Pots and Pins

Quilt Group Friday...

Slow and steady wins the race.  That's really the story of our quilt group.  One month we might all be hares, with many quilts to show.  But most of the time we are tortoises, we have just a few quilts to show.  By the end of the year though, we will have made dozens of quilts!  Last month we were tortoises...

I love this quilt Stephanie made - and I really like the quilting.  Terry quilted it.  I think the quilting is the cherry on top.  This quilt was made with scraps, that were headed to the trash bin, and Stephanie rescued them and turned them into this beautiful quilt.  

This is the back of Stephanie's quilt - it's not pieced, it's a "cheater fabric," as we like to say, and it's wonderful!  

This sweet little pillow is Denise's.  I think she bought it at Value Village - or maybe she made it - I simply can't remember!  I was too busy oohing and aahing to take notes!  (Or maybe I was too busy stuffing my face with the Lemoncello Almonds Marsha had set out!?!

Another Neopolitan Ice Cream Quilt made by Denise.  Doesn't that name just fit?!?  I love the quilting on this - the circles seem to make the pinwheels move!

This is the back of the cutest little quilt you'll ever see!  It's Lamb fabric - oh so sweet!  Janet bought this and made it for her first grandchild, who will be arriving sometime in August.  While she doesn't know if it's a boy or girl, we all agreed this quilt will work for either!

Is that not adorable?!?!?!   It's a chenille quilt.  Layers of fabric are placed on top of each other, with the pattern lining up, and then the fabrics are stitched in rows.  After all of that, there's a special tool, like a seam ripper, that is used to cut between the rows, so the fabrics are seen.  After it's washed, it takes on the "chenille look."  I just love this quilt - way to go Janet!

This is Helen's Flower Garden quilt.  Her daughter recently said she wanted a flower quilt - so Helen pulled this from her pile...now the question is, can she really part with it?!?  It's just so beautiful, extremely soft and the perfect size.  Helen said this quilt was inspired by one I made - and I was so touched because I know I rarely inspire anyone!  Below is a picture of my Rose Quilt:

I'm afraid it pales in comparison with Helen's - maybe it's the red fabrics?!?  Probably should have just stuck with one color theme.  Oh well, I do still love it, even though it's no longer mine.  This quilt was made in 2005, I think, and I gave it to a very sweet friend in 2010.  There is one fabric that really stands out to me, it's the dark blue with the white rose.  That fabric was called England's Rose and was made shortly after Princess Diana died.  It was part of a collection that commemorated Princess Diana.  If you have nothing better to do, you can read more about this quilt by clicking here.

This is the backing fabric Helen put on her flower garden quilt - it's Kaffe's Cabbages - perfect choice, as always.  That's it, that was our show, short and sweet but so very fun.  My sewing machine was in the shop being cleaned for two weeks, just got her back so I'm excited to get back to work...maybe it's time I made me a flower quilt to keep?!?  

 

Spring Pea, Orzo and Ham Bake...

If your tribe is like ours, then you are currently eating up leftover Easter ham for every meal.  Mid week it will really get to be boring!  But I've got a great recipe for you, one that will get everyone back to the table with smiles on their faces!  Even the mister, who as you know hates most everything, loved this.  And he actually requested I make it again!  Something he rarely does! 

The first time I made this I cut up the ham into chunks, which made it really easy and guaranteed a bite of ham in every bite.  The mister said I was feeding him baby food..."Why is everything all chopped to pieces?  Is it too much to ast that I get a slab of ham for dinner?"  Yes, a slab.   And ast...he can't say ask with a k, he says it with a t...his grasp of the English language has always brought me great joy! 

Since I make this casserole with leftover ham, slabs are hard to come by!  I use whatever is left and line the bottom of the pan with it - but sometimes I ignore his caveman tendencies and cut it all into bite-sized pieces...which I prefer, it suits my lady-like demeanor - so you do whichever way you like or maybe even don't add ham at all!  It's dang good either way! 

I think you can see why this is so good...Parmesan cheese, which is mixed in with the orzo and peas and then more is sprinkled on top.  Maybe what you can't see is the lemon-y flavor the orzo has - it's bright and refreshing making this the perfect week-night meal for this time of year...or anytime really!

Inside the cheese is ooey-gooey, outside it's a bit crispy, my favorite part!  Try this one, I'm pretty sure your family will love it as much as mine.

