2 Quilts (one complex & one simple), What's Cookin'?, and Covid numbers

PLEASE NOTE THAT I ONLY HAVE A FEW OPEN SPOTS BEFORE CHRISTMAS - GET IN TOUCH SOON IF YOU WILL NEED QUILTING DONE.

Here's the complex quilt, with a medallion setting and a bunch of paper pieced sharks teeth.

And curved piecing.  Don't forget the curved piecing.

This quilt took me back in time.  When I was a kid, Mom had made me a skirt that I loved - dark grey with box pleats.  The inset in the box pleats was pink with a tiny black print.  I felt so sassy when I wore that...every step showed off the pretty pink.  To this day that is still one of my favorite colour combinations. 

Lots of s.i.d. and straight line quilting on this one.

Here's the simple quilt.  Well, not simple exactly - it's all on point, which makes the outer edges really stretchy when it's time to add the borders.  But simple in the sense that it's a one-block quilt, and the blocks are only 2 pieces.

This is from a Fons & Porter magazine, and the maker requested quilting similar to what was in the pics.  I love her colour choices, and she did a great job with the layout.

WHAT'S COOKIN'?

There have been lots of PIES coming out of the oven lately, both savory and sweet.

1.  tomato sauce, mozzarella, mushrooms, cooked sausage, green peppers, tomatoes, onions
2.  pesto, mozzarella, shredded cooked chicken, tomatoes, onions
3.  tomato sauce, mozzarella, diced ham, pineapple, onion
4.  peach (plus another one in the freezer!😁)

And I've been doing lots of sweating over a hot stove.  Peach marmalade, blueberry marmalade, peach-rosemary jam, mango chutney.  I will save DH's reputation and not tell you the story of how I came to be in possession of enough mangoes to necessitate the making of chutney.  You can use your imagination for that.   Not shown are the 21 quarts of diced tomatoes which I finished on Friday.  By February you can expect to see my arse another size larger.

COVID NUMBERS

Worldwide: 25 million cases and 843,000 deaths.

USA:  5.97 million cases and 183,000 deaths

Canada:  128,000 cases and 9,113 deaths.

Ontario:  42,000 cases and 2,800 deaths.

PERSONAL COVID UPDATE

I had my Red Hat girls over last week for a brown-bag-lunch-at-a-distance on the back patio.  Our patio isn't fancy, but it is nice and big.  We hadn't seen each other in MONTHS so it was really good to have a chance to catch up in person.  A few of the gals couldn't make it, but that's par for the course.  Since we're all members of the Caledonia Grand River Quilters' Guild we did a bit of guild catch-up too.  Our guild donated a quilt to the Fair Board to raffle as a fundraiser (see the Guild Feb. 9th post), so many of us bought raffle and/or 50/50 tickets.

I was supposed to leave for two weeks in Italy on Friday.  Yeah, no.  I have actually received a refund for what I'd paid to date, which is good.  I have not yet received anything regarding my seat upgrade for the flights...still waiting on that. ✈

I have another HAIR appointment next week. 👩 Yaay.  This stuff is way too long, and way too hot.  It's going to get a very generous trim.

A Lone Star Beauty and Covid Update #582. OK, not really...

This beauty had been in-progress by the maker for quite a long time. The Lone Star block is perfect.  She pieced it using the pre-printed fusible interfacing product, which makes for a very exact block.  It gets a little bulky in some areas, but that's a small price to pay for great accuracy. 

 The diamond wedges were all quilted with c.c. (continuous curve), and the outer edge of the star, along with all borders, were stitched in the ditch.  I created some ghost blocks in the white background to break that space up into more manageable-sized areas.

There's a nice repetition of the diamonds and squares in the background quilting.  And I love the contrast between the curvy and straight motifs.

