Weekend Work and Design Wall

Here is the back of my UFO #1, done. Because there is not batting, just flannel backing you can see through the quilt. I like the way this looks. It is a summer weight quilt, and I just need to clip the threads and it's done.

Here is the front. I almost got it in time. It's a bit cloudy outside so the first picture I took didn't have any shadows, but then the sun came out. I am all done, and I know who this is going to. Oh, wait. I don't have the label done yet, so I still have a bit more work.

Daniel's quilt cam back from the quilter. I trimmed it and now need to add the binding. He is coming back to Colorado for a vacation from rehab in San Diego at the end of March, so I will be able to give it to him in person. He was up on "stubby" prostheses last week as a first step to getting around without a chair. Wow, it looks like really hard work.

Here is the whole top. I am going to use dark blue for the binding. I think I have enough from the backing that was left over that I trimmed off. If not, I have to go face the cutting nightmare again, but at least it won't be for 13 different fabrics.

 Here is the charity top with the outside borders. I had it with just borders between the stack n whack strips and on the top and bottom and it looked a bit unbalanced, so I added the two outside strips, now it's much better. Thanks Wynn Anne, Suzette and Deb for helping me out with that decision.

This is the design wall from a couple of days ago. I cleaned it now, and there are no more bits of thread or other dreck, so it's ready for a new design.To see more, go to Judy's blog. 

UFO Challenge #1--March

This one is going to be easy. I've decided to make it summer weight, and I think I know the recipient. The teal flannel was bought to back another quilt, but I used something else. It's just the top and the flannel. I don't know what I'm going to do yet for the quilting, but it will be something simple.

New Charity Top

Isn't this a fun quilt. It was a bit more work than I thought it would be, or I just didn't work on it that much. It measures about 45 x 54. Not huge, but a nice size. I was thinking of adding the blue fabric to both sides, what do you think?

Quilts from the Past

This is one of my favorite quilts. I made this about 7 years ago and gave it to a friend. It was a color study. I dyed the fabric complementary colors (yellow-green and red-violet) then made this quilt. I quilted the maze in the middle with a satin stitch. I forgot how much I liked it

This was made for the same friend, from a kit with some added fabrics. They both hang in her office. The one above is probably about 30 by 30 and the one at the right is a twin size.

Design Wall

I'm making a quick stack n whack quilt for a charity quilt for the guild.The fabric is big flowers and the sashing I'm going to use if below. The triangles are only 4" because the repeat was only 12", but I think it will work.

I finished the UFO challenge quilt completely. It's even washed and ready to go. I might be keeping it, I just can't decide.

To see more design walls, check Judy's blog.

The fabric below is going to be in strips between and on either side of the stack n whack blocks.  I forgot to add that when I was writing the post at 5 am this morning. The pattern I am using is the same as this one.  The purple will be next to the strips of blocks, then the blue will be a long strip where there is white now.

This is the fabric I'm going to use between the rows of blocks.

A Revelation

OK, I'll just start by admitting that I like home made chocolate chip cookies, light on the chips and heavy on the walnuts. I read some cooking blogs, and I remember reading about cookies made with browned butter. I was sitting here sewing, and my mind wanders into many and varied places, today it went to chocolate chip cookies. I made one big cookie last week for Sunday school class, so that didn't sound so exciting, but then I started thinking about those browned butter cookies. I'm pretty easily distracted, and the computer is right there next to the sewing machine, so I often stop to look something up that's flitted through my brain. Well, I started looking for the recipe that I read about that had gotten into my brain. Couldn't find it, but found many others. Most called for using dark brown sugar and I don't have any.

I kept looking, and came across a chocolate chip recipe that used browned butter. I decided that's what I wanted, but then I got to thinking that I have a good recipe already, why not just substitute the butter with browned butter.

So I did.

Oh my...I can't really say why they are so delicious. why that little change in the flavor of the butter makes such a difference, but it did. They are quite good, and interestingly enough, the texture is slightly softer, chewier and good.

If you have the need to try something a bit different  with your standby cookie recipe, try browning the butter. I did it in the microwave and it worked just fine. I didn't have to stand at the stove for 20 minutes (which is what one recipe said to do). Just be sure to use a large bowl (about 4 cups if you are going to brown a cup of butter) because as the water evaporates it foams up, a lot.

I'll be taking these to work, so that all the calories don't end up in me...I often share the calories!

Happy Sunday.

Cozy Modern QOV

 

I've got twelve of the blocks done, I only have 30 more to go, so 5 more rows. I like it, but it's a bit of a pain to put together. I feel the need to choose fabrics that are different in each block. I'm just not a scrap quilt person.