Category: Turkey Tracks: My Life in Maine

Our Life in Maine, My Craft Projects, Quilting, Recipes, Book and Media Reviews

Turkey Tracks: “Sweet Dreams” Quilt

Turkey Tracks:  April 27, 2018

“Sweet Dreams” Quilt

Today is my youngest grandchild’s third birthday.  “Sweet Dreams” went into the mail to her and has been received.

The blocks are Tula Pink’s 100 Modern Quilt blocks, from her book of the same name.  This quilt was a challenge made to Coastal Quilters (Maine).  We did eight blocks a month until we were done.  Many of us have completed the project and some are almost done.  All of the quilts are gorgeous!

I used the “city scape” setting suggested by Tula Pink and put the lighter blocks on the top of the skyscrapers, per a suggestion by CQ President Sharon Flanagan.

And the blocks, grey sashing, backing, and binding are all Cotton+Steel fabrics.

I really love how my quilting came out.

Look at this fabulous backing fabric.  Could it be more perfect?  No.

Here are some of the blocks.

I love this quilt.  I didn’t really expect to love it as much as I do.  It’s one that caught me by surprise.  I’m really pleased with it.

Turkey Tracks: April 2018 on the Homefront

Turkey Tracks:  April 27, 2018

April 2018 on the Homefront

The snow is almost gone from the Snowball slopes–where we have local skiing.  I stopped to take this picture because I love it when wispy clouds cover the top of the mountain, allowing glimpses here and there as they swirl and drift.  My world is greening up now, especially after two days of much needed rain.

I planted pansies this week.  Usually these barrels get planted much later in the spring, but they had to be moved from their winter spot due to the garage drainage project.  I love pansies, so having them planted where I see them every day is a real treat.  I’ll plant them every spring now.

The droopy plant below has recovered after two days of rain.

Dinner the other night was some scallops I found frozen at the Belfast Coop the other day.  The scallop season up here is very short and starts in December.  It’s amazing to think they are mostly collected by DIVERS who brave the cold Maine bay waters that time of year.  I made sweet potato fries to go with and sautéed some baby boy chow–a favorite vegetable of mine.  I just flash cook scallops in a good fat, or a mixture of good fats, so that they caramelize.  They are amazing with sweet potatoes.

This sweet potato is one of the white Japanese ones.  Peel, cut into fry sizes, put into an oven pan lined with parchment paper (please, please, please DO NOT use aluminum foil for any cooking), add dried herbs, minced garlic and ginger (you don’t have to peel the ginger, just chop it fine), drizzle with olive oil and toss everything around.  I used the convection oven feature to cook these at about 350 degrees.  Otherwise, use a slightly higher heat and check that you are not burning the bottom of the pieces.  Turn them over if they are getting brown.  I don’t know.  It takes about 30 minutes, depending on heat temps.  This sweet potato variety is dead sweet.

Turkey Tracks: Amelia Poole: Couture Textile Studio

Turkey Tracks:  April 29, 2018

Amelia Poole:  Ecoture Textile Studio

Fiber artist Amelia Poole came to Coastal Quilters last Saturday.

My what a nice program she gave us.

Amelia works with indigo dye processes AND with dyeing natural fabrics with local flora and fauna.  Amelia made her dress fabric—see below—using this latter process—which does involve treating natural fabrics with heated chemical solutions before attempting to get images from local leaves, ferns, seed pods, and the like.

She treated us to a history of humans using dyes they have made from the indigo plant—which is a complicated process, actually.  Did you know that this human endeavor can be traced back over thousands of years.  She showed us a slide of a 6,000 year old fabric that still held indigo dyes in the fibers.  The indigo plant itself (there are several varieties across the world) just looks…green.  Who knew it would dye things blue??

Every now and then I am so overwhelmed by something I’m observing that I forget to take pictures.  This paralysis happened with Amelia’s indigo dyed samples, which are fascinating and beautiful.  But you can see pictures on her web site:  http://ecouturetextilestudio.com.

 

The Coastal Quilters blog also has a lovely write-up—done by the talented Paula Blanchard—on Amelia’s work:

Coastalquiltersmaine1@wordpress.com.

And here are some pictures I did take of some of her dyed fabrics using local plants.

Amelia sells beautiful silk scarves if you are looking for something really special as a gift.  And she, of course, has indigo pieces to sell.

Turkey Tracks: Drainage Project

Turkey Tracks:  April 19, 2018

Drainage Project

I had a major drainage project going on all last week.

My garage sits below a rather steep hill that discards both surface and underground water–much of which goes right into the garage.  Or goes under the garage foundation.

There have been times when I’ve had 6 to 8 inches of water inside that garage–which happens when the ground is frozen and we get rain rather than snow.  This year we had bitter cold early on, and all this moisture froze and settled on the inside roof of the garage.  At first I thought my new roof was leaking, but Horch Roofing came out and got me going in the right direction toward fixing the problem.  They installed a ridge vent which will work to let any moisture out of the garage.  It is not a building that will ever be heated I don’t think.

Evergreen Home Performance very kindly came out and helped me figure out what else to do and who might do that work.  In the back of my mind was Stephen Pennoyer, who is now in Florida, telling me that I really should put in French drains around the garage.  Evergreen thought so as well.  The question was what kind of French drains.  Also, the garage faces north, so the front drive holds snow for a long time.

After getting some consults and bids, I settled on Tom Jackson, who has always “done right” by me.  He has solved several major property problems for me over the years.

Tom thought French drains in key places, yes, but also more work on the ditch on the other side of the driveway, which was not functioning properly.

The ditches around the garage are over three feet deep and are now, filled with pipes and gravel.

The “kabota” lived up here this week:

Doesn’t it look nice.  There was NO WATER in this garage after a really heavy rain a few days ago.

The far side of the garage does not have ditches, but has been shored up as it was eroding and the back corner foundation was out of the earth.  Tom added a gravel drip line to help prevent erosion.  What you see piled up are the boardwalk sections, which the men very kindly took up and stacked for the summer.

The drainage ditch on the other side of the drive has been dug out again and filled with gravel.  In the process, Tom discovered a pipe way to the left of where the well overflow is that was pouring water down the drive.  That pipe has been redirected into the ditch.

I think this work will solve this thorny drainage problem that has plagued us for years and years.  No more worries about the garage rotting out now.  No more sheets of ice on the driveway.  It’s all good!

Turkey Tracks: Here Come The Flowers!

Turkey Tracks:  April 19, 2018

Here Come The Flowers!

The Maine spring drifts in slowly, slowly, but suddenly we have what I now think of as “the great green.”

One of the first things to appear are the cheerful bulb offerings at local stores.

Here’s the front of Fresh Off the Farm, located between Camden and Rockland.

 

 

Turkey Tracks: The Maine Modern Quilt Guild Show

Turkey Tracks:  April 8, 2018

The Maine Modern Quilt Guild Show

Two carloads of our local quilters drove over to New Gloucester, Maine, Saturday, to view The Maine Modern Quilt Guild show.  To the best of my knowledge, this guild and our Mt Battie Modern Quilt Guild are the only modern quilt guilds in the state.

We all had such a good time.  The show was wonderful, and we went home with all kinds of new inspiration bubbling in our heads.  My apologies up front to all quilters whose quilts do not show up here.  I could have taken a picture of every quilt there for sure.  Each quilt was draped over a church pew and had one corner turned so viewers could see the backing fabrics.  And I should have taken a picture of all the church pews with their quilty occupants.

Our local quilt groups (Coastal Quilters and Mt. Battie Modern) challenged ourselves to make Tula Pink’s 100 modern quilt blocks last year.  We have all set our blocks differently, but none of us thought to surround blocks with internal sashing.   I particularly like the use of different sizes of the white sashing in this quilt.  Notice the lower left block.  I had a lot of trouble squaring up these blocks, and this solution would really have helped.  I missed the number on this quilt, but by process of elimination I think it is Sandy Johnson.

Sue Duval’s quilt–more internal sashing:

Jane Hann Morey’s quilt:

Solids, made stripes, funky in places–this form is showing up a lot these days, and I love it.  The go-to designer is Maria Shell, from Alaska, and she has a new book out:  IMPROV QUILTING, which teaches how to make your own stripes and shapes and then how to use them.

Ann-Marie Schechtman:

Ellie Fellers:

Ellie Fellers, I think:

Betsy Cannan:  from a pattern by Amy Garro.  Amy Friend’s work is also similar to this quilt.

Carmen Dickinson:  inspired by Jacquie Gering and Katie Pedersen

Clam shells:  Sharon Provost and Rose Oleksaiak (no. 12).  All three inspired by Latifah Saafir:

Carmen Dickinson, inspired by Elizabeth Hartman.  Look at the machine quilting by Betsy Cannan in this quilt.  Lovely.

Evelyn Landry:  inspired by Mary Thomas.  Love the modern colors in this quilt.  Each block uses solids and ONE patterned fabric.

Innovative courthouse block form here.  And I can’t read the name…  Sorry…

Ann-Marie Schechtman:  inspired by Stephanie Dicola:

This quilt was hanging in an adjoining room and had no attribution.

Demonstrations included foundation paper piecing and working with pearl cotton.  Isn’t this piece lovely?

