Design Wall Monday - June 27, 2011

I need to get these two blocks for the Guild's Block Lotto done this week.   It looks to be an extra busy week with two extra classes added for me to teach and the weather is fantastic, so we'll see how much sewing I get done.  I still need to work on the Chloe Quilt also, I must get started on the Flying Geese blocks.  Crack the whip!

Go on over to Judy's Patchwork Times and see what everyone else has on their design walls this week.

Large Loaf Antique Bread Pans

Antique Tin Bread Pans

Derin has been looking for large bread pans for a long time.  We found 4 Antique Tin Backing Bread Pans on eBay from an Estate Sale.  The pans measure 12" x 8" x 4"  -  they are big!

Antique Tin Bread Pans

 After cleaning and re-seasoning the bread pans Derin made bread.      Nothing better than fresh, homemade bread!

Bread ready to raise

Ready to go in the oven

Fresh bread out of the oven

Ready to eat

                             

Large Loaves of Bread

Large loaves are fun and easy to make. The hardest part is getting the dough properly kneaded.  The trick is to let the yeast to do most of the work.  You simply have to allow enough time for the dough to rise three times, twice in your bread bowl or on the counter and once after you have shaped the dough into loaves.  In between the separate risings, you can beat the dough with an old rolling pin or with your meat tenderizer.  This beating of the dough is easier than kneading and more efficient.  The beating will allow you to achieve a much finer crumb.   Use bread flour to make better bread.  One package or one tablespoon of yeast will work.  Too much yeast and the little guys will simply wear out your gluten resulting in baked bread that crumbles or dough that is just to weak to hold itself up.

This particular large loaf was made with:

    1.       10 cups of bread flour.

2.       1 tablespoon of yeast, I prefer Star over Fleishmans because the yeast seems to be more active.

3.       2 cups of melted butter.

4.       2 teaspoons of salt

     5.       ½ cup of Splenda (sugar substitute)

6.       Water, enough to make dough.

Place 5 cups of the flour in your bread bowl, the yeast, butter, salt and Splenda.   Now add enough water to enable you to stir the mixture together.  This will result in a goopy mixture but now we will add the rest of our flour, kneading the dough with one hand only.   This will allow you to keep one hand clean, for doing things that require a clean hand.  If you need more than the remaining 5 cups of flour to turn the mixture into dough it is OK, add what you need.  The yeast will be happy, more food.  I like to make a firm dough by adding enough flour to make the dough a little dryer than usual.  This will give you a more controlled rise in pans (no mushrooming) and a more vertical rise if the loaves are free standing.  Be sure to coat your dough with butter or olive oil while it is rising, also cover with damp cloth or plastic wrap.  This will prevent a dry crust from forming while the loaves are rising.

Now allow your dough to raise three times, the final rise in the shape of the loaf you want.  Now that your dough has completed its third raising, it is time to bake.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, place the loaf in the center of the oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 375 degrees.  Bake the loaf for 75 minutes.  At the end of this time, check the loaf’s interior temperature with an instant read thermometer.  The loaf will be done if the interior temperature has reached 200 degrees.  I have found this to be true with all types of breads from loaves to coffee rings.  Of course, if you don’t have an instant read thermometer you can use the standard tests for doneness, loaf has shrunk away from the sides of the pan a little bit, the loaf has reached the proper coloring and finally when the loaf is removed from the pan and tapped on the bottom a hollow sound is produced.

To achieve good color on the sides and bottom of your bread use pans that are old and well seasoned or new and seasoned by the manufacturer.  In other words dark pans.   If you don’t have pans like this simply remove the loaf from the pan at the end of the baking period, place the loaf back in the oven, turn the oven off and leave the loaf in the oven for approximately 5 minutes.

Fabric Bowls

Group of Fabric Bowls

For the June 2011 Software Sampler the project was digitizing and using the embroidery module to create these fun fabric bowls.  What started as making a couple fabric bowls turned into ten fabric bowls.  They were a great lesson in the Bernina Software using Art Canvas to create this project. 

Hydrangea Fabric Bowl

Rose Fabric Bowl

Design Wall Monday - June 20, 2011

So much to do - I need more hours in a day for my sewing!  I'm already behind on the start of a busy week.  So get ready, here it goes. 

