Switching gears

Since I need to wait for a small fabric shipment from my mom to proceed with the March button up, I am moving back to the QOV stuff. When I last worked on this (Friday 2-17) at the Friendship Quilters sew-in, this was as far as I got. Jane gave me the blue yardage for that last round or it would not gotten THAT far.

Currently it measures 36 x 56 and it needs to be bumped up to as near to 60 x 90 to meet the requested size for the veteran's home beds. Translation: 17 inches more to the top and bottom and 12 inches to the long sides. I have it worked out on paper in EQ---see THIS post for the sketch.

The Marcus Brother fabric site has the pattern designed to use their American Valor fabric line. They show a version of variable star scattered between pieces of triple rail using a partial seam method. I don't think that is going to work for me since mine is a bit asymmetrical. I thought maybe Friendship Stars instead?? Name of the quilt group, after all but only a quilter would recognize the block name and make the connection between the two.

Jackie had cut these stars away from that same panel piece to just use the eagle part in her top.  I  happened to be standing at the cutting table at the time and thought these might work on my panel quilt.  Only thing is, there is now way to cut the blocks out evenly.  I decided to fuse them down to a base fabric and it will eliminate having to piece any sort of star for the quilt and get more mileage from Jackie's panel at the same time.

J

One good thing from my treasure hunt yesterday was that I found some fabric I can use for the outer border and probably the star bases. It will still have to be pieced for the long edges but it is 44 wide x 64 inch long cream colored stuff that will also work for the radiant stars. Another dinosaur, it was with a half done Debbie Mumm cow project that I never got around to pitching or re-purposing. It might make a cute center for a kids quilt so I still didn't pitch it but I did run off with the remaining background fabric. When I could not get the ingrained how long folds to press out, I just threw it in the washer. I also located that navy with the tannish paisley that might work for the binding. I'll get to cutting as soon as I finish my blog post. 

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Tomorrow is Bama Belles day with a potluck lunch. I took time this morning to make a double batch of Italian Wedding Soup for my contribution. I also did some prep work for our supper meal since we are having Turkey Cobb Salads. I will just have some plating to do when its time for supper and not have to drop whatever I am in the middle of come 4:30-5 p.m..

We are STILL waiting for the replacement dishwasher. It arrived at the store on Wednesday but so far no one has called to set up a time to install it. We do like the frigidaire model and seem to be getting used to it but do not like the scratch and banged up kick plate. Both of us have our fingers crossed that the washing machine won't be next to crash. We have had to have the dryer serviced but not the machine once we got passed the initial improperly installed hoses, that is.

The temps have been in the 50's and 60's so DJ is busy caulking and touch-up painting. That siding is constantly in need of attention, it seems. I am still not ready to concede DJ's point that we are having an early spring. March can be such a changeling, after all. Next he will be saying that we didn't have any spring and went straight to summer-----like that old saw that "Alabama has the following seasons: almost summer, summer, still summer and Christmas"

Well, I can either talk about quilting or I can actually do it------till next time.

Treasure Hunt

Because I needed a little break today from cutting/sewing/thinking about QOV quilts, I elected to pull fabrics for the March Button Up from Joined at the Hip.   ( Look for BU 3 if you try the link.)  I didn't get it done last year so I would like to make it THIS year even if I may not get it hung for March.I can't replicate the fabrics that they use for it but I can make it to my tastes and stash fabrics.  I am not all that crazy about all that brown, for example.

Referring to the fabric picture below I have some fabrics pulled.  My rabbit will be white, not cream, thank you very much.   The background will be that soft yellow calico.  I had some pink plaid as they suggested for the ears, nose and tail.  More on that stuff in a minute.  5 oranges for the carrots?  No problem---I've got that covered.. 3 pastels for the eggs?  Got that in spades!  Green for the carrot tops and a possible brown for something though I didn't go check the homespun bin yet for brown plaids.

That striped fabric might be the backing if I have enough of it. I found it on the "treasure hunt".  What I really was looking for was a basket weave fabric.  Wouldn't that be perfect instead of that muddy brown they show?  What I had in mind was the print my mom had used it in my wedding basket quilt.  I had some of the same yardage.  That means I bought it in IL and before we moved down here in 97.   I looked high and low in here and the only thing I managed to do was raise a whole lot of dust and re-acquaint myself  with what I have.  I sure had not planned on cleaning today!

Then apparently not satisfied to just drive MYSELF crazy I called my mom and put her on the chase for any leftovers.  I don't know if I sent her my yardage or what?   She had planned to make a duplicate of my quilt so who knows?   LOL, she didn't recall that part.   An hour later she called and said she found 3 possibles candidates but not the basket weave in question.  It helps to have your mom share your interests.

Would you like to guess just how long I have had that soft yellow calico and the pink plaid??   Early in my quilting life I wanted to make this "Sweet Harmony" log cabin quilt designed by Christal Carter for Stitch and Sew way back in Feb. 89.  The whole quilt is comprised of 2 inch finished log cabin blocks and mind you, this was waayyyy before I had even heard of foundation piecing.  It just so happened that a quilt/fabric shop about 40 minutes from Bloomington (IL) was going out of business.  I went with my mom and some other quilting pals buying a good bit of the yardage I would need to make the quilt.
Now, over the years I have raided it for a bit here or there for a square or two but basically the yardage was still combined and in its own basket.  Today I yanked out the yellow calico and the pink plaid.  There is a nice yellow with a pink pin dot in there too that may not too safe down the line too.   I think if I have not used it  for the quilt plan since 1990, it is okay to "break up the set" when I need it for something else.  It has antiqued long enough.  They'll make more, though far more expensive than this was.

I don't think I am cutting anything out today.  I'll wait to see what Mom's basket weave ideas look like and adjust accordingly.  I'm still closer to March than I was this morning!

And sew it goes-------think I'll just do a little embroidery tonight and plan on sewing tomorrow, one of the two QOV's probably.

Almost!

Just the side borders to go and this puppy is done.  I had it laid out to measure and both boys were lending a hand.  DJ moved back to the AL-MSU basketball game and Skyler wants my measuring tape.

Okay, back to sewing as I WILL have this done tonight.

I should be sewing........

Okay, two of the turnstile blocks are done but neither meet in the middle as well as I would like.  The other 4 blocks are pieced but in halves.  That is as far as I got yesterday.   Want to make a bet on whether I will have any better luck with the centers on the other 4?

If it were not for the time I have already invested and my great desire to be done with this top, I would scrap these and substitute something else.

And I DO want to move on..........I got a pile of 3-D bowties in navy and white with red knots to address for another QOV top.  I love 3-D bowties way more than pinwheels.

Just whining---fire up that machine and make it happen, Linda!  Think that is enough of a kick in the behind?  LOL.

WIP Weds

One more row to go----that turnstile block you see in my work space.  6 of them.  Ordinarily I do not like to do pinwheel type blocks with all that stuff landing in the middle of the block.   Still, it seemed to go with the mix of rows and will pick up the same yellows in the friendship stars that I did yesterday.

Hopefully this whole top will be done in a day or two so I can move on-----to lets say, that pile of 3-D bowties with the red knots I had started at the fall sew-in.

And sew it goes.  Still pluggin'

Recipe for those cookies

For whomever wants this---the recipe is online but in most cases, with goofy procedures for making them.  (One I found even was made with LARD!)   I fleshed it out a bit and added an Oatmeal Toffee variation from an online quilting friend back in the aCozyQuiltBee /onelist/yahoogroup days. Makes about 5 dozen if you don't use as much dough as I did this morning for another batch.

DJ said "not to bother/ don't feel obligated since you didn't have any left for me/you're too busy"---you know the he doth protest too much routine?  I told him I was making them because I wanted to plus I still had all the ingredients on hand to do so.  If he didn't want them, I would give them away too, LOL.  What I REALLY did was save out a dozen and the rest went to the freezer for now.  Well, minus the 2 we had for ummmmm, quality control testing purposes, that is.

Pride of Iowa Cookies

(with an Oatmeal Toffee variation) 

 The coconut in the cookie makes them a bit chewy but the overall effect is a crisp, not overly sweetened cookie.  This is a family recipe that dates back to the 50’s.  My mother told me that my maternal grandmother had found it in a newspaper.    

INGREDIENTS

  1 cup brown sugar

  1 cup granulated sugar

  1 cup shortening   **** see note below

  2 large eggs

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  2 cups flour

  1/2 teaspoon salt

  1 teaspoon baking soda

  1 teaspoon baking powder

  3 cups oatmeal (old fashioned oats, not instant)

  1 cup coconut

  1 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

****NOTE:  I used butter flavored Crisco and added 2 tablespoons of water to the recipe since that is a substitute for butter.  I have also seen the recipe written with half butter and half shortening to equal 1 cup total**** 

DIRECTIONS:

Cream together sugars and shortening till light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.  Add the eggs and vanilla along with 2 tablespoons of water if you wish to use it.  Beat on medium-low about 30 seconds to incorporate

Sift together the dry ingredients and then add to the creamed mixture.  Then stir in the oatmeal, coconut and chopped nuts.  You may have to add them and manually incorporate them into the recipe as the batter is fairly stiff with that much oatmeal.  However, I was able to mix it with my professional duty Kitchen Aid on setting 4

Drop by rounded spoonfuls (about the size of large walnut) onto greased cookie sheet, placing the dough about 2 1/2 inches apart.   Flatten with glass dipped in granulated sugar.  (I used a small cookie scoop and air insulated cookie sheet)

Bake at 375 degrees for about 8-11 minutes.  Bake them till they start to turn a golden brown around the edges---the centers will look a little underdone but will firm up on standing.  Cool on sheet for 1 minute after moving from oven and then waxed paper to cool. 

