Hair Care and Science Fair

Good Morning:

Hair Care:  I have been cutting my own hair for decades.  Not that I haven't had some good hair stylists over the years, it sort of just happened more out of necessity. 

You know when you have a great stylist, and she has a life outside of doing people's hair, then suddenly, she isn't available any more?  She moves, or has a baby, or retires, you know - has a life outside of hair styling. . . . .   And there you are on the hunt.  Again.  Looking for someone who can handle your head and doesn't leave you with something that needs more than the 30 seconds you are willing to commit to maintaining it?  Or gives you a treatment that causes your hair to break off in chunks and leave a right mess behind?  We all have a story.

It was after a particularly bad experience, that I realized that I couldn't do any worse if I had done it myself.  That, and I just got tired of trying to find another new stylist. 

And so, with scissors in hand I began with a simple trimming to clean up some dry ends from the clearly gone wrong treatment and freshen up the bangs.  And it actually looked quite good. 

Then one day, I got really, really brave and went short.  Really short.  I'm talking Uber Short.  And it was liberating. 

No more waiting two weeks for an appointment.  I could trim on a whim.  And so, began my foray into personal hair maintenance.  I always figured that if it was really bad, that it would grow back and I could wear a hat, if need be, until it did.  Saving time and money and I have no one to blame but myself for a bad hair cut! 

Weather Report:  I can't believe that it is still as cold as it is outside.  I read in the paper today that this has been the coldest February in 40 years!  I wouldn't doubt it!  And now that it's March, we actually expected that maybe we would get more seasonable temps, but nope, not yet.  Makes for some pretty guilt free sewing, it does!  Ha ha ha!

Sewing Update:  I have been continuing with the Thread Play on my Alphabet Panel.  It is turning out sew cute!  I have been enjoying the process.  Still don't know if I am going to make it into a wall hanging for my DIL's daycare or as a floor quilt for the little ones to sit on or cuddle with for story time. 

Panel without [left] and with Thread embellishment.  What a difference a bit of thread can make.  Look at the texture!

I recently finished 3 quilts for three young folks.  I didn't want to make a whole, embroidered label for each quilt, so I opted to just make a quick notation right on the binding.  Super easy to do with your sewing machine if you have a built in letter library.  Or do by hand embroidery, after the binding is applied.  Gets the job done in a quiet way.  I believe that it is important to label every quilt to give it a provenance.  It honors the maker and his/her time. 

Sometimes you just don't need a whole quilt label.  An effective way to label your quilt.

Science Fair:  One thing about living relatively close to your grand-buddies, is you get impromptu visits, lots of sleepovers and requests for assistance occasionally.  

Recently our middle grand buddy asked Papa if he could help him with his Science Project.  The theme is Simple Machines.  Of course, Papa would be delighted to help.  So, after a sleepover, the two set upon some brainstorming to come up with a project that said student could design and build himself, with supervision and guidance from an experienced assistant.  

Brainstorming at the kitchen counter.

They explored planes, fulcrums, simple screws, levers and pulleys, among other options.  With much deliberation, our buddy decided on a pulley system.  Off they went to Papa's Workshop to continue with the plan and begin the project.  

I headed out to my studio, figuring that they would be occupied for several hours, then I would head out to check on the progress.  I was just finishing up what I was doing, a few hours later, when the younger of the two comes storming into the studio, wanting to know if I wanted to see what they had made!  

I couldn't believe that they were done already.  This, and I had totally missed it.  I guess it was probably just as well as the two men had a marvellous time cutting out wood, drilling into the bricks, then gluing and screwing it all together.  I would have probably only been in the way anyways.  

They had fun and our buddy learned a lot in the process.  He was so very proud as he had me pull the strings to lift the different bricks and proceeded to explain why they got lighter and lighter with each pulley added.  

Now he just has to write up his report before presenting his project to his class.  He was exceptionally pleased with himself and his project.  And in the Grand Scheme of Things, That is All that Matters.  

