Over the Kitchen Counter: Angie's Place for Cooking and Crafts

DWR Progress: Quilting the Arcs

FINALLY having finished the 'melon feather' quilting, I was ready to move on to the arc design.  Once again, I took the easy road and totally copied the quilting that is on Gail Kessler's quilt in the Double Wedding Ring class. Her longarmer added a circle/wave design that quilts the arcs without getting too fussy because of the busy fabrics.  I traced the shape on a printout of the quilt until I got the motion down.  Each circle shape has a teardrop at the end and they alternate up and down as you move along the arc. (I broke concentration a couple times and messed up the order but didn't bother to pick them out!)

This is a fairly easy design to quilt and goes much faster than the feathers.  I contemplated trying to do all the concave arcs one way and then turning the quilt and doing the other convex ones but it got too cumbersome and confusing so I just quilt them as they come.  Whether or not the design is mirror imaged is of no concern to me and I don't think it will matter once the quilt is done.  It's difficult to even see the quilting on the top but I think those teardrops will add a nice puff of texture once the quilt is washed.

I'm not being too particular or rigid about the circle shapes and my travel stitching is loose and fluid with some overlapping, which I'm okay with.  I think it looks great on the back and I was quite surprised how uniform my waves actually are!  I think there are 194 arcs to do so it is taking a bit of time to get through them. Here are some pictures of the arc quilting and you can see how it is coming together with the feathers for some nice, balanced density.

Sweet Potato Souffle

I happened to see Kris Kardashian on a show promoting her cookbook and one of the recipes she shared was for Sweet Potato Souffle.  I printed off the instructions and found the details a bit vague (in terms of size of dish, size of the sweet potatoes, etc.).  It seemed like it would make a large amount, based on using six sweet potatoes and half a dozen eggs, but halving the recipe would waste 1/2 a can of condensed milk.  I'm sure it's a fine souffle but I also have some trust issues with 'famous people' (i.e. who are not chefs) recipes!  Therefore, so as not to risk wasting my time, ingredients, and effort - but still wanting to try Sweet Potato Souffle, I found this recipe from Martha Stewart.

I have had 99.9% success when following a recipe from Martha (and I have made many - hundreds - since I started cooking in earnest in '91), so I was confident that it would turn out well.  I may not like the souffle but I knew it would be a successful result technically.

I prepared the Sweet Potato Souffle exactly as written, even following the linked recipe for her Mashed Sweet Potatoes (which were so divine I had a hard time reserving the 1 cup for the souffle!!).  The souffle is a dessert and I could hardly wait to finish dinner and try it.  The texture looked wonderful - light and fluffy - and it smelled amazing with the sweet sugar and nutmeg fragrance.  I served some whipped cream on the side and was in heaven when I took the first taste.  I absolutely loved this dessert and definitely could have eaten more than a serving.  I took a bowl straight over to my mother so she could enjoy it still warm and puffy from the oven.  Just in time for harvest season and giving thanks, this Sweet Potato Souffle is an absolute keeper!

Janome Blue Bobbin Holder

Oh yes I did!  I wrote about achieving Hand Look Quilting by Machine at the end of last month and shared how I got my Janome machine to replicate the look of hand quilting by using a special triple stitch with monofilament thread in the needle and pretty cotton thread in the bobbin.  However, to get the stitches looking the way I wanted, as per the instructions on the Janome Life blog, I had to turn my tension waaaay up, as far as it would go.

The problem with having the top tension so high is that there is more likelihood of breaking the delicate invisible thread. The solution is to use a lower bobbin tension and we all know how scary it is to mess with the bobbin case! Of course, if you change the setting to suit the hand-look stitch or for free-motion quilting, it is not good for regular sewing.

Janome released a special optional accessory bobbin holder, marked with a blue triangle to distinguish it from a 'normal' bobbin holder, to create appropriate tension for both free-motion quilting and the hand-look stitches. Luckily for me, the new blue bobbin holder fits BOTH my Janome machines - the Horizon 7700 and my 3160!  (There are two versions of the blue bobbin available depending on which Janome machine your have). Since I do so much free motion and I'm now entranced by the hand-look stitch (as you read in my other post - I am super excited that I now know how to do it properly!!!!), adding the extra bobbin case to my machine accessories was very worthwhile.