This is definitely my favorite shot of the back. 💕

Covid Update To June 27th

May 23- broke a crown on a back molar
May 30- emergency dental assessment.  Dental offices are still closed but will hopefully open next week.
June 2- I had my dental appt for crown repair.  How often do you hear people say they are glad to go to the dentist?  Ontario's State of Emergency is being extended to June 30th.  Bars and restaurants are staying closed. Vet clinics and pet groomers are open.  Sadly, beauty parlours are still closed so hair cutting at home is still a thing. In Haldimand-Norfolk 164 migrant workers are now testing positive, and one has died in Essex county.  The farm corporation is seeking asparagus pickers - bring a group of 5, pay will be $25/hr per person, 7 am - 4 pm.
June 10- In the past week - short term rentals are now allowed in Ontario, so cottages are good to go. Ontario is mostly moving to stage 2, allowing hairdressers to reopen and allowing groups of up to 10 people.  Now we can have small weddings and small funerals.  However that does NOT include Toronto region, Hamilton, Niagara, Windsor-Essex or Haldimand-Norfolk.  The mayors of both Haldimand and Norfolk protested by getting their hair cut outside where the media could get lots of photos. I cut my hair again - this is Edward Scissorhands episode 4.  The Canada-US border will continue to stay closed past the June 21 end date, but the official end date has not been announced.  The Canadian gov't WILL allow immediate family to reunite on the condition the travelers are healthy AND self quarantine for 14 days.
June 12- Ontario will start allowing visits at Long Term Care Homes, Retirement Homes, Residential Care Homes, etc. although there is a long list of conditions that must be met first.  The 30 day limit on prescription meds is ending, and the TTC will require all passengers to mask up.  People can start a social "bubble" of up to 10 friends/family but they can't overlap with other "bubbles".  Grocery stores are ending the pandemic pay bump of $2/hr.  What? We don't need these people anymore? They are no longer critical? Oh, don't me started.
...I'm getting tired of keeping track.
June 17- my poor tooth ended up with a root canal which has left a lovely bruise on my jaw.  Looks like DH slugged me, lol.
June 25- we bottled a batch of wine which should keep me quiet for a few weeks.  Since we were out in the plague ridden world already we took the plunge and got a take-out pizza.  This was our second "restaurant food" since the pandemic started.
June 26- EXCITEMENT!!! I had dinner with a friend!  I packed up my supper, a bottle of wine, dishes, and a lovely gift from the Universe ...well, actually from the tee-total neighbours.  They'd had a celebratory breakfast and gave me the leftover (almost-full) bottle.  After eating our respective dinners-at-a-distance on my friend's deck we enjoyed the champagne with strawberries & whipped cream for dessert.
June 27 - holy sh*t. The US is reporting over 45,000 NEW DAILY CASES of covid. Keep our border the hell shut.

So, about those "Bonus Wages"...

Last month I got into a bit of a disagreement with a couple of people on facebook over the Ontario minimum wage.  Now the grocery stores are eliminating the 'bonus wages' they've been giving to employees for the past few months, and I've got my knickers in a twist again.  The grocery stores have been racking up large increases in their profits because so many people are uncharacteristically feeding themselves at home.  The executives at the TOP of those food chains (no pun intended) are, and/or will, no doubt be getting large bonuses to reflect their (ahem) "superlative performance" during the crisis.  What the hell?  Those low level employees are still putting themselves on the front line every. single. day.  And the people behind the counter at Tim Hortons?  Same thing.  Every. Single. Day.  It was suggested that entry level jobs are not meant to pay a living wage.  Yeah, sorry, I don't get that.  In my opinion that means it's a VOLUNTEER position.  But that's not why people go to work every day...making someone else wealthy while I work cheap?  Student wages is a different thing.  They're part time by necessity (ie school) and are generally supporting cell phone bills, video games, and date nights with their favorite snuggle person.  So sure, they don't need a living wage - they're just learning how to show up on time and do what they're told.  But adults who go to work should be making enough money to pay their rent, for God's sake.  How rich is rich enough?  Why is it always people WITH money who want to stop other people from HAVING money?

On a more pleasant note, I made Strawberry Orange Banana jam last night.  Pandemic Preserving, ha ha ha.  Here is a link to the recipe.  It's identical to the recipe from the Bernardin Home Canning cookbook I have, so yes, it's safe.

Camelot Quilt, A Quilter's Day Out, and Zucchini Report

The quilt maker was kind enough to supply the following information about this quilt.
"Camelot", made from instructions in the Quiltmania magazine, starting with the Jan/Feb 2016 issue.