Keep warm and enjoy your day!

Until next time,

Gremlynn

Cold Weather Activities

Greetings:

I just saw a screen shot on someone's Facebook page the other day about how cold this February was.  The whole, entire month was in the deep freeze.  We usually get a few cold days, followed by a bit of a respite, then back into the deep freeze and the cycle continues.  This year has been exceptionally cold.  Even for me.  I don't tend to complain about the weather since there is nothing you can do about it anyways.  It is weather, after all.  But, as I write this, I am thankful for the sun streaming into my studio, just not so stoked that it was -35 C again last night.  My winter walks have been sporadic, at best this year.  Not so good for the mental and physical health, but the days are certainly getting longer and now that it is March 1st, the end is in sight.  I think we are all very much ready for Spring.

Speaking of cold, why is it always the coldest day, or night as in this case, of the year that the furnace has to quit, or the septic tank freeze up or the power goes out?  The other night, Papa noticed a faint beeping noise at 2:29 in the A of M. He sat up in bed and asked if I heard it too?  Off to investigate. The gas fireplace was running.  Weird.  It is on a thermostat, but the that is set to 60 degrees Fahrenheit as we don't use it often.  The house was cool, but not cold.  We like our bedroom on the cooler side, so we hadn't noticed the temperature had dropped.  When we built our home, we put it in as a back up heat source.  This is odd.  Off to investigate the heating system.

We have a boiler system that runs glycol, with each section having its own pump.  The one for the furnace suddenly quit.  -45 C with the wind chill and the furnace decided to take a break.  The good news is the fireplace is running, so the house won't freeze up.  The better news is the pump for the hot water and the in-floor heat in the basement are both still working.  He shut off the pump for the furnace for a few minutes to check on something else.  Several minutes later, he flipped the switch to turn it back on.  We went back to bed as there really wasn't anything we could do at this point.  We'll deal with it in the Real morning.  About 5 a.m., I heard the furnace running.  Apparently the pump just needed a break in the extreme cold.  Papa spoke with a plumber buddy later that day and found out it happens occasionally.  Could be anything.  We now have a back up replacement pump.  Just for good measure.  All's well that ends well.

So because of the extreme cold, I have had a wonderful month in the studio.  And in the kitchen.  There's nothing like a good, old fashioned cold snap to bring out the baker in me.

Last January, in 2018, I started a sourdough starter.  Making bread with it has become a bit of a passion for me.  I just love the flavor and texture of this loaf.  The recipe I am using makes a really soft crust, perfect for Papa, as he prefers a soft crust.  This bread keeps well and stays soft where most of the yeast breads I have made over the years need to be used pretty quickly as they tend to dry out.  This one freezes beautifully as well, so it is a great product for us as we don't go through it that quickly.

We were planning a family dinner and I thought a rustic, traditional sourdough loaf might be in order.  Well, I found the most amazing YouTube video on just this.  The channel is "ilovecookingireland".  The baker had some great tips that I had no idea about!  I made up a couple of loaves and am extremely happy with them.  And Papa, who prefers a soft crust, had to admit that this one was pretty fine as well.  Win Win.

Rustic Sourdough Bread in the oven.  It rose up beautifully!

Rustic Sourdough Bread cooling.  The crust is actually darker than the picture shows.

Is there anything finer than fresh bread, butter and jam to have with your afternoon tea?

And the Studio news.  I have been busy making kids quilts as of late.  I am a little behind on a few, so I have used the cold snap as an excuse to get them done.  I love doing kids quilts as they tend to be quick and are always cheery and colorful.  I was also thrilled when putting the binding on one of them, that my almost empty bobbin got the job done.  How often does this happen?  I am usually about 3" too short!  Only a quilter would appreciate this.  Ha ha ha!

Boy's quilt with quilting mimicking the circles in the prints.

Can you believe it!?  This was what was left on the bobbin after finishing the binding!