Spring Pea, Orzo and Ham Bake - Pots and Pins

1 lb. dry orzo pasta (two cups)

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1 lemon, zested

juice of half a lemon

6 to 8 slices ham or 2 cups diced

1 1/2 cups frozen peas

2/3's cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided in half

salt and pepper to taste

Spray an 8 x 10-inch baking dish with cooking spray, set aside.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

In a large pot, bring chicken broth to boil, add orzo, garlic and thyme.  Cover with lid and turn down to a simmer and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until pasta has absorbed the broth and is tender.  Remove lid and add lemon zest, lemon juice, and peas and stir until combined.  Stir in 1/3 cup of the grated Parmesan.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  (If you're using diced ham, add it now to the pot and stir to combined.)

Place ham slices in bottom of prepared dish, overlapping and allowing to go up the sides a bit.  Spoon orzo mixture over ham, smooth with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle remaining 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese over top.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until heated through.  Serves 6. 

This dish can be made ahead of time; kept in refrigerator until ready to bake.  Bake for 40 minutes or until heated through.  This dish can also be frozen, put in oven directly from freezer, cover with foil and bake for one hour or until heated through.  

Truly Green Salad...

The Easter Feast is around the corner and with the spiral sliced ham, cheesy potatoes, mashed carrots, hot cross buns, etc., there are enough carbs to put us all in a coma.  So how about a green salad?  Something different than the run-of-the-mill green salad...something crunchy, delicious and healthy!  Yes, it's really me, occasionally I do make healthy food and this is one of those times.  Because between bites of Potatoes Nan-a and Carrot Cake, filling a fork with beautiful green, crisp veggies is the only way to keep from nodding off into the souffle.

Green peas, asparagus and sugar snap peas provide some of the crunch in this salad.  But they don't go into the salad raw, they are blanched until crisp tender, then drained and rinsed with cold water so their color stays bright and green.  

More crunch comes with celery, cucumber and green onion but that's not where the fun ends, nope, there's creaminess that comes with avocado and the surprise of mint.  The perfect salad for Easter or any spring-time feast!

The salad is dressed with a zippy lemon dressing, which makes it even more Spring-ier!  This salad pairs well with everything and the blanching of the veggies and the dressing can be made up to 2 days ahead so everything can be ready to serve when you are.

Olive oil, lemon juice, zest, minced shallots, salt, pepper and Dijon...it's bright, slightly tart and the perfect balance for the fresh veggies.  This is also a great vinaigrette for any other green salad you might make so you'll want to keep this dressing recipe handy...trust me!

Yes, those are bacon bits...while I don't normally put them into this salad, I had to add them because I served this salad with an asparagus tart and the mister was up in arms about all the vegetables!  Where's the beef???  Bacon bits satisfied his carnivorous needs...you might say they soothed the savage beast.  So while they're not part of the recipe, you can add them if your beast needs a bit more than just greens!

Truly Green Salad - Adapted from Cooking Light

1 1/2 cups frozen green peas

1 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut diagonally into 2 1/2-inch pieces

12 oz. sugar snap peas, trimmed

1/2 of a large English cucumber, thinly sliced

1 celery stalk, thinly sliced

2 green onions, finely chopped

4 green leaf lettuce or romaine leaves, rinsed, dried and torn into pieces

1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/2 cup torn fresh mint leaves

1 firm, ripe avocado, cubed

bacon bits, optional

For the dressing:

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons minced shallots

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Bring a large pot filled with water to a boil over high heat.  Add green peas, asparagus and sugar snap peas; boil until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.  Drain and rinse well with cold water;  drain well.  Set aside.

In a small bowl whisk together all of the dressing ingredients.  Put blanched vegetables into a serving bowl.  Add cucumber, celery, green onion, lettuce, parsley, mint and cubed avocado.  Add bacon bits if using.  Pour dressing over top and toss gently.  Serves 8.

Since this is Easter week, I'll leave you with this quote - one of my favorites by Albert Einstein:  "There are only two ways to live your life.  One is as though nothing is a miracle.  The other is as though everything is a miracle." 

Wishing you a miraculous week! 

 

 

Easter Egg Hunt, Roll and Throw...

