Playing with my Food

Sometimes I enjoy getting in the kitchen and trying something new.  While it can be "risky," I can usually eat my mistakes.  Over the past couple of weeks I have been gathering some ingredients to try this. 

I bought short-grain rice -Nishiki brand.  I bought a tube of Wasabi paste.  I also bought sheets of Nori - aka seaweed sheets.  Do you see where this is going?  I tried both  Asian stores in town to find pickled ginger, but to no avail.  I also bought a nice avocado. I had some cream cheese in the fridge, but I wish there had been more. (oops!)  I found rice wine vinegar at Big Lots. (you can find interesting ingredients there at times.) 

Then came Saturday.  The rice was prepared according to the directions I had read. I put it into the big bowl to cool.  It came out great - except that a layer stuck to the bottom of the stainless steel pan. (Hint - add water and heat to boiling again; let sit for a while and scrape with a metal spatula. It will come off.)

I seasoned the rice with the vinegar mixed with a bit of salt and sugar. Then it had to cool to room temp. (or close -- I was too anxious to get going.)

I used my nice new sushi rolling bamboo mat covered with plastic wrap.  A sheet of seaweed - rough side up- was covered with rice.  You wet your hands to handle the rice so it doesn't stick to you so badly.  A bowl of water beside you as you work is essential.  Then add the other ingredients.
Next you roll it up neatly.  (Watch a few videos on youtube to see how to do it before you start.) Finally you cut it up and put it on a plate. 

I don't have fancy sushi dishes but a normal plate works just fine.

That squeeze of wasabi on the side was enough for the entire plate of sushi. It was quite spicy.
I would say for a first time, this looks pretty darn good! 

And yes, I did eat with the chopsticks.

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Things Got Edgy

Sometimes life is interesting. Things can get edgy.  Thursday was an edgy type of day for me.



You see this quilt was sitting there needing to have a binding.  There was a Kaffe fabric that looked interesting in my stash so I decided to use it for the binding.

The selvedge print proclaims that it is Mirage 104.  

Since most of the print fabric in the patchwork is Kaffe fabric, I thought this would be appropriate. 

So,  cutting off an appropriate amount of fabric,  then ironing it nice and flat (not that it looks that way in the picture!)  I  proceeded to cut the binding on a bias. I confess to loving a bias cut stripe as 

binding on a quilt.  But this isn't a regular stripe so how would it work? The way 

to find that out is just to try it. 

I sewed the pieces together and then pressed it in half.  I sewed it to the front of the quilt and folded

it over the edge.  OOoooh pretty!  So I proceeded to sew it to the back. 

Now the "edgy" binding is on the EDGE of this fun, colorful, happy quilt. 

I think it adds an edgy pop of color and movement to the binding.  Next up, it will get 

the spa wash and heat treatment (machine washed and machine dried.)

Then I will do a glamour shoot when the weather permits.  

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Quilted and Trimmed (and music)

I have been quiet for a while.  I took my time and enjoyed quilting this quilt. The quilting is finished and the quilt is trimmed, ready for binding.  Of course that is another decision to make. I may let it "rest" a bit before I do that.

I love the quilting I did on this one.  It will have a lovely texture when the binding is added and it gets washed.  I think the on-point setting makes the quilt have an even more lively look. 

Here are some close-ups of some of the quilting.

Some of the quilting was done by creating a path as I went.  The bottom photo is a variation on the "Square Flower" (Thanks Lori Kennedy.)  I just wobbled the lines as I did it rather than making them straight. 

Ha ha... in the first close-up, I see that I need to trim some threads. The second one has a surprise quilted into the sashing. Do you see it? 

Here is an alternate photo of the full quilt.

I gave myself the gift of a new Kindle Paperwhite since I am doing a lot more reading.  So, in the near future I will be attempting to make a cover for it.  I hope to share that with you before long.  Of course, I am chasing various types of squirrels and sometimes falling into rabbit holes.
One such diversion is music.  Here is a link to a song file of me playing and singing.  This is rough and "raw" - I simply did it and recorded.  There was no "second take" and no editing.  (you are warned.)  The song was written by Merle Haggard with Freddy Powers and Willie Nelson.  According to Mr. Haggard, the only thing Willie contributed was the title line. 
This song was recorded by Merle Haggard with Janie Fricke singing background for him.

