Simple red and white

This is the quilt that has been sitting for about two years. I found all of the red squares already cut in the local thrift store and just couldn't leave them there. Later I found a fabric that inspired me for mixing them with florals. I have made a couple of pillows in this style already.
Here is archive post about this one. I can't believe it took me so long to make this top.



It still needs borders since I ran out of red squares and quilt is too small just like that, but that shouldn't take another two years to finish. Right?

My weekend experiments...

I am so happy to be back here with a good news.
My new batch of yogurt turned out amazing! It's thick and oh so yummyyy!



I have to thank Jennie for suggesting to let it set much longer because that is exactly what I did. I place it on closed heating vent and covered with blankets for most of the day (about 6-7 hours) When I went to check on it later it was still runny, I realized that since I am baking a lot in the kitchen, our heating stopped running, so I moved the yogurt on the top of the stove while the oven was cooling and left. An hour or so later, the yogurt was thick to the point that when I turned the jar sideways, the yogurt stayed in its place.
( Another friend suggested to place it on the top of the fridge towards the back, where it's nice and toasty. )



This morning I had the best yogurt ever.

So how about the bread?
I used the same recipe from Hanna for no-rise bread and made these buns. This time I used only white flour. They turned out great!



For the loaf of bread, I tried my mom's recipe or bread she made when I was little. I have so many memories of this bread baked in our house and me laying my head on the towel covered bread feeling how nice and warm it is.




Mom's bread

1 kg (6 cups) all-purpose flour
1 spoon of salt
3 tsp dry yeast
2 spoons of vinegar
6 dcl (2.5 cups) warm water
1 spoon of sugar
3 medium size boiled potatoes, shredded (I cooked them and used larger cheese shredder)

Add water, yeast and sugar, mix well, let sit for couple of minutes. Add flour, salt, potatoes, vinegar. Knead the dough (it will be light) and let it rise on the warm spot. (about an hour, or until it doubled in size) Spill out from bowl on the flour covered surface and knead some more, roll out a bit and fold, let rise again for about 20 minutes, repeat once more.
Create a oval shaped loaf and place on the flour covered baking sheet.
Bake on 200 C (390 F) for 15 minutes, then on 150 C (300 F) for 45 minutes
I used brush and brushed the loaf several times with water as it was baking, makes nice crust.

- now, I was lazy (I know I wish I didn't do this, but I wanted to be done faster) and only let the dough rise once (just to see if it would work anyway). It turned out OK, but it took much longer to bake. After 45 minutes, I had to raise the temp. on 200 C again and give it another half an hour or so. Also, I remember mom's bread being bigger. I learned my lesson... :(

Sewing Spring...

A whole lot is going on these days, but since I have been kicked by a creative/ sewing muse, I am spending every minute possible at my little sewing corner or in the kitchen.
So what did I do?

( I need to catch up with picture taking.)

- more mindless sewing
- baby quilt almost finished
- quilt top that was planned for a long time
- and another quilt top in progress

It still snows here and even more snow is expected, but I have been longing for spring for some time now. That is how this project started.

Can you find a dog in this picture?



I told you, I was busy...



I have found some new for me inspiring blogs that I would like to share. One of them (and the one I browsed all yesterday and this early morning) is Craftykin I found her through Mary Beth's post.
Hanna inspired me to bake my own bread and make my own yogurt yesterday.



For the bread, I used Hanna's no-rise recipe (look for it on her sidebar). I opted for 4 cups of white flour and 2 cups of whole wheat. Next time, I will try either much less wholewheat flour or none since it made a bread quite heavy.
For the yogurt, I am going to try it again. I know it is supposed to be runny compared to store bought yogurt, but how do I know if mine is too runny or not (reminds me consistency of a banana milk shake). Any thoughts?
Also, I read that sour taste of yogurt depends on how many hours it sits (3.5 hours less sour, 5 hours more sour). I am going to try this again and let it sit less hours to compare the taste.
I can't wait to try both o them again and find ways to make these regulars.

