So grab a cuppa and join me and the others over
at Quilt Schmilt's Tuesday To-Do and
and let's talk about what's going on in our quilty lives.
Oh my goodness, stuff be gettin' done oh-ver here!
And perhaps just as exciting is the "fabric used" column on my
fabric tracking spreadsheet. I did purchase a small amount,
including some needed for a finish, but more about that later.
Right now it's time to see how things shaped up last week.
* * * Week 33 Priority * * *
Finish Simply Pumpkin top & backing
DONE.
Backing is all pieced and ready.
I'll be quilting it up today.
2) Quilt Sweater Weather (& finish?)
DONE!
I love how this one turned out.
I didn't get time to bind and label it but I'll work on that
today while my assistant quilts up Simply Pumpkin.
3) Finish Fair Isle Friends top & backing
DONE!
I found the border fabric over the weekend
and this one joins the ranks of Finished Tops.
Bonus Item
Fall wool candle mat/fall decor addition
I started this on our Great Wisconsin Foodie Road Trip.
Sadly, that was 2 years ago.
I looked out the window way more than I looked at my sewing
so it was not finished--until this weekend when I was on a short
road trip in familiar (and mostly boring) territory this time.
Hoo-rah, another finish!
I don't really possess any embroidery skills.
It's not bad really, but it's not great.
We'll call it, er...whimsical. Yeah, that's it.
It's about 10" in diameter (not sure it looks that big in the pic)
and I just love it. I killed two birds with one stone here since
I also added a new item to my fall decor.
I also added a new item to my fall decor.
That's it for my sewing accomplishments.
Now, about that trip:
On Friday we skipped on up to Omaha (4.5+ hour drive) to see
our oldest son. We enjoyed some dining out and then especially
enjoyed the dining in when our son made his Tacos Al Pastore.
That morning we had shopped the el supermercado for
hot-off-the-press corn tortillas and other fun ingredients.
(Oh. my. goodness. do I love to shop other culture's markets!)
I chipped in with one of my faves, Cuban Black Beans, that I found
in a cookbook from the library many years ago--back when every
summer I'd choose a region to learn about and cook from. We didn't
go too deeply into it--it was summer vacation after all. But those trips
to the library, just a day or two after school ended, when I let the kids
pick out books to cook from, created some fond memories--at least
with me and I think with them as well. Every one of them can cook
well, and they seem to enjoy trying out the unique flavors
from all over the world. To this day, I think it's one of the greatest
learning methods for children. And if anything, they'll at least learn
to not be picky--something that was not allowed in our home.
Let them choose the recipe and believe me, they'll be happy to eat it!
The other lessons about cultures, geography, agriculture, and so on,
were not pushed but easily learned in the process.
Farm to France was written by an at-the-time local chef.
Right about the time I found it, the author decided to retire.
She moved out of state to be closer to her grandchildren and I
was left to lamenting the missed opportunity to take her
cooking classes. Sigh. Literally late to the table. Turns out I was
also late at buying her book--out of print and nowhere to be found.
I've often joked that if I didn't have a well-formed conscience, I'd
just check it out from the library again and conveniently "lose it",
happily paying the full fee (worth it). Of course I did no such thing
but I confess I meditated on that crime every time I made this dish.
Fast forward to this past weekend when again thoughts of
committing misdemeanors were running amok, it also
occurred to me that, hey! I hadn't done a search in years!
Lo behold, there it was! On several sites even!
Well, for a fairly hefty sum.
(Though likely still cheaper than a library edition, LOL)
Highly encouraged by finding it at all, I continued looking
and, alas, I have finally scored a copy-- signed, even!
It's on its way. Celebrate with me, my quilty friends!
Well I got all side-tracked by that when the real highlight
of the meal was my son's Tacos Al Pastor. I do not have his
exact recipe because has made his own changes to it. But
I can share the makeshift trompo
made with pineapple and metal skewers:
Pretty cool, yes?
My son says the best part is the achiote* so I gave it a good
chef's whiff and was sold. It's pretty unique to anything I had so I
bought this at the el supermercado. It comes in larger quantities
for next-to-nothing but my spice collection already occupies
a vast amount of real estate in my kitchen cabinets.
(Think multiple large shelves.)
And pantry.
*A little note: I think my son uses an achiote spice blend
The pineapple slices between the layers
of meat add a great flavor.
A little bit of this, topped with the yummy slaw Son made up
all on top of that fresh tortilla. Yum.
His recipe started with this one so if you have a master griller
in the house, I say go for it. (Turns out yes, there is a recipe!)
I do know that he says to use more of the dried peppers.
On the Cuban Black Beans, I think I'll be okay sharing
that recipe since the book is so long out of print. Actually,
it's three recipes in one so I'm saving that for next week.
That comes with a super yummy rice recipe that goes with
about every Latin dish we make around here.
While hubs and son were doing some home improvement,
I did a little running around Omaha.
(NOT my favorite place to drive, by the way!)
For you longarmers out there, I got to meet Cathy, the owner of
Fabric Bash and one of the hosts of
(NOT on facebook!)
(The classes I took back in April at APQS were taught
by Angela, another QA host.)
They offer quilting service and rental on 6 APQS machines
Cathy herself. She was very kind, helpful and most of all
understanding about an issue I've been having with my
Quilt Path program and for that I'm pretty grateful.
I'm also grateful that I chose to visit on the day they were
celebrating their second anniversary in their new location
with a "25% off all fabric" sale. Go me.
I picked up the purple fabric I needed, and splurged on some
blacks for a future quilt. Those 4 yards may have slipped into
the "purchased" column this past week but that's okay because
a hefty 19.8 yds appeared in the "fabric used" column.
I like where things are going, and that lovey trend
should continue in the weeks ahead.
Looking at my goals for the first of those weeks, I have lots
of things to finish which gets me really motivated.
Who doesn't love a finish, and looking at multiple finishes
has me almost as excited as starting a new project.
Finished projects mean I get to begin new ones.
And that is my absolute fave.
* * * Week 34 Priority * * *
Post recipes on Cuban Black Beans dish.
(See? I got you there. I'm dependable.)
2) Finish Simply Pumpkin top & backing
3) Finish Sweater Weather: bind and label.
4) Quilt Fair Isle Friends, bind & label
5) Finally start Cross & Crown
Actually, I already did. I applied sizing to every fabric in this
one and have all of the cutting done. (If you're a "sizer" you
know this took some extra time and planning. Thankfully,
it was hot and dry out so things progressed quickly there.)
For reference, I'm using my "Complete Collection FQ Set" of
Jill Shaulis' Henderson Street (Robert Kauffman).
(Fyi, only 19 FQ's needed for C&C).
When I was at Fabric Bash, btw, I saw Jill's new collection that
is somewhat similar. I controlled myself, even with that
25% off sale going on, so I want some kudos there.
My test block.
Oh holey moley, that sizing makes a difference!
Just look at that crispy critter! Ain't she a beaut?
Oh, I'm going to love this. Fifty-five more blocks to go!
I gotta get busy.
And I'm sure you do too, especially after all of this
quilting, and cooking, inspiration, right?
Happy quilting--and cooking!
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