'm hoping I can find a fabric with houses or buildings or something. I might even have one, but probably not enough. I'm just really glad to have them all finished.

Also in yesterday's sewing, I stitched enough of the kitten to decide to move my hoop to the left.

Now I've encompassed the last of it. I should have it finished within the next couple of days.

Realizing I'm at the tail end (😁) of that one, it seemed like a good time to make up the next block for the Domestic Affairs quilt. Now it's ready for stitching.

Today I'm hoping to get started quilting the Strips and Stripes quilt.

The quilting for this has been on my mind the past few days. I have in mind to do something like I've attempted to draw in the top row of the image below.

Sorry I couldn't make my lines any straighter than that. Here's my dilemma: The stripes are 1-1/2 inches wide. If I draw one line down the center of each, then I need a 3/4-inch foot. The new one I bought is only 1/2-inch, and so I'll still need a ruler to make the lines nice and straight.

Okay, so what if I do a line on both edges of each stripe? Well, that could work, except that if you follow that path with your finger, it doesn't work out so that I can move to the next block without cutting thread. It would work to go to a different block from the one adjacent to any given block, but then I'd be moving around the quilt randomly, and cutting threads when I paint myself into a corner so I can start somewhere else. 

Even my line tamer ruler doesn't solve my problem since the lines aren't in the right places to use them as a guide.

As I was looking for that photo of the Line Tamer ruler, I came across this photo of some other specialty feet I purchased earlier. I also have these "disc" type feet. The one on the right is 3/4-inch, which is the size I need. 

Can I draw a straight line with that? I don't know. Before I do anything else, I might experiment with that one to see if I can use it as a guide along the seam. It seems improbable, but I won't know until I try. 

So, I'm still thinking about this. I'll have to do some experimentation. These are the ideas I have:

1. I can hold a ruler and use the new square foot to see if it's even possible to walk and chew gum at the same time.

2. I can try using the disk-type foot and see if I can sew a straight line that way.

3. I can revert to the old fashioned method of drawing lines on the fabric with a chalk or hera marker and give up on the idea of using rulers or any other kind of special feet.

What's your guess? Only time will tell.

Also on today's agenda, I'm making a test recipe for America's Test Kitchens. This time I'm making a Graperfruit Tart with Pumpernickel-Caraway Crust. When I saw that word "caraway," I thought I wouldn't be able to make it. (We just say "no" to seeds at the Three Cats Ranch.) As it turns out, the caraway seeds are ground up before adding them to the recipe, and so I'll be able to use them after all. It sounds strange, but their description convinced me to give it a try. Of course, I won't be able to share the recipe, but I can show you a picture. You'll be able to find it in an upcoming cookbook.

All right. Time to get back to my slow-stitching. We were hoping to be able to see the eclipse here at the Three Cats Ranch. As it turns out, we're clouded over. We considered driving south to Roseburg and spending the night there, but the forecast was no better, and so we decided to stay home. (Honestly, I didn't really want to spend another night in the RV after just getting home only a week ago.) It's just a few minutes until time for it to begin, but I don't think we'll see anything but darkness where we are. Optimistically, we located our eclipse glasses and they're ready for us if something exciting happens. Don't count on it.

Countdown to Finishing

Good morning, my friends. We were off to a slow start yesterday...at least, I was. I slept in a little later than usual, and then I was just slow getting around. It meant we didn't get to the grocery store until nearing lunch time. It was a long list, although we handled it pretty quickly. By the time we were in a position to have our lunch, it was nearing 2:00. And, of course, a grocery shopping trip of such magnitude always requires a nap. And, who am I kidding? Naps are always a good idea.

So, all of that to say that it was late in the afternoon before I made my way into the sewing room. Fortunately, my steadfast and handsome cat was there to assist.

With his helpful input, I was able to finish off Tiny House #34.

Despite my late start, there was still time in the day to get quite a bit done on Tiny House #35. When it was time to start dinner, I had it this far:

It should be easy enough to finish it off today, and then I'll be on the LAST ONE!!! I'll be so happy to have them all finished. It will be a while before they're sewn into a quilt top, but having the paper-piecing done will be like getting a new lease on life. Sadie agrees completely.

For dinner last night, I tried something new. We really liked this. It's an Americanized version of Goulash. I've made Hungarian Goulash before. If memory serves, it was strips of round steak and some other stuff. Basically, Beef Stroganoff with a tomato-y kind of sauce. This Americanized version uses elbow macaroni, and it's all cooked in a single pot. Once the chopping was done, it was quick to make it. We had it with a side of Texas Toast.

So, this is another NYTimes recipe. Here's the link, but you'll probably need a subscription to open it. If you want the recipe, and you can't open the link, email me, and I'll be happy to send it to you.

