Hambone and Jennicakes

Cotton Reels!

2011-10-12T22:47:00.000-04:00

I'm finally getting around to posting the blocks I made for the 3x6 virtual quilting bee.

I chose a pattern called "cotton reels," because I really enjoy cornily symbolic block names. A pattern for an 8" block (I added a 1" and 2" border to make a 12" square) can be found here, naturally.

And... that's it for me for the 3x6 bee, at least for a while. With the holidays coming up, and the 4x5 bee starting again, I knew I needed to lighten my commitment load. I've been a part of 3x6 for 4 quarters - that's a whole year! - and by the end, will have 24 beautiful quilt blocks. Enough for a twin-sized quilt.

Here's the thing I always forget about these virtual bees: it's practically no thing at all to carve out time to make a block a month, or 5/6 blocks a quarter, or what have you. If you're going to be sewing anyway, you can pull this off. But at the end? When you are literally ankle deep in the handmade awesomeness you've received from your fellow swappers? It's like, "How will I ever find time to turn these blocks into a quilt???"

Hence my egress from what has been a really phenomenally fun and rewarding group. Starting projects is great, but finishing them is - well, I hardly remember what that feels like.

Is there a virtual bee for finishing projects? Now THAT would be amazing!

Oh, Storm Trooper Pancake Turner!

2011-10-10T12:10:00.001-04:00

You amuse me so.

October

2011-10-06T12:19:00.001-04:00

I just want to post a big "Thank You" to Paper Source for knowing, in advance, how I'd be spending my October.

The Grind. (Or is it?)

2011-09-09T11:40:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I don't blog for a while because it can get a little "same-old" up in here. Keeping up with posting here requires SO much planning on my part. I think it's because my crafty life is structured around trying to make money, and that requires a certain unexciting, assembly-line schedule.

(Newsflash: I make these. I make these, like, every day.)

Part of me envies the bloggers who aren't running businesses. They seem to have more room to change things up, creatively.

That said, after almost seven(!) years, I'm not sick of making masks. I find it almost physically satisfying, in a way. And getting to sell a really high quality product feels like an enormous privilege.

Sometimes I just want more hours in the day to stretch my wings and take on new projects. (Preferably without any wrist or shoulder pain.)

Recipe Roundup: Tacos and Ice Cream

2011-09-02T12:23:00.000-04:00

Since this isn't a cooking blog, and I'm more of a recipe follower than a recipe developer, I don't post a lot about food.

That said, I've been tinkering with some new recipes, as well as pretty confident in a slow-cooked faux-dobo recipe I came up with a few months ago, and I wanted to share the results. The theme this time is tacos and ice cream - and no, I'm not pregnant. These are things I've tried over the course of a couple weeks, so I'm not necessarily endorsing the combination, just the individual recipes.

First, the main course: Crock Pot Pork "Adobo". I came up with this when looking for a use for leftover brine (which includes chopped onions and red bell peppers) from cilantro freezer pickles. I got my recipe from The Joy of Pickling, but there are a bunch of versions on the internet you can try. In fact, if you only get as far of the pickles, you'll be happily munching for months to come, but the pork is a wonderfully low-effort way to get a fatty, flavorful taco filling. It can also work plain with beans and rice, in burritos, enchiladas, etc. Which is good, because unless you have a giant family, or lots of guests, there will be leftovers. I recommend using an amount of pork that will suit your needs, wants, and/or crock pot size.

Crock Pot Pork "Adobo"

1-2 c. brine from cilantro freezer pickles
1 14-oz. can coconut milk
1/4 c. soy sauce
dash of chili flakes (optional)
2-6 lbs. pork ribs or pork butt

Pour all ingredients except pork into crock pot. Stir to combine. Add pork, fatty side up. Cook on preferred setting, for at least 4 hours. Shred meat and reserve juices if desired. I made some rice, substituting half of the water with pork broth, and it was really delicious. Serves a lot.

Now, for the sweet stuff. I recently decided I couldn't live without a KitchenAid ice cream maker attachment for my stand mixer, and ever since it arrived, I've been obsessed with recipes for delicious, unusual recipes for frozen treats.

First up was David Lebovitz's Quick Coconut Ice Cream with Saffron, because, well, he had me at "quick" and "saffron." This was a great way for a beginner to get started, as it's indeed quick and pretty darn foolproof. I recorded some of my impressions here.

I wanted to make the saffron coconut ice cream a second time, but it wasn't meant to be - both I and the grocery store were out of saffron. Luckily, my sister-in-law had mentioned having some delicious vanilla ice cream with honey and curry powder at the Big Gay Ice Cream truck, so I was inspired. Using the same coconut milk base (times three because I wanted more ice cream this time), I added a teaspoon and a half of vanilla extract, two teaspoons of curry powder + an extra dash of ground cinnamon and ground cardamom, and replaced 1/3 of the sugar with honey. I don't know how it compares to the Big Gay version, since I don't make it to NYC often, but it was creamy, spicy, and flavorful - a nice change from super-sweet commercial vanillas.

Finally, froyo. I didn't buy my churner with the intention of making a bunch of froyo, but I read somewhere it was SUPER easy, and I'd much rather toss a container of yogurt with some sugar and flavoring than separate a bunch of eggs for the fancy custard recipes that came with the maker. Fortunately for me, the former is exactly what you get to do when making this recipe from 101 Cookbooks. I scaled the whole thing up by 1/4, since I used a four-cup container of Greek yogurt. Most ice cream recipes need a few hours of post-churning freezer time, but here, the thick yogurt means this is ready to eat right out of the churner and potentially save yourself some time. I was concerned this would mean too-solid yogurt later on, but the texture was still perfect several hours later. Yogurt = superfood.

Indeed.

Getting ready?

2011-08-31T12:45:00.000-04:00

If the blogosphere is to be believed, crafters love autumn and can't wait for it. Well, they can have it. Those of us living in cities where the annual snowfall can be measured in Shaqs aren't quite ready to let go of summer.

Hence, the springy palate of this week's projects, so far:

Ironically, these are holiday gifts - at least, in theory. The "loaf trivet," which was inspired by the mug rug craze, turns out to be just the right size to protect a countertop from a hot pan of bread, is for me. But it's made so quickly and easily from two charm squares, a 1.5" border, and a bit of binding, that, if your short on gift ideas this year, I recommend stitching up, like, a million of these. You could do it today. I hand-quilted it, because I like that look, in about 15 minutes, but stippling would look amazing, too. I like the idea of making these in reds and greens, or even, say, Halloween prints, and giving them away with homemade loaves of bread, or even empty loaf pans & bread mix. (Why bake when you could NOT bake, right?)

The napkins are in cutesy pastel colors, because they're cupcakes, and that's how I roll. If you live under a rock, you might not have seen these free patterns, which I stitched on some napkins I got during a recent Sublime Stitching sale. I'd show them all off, but they're a gift, and should the recipient stumble upon this photo, I don't want to spoil the whole set.