We discussed quilting ideas, then I sent her a few mockups that I drafted on Intelliquilter (which is the computer drive for my quilting machine).  She chose a couple of borders, and the pretty feathered wreath that fills in between the blocks.

The treatment in each of the blocks was up to me.

I stuck with straight lines, curved lines, pumpkin seeds, and feathers.

When I had everything done except the spaces between the blocks we discussed again, and settled on the bowtie-ish fill.  I really liked that choice because it echoes the circles of the compass blocks.

The wide border got a new-to-me feather design.  Love. 💓

The back.  Sooo pretty.

For those quilters who think "Oh, she's computerized, she doesn't really have to DO anything."...these are the rulers I used on this quilt.

So.  Do you want to hear about my day out this past week?  I had to go pick up my sewing machine which was in for service.  I picked up my friend who was keeping me company and we headed off to Sew Etc. in Burlington, where I got my Pfaff out of hock (a $10 surcharge for cleaning?  Really?).  After I got my machine safely ensconsed in the back seat, we were  discussing lunch locations and decided to head over to Swiss Chalet.  The Bulk Barn just happens to be on the way so we made a pit stop there and I filled up on Almond Butter.  Next stop:  Swiss Chalet.  BTW, they are hiring for all positions, if anyone is looking for a job.  Next door happens to be the CIBC so we walked over and I did a little banking.  Then my friend said:  "Oh look, a shoe store."  Well, dammit.

We tried to go to the Farmer's Market (even though I had NO MONEY left) but the farmers were all closed and heading home.  Up the escarpment we go, and I asked if she needed anything at Costco.  I had to stop for a double package of vinegar, and the ziploc bags that were on sale.  Well, as you probably know, you can't buy just two things at Costco.
So my day out cost me:
machine service: $147.45
Almond butter:  $10.90
Lunch:                $20.00
Shoes:               $185.43
Costco:              $51.45
=====================
Total:              $415.23

I'm not sure if I should go out MORE often so I don't spend so much in one friggin' afternoon, or LESS often which would mean I'd stay home and eat zucchini.  For free.

ZUCCHINI REPORT

Picked this week:  18
Picked YTD:        104 ***Woo Hoo!  Broke the 100 mark!
Gave away this week:  0 none, zip, nada.

I didn't give any away, (well except to the compost, which got a few fuzzy ones)  but I did make six jars of relish, and froze 12 cups of shredded zucchini for the winter.

Favorite Block, Sweet Friends, Garden/Zucchini Update & recipes

No, I have not finished the quilt I showed you last week.  I'm still plugging away at it.  If I could get DH to refresh his memory on how to use either the vacuum or the hoe I might make quicker progress.  However, if he DID get out the hoe, I'd be a little worried about his aim when he got near the zucchini plants.
I will tease you with what I think is my favorite block so far.  I love Dresden Plates.

As far as sweet friends go... Margaret occasionally sends me squishy parcels.  Those are the BEST things to find in your mailbox.  If you need to cheer up a quilty friend for some reason, or just remind someone that you're thinking of them this is a great way to do it.  It's much better than getting another hydro bill in the post.

This was the harvest on Thursday morning.  As of yesterday the cucumbers started to outnumber the zucchinis, so it's a good thing I planted a small variety.  They're bigger than pickling cukes but smaller than conventional ones.  And it's easier to give them away too.  I had two offers of zucchini politely declined by people this week.  Bummer.

ZUCCHINI REPORT

Picked this week:  16
Picked YTD:         41
Gave away:           5

Zucchini recipe of the week:  Zucchini Fritters, link HERE.  I served these with Curried Tomato Preserves.  I like to try something new most years during canning season  and that tomato recipe was a huge hit for me.  I'm definitely making more this year.  link HERE.  

Letters on a Quilt, Company Overflow, Zucchini Report

This definitely rates as one of the more interesting quilts I've worked on this year.

Very simple, design-wise.  But paper piecing the letters and the leaf block would not be my favorite thing to do.  The piecer did a super job on this, for sure!  It was quilted with a Canada flag panto which has been getting lots (!) of use this year.

