KITCHEN WORK

Since I was in the kitchen all day--really, all day!--I had this pretty bloom in the window to enjoy!

I made two batches of Muscadine Jelly which meant that I had to make a wash a batch of grapes, cook it down, drain it out for the juice, wash the pan, back to the pan to then make the jelly and then into the washed jars!  I did this twice!  I did put an old movie on and tried to enjoy the process!

I did have every jar seal but the pint in the back will go into the fridge to eat now because I didn't have enough jelly to fill it all the way!  I did sample some and it is delicious!

Once I finished the jelly, I ate lunch and then began peeling the Sand pears and slice them up.  This goes into a pan the same way that I make applesauce-with a bit of water and sugar and then cook it down.  The big difference is that the pears take hours to cook down-with a lot of stirring in every little bit to be sure all is well!  

After putting it through the strainer, I have a large bowl of pear sauce.    I have another 5lbs of grapes to cook for jelly but I didn't have any more jar lids!  I hope to find some more today.  I also want to try to make some pear jam-thanks for the idea, Dee.  Of course, I will have to wing it for the recipe but I'm pretty sure I can do it!

Oh, and I even put a casserole together so I could have it for dinner;  a pretty painless way to provide sustenance!  

PLANT LIFE

The female Sago Palms look like this around here-the top know looks like a brain!  It is the size of a basketball on top of this 3' high plant while the branches cover a 6' diameter;  the fronds are not soft, on the contrary-each tip is needle sharp!  But you have to admire this plant-it is very prehistoric looking!

I spotted this knot on a tree-it is called a burl--

it's a thrill to turn on a lathe!  

I have plans for this burl and it will end up on my lathe soon! 

This is a century plant-a member of the agave ( Asparagaceae) family.  This plant is 6" tall and just as wide. 

 This, too, has a needle tip on each of its leaves!

This is a grapefruit bowl--it has striping and orange from the molding and spalting that grows in a dying tree.

Wood turners appreciate the color 

and design this brings to the finished results!

 This bowl is 5 1/2" across and 4" high. 

 I love the ease of making this kind of bowl; 

 it is pleasing on every level!

A FULL DAY!

A new bowl is at work--this is from the old grapefruit tree, so it is a special piece of wood.  I am making a square bowl from this one.  I have my box of finishing equipment ready to use.  The bowl will be turned now and the front hollowed out. 

 It will be done soon since it is small.  

My neighbor called to say, if I wanted, I could go and pick some Muscadine grapes!  Yes!  Even though Bill put a fence around my plant-something got in  and ate them all!  Millie's vines are close to her house so maybe that keeps them safe.  But I have a ton of them to make into jellie!  I can't wait!

These were also ready-Sand Pears-they are hard even when ripe, you can't eat the skin but I found that when I peel the skin, and cook down the fruit, it makes delicious pear sauce.  We eat it like applesauce.  Yum.

 And then I completed the Jar Collection quilt top--all stitched and pressed!  I  have started a second one, too!   

SWEATER START

 I've not done well with the sweaters I have started and abandoned for myself lately. 

 I saw this top-down kids sweater and I wanted to make it--so far so good!  That little bit of colorwork is done already

 but I will keep up the pace of this knit; 

 the color is pleasing!

SHARING THE LOVE OF QUILTING

Wednesday night when we came out of church the moon was perfectly framed through the tall pine trees in the woods across from where we park-it was amazing to see!

Yesterday, my friend came over to load up her first quilt top

 and I gave her a crash course on machine quilting!!! 

 She did beautifully!

This is her quilt...

Here is a glimpse of the panto she is using.

I finished the last three jars for my Jar Collection quilt. 

 Today, I will sew on all of the blocks, sashing and borders.

 

HICKORY LOG TO BOWL

I didn't give up on the bowl 

and learned how to work with a hardwood.

This is the original log that I started working on to make this bowl.

I ended up having to take the bowl (still in its chuck)...

and this is what I did to correct the wide cracks that had been revealed just a few inches into the bowl.  It kept catching the tool and I almost gave up on it.  I'm glad I didn't! 

 I learned how to fill the cracks with sawdust from the bowl and some CA glue (think commercial grade super glue!)

 and let it dry overnight.

The next day, I began working on the bowl and in a few hours, I had hollowed out the bowl beyond the cracks to reveal the solid wood underneath!  I couldn't believe how wonderful the grain was under those cracks!  

The bowl has a lot of 'imperfections' that I look for in a bowl!  Knots, surface cracks and crazy grain lines.

The outside looks great with the variety of colors and swirls!

This bowl is 10 1/4' wide at the top and 5 1/2" high. 

 This bowl already feels like it has been in the family for a hundred years!  I'm thrilled.

It's this time of year--the Magnolia is making its seed pods--they are beautiful and enjoyed by the squirrels, too!

 

COLLECTING JARS

I cut out a bunch of pieces to make these 'jars' from fabric I have had in a box for four years!  

They go together very quickly 

and it is fun to pick which fabric I want to do next!

 I have this many done already! 

 I've been going through the stash to find other things that you can collect in a jar--and even some that are unusual finds! 

 I did resist putting dogs or cats in the jar, though. 

 It just didn't sit right with me at that! lol  

Depending on how I put the blocks together, 

I will need 12 blocks at least.  

LINEN REVEAL!

Heirloom linens are treasured from generation to generation; 

 this one is brand new but could fit right in the family of antique!  

Instead of hand stitching the overlay down, I have used my sewing machine in a blanket stitch using a large needle to give a bit of a extra dimension to the stitching.

The results are subtle but elegant, I think you will agree!

This will be on the altar table in the front of the church. 

 22" x 72" of 100% bleached linen.

 And this is how it is stored when not in use--it stops the wrinkle lines from becoming a permanent character for the table runner.  I sure enjoyed making this;  it's been a long time since I have played with such an antique project!

Sock #1

The first sock is finished-it is knit in KnitPicks Vancouver Hawthorne Multi yarn on 2.5mm needles.  

Nyki was sleeping when I laid the sock down 

but I woke her up and since she hates having her pic taken....

I got the punk eye from her! lol

And look at this--see it down at the center?  My 'leaf' I brought from my Mom's African Violet 2 years ago is getting ready to produce her first blooming!!!  I'm so excited!

LINEN INTERRUPTED

I laid the two layers of linen wrong sides together with plenty of pins-all around the 16' perimeter!

Be sure and change your thread from the wash-a-way to regular sewing thread!

Once sewn, trim your corners and turn right side out.

Taking my time, pressing the edge...

and pinning the inner points as I work my way around the runner.

Here is how it looks right now.

I turned my attention to these two delightful grands!  Who were to enjoy some Hot Wheel moves in between thunder storms!

They sure caught on to the moves to turn 180* and keep on speeding away!  Impressive.

And once they are truly sweaty, we head to the pool to cool down!  What a wonderful visit thing it is to be a grandma!