Wonky Quilt

Wonky-adjective. Askew, awry, cockeyed, lopsided.

Before you scroll to look at the pictures read this first! (You scrolled didn’t you? Shame, shame, shame, the courts know your name!)

I finally finished Brenan’s blanket, which I am calling the Wonky Quilt (my previous blog named it the Crooked Little Log Cabin Quilt, but I like Wonky better). Because of all the small pieces, I wanted the top to have more strength than just what knotting would provide and I didn’t want to hand quilt it (I know how to quilt but I just don’t enjoy it and this would have required a lot of stitch-in-the-ditch) so I decided to machine top-stitch:

The edges were a challenge because sewing a wonky block does not always give a uniform edge when said blocks are sewn together. I had to add a couple little edge strips because even though the blocks are wonky I wanted the edges to be straight for the border.

The only law of wonkiness is to not be straight; planned wonkiness is no wonkiness at all.

Then I found a pattern online for a teddy bear, which I have named Basil. I looked up Bulgarian “B” names, to go with Brenan, and think Basil is a fantastic name for a teddy bear! However, the blog from whence the pattern came had terrible directions and I spent hours trying to get the arms sewn onto the body! I finally read the comments and discovered that just about everyone else had trouble with the arms, too! So I started the arms over and actually had to redesign the pattern and finally got them to fit!

This was fun but was a challenge! I hope Brenan will love it!

Do you like the Wonky Quilt?

• Yes, of course! It’s the most wonkiest quilt I’ve ever seen and your grandson will love it!
• No, it makes me queasy.
• No! Have you been eating fermented apples like that Drunk Moose Found in a Tree in Sweden??!!
• Maybe. I’m not sure. Maybe if I squint when I look at it.

Cardinal Rule of the Kitchen

     I don’t know who taught me, my mother or my 8^th grade home ec teacher, that one of the cardinal rules of the kitchen is to always review the recipe before beginning to cook. That way you can check the ingredients and plan for any odd processes for which the recipe might require.

Today, I disobeyed that rule.

     My morning began by picking the last of the roma tomatoes from the garden (with the cooler temps this will be the last week for tomatoes) because I wanted to try making a new recipe for tomato paste, called estratto. I found the recipe here:

     I blanched, skinned, and chopped the tomatoes along with onions and green peppers. I got those in the pot and started cooking them down. The other day I had discovered a recipe called Acorn Squash and Honey Pies here so once the tomatoes were cooking I started on the acorn squash, which I had baked on Saturday. I had read through the recipe when I found it and knew that I had all the ingredients. Then. But I failed to double check today.

     First, the recipe does not specify the amount of squash needed (thanks Martha); it just says “3 small acorn squash, about 3 pounds.” Not very helpful. So I ran the squash through the blender and guestimated the total amount (putting the rest in the fridge) and then added the spices. Second, when I went to get the four eggs I discovered that I only had two eggs. Yesterday I hardboiled some so I could make red beet eggs but I left four in the refrigerator. Apparently Hubby made two eggs for breakfast. Hmmmm…I figured I would just decrease the other liquid amounts and keep an eye on the consistency so it wouldn’t look too “wet.” I got everything mixed together and set it aside so I could make the crust.

     Third, no cornmeal. I could have sworn I had cornmeal. And the recipe called for two egg yolks. No eggs. Humph. So I pulled out my favorite pie crust recipe and made that instead. Now the pie recipe instructs the baker to make little five-inch pies but I do not have those small pans. I wasn’t sure how the recipe would work in a regular size pie pan so decided to make tarts instead.

     By disobeying the cardinal rule I had prepared something that was not much like the recipe! However, these little suckers are delicious! I’m not sure I want to try a cornmeal crust!

     When those were cooking, I ran the tomato mixture through the food mill and put it back on the stove to begin cooking it down. Then I prepared the red beet egg liquid, peeled the eggs, and put that in the refrigerator to sit for a few days (if Hubby can keep out of them for that long).

     By this time it was 12:30 and I was hungry and sorely in need of a break (for my aching feet—I’ve been in quite a bit of pain from plantar faciitis). After a bit of a rest I went back to the tomato mixture and poured it into three cookie sheets to go in a low oven for the rest of the day. I finally finished with the estratto at 6 pm, when I pulled them out of the canner. Worked beautifully!

     You know, having to adjust the recipe as I went is a little like life. You think you know where you are going and what you are going to do, but then life throws little curve balls at you and suddenly you are having to make adjustments, changes, and additions and while the main recipe is still the same some of the ingredients are slightly different. I guess the lesson for me is, Don’t Panic. Think it through, make an adjustment, and keep moving. I could have made a mad dash to the store to get exactly what I needed but gas is expensive and we are on a tight budget right now. So I just continued with what I had on hand and the results are delicious. So it is with our current situation. I know God’s main “recipe” for me and right now there are some unexpected ingredients. But I will not panic nor rush around trying to mix things perfectly like I think they should be.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5

I hope the finished dish will be surprisingly delicious!

Crooked Little Log Cabin

     I am working on a quilt for my Sweet B (that's my grandson Brenan). I decided to use a log cabin design and work with a lot of small prints. I found a soft knobby green fabric for the back and used that as the basis for the color scheme. I wanted the blocks to be small so each strip is just 1 1/4" wide, which when sewed are only 3/4"--truly a small block!

     After sewing only a few blocks I realized I wanted to do something different, not just the straight-up-everything-is-square block. So, instead of pinning each strip and making sure all the corners and prints were straight, I just sewed and let the pieces move.
     This is hard for me! I want all my edges straight and all my corners square! What if someone looks at this quilt and thinks, "Sheesh, this woman doesn't know how to sew!" But I persist and ignore all the finger-wagging-sewing-experts-nagging voices in my head.
     I am liking the results! It is fun and is visually interesting. There is definietly movement because the lines are just slightly off kilter. It's like one of those optical illusion thingys that make you squint a little when you look at it.

    

     I decided to call it the "Crooked Little Log Cabin" quilt. And here is a poem I just wrote...

There was a crooked boy and he had a crooked quilt,
He took a crooked ruler and using it he built
A crooked log cabin with a mighty crooked floor,

And he always chased his meatballs as they rolled right out the door.