Gehring Road

lots to update

Sunflowers from Buttonwood Farms... more from our flowery evening here

Despite being a bit quiet around here the past few days, things have been extremely productive in the loft... here's a peek...

... my Strips and Bricks are finally together and my fears of it looking crazy (as a result of some crazy and inaccurate cutting) were without cause. It's lovely and I'm so happy I didn't pull it apart, as planned. Turns out fabric stretches... things cut too small or too big eventually even out and all that worry was really for naught, as usual. Finishing and quilting will be leisurely and hopefully this week. Backing will be a simple Kona Ash (I love that grey) and I have an important decision to make about binding... 

... red or yellow? Thoughts? I'm leaning towards the yellow but I do that... As a result of getting these WIPs (works in progress for those who don't know) off of my ladder in the loft, I have room for some of my books to come out of hiding...

... and some beautiful apothecary jars made their way into the loft to hold, well, the world's most ridiculous collection of thread...

... really, someone should tackle me if I wander in to Joann's and head towards the Guetermann's... somehow now that I can see that I have plenty (as in a lifetime supply) of thread makes me unlikely to buy more, I think. 

 

I've even made some more progress on my bird mobile (I know right, January is calling, she wants you to finish a project). My plan to cut into some doilies was a failure which was just the excuse needed to stock up on some lovely appliques found on Etsy. Until then, I'm happily stuffing and button-ing birds while watching So You Think You Can Dance... love that show. 

So there's a bit of an update as to what we've been up to. I'm trying to relish these days of summer and not become overly focused on accomplishing the impossible. Organization is still the order of the day (ha!) and some simple sewing has been just the thing... how I love summer. Happy weekend to you and yours... I'll be thinking binding, leisurely... let me know what you think!  

friendship bracelets

A funny thing happened towards the end of this school year, my students began walking around with friendship bracelets pinned to their jeans or taped (gasp) to the tops of their text books... I watched them with wonder until I excitedly said..."I used to make those when I was your age! Have you figured out the diamond?!" Oh, the moments when one feels old are plenty when one works around young souls. Never did I think I would say those words and really, never did I think friendship bracelets would be in... again... it brought me right back to 1990-something and to my own making of these bracelets. We used to buy embroidery floss by the bucket-full and I so remember finally understanding the chevron and the diamond. Wicked (sorry, still back in 1990-something). And then suddenly, miraculously, friendship bracelets are back... and for the ones that were making them in the 1990-somethings. Yes! So today, with the last of my strips and bricks pinned and ready for sewing but the loft at a cool 85 degrees (better than the heat index of 112 outside but still)... I fled to Joanns to get my backing fabric (there's hopeful!). Four yards of Kona Ash (love that grey) and one detour into the embroidery floss aisle later and here I am... equipped to start knotting. I'm not as enchanted with making holes in my jeans as I was when I was a 1990-somethinger but I've got a plan... and some rockin colors, no? If you're up for a little throw back and need some inspiration... friendship bracelets are popping up here, here and (a swap!) here! So fun. Off to start something. Happy Friday!

loving...

Right now...

* I am loving these hydrangeas (from right outside our door!), happily out of the sun and thriving on the dining room table.

* I find myself  missing Mad Men! What is a summer without Don, Peggy and Joan... looking forward to March!

* I'm inspired by his work... especially this one (how I love her!), and this one. 

* I am just about to finish this quilt top... finally... hmmm, maybe it needs a few more rows...

* I just can't wait to get my hands on some of this, and maybe a little of this and all of this... eek. 

* I'm off to make more pesto... I know, I know, but the smell of basil at the market on Sunday called me.

* I'm finding this site so lovely and fun, yet so dangerous for time and wallet... 

Happy Tuesday! 

making jam

We're experiencing a little heat wave here, probably the same heat wave affecting many of you this week. Our access to the water and sweet relief is one of my favorite things about this place that we love, but sometimes, escape is not an option and things just have to get done. While the heat began to register, we were faced with a bigger freezer situation this weekend... it's packed... with berries... and more berries. Some jam needed to be made. Our mixed berry jam is a favorite of those that wind up with some at the holidays, it has even been requested (if one can call my 90 year old aunt grabbing Rob and asking him when we'll make more a request). We add strawberries, red and black raspberries and blueberries to our jam... strawberries from the crop we picked a little ways from the house, black raspberries that are around our house, and blueberries picked from Rob's mom's home. I think all that local flavor adds to its deliciousness. Anyway, because of the heat, we made the jam inside but wisely canned it outside. 