Last weekend we entertained DH's family, so I was kind of overrun with inlaws for almost a week.  They started arriving on Friday and we waved goodbye to the last of them on Wednesday.  I managed to feed ten of us for lunch on Saturday and as far as I can tell I didn't poison anyone.  Yay me. 👍  However, it seems to have been too much for our front door.  DH went to open it on Tuesday and the door knob fell off in his hand.  It was only 30-some years old...I guess they don't make stuff to last the way they used to.  ha ha...

In the pic below you'll see seven quarts of onion soup, eight pints of peaches, eight half-pints of  Amaretto-Peach Butter, and a lonely jar of zucchini pickles. (There were originally several jars of pickles but I managed to give a few away, for which DH is eternally grateful.)  When I went to the market last Thursday to get some peaches, the peach guy talked me into buying four six-quart baskets of  'seconds', at a pretty good price.  I hate to lose out on a bargain but lemme tell you - I'm darn tired of peeling peaches!!  Last night I made a peach cobbler, so I'm down to the last eight peaches in the fridge.  They just might rot there.  Pfftt.  "OH NO" says my inner voice.   I spent three hours scrubbing the fridge before the inlaws came - it's not getting dirty any time soon.  And yes, it had been quite a while since the last cleaning.  Gross, to tell you the truth.

The onions out in the garden are WONDERFUL this year.  Big and happy.  There's enough to make another 30 quarts of soup, I figure (although that won't happen!).

ZUCCHINI REPORT (2 weeks worth)

With all the rain we've had this summer I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think the zucchini is thirsty.  I may have to water the garden.

Picked last 2 weeks:  15
Picked YTD:             74

I've got five or six in the fridge right now, so more zucchini loaf might be in my future.  But I've also got about eight starting-to-rot bananas on the counter which should go into banana bread, and the eight peaches in the fridge that need to be dealt with.

I may ignore the whole lot and go read a book.  I'm currently working my way through Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood.  I have waited months for it (the E-edition for my tablet) to come in from the library.  I love reading books on my tablet but when they expire they just POOF and are gone.  That is pretty friggin' annoying if you're on the second last chapter.  Interesting side note about this book:  every chapter features a pic of a quilt block.

Dresden Plate Quilt, Selvages, and Garden Update with Zucchini Report

The Dresden Plate is at the top of my FAVORITE QUILTS LIST.

I have made two of my own and I have a third in progress.  This quiltmaker repeated all of the fabrics identically in each plate, and also positioned them identically in the background square.  She used different fabrics for the centers.

I quilted S.I.D. around the sashing, outside of the plates, and around the inside circle.  Mauve thread was used in the sashing and inside the plates; the rest was white thread.  The maker requested feminine quilting, so I went with flowers.  So pretty.

One of my hobbies seems to be collecting selvages.  I have, probably, twelve pounds of them by now.  Never done a thing with them.  But LOOK!!!  I MADE SOMETHING!!!

OK, On to the garden update.  Can anybody tell me what the hell these are?

I swear to God, I planted Butternut Squash seeds.  I'm not sure any of them sprouted because I ended up with these football sized things, AND I have pumpkins growing too, which I also did not plant. I have "people" who do that for me. 😀 These HAD to come out of the compost, because that's where the pumpkin seeds would have been.  I am accustomed to butternut squash growing from the compost, so when I had volunteers back in the spring I gave some seedlings to my neighbour.  Won't she be surprised!  ha ha ha, I'm so bad....

Cherry tomatoes have been ripening for about two weeks now.  Oh, so good!  And the rainy summer has made the peppers very happy - look at the size of that jalapeno.  It is easily the size of the overfertilized produce that you buy at the grocery store, but mine are organic.  Yay me.

Now, what you've all been waiting for...
ZUCCHINI REPORT
Picked this week:  13
Picked YTD:         59

This week I made five jars of Zucchini Pickles from one of my Bernardin cookbooks.  I've never made them before, so hopefully they're edible.

Cool Summer Quilt, Zucchini stuff including a recipe & "the weekly count"

This quilt is so fresh & cool looking - perfect for summer.

Beautiful batiks.

So, as you can clearly see, it is August.  This is the first four loaves of the season.  DH had some for breakfast with peanut butter, and he managed to choke out the words:  "good zucchini bread, wife".  If you want my recipe, it's in THIS post.