On today's agenda, I've reached the end of my housework vacation. Time to get back on track with that today. I have a couple of small housekeeping chores to do, and I'm going to bake some cornbread for tonight's dinner. When that's finished, I can get back to my sewing. With the finish of the Tiny House blocks in sight, that will be my first priority in the sewing room. I won't stop until I've defeated every single one. Cover me. I'm going in.

Tiny Sewing

Good morning, my friends. We've had some real rain here overnight. There is actually water puddling on the patio. That will go a long way toward greening up the field. And we future travelers can leave home feeling a little better about the fire danger while we're away. 

My first stop yesterday morning was to check on the Bumble Rumble dahlia, and I'm happy to say it finally opened. It sure took its sweet time. 

It's one of my favorite dahlias. I find myself wishing there were more, although we really only have space for four pots in this area. We could probably squeeze in one more, but Mike set up an automatic drip system for them earlier this summer. It would probably be bad form to add another at this point.

My morning started with a pedicure, and I stopped off at the grocery store to pick up some shiitake mushrooms for last night's dinner. When I got home, Smitty was anxious to get going on our sewing responsibilities. He had serious business rounding up rodents in the yard. Tick Tock.

He inspected the fabrics I'd selected for the mini quilt and found them adequate. Then, he decided he'd done everything he could for me, and so he left to find greener pastures...with mice.

So there were no kitties to help me finish off Tiny House #33. Sometimes it's better to work alone.

When she knew the danger of papurr-piecing had passed, Sadie joined me. She offered to answer the phone if it rang. She's an excellent secretary.

With the tiny house finished, I moved to the other side of my table to work on the mini quilt blocks.

Would it be helpful if I assisted you in randomizing your pieces?

Yikes! We had to put down our ruler shield or risk complete sewing chaos.

Eventually, I convinced her that she could best help by taking a nap in her kitty bed, and she complied.

While she continued not helping, I was able to make six more of the mini blocks. I'll need six more before I can sew it all together. Each one takes about half an hour to make.

For dinner last night, we had a perennial favorite...Creamy Corn Chowder, made with garden corn. That's summer in a bowl right here.

It's a bit of a production. Just FYI, you can skip the whole part of the recipe about making a vegetable broth...or make it if you like. I'm just using store-bought vegetable broth. I've done it both ways, and I can't tell any difference between the two. But that was why I needed to stop in for the shiitake mushrooms yesterday. I forgot that only the stems were used in the broth. The caps were chopped up and added to the soup. It was okay that I had to make a stop because I picked up a fresh loaf of crusty bread to serve on the side.

Okay, so it's a grocery shopping day, although today's list is short. We also need to stop off at the bank. When we get home, I'll be able to get back to my sewing. I'm hoping all the mini quilt blocks will be finished today. If there's time left in the day, I can start sewing together the quilt top. It should go fast once the blocks are finished.

To my Florida friends, I hope y'all came through the hurricane okay. I've checked in with a few of you. So far, everybody is safe. Now I'm watching and worrying about those of you in the Carolinas. Please stay safe, my friends. 

Just a Little Sewing

Good morning, my friends. It rained yesterday. It was so good to get a little moisture onto our parched field. We keep the field watered up near the house...for fire protection. The rest of the field is too much to water, and so by summer's end, it's crisply dry and brown. The first rain can work miracles to green it up quickly. 

My haircut appointment was early (for me), and so not much happened on the home front until I got back. I had a short grocery list, but I told myself I could skip it if it meant being away from home past noon. There was no problem getting home by lunch time, and so I picked up a few things on my way. When I arrived home, I needed urgently to fill the bird feeders. Right away, a downy woodpecker stopped in for a visit to the suet feeder.

To my left, I noticed one of the giant sunflowers has bloomed. These are the only sunflowers that have not yet bloomed. This one was around nine feet tall, and well over my head. I wanted to move that leaf out of the way, but it was too high for me to reach without a ladder.

Checking in on the latest dahlia, it's still in hiding. This is the Bumble Rumble dahlia. I haven't looked this morning, so maybe it will be open by the end of the day today.

When it opens all the way, it will look like this:

It's one of my favorites, and the bees will love it.

Heading back up to the house, I noticed the chives are nearly finished for the year.

But wait...what's this? The plant appears identical to the chives, but it has a different flower. Clearly, it's some kind of onion, but what kind? 

Just now I googled it. It could be a wild white onion. When my chive plants were inundated by the sage plant a few years ago, Mae gave me some of her chives to re-establish mine. This might have been among the ones she gave me, or maybe it just volunteered. There's no way to know for sure.

When I reached the door, I found the purrtectors of the house on duty.

They were just waiting for me to dispense some treats.

Back inside, I went to work on my slow-stitching. I'd skipped it to get to my haircut appointment. After eating some lunch, I filled my hoop.

Now I've moved to the top left portion. It's a little more than half finished. I'm going to need to stitch fast, if I'm going to finish it over the next week. Those green leaves take forever.

When I finally made it to the sewing room, Sadie let me know what she thought about starting yet another Tiny House.