I tried to find a way to add a player for it that would play here. But I was not successful.  If you click the link it takes you to Google Drive.  There you will just need to click the play button to hear it. I think you may be able to download it -if you want, I don't mind.  Just don't sell it. (Ha ha, not that anyone would likely pay for it.)
Here is the link.  "A Place to Fall Apart"

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

More Free Motion Quilting

First let me say, "If you are looking for perfection, look somewhere else."


I have continued quilting along on the LHQS 2.0 top.   I did all of the setting triangles around the edges with a simple pattern of somewhat parallel lines.  They are more organic than perfect. 

 You can see that those lines are not all straight - but that doesn't bother me a bit. Once the entire quilt is quilted all those small imperfections in quilting will blend into a happy texture of quilting.

Here are some of the blocks. 

This one shows some of the sashings as well as some setting triangles. 

For this one I used a very simple fill that works well in a nine-patch block.

This design was planned as I went.  The lines wobble and are quirky.  But again, it 

will become just some more lovely texture when the quilt is completed. 

I am not rushing this quilt at all. I do a bit and step back for a while. 

When it is done I will have to decide which project I will work on next. 

I have (ahem) a few choices.  Of course I could also just start something else.

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Free Motion Fun

Back in April of last year (2019) I completed a top for the LHQS 2.0 quilt along.   It was a lot of fun because you could choose the blocks you wanted to make from (I think) 99 different blocks.  And you could add your own choices also.  That is my kind of fun.
I made 32 pieced blocks and set them on point with sashing and cornerstones.

On Monday, I squeezed in time to get it basted.  Then on Tuesday, I started the quilting.
I am using various quilting designs in each area. I am making up my mind as I go - much in the spirit that the quilt top was created.  Here is a picture of some of my quilting so far.

I think that three or four of the blocks are quilted now as well as the sashings between them.  I am also using various sashing fillers to keep it fun.

Here is the original photo of the top from last year.

I think that I chose this one to quilt because the colors are so happy.

I have a small stack of tops that need quilted.  But this one is the chosen one, this time. 

I hope you are staying safe and finding ways to let your creativity soar.

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

T-Shirt Dyeing Results

The T-shirts that I dyed came out nicely.   The best part is that now I can wear them without looking stained or discolored.  I love it when I can renew and reuse something that would otherwise be thrown out.

First up the T-shirt that had a food stain that wouldn't come out. For this one I used the Razzle Dazzle dye (a mixed color) by itself and had the shirt scrunched tightly so that there would be some resisted areas.

The dye completely hid the food stain and the resisted areas still show the original blue. Plus since the logo is a heat-set design, it still shows nicely. I really love this one.

Next up is the discolored white shirt that was folded for resist areas.  This one didn't resist that  well.  You will see why later.

There are some color variations but it is not a strong design.

Next up is another discolored shirt that I dyed with a mix of chinese red dye and turquoise dye.  This was a bit of a surprise.

What happened?  This was a learning experience for me.  Plus, it explains why the turquoise shirt doesn't have a strong design.  Even though the dyes were well mixed, they separated (split) in the dyeing process.  The turquoise apparently will slip through the resist more than the red dye.  Where the red and turquoise are mixed I got a lovely warm violet hue.  But the resisted areas dyed with the turquoise that penetrated the resist.    This is one of those "happy accidents" that you get when you just let go and see what happens.   The good part is that now I know this about using the turquoise dye and I can plan for it.  The better part is that this shirt is one that I will enjoy wearing now.

While neither of the bottom two folded resists worked as planned, I like them both.  I may do some over-dyeing on the turquoise one. But I will probably wear it a few times first.

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Dyeing Some T-Shirts

When I started doing some drawer reorganization/cleaning out.  I found a couple of white T-shirts that had discolored.  I considered using them as rags, but I really didn't need rags right now. Hmmm....  I just set them aside.

A few days ago, I was wearing another Tee from an event I worked before retiring - years before retiring.  The shirt was in prime condition - until I spilled food on it that stained.  Nothing seemed to remove that stain.  So I put it aside to overdye.  When I took a dyeing class, the teacher had said, "Purple will cover a multitude of mistakes."  She was talking about dyeing mistakes, but isn't a stain like a dye in some ways?  Why not! 

On Friday night (late) I decided a plan for each of the T-shirts. Two were folded and held with rubber bands and matched with containers to put them in. The third - the blue shirt with stains - I decided to do a container compression dye.  To do this the shirt/cloth is placed in a container where it will be a tight fit. Thus there will be areas that are compressed and will resist the dye. I have a mixed purple called "Razzle Dazzle" - so I chose it for that shirt. For one I used simple unmixed Turquoise dye. For the other I used a mix of Turquoise and Chinese Red.  With mixed colors you sometimes have colors that "split" making for surprise results. (Always fun.)
Here are the shirts after dyeing but soaking to remove excess dye. 

