Karis on Colorshock the Cold Away

Here’s the latest entry for the Baby/Quilt gallery- baby Karis, daughter of Joel and Candie.  (click on the ph0to for a better look at this darling.)  They live in Boston, though they used to live in this area. Karis was born a few days before Christmas.  I’m pleased to hear the quilt (called Colorshock the Cold Away) is in use as Karis’s landing spot as she prepares for life as an active wiggler and athlete.

I brought her photo to our recent Friendship Circle meeting, and she is considered to be remarkably cute.  I hope she becomes a member of Red Sox Nation, like her big sister S.  She’s been born in the right place.

Here is another photo of the quilt in process.  I machine pieced and machine quilted this, using fabrics from my stash.  All cotton batting, fabrics, and thread.

Process Photo of Colorshock the Cold Away

Welcome to winter, Karis!  I hope you’re not a grumpy elf anymore.

Sock Yarn and Mohair Fingerless Gloves for BES

I am pleased to say that I am starting 2010 with not only a new look for Slow and Sew, but also a new skill- knitting thumbs.  I have now made two pairs of fingerless gloves, also known as fingerless mittens, or “texting gloves” or “iPod mittens”.  Evidently they are not just all the rage with open air entrepreneurs, but also with the teenage texting set.  The first pair are destined for over the pond, for my cousin BES, who is living near London.

Worsted Weight Wool and Sparkly Stuff Pair

Here is the pair that I just finished, this first day of 2010.  This pair is made with worsted weight wool, and some more sparkly novelty cuffs.  This are not yet destined for a particular owner.  Want them?  I’ll make this pair available to the first commenter.

Here’s hoping in that Resolution kind of way that I learn more this year than just how to make thumbs in knitwear.  Hopefully the cooking and gardening skills will improve, too.

Of course, this may have been discovered on the left and right coasts long before it was by me in Minnesota, the latest innovation in my sewing life has been Laminated Cotton. (I would have called it Oilcloth, but oilcloth is heavier than the stuff I’ve been working with, and has its own category on Fabric.com)  And of course, what I’m making out of it is not really news, particularly to my friends and rellies (relatives) in Maine who’ve been bringing their own bags to the supermarket since about 1985.  I’m making tote bags.  Like this one.  Click the picture if you’d like to see it larger.  The point I’d like to make, though, is that all good ideas can be tinkered with, and sometimes the results are better.

Hip Waterproof Tote

I started with a pattern (The Mighty Tote, by Susan Fuquay, copyright 2008  American Quilt Retailer) that I got as part of a goodie bag at Bear Patch Quilting Co. in White Bear Lake, MN.  That’s also where I spied and bought the lovely laminated cotton you see in the photo.

Of course, after reading through the pattern, which makes a 12″ x 12″ x 12″ bag, (which won’t fit in my shopping bicycle’s baskets), I forged off on my own.   After a couple attempts at measuring standard brown grocery bags, making the thing taller,  adjusting the size of the piece to leave open for turning, etc., I now have some new dimensions.  I’ll probably publish these later after I’ve done the math for the cutting layout, etc.  I plan on doing this for our quilt retreat in March.  I’m debating whether or not to put a Peltex or cardboard, plastic mesh piece in to make the bottom firmer in the next iteration.  The bag is fully lined with the same laminated cotton (or in my case, one bag has a contrasting lining of a leafy pattern).

Why is laminated cotton so cool?  Why is it perfect for shopping bags for me?  Why does this pattern rock?  Because if the milk leaks or fruit gets mushed in the bag there are

• no stains

and

• no extra laundry

because I can just rinse these puppies out under the faucet, or wipe them out with a wet cloth!

All this, and I think they will be a great fashion accessory with the Mary Poppins bike this spring.  (Even though I’ve started to use them already.)  They can also be used as an impromptu cooler, if you throw in the ice or ice packs.  I can also see this as the hip new pool accessory among the swimmers I know for toting suits, fins, goggles, etc.

What are your thoughts regarding solid bottoms vs. bags that can be rolled up, dear readers?  I can see pros and cons to both arguments.

And now, for the moment you’ve all been waiting for…..  The Quilt Has Been Named!

Ruth Said "Let Us Quilt."

Our winner is Ingrid,  who will receive a $25.00 gift card and a custom Wonder Wallet, which was made with the LazyGirl Designs Wonder Wallet pattern, which I purchased on the WAQG bus trip back in November.  I hope Ingrid likes her Wonder Wallet as much as I like the one I’ve been using for more than a year.   I am especially impressed that Ingrid was able to briefly, but humorously, refer to Ruth B. McDowell and recognize the Boston lettuce.  It was important to refer to Ruth, since it is her Boston lettuce block I used in the quilt.

