Tall Tales from Kansas

I slam the door on them

Recently I met with my friend Mary Joan for a lesson in hand quilting. She may be the last in the line of women from her family who have passed down the arts of quilting, needlepoint, and embroidery. Though the days of the quilting bee may be gone, we met at her kitchen table and had a review. It gave me the confidence to try and do an entire quilt. Below you will see the mini practice piece I put together to help me see that I could do it. If I put my mind to it. Or as Angie used to say if I "buckle down". Mary Joan made sugar cookies for our session, if you haven't had sugar cookies made by an expert home baker lately, you might want to call one and wrangle yourself an invite. I have no shame. You shouldn't either. 

As I started, and if I still look at the stitches carefully, there are many critics lurking in the periphery telling me to put the darn thing on the machine because this doesn't look that great and it will be so much faster on the machine. I slam the door on them. Put tape across their mouths. 

While I was deep into this "you can do it!" mode, I took apart that needlepoint pillow that I finished last month and re-did it. I felt I could do it better. You will not be able to tell the difference but I can. It's fuller, no funky lumps, and it has smoother seams. I cut open the back, pulled out the stuffing, turned it inside out, re-did the seams on the machine, put in a full pillow insert, and sewed a big patch across where I had cut it open. 

I decided while I was at it to practice doing some free motion writing with the sewing machine. Then I put a flower on it too. I simply love a tag that looks like this. When someone pulls this out of a box in the back of a thrift store in 60 years, I hope it's a fellow creative that will give me a high five. 

In news from the kitchen - tapioca in jam jars! Oh it's been too long.

I am quite enjoying working at a leisurely pace on my stranded knitting project. 

Now let me get back to the quilting. At this exact moment, 21 of 216 triangles have been completed and I am going strong with no signs of giving up. 

All of Dad's quilter sisters from Louisiana are standing around cheering. If the tape comes loose from the mouth of any inner critic, they apply another layer and we just keep going. Oh how I wish I had quilted WITH them, but I didn't know when I could have, how much I would have wished I had now. Which of course is the way of life. 

some maple pecan toasted oat scones.

The end of February is generally when I run out of all the things I bought at the tail end of the farmers market to see me through the winter, as well as all the holiday baking items that were carefully wrapped and frozen. To that end I sat with my recipe book Saturday and decided I needed some maple pecan toasted oat scones. 

These are not dry tough scones.  They are moist and also flaky/crisp with the hearty, deep flavor that comes from roasting the oats and pecans... the maple glaze adds just the right touch of extra sweetness.  These are my "go-to" winter scones. Never fail, freeze well, perfect with a ripe pear if you happen to have one on hand. Which I did thanks to you Brother. 

Recipe from America's Test kitchen is at the very end if you are interested in trying for yourself. 

Other recent activities include putting together a backing for my triangle quilt. For some reason I can't just do a plain backing. I always want to add a bit of something... and it's such good piecing practice. 

Sandwich making coming up next, then on to the quilting. 

I realize this recipe looks super tiny. If you click on it, it is legible.  

deep satisfaction and enjoyment

I have just spent a most enjoyable almost 18 hours catching up with Inspector Gamache and my friends from the village of Three Pines up north in Canada. As always we are presented with a new mystery to solve, while in the background there is the ongoing corruption in the ranks of the Sûrete du Québec and Lt. Jean-Guy Beauvoir remains entrenched in difficulty. The bistro continues to serve the most amazing meals, Myrna is still operating the bookstore, Ruth and Rosa make appearances, Clara contemplates the departure of Peter, we get to know Superintendent Thérèse Brunel and her husband Jérôme better, and Chief Superintendent Francoeur remains easy to dislike. 

This chapter (book number 9 in a series of 19), has us readers headed in a new direction at it's conclusion. I am along for the ride, wherever Louise Penny wants to take me. This series continues to provide deep satisfaction and enjoyment for all the hours I am engaged with the characters. 

I will go ahead and say it again, I am forever in debt to Sharron and Marti for telling me about this series. Very Highly Recommended. 

the osmotic infusion of well being

Recently, on the way home from a meeting, without any warning at all, Shirley (of her own volition) veered off the highway onto 87th street, took a left on Farley and drove into the parking lot of Family Tree Nursery. 

The only thing that came home with me was this lovely Kalanchoe - and a nearby pot that happened to pair quite well with it. 

There was also the osmotic infusion of well being brought on by the anticipation of Spring, the feeling of warm tropical air on my skin, the indescribable aroma of a collection of growing plants combined with soil, and the joy of being among other people walking around with goofy grins on their faces as their endorphin levels spiked.  

When the "safety" features in my girl Shirl take over while I am driving, I have learned it's best to go along for the ride. 

a "wavery" line in both quilting and drawing

Hello friends, here is the conclusion of the half circle and lines class experiment project. As an adult, it feels sort of fun to take a class, learn a skill, apply it, finish it, and then sit back and reflect on what you learned. The only "grade" is the one I give myself.  

Below, we go from assembled to some quilting, to more quilting, to a look at the back, to application of a facing, a new way for me to finish a quilt. Which by the way, I quite liked. 