And the past couple of days have found me snooping through my stash looking for inspiration.  I happened upon an Alphabet panel with some coordinating fabrics.  Cool!  I love embellishing panels with thread play.  It really kicks them up a notch. 

Several years ago, when I had my shop in town, we had a threaducator come out from Wonderfil Threads for one of our Demo Days to teach those who attended how to embellish with threads.  It was a great day and I, among those who attended, really took a lot away from it.  

You start with a panel or really any fabric print that you want to decorate, and press it well.  Cut an appropriate sized piece of medium weight interfacing to put underneath.  Bobbin weight thread in the bobbin, an embroidery needle in your machine - my favorite is Schmetz 90/14 Gold Embroidery, some fun threads in different weights and play with some of those fun stitches on your sewing machine.  I have a little Flower that I love to use and a French Knot, as well as a triple stitch.  The process is very therapeutic.  Very Zen and meditative.  And the end result is show stopping.  It is one of those processes that you don't want to be in a rush to do.  Just enjoy the process and the rhythm of your machine.

Thread Play on a Pre-Printed Panel.

Until next time, have a great day and Sew On & Sew On!

Regards,

Gremlynn 

  

The Truth About Papa

Greetings Earthings:

Hee hee!  I am in a funny mood today.  I think the extreme cold finally snapped my brain!  Thank goodness for the reprieve this week!  Mr Wilbur and I have managed several brain clearing, sanity making walks this week.  We even had the Little's out for a couple of days, which is always a lovely distraction for us two.  Nothing brings your house alive like 2 tweens ramping up the energy levels!

As a couple of sustainable living aficionados, one needs to have the desire to do as much as you can for yourself.  So, aside from canning, gardening, preserving, etc., one must pursue other means of self support to make you more of a producer and less a consumer.  

Papa has always had a love of gardening.  We began collecting seeds several years ago.  Every year he starts about 1000-1200 bedding plants - this is for our personal use only.  He loves to try new vegetables and instead of buying me flowers, he plants 100's and 100's of bulbs and seed starts, to bring our property alive during our growing season.  His love of gardening spills out throughout the entire property.  It is fabulous out here in the summer.  From brimming pots to flower beds, to his two vegetable gardens and greenhouse, his orchards and pond, it is like living in an oasis.

A picking from Papa's Garden.

One of the many pots and barrels he makes every year, all from his own started seeds and bulbs.

A glimpse of one of Papa's Gardens, about July 2018.

He also also loves making wine.  Like many wine makers, he started with the kits.  This was about 20 years ago.  The kits were OK, but he was unhappy with not being able to tweak them to make them more palatable for his own tastes.  So, several years ago, he began to pursue quite earnestly, his own home brews from the fruits grown on our property and fruit purchased in season.  Our orchard is still young, so his ability to produce entirely from our own produce is still a ways off yet.

One wine he really is interested in trying is true grape wines.  But grape vines are expensive to buy and take a long time to produce.  With this, he decided to try to propagate his own grape vines from his own stock already growing and producing on our property.  Earlier this winter, he did some research as to just how to do this.  After many days of searching YouTube videos, reading articles, and exploring search engines, he came upon a couple of methods he was interesting in trying.  Well, low and behold, we have Valiant Grape Vines growing in our house, ready to be transplanted out this Spring.  Yippee! 

Valiant Grape Vine propagated and doing well.

Papa's wine from the 2018 season:  Raspberry, Blueberry and a newly started Grapefruit in the small carboy.

Blueberries purchased at a market and our very own Raspberries in the Raspberry Wine.  Look at how clear they are!

Papa is also a very accomplished carpenter.  He has built many things over the years, from barns, to decks, to furniture, and even much of our home and all of the other construction on our property.  His most recent projects include a bridge for his pond in the lower garden and a set of wooden spoons for me.  He loves to make Seasonal yard decorations and is working on a spring series for this year.  Every year he adds more to his collection.  They add a touch of whimsy and are great conversation starters.

Christmas yard decorations.

Christmas train for our front gate.

Don's Bridge for his pond during the designing and construction stage.

Wooden spoons ready to try out.

He has no problem finding something to keep himself occupied.  Like me, he enjoys the Alberta Winters as a quiet time to pursue other interests.  Our yard and garden do take up our three seasons that are not winter, so it is nice to have some down time to do the things we both love doing.  And this includes enjoying a nice pot of coffee and some fresh baking, while we plot and scheme another gardening season.  

Freshly perked Coffee and . . .

baking while we contemplate future projects.

And that, is the Truth About Papa.

Enjoy your day and keep warm.

Until next time,

Gremlynn

The Deep Freeze Continues, Confetti and Beans

Happy Friday!

The Cold Snap continues here in Central Alberta, Canada.  Today is -25 C, with the snow beginning to fall again as I type.  It hasn't been a bad winter this year, save for these past couple weeks of wicked, bitter cold. 

Sincerely though, the cold is not a bad thing.  It helps to keep some of the summer pests at bay.  I heard on the news the other morning that the dreaded Pine Beetle, which has been boring its way to Alberta, may have had a 90% kill due to this long term cold snap.  From what I understand, the beetle lays its eggs just under the bark of the pine tree trunk and the larvae decimate the tree from the inside out.  By the time you realize you have the problem, it is too late.  The critters have been rapidly spreading throughout BC and have been aggressively making their way to Alberta.  This is all due to the mild winters these past few years.  They can easily survive -30 C, but not extended periods of it. This year, they may be taking a bit of a hit.  I sure do hope so.  It is the young and healthy trees they destroy, not the old and decaying ones.  If you would like more information, here's a link:  https://globalnews.ca/news/4952823/mountain-pine-beetle-cold-alberta/

Confetti on the Snow:

Another good thing about the cold, is I get to spend more time doing the things I love.  I started my Scrap Busting Project just at the end of December 2018.  With all the cold and snow, I actually got to finish the whole project by early February 2019.  That is pieced, quilted, bound and labelled.  I am very happy with the end result: 

Confetti on the Snow photographed at No Regrets Ranch/Prairie Points Quilters Studio property.

I was going out to check on the chickens and realized that although it was still -25 C, there was no wind and the sun was shining.  I took the opportunity to scout the property to find a suitable place to photograph the quilt, outside, in the snow and cold.  I felt it was appropriate since it is called Confetti on the Snow.  I love the high contrast in the photo.  

Beans:

I have been wanting to attempt pressure canned dry beans for a while.  After watching several YouTube videos and checking several recipes in my library, I decided to take the plunge last Sunday.  Too cold to go out.  A great day for another pressure canning project.  And having ready to use beans on hand is a thrilling option for me!  I know, I am a dork.

Since it was my first time canning them and there were so many options, I opted to try a couple of methods.   Pre-cooking the beans, though was not going to be one way I wanted to try.  Cooking them, then pressure canning the pints for 75 minutes, plus heat up and pressure down time, I felt they would be nothing but a jar of gooey mush.  Scratch that one.

The other two methods I researched included rinsing and soaking the beans over night and just putting rinsed, un-soaked beans into the jars.  Both methods require adding hot, boiled water to the required head space allowance and pressure canning for 75 minutes for pints.  Since the actual processing time was the same for both, the only difference would be to soak the beans overnight or to not soak at all.  I deduced that these two options would be the best trial for a maiden voyage bean processing.  

Now, what type of beans?  Should I attempt a "baked style" as well?  

In the pantry were Romano, Black Eyed, Navy and our very own home grown Kidney beans.  The canner will comfortably hold 16 pints, using both levels.  I'll do four jars of each type of bean.  Two soaked and two dry.  For the Romano, Black Eyes and Kidney, I will just add the water. For the Navy, I will add the ingredients of our favorite baked bean recipe and fill all the jars with water.

Dry beans added to jars.  Ingredients for Boston Baked Beans added to Navy bean jar.

Pre-soaked beans with boiled water added to 1" head space.

For the Boston Style Baked Beans, I added 2 tablespoons each of Brown Sugar and Maple Syrup, 1 tablespoon of dehydrated onion, 1/4 tsp pepper, 2 tablespoons of cured pork and 1/4 of a peeled and diced apple.  Like the other jars, these were filled to the 1" head space.

Into the canner they go.  Processing time, complete.  Cool down and depressurizing time complete.  Beans removed.  OMGosh!  These look beautiful!  

16 pints of pressure canned beans!

We opened one jar each of the dry canned and the pre-soaked beans.  I am sure glad I trusted my instinct and didn't pre-cook the beans!  The pre-soaked ones were mushy, but not horribly so.  Still, they were no comparison to the dry canned ones.  Flavor of each was superb!  We haven't tried the Boston Style yet, but I am confident that they will be amazing as well.  The Great Bean Experiment was a great success!

Thanks for stopping by.  Keep warm.

Until next time,

Gremlynn

The Deep Freeze Chronicles

Good Morning!

Is is cold in your world?  It has been danged cold here, in Central Alberta, Canada.  So cold, that the Beast is pacing and panting and standing by the door, because Gremlynn refuses to take him out for a walk.  Poor Wilbur!  He has to make do with tossing his ball in the air himself, then chase after it!  Gramma is only doing her chicken chores and shovelling what she has to.  Master Wilbur is only allowed out for a few minutes at a time, much to his dismay.  No outdoor shenanigans for us this week, Little Buddy! 

It is so cold that when we are out, we can hear the slightest sounds from far away that you normally would never hear on a any other day. And the snow squeaks!  This is a phenomenon that so many never get to experience, unless they happen to live in dry and cold climate such as ours.  And the Sky is extra blue!  It gets that way when it is super cold.  Such a beautiful high contrast.  The forecast is for this to continue over the weekend, then it should get back to bearable again and we can go for our daily walks.  Wilbur sure is missing them, as am I.

This was taken at about 10 a.m.  Papa reported that it was -39 C when he looked out at 7 a.m.  But, hey, the sun is shining and the mosquitoes aren't biting!

Might be a tad bit chilly in the chicken coop this morning!  Actually, this only happens when there is a temperature extreme from inside to outside - currently a 25 degrees Celsius difference.

No Chooks, I'm not opening it for you.  You won't go out anyways.  Actually, even at -39 C the coop was only -10 C.  Today at -25 C outside, it is actually +2 C inside.  The water wasn't even frozen this morning.  The coop is well insulated, well ventilated, one heat lamp and deep litter.  As long as they are dry and out of the wind, chickens don't seem bothered by the cold.  Good thing because they ARE NOT coming into the house!

So, exactly what does one do in the extreme cold when they need something to amuse them?  Me?  I hang out in the kitchen and my Studio, of course!

Since it is Citrus Season in warmer climes, I snagged some grapefruit and oranges and set about to make some marmalade.  It had been years, but suddenly I am craving some.  Perfect timing to make up a batch.  Of course I couldn't find my old recipe that I used to use, years ago.  After reading several versions from my vast cookbook collection, I decided to make up my own recipe.  I am happy to say it is delicious!  A bit stiff, so I won't cook it down so much the next time I make it.  But definitely a Do Over.  Production went as follows: 

I began by washing up 6 nice sized oranges and 3 ruby red grapefruit.

Then I zested the lot before peeling and dicing. I ended up with almost 8 cups of zest and cut up fruit.

Water and sugar added.  Let the simmering begin!

Netted 6 beautiful half pints of glorious Orange & Grapefruit Marmalade!

The recipe I developed for this batch.  Maybe check for jell after about 30 minutes.  Mine is a bit stiff, but delicious, none the less!

I even shared a jar with our Saturday Morning Coffee Dates for them to take home.  Papa is not a fan of the Marmalade, which leaves all the more for me!

Over the next few days I made up a batch of Dill Pickle Soup, baked up a batch of Sour Dough Bread and a batch of Chocolate Chip Cookies.  I'll share these recipes in a future blog posting.

Still too cold to go outside.  I went rummaging through the freezer looking for inspiration for supper on Monday, when I happened upon a bag of Chicken Backs and Necks.  We harvest our own chickens so of the birds we part out, we keep the backs and necks back, for soup stock to be made a later date.  It is a later date and darned cold outside.  This is a perfect time for soup stock to simmer.  Dug a little deeper and found a bag of "too big to eat" carrots and celery tops and tails.  I keep these for soup stock - not nice enough to eat as a veggie, but perfect for stock.

6 pm and I am hauling out the Rival Roaster when Papa asks rather nonchalantly, "What are you doing now?"  Chicken Soup Stock, was my reply.  After well over 35 years of marriage, not much fazes him any more.  So, frozen chicken backs went in, with the carrots, celery and a couple of onions I managed to scare up.  This all Roasted for about an hour at 350 F.  Papa then filled the roaster with water and threw in a dozen whole peppercorns.  It was then brought it to a boil. After boiling for a few minutes, the roaster was turned down to 200 F and left it to simmer over night.  The next morning after letting it cool down a bit, I strained it twice, then transferred the stock to a huge stock pot.  

Roaster full of steaming simmered delicious Chicken Stock, ready to be strained.

Since it was so blessedly cold, I put the whole shebang out onto the back deck, to let the fat rise to the top.  Once solidified, I could scoop it off, then proceed with the canning.  It's -30 C, this shouldn't take long.  I checked the contents an hour later.  Still hot. Spent some time in the studio loading a quilt onto the long arm. Waited a couple more hours before checking again.  Still warm.  Five hours later, figured surely it Had to be ready to remove the fat.  Nope.  What the heck is going on?  I left that stock pot, out in -30 C weather for well over 6 hours!  -30 degrees Celsius already!  There were sheets of ice forming in the stock and the fat was sort of forming on top, but still very loose.  When Papa got home, I complained that my fat had been outside all day and still wasn't hard.  His comment?  "That's what She said".  I'm living with a freaking comedian!  Sheesh

We discussed leaving it out over night, but we both knew I would be bringing in a 21 quart stock pot of frozen Chicken Stock-cicle, if I did.  At 7 pm I hauled the pot in, ladled out the top couple of inches of slushy stock and loose fat, reheated that and put the whole thing in the fridge until morning.  And low and behold!  In the morning, the fat had risen to the top AND had solidified.  If this isn't the derndest mystery ever!?  Go figure?!

This was yesterday. It is still freaking cold outside.  I proceeded to reheat the now clarified stock and get the pressure canner set up.  In the end, I ended up with 20 Beautiful pints of golden chicken stock.  It is delicious and was very much worth the effort.  

20 pints of clarified chicken stock fresh from the pressure canner.

And, of course, I have spent some time out in the studio between the baking, canning and cooking marathons.  I took some time to study my Scrap Busting Project quilt and decided that with its busy-ness, I needed to do a simple quilting.  

Loaded onto the long arm and quilting underway.  It is tentatively called "Confetti on the Snow" after a suggestion from Sherryll S.  I will make the final decision once it is finished and ready to be bound.

One of my rulers is a wave that actually fits within the 1 1/2" finished squares perfectly.  Wavy it is!  I chose a Signature Brand variegated blue/navy thread and a navy 100% cotton wide backing by Northcott.  The batting is Hobbs 80/20. (I carry all of these items for purchase in the Studio).  

The quilt was loaded the long way, so I can quilt from the top to the bottom but still going horizontally.  My wavy lines are centred between each "strip" and will travel up and down the quilt, like a spillway.  The waves will look like ripples in the snow after the wind blows.  Sherrill S. suggested that it looks like confetti on the snow.  I have to agree with her very much, so much that I am considering naming the quilt this.  I think it is a very suitable title for it - and the fact that I am going to get it finished during February 2019's week long plus cold snap, it becomes even more so!

Thanks for stopping by.

Enjoy your day and Keep Warm!  

Gremlynn

Finished Quilt Top, Chips and Canned Spuds

Good Day!  I Say Good Day!

And what a great day it has been thus far!  I have decided to stop stressing over "Living in a Snow Globe" (The Hair. The Hair!  Whatever Shall We do About the Hair!? January 12, 2019 Post) and set about to turn the Roombas loose every morning.  I can give the stairs and areas they don't go a good vacuuming once a week.  It sure has relieved a good chunk of my daily chore time!

So now, while the Roombas are doing their jobs, Master Wilbur and I have been using this same time to go for a walk instead.  And we are certainly in much better spirits for it!  Win Win!

Papa plows around the perimeter of the property for Wilbur and I to take our winter walks.  He gets to go off leash and I get to not having to worry about biffing it on the hidden ice.  <3  <3  <3

After getting all 48 of those Scrap Busting Project quilt blocks finally finished, they sat on my cutting table and taunted me until I was able to come up with a layout plan.  I toyed with several different possibilities and decided to keep it simple - it is a scrap busting project, after all!  In the end, I decided to go with a simple white sashing, with a navy corner stone at each end. 

Back to the scrap bins. I found another navy blue, very close in value to the center blue block.  This will work.  I wouldn't need much. Just .20 m would do to cut out 63, 2" squares.  Score!

I was considering doing the sashing in various whites, when I found a larger piece of a white; 1.40 m, left over from another project.  I cut this into 110, 2" x 11" sashing pieces.  There wasn't even a thread left over when I was done cutting!  I had exactly, on the money, just enough!  Whew!  No stress there!

I then proceeded to assemble the top.  Keeping with the simplicity theme, the only outer border would be a repeat of the sashing and corner stones.  I am happy to say that I a quite pleased with the end result.  

Now it hangs in the Studio.  Taunting me to be quilted!  

Quilt top complete!  Final measurement is approx 74" x 98"

As I was assembling the quilt top, the light shone just so, onto my Emerald Anniversary Band. It was then I noticed a chip in one of the stones.  This is the same anniversary band that has had chipped emeralds previously replaced.  And reshaped, after I smashed it into an oval shape.  And had the band rebuilt after breaking it.  Sigh.  I am not meant to wear rings.  

Another chipped stone.  I am so hard on my rings.

I have a few beautiful rings that Papa has bought for me over the years that sit in my jewellery box. I don't wear them because this is what I do to them.  He says to wear them and wear them out.  I love his attitude. 

And finally the Spuds!  I purchased several Pressure Canning Cookbooks this winter for some light reading.  I love canning, preserving, baking and cooking.  This is just another skill set I want to improve upon.

I came across a method to pressure can potatoes and I thought, why not!?  Ours are keeping well in the pit, but sometimes it would be nice to have some precooked potatoes on hand to make into Potato Salad, mash up for a Shepard's Pie topping or have readily available for Potato Buns or Potato Dumplings. It would even be nice to open a jar, just to fry up for hash-browns.  So much quicker than starting from scratch.  Pint jars would net enough for any of these options.  Oh, the possibilities!

So, off Papa went to the pit to get me a bin of potatoes for this project.  He didn't have anything else planned that morning, so he offered to peel them for me.  Bonus!  He peeled and rinsed.  I diced and rinsed.  They then needed to come to a boil for 2 minutes. A final rinse, then packed into pint sized jars to be pressure canned for 35 minutes.  Two hours from start to finish.  I now have 18 pints of pressure canned spuds, ready to action at a moment's notice!  It really doesn't take much to make me happy!

18 pints of pressure canned potatoes ready to go!

I am glad that Wilbur and I got out for our walk earlier this morning as it is now raining.  Hopefully things don't get too slippery out there!

Thank you for stopping by to share my day with me.

Until next time!

Gremlynn

48 Scrap Busting Blocks are Finally Complete!

Whew!

It has certainly been a run getting these 48 Scrap Busting Blocks put together and pressed.  I am happy to say that the block assembly portion of this project is finally complete!  I am really happy with how the blocks turned out and the fact that they all measure 11", as planned.  Hee hee!  It really doesn't take much to amuse me, does it?

All my blocks from the 4 previous steps were sorted and pressed.  As this is a Scrap Busting project, I searched thru a couple of bins, looking for a piece of fabric that was .75m of a "solid reading" color.  This was then cut into 5" strips and cut again into 5" squares.  The netted me 48 - 5" squares.  I then laid out the previous steps blocks around the center block, to keep things all sorted out for the layout of final block assembly.  I then took only the necessary pieces to the sewing machine (so I wouldn't get confused).  The strips were then sewn, daisy chain style, to the main center block - beginning with the right side of the center block, then the left side, as follows:

Step #5 a:  Sew two of the previous Step 3 units onto each side of the center 5" square.

Step #5 b:  Add the Step 4 units to the top and bottom of #5 a, paying attention to the intersecting points.

Step #5 c:  Add the two side pieces from Step One, to each side, again paying attention to intersections as required.

Final Step #5 d:  Add top and bottom units from Step Two, paying attention to intersections.

Scrap Busting Block is Complete!  You will have 48 x 11" square blocks.  Press seams to one side.  I used Best Press to get a crisp, flat finish.

I am now playing with a layout.  48 blocks will net you a 6 block across x 8 block down, quilt measuring about 60"x 80".  This adds no sashings or borders and will be the quickest way to complete this quilt top.  A perfect double bed size, with a nice drape or a large throw/picnic quilt.

I then played with adding a 2" white/neutral sashings with 2" square, scrappy corner stones.  This would add 10.5" to the width and 15" to the length, netting a 70.5" x 95" quilt top.  The only border would be the repeat of the sashing and corner stones, to make the final outside border.  This would be a great large double or queen sized quilt.

I then played with putting the blocks On Point, with no sashing but inserting triangles around the outside edge to make a straight, square outside edge.  It actually looks really great this way.  I considered, as well, the On Point placement, but cutting off the excess from the outside blocks, to square up the quilt and adding no sashing or borders.  Haven't done the math on these two.

Then, there is the option of making it either into a Huge Massive King Sized or Two Smaller Twin Sized, by adding Another, further 48, 11" blocks of a completely different fabric or block style! This in essence would be a Scrappy Block/Alternate Block combo, repeated to the desired finished size. This might be too much and I certainly don't need it this large.  Two smaller Twin sized would be a better fit for me, but I don't know if I want 2 quilts made from this block layout, but it certainly is a possibility.    

I can even see treating these Scrappy Blocks like you would a "Disappearing 9 Patch" block.  This is where you cut the block into 4 equal sized pieces, then rearrange them and sew them back together.  With the center being a nice 4.5" finished, and a "solid color", it could be quite effective.  It would be Similar to this concept to cut the block:  

After cutting the blocks, Reassembly would be to rearrange the 4 new smaller blocks into a pleasing manner.  Most often, the bottom left and top right parts are switched, then the block is sewn back together.  This could be a very interesting option, for sure! 

"Something Similar" also, is this next concept where the following block - with a similar, but less scrappy layout to my block - is cut apart and rearranged.  I think this could be quite interesting, indeed! 

 
The Options and layouts are unlimited!  I haven't decided as to what I am going to do with mine yet.  They may need to sit and marinate for a while, to let me contemplate the best use of them.

Thank you for joining me on this Scrap Busting Block journey.  It has been a great exercise to dive into and sort out some of my scraps.  Did I make even a dent in them?  Ha ha ha!  Nope.  Not even slightly!  But a quilter could have worse problems, hey!?

Until next time.

Have a wonderful day and Sew On & Sew On!

Gremlynn