For her lovely poetry and ability to work in not only The Garden Song, but the fact that this was a long term UFO,  Polly also receives a prize… the 2010 Quilting Arts Calendar, which is in the mail on its way to her.  I hope she finds this inspirational as she goes through the next year.

Thanks so much to all who offered up names, good cheer, and support in this process.

If any of you are quilters, and have been on a bus trip that takes you to new stores where they sell cool stuff, you can probably relate to moments of weakness, insanity, or just optimism that brings you to purchase items, figuring you’ll make them into something for someone at some time.  I bought Amy Butler’s In Town Bags pattern
at Bear Patch Quilting in White Bear Lake, MN.  Then, at a later stop at Fat Quarter Quilting in Coon Rapids, MN, my friend E and I purchased some cool fabrics so I could make a bag for her (wicked smart) daughter J as a Christmas gift.  Then E and I got lost in All About Yarn, which was a couple doors down.  Yes, we optimistically purchased items there, too!

Here is one Smart Handbag from Amy Butler’s pattern.  Click on the image for a larger view.

The Snakes Bag for J

The lining and pockets of the Snakes Bag

As I started to cut out the pieces of J’s bag, I decided to make a second Smart Handbag for another smart chickadee in my life, my niece K.  My sister tells me that K and I not only share the family jock gene, we both share a love of a certain baseball team, and admire people who play catcher.  I figured this would be an appropriate use for the fabric I have been saving for years.

Perfect Accessory For a Member of Red Sox Nation

Lining for Sox Purse

Again, click on any of the photos for a larger view.  I’m hoping that these gifts are well received.  I sure had fun making them.  I might need a Smart Handbag of my own.

See? And they even fit my feet!

After the Quilt Guild’s bus trip three or so weeks ago, I found myself with several new projects to work on.  The first I tackled was knitting a pair of socks, using the technique from Melissa Morgan-Oakes’s book, 2-At-A-Time SOCKS, where you knit both socks on a long circular needle, so that you finish both socks at the same time.

The Book That I Am Using- It's Very Good

I knew that this was the only way I would ever manage to knit a pair of socks.  Why, you ask?  First, because I like knitting on circular needles, (Easier), and Second (and more importantly), I am impatient, and would likely lose interest if both socks weren’t finished very near the same time.

I learned a few things on this pair, and I’m hoping my second pair will be a little neater where I picked up stitches for the heel gussets, and now that I’ve learned better to deal with such tiny yard on tiny needles.

This pair was on a size 4 40″ circular needle, and was done with 2 balls of wool sock yarn. The color scheme was devised by Kaffe Fassett- could it have  been Rowan yarn???  The pattern is what randomly happened with each ball of yarn, as it is just straight knitting, after the garter stitch for the ribbing.

My next pair will be on a size 1 needle, with a less freaky colored yarn.  We’ll see if there is as freaky a result.

A Fashion Statement

Anyone who’s known me since 1992 has probably seen me wear a black fleece vest.  I actually lost the Chuck Roast vest two years ago (Boo hoo!), so I have branched out to other vests- even vests that are colored.  Since I had a lot of leftover strips of the batik fabrics from the choir stoles, I made myself a new vest with them, and only had to cut a few small pieces.  The stripes don’t line up, and that’s on PURPOSE.  Really.

I used a pattern, aptly named “The Zip-Up Vest” by Favorite Things, a Canadian company from BC.  Visit their site here.  I made some modifications, doing the crazy piecing on foundations.  I added pockets, since I always need a place for keys/wallet, etc.

I expect I’ll be using this pattern a few more times, since it fits well, and I think I can make several variations with current stash items.  I just need a good supply of separating zippers, and I should be able to add some interest to my monotonous black pants/long sleeved shirt wardrobe staples.

Chocolate Pots de Creme, in about Half an Hour

We’re having guests over for dinner this week, and tonight I made the dessert ahead.  I may have blogged about these before.  They’re a go-to recipe for chocolate fiends, and they can be made up to 3 days ahead, and kept under plastic wrap in the fridge.  For those who like to have their mise en place, this is a winner.  Who doesn’t like rich thick chocolate?  And who says you need a bain marie to make Pots de Creme?

I slightly modified a recipe from Cook’s Illustrated.  I used 2 oz ramekins instead of 5 oz ones, because I find the  full size to  be too much if you are serving more than a salad before it.  Besides, who doesn’t like having one or two (or 6) left over to share with friends the next day?

