Found

I was cleaning up the sewing table to be ready to machine quilt a quilt tomorrow and found this little embroidery piece I need to hang up. He is a cutie!

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Stained Glass

Okay not real glass but a stained glass quilt that finally was finished.  The binding had been sewn on long ago but blind stitching the sleeve down was another story.  It has been done now and another quilt UFO has been cleared.

 

Only down side is when I washed it, some of the hand dyed fabrics bled a bit.  And I did not notice this until I went to photograph it.  I plan to rewash it again in cold water just like the first time and hope that some of the bleeding gets lighter.  But it is fine as it is.

 

 

 

Ways to Stay Cool

With the heat hitting the East Coast, I have been trying to stay cool even with eating.  So here are two recipes/suggestions or salads that are easy to make and keep really well in the refrigerator as well. But both are great at room temperature too.

 

The first one is more of a suggestion on amounts since it is a flexible and adjustable type of recipe.

Tomato Salad

 2 or 3 ripe tomatoes or a pint or two of cherry tomatoes

2 or 3 pickling (Kirby) cucumbers

1/2 medium red onion or sweet onion

1 to 2 cloves of garlic, crushed

balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

fresh basil and thyme

olive oil (optional)

If using cherry tomatoes, cut in half.  If using regular tomatoes, cut into slices and into bite size pieces.  Place the tomatoes in a glass bowl.

Peel the cucumbers and cut in half.  Slice thinly.  Slice the onion thinly and into bite size pieces.  Place the cucumber and onion into the bowl with the tomatoes along with the crushed garlic.

Sprinkle a small pinch or two of salt over the mixture along with some freshly ground black pepper to taste and stir together.  Tear up the basil and add.  Add the fresh thyme.

Add a small amount of the balsamic vinegar until it looks right.  The tomatoes will make a juice as this sits.  Place in refrigerator for a few hours to “cook.”  You can add olive oil to this but I find that it is really good without it.  You could also use your favorite homemade vinaigrette instead of the balsamic.  It will hold for several days in the refrigerator.

Cucumber Salad

This one is a variation on one I found over on another website. It is really  more of a quick pickle but really good to eat all by itself.

3 to 3 Kirby cucumbers (pickling cucumbers)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 small sweet onion or red onion

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

about 2 teaspoons country style Dijon mustard

Peel and slice the cucumbers really thin.  Place the cucumbers in a strainer and pour the salt over them.  You want the salt to coat the cucumbers really well.  Allow the cucumbers to “cook” for at least 30 minutes.  Rinse the cucumbers really well under running cold water to rinse off the salt.

In the meantime, cut your onion in half and slice as thin as possible and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix the cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar and the Dijon mustard together.

Gently squeeze the cucumbers to remove as much excess liquid as possible.  Add the “cooked” cucumbers to the dressing along with the onions. Mix it all up and cover.  Allow to sit in the refrigerator at least an hour before eating.  The flavor gets better if allowed to sit up to 24 hours.

Thinking Ahead

Cleaning up the studio aka the fabric/fiber/yarn room has meant finding some surprises like quilts only needing a few hours of work to finish them off. This one was partially quilted but it now is ovr in the finished pile. I call it the poison berry quilt since well I am allergic to them. This is a simple utility quilt that salvaged blocks from a tote bag. Not sure where this one will end up finding a home at yet but come the cold days of winter it will be loved

Happy July 4th!!

No fireworks here until tomorrow but I did discover my favorite orchard has sweet cherries for sale. Something sweet for rewarding myself after finishing machine quilting a quilt found during my studio clean up.