Adventures in Canning

I've been canning jams, applesauce and apple pie filling for years.  I feel very confident canning with my hot water bath canner.  :)  I have always been interested in canning other foods too, like vegetables and such, but would get scared when I would read up on it and see "pressure canning required".  I've always had visions of the canner exploding or something.  I remember canning green beans with my mom once and everything went well.  But when it came to doing it on my own, I was terrified.

A couple weeks ago, I got the strange idea to can chicken noodle soup.  Homemade is SO much better for you, especially when you feel crummy.  But it can be tiresome to make repeatedly, especially when you're the one sick and/or you don't have all the stuff on hand.  I scoured the internets for recipes and recommendations from the USDA until I found one I liked best.  Crystal has some other great canning recipes that I'm interested in trying in the future.  And she's rather quick to respond to questions.

So, I finally decided to face my fears and ask a friend if I could borrow their pressure canner...then I discovered mom did have one...buried in the depths of the stairs closet.  I was hoping to get this done earlier, but stuff can up and didn't have a large chunk of free time until today.  That and I didn't have all the jars I wanted either, until my grandmother mentioned yesterday she had a ton for me and a couple stockpots too.  Jackpot!!

Unlike Crystal, I still don't have a 14-quart stock pot, so I didn't feel comfortable letting the chicken simmer overnight.  However, after 2 hours today it still feel apart as I took it out to cool.  I chopped up 2 lbs of carrots and a whole thing of celery, along with 4 small/medium onions.  I hot-packed the jars about two-thirds full and filled them with hot boiling stock.

 Then came the moment of truth.  It took a bit for me to figure out how to regulator worked with my stove, but everything processed as it should.

Yummy!!

I managed to get 19 pints of soup!  Now all that is left is to assemble the "herb packets" that I will tape to each jar and add the label.  I found some removable labels that are meant for use on glass jars, woot!!  I'll let the jars cool overnight and probably put the packets together tomorrow.  And, yes, I am now more comfortable working with a pressure canner.  Now all I need is to get my garden to produce and canning can become a little more commonplace.  :D

A map and the TARDIS

Every once in a blue moon I get the chance to work on a project for me.  I love making stuff for people, but it's nice to treat yourself.

Awhile ago, I found a world map panel at JoAnn's and just couldn't pass it up.  I mean, I'm an elementary teacher, hello!!  I was also still a real noob at quilting, and figured it would be a nice follow-up to my t-shirt quilt.  Naturally it was pushed off to the back burner so I could finish up baby blankets.  But here it is.  I can either use it as a wall hanging, or for "carpet time", depending on what classroom I end up in.

Starry patterns have been really big this year, I've noticed.  So I figured that would be the perfect backing material...till last week when I found solar system fabric.  Still, I like how this one turned out.

I debating between quilting around the countries and the continents before deciding to use the longitude/latitude lines.  Less distracting and more even quilting.

Also, a few weeks ago, I went to the local ceramic shop with a friend.  It was place where you can pick a ceramic piece and paint it however you like and they'll do the final steps of glazing and firing.  There's always so many choices, but I eventually decided to make another hot pad to go with the Superman one I did about 8 years ago.

It's just a simple 8 x 8 tile.  After firing I realized I should have painted the S shield first, then the blue, but it still looks pretty cool.  In fact, the lady at the store had a hard time giving it up.  The store in Moscow puts selected pieces up for display until the owner comes to pick it up and they got a lot of compliments.  And it makes a great hot pad for the dinner table!

In honor of a very special anniversary, I appropriately made a TARDIS hot pad.  While the Doctor may not be able to take me on his adventures through time and space, he can at least save my dinner table from hot dishes.  :D

I would hoping the "glitter" paint would have a bit more glitter, but at least the shading turned out.

Now, if I were to make a third....what should it be??

Cleaning the Kitchen - Day 1

A year ago my mother passed away and my dad decided that it's really time to sell the house.  Now that I'm home, I have been tasked with the wonderful job of cleaning out everything.  I have been doing small things here and there, jumping between the inside and the outside of the house.  My biggest job has just been trying to catch up on dishes.

Today I had a friend come over and help me as we tackled the "spice cupboard".   We realized halfway through we should have taken before pictures, so instead we have "mid-way through" pictures and after pictures.  The cupboard doors were damaged years ago and things were just never cleaned so they could be replaced properly.

The spice cupboard after clearing off the first shelf.

I decided it was just easier to dump all the spices that were in Tupperware containers and run the containers through the dishwasher.

All the spices that were pulled from the first shelf.

It took M and I about two hours to scrub down the shelves and wipe down everything that didn't get tossed.  Hopefully this will encourage dad to get the doors replaced.  If anything things will be a little easier to wipe down since it won't have so much build up.  At any rate, here is how everything looks now.  "White" space is good.

 The cupboard above the stove minus some storage containers that are currently in the dishwasher.  Though I may find another place for them.  

The spice cupboard with a clear shelf denoted for cooking and a shelf for baking supplies.  Plus room for miscellaneous extra stuffs.

I'm debating if I want to go back to the Tupperware spice containers.  I prefer the spice bottles and then refilling them from the bulk section at Winco.  I don't know, I'll see if any of my siblings want them first before I start making a yard sale box.

Sólás Caomh

Several months ago, a friend posted a pin on Pintrest asking if any of her friends could make this blanket for her.  Naturally I volunteered.  It was quite the challenge, but still fun to do.

Here is the finished blanket.

And here is a close up of the weave pattern.

I definitely plan on using this pattern again.  Though I may use a smaller weight yarn and not a color that is only available on a limited supply online.

SitRep: Plants

Wow...haven't posted since April.  Yeah, the end of the school year just got really busy with end of term projects and graduation.  Found out I had to redo my PACT which was more stressful than it needed to be. (Yes, I did pass it the second time around.)  Then moved back to Dad's, went to a regional Young Single Adult conference then spent a week in Maine for the Hobbs family reunion (more on that later).  Plus remembering to transfer pictures from my iPod (better camera) to my computer...I know, I know, excuses, excuses.  But, hey, I'm back and here's the situation with my plants...

Raspberry plant:  dead...methinks it got over-watered, or too much sun or some combination of the two.  I'll try again next season with a fresh plant.

Herbs: I give up!  Two years in a row and complete failure!  I was just sent an article about herbs, I'll read that and see if it will give some insight to what I'm doing wrong.

Garden plants:  So the garden spot at my dad's needs a little more work than I originally thought and there is no way I could get it done before I needed to transplant my starters.  In fact the entire yard needs a lot of work, so that is my project for the summer.  Get the weeds out and re-line all the beds, maybe even plant a few bushes.  Basically get it back under control and then I can focus on planting a garden.

Flowers:  I think there was something wrong with the bulbs because they did not look right once they started to really sprout.  Unfortunately the pot was knocked over and broke so I will have to start all over with those.  No biggie.

However, my Peruvian Lilly has bloomed it was absolutely gorgeous!!

 Still waiting on the Orientals to bloom though.  So there was some success.  Hopefully next year I'll get even more!

Plant Update

So, I meant to post this Monday about how my raspberry plant is doing.  Considering the sudden cold snap and now to high winds, it's holding up pretty well.  I trimmed it Monday morning so more nutrients can now go to the living leaves and hopefully make the branches stronger.

Here's what it looks like, after its trim.

While trimming, I noticed one of the stronger branches is half broken.  I need to do some research to see if I can re-attach it or just start a second plant with it.

This morning when I woke up, I noticed several other plants are starting to sprout...

My Oriental Lillies

My tulips

My herbs

It's so exciting to see things start to grow.  Hopefully I can actually keep my herbs around long enough to use them.  Last year didn't turn out so well.  I also got my starter tray set up with roma tomatoes, green beans, green onions, spinach, and cantaloupe.  Two other containers now hold red and yellow onion bulbs.  I timed everything to be ready to transplant once I move back over to Western Washington.  My dad has some garden space, it'll need a little work and TLC to be ready.  I think it'll be a great project for my brother and sister to help out with.

Music Stand Bag

I play in the local community band and our season is slowly starting.  Summer is our busiest time.  As more and more performances are cropping up on our calender, it just makes sense to keep certain items in the car, my music stand for example.  My first summer I just borrowed a stand from a fellow clarinet player, but I always felt bad about it, that I wasn't as prepared as I should be.  Last summer I found a fold up one at a yard sale for super cheap...then I would forget to bring it.  This season, I told myself I would not forget my stand, and in order to help with that, I made a bag to keep all the pieces together and make it easier to carry around.  The design came from the bag my camera tripod came in.

What you need is:
*some scrap fabric (about a 1/2 yard or so)
*cording (the length of the bag + the width of the bag + a little extra so it can hang off your shoulder)
*cord stopper
*item to go in said bag (my music stand, for example)
*rotary cutter, ruler, and mat
*gauge
*basic sewing supplies

First you want to cut a length of fabric that is about 6-8 inches longer than the stand.  I cut mine on the fold, so I only have one seam to worry about.

Next sew up the bottom.  Be sure to re-enforce it!  I used a standard 5/8" seam allowance here.

Now comes the detail work.  Make a 1/4" narrow hem on both sides at the top.  Have the hem go down about 6".  This will make your opening nice and neat.

Then press over 1/4" at the top and then fold over another inch to make the casing for your cording.

Next, feed your cording through and add the stopper.

Then keep the cording inside the bag and pin it where you want it to attach at the bottom.  Mine is about 2" from the bottom seam.  I have my cording stick out a little bit from the edge, so I can see it better when I sew the seam up.  Re-enforce where the cording is to make sure it stays put.

Finally, trim the corners and flip it right side out.  And, ta-da!  You have your very own music stand (or whatever) bag!  You can press the seams if you want, but it's not necessary.

This stays in my car and it keeps all the pieces together so they don't go sliding around everywhere in the backseat.  And with the shoulder strap, I can carry it easier to and from performances.  It's also big enough that I can stick my phone and a water bottle in there too!

An Experiment

Yesterday I went out to see what Easter candy was left (and consequence ridiculously cheap) as well as pick up potting soil and starter trays for my garden this year.  Didn't find much as far as candy goes, which is probably a good thing.  However, roaming around the garden center at Wal-Mart I found some rather sad looking berry bushes.  I've always wanted fresh raspberries, and due to their sad shape they were only a couple bucks.  It looked like they sat in the direct sun for too long and probably over watered.  I needed to get plant food anyways, so I took home a raspberry bush.  Mixed in a little fresh soil and gave it some plant food before heading off to work.  I wish I took a picture, poor thing only had one green leaf.  I found this when I got home 4 hours later...

Once a week for the next month, I will water it with the water-based plant food I have and then go down to every other week (Box recommends every 7 - 14 days during busy plant growth) and we'll see what happens.  I'm not expecting any fruit this year, but if I can at least nurse it back to health and then hopefully I can have lots of raspberries in the future!  Every week, I'll post a new picture and track its progress.

Finished Quilts

I actually finished these almost a month ago, but then all my school projects became due and life just took over.

Anywho...t-shirt quilt #2 is finished.  This is for my best friend and got it finished by his birthday!!  Yay for making goals!  Again, here is where I learned how to make my t-shirt (or memory) quilts.  I have two more planned.  One is for another totally awesome friend and the second is all my WSU shirts.  That one will be interested because I plan on using my spare set of WSU bed sheets for sashing, binding and backing material.

