Marsbarn Designs...

the big project that simmers and nudges

Back in September, I undertook a commission to make a queen sized quilt for a friend.  She had saved clothes worn by her sons and wanted them made in to a quilt.

I rarely do this. Big quilts (this one will be about 88" by 100") take me forever to make.    

I explained this to my friend, and she said she was happy to wait.

So here we are, mid summer, and I am in Get It Done mode.

This quilt did move more slowly than some others.  First, I had to get over the initial cutting of the clothes. And then I had to figure out how to compensate for the stretch of the knits. (Hello, interfacing!)

But now, now the 91 squares are done.  I made one extra square, so I would have some flexibility when I laid out the quilt. 

This quilt was sewn in the same manner as many of my auction projects,  I started with a very loose plan, then I assembled all the puzzle pieces, cleared off a flat area (the living room floor) and waited for the picture to resolve itself.  

This was my first attempt.  It is fairly random, with only a very loose organization. 
I took my photos (yes, with a flash, after ten o'clock), and then tried again.

I wanted more organization, so I started to make little diagonal pairings. 

And then (it was almost midnight) I took a photo, left the squares on the floor, and went to bed.

The girls were still away, so I could just leave the quilt spread out and live with it for a day.  I'd move the occasional square, until I liked the balance, and then I started to sew.

Right now, the front is done and the back has been pieced, and I'm just waiting for a the chance to clear the floor again and layer it all together, pin it, tie it, and sew it together.  So close, and yet...

THAT was a busy (fun) week

Oh my.  That was a whirl of busyness.

Last weekend, with the girls away, things got done in this quiet way.  I worked a little at this and at that, but with no distractions this puttering actually produced effect. 

(There was sun, so I even took some time and played with the new/old camera.)

   

This week, with the girls back, and baking lessons, and the new jet engines, and I don't know what else, Stuff Got Done. (Yes, with Big Letters.)  Vrroooommm we were cooking with gas. (Which in fact, we were.)  

The pleasant surprise in this is that I wasn't wiped out when all was said and done.  The fun stayed pleasant, which I think is quite a trick! (I just wish I knew how I'd managed it.)

Boil and bake with the 7 year old set

To offset the baking lessons I've been doing with Sweetheart G's peer set,  I made bagels with Little e and one of her friends.

 

The recipe I used  (from Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Everyday) requires a long overnight rise, 
so I made up a batch of dough the night before our meeting.

The day of our project, the girls and I made a second batch of dough. The girls mixed and kneaded, and then we swapped the fresh dough for the risen batch. 

 

Then, the girls rolled and shaped the dough into bagel shapes.

I have to say that this thick, sturdy dough is perfect for working with smaller children. The dough was firm and slightly tacky, but required no additional flour to roll and shape.

When it came time to boiling and baking the bagels, I did most of the hot work.  (I was going to let the girls do more hands on stuff, but Big E nixed it.)

Best of all, the bagels were really tasty!

I have to also add that I am still overcoming my own Yeast driven anxiety (what if I kill it!?), and that Reinhart's recipes had the perfect balance of wordy instruction and photos for me.  The thoroughness of his instruction meant that I was willing to make this recipe with children without pretesting it first (which in my world, says a lot!).