A Good Read

I'd give this book a 10. The South in the 1960s, segregation, Klu Klux Klan, all told thru the eyes of a young girl. After CBS was at our library's Local History and Genealogy Center recently to do research on William Moore, this book was especially pertinent. It kept me on the edge of my chair until I finished it.
My friend Jackey asked for this recipe that we made for Thanksgiving Dinner. I found it in the latest issue (November 2010) of Southern Living.
Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta
2 lbs. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 tsp. sale
1/4 tsp. pepper
6 (1/8 inch thick pancetta slices (I used bacon)
1 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss together Brussels sprouts, olive oil, salt & pepper in a 15x10" jelly roll pan. (I used a cookie sheet w/sides.) Bake 17 to 20 minutes or until sprouts are tender and edges are lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile cook pancetta (or bacon) until crisp. Drain of paper towels. Crumble pancetta or bacon.
Remove sprouts from oven and place in serving dish. Top with cheese and crumbled pancetta.
Enjoy. We had no leftovers. Jack finished them.
I'm finally finished with the little fabric basket. Sue McD sent me the directions after she tantalized me with hers since she came home from Florida last spring. She sent the directions and left town the next day. Hope she brings home some great ideas next April. Gonna miss her.
Picture in next post on blog.
I received an email that one of our guild members, Carolyn Tirpok, broke her hip, was at Upstate and returned home on Friday. Hope she continues to recover rapidly.
Mickey and I made our traditional Black Friday trip to Skaneateles on Friday, stopping at Patchwork Plus where I chatted with Kitsie D. I bought some pinwheel fabric in red, white and blue. This will be great for a Quilt of Valor. Then on to Skaneateles where we shopped, enjoyed lunch at Blue Water and saw the parade of the Dickens costumed people. We enjoyed the musicians on the main street (Route 20) and finally stopped at the Green Mountain shop for Chai tea and coffee before returning home.
Chris

Beware

Yes. Beware! The Campfire Girls are meeting today. Lois Ann is our hostess today. In the above picture she is drinking the liquid from Ella Mae's 7 Minute Pickles. "Even the juice is good."

I heard she is making Bean & Ham soup for us. Good soup day. It was 34 degrees and frosty when I got up.

Catching my breath, trying to decide what to sew next. But today I am going to teach LA how to make a pillowcase using the hotdog method. I have the cuff and case cut and the cuff is pressed.

While I was preparing those Conkerr Cancer cases for her to practice on, I cut one for myself in lavenders with a bit of green. These are so easy to make. Twenty minutes tops. The children at Upstate Medical Center who have cancer will appreciate them. My goal is at least one a week.

I have several to make for family members for Christmas. I got one particular fabric in 2008 when we were in Lancaster.

Chris

Finally Finished

This morning I finally finished this little reversible table runner. I love the light summery fabrics on this side. The pattern is Game Board.

This is a close up of the center panel. Love those seed packets and promise of summer contained in them.

Here's the Christmas side, all ready to put on my table on November 26th.

And here is a close up of the center panel. Cardinals, greenery and Christmas Roses. What more could we want. The Christmas Roses remind me of visiting my relatives Olive and Nora years ago. They had a clump near their door. I loved to see those roses blooming in December.

Here's the vest I made in class. There are ten tree fabrics in the striped side and two of those are repeated in the back and left side plus in the lining. I am enjoying wearing the vest. The only item I bought for this vest was 3 buttons. I didn't realize I had such a stash of batiks.

Just realized I have a 20" strip of the Christmas runner border left over. Will border it and use as another runner. Waste not, want not, our grandmas said.

Are you baking for the Thanksgiving holiday? I have three loaves of banana nut bread in the freezer. I plan to make some cranberry bread and pumpkin bread.

And then the cookie season begins. Kolachkis, mincemeat cookies, marachino cherry cookies and more will come from my oven. Bob swears I only let him have the kolachkis that are burned or fall on the floor.

Campfire Girls are meeting tomorrow. We generally take a bag of returnable items when we go. This time I have Lois Ann's black and white bag and Ella Mae's scissors. Think I'll take a handful of those quuilt magazines that are in the giveaway box.