So am I ready for fall? Depends, I guess. Am I psyched for cider and falling leaves? Not particularly. Am I working at injecting a bit of spring into the colder months? Indeed.

Let's roll.

2011-08-27T13:07:00.000-04:00

If there is such thing as a good roll of fat, I have found it.

144 partially sashed log cabin blocks, sewn into 1x4 strips. Soon to become a total of 9 4x4 grids. Putting the top together will be like piecing a giant 9-patch.

I'm not sure I've ever been so excited about math.

M-T-W

2011-08-24T12:59:00.000-04:00

Is this the housewife's equivalent of dressing for the job you want? My initial goal was to press one of these and hang it each day, but they're cuter as a trio, I think.

I wish the photo light in the kitchen weren't so fug. It's really the cutest room in the whole apartment, when it's clean.

And while I'm griping, why did Martha ever stop making days of the week tea towels? I would embellish a set for everyone I know, if I could.

Hear that, Martha?

4x5! 4x5!

2011-08-22T12:58:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited to finally be finished with my blocks for the 4x5 quilting bee! They were a challenge, but I REALLY enjoyed them.

In fact, I may or may not be planning a cute unisex baby quilt made up of nine of these stars. Because, you know, what's another unfinished project or two [dozen]?

3x6 Blocks So Far

2011-08-04T17:12:00.000-04:00

It's August now, which means summer will be over soon (NOOOOOOOOOO!) and that the 3x6 quilting bee is starting up again (YESSSSSSSSSSS!)

I lined up my blocks received so far, so that everyone can match accordingly.

And I'm glad I did, because nothing is getting me ramped up for another round like seeing these all together! I barely spent any time on the layout; they are just so varied and so lovely.

So, sometime in October, I should have six more of these, enough for a twin-sized quilt.

It's almost enough to get me excited for fall!

Cabins on the couch

2011-07-31T13:28:00.000-04:00

And so begins the sashing.

So... much... SASHING.

Does it make sense to say that I love and hate this process?

Templated!

2011-07-25T12:54:00.000-04:00

Not too long ago, I was trying to decide whether or not to make myself templates for the bee blocks I've been developing. I waffled instead of working - quelle suprise - for a few days, and, suddenly, one night, I wondered, "How long would it take to make templates for these blocks?"

Curiosity is a strange motivator, because about 5 minutes later, I'd used one of my bordered hexagons as a guide for drafting some pattern pieces on freezer paper.

It was all very high tech, as you can see.

Freezer paper templates are nice, because you can just iron them to the right side of the fabric and use a ruler to add a seam allowance before cutting.

(At least, that's the only way I can make them work!)

Here is the finished block:

SO much easier with templates.

I should have blogged this sooner, but the heat wave basically fried my brain, making me forget I'd made any progress. It also kept me out of the hot, hot sewing room, so this week I'll need to buckle down and make some real progress on these bee blocks, since 3x6 starts on August 1st!

Gone hexin'...

2011-07-18T15:49:00.000-04:00

back in three days.

Okay, maybe not, but I've really enjoyed hiding out from this officially Too Darn Hot weather making hexagon stars for the 4x5 bee. They're hand-stitched, which takes forever, but they don't feel like they take forever, which is basically ideal when it comes to a summer project. Lots of hours with an audiobook or The Tudors, no boredom to force me out into the heat.

If only I could eat some of my fabric stash instead of shopping or cooking - this could be the best, hexiest summer ever.

Non-disaster strikes!

2011-07-15T21:18:00.000-04:00

Well, my hexy star block hasn't been perfected just yet, but I have achieved a 12.5", non-wobbly, non-disaster. I used smaller diamonds, to start with, and that put me on the right track for creating the "offset" look I'd envisioned - it's really hard to offset something that takes up most of the block.

Consulting the tutorial over at Sew Lux was definitely helpful - our hexes weren't the same size, so I had to augment with some extra triangles, but it was definitely a start. Her suggestion to add border strips on opposite sides of the hex turned out to be particularly effective in not stretching out all of my careful hand-piecing.

Now I'm wrestling with whether or not I should continue to wing it when piecing the outer borders, or just be responsible and make some freezer paper templates.

Decisions, decisions.

Bee Blocks: Trial Runs

2011-07-13T20:22:00.000-04:00

I decided to try out a couple of blocks for upcoming bees: the famous [3x6] bee, and its new sister bee, 4x5.

I'm glad I did, because there were, well, issues.

That's the star block I made, and... I don't even know what to say about it. I'd pictured it differently in my head, and so of course it's my own fault for not following my vision more carefully. Needless to say, I've started this one over.

The Left and Right block, which you may know from Quilter's Cache, may look promising, but it was a little fiddly. The main problem was that I make paper piecing templates out of tracing paper, which comes in 9" x 12" sheets. For each quarter, I used a 6" square of tracing paper, cutting two from each sheet in an attempt not to be wasteful. But to get a the 12.5" square block that's the requisite size for bees, I really needed 6.5" quarter blocks, and adding a .25" seam allowance to all sides is actually pretty tricky when angles are involved.

But since I'm happy with the way it came together, I think I'll use it for the next round of the [3x6] bee. Only I'll go easy on myself, reducing each quarter template to 4.5" and adding a bit of a border. Stay tuned for another trial block.

In the meantime, even though these aren't so perfect, they are giving me a head start on some sampler quilts!

Teacup Tutorial

2011-06-24T12:53:00.000-04:00

Once again for the [3x6] Sampler Quilt Mini Bee, I decided to modify some ideas into a block of my own design.

The advantage here is that I don't have to worry about making the same blocks as anyone else. The disadvantage is that, when someone compliments the block, I can't just toss them a link to some tutorial. Until I write said tutorial myself, that is.

So here's an attempt to help you make your own 12" teacup block.

A couple of notes:

I didn't take pictures of every single step. So sorry! Rest assured, this is a simple block.
Some tea cups will "change color" throughout the post. This is the unfortunate result of me being a tad late with my blocks this round, and having to snap pics during a furious assembly line process.

For your tea cup and handle, you'll need:

1 print rectangle, 4.5" x 5"
1 print rectangle, between 1.25" and 2" wide, at least 4" long
1 white (or background) rectangle, 2" x 4.5"
2 white (or background) squares, 1 7/8"

Use a pencil or water-soluble pen, draw a line from corner to corner across each 1 7/8" square. Place the squares on the bottom corners of the 1 print rectangle, 4.5" x 5", as shown, making sure edges are aligned. Pin if desired. Sew carefully along the pencil lines.

Using a ruler, trim off both corners .25" from the seams. Fold down the white fabric and press. You have just created the curved bottom of a tea cup! See?

Take the remaining print rectangle and fold it longways with the right sides together. Sew .25" from the raw edge to make a tube:

I like to make the tubes varying widths.

Mostly because it's easier that way. Use a turning tool to turn the handle so the right sides are facing out, and press to get nice, crisp edges.

To attach the handle to the rest of the cup, line up the 2" x 4.5" rectangle to the right of the pieced cup unit.

Fold the handle piece into a "u" shape until it resembles a cup handle of your liking. Pardon my (lack of) manicure.

Pinning would be fiddly at this point, so I just stick the handle to the background rectangle with a bit of masking tape. As long as you keep the tape out of the seam allowance, it won't interfere with sewing.

You can see how I kept excess handle fabric to the left of the background rectangle, where it will get caught in the seam and can be trimmed later.

Sew, trim, and press, and TA-DA!

To turn four 4" x 6" teacup units into a 12"-block, arrange them into two rows and attach them like so:

To EACH of these units, sew one white (or chosen background fabric) strip of fabric 1.5" x 12.5" to the top of the unit, and a strip of the same size in your chosen shelf fabric to the bottom of the unit.

Then, stack the units and sew them so they look like this:

Of course, you can make a 6"-block by adding 1.5" x 6.5" strips to the top and bottom of one cup unit, but I was aiming for a 12"-block, and the appearance that the cups were together in a cabinet or on shelves together.

Handles can be appliqued down, tacked down, quilted down, or left to flap freely in the wind!

Please leave a comment with any questions or concerns!

Busy Bee

2011-06-21T22:10:00.000-04:00

Okay, the truth is, I haven't posted because I was on vacation. And then I got back, and I had to get busy. See?

Tutorial coming soon!

A dreadful miscalculation.

2011-05-20T15:17:00.000-04:00

Or not. I'm still deciding.

The good news is that my squirrel embroidery is finished! Or, at least, I've completed the pattern.

As you can probably see, this was supposed to be a round design, but it's a little, um, oblong. That's because the fibers in the linen I used weren't totally even - it was a home dec fabric, not one designed for stitching.

Live and learn.

So the design is an inch wider than it is high. Which isn't bugging me too much, except I'm not sure how I want to finish or frame it. I had originally envisioned it in a hoop, but I'm not sure I can find one in the correct shape. Should I add a border? Make a tiny pillow?

One of the toughest things about stitchery is finishing. I definitely understand the appeal of tea towels today - pre-cut, pre-trimmed, and you can never have too many!

An hour a day

2011-05-05T15:37:00.000-04:00

A couple of years ago, I bought some awfully cute patterns from superbuzzy, but didn't start on them, or even plan to start on them, right away. I have a tendency to burn out on projects, and I didn't want to start on something without a clear plan for the end game.

Recently, I got some stitchable linen for a good price, and I've been itching to embroider basically everything I see. So it seemed like time to get started on my cute patterns.

My technique? I can only work on it for an hour a day. Preferably while listening to This American Life. Does that seem counter intuitive? Maybe to crafters who don't binge, and then burn out on, projects.

Every time I put this down, I feel sad. I can't wait to pick it up again. So progress, if not speedy, is steady. Can I stay interested until the end?

Let's find out.

Martha, Martha, Martha!

2011-04-29T15:29:00.000-04:00

Hey, check out this passage from Chapter 28 of Little Women:

Like most other young matrons, Meg began her married life
with the determination to be a model housekeeper. John should
find home a paradise, he should always see a smiling face,
should fare sumptuously every day, and never know the loss of
a button. She brought so much love, energy, and cheerfulness
to the work that she could not but succeed, in spite of some
obstacles. Her paradise was not a tranquil one, for the little
woman fussed, was over-anxious to please, and bustled about like
a true Martha, cumbered with many cares.

Okay, thank goodness Penguin was good enough to include a footnote reminding me of the Biblical story of Mary and Martha, because as I read this last night, my first thought was "WHAT? Martha Stewart is so powerful she could go way the eff BACK IN TIME and make Meg March Brooke feel inferior about her domestic abilities?"

We already, for reasons that still elude me, have Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Why not Meg March Meets Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia?

Tea Towel Time

2011-04-27T14:16:00.000-04:00

I'm trying to work throughout the year to get some holiday gifts made. I always have huge ambitions for Christmas gifts, since the hunting/gathering/making is my favorite part of the year-end festivities. But these ambitions get thwarted by the realities of trying to run a business during holiday times.

One of the things I never seem to have enough time for is embroidery, because it's tough to correctly set aside the hours to finish all the ambitious, detailed projects I dream up. So I decided to start a tea towel and measure the time it took to stitch up in units of good books and a combination of both quality and crap tv.

Photo 1 shows phase one of stitching, which I completed while listening to a chapter and a half of Edith Wharton via librivox, and while watching an episode of Treme. I would have loved to take a pic during the break between listing and watching, but it was nighttime, and this really does represent a continuous stitching session - bodies and faces.

Here's what I managed the following day while watching the William and Kate Lifetime movie: beet greens, arms, and legs, plus another arm and a femur/shin combo. This was a useful exercise, because these are the little details that I never think will take very long, but, in these case, they took a two-hour tv movie, minus commercials.

Since I was on a little bit of a roll, I finished up the tomatillo limbs and the knife handle while checking in with the Real Housewives.

This required a bit of brain cell replacement therapy, so I revisited Ms. Wharton while finishing the knife blade.

So there you have it - a gift finished in under five hours.

Now, to decide on the recipient.

Greetings from the couch.

2011-04-21T14:06:00.000-04:00

Remember my cold from last week? It's still here. It's kindly gone through sever phases at this point, so I'm confident that, I'll, you know, live. But the crankypants? I have donned them.

I've been getting into Little Women though, and I am OBSESSED. One thing I had forgotten about was the fact that the Marches are, like, champion DIY-ers. Yes, yes, everyone was then, but not everyone WROTE about it. So I keep getting distracted from the prose while I fantasize about recreating important March artifacts. (Martifacts?) Embroidered handkerchiefs. Slippers for old Mr. Laurence. Pickled limes - omg, pickled limes! Confession time: all pickles haunt me with their deliciousness, but most varieties don't have such an august position in the literary canon as Amy's limes. I mean, the Pickled Lime Incident of 18__ caused Marmee to let Amy drop out of elementary school. CRAZY.

Sadly, I have not yet procured proper pickling limes - I've barely made it out of the apartment - so I've had to be content with plugging away at a project already in progress - my hex flowers.

At least I get to update my status box!

Quilt: Hex Flowers
Progress: 48/100 blocks (48%)

Jo Meets Apollyon

2011-04-15T13:03:00.000-04:00

You know those days when your body just won't cooperate? Ever have a few in a row? Then suddenly feel better only to wake up with yet another, totally unrelated ailment?

I've had the sort of week that wants to knock me down as soon as I get up. Nothing major, but I'm about ready to admit defeat and curl up with some serious comfort reading. Which, sadly, is not something I can get from my current unread book, A Game of Thrones. And more's the pity, because it is, as promised, fabulous.

