other finishes from this year

I was reading another blog and the writer was listing all her finished quilts for the year. That reminded me that I had a few things to show also.
I had shown some photos of all of these in progress, but not finished up.

These first two were made with one kit from Connecting Threads.  The kit was only for the larger quilt (54"x65"), but they had included extra border fabric in case the quilter wanted to make the print match up in all the borders.

So with the scraps and border fabric I was able to make the smaller (44" square) quilt.

 The fabric is flannel.  The color is not true in these photos.  More pleasing in person.

(Maybe my New Year's resolution will be to try to take better photos!)

I used regular cotton fabric on the backs of both.

Not sure what I will do with these quilts.   Wait for someone to have a baby I guess!

Just for fun, I sewed and quilted this little 13" square made from the corner trimmings of the snowball blocks in the larger quilt.  

 These two crocheted baby afghans qualify as 4th and 5th finished projects for my " Finish Up Unfinished Projects" goal.
Most of the squares were made in 1999 - 20 years ago! I don't know what I was thinking but, at the time, my plan was to use the blue and green together in one afghan.  What?  I am pretty sure that would have been creepy looking!

Instead I made two small baby blankets (about 30" x 43").  I just kept crocheting the edging until all the yarn was used up. Happy about that!

The blocks have a heart motif made with the popcorn stitches, sort of hard to make out.

No plans for what to do with these either. More than likely they will be donated.

This one doesn't count for my list because I started it illegally... after I made the vow to finish up the old things first.  This one is a "Three Yard" quilt.   Very quick to cut and sew. 

It measures about 44" x 59".   That's a good size for a baby/toddler quilt.

I will probably give this to my dental hygenist (who is more like a friend since I've been going there for so many years!)... for her grand daughter due to arrive in early spring.

Again the colors are "off" in the photo. Not so gaudy in real life.

And, I made this chicken block, quilted and bound.  It will go to some sort of Extension office state conference to be included in an auction of blocks made by homemakers across the state.

I guess it's some sort of fund raiser but I'm not sure for what.

I'm pretty sure that's all I will get finished for 2019.

if you use it a lot - it wears out

I think the saying goes "If you don't use it you lose it".  I think that  applies to body parts but it definitely doesn't apply to my stove.

I chose this range with double ovens back in about 2006 when we had the kitchen remodeled. Since then, I've  used the smaller upper oven 99.9% of the time.  It would heat quickly  and was easy to see into and easy to put in pans and take them out.

A few months ago, I noticed a difference in things I baked in there and discovered the bottom element wasn't heating.  I ordered a new element and replaced it but still, it didn't work.

Meanwhile I started getting in the habit of using the bottom larger oven which was working fine. But look...it opens way down at floor level.

Just before Thanksgiving, I decided to have an appliance repair company take a look at it...even though it seems like appliances aren't meant to be repaired.

Sure enough, the repairman found that it was a "board" that needed replaced - but it was no longer available.  Even if it was, I was told they usually cost around $300.  I'm not sure if I would have chosen to have it fixed for that price or not.

Anyway it still works for broiling or keeping things warm.  So I will hang on to this stove for now.

The large oven worked fine for Thanksgiving. I just had to get down on my knees to baste the turkey!

Just kidding...I always use that oven for the turkey anyway.

I wanted to mention something new we tried this year...Cranberry Orange Relish from Trader Joe's.

It's fresh and sweet and tangy.  I bought one and we ate it before Thanksgiving so I went back and got two more!

It's not perfectly smooth like the canned kind but it's not quite as chunky as the recipe I normally make with fresh cranberries.  But it's much better than both of those.

Ingredients are simply cranberries, sugar, and oranges.

They also have it without the oranges but I can't vouch for that one.  The clerk at the store said they normally run out of both before Thanksgiving.  I am going to mark my 2020 calendar to buy it in early November.

the quilt has been delivered

Once I finish a quilt I am ready to  clean up the sewing room, put away the scraps, clean and oil my machine, and get started on a new project.  

Here is the recipient of my last quilt, my sister's husband, Don.   They are a great couple and are always finding fun things to do from cruising to motorcycles to camping to building and piloting their own plane.

I have made quilts for all my immediate family members over the years and I wanted to include one for Don as well.

I really had to put my thinking cap on to figure out what design to use for his quilt.  I knew I didn't want to make a "grandmaw" looking quilt, but something more modern instead.

I searched Pinterest for "man quilts" and I found this pattern called "Gentleman's Agreement".

I ordered the pattern but wanted brighter fabrics (Don likes things colorful).

I ordered these fabrics...ombre blue and yellow and the bubbly looking one for the background.

When the fabric arrived, I realized it wouldn't work for the pattern.  It requires the shading of the fabric to graduate from dark to light to dark again...and these only went from dark to light.

I couldn't find any appropiate fabric in colors I wanted so I scrapped that idea.

But I did use a lot of the blue and yellow in the final quilt.

