Canning And Quilting Update

 About every three days our small garden will produce enough ripe vegetables for a day of canning.  Twice in the last week I've spent nearly the whole day processing yellow squash, zucchini and salsa.  You may be wondering why I'm canning squash and zukes, it's for making dog food.

I've also made two half gallon jars of refrigerator bread and butter pickles for my son and a friend. The pickles are good for 3-6 months in the fridge.  I also canned 7 pints of these pickles to see how well they hold up.  I'm not holding my breath on having nice crunchy pickles because I've not had much luck in the past.  Preserving a shelf stable crunchy pickles is not easy, well, I've not found a recipe that will stay crunchy for more than 3 or 4 months.

Of course summer wouldn't be summer without making zucchini bread.   It makes for a quick and easy breakfast for Mr. Podunk.  Later in the season I'll make a few more and freeze them. 

Quilting has taken a backseat to gardening, yardwork and canning.  With Mr. Podunk unable to do much since his foot surgery I'm doing a little extra work and running a lot of errands.  In between all chaos (12) 16 patch blocks were made.  Maybe later today I will find the time to press them.

In the early mornings and evenings I've been making Yo-yo's.

Thirty-one more added to the bin.  I need to start looking for a new storage container.  By the time I finish the all the blue Yo-yo's this bin will be overflowing.

I haven't forgotten about the tiny scraps needing processed.  I think this is bag number three.

It took 3 days of working on them a little at a time.

As a general rule I don't like fussy cutting fabric.  But with these one inch squares I'm taking the time to do a little.  It makes me happy to see that little flower in the center. 

Today big project ....  making 30 days worth of dog food .... about 4-6 hours in the kitchen.

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An Old Friend Makes Local Shop Hop News!

 Coffee Cup Quilting was once a beloved local quilt shop here in Central Indiana, well known for offering the best fabric prices in the area.

While Claranna didn't stock all the latest fabric lines, she consistently offered quilt shop quality fabrics at remarkably affordable prices. As for how she managed it, I’m afraid her methods remain a trade secret. ... even if I am privy to them!

Sadly, Claranna had to pack up and move across the country to Las Vegas a year or two before the 2020 nonsense. Ultimately the nonsense forced her business to close. However, she refused to let that end her dream. She eventually decided to relocate again and landed in Greenville Alabama, where she is now thriving.

I still talk with her from time to time and follow her on social media. While she doesn’t have an online shop, I can always give her a call when local stores don't have exactly what I need. She is more than happy to text me photos of her current stock that might work for my project and ship it to me right away .... of course, I have to pay her for it! LOL.

I am so happy to see her living her dream and making new quilting friends. She is dearly missed by many of us here in Central Indiana. 

Remember the title of this post was basically an old friend makes local news?  She made the local news in Alabama!  How exciting is that?!!  Watch Claranna's video from the local news, WSFA12, by clicking here.  And hop over to the Coffee Cup Quilting Facebook page to give her a little quilty love and see how the shop hop is going.  

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Cake Stand Quilt Blocks Finished ~ Starting 16 Patch Quilt Blocks

 Hello, quilty friends! Come on in and join me in a happy dance because I’ve officially finished all 169 Cake Stand blocks! Yippee!

Of course, there were a few mishaps along the way.

If I caught the mistakes before the block was sewn together, I fixed them immediately. I might go back and repair the ones I missed later, I think there was only two from last week.

During my downtime, I also managed to make a few more yo-yos for my coverlet.

In a recent post, a reader asked about my layout plans for the yo-yos. I’ve shared my current design below, which will finish at 101 inches. However, this is still subject to change because I keep finding new inspiration on Pinterest.

This week, my focus is on finishing the remaining alternate blocks for the Cake Stand Quilt. Since these are simple 16-patch blocks, they should come together much faster.

Only 72 more blocks to go!

Since this quilt is set on point, I still need to piece together the setting and corner triangles. I have already cut the squares for these blocks, but I still need to finish cutting the triangles.

I’ve included my EQ8 design for the quilt below. At approximately 91 inches, it’s a generous size, but I’m still debating whether to add an outer solid border to help frame the design and stabilize the edges. For now, I’m keeping my options open and will see how I feel about it the closer it gets to being a quilt top.

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...More Cake Stand Blocks

A few more blocks, not as many as I hoped, but some is better than none. Each one of these little blocks made me smile as I stitched them together ... so many memories in each fabric.

 

The ones with piecing errors gave me a much needed chuckle.  I may fix them and I many not.  This quilt when finished is going to be busy.  A couple mistakes scattered about are like Easter Eggs, hard to find.  They would add a little character and whimsy. 

44 more blocks to go.  It would be nice to get them finished this week and then be able to move onto the easier alternating blocks next week.  

Now that Mr. Podunk’s foot is feeling better and he’s back on his feet/foot, I should have more time to focus on my sewing. 

Wish me luck!

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