No, ever since the ladies at Forever Young Adult began their Little Women read-along, I've been itching to catch up with the March family. Which, as someone pointed out, would have probably been pronounced "Maahch" by the family in question. So it's a good thing I impulse-purchased this gorgeous Penguin hardcover (of a public domain book I can get for free online) a few months ago.

Because as much as I love downloading free public domain content, ever since I moved into a Grown Up Boston Apartment with, like, an actual paint job and nice chandeliers, I've been paying attention to my stuff. And thinking, "Ok, what will I want to keep around for a long time?"

Sadly, the chandelier comes with a rental, so it's not forever. Good thing I can always count on the Marches.

Er, Maahches.

Square. In a square. In a square.

2011-04-11T15:42:00.000-04:00

This month for the bee there or bee squares quilting bee, Sandie requested square-in-a-square blocks made using her tutorial.

Square-in-a-square is a block I really love. Other than the fact that I think it should really be called "square-in-triangles," that is, but nobody asked me. It's super easy and I think it looks very sharp. Sandie's tutorial uses a 5" charm square for the center, so it's a great way to show off some designer fabrics, or even some embroidery. I think it would also be a gorgeous setting for a scrappy log cabin block.

But I think everything should involve small log cabin blocks, so don't mind me.

Better than it sounds: Onion Day!

2011-04-08T11:03:00.000-04:00

You know what I like? Red onions. They not only have a nice, mild flavor, but something about the color strikes me as sort of sweet and vintage-looking.

Which is one of the reasons I was attracted to the idea of making zesty onion jelly, which I saw in the Ball Book, but is also featured here, with a brilliant tip for getting that gorgeous pink color.

So I bought a big red onion, and went to town. Mine is considerably more clear than Michelle's, but that's okay. It still looks cute and old-fashioned atop my vintage bow tie quilt.

The craziest part? Three jars of jelly only required, like, half of the onion. Red onions are BIG! So I put some of the leftover diced onion into a pasta salad of slightly oiled leftover acine de pepe, pickled asparagus, minced garlic, and roasted red peppers. I'll be serving it with greens alongside roast chicken tonight. Store-roast chicken. Because not every day can be onion day.

The rest of the onion got caramelized and went into a quiche of three eggs, cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon, fresh asparagus, more roasted red peppers, and a couple of teaspoons of grainy French Dijon. To me, it's just not quiche without a little Dijon.

Here's some advice on asparagus tips: do something dorky with them.

I mean, it's a vegetable. You kind of have to make your own fun.

Oh, and check it out - I'm updating my quilt progress bar:

Quilt: Hex Flowers
Progress: 44/100 blocks (44%)

Wordless Wednesday: 3x6 Bee Blocks. Plus Helper.

2011-04-06T16:43:00.000-04:00

Sufficient Postage

2011-04-03T13:12:00.001-04:00

Quilt: Kaffe Postage Stamps
Progress: 20/??? blocks

Ever try an "ends and beginnings project"? A stack of easy piecing near your machine so that all sewing can chain piecing?

Well, I started something like this two springs ago with a couple of Kaffe Fasset charm packs - I wanted little bursts of bright color, and Kaffe is always a good candidate for that.

Today I ran out of pieces to chain. So as of today, I have 20 "postage stamp" blocks that look like this:

Now what?

Wordless Wednesday: Rolling with It

2011-03-30T11:31:00.001-04:00

Figgy Pudding

2011-03-28T17:25:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday, eight days ago, I made a savory bread pudding according to the method described on Shallots Web.

I haven't made a second, which, if you can't tell from the photo, has required remarkable restraint on my part.

Spoiler alert: this savory dish contains no figs. I've named this post after a dear friend and the author of Shallots Web, Mr. John Newton, whose last name invites a certain fruity nickname that has been expanded over the years to include such names as Fignatious, Mr. Figglesworth, and my own twee contribution, Figgy Pudding. We met in grad school, so my love for him hinges not at all on the fact that he's an excellent cook and bartender.

Seriously, I know the coolest people. If you'll forgive a cliche, try this pudding - the proof, it is there. (And if you won't forgive a cliche, it's your loss if you discount the pudding.)

At the time of baking, I didn't have a ton of leftover veggies or anything, but attempted the dish anyway, with some not-so-healthy additions, because it looked and sounded so frakkin' delicious. For the bread, I used half a day-old French baguette, which I tossed in a mixture of

2 eggs
maybe 2-3 tablespoons of milk
half an onion, diced and caramelized the day before
maybe 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 slices of bacon, microwaved and diced

Then I shredded a small chunk of gouda over the whole thing and baked it for 35 minutes. In a gratin dish, because I like to be fancy. Prep time amounted to, I don't know. Like, a second. This is really easy.

The results were a lot drier than your typical dessert bread pudding, largely because I feared too moist a mixture would take too long to bake - we were anxious to get to Southie and scout out a good spot for the St. Patrick's Day Parade. And, of course, being savory, there was no sugary, buttery sauce poured over it all. Still, I really loved eating this. The bread cubes were softened on the inside but golden brown and chewy outside, and the cheese and bacon clinging to each bite certainly didn't hurt anything.

I'm already fantasizing about changing this up a bit for different occasions. It would be a wonderful way to use up leftovers of my famous ham. And speaking of ham, I think bits of prosciutto, chopped apple, and dried cranberries would be a delicious stuffing alternative alongside poultry. As far as cheese replacements, I have some crumbled bleu I'm going to have to use up soon, and I think I've just decided its fate.

If you try this, let me (and Fig!) know. And tell your friends - we can all work together to make Savory Bread Pudding the new cool brunch/side dish.

Tutorial: Saratoga Chic

2011-03-25T15:11:00.000-04:00

For the latest round of the [3x6] Sampler Quilt Mini-bee, I really felt like making some sort of nine patch variation. I was noticing a lot of pinwheel and star type blocks, and I wanted to deviate from that, while keeping the look neat and traditional.

I've always admired the tidy look of the Burgoyne Surrounded block, but I'd never tried one, for a couple of reasons. For one thing, it seems to use a ton of white, which isn't ideal for stash-busting, and I like sending off colorful bee blocks. For another, I've never seen instructions for a Burgoyne Surrounded block that was less than 15 inches square - not ideal for a bee, or even just your average sampler quilt made up of 12-inch blocks.

Still, it caught my eye again when I was flipping through my invaluable block-a-day calendar, and I got the idea to reduce it down to a nine patch-centric design, replacing the largest white pieces with a vibrant print.

Here's the block I made for Mona:

I think the orange dotty sections add a lot of life, letting the center unit and the white bits really pop. Since "Burgoyne Surrounded" is named for what happened at the Battle of Saratoga, I think I'll call this variation "Saratoga Chic."

