SBRB

Which stands for Self-Binding Receiving Blanket and this is the first one I have actually made.  I've explained it a billion times but have never made one until today.  This was flannel in the stash for many years, so I washed and ironed it before starting.  I don't sew with flannel because a.) I am pretty much always too warm b.) no related babies around and c.) because most flannel just doesn't look as nice once it's been washed.  Most likely the $12/yard flannel wouldn't fall into that category but... it's $12/yard!

Making the SBRB is a very clever and easy process but you will notice that my borders/bindings are not the same size.  That's a mistake which could have been avoided if I had been measuring instead of assuming. 

It will find a good home anyway.

Ravellenics

Some of you may know of Ravely which is an online community of knitters, crocheters, spinners, etc.  Fiber people.  During the last Olympics they had their own games going on.  No competing against each other, rather you decided what you wanted to complete during the real Olympics and reported it to the event coordinators.  At the end of the games, you reported to teams leaders in the various categories, i.e. socks, afghans, scarves etc.  Completion of your goal got you a "hooray, well done" certificate.

At least that's how I understand it.  My sister the knitter participated and will again this year.  Her question to me this morning was: Ready to Cast On?  I gave it a lot of thought.  Nothing more fun than starting a new project!  I have two knitting projects though that I could finish up, so I decided not to start something new.

However, I saw a blog earlier this week where a quilter suggested a Binding Marathon during the Olympics.  YES!  Not that it will be any cooler to be binding rather than knitting but it would make a huge difference in quilt completion.  And let's face it, the numbers have not been stellar so far.  In fact, I was reminded the other day that they are going in the wrong direction.  :-)

So binding it is.  I have two large quilts that need binding and two smaller tops that could be quilted and bound in the next two weeks.

Let the games begin!

Corn is Here!

I thought I spotted it last Friday as I drove by one of the Harward stands but I couldn't tell for sure.  Yesterday Gaye told me she had picked some up there!  Woo Hoo!  The best part of summer!

MSDeb told me about this microwave method and I had to try it to believe it.  It's true!  It absolutely works!  I didn't get it quite right the first time so went on the internet and fps there is a Youtube video.  The key is to cut the bottom off at the widest point.

A Little Project

Lots of the bloggers like this "format" for finished quilts and I'm not sure why.  I never remember to snap a picture like this when I finish a quilt because I have the fence which I think makes a perfect display location. 

I started this placemat yesterday and even started the  hand sewing part of the binding but by the time I got home from work and had dinner, my eyes were too tired for handwork.  It took very little time to finish up this morning.

These are reproduction 30's prints that I have had for more than 5 years but probably not too much longer.  By my stash this is new fabric.  :-)  I made the blocks (don't have any idea how many) and was annoyed by the whole process so set the finished blocks aside.  In the recent fabric upheaval, nine 7-inch blocks surfaced and I sewed six together for the top.  The backing and binding are more than twenty years old because I moved it from Illinois.  Heavy sigh.

I'm giving this to MNDeb who recently expressed an interest in vintage and placemats.  Perhaps more blocks will rise to the top and I can make her another.

At least it's finally all asssembled!

I did get the inside primed and painted except for the inside back which I am going to cover with anaglypta painted white.  Color for the outside is called Mysteria.

I've had this wardrobe, in a box for years, one year out of the box, leaning against the wall and many months with the frame put together.  Was it a must do this week?  No.  Was it another distraction?  Yes.  And painting while the humidity was so high?  Just plain silly.

Of course generally speaking the house is a wreck.  Fabric piled everywhere but the bathroom.  Yes, my sister is coming tomorrow.  I'll keep shoveling but really, it is what it is and you know what they say about that road.

(It's from Ikea, of course, and is perfect for the spot!)

Grilled Corn, Avocado and Tomato Salad

This was fabulous!  I think it might have been on Posey's blog but here is the link.


Grilled Corn, Avocado and Tomato Salad with Honey Lime Dressing:

• pint grape tomatoes cut in halves
• 1 ripe avocado, roughly chopped
• 2 ears of fresh sweet corn
• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

 Slice the tomatoes in half. Remove husks from corn and grill over medium heat for 10 minutes. The corn should have some brown spots and be tender and not mushy. Cut the corn off the cob then scrape the cob with the back of your knife to get the juices. Set aside and let cool. Dice the avocado and chop the cilantro.

Honey Lime Dressing:

• Juice of 1 lime
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Dash of cayenne pepper

Add all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

Combine the sliced tomatoes, avocado, cilantro and grilled corn and honey lime dressing and mix gently so everything is evenly coated. Be careful not to mash the avocados. Let the salad sit for 10-15 minutes to let flavors mingle.


Given the outside temperature last week, I was not excited to be out there grilling corn.  I put a tiny amount of oil in my non-stick skillet and put the corn in on medium-low, for 15 minutes, rotating it about every 5 minutes.  Worked like a charm!  Next time I will add a can of rinsed and drained black beans to make the salad a bit more substantial.  Also, I did not have cilantro and might not put it in anyway.

QOTD

"The thing about quotes on the internet is that you cannot confirm their validity."

- Abraham Lincoln

Taking a little break

It's too hot.  A couple of the new trees seem to be dying.  We just want to lay around with a fan blowing directly on us.  That's it.  Nothing more.  The energy is just drained right out of us.

I'll be back when I can find my happy face.

40%

That was the prediction for today's chance of precipitation.  It's already over but the deck is wet, the outside temp is 67 degrees and inside it is, oh, still 80.  However, there are no fans running and inside will cool off.

Wow. Moisture from the sky.  It's a good thing.

Recycle!

Heather and I are just sayin'...

We did not put the writing on the bottle.  Gaye left it because she knew we would see it and laugh about it as I extracted it from the trash basket.  We did and I did. 

Mike and I do not fill the recycling bin we share even though it is only picked up twice a month.  The night before pick-up I like to bring home any empty fabric boards just to fill the can.

Ahhh, the 4th

I was in the sewing room where there was still a window open and I thought I heard a car backing up.  I went to the door and sure enough a woman was already out of the car and ready to give directions to the driver on how close they could get to the other parked car.  I said STOP!  You can't park there, I need to get out of my driveway.  She said, "but I think you..."  NO!  Do not park there, I have to get out of MY driveway and go to work!"  She threw up her hands and said no problem and they drove away.  FPS!  So I moved my car so that it hangs out into the street enough to prevent anyone else from trying to squeeze in.

Most times it doesn't matter as long as they don't block the entire driveway but this is the first time I am working on the 4th and I have the keys to the store.

Interestingly, this year the library has put up big fencing all around their property to keep people off the lawn.  I am sure there is a lot of turf destruction from the overnighters and on parade day when the parade is over it seems most many people just get up and leave all their garbage.

Notice that the lawn doesn't look very good and this is after a concerted effort by me to get enough water on it.  We had less than half an inch of rain in May and I'm not sure we had measurable rain in June.

QOTD

If you're the sharpest crayon in the box, maybe you're just a lousy color

 - Quilt and Dagger

Korean Beef Tacos

I found this recipe here and if you read Tina's blog you will see that she adapted it from What's Cookin' Chicago? a blog I have recently started reading.  I cut Tina's recipe in half and also used a chuck pot roast as there is no finding beef ribs in the grocery stores I frequent.  I was a chicken about the red pepper flakes and just added a pinch but went back the next day and added way more and I am not a hot and spicy lover.  It just needed it.  The cucumbers and bean sprouts make these tacos extra good.  MNDeb couldn't stop raving about them!

Crockpot Korean Beef Tacos

The Cucumber Slaw:

1 hot house cucumber (the wrapped skinny kind)
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
pinch of salt
crushed red pepper flakes to taste

The Korean Beef:
3 lbs. boneless chuck pot roast
3/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
5 cloves garlic, grated or use a press
2 tablespoons grated ginger
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

The tacos:
10 small flour tortillas
bean sprouts
cilantro (optional)
sriracha (if you need extra heat.)

Directions:

For the Cucumber Slaw:
Slice cucumbers as thin as you can get them (I used a mandolin slicer)  and place in a bowl. Combine rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and crushed red pepper in a small jar, covr and shake to combine.  Pour over cucumbers and refrigerate until needed.  You can make these the night before if desired. 
For the Korean Beef:
Wipe inside of crock pot with a little oil add the pot roast.  In a small bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients until combined; pour over the roast. Cook on low heat for 8 hours. If posible, turn roast halfway through. When done, remove meat from crockpot and set aside to cool before shredding.  Return meat to sauce when shredded.  I like to cook the roast a day ahead, and store the shredded meat separate from the sauce.  The fat will rise to the top of the sauce and be easy to remove the next day.
For the tacos:
Warm taco shells in the microwave.  Add shredded beef, cucumber slaw, bean sprouts, and cilantro.

Shaded

I decided today was the day I would finally put up the continuous loop roller shade in the living room.  It's custom of course because the whole idea of this particular shade is to make it easy to raise and lower because of the height of the window.  I have trouble actually leaving the ground so jumping up to catch a shade is out of the question.

It's been sitting here since winter began but there was no need for it until now when it is major to keep the sun and heat out.  I tried the brackets in two different places and there was no way it was going to fit.  I even thought a top mount might work but before I drilled again I gave it  a little more thought and because of the angled woodwork the roller mechanism decided it would not sit right.  Then I thought perhaps I could just go over to Home Depot and have them cut down the shade by an inch.  (AN INCH!!)  I'm pretty sure I measured where I wanted the shade to cover and did not consider the mounting mechanisms which are different than regular shades.  Heavy sigh.  I didn't want to leave the house today and it was really annoying that I wasted so much time and sweat over the whole thing because I waited until the sun was up over the mountain to start the project.  I at least thought to call HD and ask about the cutting and was told if the tube was cardboard they could cut it but not if it was metal.  No way to confirm that without unrolling it which you are told not to do until it is mounted.  So I poked around online and even though there was nothing on the instructions to indicate it, discovered that this shade was in fact a Bali Shade and they had a chat line.  Yay.  The answer from customer service was metal.  I really wasn't surprised.

So I stepped away from ladder and window.

I spent another hour at it tonight while the sun was going behind the trees and there was a bit of cooling beginning.  Remounted the brackets in the first holes I drilled and added shims.  That didn't work.   The last option was top mounting.  Awkward and it didn't work anyway.

Tomorrow morning I will put the old cheap vinyl shade back up and learn to jump.

Woo Hoo!!

The first grape tomato!!  Time to get the tomato cage out!

Stash Report #27

Added this week          10.00
Used this week             1.75
Added year to date    134.9
Used year to date        58.33
Net year to date        +76.52 YARDS