To have a really great Easter egg hunt, one the kids will talk about for at least a day, you need to do some planning.  Start with a lot of baskets and candy-filled eggs.

Of course you can always ask the kids to bring their own baskets...but don't ask them to bring their own eggs!  Fill the plastic eggs with candy (we had 150 candy-filled eggs) and if you want your hunt to be more exciting, fill one larger egg with more candy and/or cash.  (You can find large plastic gold-colored eggs for the special egg or you can just write on one of the eggs with a Sharpie to set it apart from the others - finding the special egg is always exciting!)

Before your egg-hunters arrive, set out real (hard-boiled) eggs for them to decorate (these will be used for the egg roll).  It's always nice to give your egg-hunters a few treats...bunny ears, a chocolate bunny and a story about why we really celebrate Easter...also for the egg roll the kids will need a stick so I gave everyone a large colored stick.  You've all seen the annual Easter Egg Roll at the White House on TV, right?  The president, first lady and the Easter bunny all greet the kids and they smile and wave as the kids use sticks to roll their eggs down a gentle, well-manicured sloped lawn.  We didn't have the president or the first lady or the Easter bunny and we didn't have a gently sloped well-manicured lawn...but other than that it was egg-actly the same!

The girls wrote their names on the eggs and decorated them beautifully - this took about 15 minutes.  Instead of dying the eggs, use Sharpies, it's much easier and less messy.  Next it was time for the egg hunt!  The kids were given their baskets and they put their real hard-boiled and decorated eggs in the baskets and we headed outside.

Each girl was allowed to find a dozen eggs.  Since we had different aged girls, when the older girl's baskets were full they helped the younger ones find eggs.  It's important to have a defined area for the search - mainly so the girls don't run off and get lost!  Egg hunts go fast - and there is much excitement, especially when the kids realize there is candy inside those eggs!  After our egg hunt we had the girls line up for the egg roll...and for this you really need a bit of a hill...

This is where those colored sticks come in...the eggs need a bit of a push to get them going down the hill (well you don 't really need the sticks, they can use their hands, but it's much more fun to have an egg stick!)   Once the kids got the eggs going with a little push, they started to roll...if they got stuck on a pinecone or twig or some other debris, they gave them another push and eventually all of the eggs took off rolling down the hill!  The object is to be the first one to get the egg down the hill without it being broken...and some actually made it!  Since each girl decorated 3 eggs, we did this 3 times...and each time those eggs took off rolling faster than we thought - most of them cracked at the bottom of the hill - which only made it more fun because the faces the girls drew on the eggs now looked entirely different!

We didn't tell the girls we were going to do an egg throw...when the hunt and the rolls were over, they thought they were done...when we pulled out a basket of real uncooked eggs and told them they were going to throw them at a tree, some of the girls actually started jumping up and down!  You can see some of the eggs that hit the tree - which the squirrels enjoyed later on that day.  We gave each girl two real eggs and told them to heave-ho!  About half of the eggs missed the tree and landed far past it - going splat when they hit the ground to much laughter and squeals of delight!  When an egg hit the tree the girls all cheered - it was very, very fun and I think they'll remember the egg throw for at least a week!

 

Easter egg hunts, rolls and throws bring a lot of happiness to kids - and eggs are cheap so I hope you'll have one for your little ones - even if you have to "import" some like I did!  You can also have a egg hunt indoors - just make sure you find all of the eggs so your house doesn't smell a week later!  You can do an egg roll indoors, too...on carpet, using the special egg sticks, you can set up an egg course with cups or tunnels (made from shoe boxes) - get creative!  And lastly, you can still do an egg throw indoors...if you're crazy!  Have kids toss the eggs into a bucket or throw them into the fireplace or take the kids into the bathroom and have them throw the eggs in to the shower stall...or not...crazy is as crazy does!  Whatever you do, I hope you have a very happy Easter!  

For a list of the very best Easter recipes, the ones we use every year, check out this post:  The Best of Pots and Pins Easter Recipes.

 

Quilt Group Friday...

Easter quilts were on display!  I looked for the two Easter quilts I made a few years ago and couldn't find either one.  Then I remembered I gave one to my grandkids but I have no idea where the other one went?  Guess I'll have to get busy and make another one!  I enjoyed seeing Terry's Easter quilts - she made all three of these quilts a while back:

This quilt is every bit as soft as it looks - it's made with felted wool and flannel.  Check out that quilting, too!  Terry is the master when it comes to quilting!  