As you see, I am quite a novice at the free motion quilting thing. I tend to have a "wavery" line in both quilting and drawing. Happily I have made peace with that. I have also grown fond of my walking foot for straight line quilting and can get it on and off the sewing machine in nothing flat. Why did I used to think it was so difficult? 

And now it's been placed on the table in the living room, where I can sit and look at it, and figure out what is the next project I should apply some of what I learned into the creation of. 

the remarkable octopus who lives at the Sowell Bay Aquarium

This little succulent cutting has continued to bloom in the kitchen window since being moved indoors in the fall.  Ahh the ability to adapt and continue to flourish (and even bloom) is a marvelous thing. 

The sunny mild days have been nice for short walks... I think I have gotten a bit lazy in the cold, wanting to sit by the fire in the morning for coffee before bolting out the door. I don't know about you, but if I don't bolt right away, I can get pulled into all manner of "stuff".

Butterscotch latte's are back at Barkers on Massachusetts Street. 

Finally (because people were coming over to our house) the Christmas garlands over the table came down and the old hearts and other assorted valentine themed things went up.  Immediately I "feel" springy. Can daffodils be far behind?

On the reading front, I sat in the parking lot behind Sarah's today, in the shade of a nice old tree, reading the last several chapters of Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt. It's due tomorrow, and though I could certainly keep it longer... possession being 9/10's of the law, but other folks are waiting and I don't want to make them wait longer than necessary.  Hence the unusual reading spot that is relatively close to the library. 

This is the story of Tova Sullivan whose son Erik died 30 years ago, under circumstances that were never really settled. Cameron is a young man whose mother left him when he was nine and he didn't know his father. Ethan is the Scotsman who runs the local grocery story and may be a little sweet on Tova. Marcellus is the remarkable octopus who lives at the Sowell Bay Aquarium. Avery is the owner of a local surf shop. Somehow their lives are all connected in ways that are revealed as the story unfolds. Quite an enjoyable read. Highly recommended.

they were more than happy to do it

Tomorrow, February 11th, while everyone is focused on the Super Bowl, here in Lawrence Kansas, Chris and I will be celebrating his birthday. We are not big birthday celebrators as a rule.  There are cards, greetings, a nice dinner at home... you get the idea. But today I told Chris there would be cake. Definitely cake. He is not a lover of sweets, but if I twist his arm, he'll eat a piece. Here is Chris at  somewhere around age one. His oldest brother Steve is holding him while they all get ready to dive into some birthday cake. I think it must be John's birthday (the one in the middle with the cake right in front of him) based on that excited look on his face, and the clenched hands under the table.  

Here is Chris from the other night. We went out for February birthdays with his brother Dan and Dan's wife, Ann. I called up the downtown merchants association and asked them if they would leave the Christmas lights up for one more weekend for this birthday celebration. They were more than happy to do it they said (in my mind that's what they said anyway).  

But back to the cake... I offered to make whatever he wanted, knowing of course that he would prefer something very simple. He considered all his options then said he wanted the "cake from the Marlboro cookbook". It's like a magazine that came out in 1981 and it has the chili recipe we use, but also happens to have this trailhand/chuckwagon cake. 

No special ingredients, one pan, no mixer required. You can also eat it with your hands like a brownie if you are so inclined. But it's NOT a brownie. Different texture and with a crispy crunchy cinnamon sugar top. 

Ice cream alongside if desired. Which of course it is for a birthday. Recipe below if you want to try it the next time you have a birthday for someone who doesn't love sweets but can get behind a piece of cake a cowhand would like. 

Happy, Happy, Happy Birthday Crystal Vanon. 

like a stained glass window

My creative spirit has been fed recently with the Maria Shell - Half Circles and Lines class. Yes, I have told you about this already at least twice (!) but I have been obsessed with making different units - just seeing what I can come up with while practicing piecing curves.

Constructing a single entity from different sized units is a bit like a jigsaw puzzle. I found myself staring at the whole, trying to figure out what to sew together to what next. Additional scraps were pieced to fill in spots, and just to see what it was like to try and make an improvisational strip.



The next time I do this, more thought will be given to the color palette. Maybe not so many "pop" colors. A few more neutrals... perhaps. 

This is going to live on a table in my living room, where I sit in the morning after lighting the candles, to drink my coffee - while I consider what the day may bring and just how I should gather my energy to have it be most to my liking. 

I completely love how this looks from the back when I hold it up to the light. Like a stained glass window with the seams filling in for the strips of lead that are soldered together. 

Who wouldn't want to worship at the church of the holy makers with stained glass windows like these? 

he was right

The report from Tall Tales headquarters this week follows.  It is slow, languid, not terribly exciting, just what the first part of February is all about. It was warm enough to walk outside a few days, I finished up the very last of the saved loaf of Mrs. Peter's sourdough bread from the farmers market (along with some halo's which have been insanely good), and a valentine's decoration came out. 

Would you get a load of that root ball on the succulent next to her? I guess it should be planted?

I have been knitting up a cowl - this is the first time I have used Atlas yarn and it is lovely to knit with.  We had a glorious sunset one day last week.  I was sitting on the couch doing Wordle right before dinner, all snuggly warm under an afghan, when Chris said, "the sky is really pretty", I said, "is it worth me getting up for?", he said "well you will have to be the judge, but I think so". 

He was right.