One Shoe Box at a Time

About six years ago I wrote a post resolving to move Pineapple Tidbits to the finish line but I'm here to tell you that its been about six years since I've actually touched it.

SIX YEARS!!! How does that happen? Especially when it is sitting neatly in a shoe box atop a little shelving unit right next to my machine and I can see it every single time I head to the machine! I mean seriously - it couldn't get any closer.

Like every other project, it helps to be in the mood to work on it and this week the mood seems to have struck me. It's all cut and organized into baggies, I just have to sit down and apply myself a bit.

And so I have. I've added half a dozen blocks to the finished pile in a few days. I'll soon bring out the big box and see how many I have now - I may be closer than I think.

This is proving to be a great project to work on between bouts of shoveling snow - no cutting or planning required, just sit down and sew. There's more snow in the forecast for tonight and again on Saturday so if this pattern keeps up I might just put a good dent in this one. Fingers crossed....M

Pretty Points

When I recently bound the gift box potholders some of my corners were neater than the others. I chalked it up to my head cold and a lack of concentration but then I remembered a technique that takes all of the guesswork out of getting nice, crisp corners (I'm blaming the memory loss on the cold as well!) so I used it when finishing up a second batch.

Some leftover binding which had been cut on the grain came in handy to make my blocks as well as to bind them. Those polka dots are really sweet and there's lots of binding left so I'm thinking that there will be more made with dots.

Its a very simple technique - just adding a few stitches at the corners helps keep everything aligned giving you pretty points when you hand stitch it down.

When sewing the raw edges of your binding to the top side of the quilt, as you approach the first corner, stop 1/4" from the end of the quilt, keeping your needle down. Pivot the quilt 45⁰ and then sew about three stitches to the corner; reverse your stitches and cut your thread.

Fold the binding back 45⁰ onto itself along your last stitching line - there's no need for pinning or guessing where that fold line should be.

Then fold the binding down onto the quilt, ensuring that the top fold and the edge of the binding aligning with the top edge of the quilt and the next side, the way you normally do (sorry, I forgot to get a pic).

Starting at the top edge, begin sewing your 1/4" seam (I start in a few stitches from the top edge, reverse my stitches and then continue to avoid bunching up the thread). I will try and get a pic of this step too.

And that's it. Just those few extra stitches take all of the guesswork out of whether or not you will have nice corners on your binding.

I love these little blocks.

The combinations are endless and tons of fun to consider - hopefully I don't get stuck in gift box pot holder land all year....M

The Bee in Me

There were several 'bee' related gifts received over the holidays which I know will give me countless hours of fun down the road and I thought that you might enjoy a closer look. The first is my new honeycomb rolling pin. Isn't it bee-utiful? It came with a recipe for sugar cookies but I'm also keen to see how it performs on pie dough - I think it would make a gorgeous looking crust.

To help out in that regard, Anne gave me these very cool dough thickness rails. I hadn't seen them before but she recently picked up a set for herself and loves them.

It is three pairs of 18" silicone strips of different thickness to help you make perfect pies & tarts, galettes & tartlets, and cookies, of course. I recently noticed that they are distributed by Rose Levy Beranbaum who is the author of one of my favourite Christmas cookie cookbooks, so I'm thinking that is a very good sign.

There was another 'bee' gift from Betty - a beautifully embroidered apron. I've mentioned before that my sister Frances started a blog a few years ago (L'Abeille Française - The French Bee) to share her adventures of travels to France. Recently, she decided to create a line of goods for the home and this Queen Bee apron was the first item that she launched. It is beautifully embroidered, a nice weight and I really like the way the strap runs up through two gussets to the neckline to give you a perfect fit - I haven't seen one made like this before. It will be very well used.

Not surprisingly, Frances also did her gift giving with bees in mind. She gave me another product from her online boutique - a beautiful printed copper Honey Bee pillow which works perfectly in our living room. The colour is so rich; my photo doesn't do it justice.

The last goodie is not bee related at all, but you just know that if there's going to be baking there's going to have to be some cleanup, too. Dana, a client of Betty's, is an international director with Epicure and that's where she found these Swedish dish cloths. These are totally new to me, but they are terrific. I've long bemoaned the disappearance of the traditional woven dishcloths that we grew up with but I think that I've found a new love.

Invented in 1949 in - you guessed it - Sweden, they are made from wood cellulose and cotton. Who knew? They clean up beautifully - I loved using it and found myself looking for surfaces to try it on. And, they are biodegradable! Sorry if that sounds like an infomercial but I was more than pleasantly surprised by them. I tend to wash my dishes by hand, using the dishwasher only occasionally, and these little beauties will make that task even more enjoyable....M

A Recipe for Happiness

A new year - a time of inspiration for many. Soon the holidays will be packed back into bags and boxes and the is slate seemingly wiped clean, ready for new ideas and adventures. And, even if you don't make resolutions (like me), the new beginning presents an opportunity for taking stock and setting a course, however loosely.

Several Christmas gifts will help guide some of my quilting adventures in the coming days and months (and undoubtedly years!), not only on the project front but on the skill/technique front as well. Despite having Minnie and Anna Levins in the works, I've been feeling that I need to start yet another hand stitching project and these two books - Patches of Stars by Edyta Sitar and Slow Stitch by Claire Wellesley-Smith - reinforce my desire to enjoy the process and feed my soul with mindful stitching. A recipe for happiness.

I've enjoyed poring over them this past week while I wrestle with my cold - not much energy but lots of time for dreaming. Slow Stitch speaks to me on so many levels. It's inspirational to see what a variety of fibre artists have done and intriguing to think of where the possibilities could take you.

And, I am starting to imagine the fabrics for Patches of Stars (okay, there might have been a little online shopping in that regard too!). A small pile is starting to grow and one of these days I'll take the plunge. I may sew the sashing strips by machine and the blocks by hand, I'm just not sure yet, but I am quite excited to start this one.

Not be be forgotten is my love of baking and there were several wonderful treats for me in that regard too. I'll share more about these in a separate post but it is proof positive that all of my time will not be spent with needle and thread😊.

So happy New Year! Whether you are a detailed list maker or more of a dreamer with a casual idea of where you'll go, may your endeavours be a recipe for happiness too....M