To make a Saratoga Chic block in three fabrics, start by cutting a 1.5-inch strip from a 45-inch wide cut of white fabric. Trim selvedges, then cut:

1 strip, 12 inches long
2 strips, 6 inches long
4 strips, 3 inches long

From your central focus fabric (I'm obviously using red) cut another 1.5-inch strip the entire width of the fabric, then cut that down to:

2 strips, 12 inches long
1 strip, 6 inches long
1 square, 1.5 inches

You'll also need to cut 4 3-inch squares from the same fabric.

Finally, for the aforementioned side bits, cut four rectangles from a fun print.

These should measure 3.5 inches x 6.5 inches.

To construct the center unit of the block, join 2 of the 3-inch squares with a 1.5" x 3" rectangle. Repeat. Join the remaining 1.5" x 3" rectangles to either side of the tiny 1.5" square.

Look! It's the beginning of a nine patch variation! Press seams and sew these strips together to make your center unit.

For the bitty nine patches, take your longer strips and sew them in sets of three, with colors alternating, like so:

(You can see that I cut some of my strips a little long, because I like a bit of wiggle room.)

Now, slice each strip set into 1.5-inch long segments.

The short (6") set will yield 4 nine patch "middles." The long (12") set will yield 8 "sides."

You know what to do next:

Few things are as life affirming as a teeny, tiny, nine patch. Make one for each corner, then grab all your pieces, sewn and not, for the final layout.

See where we're going with this? The most crucial thing at this point is to trim, trim, trim. I use scant 1/4" seams when piecing, so my nine patches tend to be a little large. They won't fit perfectly with the striped rectangles unless the corner patches are 3.5", and the center unit is a perfect 6.5" square.

Now, join everything together, and admire!

A couple of notes:

I started with 45-inch wide fabric each time, because that's what was most efficient for me, but this can certainly be made from shorter cuts. The 12" strip set, for example, could be two identical 6" strip sets. Nine patches can also be pieced from individual 1.5" squares, if you're so inclined.
I know I keep talking up using a cute print for the background, but I'm also quite fond of the block I made for Sudi-Laura, using a pale grey solid. Notice the nine patches and the center unit are made from different red prints - you can really get as scrappy as you want with this.
One of my favorite things about making this block was that it felt like a really efficient use of fabric. With no triangles or wonkiness, I wasn't tossing out any excess, and that felt like a real plus for me. I can see making a scrap quilt from this pattern, with the white pieces (shown in the first cutting photo) as the unifying element. Since one 1.5" wide strip of fabric = one 12" block, a yard of fabric would yield 24 blocks, which is a large throw, or a good start on a twin quilt.

{urban} home goods swap

2011-03-24T11:52:00.000-04:00

How awesome is the Urban Home Goods swap?

I don't just love it because I ended up loving my swag this round - though Kristy of Love Old Houses certainly did an incredible job of it. She sent me this adorable drawstring bag I've hung in the bedroom:

And to match, a wonderfully practical fabric basket:

Don't be jealous, though - you can make your own basket with her nifty tutorial.

I think these would make incredible gifts!

No, what is really invaluable about UHGs is the INSPIRATION. Yes, it's nerdy to type it all in caps like that, but in all my years as a flickr member, I don't think I've ever been part of a group that delivered a constant stream of mind-blowing crafty goodness. Here are just a few of my favorite projects from this round:

1. uhg swap finished, 2. UHG Package from *amisha*, 3. UHG, Sewing Machine cover, front, 4. Hoot Dresden by Poppyprint, 5. Urban Grocery Tote, 6. { Urban } HOME Goods , 7. UHG - clock, 8. Zipped hexie clutch, 9. Close up of Spool on Pillow

Quilts for Japan

2011-03-22T13:52:00.001-04:00

When you're a quilty businesswoman, there's an upside to having unsold merchandise: there's always someone, somewhere, who needs a quilt.

Quilters Newsletter Magazine, one of my favorite sources of inspiration for years, has received a request from Patchwork Tsushin for quilts for the people of Japan impacted by the recent tsunami.

Send quilts of any size from baby to adult to:

Dana Jones
Quilters Newsletter
741 Corporate Circle, Suite A
Golden, CO 80401

•   Mark your box: “Quilts for Japan.”
•   Send quilts as soon as possible and no later than April 30, 2011.
•   Enclose your name, address, phone number, and email address with the quilts.

If you have questions, please email Dana Jones.

Quilt Monday: Hex Flower Progress

2011-03-21T18:13:00.000-04:00

Quilt: Hex Flowers
Progress: 40/100 blocks (40%)

I'll just come out and say it: Quilt Monday posts can be a real struggle for those of us who don't churn out several - or more - quilts a month. It's not that I wouldn't love to be so productive. It's just that I'm not.

I do seem to excel in amassing long term projects, and in keeping them going for as long as humanly possible. A virtue? Probably not, but it is what it is, and chugging along at a slow pace is better than chugging along at no pace at all.

Which is why, when faced with hour after hour of unseasonable snow fall, I decided to spend the bulk of today working on, like, three hex flowers. Because hex flowers take forever. They wouldn't be worth it, except, in the end, they look like this:

Which I love.

I've been making hex flowers and appliqueing them to white squares for about a year and a half now, on and off. I'm happy to say I still find the process quite satisfying, but, in trying to run a business, I don't have as much time as I'd like to devote it. Still, in an effort to finish a bed-sized quilt this decade, I've decided to start tracking my progress here on the blog. The little dotted box at the top of the post is my attempt at keeping the info straight.

If nothing else, it will save me from having count up my finished blocks every time I add a few to the pile. Which means more much needed time for hexin'.

Soup is all you need.

2011-03-18T19:00:00.001-04:00

The Beatles, who knew a thing or two about a thing or two, said that all you need is love. Well, I love soup more than most food, so I stand by the title of this post.

I invented this soup about six weeks ago. Or maybe I didn't - it's not as if it takes a special kind of genius to puree some tubers and broth. Either way, it's served us well for lunches and quick dinners.

With all the emphasis on squash, I guess it's more of a winter soup, but it's so tasty I might have to freeze one more batch before the official start of spring. Because life is unpredictable. Soup helps.

Boston's Best Cocktails: 1-5

2011-03-16T14:45:00.000-04:00

In January, Boston Magazine released a list of the Top 30 Cocktails in Boston. Though for us, newish Bostonians and avid tipplers, it's less a list than a challenge. Surely, we could try them all before the same magazine released the 2012 list?

So far, our progress has been good. Here's our take on the first 5:

We started at Stoddard's, for no other reason than it's close to the movies, and we wanted to see The Fighter before the Oscars. The recommended drink was the Moscow Mule: vodka, lime juice, ginger beer and mint, a combination that yields more than the sum of its parts when served over tons of crushed ice in a copper mug.