I always soak for hours with some Dawn Dish Detergent in the soak water.  The Dawn suspends the dye particles that are loose so that they don't re-deposit on the fabric. I usually change the water a minimum of three times. If it is still pretty murky after the third soak, I go again. Then they finally get a machine wash with detergent and a bit more Dawn.  This really works wonderfully to keep them from bleeding onto other things when I wash after wearing.

Here is a skein of cotton that I dyed in 2017.

This looks to be the final rinse.  I think I need to do that again too!

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Canning Day

Thursday was a Canning Day for me.  I had a big bowl of figs all cut up and ready in the bottom of the refrigerator.   I had found three pint jars at Mom's and I had one half-pint that I had emptied.  That should be enough, I thought. 

I got out my tools.

I love that big canning ladle. It has a "Pointed nose" to help scoop up the product 

in the corners of the pot.  The jar lifter is my second one.  The first one finally 

wore out on me- the handles cracked and broke.

Here is the pot of preserves bubbling away.

I decided to use a cherry flavored gelatin and add some cocoa to it.

This is a flavor I lovingly call "Chocolate Covered Cherry"

And finally, here are the finished jars.

The flash makes them look lighter than they are. In person they look to be a 

deep burgundy color. (For reference that towel under them is black.) 

Of course you may have noticed that I said "That should be enough, I thought. "

Ha!  I had two small containers left over that I have put into the refrigerator to be 

used immediately.  I love using these preserves in my morning yogurt. 

It is so tasty and good.  I am now letting my sister-in-law and my aunt have

the rest of the figs this year as I am out of jars and fully stocked for the next year.

Interestingly, there seems to be a shortage of jars for sale this year. (Pandemic induced?)

I hope the figs are as abundant next year. In the late fall, I plan to prune the tree

as it is getting too big and gangly.  

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Improv; Curtains; and Mini-Me

Back in March - which seems a lifetime ago - I was working on some improv pieces.  Today I grabbed out the leftovers and had another playtime with improv piecing.

This is the piece I came up with:

Last time I created these pieces:

Today's piece is quite large in comparison to those.  I just kept adding while I binge watched a show on DVD.

Another thing I have been doing lately is working on genealogy. And since my mother has been going through things and sorting as she disposes of some unneeded paperwork that she has kept for waaaay too long; we have looked at a lot of old photos.  Here is one of me in - possibly second or third grade.  I certainly look like I was happy that day.

I am sure some of you wonder what happened with the bathroom curtains I was weaving fabric for.  The fact is, I finished it and didn't like it when I hung it up. So I pulled out some nice Home Dec fabric that I bought when I wandered into a store that was going out of business - probably early this year or late last year.

I really like the graphic design of the fabric as curtains,  and I love the way it lined up.  The secret is this:  The wide fabric was split down the middle and hemmed so that it would line up.

The other fabric is hanging over my kitchen window, but I am not thrilled with it there either - so no picture.    I am thinking that I may take it down and sew it into a different configuration to see if I like it that way.

One day soon, I plan to take another quilt top and get it layered and basted for quilting.  But for now, I have at least one more batch of fig preserves to can.

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

I got a "Trophy"

Some of you may know that I am working diligently to learn to speak Spanish.  I have been on Duolingo (basically a free online learning tool) since August 19, 2018.   I have missed only one day of study in that time.  My profile there shows a streak of 620 days without missing. That "one day" keeps it from being 715 days.

A couple of days ago, I decided to "try" the final exam.  More than a few of the questions were hard for me. But at the end of the test, I got this-

This does NOT mean that I am fluent. What it does mean is that I will be able to have some conversations with folks the next time I am in Mexico.  I have actually done this, but very haltingly, on past visits.  I am sure I will still need Google Translate as a backup for "interesting" words that I haven't learned yet - and certainly for some verb conjugations.

But I will be far more able to go shopping for things like

And any other things I may need or want while I am there.  I will be able to say more things and do less pointing/sign language.  And I will be able to call a cab or rideshare service or ask if the bus goes to place X.

I will still be working daily on my Spanish, because as we all know "If you don't use it, you lose it."

One day this will be me in my Mexican villa.

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.