Also,
I have been nominated by my sister for a blog award.



I should pick another five blogs to pass this on. How can I do that? There is way too many gorgeous blogs in my reader.
maybe I can pick some that I was inspired by recently.
1. Craftykin, I don't think this one needs more explanation.
2. Salt and Chocolate, for making me hungry whenever I learn about another yummy recipe she tried.
3. Quilted Simple, for joining me in eliminating buying new fabric, so we can be using what we have
4. Bumble Beans, for inspiring me to play with color.
and
5. Sunflower Quilts, for reminding me that quilting/sewing with friends is much better.

Mindless sewing...

Two nights ago, I was a bit frustrated with life and so I sat down to my sewing machine, emptied the box with random little bits of fabric and did some mindless sewing.
I have not done this for a long long time and needed it so badly. My mood changed instantly as I just pieced and pieced.



It was maybe midnight when I looked at what I had and started thinking to myself, "OK, so what will this be?"

a quilt?

a bag?

The next morning I knew...
Last nigh I sat down and finished quilting..



... and now I have my own and very first, much needed sewing machine cover to replace the ugly white plastic one that came with it...





And it is reversible... I chose one of my favorite vintage fabrics... "Screen printed... Militaire"







I am having a feeling that there would be much more mindless sewing in my near future.

First quilt in 2010...

I am so glad this one is finished. This was again one of those quilts that I would never do on my own. I mean the colors. I love when I am pushed to create out of my ordinary and then realize, "Hey, this works.."
I really like the end result, but I was worried while sewing the strips together. As you may remember this is the post about the inspiration for the color-way of this quilt. I think it worked out great to match the curtains. Let's hope that the recipient of this one will like it as well.



It took me forever to quilt it, just because the school started and more important (right now) work came into play. For quilting, I chose just the simple wavy lines throughout the quilt, which was super easy and fun. I can't wait to see it after the wash (in the washer as I am writing...). It might need an extra photo then. I love this pattern and will definitely use it again.



The most important? Everything I used for this quilt, I already had, which means I was able to manage my first challenge.

I am already working on the next project, but that one can't be shown for awhile since I don't want to spoil a surprise.
Next? ...challenge #2...

First Day....

I finished the top and pieced the back for Challenge #1 quilt, but no show until its completely done, that's how I decided. My weekend plans changed a bit, so the amount of sewing I thought I would get done was limited. Also, I've had something with my right arm, knot in the muscle that would only go away after several hours with heating pad and gentle massage. This has been going on for more then a year every time I get too busy with my hands in the kitchen or around the house. It is very frustrating because it means I can only wash so many dishes at the time, or only clean the house part by part, which does not get me far. I know it sounds like a great excuse, but believe me, it's not. :)
Sewing doesn't hurt though..I am not sure about quilting a large quilt :(

Today was my first day at school as a graduate student. I am really excited to see what all this would bring. I know I need to get ready for a lot of reading, writing, and more reading..

And so tonight, instead of tackling the quilt, I will rather sit in my favorite spot on the sofa with my heating pad, articles to read and yummy mandarins.

I am going to leave you a link with a pretty cool video that explain just a bit what I do..

I use tools like they present in the video to study plants and tree's spatial distribution and how factors such as climate change affect their growth, spread, and regeneration.. and such...:)

I guess, I just wanted you to know...

Progress...

I am moving along with my first 2010 quilt. I hoping to start quilting this weekend or possibly tomorrow. I was a bit concerned since these are not the usual colors I like to work with and not all of them together, but I am liking what I see so far. Don't you love it when you discover new combinations of color?



I am enjoying to be back in the rhythm of cut, pin, sew and iron, cut, pin, sew and....



Thanks to Emily, I have joined the group Cancer is Sew Done. More sewing for a great cause and checking out new blogs. I have already found some great new ones.




Visit Cancer is Sew Done