Thursday, February 23, 2012

I Couldn't Help Myself

My nephew and his wife are having their second baby and I found this super cute panel for a baby quilt.  It was super easy to make.  All I did was serge the panel and backing together, turn it inside out and top stitch around it.


I just love all these little forest animals.  Soooo cute!  And the flannel is soooo soft.



And there was a separate panel to make these soft toys.  Here's an owl, a bird, a leaf, mushroom and acorn.


Oh, there was also a hedgehog but I think I'll make that for myself to keep me company in my sewing room ;-)

I also made this infant seat cover.  It ties onto the handle of an infant seat to shade the baby from the sun or give the sleeping baby a little bit of privacy while he sleeps.


By the way, I took this picture at Target (since I don't have an infant seat just laying around) and wanted to make sure the size was just right.  

Oh, and I can't wait to meet the baby this Sunday.






Thursday, February 16, 2012

Hearts a Flutter

I spent part of Valentine's Day having lots of fun at my friend Candace's quilting this lovely little lap quilt for a friend.


Or should I say, Candace did all the quilting on her Handiquilter and I watched her do all the work. :-)
Drats!  I should have taken a few photos while this quilt was on the frame but I was too engrossed with watching that I forgot.


This lap quilt (measuring 48 by 54) was loaded on the frame and quilted in less than 2 hours.  Wow!  That was super quick.


And there is a story behind this quilt but it is going to be a surprise so I won't divulge too much for now.  But, the binding is done and it has also been laundered.  So now, I'm off to find a box, pink tissues, pink wrapper and a pink bow to wrap it in.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Hooray for Top Chef Season 9


Paul Qui

Top Chef (on Bravo) is one of my FAVORITE TV shows and I am thrilled that Chef Paul Qui made it to the final four.

My money is on Paul to win the title of Top Chef Season 9 and since he was born in the Philippines, I thought I would post a recipe of one of the most famous Filipino dishes- Chicken Adobo.

Happiness is a plate of steamed rice blanketed by tangy Adobo sauce.  It's one of my favorite comfort foods.  Filipino adobo is very flavorful, easy to make and keeps well.  In fact, adobo is best consumed the day after cooking when all the flavors have had a chance to meld.  The best adobo is gooey, garlicky, pungent and finger licking good!




Here's my recipe.  Nothing special or magical about my recipe except for the fact that I make it. :-)  Let me know if you try this and how yours turns out.

1 1/2 pounds pork or chicken or a combination of both (I like to use pork shoulder and chicken thighs and leg)
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp salt (I use coarse sea salt)
1 head of garlic (peeled and smashed)
1 pc bay leaf
1 tsp peppercorns
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup water

Combine all ingredients in a pot and let stand for at least 30 minutes.

Simmer on low fire covered for 1 hour or until meat is tender.  During this time, there is no need to stir your meat or the sauce.  In fact, the way it is traditionally prepared, vinegar is not stirred or disturbed until it is cooked and no longer smells sharp.

It the sauce is too thick, you may add 1/2 cup of water at a time.  You want to make sure you have enough sauce for your rice.

Enjoy!


Saturday, February 4, 2012

Birds on a Wire




This very colorful quilt was a kit purchased and given to me by Lynn for my birthday in 2010.  We were attending Verna Mosquera’s retreat in Alamo, CA and The Wooden Gate hosted an open house for the attendees.  They had a sample in the store and I love that this quilt is simple, fun and whimsical.  I finally finished quilting it last week.

The pattern is from a book called Little Birds, which has very cute and simple projects.  The shapes are all fused down and machine appliquéd and I did very simple quilting on it.  The binding and backing are from Joann.  The stripes were already on the diagonal so I didn’t have to cut the strips on a 45 degree angle.