Oops!  Sorry this one is so blurry - but I think you can tell it's made with the same fabrics as the one above - I guess you could call this a leftover quilt.  Terry also does impeccable hand embroidery - wish you could see it!

Terry used up all of her scraps - pretty impressive if you ask me!  I love the floral fabric with the bunnies...so wish I had an Easter quilt!!  Did I give it to you???  If so, let me know, I'll be happy you have it and won't want it back, just want to know so I can stop looking for it in my house!

One more adorable Easter quilt from Terry - she said she has more Easter quilts than Halloween quilts...I find that hard to believe because she definitely has more Halloween quilts than I do and I have a bunch!  Maybe MY Easter quilt is in with the Halloween quilts?!?  

This felted wool and flannel pillow is so sweet - and very soft.  Terry's stitches are so small and precise...maybe in my next life I'll be able to do hand-work like her?!?  In the meantime, I'm still looking for my Easter quilt!

This fantastically fun Christmas quilt was made by Helen.  Those are some of her signature blocks - but it's not the pattern of any of Helen's quilts that make them unique, nope, it's the fabrics and the way she puts them together.  Oh to be in her head for a few days!

Another crazy, mixed-up, joyful masterpiece by Helen.  I just love all of the different fabrics and how this quilt works when it shouldn't!  I also like that Helen used two different fabrics for the borders - hard to see in this picture, though.

This picture was included because it's an example of why we still need brick and mortar fabric shops!  Helen ordered this fabric online...when she received it she immediately saw the red was not a true red...and there is about an 8-inch plain white border around the fabric - what a waste - shouldn't the pattern have gone all the way to the edges?!?  In the last few weeks we have had 3 quilt shops close their doors for good.  Rent is too high in our area - so now we will have to drive almost an hour to the nearest real quilt shop...I'd drive as far as necessary but it does make it tempting to order online until I see something like the fabric above...you really never know what you're going to get!

Helen.  Helen.  Helen.  These are so Helen!!  These baby star blocks are just FUN.  I love that the points don't go all the way to the edges - so you'll never "sew the points off!"  The background fabric is really a blue-gray which makes for a really great neutral.  

Denise made this quilt top and immediately someone said it looked like Mint Chocolate!  We all agreed so now it has a name!  Denise was very busy during the fast few weeks, not only did she make this top but she made the cards pictures below and they are really pretty!

For the last couple of years Denise has sold her cards at a local bazaar.  I've purchased gift tags from her and have loved them...this year I'm going to have to get some cards, too!  Hope you're going to do the show again Denise!

This cross-stitch was done by Denise and this picture just doesn't do it and the beautiful frame it's in justice.  But I think you can see how wonderful her hand-work is!  Wish I had the patience for cross-stitch...or for anything, for that matter!

Isn't this baby quilt fun?  Marsha said she's had the fabric for a while and she's been busy ticking things off her list and this was one of them.  I don't know who the lucky little boy (or girl?) will be who gets this but it's so happy and bright, they are sure to love it!

Marsha's daughter lives in Qatar and she sent this piece of fabric to her and asked her to either make her a quilt with it or to quilt the fabric - not sure which.  What's unusual about this fabric is it already has a binding on it.  And it is also very thin, was made in India, which is where her daughter bought it, and we thought maybe it's a tablecloth?  It's very pretty and whatever Marsha decides to make for her daughter will be wonderful.

Stephanie's quilt was quilted by Terry - very cool quilting, can you see the loops and circles?  The binding is pretty fun, too.  Stephanie is another one who has an eye for color, pattern and fun...and she used gray as a neutral here, too!  By the way, gray is the 2019 color of the year for nail polish!  I'm always in the know for things that don't matter!

 

Made with scraps, Stephanie created this top for a "thank you."  For one weekend every August, Seattle-ites break out their inner athletes and ride bikes to raise funds for lifesaving cancer research at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center! The bike ride weekend is called the Obliteride.  You can read more about it by clicking here.  Stephanie and her husband Dave will be riding again this year and for every person who donates $250 or more for Stephanie and Dave's team, they will receive an original quilt made by Stephanie as a thank you!  So if YOU want to have this quilt for yourself or someone you love, leave me a comment and I'll tell you how to get your donation to Stephanie!