This is what I think of papurr-piecing.

Instead of helping, she turned on her lasers in an attempt to get me to open the doors to her clubhouse.

My paper-piecing went on without her. This one is pretty easy. There are only five sections, and I finished the first three during my hour.

From there, I turned my attention to the mini quilt. The pieces were all cut.

The next step was to sew the longer colored strips to the white ones, and then cross-cut them to make eight 2-patches from each color.

Then I added some shorter white sections to create this little block. It's 2-1/2 inches as you see it here. It will be two inches when it's sewn into the quilt.

Mini quilts are fun to make, and it's very good practice for cutting and piecing accuracy. I can never seem to get mine so that all the sections stay nicely square. It probably has to do with sewing a nice straight line of stitching. At this size, even small deviations will appear large. So, this is just the first block. I'll keep working at improving my accuracy. 

Today, I have a pedicure, and then I need to do a little housework. There should still be plenty of time for sewing this afternoon. I'll finish off the Tiny House, and then I'll keep going on this mini. If you want to know the truth, it takes almost as much time to make a mini as it does to make a full-sized quilt.

Okay, my friends. We're expecting another coolish day here. I'm appreciating this fall-like weather. And to my friends in Florida, please stay safe. We're watching from a distance, and hopeful everyone will come through safely.

Tomato Terminator

Good morning, my friends. You probably didn't expect to hear from me today. I'm happy to say the pasta sauce is finished!!!

My yield from 45 lbs. of tomatoes was 14 quarts. I was telling Mike this morning that it's a shame I didn't have one more jar. I could have set up pasta sauce bowling pins, and we could have had a game!

Smitty helped by staying out from under my feet.

No one is any more surprised than I am that I was able to finish it all in one day. It came down to the final decision on whether to make a third batch of pasta sauce, or put them away until today when I would have time and jars to can them as plain old tomatoes. Obviously, pasta sauce won out. The last 20 minutes or so of cooking it down into sauce consistency was torturous. It was tempting to stop and ladle it into jars, but I wanted it nice and thick. So I kept setting a timer for stirring every five minutes while I sat down and took a load off my aching feet.

So, it's done. Until next year. We'll see if I still have energy for it then. As for today, I'm getting a haircut, and then I'm giving myself an NBS day for the rest of the afternoon. I'll spend an hour on the latest Tiny House,

And then I'll get to work sewing together the mini. All the cutting is done, and so I can get straight to work with the sewing.

There's nothing else on the calendar. And right now, I have to be on my way. Have a good day everyone! I should have some sewing to show you for tomorrow's post.

Tackling Tomatoes Today

Good morning, my friends! Things are just about to get crazy here at the Three Cats Ranch. Not that they aren't always crazy, but you know...insane. The next several days will be spent canning tomatoes, either as pasta sauce, or as plain old tomatoes. It's a big job, and I'm dreading it. When it's done though...that feeling of satisfaction and the gratification of having quarts of pasta sauce on the pantry shelves is worth all the work. If it ever stops being worth it, I'll stop doing it. So far, so good. 

Take a good look at these because they are just about to be transformed.

I'll be adding in a few stragglers from our own plants...probably another five pounds worth. We'll see how far that takes me. For now, I'm focused on quart jars of pasta sauce. I'm expecting to get somewhere in the neighborhood of 14 quarts.

We had the kids up for dinner last night. That was enjoyable as always. I'd done pretty much everything the day before, but I still needed to bake this Magic Apple Plum Cobbler. We had that with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to finish off our dinner.

There were just a few other things I needed to do to get ready, including cutting some of the sunflowers for the table. Usually, I leave the flowers outside. With sunflowers in such abundance, it seemed a shame not to have some for inside.

I had just about an hour to sew yesterday afternoon, and so I went to work selecting fabrics for the mini quilt. As a reminder, this is the quilt I'm making. It will end up at 11-1/2 x 11-1/2 inches, so you know those pieces are small. It's good practice for cutting and piecing accuracy.

There was time to do all the cutting. When I head into the sewing room next time, I can just get straight to work. 

I haven't decided yet about the inner border and binding. I might use solids from the selection you see here, or I might choose something more fun.

Also, Tiny House #33 was released this morning. This one should go fairly quickly, and I'm going to try to get it finished this week. The tomatoes are in charge of my time for the next couple of days.

Aside from canning tomatoes this week, I have poorly timed appointments for a haircut and a pedicure...last minute things before we leave on our trip next week. And just getting ready for the trip is plenty to keep me busy for a day or two. So, you can see there's a lot to do over the next ten days. I might decide to take a day or two off from blogging. It depends on how much I have to tell you. So, if I miss a few days, don't worry. 

There are quart jars washing in the dishwasher as I'm writing this, and I'm girding up my loins for a busy couple of days. Fingers crossed everything cooperates and I can get the job finished without too much swearing.