Sunday, May 12, 2013

More this and that

Another week has flown by and when this happens, it usually means that I've been busy...which I have been!

Just yesterday, I finished making the 48 log cabin blocks required for the next step of Darlene's mystery quilt.  Darlene posted detailed step-by-step instructions complete with photos of the way she makes her log cabin blocks on her blog which you can read about here.  




I've never made log cabin bocks this way but I can tell you that from here on in, this is the ONLY way I'll be making them!

Now I just have to sew them together and attach them to my flimsy which is growing with each passing month.  Here it is hanging and waiting ever so patiently on the back of the door in my studio.



One of our NSLQS (not-so-local quilt shops) is housed in the same building as a grocery store, gift shop and clothing store.  When I went in there the other day, there was a box of hangers in the entrance marked "help yourself"...which I did...to six of them!  

I love these hangers to hang not only WIP's but also my mini quilts until I find a home for them.  Here are a bunch of them which are now hanging on the other side of the same door.



These hangers are the kind that don't leave marks and I find that hanging them is better than folding and stacking them which always results in fold lines.



After a cold and wet Spring, who would have thought that we would be wishing for rain.  We've had three weeks of beautiful sunny weather but that also means that we've had no rain either during that time.  Brush fires have been imminent nearby and that is not a good thing.  



Thankfully there is a nice steady rain falling this morning and Ollie and Frankie have dozed off while listening to the pitter patter of raindrops on the roof.



I don't know about you but one of my least favorite things to do is to fill bobbins.  

My friend Diane (no blog) told me about some 100% cotton pre-wound bobbins that she ordered from Superior Threads.  They were recommended to her by the gal who does her longarm machine quilting and she loves them.  I knew that there were pre-wound bobbins with polyester thread but wasn't aware that cotton ones were available.  

Since I only use 100% cotton thread in all my quilts, I decided to give them a try.



I was a little concerned that they wouldn't be suitable for my Bernina but they work like a charm and I'm thrilled with the quality.  There are two series available, the "L" and the "M" and you just have to check to see which is the one suitable for your brand of machine.  I use a lot of ecru thread when piecing so that's the color I decided to go with although they are available in a multitude of colors.

Here's the link to Superior Threads if you'd like to check them out.  I'll definitely be reordering more when these are almost gone.



Yesterday I was invited to attend a trunk show hosted by La Guilde Acadienne de Clare, a quilt guild located on the French shore of Nova Scotia, about 60 miles from where we live.  Joan Tufts, President of the guild and I met yesterday and exchanged hugs for the first time.  Joan has written a great post about it here.

While there, I purchased some 100% wool batting which is my absolute fave! 

I'm hoping that if I whine loud enough, one of our NSLQS will order it in.



I'm going to be using some of it while putting the finishing touches on June's First Friday Freebie, along with the flying geese pictured below.




Edit:  Judging from some of the comments that were left on this post and from emails that I have received, for those of you who might be new to my blog, I publish a free design/pattern on the First Friday of March, June, September and December.  These are what I refer to as my First Friday Freebies.  There is a link to all of them that I have published to date on the right sidebar of my blog. 

The next one...which I made reference to above...will be released on June 7th, which is the First Friday of June.

And last but not least, I'd like to share my recipe for the best-est, richest, tastiest and yummiest bread pudding ever!

I had some leftover on-the-stale-side dinner rolls so I decided to make some this morning.

Here it is before going into the oven...



and 45 minutes later after baking and adding the sauce.





Bread Pudding

2 C granulated sugar
5 eggs, beaten
2 C milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 C cubed stale bread
1/2 C packed light brown sugar
1/4 C (1/2 stick) softened butter
1 C chopped pecans
1 C raisins

Sauce

1 C granulated sugar
1/2 C (1 stick) butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 C brandy or 1 tsp brandy extract (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease a 13" x 9" x 2" pan.

Mix together sugar, eggs and milk.  Add vanilla.  Pour over cubed bread and let sit for 10 minutes.

In another bowl, mix and crumble together brown sugar, butter, pecans and raisins.  Sprinkle over top and bake for 35 - 45 minutes or until set.  Remove from oven.

Sauce

Mix together sugar, butter, egg and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat.  Stir together until sugar dissolves.  Add brandy or brandy extract and stir well.  Pour sauce over pudding.  Let set about 10 minutes.  Serve warm or cold.

