This Week

On Monday I will be travelling to Dublin to the see Dan Brown. Most of my time this week has been spent on a rather exciting adventure with Robert Langdon. I'm not quite done yet, but hope to finish reading Inferno by this evening. I was really missing my blog though, and thought I should pop in to say hello. I'm vaguely aware that someone out there might be stalking me for Fat Quarterly Retreat related reasons, and I want them to know I'm still out here. Hello!

I have also set myself a short term goal of one finished object a week, for the run up to the Fat Quarterly retreat. This week I made myself a travel sewing kit for my tools and hexy kit. I used some hoarded Heather Ross prints (part of operation 'use all the fabrics') and some co-ordinating neutrals from Jenean Morrison's 'In My Room' collection. Binding is Sketch in coffee.

I used this travel sewing kit tutorial as a starting point. My main pockets and construction are the same, but I really wanted to incorporate a zip pocket, so my sewing kit is a bit bigger than the original to accommodate this. It measures approx 8" tall by 18" wide fully unrolled. I am completely in love with it and so glad I was brave enough to use those fabrics. Cannot wait to take it on a trip with me.

I have also *almost* finished the do. Good Stitches Care circle quilt for Siblings Together. Just need to finish sewing down the binding and add labels. This quilt will be travelling to London with me in July to be delivered to the Siblings Together team.

Once I return from Dublin, I'll be getting on with my FQR name tag swap, my sample swap sewing kits, and a super tote for me.

Weekend Achievements

I have been meaning to blog all weekend, but haven't managed to find a moment. Lots of posts, half written and in my head. So I am making five minutes for a catch up session. I have a terrible habit of always trying to do all the things at once. Since sitting down to type I have run off to hang the laundry, decided to make bread, run down stairs to put the oven on, remembered I still need to wash the dishes, abandoned oven pre-heating, to run back upstairs to put the hot water on for said dishes. I'm always busy, always in the middle of something, but I really feel that I need to be. I like to have a purpose, like life is a video-game where every artefact I pick up leads me on to the next puzzle.

This weekend I made guacamole. From scratch. For the first time ever.

It was Saturday. I was home alone. Dan was at my parents  playing Rouge Trader RPG with my brother and their usual parents house posse. And somehow, I made the best dinner ever. The guacamole involves avacado, goats cheese, lime juice, salt and pepper, and a dash of hot sauce. I was, as always, inspired by Joy the Baker. I used lime instead of lemon for the guacamole, as it felt right. And I'd already eaten all the japapenos, so hot sauce totally worked. The peppers and baby corn were cooked by grilling on a very hot dry griddle pan, and I made rice and added a can of cooked mixed beans, a dash of lime and called it salad. Dinner done.

I made a slightly edited version for Dan and me the next day, with jalapenos in the guacamole and nacho chips to serve. Duplicate two day dinners is what happens a lot around here. With just two of us it's mostly easier to buy ingredients and cook the same thing twice, or make enough for two days on day one. Only cooking every second day is where it's at. And I hate to waste anything. Currently I have some goats cheese dregs, so tonight's plan is a gluten free pizza base with baby tomatoes, pesto and goat's cheese. One dinner leads to the next, my video-game analogy in practice again. Left over pesto and baby tomatoes will most likely develop into some sort of pasta thing on Wednesday.

Another busy week this week. It is the RTE drama festival in Athlone this week. We will be at the Wednesday and Friday night plays. I'm working away on my do. Good Stitches quilt. The top is almost done, and I hope to get it finished and basted by tonight. I also have a date with the passport photography man in the local photo shop. I am not looking forward to that, but really need a new passport so I can fly to the Fat Quarterly Retreat in July. And it is only a few days until Dan Brown's Inferno release. I have exactly 6 days from release date until my Audience with Dan Brown/Robert Langdon lecture in Dublin. So next week I will mostly be reading. I'm re-reading The Lost Symbol currently. On track to finish before next Tuesday. I feel a bit bad that I didn't get time to fit Angels and Demons in my Robert Langdon recap session, but quilting took over and I failed to stretch the laws of time sufficiently.

Running to do dishes and bake bread now.

Ice-Cream Sundae Quilt

Lately, I have been entirely obsessed with ice-cream sundaes, milkshake parlours, anything involving vanilla, whipped cream, chocolate sauce and cherries on top. I mostly blame Joy the Baker. Her happy hour hot fudge milkshake totally inspired this colour palette. I still haven't actually make the milkshake, but I have finished the baby quilt, and I have an ongoing hexy project in these fabrics in progress.

The ice-cream sundae baby quilt is made from 4" squares in a variety of raspberry pink, cherry red, sky blue,  vanilla and chocolate brown fabrics. With just a touch of electric-banana citrine. I used lots of favourites, and will definitely be revisiting this palette again soon.