Chocolate Pots De Creme

Serves 8 – 14, depending on ramekin size (5oz for 8, 2 oz for 14)

Equipment

• ramekins: eight 5oz. ramekins, or about fourteen 2 oz. ones (I’ve used espresso cups before with good luck, also.)
• sheet pan
• 4 qt. saucepan
• heatproof silicon spatula or wooden spoon with flat edge
• whisk
• 1 qt Pyrex measuring cup for portioning
• fine mesh strainer
• large mixing bowl
• rolling pin or hammer (or chef’s knife and cutting board)
• 1 cup liquid measuring cup
• small bowl and spoon
• measuring spoons
• instant read thermometer
• plastic wrap

Ingredients

• 10 oz bittersweet chocolate  (2.5 Ghirardelli bittersweet bars from the baking section)
• 5 large egg yolks
• 5 Tbs. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. table salt
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup milk (I used skim, since it’s what I had)
• 1 Tbs. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. instant espresso powder mixed with 1 Tbs. water

Procedure

1. Set out your ramekins on a sheet pan.
2. Break up the chocolate.  I use my rolling pin, and bash the bars before I unwrap them.  You can do the same thing with a hammer.  Otherwise, you can show your real knife skills by unwrapping the bars, and chopping the chocolate with a chef’s knife on a cutting board.  Either way, put the chocolate bits into the large mixing bowl, and put the fine mesh strainer over the bowl, and set them aside.  Put the 1 qt Pyrex measuring cup beside the bowl.
3. Separate the eggs, putting the yolks in your saucepan.  Do what you will with the egg whites at a later time.  Add the sugar, salt, cream and milk and whisk until combined.   Put the whisk aside with the large bowl, strainer, and large Pyrex measuring cup.
4. Mix the espresso and water in the small bowl, and measure in the vanilla.  Set aside with the large bowl, etc.
5. Put the saucepan over medium low heat, and stir constantly with the silicon spatula/wooden spoon so the custard can cook without sticking to the pan.  Cook for 8-10 minutes. It will heat up and thicken slightly.  Use your instant read thermometer to check the temperature during the process.  When you reach 175-180 degrees F, turn off the heat.
6. Immediately take the saucepan over to the large bowl, and pour the custard through the strainer, to remove any lumps. Scrape out all the custard with the spatula.  Let the hot custard melt the chocolate for a couple minutes, then begin stirring gently with the whisk.  Whisk more vigorously until the custard and chocolate are incorporated, and whisk in the espresso and vanilla.
7. Scrape the mixture into the large Pyrex measuring cup for portioning into the ramekins.  Fill the ramekins.  Cover the ramekins with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days.  Allow to stand at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving.
8. At serving time, serve plain, or with whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa.

Happy Choir Members Decked out in New Stoles

Look!  We finished the UUF Choir Stoles project.   You may remember a prototype from the blog many moons ago.  Here are Ellen, Kathy, Becky, and Gayle sporting our results.  We made two sets of 16 stoles, and they are reversible, so we have four options.  The two ladies on the left (Ellen, Kathy) are wearing stoles from the same set, and the ladies on the right (Becky, Gayle) are wearing stoles from the second set.  You can click on the picture for a larger view.

Even More Options for Wearing Stoles

In this photo (again, click it for a larger view), each woman has reversed her look, and Ellen and Kathy have decided to reverse them from front to back.  Can you tell they like these things?  If only you could hear them sing, too.

All in all, I think we used about 5 yards of each of the solid color fabrics, and at least 2.5 yards of the three batiks.  We used about 1 to 1.5 yards of each of the black and white fabrics, since we had more prints for those.  With about 9 or 10 yards of  plain white muslin for the foundations for piecing, this took a fair bit of fabric, but it was  a fun project.  We had two workdays in La Crosse at the Fellowship, and then Kathy and I each did some work at home to finish them off.

Special thanks to all who helped on this project.  I know I’d miss a name or two if I tried to list them.

This has been a real boost for me (using my skills for a great group of people), and a boost for the choir.  They look so great as a group, and I’ve heard they behave better when dressed up. *SMIRK*

A long time in the making

Here is my best example that you can think of a great quilt idea in 30 seconds that can take years to complete.   Click on the photo for a slightly larger image.

I got inspired by Ruth B. McDowell’s book Pieced Vegetables when it first came out, back when I lived in Colorado, more than seven years ago.  I created the lettuce in the lower left corner in Colorado, along with the freezer paper templates for the rest of this quilt.  I remember bringing the green and blue lettuces to a quilt guild meeting not long after I moved to the Midwest, in about 2003.  I completed the last lettuce (the red one) at our WAQG retreat in 2008.  Last night I finished the quilting.

This quilt contains some fabric that I personally hand dyed, in the few times I’ve done some dyeing, but most of the fabrics are commercial quilting fabrics, of a variety of ages.

I’m still trying to decide about the final title for this quilt. It needs to have some reference to Ruth McDowell, since I used her pattern for the lettuces, and perhaps it should reference Andy Warhol, for the coloring influence as well.  Any help out there, readership?  There’s a gift card in it for you, if you come up with the best name!