Have a great day and...


Happy stitching!


20 comments:

Denise said...

Seeing your log cabin blocks I'm sure your 5th step will be wonderful!
I'm always use Darlene's method for log cabin, paper only for tiny, tiny log cabin.
Have a nice week

Darlene D said...

Lucky you to run across the hanger freebies! I'd never though of using them before. Wonder if they have any left?

carolyn said...

Your Darlene's mystery is great eye candy. I have been stoking everyone that is making it. But, haven't started one myself yet.

Who knew about pre wond bobbins? I may have to order some of those.

Who is this June and where is the First Friday Freebe. I LOVE me some flying geese.

Happy Mothers Day,

Lori said...

Wow! The mystery quilt is gettign quite large. Love the log cabin blocks!!

Colleen G said...

Thank you for the hint about pre-wound bobbins; I have always been nervous about a purchase like that because (touch wood) I know how important tension can bee and have never wanted to mess with the system I have going. Might give it a try with a small order since I have a Pfaff. Glad you had a nice visit with the guild, I met a few of the ladies last fall and just knew they would be a fun group.

moosecraft said...

Thank you for the link to the log cabin tutorial! I like those, but since my piecing is not all that perfect... I haven't stitched them into anything. Those hangers are wonderful! Lucky you! Frankie and Ollie have the right idea... rainy days are perfect for relaxing. I always feel guilty relaxing on sunny days... lol!

wendy@iqlt said...

I love your logs. I am slow and just getting started this weekend. It is a great way of doing it. Where do I find June's mystery? It looks like something I want to try.I love your blog.

wendy@iqlt said...

I love your logs. I am slow and just getting started this weekend. It is a great way of doing it. Where do I find June's mystery? It looks like something I want to try.I love your blog.

Candace said...

What pretty log cabins! I have to go see how she makes them! Love those hangers, too! Sasha is so jealous of Frankie and Ollie that she's looking for a new roomie! Looks like you had a wonderful day at the trunk show - and I bet you had a lovely drive to boot!
Cheers!

Gloria said...

Happy Mothers Day to all of you quilters. Thank you for the log cabin tutorial. I love the primitive look log cabins can have. I have been using the hangers for quilts and WIPs for quite awhile. I also use them for my cutting mats and hang them over a door hook.

Merilyn said...

Very interesting link about the alternative way to assemble logcabin blocks - it certainly saves a lot of fiddley work and speeds up the process!!
Love the 'hanger' idea too, a no brainer really, and not obvious until someone points it out LOL!!!!
A great and simple receipe, looks very yum!!!!! Lovely post!!!!

joan said...

Thank you again for coming to the Trunk Show yesterday. It was so wonderful to meet you in person!
Your cabin blocks will look beautiful on that quilt. What a beautiful job Darlene has designing it♥

Lesley said...

Lots to read and see here! Your log cabin blocks are great...yay you for getting them done with loads of time to spare. And I always learn something new here...those hangers for your little quilts are such a great idea. I had been avoiding prewound bobbins, but my mind is changing! Bet your kitchen still smells good!

Sandi said...

Ironically after almost the same length of a dry spell we've had rain overnight and then it stopped until about six tonight and started up again.

Happy Mother's Day Kaaren for all the mothering you do with sharing your quilting and design knowledge with us all.

Janet O. said...

Those are warm and wonderful log cabins! Looks like a fun mystery quilt.
I love to hang my minis like that, too, while storing them. How nice to get the hangers for nothing! : )

Anonymous said...

Love the logs :-) I have always thought that pre-wound bobbins sound very tempting - but what on earth do you do with the empty ones? Can you send them back to be filled again? Otherwise you must be left with a huge heap of empty bobbins after a while....

sue bennett said...

The only problem with the bobbins is make sure they are not the cardboard ones. They have glue on them that gets into your machine.. I now only buy the ones on a plastic bobbin. I use a lot of the prewound bobbins.

Your bread pudding looks so good this morning.

KatieQ said...

Thank you for the link and the storage idea. It really is a good way to make log cabin blocks. I like the idea of using the hangers to hold WIPs and finished quilts.

Cathy said...

Your log cabin blocks for Darlene is already done! Wouaw is super nice!

Margs Primitive Quilts said...

Kaaren.. I really like the bunny stitchery row you added to Darlene 's Mystery Quilt Your BOM looks lovely too. I may have to do that too...Marg