I need to show Lois Ann how to make a pillowcase. I have two all ready to be rolled up like a hot dog, sewn, birthed and side and end seams sewn. Nothing like hands on to learn.

Chris

Sleeping Babes

Caleb was napping in his Aunt Nikki's arms when I delivered his baby quilt recently. Yes, that is a camo shirt he is wearing.

His Mommy Becki is holding the fireman's coat he wore on Halloween. Caleb will be five months old tomorrow

Today is the 77th anniversary of my parents marriage. James Gaylord married Dorcie Huntington on November 16, 1933 at the Fairview Methodist Church Parsonage in Binghamton, NY. Dad died in 1981 and Mom died in 1986.

Isn't this a happy little basket. It's made of Christmas fabrics covering clothesline.

Now to relax a bit before I have to fix supper. I'm not hungry after the meal we had at Red Hats.

Wonder if Bob would go for a peanut butter sandwich. I suppose not.

Chris

Strings and Scraps

Here's Martha O'Keefe, our Chenango Piecemakers Program Chairman and Sue (I have an Idea) McDonald busy at our quilt retreat last month.

Martha uses lots of bright colors, as witnessed by this suitcase of fabric she opened.

Last Saturday Triangle Guild sponsored a vest class. Unfortunately the instructor got mixed up on the date, so Sue taught the class. She showed some how to paper piece. Their results were great. Then she showed them how to do prarie points. Several used the points in their vests. Great results. Cousin Ella Mae was there and helped several of us fit the muslin pattern to our bodies. Thanks Sue and Ella Mae.

I finished my vest on Thursday, just in time to wear to Piecemakers meeting. I love it. It is batiks in diagonal strips on the right side with tree fabric on left side and another tree fabric on the back. All of the fabrics have trees in them. A picture will follow in a future post. This is the first article of clothing I have sewn in a very long time.

Sue's going to Florida for the winter shortly. Sure gonna miss that gal. She has great ideas and is always learning sometime new to show and inspire us.
Today I worked on a table runner with pattern called Game Board. I made one top back when I got the new sewing machine in the summer. I decided to make a duplicate backing in Christmas fabrics. It's nearly done. I'll wait til morning to finish.

I'm thinking about making a Christmas vest. I checked the tote of Christmas fabrics and have plenty of fabrics.

While searching for some fabrics I'd grouped together for the table runner fabric I found the Disappearing 4 Patch blocks I made in the spring. Sashed and bordered they'll make a nice couch quilt for someone. I also found the yarn and needles I bought last Black Friday at Patchwork Plus to make socks.

I noticed Nikki had the couch quilt I made for her bridal shower on her couch when I was there. Becki uses hers all the time. Jack, Aaron and Mickey & Eric sleep under the quilts I made for them.

Caleb has his now so I have my family well covered.

Sue said they counted seventeen quilts at her oldest son's home the last time she was there.

Chris

So Many Pillowcases and More to Come

Here's more of the pillowcases we made at Fall Festival. That's Cheryl hiding in the corner.
On Friday I'm going up to Willet to show the Willet Stitchers how to make those easy pillowcases using the "hot dog" method. June Lee would like to help make some for Conkerr Cancer.
Tomorrow I plan to cut a muslin vest and adjust the fit to my chubby body. On Saturday a group from Triangle Guild is meeting with Barb Ackley at St. Patrick's Church for a day long vest class.
I have my fabrics picked. There was a stash of batiks hiding on a lower shelf and I found about ten pieces that will work great for the front strips, maybe for the other front and back too. I do need to shop for some lining fabric but I can do that after the class.
I had ordered the Carol Doak Easy Reversible Vests from (yes, you guessed it) amazon.com. I was given a delivery date of November 17-19 but the book arrived yesterday. Once I had a chance to scan thru the book, I was more certain of what I wanted to use and approximate amounts.
My third wrapped clothesline bowl is nearly finished. This one uses Christmas fabrics. It needs about four more rows wrapped and sewn.
Grandson in law Jeremy Tennant came home on Monday after his foot surgery. He told me Sunday he has to keep weight off it for at least four weeks while the bone graft heals. We all hope he will have less pain when it is healed.
Chris