Studio, Scapes, Celery & Cilantro

Greetings All,

For those of you who didn't already know, besides having our busy little funny farm, I also have a small quilt shop on the property that I open by Appointment. I don't keep regular hours with all we have going on out here.  Having said that, I usually only need a quick text or Facebook Messenger head's up that you want to come out and I will happily open the studio for you if I'm around. If I don't know you're coming, there's a good chance that the gate at the property entrance will be closed - or if I am in the yard, the studio will be locked and I would miss you altogether and we'd both be sad.  

After we closed the quilt shop in town, I knew I wasn't ready to be completely out of the industry yet, so we renovated Papa's workshop to become my new studio/retail space.  This is housed in the first and largest bay of our garage.  We put in a separate entrance, installed lots of great lighting and large windows.  We renamed it Prairie Points Quilt Shop & Quilters Studio as it is where I have all my personal equipment, as well as the small retail shop. 

Although I don't have the selection I had when we were in town, I do carry a great selecton of the basic basics.  Since most shops focus on collections and lines, I knew those bases were already very well covered and decided to focus on the "etc" items.  And since I am around 99% of the time, customers have taken advantage with being able to come out in the evening or on a Sunday afternoon.  If you run out of red thread at 8 pm while piecing, a quick text and I can be out in the studio in moments and you can happily carry on with your project that evening.  It has been working very well for us and our customers are happy with having the convenience of being able to shop when they need to.  Win/win. 

I offer an amazing collection of basics blenders which includes the entire line of Northcott's Canvas.  I have some awesome tone on tone whites, true black, a great selection of Fireside Minkee - the beautiful 60" wide polyester fabric that makes awesome backing, a great selection of 108" wide 100% cotton wide backing by Northcott, a selection of notions - which includes scissors, snips, replacement blades, rulers, mats, marking pens/chalks, Breezy Color Catcher Sheets, sewing machine needles, etc. I brought in the complete line of Sue Spargo 100% Australian Merino Wool fat quarters and co-ordinating 8 wt perle cotton threads.  We also have Signature threads in variegated and the complete line of Wonderfil 50 wt threads in solid and variegated colors.  I also have Hobbs 80/20 batting in fusible and non-fusible 96" wide, as well as an incredible selection of interfacings and fusible webbings.  

I am no longer offering classes as it became apparent very quickly that most students preferred lessons tapered to their particular skill set.  These may also be arranged by appointment and tailored to the student's schedule and needs - instead of the other way around.  

108" wide 100% cotton wide backing, sample quilts & patterns

Sue Spargo Wool quarters, coordinating 8 wt perle cotton thread,
Signature Threads,
Prairie Points Patterns, Wonderfil 50 wt solid & variegated threads

Selection of Blenders, Flannels, Whites, some notions and Fireside Minkee

Complete line of Canvas by Northcott

New Blenders

I sew enjoy my time spent out in the Studio.  I am surrounded by color and texture and a beautiful view to give me inspiration to fuel my creative juices.  Since I don't have to keep a schedule any more, I can work at my own pace and just create, for the sake of creating. 

This little quilt is made up of surplus fabric from a previous project.  My focus for the past couple of years has been scrappy.  I haven't even begun to make a dent in my scrap collection, but I love the freedom it affords me to not have to showcase a specific line or design.  I am free to simply create, at my own pace and in my own time.

Latest project - 24" square embellished quilt

One perk of being at home, is to have the time enjoy a pet again.  We adopted Wilbur our Studio Dog over 2 years ago.  We didn't know we had a Wilbur sized hole in our hearts until he came to live with us.  He has brought us more joy than we ever could have imagined!

Mr Wilbur after his bath

I have been busy harvesting herbs lately.  These are the first flush of Garlic Scapes that I chopped up and dehydrated.  These can be used like green onions - giving a hint of garlic in soups, stews, stir frys, etc. 

Garlic Scapes

The onion blossom stems needed to come off the spring onions, so I collected and chopped these up to be dehydrated as well.

Spring Onion Stems, ready to be chopped up

With the price of celery in the grocery store as of late, I am so happy to have our own celery again this year.  We grow enough to enjoy fresh until about Christmas.  I dehydrate the tops for celery flakes and chop up and freeze the surplus.  This is great in soups, stews and even chicken and salmon salads.  The taste is nothing like the taste of the commercially grown celery.  I was joking with Papa that he has about $1000 retail worth of celery in the garden at today's prices.  He just shakes his head at me!

First Celery harvested of the season

After a busy day in the garden, I felt like a wiener roast one evening.  I had baked buns earlier that day and made up some hot dog buns while I was at it.  We lit the first fire of the season, opened a beer, picked the few ripe cherry tomatoes and proceeded to spend a quiet moment in the fire pit area.  It didn't last long as the dark clouds in the background of the picture soon turned to rain clouds.  The wind picked up and we called it a night.  It was fun while it lasted though. And those tomatoes!  Pure Candy!

First Cherry Tomatoes of the season
With a Cold brew and freshly baked hot dog buns . . .

. . . for our first wiener roast of the season!

Papa has been working on his pond-scaping lately.  He wanted to eliminate the grass between the upper pond and the east flower bed as it is a bear to mow.  He decided to put in another raised flower bed.  When he called me to offer an opinion, I felt I wanted a walk way from the lower patio up to the upper pond.  He has since decided to make a sitting area at the top of the walkway.  I think it is going to look amazing when he's done!

Pond progress is looking good!

The other day I was out harvesting the spinach and cilantro.  The smell of Cilantro just about drove me to absolute distraction.  All I could think about was Pico de Gallo - Fresh Salsa.  So, I checked the greenhouse for a few ingredients, picked some onions and set about to make a batch.  Wow!  Incredibly fresh flavor.  Just what we needed.  A real Summertime treat.  

Cilantro washed and a batch of Pico de Gallo

Spinach wilting, Romaine lettuce cut up and washed,
Cilantro harvested, peppers, onions and tomatoes

To make this summer treat you will need:

One onion finely diced

One garlic clove, crushed (I used finely chopped garlic scapes)

One sweet green pepper, finely diced

Two or three ripe red tomatoes, chopped

About 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

A squirt of Real Lime juice or the juice of half a fresh lime

Pinch of salt

Mix ingredients together and serve with Tortilla chips.  

Be prepared to make another batch.  This won't last long!

It is safe to say it has been a cool, damp summer thus far.  Although certain crops are loving it - I still have lettuce and the spinach hasn't bolted, we could certainly use some heat.  Two years ago I was harvesting cherries by now and the peas were podding.  This year, the cherries are green as can be and the peas are just beginning to flower.  All the heat loving plants are struggling and many have simply perished from too much moisture.  Isn't it odd how one year can be so very different from another?  Regardless, the flowers are loving it.  We are not watering all the pots daily.  The peonies are still in bloom as are the irises, which would both be long gone by now.  The delphiniums have never looked so good, but the potatoes are just beginning to bloom.  A gardener's life is never the same from year to the next.  But garden we do.  It is an innate need.  We need to be in the soil.  We need to plant.  We need to nurture.  We need to try again and again.  Because, for every plant that doesn't grow properly or produce, another will reward us with more than we have ever hoped for.  

2019's garden view

Hey, there good looking!

And with that, I bid you adieu.   Have a wonderful weekend.

Warmest Regards,

Gremlynn