Some jam making books and recipes are worried about that foam or froth that appears over the berry goodness while reducing... we're not worried by it at all, we just leave it, it disappears. Our canning has become a well practiced thing, you do have to be fast.  One person (usually me) wears the oven mitt and takes the scalding hot jars that have just been filled with scalding hot jam (that's Rob's end of this gig) only to clean off the top of any spillage and fish out a scalding hot lid (all must be boiled pre-canning) and adding a band.  Our assembly line is pretty set as it keeps the person without the mitt from touching anything hot and getting a nasty burn. I love this process of putting away and even more so outside... the more to remember in the coming cold months... that fresh berry taste, that beautiful day and standing on grass canning instead of three feet of snow... oh how I love this summer. 

pin and tell

I love these summer weekends... there is nothing fleeting or expectant in anything and I'm simply in love with them. Fabric arrived for my quilt, yet I'm still playing around on the floor finishing up that lovely quilt that promises to bring some of my most loved fabrics down into our living area. Heaven. I can't wait to snuggle up with that one and this one. Here are some other things I'm loving lately... (all on Pinterest)

... I've been looking for a sweet little clock for the loft and this one caught my eye, a knitted cuckoo-clock found here... beautiful...

... Brimfield is happening, and we took a jaunt up to visit the shoe trolleys... a year later and I still didn't buy one... but love the one above... maybe in September (sound familiar?) 

... how sweet (and affordable, yes!) are these scissors... I might pick up a pair...

... I love this color, that trim, those flowers... just the whole thing really... found here...

... these shoes, much like my current schedule are relaxed and perfect for padding around the loft in, a bonus... they just went on sale...they also come in white, if you're brave...

... and here is me being brave and recognizing the existence of autumn... I love that Jack Skellington pumpkin and I think he's going to make an appearance on Gehring Road come October... Happy, happy weekend to you and yours, back tomorrow! 

pesto

My craving for pesto kicked in the second it got a bit warmer outside, but it was in full swing on Sunday as we browsed the Farmer's Market. All I could smell was basil, and well, pesto making was in order. The recipe we used is really quite simple and gave us plenty of sweet pesto-y goodness for a pound of pasta (frankly we overly dressed the pasta, but as it is, someone... not going to name names... was craving some pesto)... so here's what we did...

* four coups of packed basil leaves washed and dried

* added to four whole cloves of garlic and chopped coarsely in the food processor

* add salt and pepper (we don't add much salt as the pasta is salted) to taste as well as 1/2 cup walnuts (we didn't have pine nuts on hand but it works) 

* smooth together with 1/4 cup of olive oil... add more to make it smoother if you wish and we sometimes pour a bit more over the dressed pasta... 

* finish the dish with 1/2 cup of grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese (you can add this in the food processor if you are not planning on freezing the pesto)

* add to warm pasta and enjoy... it's very tasty

Some tips for freezing... we freeze the pesto in small ball jars and with the recipe, we will get two meals (at least) as well as two tiny ball containers to be enjoyed during the winter.  Make sure that the pesto is covered in the little ball jars by a layer of olive oil.  This will prevent any oxidization (Rob's words) or funky brownness (mine) from making the pesto not so tasty. Also, don't freeze any that has cheese in it. Pesto, it's what's for dinner... again... I'm a happy camper! 

strips and bricks... revisited... yet again

I've been in a bit of a holding pattern lately, waiting (as patiently as possible) for my Kona snow to arrive so I can cut 64 squares out of the same dye lot to provide the background for my Loulouthi half square triangle quilt. My eyes wandered around the loft and settled upon that Strips and Bricks quilt hanging on my ladder in pieces, lovely, but in pieces.  The same one I started... eek, last year, and have been meaning to eek, pull apart. So I sat. I looked. I decided two things. It is really small... I prefer a bigger quilt for couch use so I added eight rows to the width and four rows to the bottom.  Pulling out those fabrics and cutting some new loves to add to the mix, I began to remember why I just love this quilt... in progress, ahem. Second decision... I'm not pulling it apart.  So what if it's a bit off, that's just how some things are, especially hand made with love things.  Hopefully I won't stare at it while cozying on the couch... Anyway, here is part of it for comparison...

much bigger (more than a foot bigger in each direction!) and more suitable for snuggling than...

