Fruitcake season!

Hello, everyone.  It is, indeed, fruitcake season. Or it would be, except the stores have no candied peel for sale. Sigh. I have a lemon tree and an orange tree. 

Peels cleaned and sliced for candying

After candying. These are lemon peels. Tomorrow I will candy orange peels. 

The $64 question is: can I make an edible fruitcake patch without any candied citron?

We found the candied cherries and pineapple in the grocery store. Unfortunately there were absolutely no candied peel packages. Thus the preparation of candied lemon peel, and soon, candied orange peel. I don't have a tree that produces citron. I have decided to do my best with what is on hand.

It's a sad thing when you think you maybe need to set an arrival alert with HEB grocery so you can make the traditional Christmas goodies. Really.

The curved-ruler pieced tree is decorated

Hello,  everyone.  It's been busy around the home place, but we're in a calm spot for a few days, so there's time to make a post.

Last year I made a wall hanging Christmas tree. It wasn't decorated--no time, and no plan! This year, a plan grew for decorations for the little tree. First rule of the decorations was that they have to be light weight. The gorgeous rhinestone brooches would make the tree too heavy to be held up by tape on a door. Fortunately, there were a lot of little Free Standing Lace mylar light bulbs left over from the Kimberbell Christmas quilt project a few years ago. I also have a cute little Starlight Mint coaster/ornament pattern from Designs By JuJu. They're about 4" and the free standing applique is very light weight. A couple of FSL ornaments turned up in the Christmas boxes, too.

Now it really looks like a Christmas tree.

Homesick for the Camino

Hello,  everyone.  This is the time of year that makes me think fondly of life on the Camino. We miss so much about it, even though the thing that makes it so special is that we have to leave our daily life behind. And when we return, we're happy to take up our activities,  like crafting, quilting,  beading, and sewing. We're also happy to cook, which is not a  thing that we can do while walking the pilgrimage. 

One way we try to get a little reminder of Camino life is by having tapas for dinner.

The figs and dragonfruit are from our garden. The pretzel nuggets looked interesting to try in the store.  The anchovy stuffed olives are available at Phoenicia, an import grocery store in Houston, Texas, which a relative visited recently. (Thanks, gang!)

Fall gardening season is here

Hello,  everyone. It's fall, and the heat of summer is starting to moderate. The warm weather garden plants, after struggling earlier, are in their prime.

These five beauties are not the first, but there are enough to make a nice picture.

I like to cut them in 1/4" slices, salt them and drain them for a while, then saute them gently until there are little golden-brown speckles on both sides. Wonderful flavor! 

Working out a new skill

Hello, everyone. As y'all might remember,  DH was really interested in a modern art painting at the Museo Thyssen-Bournemisza (spelling guessed from memory here) that was essentially a "color play" painted and modified version of a log cabin style quilt block. I think it was by Mondrian, and the general effect was a square spiral in a collection of similar-mood colors. He asked me to make a quilt like that.

the first try at getting the idea together.

There are about 22 squares that have the accent strip going diagonally down the middle, with each half a different color.

Today the trial divided square: 

and the size, without trimming

Pretty much right on!

Whoopee!

One more pair of the Hemingway pouches

Hello, everyone.  The slant-zipper pouches are so much fun--when the zipper cooperates!--that I made another pair. I used most of a fat quarter of ocean-themed fabric for the face and part of a blue, speckled one for the lining. Zippers were from stash, this particular pattern only uses one half of the zipper for a bag, leaving the other half in inventory to be combined with a zipper pull on another one. As witness, the larger of these pouches has a "pickup " pull and the maroon zipper tape that was also on a different pouch.

Now that there are three sets in the house, they will need to find a purpose to fulfill. The smaller ones are just the right size for coin purses. Phones would fit in some of the larger ones. 

Wow, it's been a while (edited for spelling corrections)

Hello, everyone.  Things got so busy for a while that I forgot to post. I will try to catch up now. 

After the San Antonio visit, we had a little road trip to see relatives. After that, I had a trip to see other relatives. While there, I happened to see some wildlife in the town. 

These deer were right next to a fairly busy road. 

On returning home, there was sewing. 

I finished the sewing club project to make a hanger pocket.

Converted an old sweatshirt into a cat bed, for when we get a kitty visitor.

Made a strap pad for use with the embroidery machine tote.

Made some puff breads with verdolaga filling. They were okay, but I don't think I'll do that recipe again.

Finally decided on a design for the striped canvas. 

Here, the finished canvas bag and three of the "Hemingway" slant-zipper bags. The one on the right was made from the off-cut of the one on the left.

And then applied the same re-use idea to the off-cut of the patchwork one above. These little zipper pouches are a lot of fun to make!