A Short Video of some Motifs/Techniques Learned in the Free Courses!
Okay, the heading should give you fair warning!I'm a bit aggravated this morning. Not overly so...just, tired of working...at something that I think is the companies job...not the customers.I'm talking about my cable company. You know, television was free when I was small...you had an antenna...and you did not pay to watch all of the channels (yes, there were only about three back then). The advertising commercials that the customer was "forced" to endure watching...paid for whatever costs were associated with the television programming. Then, someone (and they should be shot) came up with the wonderful idea of having "special programs"...that no one else had...if you just subscribed to their service. So now, to get even the most basic of programs...everyone has to have a "service"...isn't progress wonderful. Now, my subscribed service... happens to be cable television...but the "dishes and such" are just as bad. Anyway...that's still not what got me aggravated.Yesterday I went to pay for this wonderful service...as I do every month. And, for those of you that are curious...my bill was $111 for the month...which included about $50 for internet service too. So, about $60 for watching television...and I do not get all those movie channels or things...just the most basic of things that includes the local news.Okay, that's another thing...to get my local news/weather...I have to have a special package...the "extended" basic...not just basic service which is the cheapest way to go. So, what the heck is logical about Local Channels not being included in BASIC service? Anyway...that's still not what got me aggravated...Yesterday, I upgraded (yeah I'm stupid) to get two DVR-R boxes...these are the type that let you "record" programs so can watch what you might have missed otherwise. Ha! there isn't anything much worth watching on television in the first place...if you are not into the "reality" scene...so what is there to record? My problem is just that...there is nothing to watch...so what few programs that I do consider good television...(I'm a NCIS junkie)...are not on all the time. So, I'm going to record those...and watch them over and over...instead of the reality junk that is being passed as television.I'm sure that Kim K. will not loose any money because I don't care to watch her...but, still...I'm not. Anyway...that's still not what got me aggravated...Yesterday, when I upgraded...I was handed two beautiful shinny new boxes...for ME to connect. That's bad enough...but, hey...I'm not stupid...and can figure out how to plug in a cord.But...when I sat down last night...after the dear-grandDaughter went home and it was quiet enough for me to think...I determined that the lovely lady at the counter...failed to give me any power cords for these boxes.Huh! Don't you think they need to be plugged in? I searched for a slot for batteries...but nope...I was right...they ar supposed to run off electricity. So, another trip to Charter Communications this morning to obtain the two cords was needed.Then, five hours later...I have successfully installed two DVR-R boxes, and relocated my extended basic box. I have placed three calls to the technical support folks to "activate" same boxes with each connection. I have had to go online to download the instruction manual for one of the mufti-functional changers (for the old extended box) because I have no idea where the original "programming" instructions were and could not get it to recognize the "new" television to save me! I strongly believe that customers that perform their own "installation" should not merely..."save" money by not having a company technician do a house call...(one that should be part of "customer service" in my book)...but should get some type of rebate on top of that! Customer service? What is that?Certainly my definition is not the same as most companies I deal with today.If the lady/gent at the counter smiles as you...and doesn't bite your head off when you ask a question...that's supposed to be good customer service? Boy, I'm feeling awful old today.....and behind the times. Thanks for listening to my rant...I feel better!Time to work out my frustration on some piece of cloth...but, think I'll leave that rotary cutter along for just a while longer...just to be safe.Hugs! ("Walking off and chanting..."that which does not kill you will make you stronger, that which does not kil......" )
I've had a really relaxing day, totally peaceful...no visitors or phone calls. Hours spent with my embroidery hoop and threads. Just lovely! I'm working on the 3rd class in my Rose & Lilac Collection, but remembered that I have not yet shared my 2nd class with you. So sorry to have forgotten.
This class is for a work basket. It can be large or small...really, any cyllinder shape would work. The instructions give loads of options and can be created in any heighth or width.
The basket is fully lined and could have a gathered top or a detached flat top...or, no top at all.Wish I had a medium sized one when my son was small...it would have been perfect to put some "quiet" toys into for Sunday services. When he was small...clothes were all that were sewn...as I did not yet quilt or embroider.Now, when I create things like this...they go to Aidan for her room. She loves to put special writing and drawing books tucked inside for short trips just down stairs. If there was a quilt guild here in my town...she's have less organizational things..because I would need them for myself. Hugs! The basket has a removable liner, and the cloth basket part can be washed. So, it's perfect for little fingers to dig around in...even though it was designed as a tribute to the Victorian ladies' work baskets, for holding sewing items.
Here's my June block. I decided that it would be a good canvas to add my beetle to from Arlene's class on stumpwork beetles. I also added a baby beetle to keep the larger one company. A mom and baby...Loved learning about Arlene's process and will be doing more of these for sure!