ZUCCHINI REPORT
Picked this week (up to Aug. 5th):  10
Picked YTD:  46

On one of my excursions down to the dungeon,  I mean the fruit cellar, I noticed that I still have LOTS of jars of diced tomatoes from last summer.  And I have lots of zucchini in the fridge.  Oh, what's a girl to do???
Step 1:  pour a glass of wine.  Hah.  That's always my first step. 😀
Step 2:  get out the Looneyspoons cookbook.  That's usually my second step.  I love (!) that cookbook.  But sadly, Janet & Greta didn't have anything written up that would get rid of some of those two items that I NEEDED to use.  So I had to get creative.  And let me tell you - it was very, very good.  I've made this twice now so it was not a mistake.

Penne Pasta with Tomato Sauce, serves 4

Loosely based on Lawrence of Arrabbiata, Looneyspoons collection

4 sausages, any flavour seem to work

1 ½ c. chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup of any of the following optional additions – add as many as you like: diced zucchini, diced mushrooms, sweet peppers

1 small hot pepper such as jalapeno (optional)

1 quart jar of diced tomatoes (or a large can)

2 tbsp. tomato paste

½ tsp either crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper (you might want to skip this if you used a jalapeno – your choice)

1 tbsp. Balsamic or red wine vinegar

1 tbsp. each dried basil and dried oregano

12 oz (340 g) uncooked penne pasta, about 4 cups dry

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

·         - In a large frying pan cook the sausages until they are nicely browned.  Drain off fat but leave the crusty bits for flavour.

·         - Remove the sausages to cool for a bit.  When cool enough to handle slice into ¼” thick coins.  Set aside.

·         - Into the dirty frying pan add the onions and the garlic, sauté for a few minutes.  Add a bit of water if necessary to prevent sticking & burning.

·         - Add the optional vegetables and the jalapeno, sauté until they start to soften.

·         - Add the diced tomatoes, and stir for a few minutes, scraping up any crust from the pan.

·         - Add the tomato paste, vinegar, and the sliced sausages.

·         - Leave that pan to simmer gently for about 10 minutes.  Pour yourself a glass of wine.

·         - MEANWHILE...put a large pot of water on to boil.  Cook the pasta until al dente, then drain and return to the pot.

·         - Add the contents of the frying pan to the pot.  Combine and leave to sit off the heat for a few minutes, giving the flavours a chance to meld. 

·         - Add the parmesan.  Finished!!

Christmas Trees Anyone??? and the Border Challenge

I wish I could be as prepared as some of my customers.

I will still be trying to choose Christmas gifts on December 22nd.  And cursing myself.
This is beautifully pieced and will make a great gift for someone.

This backing is a lovely cozy green flannel.

These stupid tomatoes are no longer allowed in the house.  There are so many fruit flies zipping around the kitchen that I have to keep a SECOND coaster for my wine and put it on the top of the glass to keep the bugs out.  I've now become very adept at picking up the glass and gently sandwiching the top coaster between two fingers and sliding it off while I take a slug dainty sip.  So far I've done 15 jars of salsa and 37 (?) quarts of diced tomatoes.  Many many people think I'm a bit insane to can my own tomatoes.  If they ever googled the 'allowable contaminants in canned goods' they might change their minds.

THE BORDER CHALLENGE and a bit of whining
Back in June I showed you some pics of this quilt, which I made for two different challenges at two different guilds.  At the first guild (the Paint Chip challenge) I won zippo. Nothin.  There were, I think, at LEAST 15 entries.  The winners did great jobs on their projects and their wins were well deserved.

At the second guild (the Border Challenge) I won first prize - a charm pack of red & whites that I can use for the same two guilds' current challenges to celebrate Canada's 150th birthday next year.  Yay me!