The mug alone is gorgeous, as are the bar, the restrooms, the decor (vintage corsets!) and the food. We had meant to have one drink. We stayed for three and dinner. After a second visit and a broader sampling of the cocktail menu, which features drink recipes from as far back as the 1850s, this is possibly my favorite bar in the whole city. An auspicious start to our endeavor. But was it the best Moscow Mule I've ever tasted? Sadly, it was my first, and I've nothing to compare it to. I shall surely endeavor to correct this error - provided I can be coaxed away from Stoddard's, that is.

Our next stop was a no-brainer. Not only do I love a classic champagne cocktail, but the featured establishment, City Bar at the Lenox Hotel, is probably the closest bar to our apartment. When a gorgeous drink can provide a quick respite from freezing rain along the way from our empty fridge and Shaw's, we go for it. And having been to City Bar a bunch of times, we'd never ordered a champagne cocktail there before. And it was good - not great, but good. I'm not sure what brand of bubbly is used at City Bar, but I'm pretty sure it was the x-factor here. I'm happy to drink cheap champers, but I do like it to be dry, and this drink was on the sweet side. Sugar fans are sure to love the kane-stalk garnish, however. Fortunately, the rest of the cocktail menu has never disappointed, and we're quite fond of both apps and sandwiches here, so if you skip this drink, don't skip the bar.

I was pretty excited to try the Bloody Mary at Masa when I read that it contained 22 ingredients. Unfortunately, it turns out that 22 might be a few items too many. It was salty and sour - this from a woman who includes a liberal amount of pickle juice in her homemade version - and I missed the tomato-y purity that makes this such a refreshing drink.

But that's not all - rude service and a lackluster meal hurt the overall experience. Hambone ordered some sort of mimosa, and we found it to be equally unexciting. It was our first, and, hopefully last, true disappointment of our cocktail crusade. Luckily, I enjoy making these at home, and California friends can try my favorite spicy Bloody at Max's Opera Cafe.

With a college friend staying downtown one weekend, we thought we'd have ample opportunity to hit a number of financial district bars, but we had a bit of ill luck and ended up at Stoddard's for much of the evening. (Where our luck changed, natch.) But before striking out at Mr. Dooley's (over capacity!) and Locke-Ober (closed temporarily for renovations), we were able to find some very chic seats at Woodward, located inside the Ames Hotel, just a stone's throw from the Old State House. Ordering a Daiquiri - the old school kind, sans strawberries - at Woodward is tough, considering that it has one of the craziest cocktail menus in town. (Campfire Hollows, anyone?) But I went for it, and it was quite a pleasant experience. A mix of just three ingredients - white rum, lime juice, and simple syrup - means a nice clean taste, and if I were a rum person, I'm sure it would have knocked my socks off. And, let's be shallow for a moment: the daiquiri is served straight up in a martini glass, so it's a good choice for those nights when you want to be seen holding a martini glass, but don't feel up to gin or vodka. Cocktails at Woodward arrived with a dish of house-made pickles, many of which were fruit, all of which were delicious, and our server was very sweet. So if you want to get all Far From Heaven somewhere in Boston, stop by the Ames Hotel.

Having been somewhat haunted by Mr. Dooley's after being turned away at the door, we returned the following Saturday for lunch. I feel no shame about drinking during a weekend lunch, but for those of you wearing judgey pants, 1. we wanted to be sure to get a table, since the place is clearly uber-popular. 2. !e wanted to warm up after standing in front of the State House for 90 minutes. 3. Irish coffee is one of the great day drinks of all time. I first had an Irish coffee at the Buena Vista in San Francisco, quite by accident. Which is hilarious, because I would later learn that this is the definitive American Irish coffee. It may be the definitive Irish coffee worldwide. Who knows? So I had high hopes for Boston, as it's way more Irish than anyplace in CA, and, after watching the bartender at Stoddard's (yes, I'm obsessed) go to great lengths to fix us a round, we speculated there must be some sort of code: No bartender in Boston is allowed to refuse to make you an Irish coffee. Lunch turned out to be a great idea. There were plenty of tables, and it gave us the opportunity to (duh) have lunch, and Mr. Dooley's serves wonderful Irish food as well as the Ted Kennedy burger. Which I, of course, ordered.

Boston Magazine postulates that it's the atmosphere at Mr. Dooley's that really makes the drink, and I will concede that it is authentically pubby and wonderful. The Irish coffee was good, too, and hit the spot on a cold day. Was it Buena Vista, though? No, and I'll tell you why - proportion. Buena Vista serves theirs in a signature glass, kind of a baby goblet, and the ratio of whiskey to coffee to whipped cream to single cube of sugar is what makes it the platonic idea of Irish coffee. With sweetened whipped cream standing in for the sugar cube, Mr. Dooley's hasn't quite achieved the sublime, but does a pretty good job.

Quilt Monday: Almanizer

2006-08-28T20:20:00.000-04:00

almanizer, originally uploaded by Hambone and Jennicakes.

I take part in a monthly block swap, and while it's not a secret swap exactly, I probably shouldn't post what I made for my partner before I send it along.

BUT.

I really love this block. It's called "Almanizer," and I only chose it because I wasn't really sure what my partner would like. Now that it's done, though, I llove the way it shows off this cute fabrics that Carrie of Sommer Designs gave me.

And as luck would have it, Hancock's of Paducah is having a sale on charm packs, and I couldn't resist picking up a few. I love the idea of doing a wall-sized Almanizer quilt.

Only, does anyone even know what an "almanizer" means?

Quilt Monday: Cupcakes on Coral

2006-08-21T03:09:00.000-04:00

new quilt!, originally uploaded by Hambone and Jennicakes.

I had such ambitious hopes for this fabric. But a couple of the prints didn't coordinate as well as I'd hoped, but it was no matter. The brown inner border became the brown outer border, and I made the whole thing square.

I hand-quilted the whole thing in front of lots and lots of Dallas. Actually, I exaggerate - it only took about ten hours, but I spent two days working from start to finish on this alone. Once I pieced it in the simple, pared-down style, I was so excited to see the end product that I couldn't look at another project until this was done.

I hope I have a lot more weeks like last week - and lots of quilt Mondays - as the weather starts to cool.

Shop sexy!

2006-08-01T19:21:00.000-04:00

Hambone and Jennicakes eye quilts are now available for sale at the Hella Good site!

Go check them out!

More temptation

2006-07-19T01:43:00.000-04:00

Can you believe this album kit?

I just discovered sajou.fr and I am seriously in love. Authentically old-looking pieces that you can customize with your own info?

Brilliant. Just brilliant. Well done, France!

Cherry Crush.

2006-07-10T16:52:00.000-04:00

Maybe I should I have named this post for an actual flavor of soda pop, but, sorry, I'm just not all that into oranges and grapes right now. I've always loved cherries, but I seem to love them more and more as time goes on.

I bleached some fabric this weekend according to Martha's instruction, and although it's not so tough finding cheries on white fabric, I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

What's weird, though, it that I'm just dying to turn it into some sort of doily. Why? I'm not a doily person. But a cherry doily would be so compact and sweet looking, like the one in this pattern I found.

What do I do about this sudden urge to doily?

All strung out.

2006-06-28T15:11:00.000-04:00

I'm kind of irritated with myself today, because the quilt I've been wanting to enter into the San Mateo County Fair just doesn't look as though it's going to happen in time.

What's sad is that I've been excited about submitting an entry since the very beginning of this year, so it's not like I haven't seen the deadline coming. And I now have the 25 different blocks of string-piecing that I needed to make the top.

What I DON'T have is the border fabric. I wanted to do a double mitered border around each block in alternating fabrics, and I am just at a loss about colors, patterns, everything. And because the decision-making process is taking so much time, I no longer see how I'm going to fit the cutting, piecing, quilting, and binding into about three weeks' time.

The ironic thing is that my original concept for the quilt was pretty much what I did here and, of course, sold. Not wanting to repeat myself, I decided to try something new, and it's not going to be ready in time, because I'm sort of in uncharted territory.

I feel like there's a lesson in this, but it can't be, "Don't push yourself," can it? I mean, what a crappy lesson!

Apron fun!

2006-06-27T13:13:00.000-04:00

This time of year always makes me think of aprons, because it's such a fun time for making messy things, like barbecue and lemonade and fruit pies. And so I've been making aprons - one for the apron swap, another for the adorably fun Tie One On theme, and a few more for my shop.

I've actually been through with the Tie One On apron for a while now, except that I haven't been able to decide on what style of pocket would be JUST SO, and it really must be just so. The idea is to make an apron inspired by your favorite musical, and if there is anything I take seriously, it's my favorite musical! So more on this very important matter later.

And I'm just dying to post my swap apron, also finished, only it's got pockets and everything. I'm really pleased with the fabric I bought and how well it worked for the pattern, and I'm itching to share all kinds of pics and info, but it's a secret swap! So, again, more later.

I can speak to the pictures here, however, when are of aprons made from repurposed pillowcases. I've never sold one, which is really too bad, because I love making them, and they're so beautiful. I'm really hard on my bedlinens, and just couldn't put my heavy, dirty old head on either of these - especially since, after years of folding, some of them split at the creases and end up with more than one opening. In a way, I guess I was making an attempt at keeping these heirlooms heirloom-quality, enclosing the seams of the ties and waistband and letting the back of the pillowcase serve as a lining, and now I'm just as happy with the sturdiness as I was with the look of the vintage pillowcases.

Or, to make a long story short, Reuse, Recycle, Retro.

From PBS to MTV

2006-06-02T00:42:00.000-04:00

I updated the shop today, and not a moment too soon - I hope!

Remember these? Well, this just in from Marie of The Sampler/Style Lounge fame:

hey, jennicakes... this just in: you may need a lot of those Hung Over eyemasks in the very near future. they were possibly THE MOST POPULAR ITEM today at style lounge. There's a priceless picture of Anne Heche wearing it and throwing her head back.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was actually hung over in front of This Old House reruns when I made this mask. It is now apparently owned by someone on Laguna Beach.

Crafting is so wild. Like, 10% of the time, anyway. (It helps if you can get excited about stuff like This Old House.)

ISBN4-05-604283-7...

2006-05-31T18:55:00.000-04:00

is the craft book that I LOVE!

I'm not really somebody who can design her own handbags, so I really appreciate the instructions for all the sweet little purses.

My absolute favorite:

This is a book with lots of quilted projects. If you're a fairly skilled piecer and quilter, the fact that it's all in Japanese would only be a tiny impediment.

My own version of the Retro Fruit Bag (with a little help from Sublime Stitching!):

Tie One On, May

2006-05-28T00:10:00.000-04:00

This month's Tie One On theme is "A smock to wear out," and I couldn't think of a better way to make an apron that can double as clothes than to use some old clothes. This is made from a halter top that I love, but don't wear because finding bras to go under it is a real bother, and the bottom of an apron whose top I just loathed, but saved because I love gingham. It has two sets of ties in the back, and doesn't cover TOO much, because I really like to have access to the pockets of my jeans. It really comes in handy, though, when I need to wipe glue off my fingernails when I'm in the middle of Blythe cosmetic surgery!

The apron meme!

2006-05-25T16:47:00.000-04:00

Filled out at the request of the What's cookin'? hostesses.

1. first apron (that you can remember) : I had a few very fun, frilly hostess aprons from my great-grandmother when I was little. I used to play dress-up with them, and I wish I knew where they were now.

2. last (most recent) apron : I'll be submitting to Tie One On this weekend! Watch this space!

3. dream/favorite apron : I love this halter apron I bought at Bazaar Bizarre from HouseWears

4. dream sewing machine: Probably a Singer Featherweight.

5. what do you put in your pockets? or what strange thing have you ever found in them? My apron pockets? At home, nothing. If an apron has big pockets, I wear it to craft shows and use it to hold my change.

6. condiment(s) you can't live without : Does olive oil count? I don't use a lot of condiments, although I have a real fondness for Heinz ketchup, because I grew up in Pittsburgh.

7. do you wear more showy aprons or dutiful ones? Both.

8. favorite cooking gadget: I think my cheese grater.

9. cooking gagdet that promised the world but didn't deliver: My hand chopper from Pampered Chef. It's easier and less messy just to use a knife.

10. a recipe that you know by heart and any stories behind it: Probably just freeform stuff like cola ham and marinara sauce and soup. And if I mix a drink once, I seem to remember it forever.

Can't Craft, Cleaning

2006-05-21T14:17:00.000-04:00

I've been trying to get the house in order, which means I really ought to be getting my studio in order, which is, all in all, a good idea.

But it's so tought getting from point A (here, a thread tangle as big as my head!) to point B.

Quilt Monday x 26

2006-05-15T18:28:00.000-04:00

Being accepted into The Sampler's MTV Style Lounge boxes has been such an emotional roller coaster.

Overall, I've been so proud to be part of the effort, and it's a really exciting opportunity. But hand-making 26 eye quilts has been a ton of work, and knowing I'm not going to be paid for that work isn't my favorite feeling.

Sorry to be such a mercenary. It's just another of those business risks, I guess. I just need to cross my figners and hope for a good return on my investment.

Here's the pile that went out today:

In other quilty news, I started a new blog for one of the quilts I'm working on now. Please stop by!

Swap blocks!

2006-05-12T18:42:00.000-04:00

These are the blocks I got from the Seedpod blockswap. Aren't they fun? I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get more blocks with mint green in them, but I'm going to go ahead and use up the rest of the mint and make a few more rows.

The idea of having a quilt made up of blocks from people I don't know is way more exciting now that these are in my possession. I can't wait to get these in my sewing machine!

2006-04-25T12:26:00.000-04:00

I haven't posted in just about forever, while my nose was becoming well-acquainted with the grindstone in preparation for Bazaar Bizarre.