And this one too.

Karen Martin bought this little zippered bag/pouch.  We loved the way the wedges were cut for the front.  Clever use of scraps.

Yes, we had a nice time.

 

Turkey Tracks: Camden Maine Lions and Leos Clubs Go Bowling

Turkey Tracks:  April 8, 2018

Camden Maine Lions and Leos Clubs Go Bowling

Last Thursday the Camden Lions and Leos met at the bowling alley at Point Lookout (Northport, Maine) to help raise money for the Big Brothers Big Sisters program in coastal Maine.

The bowling alley was filled with happy people having a really good time bowling.  And I am once again struck by how many really good people are living in my community.

Note:  do see the pics below of the Jerri Finch murals that are around the bowling alley walls at Point Lookout.

 

I went home plotting to return with grandchildren this summer and with a strong desire to try this sport again–after over 50 years.  Maybe next year I’ll join the Lions and Leos to actually bowl for this fundraiser.

Lions Nikki Bland and Karen Martin facilitate the Leos Program.  Here’s Lion Nikki signing us up at the front desk:

 

Leos bowling:

Lions Karen Martin and Jim Christie:

Lion Mike Castle:

The bowling alley walls at Point Lookout have a whole series of murals painted by local artist Jerri Finch that feature quilt blocks.  These murals are quite spectacular.

My pictures do not do these murals justice.  They are BIG, of course.  See Jerrifinch.com.

Turkey Tracks: I Am Officially In Love

Turkey Tracks:  April 8, 2018

I Am Officially In Love…

…with my little Brother serger.

Once cut out, knit garments sew up very quickly on the serger.

Look what I made Easter weekend—after a marathon pattern making and cutting out on Friday.

The knit skirt only has two seams, a waistband with elastic, and a hem.  I’m learning that different weights of knits can make a larger or smaller garment.  Thin makes larger; thick makes smaller.  I’ve just made a thicker black version of this skirt that came out beautifully. I went up a size for it, which worked perfectly.

All the tops are Cotton+Steel knits bought on sale 30% off from Pink Castle.  (PinkCastle.com)  These knits feel like butter on the skin.  They are so soft.

The big top, longer in back than in front, is flattering and easy. It works well with both skirts and tops.  I want to make it with the scooped neckline variation.  It’s Simplicity 8529.

Paper Cuts makes the Rise and Fall turtle necks.  Fall is meant to wear outside and has the larger turtleneck.  Rise is more fitted, longer, and meant to be tucked in.  Love both of these shirts.

I am having so much fun!

 

 

Turkey Tracks: Roasted Veggies

Turkey Tracks:  April 5, 2018

Roasted Veggies

I roast winter veggies frequently.  And when I do, I roast a lot so I have another meal.  Or, two.  (I have to be careful as leftovers grow histamine as they age.)

But aren’t these gorgeous?  I drizzle with some olive oil on top and on the bottom before I throw in the veggies.  One could toss the veggies around to more thoroughly coat them.  Sometimes I even do that.  I dress with salt and dried herbs.  I often add chopped fresh garlic.  Adding mint I dried last fall gives these veggies a subtle, but deep sweet flavor to the roasting.  One could also add something like curry powder or other Indian spices.

This time I tried beets (red and orange) in the mix.  I just washed them, cut off the ends, peeled them with a carrot peeler and cut them into bite-sized pieces.  They were so sweet and delicious!

Turkey Tracks: A New Stash Management Plan

Turkey Tracks:  April 5, 2018

A New Stash Management Plan

Tori Manzi asked if any of the Mt. Battie Modern quilters would like to pull some fabrics from their stash as she was going to send fabrics to a group of young quilters (teenagers, I think) in California whose quilts were on display at QuiltCon this year.  I pulled some, yes.  And I assume she’s mailed what we collected.

But that pulling for her started a hurricane of stash pulling.  There are just so many fabrics that I am not using.  They’re beautiful fabrics, but my tastes have radically changed.  I’m working with lighter, brighter fabrics these days.   And I’m a bit tired of guilting myself about not using…this:

 

I bundled what I pulled into color bundles.  And I am playing these bundles forward.  Two people who are just getting—or getting back—into quilting have raided these bundles.  And that makes me happy.  I’ll take some to Mt. Battie and will put some in the Coastal Quilters auction this fall—assuming there are any left at that point.  What will be, will be.

Cotton+Steel also makes me happy too.  Here are my March blocks for our Mt. Battie Modern “Long Time Gone” challenge.  Those little churn dash blocks will finish at 3 inches, and THEY ROCK!  They are fun to make and are so darn cute.

I’m not as fond of the crosses/star block.  But it is DONE.  On to the next.