Friday check in/replies

Wahoo, done with all three of the quilts except for inserting the labels. I just got the email with the text that goes on those, prepared the document and printed it. The literature varies on how long you need to let the ink set up but I'll give it till tomorrow afternoon before it hits the Bubble Jet Rinse. We set the delivery date and time as well. By now I am mightily sick of binding--never my favorite part of the process to begin with--and to spend the better part of 5 days time doing it? Well, the best part is that it is almost done. It will be so nice to have my life back instead of nose to the grindstone with deadline stuff.

As I was pressing back the binding on the t-shirt quilt I spotted some areas that needed to be taken apart and re-done--most of the first side actually and some other smaller spots on all but one side. I told DJ this at lunch yesterday and got a rather odd reaction. Like killing the messenger?? "Why do you let people do the work if they aren't going to do it right and you have to fix it?" HUH??? She is a professional quilter so I didn't think I would HAVE to. She didn't use a walking foot but maybe her machine had one built into it--some do. I guess all that bellyaching about the round robin debacle carried over or something.

Because the t-shirt quilt is almost a king, I got a brain storm to make more room to spread the thing out so I could work on the binding. I took the machine out of the sewing table and cleared all the sewing toys off of it. I turned it around for face the bookshelves so I could keep the attached light source to my left and then use desk light to my left and be seated directly below the over head light. Dark charcoal gray binding is NOT easy on the eyes. I put the forward table in front of it so help hold the quilt and still had the desk to the right for support as well. Actually reversed the whole thing from the direction I face when I quilt. Could even see the TV for a change and watched a couple of the ones I had DVR'd as I worked yesterday.




Amy, I don't know where Judy got her quilt hanger but it is entirely possible that her husband rigged this up for her. He is one of the those fellows that can do about anything he sets his mind to--carpentry, electrical, plumbing, welding, etc etc etc. I will ask her though next time I see her.

Conray is the one that we put to work trying to figure out what to do about a hanging method for the group quilts. Not that I am tired of them wearing tennis shoes and feet and/or hands sticking out as one of the Belles joked. It would be nice to have them hang straight, LOL. I've got a 6 foot bar in my car along with some curtain type rings with a clip similiar to what Judy used on her quilt to take over to the church along with a big roll of batting. (I'm heading over next week so I can get a shot of the commissioned quilts on the floor there. ) We can set the whole deal over the doorway and open and close them as needed to accomodate all but the widest of quilts. Those will probably have us standing on chairs and taking cockeyed quilt pictures still.

Veronica had asked if I would post the recipe for my quick and easy Mulligatawny Soup. Be happy to! I love soup! We have soup and stews a lot, even in the summer if it "sounds" good and the house is not roasting. I think it is one of the best things I make. Depending on what it is, I don't enjoy chasing the contents around in a bunch of liquid and make them fairly thick. LOL, DJ says if I were cooking for a restaurant, we would go broke serving it that way but fortunately it is just the two of us and enough for several servings and often something for the freezer. Poor guy had a can of chunky soup one evening while I was gone and not cooking--he told me how spoiled he had become for my homemade stuff. Off hand compliment.
Because it calls for about 2 cups or so of cooked diced chicken meat, you might want to consider using leftover turkey instead for a post holiday meal. (I used a rotisserie chicken because all of mine was rock hard frozen and this was a last minute meal) Most ingredients are probably something that you are already have on hand. I didn't really measure anything but the seasoning when I made this. Add more water if you need it and like yours thinner.
EASY MULLIGATAWNY

2 cans of chicken broth
1 can of water
1 large apple, peeled, cored and chopped--I use Granny Smiths for the tartness plus they don't mush down
1 14-0z. can of diced tomatoes, with the liquid
a couple of carrots peeled and sliced or chopped--about a cup
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 onion, chopped
1/3 cup long grain rice (not Minute Rice), uncooked
1/4 cup raisins
1 tbsp of snipped fresh cilantro or parsley---dehydrated parsley works fine but use a bit more
1 teaspoon or more of curry powder
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon coriander (optional)
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
1/8 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1 1/2 to 2 cups cooked chopped or diced chicken
(probably don't need any salt--with the broth and if you use rotis. chicken)

Combine all but the cooked meat in a large Dutch oven. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer for about 20 minutes or until the rice is tender. Stir in the chicken to heat through. Makes 4 to 8 servings depending on whether it is a side dish or meal serving.