HILARY'S OATMEAL TOFFEE VARIATION:

2 tsp vanilla instead of one tsp to the recipe above. Omit the nuts and substitute one 10 oz bag of English toffee chips (like Heaths or Hershey Skor brand).  Reduce the oatmeal to 2 cups from 3 cups.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Larger cookies will take more than 14 minutes.

QOV sewing continues

What a fun time at the sew-in the last two days!  Good fellowship and the Ways and Means see to it that we eat well providing the meals.  The members bring munchies and snacks.   My Pride of Iowa cookies were a big hit as was Jane's Southern Praline Pecan cake.  Guess we know what we better fix when it is time to do our turn on the refreshment committee!

DJ was a little disappointed that I did not come home with any cookies.  I bake cookies so seldom as he likes those cardboard tasting ones from the grocery store.  Translation:  why bother in that case?  Thursday when I handed him some good fresh baked ones I said "now THIS is what a cookie should taste like or why eat them?".   He got those and an over-sized one from the last bit of batter in the bowl.  Two days in a row he asked if I had any left.  Come to find out, a couple of the girls had taken one home for their hubby's to try and then insisted that their wives get the recipe, LOL  I told DJ I would make him another batch tomorrow but most of them are heading to the freezer!  I ran a few copies of the recipe on Friday night to take to the ones I knew wanted it.

Yesterday we in the north end of  Calhoun County had to duck out a little early as there was a possibility of storms and tons of rain with the worst predicted around 3 or so. The 15th top for the weekend was finished up as we were packing up and the 16th was not far behind it.  There are quite a few still in progress too.  Some of the gals were packing up the finished flimsies with backing and batting for their trip to the long arm quilters.  Not bad at all!!  Once they have the picture loaded on our new and improved website I'll send you a link so you can go look.

While I personally did not get a whole lot of sewing done, it was not for a lack of trying.  I'll concentrate on my work this week at home and see if I can get the three I have committed to do finished up by the end of the month or thereabouts.

I did get my Land of Liberty panel piece up to the round of rails and stars on Friday.  One of the gals used the same panel but just the eagle part trimming off the printed  Lone Star type piece.  I latched on to those but I will have to fuse them down as there is not enough fabric to cut it out evenly on all 4 sides.  Another gal  gave me some of her leftover fabrics to use for the rail sections.  Combined with what I already have I should be okay on that one, excepting perhaps a small outside border.

 The same person was offering some suggestions for the sashing sections on my row quilt.  Turns out she had some of the very yardage I need.  Woohoo!  One of the Belles thinks she has some of it tucked away as well.  I am hopeful that I will be able to squeeze out sashing and borders.  I had pulled the row you see just to the right of the bowtie apart the other night to square it up.  I'm calling it an Illinois Road variation;  I ended up re-assembling it slightly differently.  I also made another block as it was one block short, trying to  match the colors as best I could.  I pieced the Cotton Reels row yesterday.

Today I am making this chaining row below.  I am calling it Half Puss in the Corner chain.

The other day as I was drawing in EQ I had a row of Double 4 patch blocks arranged in this same zig zag pattern.   Where the blocks joined there were a few extra seams.  I fiddled with it but STILL had more unnecessary seams where a different section met.  Finally the light bulb went off----there are two blocks in this row if you approach it vertically.  That 4 patch with a solid patch either below or on top of it is one.  The half Puss in the Corner thing is the 2nd.  and they are just reversed every other one.  PLUS it can be strip pieced with just two strip sets though I made a third one just in case I mis-cut, mis-counted or mis-calculated on the math.   I am filing THIS idea away since it would work for a pieced border too.

So once this is done, I have 3 more rows to piece----hearts, turnstiles and friendship stars or 15-6 inch finished blocks.

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Dishwasher saga---round 3
While I was gone on Friday, they delivered the new replacement dishwasher.  The one DJ picked out the other day that would accommodate the bowls to his liking.  See one of the previous posts in recent weeks.  It is a Frigidaire model, not another model of Whirlpool as he had told me the other day. That part doesn't matter--if he is happy with his choice, I will be too.    BUT it has a big scratch on the front of the panel and a dent in the kick plate.  DJ said he refused to accept it and the installer got on the phone to Lowe's.  A replacement one is due in on Tuesday.  We are back on the list---again.  DJ thought he was getting a new one, not a refurbished/"as is" one.  That is what we paid for.  Actually till they credit the account and turn the Whirlpool one into a refurbished one we still own TWO dishwashers.  I would not anticipate the final installation to be done till at least the 24th or 27th.  Damian went ahead and un-installed the Whirlpool but left the scratched Frigidaire one so we had something in the meantime.  I haven't even looked at the manual to know how to operate it.  Once DJ knows how to operate it, I'll just stuff dishes in and he can move them if he doesn't like where I put them.

Next thing I know it will be time to fix supper.  This day is just speeding by especially since I had grocery errands to day as well.  Hope you are having a good one, in whatever you chose to do---------