Now that BB is over, I have a little cold and a little sunburn, but the effort was pretty successful, and I couldn't have had a better time. Now it's time to branch out into some other projects I've been wanting to get to (including, possibly, another peanut quilt) and, of course, finishing up my samples for the MTV Style Lounge. A shopper at BB envied my sewing and embroidery projects, because she guessed - correctly - that all that work meant lots of hours in front of the TV.

I should be well entertained this week, because my return to a normal schedule coincided, yesterday, with the return of the US Senate to Washington. This is my dirty little secret: I watch C-SPAN 2 obsessively.

One of the highlights was meeting the editors of the upcoming Craft Magazine, one of whom is also a blogger over at the MAKE blog. They had a lot to say about quilting, and questions about the changes in quilting over time.

Actually, now that I think about it, everyone asks me that.

What's interesting is that is that quilting haven't changed. It's the quilters who have. It's American life that's changed. That's why I bring up my love of politics. Years ago, quilting and embroidery were a way to keep women occupied, quiet, and out of debate. Remember Henry James' Washington Square? Now, with technology being what it is, my hands can live the life of a busy little homemaker, while my eyes and ears can be devoted to, among other things, being an informed citizen.

Quilting is such a slow, quiet art that I think it surprises people that I'm not nostalgic for a slow, quiet time in history. I love high-speed internet. I love high-speed EVERYTHING!!! I love living in an image-saturated era - I think it's good for design, and I think the freedom to seek out new aspects of good design is the major difference between traditional quilting and it more modern incarnations. I love vintage quilts, by the way, but there's a big difference between trying to make good design choices out of muslin and a pile of your husband's shirts, and trying to make good design choices when you have thousands of cotton prints at your fingertips.

Speaking of cotton prints, I may need to spend some of my BB earnings on cool Japanese imports. More on this later.

Two Quilts, Part 2

2006-03-24T14:58:00.000-05:00

I feel like I have been buried under a mountain of quilts. It was great getting two commissions two days in a row, because that guaranteed plenty of work. I can't lie - making money on quilts is great, but not just for the obvious "I-like-to-eat" reasons. Designing and making quilts is the most fulfilling part of working for myself, and when I put my heart and soul into something and it doesn't sell, I have to concentrate on products that aren't as exciting to me. I actually like making every product I currently make, but for years my dream has been to be able to quilt full-time, and it's tough knowing that may never be profitable or viable.

On the other hand, it is really a hell of a thing to be buried under a mountain of quilts. Any project that takes more than a day or two to finish can become truly all-consuming for me. I have a hard time answering the phone, or even responding to emails, when there's an unfinished quilt nearby. That's why I have a hard time describing myself as a quilter, when that's really a pretty accurate description of what I do with myself, professionally. The day I become a quilter might be the day I fall off the face of the earth! So today I'm going to make some aprons - plural!

It's always good to get back to making things, plural.

Irish Coffee

2006-03-17T17:19:00.000-05:00

I've been making the servicable sister of the tea cozy - the French press Warmer - from time to time over the past week or so. I felt a bit odd showing it off on the bar, but I guess that's appropriate for today of all days!
My mom called me this morning (9 am!) for the recipe for the famous Irish coffees we love to drink here in SFO. But the recipe is a no-brainer - it's the pre-heating of the glass, the dissolving of the sugar cube in the coffee, the shot of Irish whiskey and the slow pour of slightly whipped heavy cream over the back of a spoon that makes Irish coffee Irish coffee.

Cheers!

Two Quilts, Part 1

2006-03-09T00:26:00.000-05:00

I got two quilt commissions this week! It never rains but it pours. I have been sewing my fingers off since then, and here's what I have so far:

1. The Peanut Quilt, requested by a friend for her friends' "peanut." I developed the character(s, they're all different!) just for this quilt, but I'll probably use him again.

This one needs a widish blue border to make it unisex. Then it will be ready for quilting and binding this weekend! Also, I added a little rick rack trim. Pics to follow.

2. Hambone and Jennicakes Portraits. A woman found my site via Google, and requested a crib-sized quilt with both Hambone and Jennicakes. They are FAMOUS!!! Well, not really. If you look closely, you can see I've done little line drawings of hams and cupcakes to fill the empty picture holes:

I don't know why I'm obsessed with embroidery that's "framed" with fabric, but I am. I'll be stitching the little guys for the rest of the week, and quilting and binding next week.

Now, off to get ready for the season finale of Project Runway!

2006-03-03T16:28:00.000-05:00

I was so excited yesterday to discover and sign up for this Block Swap! I've always been nervous about swapping, but this is going to yield charity quilts along with stuff for me, so I'm very excited.

I can't believe it's March 3 and I'm already ready to order fabrics - AGAIN! Lately I've been mostly purchasing fabrics for aprons, and that's because they really do require quit a bit of fabric. But now that I'm committed to this swap, and because I'd like to do some tea towels, it's time to make another order. Crazy!

Dots!

2006-03-01T19:21:00.000-05:00

I went a little crazy at the equilter spots and dots sale a while ago, and now that my fabric is here, I'm glad I did! I'm in the process of designing a quilt for the county fair, and I know I want it to be very, very dotty!

Shopping!

2006-02-28T01:03:00.000-05:00

In honor of me getting a new studio space (goodbye, old dining room!) I decided to pick up a few cute things from Loloko to cutify my desk.

I guess, theoretically, getting a new studio space means I shouldn't need to buy myself presents beyond that, but I did. Thankfully, in addition to being beyond cute, they are wonderfully inexpensive.

I was feeling really energized after visiting the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles yesterday. Usually I try to avoid doing too much craft-related stuff over the weekends, because I don't want my whole life to be about sewing. But then going back to the grind on Monday is so tough after all the socializing and partying and eating out and movie-watching. But seeing the exhibit there was a good reminder that I did choose the path I'm taking now, and for good reasons.

I really like the word "eponymous."

2006-02-23T15:19:00.000-05:00

So I decided to post a picture of my eponymous quilt.

2005-12-06T19:02:00.000-05:00

I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude this holiday season to people like the lovely Deborah of Chic Cosas for letting me sell my wares at small home shows. After all the hefty fees of the big summer street festivals in the city, it's a lot more fun (and completely free!) to eat cupcakes and show off aprons to somebody's book club friends and Mary Kay lady.

In between shows, I'm putting together some last-minute holiday gift sets, like this eye shade and lavender pillow combo that really is a literal vision of sugarplums...

So many aprons!

2005-12-01T17:09:00.000-05:00

And this isn't even all of them! I can't even fit them all on the table I made them on!

And here I am modeling one so you can see the style:

Commission, whee!

2005-11-30T17:53:00.000-05:00

Well, my fingers are about to fall off, but here is Monet, my friend's sister's dog, embroidered on a miniquilt that will be my friend's sister's Christmas present: