Reading Challenge 2018

I love to read.
I love to sew and quilt.
I love audio books.
Reading and quilting both take lots of time, but I have been able to cover a lot of territory in both at the same time.   As we move around, I get a new library card in every city.  Then I can check several to find the books I want to read either digitally or as audiobooks.  As I sew, I use the library apps with my phone hooked into a bluetooth speaker to listen while I sew.  Often, I will speed up the audio.  It drives my dear sweet man (DSM) crazy to hear it.  It seems my mind can wander too much when on regular speed.  Depending on the book, I can set the speed anywhere from 1.2 times to 1.8 times and enjoy.

Some of the books I read in 2017, 
listened to or read all of the Harry Potter books again (even better than the first time around).  
Since the waiting list was long for Murder on the Orient Express (due I think to the new movie, which we loved), I listened to several Agatha Christie books.  Amazing all the things a shot of Brandy can cure.  
Listened to Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas for the second time.  Read his biography on Martin Luther.  
A fascinating author is Alexandra Fuller.  I read her Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness.  It made me so curious about her extraordinary life being raised in Africa that I read her Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight and Leaving Before the Rains Come.  
Atul Gawande wrote an eye opening book Being Mortal, Medicine and What Matters in the End.  Reading that led to my interest in another of his books, The Checklist Manifesto.
Several books from book club that were not worth recommending (or even reading), but some great ones were A Man Called Ove by Frednick Backman, The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (maybe one of my favorite books of all time).
Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods is laugh out loud funny.

This is not all, but some of the highlights.  For 2018, I have shared with several the 2018 Reading Challenge by Tim Challies.  https://www.challies.com/resources/the-2018-christian-reading-challenge/      His challenge list gives broad categories so one can be well read and not just read the same type book over and over.  I like that there are several levels.  If you finish one level, you can choose to move up to another level and still be challenged in variety.  No list of specific books, but categories.  I am looking forward to it.  Since one book is one that your best friend recommends, I had to share with my best friend.  I have printed my list and ready to begin keeping better records of my 2018 reading.

What was your favorite book for 2017?

Banket - Dutch Goodness

When we lived in Holland, Michigan a sweet Dutch lady brought us a pastry she had made for a Christmas gift.  It was rather non-descript looking, but I took one bite and thought, "What is this?  It is soooo good!"  When I described it to Dutch people they all said, "Oh banket made with almond paste." like it was no big deal.  To the uninitiated it was a big deal.  I had it from the Dutch bakery, I bought it at the Dutch grocery store,  but none was quite as good as my first bite.   As my second Holland Christmas rolled around, she gifted us with another.  As I tried to hide it from my dear sweet man  (DSM) so I could eat the whole thing by myself, I realized hers was just much better than the bakery's.

I was bold and asked if she would teach me how to make it.  She responded that she would love to, but she had Alzheimer's and just didn't think she could do it.  A few days later her husband called and invited me over.  She wouldn't actually make some, but would share with me how to with his help.  The two of them were very open about her disease and limitations.  But with over 50 years of marriage, their partnership with powerful.  She said after all these years of cooking, she would forget in the middle of it what she had already done, what the next step was, which ingredients she needed.  Together they formed a team.  He was retired, so he always helped her now in the kitchen so she could continue to cook.  He made sure he knew what the recipe was and would help her when she forgot.  There was such a sweetness to it and a directness.  No pity, no sadness, just here is where we are now and how we deal with it.  He had typed out the recipe she used from her aunt from The Netherlands.  Because it requires grating frozen almond paste and frozen butter, he had made a grater holder for her years ago.  He also made one for me and a cardboard template for cutting out the pastry just the right size!

So I have made it myself for the first time.  It is not perfect, but still so good.  I will need to work on my rolling out pastry skills, but can't wait to share it with my family. 

Simple healthy ingredients along with white flour -haha

 

The nice holder Mart made for me to hold the grater for the frozen almond paste and butter.

The finished product.  The first one was not rolling out well when my mom explained the kitchen was too hot.  So I waited before rolling out the others and she was correct.

JAN'S BANKET RECIPE - makes 4 14" rolls

Crust

1 3/4  cups flour

1/4 cup corn starch

Mix together and sift.