And so this is where the day finds me... hiding from the heat (which I swore I would never complain about here) and loving things revisited... again. 

making fajitas

Rob's been making fajitas more than one might think is humanly possible lately... mostly because I love them. The recipe used is from Cook's Illustrated Backyard Barbecue edition picked up at our local grocery store. You can find it here... so so good. The lime and pepper marinade make these so incredibly tasty, perfect for summer. Feast (if you're in the area, we'll probably have these again this week if you'd like to stop in) or feast your eyes if you're everyone else...

vegetarians should look away now!

...we've been slicing up some avocado for them, adding a little fresh salsa and I love a little dollop of sour cream on mine... so, so good. Funny, my camera seems to have been set aside and unable to get a shot of the fajitas all dressed up... it's just to easy to dig right in... ah, next time (probably very, very soon!). Happy Monday! 

vermont souvenirs

On my trip to Vermont, I didn't buy much in the way of typical touristy souvenirs... though a "Warren Store" mug was calling my name. In Burlington, there are sweet little shops and used book dealers along with a cart that makes fresh crepes on the main street, it is heaven I tell you.  Instead, looking for some shoes with my friend Gina, we happened into Urban Outfitters of all places and I scored that sweet little wallet (organization is the theme of this summer!)... I can't tell you what my purse looked like pre-wallet.  Now all of my credit and frequent fabric shopper (ahem) cards are well organized and ready for use.  Gina also picked up a pair of those little yellow flats, and I loved them so I did too... we're planning on sporting them at work together (ha!). Excuse my non-pedicured toes but I fear the post pedicure massage (I sometimes don't want the massage and last year I got one while tense when it was happening... sore for a week, like immobile, it was awful!) so much so that I often forgo the whole business. Anyway, what I love about the Kimchi Laser Cut Peep-Toe Skimmer in Yellow (a mouthful!) is that they're a feminine little flat. I find that a lot of the ballet flats I buy are a little rounded and young looking which is fine, but these are different and pretty.  So comfortable.  Finally, we made our way to Nido, as I told you, but I didn't tell you that I snagged some amazing Heather Ross, Far, Far, Away III fabric. I love the weight of this fabric, certainly not as heavy as the last batch, it is light and drapey (which spell check tells me isn't a word... hmm) I can't wait to dig in and make a bag or even a belt. I also bought some more loulouthi... how pretty is that grey and orange? Oh, I heart Vermont! Happy weekending to you!

a summer quilt

Yesterday's work...

I found myself, a few weeks ago, unable to resist the pull of a fat quarter pack of Anna Maria Horner's LouLouthi fabric. I sometimes struggle with using an entire line of fabric in one project, but the prints in this collection are so distinct, I decided to give it a go and cut into it yesterday, a big deal for this lady. I've been wanting to try half-square triangles for a while now so with some hemming and hawing I drew some plans. My issue when it comes to working with fabric is that I often hedge on how to use it. I rarely buy fabric for a project but try to find the best project for the fabric I've bought... maybe a bit backwards? It takes me some time to feel I'm using my time and my resources (gorgeous fabric especially) in the best way. I think it must have been the heat yesterday as I found myself able to dig right in and cut through most of the fabric without much thought... refreshing.

Cutting fabric isn't my favorite as you might know... and a few blocks in (of the 128 7'' squares I cut) I contemplated buying a die cutter (on sale at Joann's... tempting). Mumford and Sons sang me through the cutting and before I knew it, I was in a rhythm and it was done. Bonus...I'm left with some gorgeous scraps...

I thought I might share some of my process when it comes to planning out a quilt... I have another project in mind for some of those scraps completely devoid of planning which I'm anxious to get stuck into also, but for know... I plan, and write things down. I start with graph paper...

... I sketch out a pattern, figure out the dimensions and tack on a few extras for choosing the blocks I'd like to place based on colors and such... the loulouthi quilt I'm working on will be 77'' square... 

 

... I started keeping a log of quilts begun (and hopefully finished) so that when I have to walk away from them (which during the non-summer months is unfortunately always) I know what the plan is and which fabrics I'm using.  I also keep a log of solids as of very, very recently as I found myself without things I need or trying to figure out which kona was which (labels are also something I now keep). This has been a good way of keeping (semi) track of fabric use. Speaking of... I just ordered some backing fabric for the quilt in this pattern...

... love the idea of continuing with the triangles on the back and I think the color is beautiful. 

So today finds me (after a really late start, which is rare) ready to head back up to finish cutting and piecing. The weather is moody and stormy which is just perfect for this kind of a day's plan, don't you think? Happy Friday all, more on that little bonus project I promised you tomorrow, the moody light is not so great for taking pictures... I hope this Friday finds you enjoying your day and in the midst of doing things that you love.