Stash Report - Week 29

I found these pretty Stonehedge fabrics and strips in Colorado.  I'm going to use them for a MEOW project in August.  We are making the Pacific Coast Beach Bag.  We are using the Rigid Weave strips to form the bag.  I'm going to use left over for the small storage baskets.






Stash Busting - Week 29

Added this week:     6.25 yards
Added Year to Date: 157.769 yards
Used this Week: 0 yards
Used year to Date: 6.291 yards
Net used for 2011:    151.478  yards

Stash Report – Week 28

I loved this combination.  I bought it.   I had a coupon!   And the best news is, it goes with other fabric already in my stash.  Now how lucky was that?   I’d been so good earlier this year but I’ve seemed to fall off the bandwagon.  My Bad!

And then at the Stray Threads Quilt Guild we had a rummage sale.  You know I would buy something.  I thought this pretty red bandanna print would go with so many things made up of denim.   It was a deal at 2 yards for $4.00 don't you think?  Thanks Kathy, you are my favorite go to fabric lady.

Stash Busting - Week 28

Added this week:     5.75 yards
Added Year to Date:   151.519 yards
Used this Week:        0 yards
Used year to Date:     6.291 yards
Net used for 2011:    145.228 yards


On the positive side I did get some sewing done but not enough to count fabric out as  finished.    On the down side we are leaving Tuesday  (driving) for San Antonio and BU,  lots of stops at fabric/quilting stores.   We’ll be gone about three weeks – Yikes!   Things aren’t looking good, ‘cause ya know I’ll have lots of goodies when I get home.

Design Wall Monday - July 4, 2011

My completed blocks for the Block Lotto.  I was able to make two blocks with the fabric used for the points and added my own white with white stars background and the red or blue with stars in the centers.   Fun!   I think there were enough blocks turned in to make more than 10 quilts of 12 blocks each.   Many of these quilts will be donated to the Charity Committee for American Hero quilts.

Stash Report - Week 27

Fat Quarters of Silk

Last week I was good, nothing in.   And I was not so good, nothing out.  So much for Week 26.

This week I was not as good.   I saw some new silk duponi fat quarters that called out to me to take them home.  And I did!  Oh, what's a girl to do?   Aren't these pretty Fat Quarters of Silk?   They are for something I have in mind to work on in the future.

Stash Busting  - Week 27

Added this Week:        1.5  yards
Added Year to Date: 145.769 yards

Used this Week:. 1.333 yards

Used year to Date:  6.291yards

Net Used for 2011: -139.478 yards

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

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,