Inside of fabric bowl

The Bernina Software Sampler project was so much fun to make.  I decided to digitized 2 more fabric bowls using pictures from last year.  The pictures are now printed on fabric for the inside of the bowl.  So they are almost ready to go.   Need to finish the bocks for the guild's Block Lotto. And then back to the Chloe quilt Flying geese blocks.

Go on over to Judy's Patchwork Times and see what everyone else has on their design walls this week.

Stash Report - Week 25

Nothing in again this week!  Yeah again!   Only a little fabric out  -  approximately 1/4 yard for the Quilt Guild Block Lotto and about 1/3 yard for the Software Sampler fabric bowls.  Still not enough piecing done on the Flying Geese Blocks for the Chloe quilt to count.  Next week I'll be trying to get all 63 Flying Geese blocks on the Chloe Quilt done and maybe more.   Well, that's the plan anyway . . .

Stash Busting  - Week 25

Added this Week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 144.269 yards

Used this Week:.583 yards

Used year to Date: 4.958 yards

Net Used for 2011: -139.311 yards

To see more stash reports, head on over to Judy’s Patchwork Times.

Chloe Quilt - Show and Tell

More Show and Tell from my Bernina Software Club at Bernina Northwest in Seattle.  We are working on the Chloe Quilt with the Chloe Design Collection.  These are some of the designs that have been embroidered for the quilt.   You can see some of the different colorways that have been used,

Show and Tell - June

These are pictures from the Bernina Software Club that I teach at Bernina Northwest in Seattle.

Judy's Quilt Back

Judy's Quilt Front

This is Judy's Quilt  "To Make Men Free, Remember Me".    It is absolutely beautiful quilt.  It is pieced on the back as well as the front.

Judy's Quilt Back

Kathy's Quilt for Japan

Kathy and her quilt group made this top to go to Japan for the tsunami victims. 

Deb's Quilt

       
      Deb made this pretty quilt. 

Virginia's S/W Sampler Wall Hanging

    Virginia made this wall hanging from the April Software Sampler.

Design Wall Monday - June 13, 2011

These are the different blocks and projects on my design wall this week.

Bernina Software Sampler - June 2011

This is the project for Bernina Software Sampler for June 2011.  The project is making an embroidered fabric bowl.  This is the first time I have made an embroidery project by printing on the fabric and then embroidering on the fabric.  The printed fabric is fused to a stabilizer like Fast 2 Fuse and embroidered in the hoop with a digitized design.

Stray Thread Quilt Guild

These blocks are for the Stray Threads Quilt Guild. I think this block is the Star of Bethlehem. Using this lock I was able to make two 12" star blocks for the Block Lotto.  

Chloe Quilt - Flying Geese

OK, I know I won't get back to the Chloe Quilt - Flying Geese this week.   I have 2 flying geese blocks made so far.  I need to make 63 more flying geese blocks!  Guess what, I don't like the light blue fabric that is goose part of the block.   I would rather use another green in this fabric line.  I think the problem I have with these fabrics is that there is not enough contrast, they are all medium value.  I might change the colors before I start piecing and if I do I'll cut for the Eleanor Burns method of Flying Geese - much easier than piecing on the bias.

Go on over to Judy's Patchwork Times and see what is on every one's the design walls this week.

Stash Report - Week 24

No new fabric added this week - Yeah!    BooHoo - nothing out either!    I worked on two projects this week but didn't finish one of them, and I didn't like the piecing I did on the Flying Geese sections of the Chloe Quilt,  so I did the Rip-It , Rip-It  on some of the Flying Geese  sections.   I prefer not to piece seams on the bias, so it looks like it might take me longer to get all of the Flying Geese pieces completed.   One thing that helped was the ability to lower the pressure on the pressure foot on my machines just a little.  Using the Walking Foot also helped.  I'm going to be using my 830 with Dual Feed and a lower pressure on the pressure foot as I think that worked the best.

Stash Report  - Week 24

Added this Week:        0  yards
Added Year to Date: 144.29 yards

Used this Week: 0 yards
Used year to Date: 4.375 yards

Net Used for 2011: -139.894 yards

To see more stash reports, head on over to Judy’s Patchwork Times.