Add:  2 sticks of hard butter, grated (frozen)

1/2 cup of ice water

Mix together and divide in 2 equal parts and allow to cool.  Note:  do not let it cool to the extent that it becomes stiff.  If it is too cold and stiff it will not roll out.

Almond paste center:

1 pound almond paste frozen (purchased from Amazon)

Grate almond paste in frozen condition

Add 1 cup sugar

1 t lemon extract

1/4 cup egg white

Mix together and divide into 4 equal parts and chill

Prior to rolling out crust dough, sprinkle a thin layer of flour on the roll out surface.  This will facilitate lifting the dough when folding it over the almond paste.  Roll out crust dough into an 8 inch by 16 inch rectangle and divide this in half into 2  4x16 inch pieces.

Roll out on wax paper, 1 part chilled almond paste into a 14 inch long roll.  it will be about 3/4 inch diameter.  Place rolled almond paste on center of one half of the crust dough and fold up crust dough around almond paste.  Fold in ends first and then the 15 inch length.  (NOTE:  remove and discard a 1.25 inch square from each corner of the crust dough before folding ends over.  This will prevent  a thick crust build up on the ends.)  WET the top surface of the folded crust before folding the other edge on top of it.  Brush leftover beaten egg white on top of rolled crust.  Cut about 8  1 inch slits in the top of the crust dough before baking. (scissors)

Sprinkle red or green or both colored sugar on crust before baking.  Repeat for remaining 3 parts of almond paste.

Bake on parchment paper for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Hope you enjoy!  Merry Christmas!

Santa's Little Helper

This week has been busy with last minute sewing for Christmas.  I have someone on my list who is hard to buy for, but she loves her little dog!  I have seen and admired so many of Sew Fresh Quilts designs on Pinterest, so I purchased her Dog Gone Cute Quilt Pattern https://www.etsy.com/listing/244226310/dog-gone-cute-quilt-pattern-pdf-instant?ref=shop_home_active_38

From download to selecting fabrics from my stash to cutting to completed block was only 2.5 hours.  The next day I finished the block into a pillow.

Do you think my friend will recognize her little dog?

My grandbaby is 14 months old this month.  Her Nana is getting her a baby doll.   So of course, she and her baby will need matching outfits!  Spent a couple of days on this.

While I was at Sew Fresh Quilts etsy shop, I couldn't resist and also purchased her Ay, Chihuahua pattern and her Christmas Collection of 15 blocks.  That sounds like a great project for July. 

Rearranged the face blocks just a bit to match brother dog .

Part 3: Pink and Gray Herringbone Baby Quilt

Once the top is completed, what do you do to finish it?
This quilt will have a Minky backing.  It will be finished on my domestic sewing machine, not sent to a long armer.  If your quilt is going to a long armer you will need 4-5 inches of batting and backing on each side of the top.  One reason I love baby quilts is that they are so easy to sew at home on your domestic machine.

I have elevated the table in my sewing room with 8" bed risers that were less than $9!
  https://www.walmart.com/ip/CreativeWare-Adjustable-Bed-Riser-System/5148131   Best investment I have made for my back in a long time.  This elevated table makes it easier to lay out my quilt "sandwich".  Sandwich is what you call the top, batting and backing put together and ready to sew.  I laid out my batting nice and smooth on the table top.  Then I put the pieced top on top of the batting.  Made sure none of the edges went past the batting.  I like basting spray.  There are many who swear by putting a safety pin every few inches.  I have always loved just using the spray.  I fold the top back on one side, lightly spray the batting, smooth the top out, the pull back and spray the other side.

When that is completed, I flip the whole thing over.  Now batting will be facing up.  I do have trouble with Minky not wanting to stick when I use the spray.  So this time I sprayed the batting and the back of the Minky.  I held nicely so I could get my first quilting stitches completed with no shifting.
I quilted this by quilting on the gray, very close to the edge.  It makes a neat chevron pattern on the back.
The final part is the binding.  I HATE hand stitching.  The quilt police (and some very nice quilters) seem to think a quilt must be sewn on the front and hand stitched on the back.  It just seems to me we live in the industrial age and machine stitching is very secure.  I love a flanged binding.  It gives the edge a look like it has piping.  It adds an extra special touch AND has the security of a machine top stitching.

