Need a Lift?

My hubby and I decided to do some grocery shopping yesterday.  Our first stop was Giant Eagle to pick up a ham which was on sale for .99 lb.  For the life of me I can't understand why at this time but, whatever, it was a good deal.  We started out trip through the store and past the produce and down through the bakery we went.  I then turned to my hubby and asked if he noticed  the store was full of old people.  He said he noticed the same thing.  This has happened before at Erie County Farms and at the time I wrote a blog about it.  Most of these people were by themselves though and as we were leaving we saw a Lift bus parked at the end of the parking lot.  I'm not sure it was related or not.  What was interesting was that it wasn't just that store.   Valu-King looked the same.  We also went to Save-a-Lot but there was no one else in there.  What a great day for shopping!  It's funny when we talk about old people like they were aliens and so different from us.  The point of it all was that we fit right in  -  no problem!  We don't shop enough to know if it's just on Wed., every week, once a month or what?  But like I said, we like it!

Finished the Runner

I got my daisy table runner done in time for Easter and it looked nice but what a lot of work.   It was supposed to be a simple project.  I wrote another blog describing the pieced daisy flowers surrounded by med. blue fabric with yellow polka dots.  I knew at the time it was too much blue and in putting in the binding, I needed more of the daisy print.  During the class, the others suggested I do the outline quilting, daisy binding and a light gold flange to match the center of the daisy.  After quite a few broken needles and frustrating days, I did the outline quilting.  I will never do the same again, or at least not in 1/4 inch intervals like this.  I did my best to keep things even but that was near impossible.  Also, it would have been much easier if the pattern had been simpler.  I reached a point in my quilting that was very tricky.  The flange, or narrow folded flap that goes just inside the binding, went in well.  I really like the look of this and will definitely do it again.  The binding went in smooth also even though I opted to finish it by hand.  I just wasn't sure of the corners.  Now I'm off onto another project which is finishing the scrapbook of the grandkids here last summer.  I'd say it was time.

Struck Out Again

Yes, I'm talking about my pizza class last night.  Don't get me wrong, I had a good time and enjoyed the pizzas we made, they just weren't "the ones".  I knew right from the get-go that the crust was not going to be what I was looking for, from the recipe.  It used AP flour and basically nothing special.  Then he said this would not be what we were used to but Italian style pizza crust.  That should have meant Neapolitan but instead it meant cardboard.  Like I said, I like the pizza except when the cheese didn't make it all the way out to the edge of the crust and it really got crisp.  Otherwise the flavors in the pizzas were good, just would have been better with a different crust.  I made the onion pie which first had a couple layers of cheese (mozzarella and swiss), then an onion sauce made with onions spices and cream, then chopped leeks and scallions and more spices.  It seemed to be just about everyones favorite along with the salad pizza, as I called it.  That one had about 3 cheeses layered on first (mozz, swiss and goat) then baked and when it came out it was topped with arugula, cherry tomatoes and a vinaigrette.  Believe it or not, it was tasty.  The other options were with a red sauce, which he made.  Those were topped with all different toppings such as prosciutto, mushrooms, artichokes in addition to the cheeses.  The instructor left much to be desired as far as the recipes and need to do most of the work himself.  No wonder he seemed frazzled at times.  So I'm back to square one as far as my pizza crust.  I brought home some dough to try it at home, maybe a little thicker and see what happens.

What a Day!

Well, went to my class yesterday.  What a day, weather wise!  Of all days when I have to drive over an hour and have already paid for it.  Getting over there was the least of my worries though.  Never did I think it would be so bad coming home.  It wasn't until right before my exit on 90 that visibility got to 0.  I decided to take the back road to avoid any cars.  People on the interstate drive way too fast for me anyway.  So the rest of the way home I followed tracks in the snow at a snail's pace.  But I made it!  Now to the class.  I'm beginning to think this free-motion quilting is not for me.  I can't seem to get the hang of it and end up being very frustrated.  The day was spent practicing and listening to information about workspace, machines and thread.  Most of the talk about the thread fell on deaf ears I'm afraid.  My focus was to learn how to do it before I can even think about using different threads.  I realize some of it was important to know in order to make the process work but I wasn't ready to move on.  I did learn I need a couple more things for my machine to work more efficiently for me.  That extension table I failed to get with my machine would have come in handy.  Also if I intend to use the clear thread I'll need a spool holder to hold it upright which I don't have now.  Shame on you Babylock.  You should have thought of this already.  So my intention of coming home a confident beginner in the free-motion technique and a completed quilted table runner, was not going to happen.  I did get some good ideas on quilting that table runner which I will probably use. 

Quilting Project

In keeping you up-to-date on quilting projects, here's the latest.  No picture yet but there was some drama with this.  A little background first  -  I needed a project for my quilting class on Thurs. so I decided to make a table runner.  The project was to be something smaller like a wall hanging or crib quilt size but I went a step further and did a table runner.  This was mainly so I would be more apt to finish it and not have one more thing hanging over my head.  Years ago I found some flowered material, three different ones to be exact, to make into a runner.  The first was a bigger sunflower print (too green for this), a daffodil print (too small and dark) and the daisy print which was just right.  Sorry to sound like Goldilocks but I wanted it to be right.  My original plan was to use the daisy for the pieced flower and a polka-dot for the center and surrounding areas.  I opted for a light gold center so it stood out better.  It was a good choice.  I made the half-square triangles (HST) after I finally figured out how big to make them.  The instructions for them said to make them 7/8 in. bigger than finished size.  I've make mistakes like this before so I went with 2 1/2 in as my finished size which included the seam allowance.  That was a mistake.  So after I had to cut down the squares I was back on track.  The first block is always difficult or should I say not my best, and this was no different.  By the second one (it took 3) I felt like I had it.  Then as I was ironing the seams, my iron overheated, burned the ironing board cover, the material and thread in the seams.  Thank goodness it was only 2 rows that I was putting together.  I had another iron but I needed a new ironing board cover.  The problem was that it was a small tabletop one and I don't even think they make covers for these.  It was cheaper to just buy a new one, cover and all.  Now I'm in good shape with a better iron and board.  I have all 3 blocks together and just need to edge it and put the layers together, ready to quilt on Thurs.  I'm excited to try the meandering technique with this and I'll keep you posted.

My Mom's Birthday

Today is my mom's birthday.  I often think more of her at this time and wonder what she would say about things happening now.  Even this blog would have initiated a response.  I think it would have been favorable, remembering how she herself took to new technology.  I've mentioned before about her and the CB craze.  She didn't seem to fight new things, especially not like my Aunt Mary Jane.  Mom would have embraced the microwave, cordless telephone and computer.  She might not have fully utilized their features but she would have made them work for her.  I admire her for that and hope I'm a little that way too.  Who knows what else is coming our way that us old folks will have to deal with. 

A Weighty Issue

I started a class at the Y recently using weights.  I've been through most of the classes that meet after 9 am and before noon that I can just pop into so this was the next step  -  signing up for Women on Weights for a 6 wk class.  There's just one other newbie besides me and the rest just keep coming.  They do different exercises so it's not the same thing exactly.  It feels good to be strengthening my muscles this way and heaven knows I need it.  But I had to get my goals in line for all this.  I'm doing the weights because of "use it or lose it" and because it makes me feel good, at least once I get into it.  The instructor made a comment about one of the machines we use and said it will give us a nice back.  It made me think of all the videos I've seen where they talk about bikini season and firming up our bodies.  Not for us ladies I'm afraid!  There will be no miracle transformation during this 6 weeks or year for that matter with what we're doing in class.  That I can be sure of.  Any promise of it just sets us up for frustration and failure.  Even to say we'll lose some weight is probably not in the cards.  Mind you, I'm not trying to be argumentative or difficult, just realistic.  I also am determined to keep my objective for all this simple  -  do it because it feels good.  Whatever may happen will be a pleasant surprise.