A Zoom Class with Dana Jones - Peace Cranes over Hiroshima

Near the end of March, I attended a guild Zoom class with Dana Jones.  Dana created this Peace Cranes over Hiroshima pattern after a visit to Hiroshima.  She was very moved by the experience and set out to design a tribute to her trip.    This paper pieced project is not what you would call a beginner project.  I had some previous experience so I did ok.  Dana definitely has some techniques to help me enjoy paper piecing more than before.    The pattern kit she provided had all the tools you could possibly need.   Charts, sheets of over 80 labels to label all the pieces that were cut, sewing sequences of the segments and finishing diagrams, etc.   All were so useful to refer too, and made the project very easy finish after the class. 

Weeks before the class, I set out to create myself a fabric kit from my stash.  My friend Willa helped me out from her stash too.  Actually, I think there's as much from her stash in the colors as there is from my stash.  It was fun to have her opinion to pick the colors. (Many thanks Willa)

Stash fabrics all selected and ready for my class

At the end of the Zoom class day, I had completed the smallest
crane.    It set a good pace for me.  1 crane a day.  

Day 2 - another crane.   I'm feeling in the groove. 
My goal to have the 6 cranes paper pieced within the week.

Tada - this was a great pace for me.   6 cranes done in a week

After sewing all the segments together,
picking off the paper was the next task.  

A couple of evenings of watching TV helped.

The flimsey.  Pressed but not trimmed or squared off yet.

Background quilted.  Marking the wings of the cranes
and stitch in the ditch.

Made the label using scrap cuttings from the paper piecing.
It will be hand stitched to the back.

I used many rulers and tools to square up the piece to 36" x 48"

Detail of background quilting

My beautiful Peace Cranes over Hiroshima is
 done and is hanging in my family room.  I'm pleased.
 It will be shown at our next guild quilt show.  

Knitting, and Charity Knitting

Granddaughter Aurora modelling a
Snowtracks Hat.  It's really nice.

 I haven't blogged for a long time.  But that doesn't mean that I've not been busy.    I have been sewing and quilting lots.   I'm a cool weather knitter.  In the last month or so, I've been really enjoying my evening knitting while watching TV.   It's usually for about 2 hours.  Just relaxing and small projects.  Nothing too stressful.   I'm loving some of the new things to make knitting easier.   The 16" circulars are my particular love this past month as I've been knitting cabled hats.  I love the circulars that much, that I'm going to knit some hats for charity.  Much less fiddling with DPNs make the hats so quick to knit.  

Speaking of Charity knitting, I want you to know that ww
w.yarncanada.ca in partership with Bernat and Patons Yarn are giving away $4000 worth of yarn to charitable individuals/groups.   If you do charity knitting personally or in a group, please consider appying for this yarn.    

The details and application page is here: https://www.yarncanada.ca/for-good

Lemonless Lemon Bread (but has a nice lemon glaze)

1/2 cup butter

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1-1/2 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup milk

pinch of salt

grated rind of 1 lemon

1 cup walnuts, optional

Juice of 1 lemon

1/2 cup white sugar

Mix first three ingredients.  Mix baking powder into milk and add with flour and salt.   Add rind and walnuts and pour into sprayed/lined loaf pan.   Bake at 320 degrees F for 45 min or until done.

Mix Lemon juice and sugar and let sit while loaf is baking.  Pour over loaf as soon as it is taken from the oven.   Let cool slightly before removing from the loaf pan.

Banana Bread - My weekly standard recipe

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup shortening

3 crushed bananas

1 tsp soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups flour

1 tsp lemon juice

Mix until combined.  Cook at 350 F for 65 minutes in a greased/lined loaf pan.  

All Bran Cookies - Recipe taken from the side of the All Bran box

 1/2 cup shortening

1 egg

1 cup flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/3 cup raisins

1/2 All Bran cereal

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup chopped nuts

Mix all ingredients..  Using small pampered chef scoop, drop scoops onto a silpat on cookie sheet.   Bake at 350F for 10 - 12 min.  Makes 25 cookies.

Cinnamon Bread - My old standard recipe

1 cup white sugar

1/4 cup shortening

2 eggs

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 cups flour

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp Cinnamon, 3 tbsp sugar mix

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Mix all but cinnamon mix... pour half of the batter in greased/lined loaf pan.   sprinkle most of the cinnamon sugar mix.  Then carefully pour rest of batter over.   Bake for 65 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.   

 

Wasco Date Squares - My standard recipe

 Filling:

400 grams (3 cups0 pitted chopped dates

1.5 cups water

1 cup brown sugar

Crumble

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup butter

1 3/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats

Date Filling: place into a pot and cook over low heat for 10 min.  Stirring until thickened.

Mix crumble ingredients together...

Directions:  Heat oven to 400 F.  Grease pan 9 x 13 pan.  pour half of crumb mix into 9 x 13.   Carefully spread wth date filling.  Top with remaining crumb mix.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes...

Operation: Isolation

A few notes I've made regarding the making of the isolation gowns.  This short video shows you  the prototype gown that Marj Deveau made using the adjusted pattern.  Adjustments were made in order to use the colorful broadcloth. The hems and finishes are not done on this prototype. 