To Preserve (or Can) Tomatoes...
You need...sterile hot canning jarstight fitting lidsboiling hot super ripe tomatoessaltpatience If you have always wanted to say that you "can" and have never tried....tomatoes are about the easiest produce to learn on. So, I thought I'd cover how to approach this...my way. First off...remember that you are dealing with food...so keep everything extra clean as you work. I like to start off by cleaning my sinks...really well. (Now, after I have dumped tomatoes in them and made a mess...I do wonder why I bother...but, at least I know that they were clean BEFORE I began!) By the way...I have a tiny galley style kitchen in this little garage apartment...
My total counter space includes the right side of my sink, before you get to the stove...
and a sliver of space on the left side before you get to the refrigerator. So, I have to be organized. But, that just shows that you don't need tons of space to can tomatoes...
I do have a double sink...which comes in handy.
...and a dish washer under the counter. I begin by putting my jars into the dishwasher, and make sure that is set for Heated Drying Cycle. This will get them clean and hot...but not sterile.
For that, I submerge them into boiling water for about 3 minutes. Because I don't have a lot of space, this is done in my largest soup stock pot...and I handle 2-3 quart size jars at a time.
Boiling water keeps the jars super hot until I need them...and I boil my jar lids in a small pan at the same time (see behind the big pot).
Next, I wash the tomatoes...and place them into a large dish pan. Using a bread knife (cause that works best for me) I score each tomato. The "slit" does not have to be very deep..it is just to encourage the peelings to come off. To make that happen easily...the tomatoes will be submerged into boiling hot water for about 3 minutes.
Here is the largest pot I have...a huge pressure caner bottom. It is a great pot! Really thick...and holds about 3 gallons at least. Right now, it holding water...that just is taking forever to get hot! But, it will...in a few minutes. Then, I'll dip about a dozen tomatoes into it and let them get really hot...that takes around 3-5 minutes...so the skin will start to wrinkle and want to slide off.
See...here is the first one out of that hot water. The little "slit" that was made by scoring the tomato has caused the skin to start to curl up. Now, it goes into the sink...which I have filled about half full with cold water. Handling HOT tomatoes with your bare hands...is no fun! So, dunkning them into the cold water in the sink makes them manageable...and helps to get the skins to start loosing up even more.
Next, cut the cor out of each tomato. If you want to can whole tomatoes...and cut out any blemishes or bad spots the tomato might have. If you are canning whole tomatoes...that's all the cutting you do. But, for stewed tomatoes or chunky tomatoes...at least cut the tomatoes into four parts. You can see from the photo above that I've already done 3-4 tomatoes at this point. Next, just keep scoring, hot bath, cold bath, coring, peeling until all of the tomatoes are now finished and ready to be cooked.At this point...your sink is a real mess! All of the discarded tomato cores and peels are still in there.
So, take the time to dip these out into a plastic bag to be discarded. Actually, I had to do this about three times...emptying and re-filling my sink each time. Then, I squeezed out as much liquid from the plastic bag, down the drain, and put this bag...into a triple bag so it didn't run all over my garbage pail. Tomato parts are juicy!
Now that the messy part is over...I'm left with a huge dishpan full of tomatoes. They are all clean, and skinned, and cored! These are ready to go into the cooker. I have poured out the water from my big canning pot... washed it, dryed it...and it is ready to have the tomatoes put into it for cooking. Well, almost...At my house, we have an extra step...the blender.
Aidan does not like "chunky" tomatoes in her soups, stews, etc...so, I run the tomatoes through the blender...and can juice instead of stewed or large chunks of tomatoes. But, that step is optional in this process...you don't have to "pulverize" the tomatoes.
Now, there is a huge pot of tomatoes on the stove. They have to be super hot to go into the jars...so, put them on medium high heat and stir occasionally.
In a few minutes, they will begin to boil...cook them for about 3-4 minutes at least to ensure that they are super hot! After they start to boil...it's time to get a couple of jars ready to fill. Take them out of your hot water bath...being careful to pour the excess hot water completely out of them. I use a pair of metal tongs to lift the jars and pour the water from them as I'm lifting them from the pan. Then, I set them into my metal dish pan...about 2-3 at a time, open and ready to pour the hot tomatoes into them. I use a soup ladle...but a cup would also work to get the tomatoes from the canning pot into the jars. I like the ladle because the handle is long. You can use a large mouth funnel to help you get them the tomatoes into the jar...without making a mess. I didn't get a photo of this "filling"...sorry, was busy...but, you want to fill the jar almost all the way up.
