I Am So Easily Distracted

Sometimes I think that my mind should just slow down a bit. I was busy working along on cutting and sewing more pinwheels for my Spring Garden border and when it came to the polka dot fabric I took a right turn. This fabric is actually the remains of a sundress from years ago that still has lots of wear in it. I've been wanting to do something with it to move it out of my stash and as I was cutting I got to thinking about a Scnibbles pattern called Spot that I saw done up in two colours recently on the Inspired By Antique Quilts blog. Just loved it. To the point that I thought I might order the pattern.

Just for fun I laid out a few of my pinwheel triangles to see what it might look like.

Then itchy fingers got the best of me and I decided that it would be fun to draw it out, so I did. And then, since the fabric and cutting mat were right in front of me I thought, what the heck, I'll try a sample block.

Well, I now have three together...

...and another three prepped and ready to go. The gingham print in the centre is proving to be interesting because the overlay of cherries and leaves will create lots of different dabs of colour throughout. I'll use it for the corner blocks as well.

The blocks will be 4.5" square when they are finished and I still need to cut the strips and corner blocks that will border these but I think it would be a great little baby quilt. I would like to sew this one by machine but I'll have to get it back from the shop first. I think it might be time to call and see what the status is.  Now, do I work on more 'Spots' or is it back to the pinwheels?...M

I'm A Rookie At This

Shortly after I started blogging last fall I came across an online quilt festival for bloggers. Well, it's back so I've decided to enter. The Spring Bloggers' Quilt Festival is hosted by Amy's Creative Side and is a great way to see lots and lots of eye candy in one spot - go take a look. I'm number 510 so that gives you a sense of how many quilts you can see.









My entry is one that you have seen before - it's Frothy, the Kaffe Fassett design using large triangles of floral prints that create alternating blue and cream/pink squares on the point.

As seems to be the case with my quilts this one took a long time to finish, primarily because it just needed a binding and it took me ages to get up the gumption to see if I had enough of the yellow fabric that I wanted to use. What is that??

Well, it's finished now and I think is my favourite quilt to sleep under. We have it on our bed and I love crawling in under it. I never tire of looking at the collection of floral prints, the tiny strawberry print for the backing still makes me smile, and the yellow binding (yes, there was enough!) is just the icing on the cake.

The large spiral quilting pattern just adds to the sense of frothiness - love it!....M

Happy May 2-4 Weekend!

This long weekend is our unofficial start to the summer season, and this weekend's weather is not disappointing. For once in what seems like ages the weather is not only sunny, but very hot and dry, which is heaven for everyone who starts their warm weather travels opening up the cottage or with a traditional camping trip.

I have a rhubarb plant in my perennial gardens, a great gift from my sister Fran many years ago, and since Victoria Day weekend often co-incides with the first picking of rhubarb it has become a tradition to make Rhubarb Torte and take it to Jane's cottage for everyone to enjoy.

This heavenly concoction is known to make anyone who has had it weak-kneed. The buttery, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread crust covered in a rhubarb custard and topped with fluffy meringue is food for the gods. Maybe it just tastes so good because of the limited season that it is available in, who knows? Who cares?

When it comes out of the oven the meringue is always so high and golden - it drops a bit and then creates beautiful tiny beads of sugar, just adding to its appeal.







I particularly like it when there is still just a hint of the heat of the oven's warmth in it.











The plate says it all. Here comes summer!...M

p.s. If you'd like to try it, here's the recipe:

Crust:
1 c flour
2 tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 c butter

Filling:
3 egg yolks, beaten
1 1/4 c sugar
3 tbsp flour
1/3 c cream
2 1/2 c chopped rhubarb

Meringue:
3 egg whites
6 tbsp sugar

Mix and press crust into 9" x 9" pan; bake 20 minutes @ 325F.

Mix together filling ingredients & pour over crust. Bake 40 minutes, or until set. Cover with meringue.

Whip egg whites until soft peaks form. Add sugar; mix til stiff; place on torte. Bake 15 minutes at 350F.

Double this recipe for a 9" x 13" pan. (I did this for the first time this weekend but I have to say the results are better if you just make a single batch in the 9" pan - it might have been my pan though.)

Keep On Truckin'

I have one neice and one nephew, hence my 'favourite' neice and 'favourite' nephew, both of whom I love dearly. They have grown up amidst a constant clatter of aunts and uncles, and lots and lots of creative and quilting stimulation, so I guess it should be no surprise that the quilting bug has bitten each of them at one time or another in their lives.

Ted's Truck

Ted is now 23 but when he was about 7 we were all at my place over Easter weekend working on one quilt or another - possibly several - so he decided that he wanted a quilt to work on too. His own quilt; one with trucks.

So Anne, Betty and mom put their creative hats together and came up with a stylized truck block, including pom poms for tires that Nana would make. He was thrilled! He sewed many of the blocks by hand initially and then when Fran was home one summer she introduced him to the sewing machine, which he loved because it had a 'gas pedal'.

Over the years he put most of the blocks together and then last summer his mom, Betty, started pulling it all together into a top (quilts have a long gestation period in our family at times).






Anne joined the blocks, borders were added and before you knew it Ted had a beautiful, colourful truck quilt top.

It recently went up on the quilt frame and Betty has started quilting.

She has a great eye so I have no doubt that it will be a work of art by the time it is finished.

The quilter's nerve centre

Soon he will be driving trucks in his sleep - lots and lots of colourful trucks...M