 

Jenny has almost finished her Alice in Wonderland quilt, just a little bit of the binding left to go.  Jenny bought the embroidered blocks from someone on ETSY and made this quilt for her niece, who is named Alice.  I think she's going to love it!

I should have taken better notes but I do remember that Jenny made the block pictured above and it's going into a quilt she is making for some dear friends.  She is personalizing the blocks so the block above has meaning to her friends.  I'm excited to see the finished quilt - I'm sure it will be incredible.  

This makes me smile for a few reasons.  #1. Janet made this for her soon-to-arrive grandbaby.  #2. I remember making everything I could for my first grandbaby...it was such a happy time!   #3.  This pillow is made from minky...and minky is a beast to sew with!  #4.  I could not be happier for Janet - when a grandbaby is born, so is a grandma!

That's it for this time...Your truly is busy at work trying to finish up two projects - idle hands are the devils workshop you know!  Hope you're all enjoying   S P R I N G  wherever you are!

 

 

 

April Fool...

There's nothing like being fooled in a really great way.  At my quilt group meeting last month, Denise brought a picture of framed hand-work she had purchased at the local thrift shop for $8.  We all thought it was amazing.  We couldn't see the back of the piece but all agreed it was hand-done and the workmanship was incredible - such tiny stitches!  I posted about her picture here with this pic:

Now to the fool part...Three weeks go by and I receive a small package in the mail...it's a panel much like the one above but with numbers.  There was a card with the piece but no return address on the envelope.  The card said, "Hi Nan - I might know who stitched the alphabet your friend purchased at Value Village.  LOL!!"  I didn't think the card was signed because I couldn't make out a name - I thought it was a "doodle!"  Also, I thought, because I'm sarcastic and think everything is a joke, that the card implied it was NOT hand-stitched - especially because of the LOL!!!   I picked up the piece and turned it over and grabbed my glasses and then added another pair on top of them.  I studied it over and over and decided that it HAD to be machine made because it was PERFECT.  I assumed it was a purchased panel - and had a nice little smirk...because what are the odds that Denise buys a hand-stitched piece and then one of my blog readers sends me a matching piece?!?  I mean, WHO would ever give away TWO works of art?  Pieces so beautiful that obviously took a great deal of time and work!???  This is what I received:

At last weeks quilt meeting I took the piece but debated whether I should show it or not.  I was worried about what Denise might think - I knew just how happy she was with her picture.  But I decided I should - we passed it all around - half of us agreed it was machine made and the other half were skeptical - how could a machine get the threads into those little holes so precisely?!?  (That's exactly what machines do!)  We all also agreed that the numbers piece and Denise's alphabet piece were beautiful - whether it was hand or machine stitched.  I was asked if I knew who sent it and I told my friends I had no idea!

Serious workmanship!  It is so perfect and those little holes are so little - well - it truly never occurred to me that it could be hand done because my hands could never have done anything quite so magnificent!

After posting about Denise's find, I received a package in the mail with the numbers piece in it.  Like I said, there was a card but I thought the signature was a doodle.  After my quilt group meeting I came home, looked at the card again and tried to decipher the "doodle".  I decided it might be from an old friend - one I haven't heard from in about 11 or 12 years!   So I found an old email address and hoped it was still good and emailed my friend Deb.  A few days later I got a reply!!!  My friend Deb said she got a good laugh out of my post about Denise's picture because SHE had donated it to Value Village!  After a round of Marie Kondo, she took a load of stuff there and Denise was in the right place at the right time and gave Deb's old piece a new home!  And it is old...Deb made it about 30 years ago and it is ALL hand-stitched!  

After another round of Kondo, Deb found the numbers piece.  In the meantime she'd read my post about the alphabet piece, so she packed it up and mailed it to me.  I am such a fool...I have never SEEN such beautiful hand-work - I only see the crappola I produce!  So of course I thought it was machine made - but now that I know who actually made it, duh, of course it's hand done!!!

Thank you to Deb!!!  Thank you for cleaning your workroom!!!  Thank you Marie Kondo!!  Deb, you have brought enormous joy to Denise and me and my entire quilt group!  I love knowing I have some of your work in my home - it makes it all the more valuable to me!