Next I saw this pattern below online and thought it would be a good quilt for Don.  He is also a helicopter pilot so I pictured the arrows pointing up, down, and sideways being like a simplified toggle stick in a helicopter...although I'm quite certain there's a lot more to flying a helicopter!

I ordered yards of yellow fabric for the background and planned on the arrows being bright primary colors...then I decided this quilt would look too childish, and I scrapped that idea.

But, I did use up nearly all that fabric for the back of the final quilt. (That strip in the photo is all that was leftover.)

I considered a quilt using this"Magic Squares" pattern, which I already had, but I doubted that the 3D effect would look as good if I used brighter colors.

I was starting to feel hopeless about finding the right thing...then, at the Paducah Quilt Show in April, I saw the sample quilt that the quilt I finally made was based on. 

I knew that was the one I wanted to make! The pattern was included in this book. The pattern name is "Color Junction".   I did figure out some shortcuts on piecing but stuck with the original size and colors.

Every quilt has a story.

finished the quilt

I finished up the "Y" quilt and took it outside one sunny afternoon for photos.

It's sort of an unusual size...96" long and 64" wide, but the person it's going to is tall so I wanted it to be plenty long.

It was a fun quilt to make. Different than the usual quilt piecing.

I would like to make this pattern again...next time maybe trying to make each "Y" a different color?

That woud be tricky and I would need somewhere to lay out the whole thing where the cat wouldn't bother it.  That will definitely not be my next quilt.

Speaking of the cat...she absolutely loves this quilt.  "Get off of there you little varmint!"

Lot's of work with the lint roller ahead.

Fortunately the recipient has spoken fondly of past pet cats so I'm pretty sure there are no allergies.

Anyway a bright yellow for the back with a strip of some of the leftover scraps.

 "No Puss, I can't have you underneath there either!"

   That's the name tag there in the corner.  It's sewn down with the binding but I still need to stitch that one side down by hand.

I wanted a photo of the quilt from a distance but the sun was too bright for hanging it up there.

One more...

Changing the subject but I'm having a hard time adjusting to the time change. Once it gets dark I can't seem to get involved in anything...even sewing.

Then, as I was coming out of Lowes the other day I happened to glance down and notice something didn't look right...

I don't know if anyone else noticed or not.  It was sort of a relief that I didn't know I had on mismatched shoes before I went in...not sure if I would have driven home to change or not.

It was morning but I'm still blaming the time change!

quilting...and trees planted

I started quilting my "Y" quilt and hit a few stumbling blocks.  

First, I noticed I was low on my favorite brand of bobbin thread so I decided to try another lightweight thread I had on hand.

Once the quilting began, I couldn't seem to get even stitches and smooth curves. Something was different.

I thought for sure it was the bobbin thread causing a problem so I stopped and ordered my regular kind.

Meanwhile, I picked out all the stitches I had done so far, and re-pinned that section.

I was sort of glad to start over anyway. I had chosen a medium gray thread for the top which seemed to blend in with every color except the lightest yellow. 

On there it looked like dirty pencil marks.

My new bobbin thread arrived.  Never wanting to run out again...I ordered this gargantuan size cone!

It's 33,000 yards!!  Look at the size of it compared to the regular 3000 yard cone I usually buy.

This ought to last me for awhile and I might even have to re-write my will to leave what's left on the spool to someone!

So, with freshly wound bobbins, I sat down to start quilting.  

That's when I realized it wasn't that different bobbin thread that had caused my troubles.

I didn't have my machine set properly.

When I tuned the knob that drops the feed dogs, I didn't turn it far enough and instead had it on a setting for slippery fabrics...in which a little pin comes up with each stitch to help advance the fabric through the machine.   I had been fighting that little pin when I tried to move the quilt around.

And whats worse...I have made this same mistake before!  Sheesh!

Finally, I had a few good sessions of quilting.  But then, my furry friend, Puss, decided she loves this quilt.  She want's to get in on it while I'm working on it.

See that little paw sticking out?  She is trying to sleep in there while I'm running it  through the machine.

I'm pretty sure it's her fault that I quilted a pleat on  the back and had to rip out stitches again to get that fixed.

Maybe it was my fault though. I noticed that about one quarter of the backing did not get smoothed out good when I pinned it.  I ended up un-pinning, smoothing and re-pinning.

I think all the problems are behind me now and I have only a small section left to quilt.

We had enough rain to soften up the ground...enough that I could get a few things planted.

This is a Snowball Viburnum.  It's supposed to get pretty big and I see it will have nice fall color.

I also planted the six Green Giant Thujas, but I still have four more to plant.

I will have to move a couple of shrubs out of my line of Thujas but I'll wait for colder weather when the shrubs go dormant.

Poor Puss got sick and seemed to be going down hill quickly.  I noticed her sleeping outside one evening in the same spot for hours.  At bedtime she wouldn't get up to come inside.

I brought her in and she only wanted to hide and lay down and would not take water or food.

The next morning was the same. She did not want to move. I could tell she was shrunken and dehydrated.

I took her to the vet and she was too weak to protest at being put in the carrier and handled by strangers.

The vet said probably an infection from the bite of another cat and gave me an antibiotic for her.

It has to be squirted down her throat twice a day.  I wasn't even sure how to get a cat to open her mouth.  It turns out that you have to pull their head backward (gently) and the mouth opens up.

She doesn't like it but doesn't stay mad after I give it to her.  It took about three days for her to start getting active again. She is much better now but not 100% yet.

Next month it will be back to the vet for her regular booster shots.  

the finished patriotic quilt

I finished the patriotic quilt that I made for a co-worker of the Sasquatch's.

The gentleman has been in cancer treatment for quite some time.  The cancer keeps moving and changing but yet he keeps a cheerful and upbeat attitude...and had continued working.  

Recently things took a turn for the worse when he had a fall and broke a bone that had been weakened by the disease. 

Not knowing if he would feel up to having visitors, the Sasquatch mailed the quilt to his home.

Even with all he had been through, the gentleman called to excitedly express his thanks and appreciation.   

I have made a few quilts before for Hosparaus, Project Linus and other organizations, but of course one never knows who gets them...or the rest of the story.

But, with this quilt, it's a good feeling to know that the Sasquatch and I actually did surprise this gentleman and maybe brighten his day a bit while he's in the midst of dealing with such serious health problems.

It is a very bright quilt. I used a few darker red fabrics to try to tone it down a bit, and used off-white fabrics in place of the brighter whites in the original quilt that I saw on Pinterest.   

You can click here to get that free pattern. 

The stars are appliqued on and I am glad original quilt photo showed them turned every which way because it would have been tricky to get them all lined up straight and exactly the same.

There is Puss, photo bombing!  She is pouting because I wouldn't let her get on the quilt.  She thinks everything I make is for her.

On the back I used a solid white.  I thought any kind of a print might show shadows behind the light sections of the top.

The finished quilt is roughly 60" x 70".  Not big enough for a bed quilt but a nice size to use for a nap or TV watching on a couch or recliner.

I machine quilted with my usual meander pattern.

Now it's back to working on the three dimensional looking "Y" quilt.

new things

I had a birthday last month and I was a lucky girl and got some nice gifts...including some cash!

I had been considering buying an air fryer since hearing the receptionist at my dentists office going on and on about how much she used hers.
So, I combined my cash gifts and ordered this one from Amazon, after reading dozens of reviews and comparing units.

Really, it basically works like a small convection oven.  There is a heating coil in the top and a blower to circulate hot air around the food.

The first thing I tried was zucchini fries.  I did what they suggested not to do - and overloaded the basket.

Before cooking, I tossed the zucchini with olive oil, parmesan cheese and ranch popcorn seasoning.

They weren't crispy like french fries but the parmesan browned and added a good flavor.

Next was jalapeno halves stuffed with cream cheese and bacon.

They cooked quicker than I expected and the cheese was melting out before the peppers were fully cooked.  No one turned them down when I put them on the table though.

There is a bit of a learning curve but that makes it kind of fun. Next time I will cook longer at a lower temperature.

Then, another day, roasted eggplant...

This had a really good flavor with just olive oil and sprinkle of seasoned salt.  The hot air dries up a lot of the moisture that can make some veggies soggy even when roasting.

I added jarred red peppers and crispy bacon and it made a nice meal.

The air fryer came with a book of recipes.  I picked out one for Coconut Macaroons to try since my husband really likes coconut.

Oops...good thing I checked them before the time was up...they were almost too brown. Lonnie liked them.

Back to zucchini - this time diced, along with red and green peppers and onions. Sprinkled with olive oil and Italian seasoning.

I had cooked chicken tenders one day too, coated with mayonaise and parmesan.  They were so good I forgot to take photos. The parmesan browned and crisped up a bit. (The recipe book instructed to bread with flour and panko crumbs but I wanted to avoid the carbs.)

I have also made sweet potato fries, again not really crispy, but a nice roasted flavor.

Overall, I like this appliance and even though I don't like a lot of stuff out on my countertops, I made a place for it there.  And besides it is too big to fit into any of my cabinets, ha ha.

It's easy to clean. The two piece drawer  is non-stick and can be submerged in soapy water.  

Less energy use than heating up an oven too.

I bought the air fryer choosing Amazon's "warehouse deals" feature, which means either the box was damaged, there was cosmetic damage, or in my case it was a customer return.  I've ordered several items like that and never had a problem, and it's a substantial savings.

So...I had enough cash left over to order this new ironing board cover! Whoo-ooo!

And last but not least, the Sasquatch surprised me on my birthday with a nice quilting fabric assortment.

My mind is swirling with ideas of how I want to use them...another patriotic quilt? a modern looking quilt featuring the black and white print? The pink gingham, definitely cute for a baby girl quilt.

The blue in the middle is my favorite...and Lonnie said I should make him a shirt with the blue print on the left... yeah, right.

Also, snugged in the box of fabric was a jar of Marcona Almonds.  They are my favorite so they have all disappeared without a photo.