Since I have my DWR quilt in progress on the Horizon, I tried out the bobbin case on my 3160 doing the hand-look stitch.  It is no trouble to swap out the regular bobbin case and I increased the top tension by only one number (versus the max when I tried it the first time using a regular bobbin case).  I used a heavier cotton thread in the bobbin and lowered the speed of the machine to allow the triple stitch to form correctly. Wow! I love it! The stitches are beautiful and I love how they look! You cannot even see the clear thread.

I can't wait to try the blue bobbin out for free-motion quilting. I usually set my tension all the way to '6' so I'm excited to see what a difference it will make having lower tension in the bobbin.

This would have made the perfect stocking stuffer for me but of course, you know I'm too impatient to wait for Santa to deliver! ;)  (Maybe he'll bring me the HandiQuilter Sweet 16 instead!?!?!?!)

FLASH SALE at CRAFTSY!

Just found out there is a FLASH SALE at Craftsy for up to 50% off classes! Use the special sale link to the right of this post to get there! Ends tomorrow at midnight...

Banana-Apple Crumble

If there is anyone who is watching what they eat, this recipe for Banana-Apple Crumble from an old Weight Watcher book I have makes a surprisingly good little dessert.

You simply slice one Granny Smith apple into a microwaveable dish and add half a sliced banana, 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon, and a tablespoon of water. Cover partially with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes or until the fruit is tender. Finally, sprinkle some low-fat granola on top (about two tablespoons) and enjoy with a dollop of vanilla yogurt or frozen yogurt.

It's actually very filling and satisfying (maybe that's the chocolate deprivation talking) and it feels like you've almost had a proper baked fruit crumble dessert!  It's worth 3 points, by the way...if you're counting! Next time I'm going to try it with berries.

New Craftsy Class: The Secrets of Free Motion Quilting

Did you know there are now about 97 different quilting classes on Craftsy?  They all have something unique to offer and focus on various aspects or techniques of the craft.  Some are general 'how to' classes with great overviews of all the necessary steps to complete a quilt.  Others are very specific to a particular skill, like free-motion quilting, learning new designs, applique, hand work, fabric manipulation (like dyeing), piecing, painting, finishing, or designing a quilt!  Wow, that is a lot to choose from!  It is helpful to read the class lesson overview and watch the preview video to get an idea of which class offers what you are looking for.

I have reviewed all the quilting classes I've taken (and there are quite a few!) so if you are interested in my posts about them, please use the search box to enter the name of the class to find the relevant blog postings.  I usually follow up with pictures of the class projects I've completed and final thoughts about the process.

The newest class, The Secrets of Free-Motion Quilting, is taught by Christina Cameli, a charming instructor who shares her various designs stitched on a domestic machine.  She categorizes the free-motion quilting in groups of design type: Nestled, Beads on a String, Emerging, Echoing, Climbing, Branching, and Follow Along.  This is a meaty class and there are variations in each category as well.  Some of Christina's designs are adaptations of well-know free-motion motifs (like pebbles or feathers) but there are other original patterns I've never seen and can't wait to try!

These are unmarked designs that are (for the most part) very simple to stitch - once you are comfortable with free-motion quilting basics.  This is not a project class and there are no 'how-to' segments regarding thread choices, machine set-up or care, or free-motion mechanics.  It is entirely a design class meant to inspire and outfit you with many quilting choices to fill your quilt and Ms. Cameli certainly delivers the goods.

Check out The Secrets of Free-Motion Quilting if you enjoy adding some modern and interesting quilting designs to your repertoire.  I'm not sure if I discovered any secrets but I did come away with lots of ideas for my next quilt projects!

DWR Progress: Endless Quilting Continues

Every time I finish a row of melon feather quilting I spread out the quilt to see how far I've come.  Only, it doesn't look like I've made any progress at all!  I still have 3 complete rows to do and 3 half rows to do...and then the arcs...and then the micro stipple fill in the interior of the blocks.

It is fairly fast to do the first half of the melon because I only need to quilt the feathers.  When I rotate the quilt and do the other side I need to keep going and add the micro stippling (which I don't like doing) between the gaps.  The reason I am turning the quilt and completing one row at a time is that I am marking the centre line and first feather stop point with blue water soluble marker.  I am quite anxious that the marks won't come out if I leave them too long.  The instructions say it can be more difficult after 2 weeks and it could even longer than that to finish them if I did ALL the first halves initially and then rotated just once to finish the second halves.