See what I mean?  I used the gray for the outer part and the pinks for the inner part.  I first saw this technique on another blog from Aunt Marti's 52 quilts  http://www.52quilts.com/2012/05/tuesday-tutorial-susies-magic-binding.html    There are several others available on pinterest.

So another baby quilt finished.  Originally it was 40x48 inches.  I always wash my quilts as soon as I finish.  That removes any finishes left by the manufacturing process and shrinkage or color bleeding I will have to deal with, not the new owner.  It seems to measure now 38x46.5.
It is now available on my Etsy shop:  https://www.etsy.com/listing/566614808/baby-girl-pink-and-gray-herringbone?ref=shop_home_active_1

Now you know how to make your own, or if not enough time or motivation, this one is available to purchase.

Part 2: Now that the HSTs are made, the fun part: putting together the quilt top - pink and gray herringbone baby quilt

This will be the finished product, but how did I get from half square triangles (HST) to this?

Once you have cut your HSTs, gently open them up and press.  You may press to the solid, the print or open.  On these I pressed to the solid gray, but for the rest of the quilt top, I pressed seams open to reduce the bulk at the corners.  You will notice the little triangle tabs that each has.  Cut those off.
HSTs are so fun because they are so versatile.  So many fun designs can be made from them.  Alisa from Making More with Less posted this very nice graphic of several possible designs.
http://makingmorewithless.blogspot.ca/2012/11/half-square-triangle-quilt-layouts.html?m=1

I was particularly interested in the herringbone.  So, I begin laying the blocks out on the floor and keep moving them around till I am pleased.  Good exercise plan!  You see the bottom right corner is not quite right.

Try to make sure your seam lines line up just right and pin before sewing.

You might also notice the lines are slanted, but go straight the last 1/4 inch.  Don't worry.  It is supposed to be that way.  That straight edge will disappear when stitched to another row.  I generally like to sew each row, then sew the rows together.

OOPS.  Something went wrong here.  I have learned through the years to make friends with my seam ripper.  Something will always go wrong.  Just chill when that time comes and you have to remove a seam.

Whew!  That was a good day's work!  I need to make dinner now.  My dear sweet man never complains if I stay in pajamas all day and sew, so the least I can do is make dinner for the man!  So tomorrow we can discuss how to put it together into a baby quilt.

What I have been up to this week - Pink and Gray Herringbone Baby Quilt: my favorite method for Half Square Triangles

Oh this week I have gotten tired of working on Christmas things - even though Christmas is not here yet.  So I looked through my stash and found this lovely pink and white collection of fat quarters.  There was also yardage is a lovely gray.  What could be better together? Wouldn't these look lovely in a herringbone baby quilt?

The tedium of squaring up blocks really bothers me.  There are many tutorials out there on multiple ways to make half square triangles (HST).  Since I am frugal, I prefer to find free or inexpensive ways to do things but after many different ways of a making half square triangle, my favorite involves the Quilt in a Day 9.5 inch Triangle Square Up Ruler.  It is worth the money!  

Wanting 4.5 inch squares that would finish up at 4 inches, I simply laid the ruler along my cutting mat so see how wide I needed the strips to be. I would be using the seam line as my measuring guide, so I used the 5" line, knowing I would be taking off 1/2 inch when 1/4 seams were added.  So I cut 3.5 inch strips of fabric.  I sewed a gray strip ON BOTH SIDES of each of the pink and white prints.

  Then using the ruler, I cut out the half square triangles.  Because I use the seam as my measuring point, the HST are squared up as soon as they are cut!  Yippee!

 As you see in this last photo every now and then one will be slightly off.  Just trim both sides and you are back on track.  Once the HST are cut, you will need to remove the 3-5 stitches at one end.  Just cut through one or two with the seam ripper on one side, then the other side pretty much pulls out.

 This can also be done without the Quilt in a Day Ruler.  

The diagonal line from a regular ruler is placed on the SEAM LINE, resulting in a 4.5 inch HST.  I know this works, but I still get nervous about the math and use the Quilt in a Day ruler.