Now for the whining part...
At the second guild, which is the same size as the first guild, there were FIVE entries.  Compared to at least FIFTEEN entries at the first guild.  With only five entries there was obviously not a lot to choose from when the ladies voted.
When I walked into the 'challenge room' to look at the entries and fill out my ballot, there was a conversation in progress, in front of MY quilt, that went something like this (I have paraphrased because I was trying to NOT eavesdrop, but they were kinda loud):
Lady A:  "Well, the quilting is beautiful but did she quilt it herself, or did she pay a longarm quilter?"
Lady B: "She might have her own longarm."
Lady A:  "If she paid a professional then she didn't do the quilting and I would vote for a different quilt."
Lady B: "Even if it she did the quilting herself, that still makes it done by a professional."

I have to tell you, firstly - for courtesy's sake I think the conversation should have stopped when the ladies saw me enter the room, because they know I am a professional longarm quilter, and I think the three of us were the only ones in the room at the time.  Secondly, this kind of chatter makes me wonder why I go to guild meetings.  It's hurtful and makes me feel like ... like ... dirty somehow.
Am I not supposed to participate?  There were FIVE damned entries!  Obviously there are a lot of guild members who could not be bothered to appreciate the organizers of the Challenge enough to play along.  How do you think they felt after doing all the hard work of putting instructions together every month?

And lastly:  the reason the quilting is beautiful?  Because I WORKED HARD to make it beautiful.

Rant over.  

Modern Neutrals & tomato recipe

This lovely neutral quilt is destined to be a wedding gift.

Since this is for a young couple - what young person does not like music?

I pulled a nice co-ordinating sashing design to go with the musical border.

The brown panels hide the quilting (for the most part) but were stitched with a puzzle design.

I am in the throws of tomato season.  So far I've done 15 jars of salsa and 21 quarts of diced tomatoes.  Last night for supper I made a Tomato Tart, using a recipe from the newspaper.  If you google "tomato tart" you will get a bunch of recipe ideas, many incorporating mustard and/or additional cheeses, etc.  This one is dirt simple and it tasted pretty good.  I just served it with chicken cutlets & lemon wedge.  And wine. :-)

As you might have guessed, I am done (!) with zucchini reports for the year.  I'm kinda swamped this time of year between the garden and the guilds starting up again.  I didn't manage to work on my quilt challenge over the last two months, so I will repeat the same challenge for September & October. Hopefully I'll get somewhere with it this time.

TOMATO TART

• 1 puff pastry
• 1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 fresh chopped basil
• 1 T. fresh chopped oregano
• 1.5 lbs. fresh tomatoes, sliced 1/4" thick

Roll out the pastry to 13" square.

Mix the cheese & herbs, then sprinkle on the center 11" of the pastry.

Layer the tomato slices on the center 11" of the pastry.

Turn up the outer 1" of pastry all around like a crust.

Bake at 425 for 30 minutes.

Japanese Lanterns & Final Zucchini Report & What-the-hell-have-you-been-doing?

I seriously love my job sometimes.  This quilt was just a beauty to work on.

Sashiko pattern in the red borders.

A continuous circle pattern in the black border.

A brick design in the beige 'ladies' border.

Mmm.  Diamond & Circle in the black border.

I used a modified portion of the Diamond & Circle to fill in the black background area behind the large lanterns.

A panel on the back, which needed to be centered.  Always a bit of a challenge, that.  This is really close - within 1/2".  Yay me!

ZUCCHINI REPORT
As I explained, the zucchinis are toast.  In a manner of speaking.  The last 5 tiny stragglers were picked, to give me a grand total...
TOTAL PICKED 2015: 105 ZUCCHINIS.

Now I have moved on to the tomatoes.  I am NOT doing a tomato report.  Find some other idiot for that chore, ok??

There has been lots of this going on.

On Thursday night my poor cooktop look like this.  Aaargh....

I was making so much tomato sauce that it was bubbling up pretty close to the top of the pot.  Then, I realized "uh oh - it's going to boil over... should I take it off the burner or turn the burner down?"  By the time I asked myself that little question it was already too late.
 Tomato sauce EVERYWHERE.

Last night, DH felt sorry for me and cleaned up.    Thank you, sweetheart.

In case you are interested, so far I have canned...
Onion Soup - 7 quarts
Amaretto-Peach Butter - 5 1/2 pints
Plain sliced peaches - 3 pints
Salsa - 6 pints
Seasoned Italian Tomato Sauce - 12 1/2 pints