Making It Work

When it came time to put together the Triangle Quilt I had some work to do. When I started out in the bee I wasn't overly particular about finished block size, just asking for a variation of 12.5'' to 18.5''. And in sending out a Canadian fat quarter of the background fabric it isn't always easy to get a 18.5'' block. It would have been impossible with a US fat quarter. That meant that I got blocks 12.5'' square, 18.5'' square, and 12.5'' by 18.5''.

What to do?

My initial plan was to mix it all up and assemble the top like a puzzle, adding extra blocks or chunks as needed. It is a part of the process I actually relish, the puzzle challenge.

When I decided to turn these blocks into a bed quilt, however, I needed something a bit more straightforward. I needed blocks, all the same size. If this quilt was going to get done it needed an easier puzzle.

That meant that I had to turn the smaller blocks into 18.5'' square blocks. A run through my stash revealed that I was no longer in possession of some of the fabrics I'd used. It confused me, because I could have sworn I kept aside some extra fat quarters for this precise purpose. Oh well, nothing a little shopping (at home and at the store) couldn't solve.

Of course I could not find the fabrics I'd used, save for one. No problem. The backgrounds were already a mix of yellows, adding a few more wasn't going to be the end of the world. I truly embrace the improvisational spirit. Tim Gunn would be proud.

It seems fairly standard to add sashing to bee blocks. For one, this increases the size of your quilt without having to make more blocks. Secondly, it is a good way to even out the size of what might be slightly different sized blocks. Even with a good pressing, one person's 12.5'' square can be slightly different than another person's. Adding to each block is an alternative to adding sashing.

Besides, you know how I feel about sashing.

This is what I did. (Using 2 blocks as an example.)

So I added on to about 8 blocks. I also made another 12 blocks from my yellows and leftover geese fabric. I laid out the top.

Then I found the yellow fabric I'd set aside.

Calm Complexity

Option 5 won out. Sort of.

After an evening of doodling/sketching and staring at the layouts, Hubby and decided on a wilder pattern that was only indicated by Option 5. So I set up a temporary design wall by taping batting to a beam, put the sprinkler on (and the TV later) for the girls and I spent the afternoon working out the puzzle. After the girls were in bed I picked up the mess made when my youngest (aka Evil Genius) purposely walked through the hanging batting and Hubby helped me finish the puzzle.

(don't ask me why my winter slipper is in the midst of that when this was taken on the hottest day of the year so far.)

It was a fantastic, contemplative exercise. I definitely picked the most complex of the options. Not because I like to make my life difficult, but simply because that's what spoke to me. I could happily have made any one of the quilts, and likely will at some point. Thank-you for all of your opinions.

And maybe, just maybe, I would love to keep up the design wall... It looks good from the front and back.

Quilts Recover Update

The sun is shining! I can ride my bike again! And I may have actually sewn too much!

Okay, no exclamation point on that last one. My foot is bothering me and my physio thinks working the foot pedal may be to blame. Yikes! Can't stop me though, it's manageable and I'm on a roll.

Besides, I've also got Quilts Recover to keep me busy. The quilts are starting to come in now that the postal lock-out is over. Good timing too as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge returned the spotlight to the rebuilding of Slave Lake this week.

If you are planning on donating to Quilts Recover there is still time to do so. We are accepting finished, unused quilts in a functional size (baby to full/queen) until the beginning of August. All quilts will be labelled and delivered to families rebuilding in the wake of devastating wildfires in the town of Slave Lake, Alberta.

Many overseas readers have also expressed a desire to donate quilt tops, as the postage for quilts is quite a bit. I can share now that I've lined up a long armer and a few volunteers to help us finish these quilts. I'm still looking for batting and backing donations. If a finished quilt isn't something you can do, maybe you can consider donating some supplies. Or, if you are local, maybe some time to help get the quilts bound and labelled. I will be announcing a sew day for late July/early August to finish all that.

Again, thank-you for all your support for Quilts Recover.

Hula Hoops and Strawberry Shortcake

We ate strawberry shortcake for dinner the other night. Not for dessert, but for dinner. Just strawberry shortcake for dinner. And it was awesome.

Okay, I may have been more excited about it than the girls (Hubby was away). They ate their strawberries, picked at the shortcake and licked some of the cream. The Monster thought the macerated strawberries were a fun treat - I can suck out their juices like Jello, Mama!

I may have, ahem, finished theirs as well as mine.

And you know what? I don't feel guilty about this at all. It was a celebration of all that is awesome about summer. Days that involved nothing more than swinging, water fights, and mastering the Hula Hoop for the first time. Days that have your three year old running around the block naked because her clothes got wet and it's too much work to go inside and get new clothes. Days that end with dessert for dinner eaten outside with the sun in your eyes.

Strawberry Shortcake includes fruits, grains, and dairy. If that combo is more than okay for breakfast it is certainly fine for dinner. Of course, ice cream is also fine for dinner. Along with popcorn, pancakes, and cottage cheese with fruit salad. Dinner does not have to involve a protein, a vegetable, and a starch to be dinner.

Dinner has to be the gathering around the table; the moment when we stop, just for a second, to be together as a family. It is the time when we listen to a 5 year stammer through her excitement, the time we discuss pirates, a balanced diet, and why we can't fly to Australia for a day. It's the moment we refuel so the rest of the summer night can be spent with the Hula Hoop.

If I want to serve only dessert for dinner on a nearly perfect summer day, so be it. If you want to, then go for it. And if anyone complains or judges, then send them to me. I'll set them straight with shortcake.

This strawberry shortcake was probably the best I've ever made. I've made the shortcake a few times now, the recipe comes from Baking, by Dorie Greenspan. I've adjusted it to a more reasonable size for our family. It is about the flakiest, most balanced little biscuit cake in the world. Crumbly and fine, but with enough structure to hold up to juicy strawberries and ever so lightly sweetened cream.

Strawberry Shortcake for Dinner

Makes 6 shortcakes

1 cup flour

1/3 cup whole grain flour*

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp sugar

1 Tonka bean, grated (optional)

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter

1/2 cups cream

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a Silicon mat.

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Cut the butter into 1/2'' cubes. Using your hands, two knives, or a pastry cutter smash the butter together with the dry ingredients. I use my hands and squish it through my fingers. My 3 year old helps. It takes only a minute or two and the dough starts to look like a mix of flakes, crumbs, and tiny knobs of crumbly butter.

Remove your hands from the bowl, grab a fork, and pour in the cream. Stir together. If necessary, use your hands again to get it all to come together. The dough will be sticky.

Spoon into 6 piles on your prepared sheet. Shape a little and press down gently so they are no more than 1'' high. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden. Let cool for a couple of minutes on pan, then cool for a few more on wire rack.

To make the shortcakes you also need strawberries. Any other summer fruit would also work. Go with what's fresh and in season for you.

2 cups clean and sliced strawberries

1 Tbsp sugar

Combine the berries and sugar, let sit while the shortcakes and baking and cooling.

1 cup whipping cream

1 Tbsp powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Whip the cream until peaks are just starting to form. Add the sugar and vanilla, whip until lightly firm.

To serve, top a cooled shortcake with a generous scoop of berries and top with a large dollop of whipped cream.

*I used my favourite, Gold Forest Grains, but you can simply use all-purpose flour for the entire amount.