Design Wall Monday - June 6, 2011

This is a block or two that is on my design wall for the Stray Threads Quilt Guild.  Our assignment is to make a 12" finished star block using red/white/blue strip fabric.  I added on a white-on-white star fabric for the background and a blue or red star for the center square.  I drew a block in my Bernina Quilter Embroidery Software  and printed out the rotary cutting instructions for it.  I have EQ7 but often fall back to using the Bernina Quilter because it is so easy to use.  I need to learn EQ7 because I can do more with it.

Go on over to Judy's Patchwork Times and see what is on all the design walls.

July Block Lotto

Stash Report - Week 23

I didn't get enough piecing done this week on the Chloe quilt to count any fabric as used.   I hope tomorrow to get a good start again on piecing.

Stash Busting -  Week 23

Added this Week: 8.5 yards
Added Year to Date: 144.29 yards

Used this Week:   0
Used year to Date:   4.375 yards

Net Used for 2011:   -139.894 yards

To see more stash reports, head on over to Judy’s  Patchwork Times.

Added to Stash - Week 23

We Have Rhubarb

Yes, we have rhubarb!  We harvested one batch rhubarb today.  Derin made 9 pints of Rhubarb jam.  It was sooooo veeerry good.  We gave some away and we may have to make some more just for us.  Then Derin made 2 big pies and one little pie (see pictures) with what was left.  He makes the very best pie crust.   See how he does the edges of the pie.  So much easier than pinch and flute method.

Rhubarb to harvest

All good pies must have butter!

Note the edges of the pie crusts

Fresh Baked Rhubarb Pie

Yum - ready to eat

Derin's Crisp Pie Crust

1 1/4  scant cups shortening
3 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg - beaten
5 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. vinegar

Cut the shortening into the flour and salt.   Beat egg and add water and vinegar.  Mix together.  Makes 3 - 8" pie crusts.

Joining In

I joined a quilt guild last month and last night attended my first meeting of the Stray Threads Quilt Guild.  I've been going to join a quilt guild forever, but I didn't get with it and do it.  I'm so glad that I finally did join in.  I know several people in this guild and I think I will enjoy being a member, participating in the activities and learning more about quilting and sharing.   This is a very active group, and is organized for educational purposes to encourage all member in the study of quilting and fabric arts.  To provide quilts and other sewn and handcrafted objects to charities.   Why didn't I do this years ago?

Books

I love to read books.  My husband says I read manuals.   OK, I do read allot of manuals/lessons for the software I have, but I do read books too.   And I like books,  I probably would like a kindle too, but I like to thumb through the pages during commercials, read in bed and set the books (or magazines down) to picked up later for another peek.  I don't buy many books, so far 4 books this year, a few during the year will catch my eye and go home with me.  Both of these books did catch my eye at a quilt shop.  Positioned with the fabric, of which some sample blocks that had been made, they cried out to me and I bought both - books and fabric.  You can find both of these books at Amazon.com for less than I paid but I like to support my quilt shops and I hope you will also.

Home on the Plains, Quilts and the Sod House Experience by Kathleen L. Moore and Stephanie Grace Whitson tells the stories of  some of the Nebraska families that homesteaded in the 19th century.  It also includes some of the quilts made by these families.   I found a quilt block that is done in black and white with red, perfect for the quilt guild challenge (more on that later).

The other book, a biography and my favorite,  No Time on my Hands by Grace Snyder as told to Nellie Snyder Yost is a "remarkable chronicle of the sod house era."   "As a child of seven and up," writes Grace Snyder, "I wished that I might grow up to make the most beautiful quilts in the world,  to marry a cowboy, and to look down on the top of a cloud."   Grace saw all of her dreams and wishes come true.  This is a fascinating look into women's lives in the late 19th and early 20th century and how quilting fit into their lives.  Aptly titled, No Time on my Hands, Grace was taught by her grandmother not to sit idle, but to keep busy with projects.  Grace later became recognized as one of the 100 most important quilters in the 20th century with her exquisitely hand pieced quilts.  As promised to me by the shop owner it is a book you will not be able to put down or I'll refund your money.  She is right about this book!  And so I didn't get much quilting done because I was reading, I need to limit myself to bedtime reading.

Home on the Plains

No Time on my Hands