• Notice the two part sleeve.   
• Notice the encased elastic at the wrist.  The sleeves are long enough for those with longer arms.  
• Only the front of the gown has a scooped neckline and will need to be finished before stitching to the back pieces.   
• Notice how the back pieces overlap to give good coverage.  
• The gown length has been made 4" longer for better coverage.   
• Two sets of twill tape ties will be added to the back section.  They will be positioned neck and mid section while keeping the overlap.    If you don't get twill tape for the ties in your supply packet,  it's because there wasn't enough of the 3/4" tape.   Please use the tie making directions from the Instruction sheet.

Here is a sample of how you might want to finish your front neckline. 

  (And if you've forgotten how to make bias tape, click here for a short YouTube video.)  

Using a 1.25" Bias length, press in half. 
Stitch to the wrong side of the neckline.
Clip curves, and press over to the right side, then top stitch.

Signature Cunard Luxury fruit scones recipe

Signature Cunard scone recipe. Ingredients 17 oz Plain Flour 1 oz Baking Powder 4.5 oz Diced Butter 3 oz Powdered Sugar 4 Eggs 4.5 fl oz Whole Milk 2 oz Golden Raisins This recipe makes 12 scones. Method ♦ Take the flour, baking powder, butter and    powdered sugar to breadcrumb stage by   either rubbing, or using a paddle on a mixer ♦ Add the golden raisins, mix again ♦ Add three of the eggs and the milk, and   mix well ♦ Pat down on a lightly floured surface until   smooth ♦ Leave to rest for five minutes ♦ Roll out to 2cm thick, turning after each push    to even the tension in the dough ♦ Cut the scone mix out and place onto a    paper-lined tray ♦ Using the final egg, eggwash with the yolk ♦ Bake at 350°F for approximately 12 minutes

Serve with freshly-brewed tea and delicate finger sandwiches, and perhaps some relaxing music, for that familiar Cunard feel. And for a bit more Afternoon Tea inspiration, including some ‘teatime tidbits’ from across the Cunard fleet, click on the link below. Happy baking!

A Viewers Choice Ribbon for Abby

A viewers Choice for Abby was presented to me last
evening at our quilt guilds closing banquet. (thanks Linda H. for the photo)

I decided to make Abigail last fall.  See, it all started last year when a friend, Kathy S. from Alberta, made a quilted cow and it was so different, that I knew I had to make one.  But could I actually do it?   I kept my project to myself knowing that if it came out good, I would use it for our Guild quilt show.  And also I would need a project to do while away on our winter snowbird trip.  I started planning my kit.   I rummaged through my stash to find a whole bunch of different fabrics.   Finally time was closing in, and I bundled up my final choices and this would be become my kit.  It fit in a brown paper lunch bag.  We arrived in Florida and I couldn't wait until Christmas was over so I could start my fun secret project.   The dining room table was cleared, and the work on Abby began.  Friends and neighbours came by every couple of days to check on her progress.    They loved seeing Abby come to life.   

Well, here are a few progress photos.

Outlined my marked pattern with strips of dark fabric.

 

Started placing strips from the top down. Horns, forehead, ears. 
 Every strip was given careful consideration.

Placing strips continue and gets faster as Abby
emerges.  I can see her personality coming out.   

Then after all the strips were placed, the quilting started.. 
Hubby helped hold the quilt while I stitched the
straight lines.  

 

. 

Quilt Labels for the Fredericton Quilt Guild Show

Getting ready to put quilts in a quilt show is a great motivator to get quilt labels made for the quilts going into our Guild's quilt show. I had three quilts entered into the show, and listed another two as "just in case you need more".   So I needed a total of 5 labels..

I had thought about stitching them on my embroidery machine...but that's not my favorite thing to do and working with my outdated software is a pain.    Then I thought about hand stitching lovely labels. I would have loved to do that, but I know it would have taken a lot longer than I would have time.  The show was approaching fast.    So, I thought I might create my labels in MS word, then print.  I used my new light box and simply hand traced labels using a micron pen onto the freezer paper stabilized cotton.

What do you think?   I am really glad I did it this way and I'll definitely do this again.   

This was the scrap quilt piece I worked on over the winter.
Abigail is a collaged cow.   Stay tuned for a post just about Abby.
Nobody had seen her until the week of the show.  She was a hit.

This Kitchen Sink quilt is one of my favorite scrap quilts. 
I will make another sometime.

My friend Diane gave me the fabulous Elizabeth Hartman pattern,
North Stars for my birthday last year. 
I did it block of the month style and had it finished by Christmas.   Loved doing it that way.

You probably saw my Winter Wonderland quilt.  It normally hangs
in my foyer in the winter.  I loved hand stitching the blocks, mostly at the cottage.

This quilt was "TheQuiltShow.com's" block of the month a couple of years ago. 
It's so sweet.  And quilting really brings it to life.

Needle Keep!

  Here in the community craft room, there are many donations of various craft supplies.   So, one afternoon recently, from the donations, I got a few vintage buttons, some embroidery floss, felt, ribbon, and bits of lace and some batting.  All I had to get was the cotton fabric.   And with all that I knew I could sew up a couple of small needle keeps.       

I tried a simple hand stitched design that I appliqued to the front of the needle keep.   And the other, I tried a simple drawing of flowers.  I like it for my first try, but I think the hand stitched is still my favorite.