Dorothy Came in From Oz

Dorothy came in from Oz again this year,   this time she brought Toto.......     Planted most of the flowers  yesterday.   Sure was hot here,  92.     Didn't get any quilting done yesterday,  turned the machine on and that was it.    Today I will have to make up for lost quilting time.

Buddy

   

My Busy Sunday

Loaded and ready to go......

I marked a half inch registration mark all the way around the quilt to leave room for the bind.  I didn't want to quilt all the way to the edge,  just a reminder for me.

             I will finish all the main leafy feathers today then add the crossing hatching and lines. 

I made Tamales yesterday too!! 

I traveled Mexico for about 28 years and learned how to make Tamales and other delishes meals.    The methods of cooking are very basic and simple.    Here is the recipe for the Tamales

1 cup masa
2/3 cup lard ......  yes I use lard ( can subsitute ) but I like the flavor and it is something I don't eat everyday
1/2 tsp  salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/4  cup lukewarm chicken broth (sometimes they use water )  again the flavor for me

Lard is whipped until really soft .....( like whipped cream)

Chicken broth is added to the masa and mix together until is like play dough.   Sometimes I have to add a little more liquid to get it to the dough stage.....

Now the masa and lard are mixed together ..... in Mexico it is done by hand or wooden spoon.
I like using the mixer.

Now were ready to make Tamales

Pork is cooked in the oven until it falls off the bone.    Garlic,  salt, and onion for flavor,  a little oil poured over the pork,   then bake.    Shread the pork  ( could use chicken also)

 Mixture of Chile's,  Dried Ancho and Guajillo are steamed, seeded, put through the blender to puree.....  garlic, cloves, & oregano are added for flavor.

Combine the chile's and meat mixture together,  simmer on low heat so the flavors blends. 

I prepare my meat a couple days ahead ,  shortens up the time for making the tamales.

The corn husk are soaked in hot water to soften them.... 

add a table spoon of mixture on the corn husk and spread out...

next  fold over and press the mixture slightly.....

                                                           fold the bottom in

fold over again....

Wallllaa you have a tamale

Tamales are layer in a tamale pan with water in the bottom of the pan.    The tamale pan comes with a wire stand that sits in the bottom.   (Do not fill with water or the wire stand.)   Layer with the left over corn husk and place on the stove,  bring water to a boil,  then turn to low heat and steam for about two hours.   Let the tamales cool down a little......     Now they are ready to eat.    I double the recipe,  made 6 dozen.
You can use anything for a filling.   They also use cheese or fruit.

My family loves Mexican food.    Great for a Holiday......YUMMMMMM!!!

Fresh   " Pico de Gallo"

Finished Up The Hexagon

Finally got this baby of the LA.    Used 100% cotton batting,  King Tut thread for the top and So Fine in the bobbin.    Did a simple feather meandering over all,  bead board border.   Now I can move on to  the WC.

Working on WC

This is how I transfer my design on to the fabric .....    

Starch the fabric heavy  first ......   it makes it easier to mark on the fabric,  the fabric doesn't move or stretch when marking.    I learned this from Sharon....

fold the fabric and  mark my center using blue marker.....

Most of my technics are from Karen McTavish,  Judy Woodworth,  and  Sharon Schamber.  Karen and Judy both design with stencils.    Sharon draws on paper,  which is up my alley.....  cause I like to draw my own designs.    A  class with any of theses gals is really  great,   you can learn so much from them. 

my set up....  I need a big studio

lamp under table

then I mark each section....   I tape the drawing to the fabric to keep it in place

when I'm through with the first section then I move on to the next

I don't mark the cross hatching and the background fill until I have quilted the main part of the design.

   The veins I like marked a little darker then the leafy feathers,   this way I can change the shape of the feathers if I want.   When I have to  heavy of a marking,   it is distracting to me.... 

Working On WC Design

This is one section of whole cloth that I designed and will quilt next week after I get it marked on the fabric.   This will be a trail ......  before I start my favorite design.    Today I will have the design blown up 200 % or more .....    will post it later so you can see what I'm doing.

I had the small design enlarged  to 24" and 18"..... I'm going to use the 18" size which will make the quilt  36" then I can add borders.    I marked just the main leaf lines with a sharpie so I can see it through the fabric.    I will use white  Kona cotton for my fabric choice.    Once I have the main lines drawn on the fabric then I will draw the leaf feathers.    I can see a difference in my leaf feathers from a year ago, that is why I will redraw them.......  I haven't decided on background fill yet,  will decide once it is on the machine and quilted.      I think I will use this for a table cloth for my granddaughters wedding shower  along with the beautiful crochet table cloth  that Joyce gave me.
This would make for a beautiful combination.....   right Joyce!!

My Classes

First class was on Wednesday with Kim Stotsenberg and a new friend that I met for the first time at the show....Joyce.   Joyce is the gal that sent me the beautiful linens and brought me a beautiful crochet table cloth.   Kim showed how to fill in triangles, borders and blocks with her feathers.   I won her  "Just Leaf It" book.    Kim's blog    http://sewnsewquilting.blogspot.com/

                                 

Next was DeLoa's class  filling in the stencil.   Very interesting class!!    DeLoa's son getting her ready for the class.

Then Judy Woodworth painting  class.   Judy husband Will showing how to paint on the whole cloth....

 Of corse I had to drop my brush smack on to the cloth..... can't remove the paint either....Oh willlllll...

More Photos MQS ENJOY

This quilt was so Beautiful