Also finished is the first of two blankets for my nephew.  My sister found the material kit for this one while we were going through my late mother's sewing room.  Since I know how to quilt, she handed it to me and asked me to make it for her.  It's minky fabric, which sped up the purchase of a walking foot (best investment so far!) and while the new foot has made quilting much more enjoyable, if I ever work with minky again, it will be too soon!  It sheds like no one's business when cut, it was EVERYWHERE when I took it out of the bag.  The nice thing is that it's fluffy enough that I didn't need to be too conservative with my whip stitching on the binding, just needed to make sure it was secure. It's super soft and super warm, I have a feeling mom will be using it more than baby...

Now switching gears to crochet and knitting.  At least I can work on those projects during class.  :D

Quilt Labeling

In my searches to do various quilting techniques, I kept coming across mentions of putting a label on the quilt when you were finished.  Finding how to do it was another story.  Most were telling me to add it when I did the quilting.  Well, that did me no good as I often already had the quilting part already done.  I found several different methods and finally gave in and found a way that worked best for me.

You'll need the following:

* fabric swatch (pre-washed, it can be from the fabric used in the quilt or some other scrap fabric you have laying around)

* freezer paper

* rotary cutter

* ruler

* cutting mat

* iron

* ironing board (I used my cut 'n press)

* permanent  fabric marking pen (permanent markers, such as Sharpie, will bleed and discolor over time, make sure it is a FABRIC pen.)

First cut your swatch to your desired size.  I cut mine to 4" x 5".  I have two quilts that need labels, hence the two different swatches.

After you have cut your fabric.  Cut a piece of freezer that is just a bit larger than the fabric.  You'll want at least a half inch all around.  The freezer paper helps stabilize the fabric while you write on it.  You can also use it the make fabric stiff enough to go through your printer and make your label that way.  Then mark lines on the dull side of the freezer paper about a half inch apart.  This provides a guide to help keep your writing straight, if you desire.

Take the shiny side (the side with the wax) and the place the fabric on top, right side up.  Then turn the whole thing over and iron gently.  You only want to help the fabric stick, you're not wanting a permanent bond.

Once it's all ironed, add the writing.  You can include anything you want.  The basics would be the date, who it's for (if anyone), who worked on the quilt, any special occasion, etc.

For the pens I have, it took two applications to make sure it's dark enough and heat setting was not required.  Check the instructions that came with your pen(s) to see if you need to heat set.  Gently peel the freezer paper off and discard.  Then fold the edges over a quarter-inch and press.  Next sew the label onto your quilt using a blind whip stitch.  The bottom right corner of the black is the traditional place, but you can put your label wherever you desire.

Then you're done!  Ta-dah!  Make sure the label gets a chance to lay flat overnight before you wash it.

See how pretty!!  Enjoy marking your place in history.

Quilting

Last year I made a t-shirt quilt with my college band shirts using this awesome tutorial.

While I was working on it, my friend wanted me to make one for him.  Over Christmas break he gathered all the shirts he wanted to use.  I had to get creative with some of the squares because he's so broad-shouldered that some of the designs barely fit within my 12.5" quilting square.  However with a little ingenuity, I was able to use every shirt he gave me.  I finished the top today.

Next week JoAnn's is having a good deal on the backing fabric I want to use.  So, that's on the agenda for next weekend.  The walking foot for my sewing machine came in a few weeks ago, so I'm excited to try it out.  Machine quilting my quilt was a pain in the butt, so I'm hoping that it will make things easier.

Christmas Presents Revealed

I was wanting to post this right after Christmas, but technical difficulties put a damper on things.  This past year was another "homemade" Christmas.  My family got hand painted tiles with phrases that had special meanings to them.

For some friends I made some placemats.  I started with a set I made for a friend as a wedding present.

Then I found some pretty musical Christmas ribbon.  I think it works better if I don't use wired ribbon, but that's all I find.

 This is where I learned how to make the placemats: How to make a woven placemat with ribbon