By doing it this way I'm sure I have added hours of work.  It takes me longer to get the quilt wedged and positioned under the needle than the actual stitching and it is very cumbersome.  The weight added by all the thread is incredible and I'm having a hard time even spreading out the quilt to check my work and dab away the markings at the end of each session!  I imagine it will be very weighty to sleep under (if I ever get that far!). Whiny, huh?

Butternut Squash Apple Soup...and a Problem

I was so excited to make and eat my favourite Butternut Squash Apple Soup.  It is simple to prepare and smells so good while it simmers.  As usual, (and you can see my hand-written note on the recipe), I went to puree the soup in my blender.  As you can also see, things did not go according to plan!

Unfortunately, this time, the soup was too hot or my glass blender jar was compromised because the whole thing split in two with a very loud 'explosion'.  Boy, did I jump and squeal!  Luckily, I had only added one cup of soup and all was not lost.  I think I was more upset about the delay in eating my lunch than the disaster I had to clean up.  There was butternut squash splattered just about everywhere, including most of the slats on the kitchen blinds.  Ugh!  I couldn't even let the dog lick the spots on the floor in case there was some glass.

I did get a nice, new blender out of the disaster.  This time I picked a Black & Decker 5-speed model that was on sale for half price ($50).  It actually has more power than the old one and seems like it will do the trick.  I certainly won't be putting hot soup in it, even though the instruction manual says you can.  I will have to be patient and let it cool first! (By the way, the rest of the soup was simply scrumptious!!)

 

One Pot Garlic Parmesan Pasta

My DD asked me to make this recipe for her (I think I was her tester/guinea pig).  She loves fettuccine alfredo and if she can make it in one pot, all the better!  I was skeptical at first believing that the noodles wouldn't cook properly or I'd have to be adding liquid throughout the process but I was pleasantly surprised by the results.

Of course, as I sauteed all that garlic, the aroma was incredible.  I used skim milk and it still came out nice and creamy.  The noodles were al dente and the flavour was excellent.  I don't have a problem boiling the pasta in a second pot but this recipe was easy and tasty - perfect for kids in university or on their own. The dish yields 4 servings but the three of us easily finished it.  DH suggested adding some sliced, cooked chicken next time (a great idea for added protein) or small mushrooms for a variation.  This is definitely a good recipe for the file and you can find it HERE from Damn Delicious if you'd like to give it a try!

Finishing School & Happy Endings

I signed up for the Craftsy class Finishing School: Edges & Bindings with Mimi Dietrich ages ago because I was looking to improve my mitred corners and binding technique.  At that time I only focused on the Lesson I needed and didn't delve much deeper into the class.  You know how it is, I got distracted, moved on, and registered for a million more classes and Finishing School got bumped down the line and somewhat overlooked thereafter.

Fortunately, there is no time limit on viewing the classes you own so referring back to them any time you need to is a definite bonus.  Now that I am attempting my first scalloped border - and thus, bias binding, it was good that I have this class in my homeroom!  Gail Kessler even references Mimi Dietrich's Finishing School at the end of the The Classic Double Wedding Ring class so I was reminded where to find more detailed information about finishing my quilt.

When I re-watched all the lessons in Finishing School my mind was bursting with creative finishes I could try on my next projects.  Mimi is awesome and shares some excellent ideas that are actually so simple to incorporate into the binding: from cording, to rickrack, scallops, prairie points, and ruffles - there are some beautiful trims and additions that really jazz up the binding.  She has some great tricks and tips too and I'm so glad I paid more attention this time through!

I also realized that Ms. Dietrich's book Happy Endings, first published in 1987(!), was reissued in 2013 and I easily found it on-line.  Wow, when it arrived I was so excited that I now own a copy.  It is a fabulous book and has really detailed instructions for all the techniques Mimi shares in the class - plus a lot more.  There is so much information and every step is covered. Happy Ending Hints are sprinkled throughout and there are lots of diagrams and colour pictures of sample bindings.  It's a great reference!

I know I'm going to need all the tips I can get to make and apply the bias binding to the Downton Abbey quilt.  The book is just what I needed to help me make and apply ruffles too (I couldn't find a tutorial that showed how to sew them on) and I might try that technique next on some pillow shams to go with the quilt.  After being disappointed with my last book purchase I am thrilled with my copy of Happy Endings (and the Craftsy class)!