Then, and this is IMPORTANT...wipe the top of the jar with a paper towel or clean dish towel. This is so that you remove any drops of water or tomato juice from the very top of mouth of the jar...so that when the jar lid is placed on the jar...there is NOTHING that prevents that lid from sealing to the jar. BUT, before you put the jar lid down...add 1 teaspoon of salt to the jar (for quart jar size). The salt will increase the acidity of the tomatoes...to help them preserve...AND will enhance the taste. (IF you are on a low-sodium diet...I suggest you freeze your tomatoes...cause they will not store correctly without a little salt...unless they are super acid types (perhaps)). I keep my salt in a bowl with my measuring spoon...and my paper towel handy...close by my dried off lids...so that I don't forget this step! The lids are removed from their hot water bath...only as I need them...and wiped dry. Put the hot dry jar lid on the jar of tomatoes...after you have salted them and wiped the jar top dry. Then place the jar ring on to hold the lid in place. There is no need to super tighten the ring at this point...just twist it on until it resists.
Use a thick towel or pot holder to grasp the filled jar and place it on the counter with the other filled jars. They should be about an inch of space between the jars while they cool...and cover all of them with a thick towel. This will keep them from cooling too quickly, and from getting "drafts" of cool air which could cause the jars to burst.
Later, after the jars have completely cooled off...tighten the jar rings and store them in your pantry. They will keep for about two years (IMHO). I use my canned tomatoes in vegetable soup and chili most often. Note: properly sealed jars will have a slide "depressed" center to the jar lid. If after the jars have cooled, you can push the center of the lid down...that jar has not sealed properly...and you need to use those tomatoes immediately.
I had just enough juice left to place a glass full into the fridge to get good and cold.Hugs!Try canning tomatoes...it's messy...but easy...and rewarding!.
Wow, can hardly believe that I have caught up on this Block of the Month challenge. Here's the block for July!
Got my funky chicken block done this evening. Was supposed to can tomatoes...but we got a huge wind and rain storm (thunder is still rolling in the sky)...so I was afraid that the electricity might go off and did not want to be in the middle all those tomatoes when that happened. With an electric stove...that would have been a real shame to lose all those tomatoes. Okay, that's my story...and I'm sticking to it! And, a nap in the middle of a storm was just a really good idea that I didn't want to miss out on! Tomatoes will be on the agenda for tomorrow...seriously, they will!
Wasn't sure what I'd get when I put up my plum jelly/jam/syrup...but, it's jelly! Woot! woot! Don't you just love it when things go as they should! Wishing you all were here for this breakfast...although I sure do look a mess!Hugs!
Here is how my first stumpwork beetle has turned out. I'm pretty darn happy with it. The process is really quite easy to follow (thanks to Arlene's great instructions)...and I'm already working on a smaller version.
This white one is resting on my June crazy quilt block for CQJP 2012...which will be completed shortly I hope!
Woot! Woot! Got June block done before the clock struck midnight! And, now tomorrow I'm on to July!
I never really know the answer to this question when I try to make fruit jelly. Sometimes, it turns out just great...and other times not. So, tomorrow, we'll see what I get.For now, the plums that were picked off the fruit trees and put into the freezer this past month...can now be used on toast...or pancakes....depending on how they turn out.
Finally, got the block done for May for the HGTV Block of the Month. Actually, (embarrassingly) this is the second time I pieced the block. The first was cut wrong and did not go together at all. This one is better, but not perfect...and will become a pillow. Nine of the twelve blocks will go into a bed quilt, and three will be pillows. So, this will become the first of those pillows. Now, if I can get the June block finished today, I'll be caught up!
I started with Arlene's Beetle Class this past week, and decided to try my hand with a white beetle for my CQJP blocks. The wings were supported by wire between two layers of organza. This was not the way my instructions has suggested...but one layer was too thin to stitch through, so I added a second layer which made me working with an organza sandwich! Leave it to me to make everything "different"...but, I liked the idea once I got to stitching. The wraps for the wire were tedious...again because of "my adjustments" as I decided to use regular sewing thread in white to do this with. Do you know how many "wraps" it takes to cover these beetle wings wire? A LOT!But, I still think the effort was worth it. I finished by covering all the organza with beads, on the back side I glued a thin layer of Angelina Fiber so I would not see all the threads from my bead work.Next week we create the beetle body...so there will be more to this after that lesson.I recommend Arlene's class...the instructions are detailed and not difficult to understand...and she allows you the flexibility to adjust and apply your own Artistic Style...which I love!So, watch for her classes over at www.joggles.com if you are interested in stumpwork of this type. It's hard to photograph white on white....but, these babies really sparkle in real life!