Fabrics featured include lots of Denyse Schmidt prints (from Flea Market Fancies, Chicopee and Shelbourne Falls), Lizzie House Pearl Bracelets, Sketch, Architextures, Madrona Road and Nicey Jane. Binding is Bonnie and Camille Marmalade stripe in Blueberry. Though it is more of an aqua blue than blueberry toned.

I quilted this little quilt in a clamshell pattern using my walking foot. I'm pretty impressed by how it turned out. It was a bit tricksy to quilt curves this way, but my free-motion quilting isn't quite up to scratch yet. Quilting (and piecing) thread is aurifil 50wt in white. I used warm and white cotton bating.

Quilt back is mostly Moda Bella Solid in natural (a perfect vanilla ice-cream neutral) with a strip of patchwork in the fabrics used for quilt front.

Ice-cream sundae quilt is available here.

The Salty Crew

Meet the Salty Crew! A bunch of nautical plush creatures up to general mischief on the high seas.

 Meowsy Barnacle has been sewn using Bit of Whimsy's Violet pattern in Salt Water fabrics with Moda Bella Solid in natural and white. She has a removable elasticated skirt with properly finished seams and hem.

The Salty Sea Hog has been sewn using Bit of Whimsy's Parker Pig pattern using Tula Pink's Floaties and Sinkies fabric with Moda Bella Solid in natural. Ears are interlined with cotton flannel for a bit more structural support.

Both Salty Sea Hog and Meowsy Barnacle are available now in my etsy store.

Little Dots Pillow

I finished this little pillow a few weeks ago and have only just gotten round to photographing it. I used the Little Dots quilt pattern by Green Bee Patterns, but I adjusted the outer templates so my circle blocks would finish at 9" instead of the 12" size of the original pattern. I have been collecting low volume prints since last year and this was my first attempt at an all-neutral print background. I love the extra detail provided by using prints where normally I would feel inclined to use a solid background.

I hand-quilted the pillow front using aurifil 12wt in white, quilting a series of concentric circles and arches to echo the circular piecing. Batting is warm and white 100% cotton batting, and the front is lined in neutral coloured cotton flannel.

My finished pillow cover measures 18" and fits either an 18" or 20" pillow-form, depending on plumpness desired. I photographed it on an 18" pillow-form.

Pillow back features a Heather Ross mermaid and octopus print and an envelope style closure. Binding is a neutral stripe from Bonnie and Camille's Marmalade collection.

Little Dots Pillow has been listed in my etsy shop.

Banana Bread

I am just a little bit in love with banana bread. It is my favourite breakfast variable, perfect just as it is, in thick slices with coffee. Its basically cake for breakfast, but somehow just a little more respectable. And it makes a great late-night snack for breaks in sewing marathons or to keep you company during a movie.

This is my recipe for gluten free banana bread.

Ingredients:
225g gluten free self-raising flour blend
1 teaspoon gluten free baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Pinch of salt
100g caster sugar
75g melted butter
2 eggs
50ml milk
4 ripe bananas
A few drops vanilla extract
65g chopped walnuts

~ Pre-heat oven to 180°C.
~ Line a 1lb loaf tin with baking paper.
~ Sift flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and sugar into a mixing bowl.
~ Peel and roughly mash the bananas.
~ In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and combine with cooled melted butter, milk, vanilla extract and mashed banana.
~ Add the wet ingredients to the dry, gently folding together until just combined. Fold in the chopped nuts.
~ Pour mixture into tin and bake for 50-60 minutes approximately. Bread is done when it is a nice golden brown on top and springs back when you gently poke it.
~ Allow to stand in tin for at least 10 minutes before you attempt removal!

I'm planning on adding a few more recipes in future. I find myself cooking a lot more enthusiastically lately and thought it might be fun to share what I come up with. I may even make it a regular bloggy thing!

Friday

April showery day today. I'm mostly hiding away in my studio. Working on a small batch of nautical plushies. The Salty Crew as I call them. I did find some time to cook this week. Finally mastered gluten free banana bread. It made my last two breakfasts extra fantastic. I need to make it much more often. Also made lasagne (of sorts) last Wednesday. I used sliced and fried aubergine and potatoes in alternating layers instead of pasta. Dan made the white sauce as I would most likely have burned it. One day I will master white sauce!

I have been playing around with Tula Pink's Salt Water fabrics. I made a (Small) Giant Star using Jeni's tutorial but starting with 10" squares for my HSTs. The star block measures 36" square and I'll add a 2" border once I get around to it. I'm planning on free-motion quilting this one but need more practice first.

Still impatiently waiting for some FMQ supplies. A supreme slider which (I'm told) will make it easier to move a quilt around my machine bed, and some quilting gloves. I'm also hoping my local stitchy shop can order some new bobbins for my machine as I'm currently running on five and finding it very limiting! I'm told they might cost 2 euro each though!

Sneak peek of the first Salty Shipmate... this is Sea Weed. Made using the Bit of Whimsy Katie Kitten pattern. He is just a little bit wonky but I'm happy with him.

Soundtrack for my stitching today... Seether ~ Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces.