January 27, 2021

Skillet Cooking

I have wanted a cast iron skillet for a LONG time. My oldest son works for REI and for Christmas he gave me one!!! I have been playing around. The first time I used it was not pretty – the chicken stuck to it, I had to clean it off midway through cooking, and we wound up eating dinner around 8:30 which is late for us. After doing some research about seasoning cast iron and the proper way to use it, things have been much better.

Isn’t she a beauty?! I have been poking around the internet for cast iron recipes and came across a site called Food52. They have all kinds of recipes, but also have recipes specific to cast iron. We love potatoes so I decided to try Hasselback Potato Skillet Bake.

First you wash the potatoes and slice them really thin, but not all the way through. Then you mix up melted butter and spices and brush this mixture onto the pan and the potatoes making sure the mixture goes in between each slice. This took a bit of time, but was so worth it!

Baking before the addition of the grated parmesan cheese.

These potatoes were sooo yummy!! The only fiddly part is that you have to baste them with the butter/herb mixture every 15 minutes and cook them for an hour. Everyone liked these!!

DS#1 was in charge of the rest of the meal.

DS#1 made tilapia in the oven and asparagus in the air fryer (a birthday/Christmas gift from the hubby).

We have instituted a new dinner plan since about May. Each night one of the kids are in charge of dinner. They let us know by Friday what the dinner plan is and tell us the ingredients. When we go shopping, we pick up what they need. Since four of the kids are living at home and Friday is pizza night (I make the dough), I am really only in charge of a meal one night a week. It has been so fun to see what they come up with and it takes some of the pressure off of me.

I will definitely be trying some of the other recipes from Food52 for my cast iron skillet!

January 24, 2021

HQAL January Update

Lots of stitching is happening here, but not on Grandmother’s Flower Garden. She looks exactly the same as our last update.

I’m going to have to buckle down and get working on it!!

This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another. If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.

Kathy, Margaret, Deb, Nanette, Sharon, Karrin, Gretchen, Daisy, Connie, Monica and Sherrie

January 23, 2021

Peppermint Purple SAL

I couldn’t resist starting the Peppermint Purple 2021 SAL!! The pictures of the 2020 SAL were beautiful and this 2021 SAL seems as if it will be just as pretty. As always, I am a little behind

I’m doing it in the colors called for. The blackwork was easier than I thought it would be and once I got into the rhythm of stitching, this block was done in no time! I’m going to try to get one block done each week, but we shall see.

January 21, 2021

PFA – Postcard Fabric Art

I finally had a chance to work on that little postcard from last week! I had my image transferred and all I needed to do was apply some paint.

I just finished and I’m actually quite happy with it. It looks very close to what I had envisioned. Now the actually stitching needs to be added. This will be super fun to embellish!

January 19, 2021

TAST – Week 2

I decided to take part in Pintangle’s TAST (Take A Stitch Tuesday) this year to hopefully learn some new embroidery stitches and different ways to use them.

This week we worked on the Fly Stitch and the Italian Border Stitch.

I have done the fly stitch before although not much. It appears that I do need more practice!! I really enjoyed the Italian Border Stitch, especially with the beads.

The pages are 5X7″. I am using DMC Perle Cotton for the button hole stitch around the edges and for the specific stitches themselves. The writing is 2 strands of DMC cotton floss in black.

January 17, 2021

New SAL Choice

Finishing my son’s Christmas stocking in time for Christmas was such a great feeling. He loves it and I still haven’t put the stockings away because I like looking at them. The next stocking to make is for another daughter but I am really not feeling like starting that right now. I spent quite a bit of time going through my WIPs (there are MANY of them). It was so fun and kind of felt like I was visiting old friends. This past summer the embroidery guild I belong to started a project to work on together (virtually). Several of us chose the same one.

I’m in love with this one. One of our members is quite close to finishing and another one chose to do the top part only and she is done. This was my choice because not only do I find it beautiful and have never done a sampler, but there are so many elements I have never tried before.

First, I am working on linen. I have been afraid to do that. Aida cloth has been my “go to”. This pattern calls for linen. I could have done it in Aida, but decided to go all out with the new experiences. My kids actually roll their eyes when I use the words “new experiences” to describe embroidery! Hahaha!

The top part of this pattern is done over two threads (this is a first for me) for the most part. Some elements, like the birds, are done over one thread. The contrast between stitching over two threads and then stitching over one thread is so fun!! I love the added texture and dimension. The floss I am using is not the recommended thread. This has been a stash busting project (except for the fabric).

This is going to be a very challenging project for me. It has pulled thread elements, hardanger and more, but I am excited to make this my SAL project!! This will hold me accountable to keep going and not to put it aside when things get tough.

Please take a look at the others who are joining along in this SAL. They are super talented stitchers and are working on all kinds of fantastic projects.

Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, Sue, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Hayley, Megan, Deborah, Mary Margaret, Renee, Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, AJ, Jenny, Laura, Cathie, Linda, Helen

January 14, 2021

Postcard Fabric Art

There is a fun FB group, called Postcard Fabric Art on Facebook that I have been following for awhile. They have challenges every month. This month is interesting as it combines fabric, paint and stitching. I am going to try my hand at this!

I found an image in this book that I want to use for my postcard.

This is the chosen image – it has been reduced by 10% and I am using only the center part where the two flowers and birds are.

I am using this piece of linen – the solid lines mark out a 4X6″ section.

The portion of the image that I want to paint and stitch has now been transferred to the fabric. Then I sewed batting to the back to add a bit of “plump” when it is stitched. The next step is to choose paint colors and make a stitch plan. Exciting!

January 12, 2021

TAST – Week 1

I decided to take part in Pintangle’s TAST (Take A Stitch Tuesday) this year to hopefully learn some new embroidery stitches and different ways to use them.

Last Tuesday, 1/5/2021, was the first week and she focussed on the chain stitch and the linked chain stitch.

First page for my book of stitches for TAST.

I’m very excited how this page turned out. I plan on having a different page for each stitch.

I am familiar with the chain stitch and have used it, although not regularly. Here I am using DMC Perle Cotton #5 in color way #727. This one was fun and quick to do.

I had never done the linked chain stitch, but the directions and photos were amazing. This is a very fun stitch with a very interesting look to it. Of course I had to add beads!! I can’t wait to see what the next stitch is and to work on it.

January 7, 2021

Dishcloths

Yes, I’m still knitting dishcloths!! I love them in the kitchen and now my oldest daughter likes them as well. I have been cleaning and organizing my crafts books and came across a knit dishcloth book that I remember liking so well when I bought it.

I decided that I wanted to knit some of these and started with the first one in the book.

I used size #7 needles and Sugar ‘n Cream Cotton yarn in the color way Psychedelic. I quickly moved onto the second one in the book.

Size #7 needles and Sugar ‘n Cream Cotton in the color way Countryside Ombre. I decided not to block either one so that’s why they look a bit wonky, but these are to be work horses in the kitchen and will be washed regularly. I like how quick these are to knit up; however, I think I will use size #5 needles for the next one as these are pretty loose and I like a stiffer fabric.

January 5, 2021

TAST 2021

I am an avid reader of the Pintangle website and a member of the Facebook group, TAST-Take A Stitch Tuesday. I love how the stitches are taught and how they are embellished and built upon. I have decided to take part this year and am planning to make a little stitch book for the stitches each week.

First page ready for the first week of TAST starting 1/5/2021.

The fabric I plan on using is linen that was given to me by a friend. It is cut into pieces that are 5 1/2 X 7 1/2 and interfacing was applied to the wrong side then turned under 1/4″ on all sides. I then did a blanket stitch around the perimeter in DMC5 Perle Cotton in color way #820 – it’s a beautiful blue color. My plan is to make all the blank pages the same and then at the end of the year I will have a book of stitches to refer to.

I can’t wait for the 5th!!

Connie's Creations

My little place on the web to share my creative spirit.