Scrappy Pineapple Quilt

My drawer of solid scraps has been getting hard to close, and I recently came across a blog post about an easy method to make the traditional Pineapple quilt blocks...so I thought I'd give it a whirl and use up some of those scraps!

Pineapple blocks are fun! For some reason I thought they were complicated - they're not fast to make, but slow doesn't mean complicated. That seems obvious, but I'm dense like that sometimes.

I've made 12 of these so far, and it took me all week - it ends up being about an hour per block, but I think there's something peaceful about the Sew, Press, Trim routine. It's easy to get into a rhythm and next thing you know it's been three episodes of This American Life that you've sewn through!

I'm just sewing these willy-nilly without much thought or planning with color placement, and I'm using a variety of neutral background fabrics too, so it's all very scrappy.

I'm sure I'll get sick of these soon and will put them away for later, but for now I'm having fun watching my pineapples grow!

Friday Finish: Award Ceremony

This top was finished back in 2015, so it feels good to REALLY finish it!

This quilt was constructed differently - the background blocks were sewn together first, and then the ribbons were appliqued on top afterwords. It came together really quickly, but then stalled because at one point I wanted to embroider what my "awards" were for on each ribbon. I thought about things I'd accomplished or good qualities I'd exhibited as I worked on the quilt. I actually made a list - wanna see it?

As you can see, I'm pretty fabulous! But I also have some not so great traits like laziness and creativity without any follow-through, so all that embroidery work never happened.

I quilted this in a large stipple, and bound it in a teal print I had in my stash. The backing is a Westminster print I got at SR Harris, but I'm not sure who the designer is - Tina Givens maybe? I just liked how the teal and brown played with the rest of the front fabrics.

Recipe Time: Homemade Granola and Granola Bars

Breakfast is a struggle for me. I know eating something hearty and healthy is important, but I just don't feel like eating in the morning, and all the hearty healthy options are ones I don't enjoy (eggs being the main culprit). My compromise is to have something like a yogurt and granola bar in the mornings, both of which are generally full of lovely sugar - BAD!

In an attempt to make my compromised unhealthyish choices into slightly better ones, I've been experimenting with making my own yogurt and granola bars, both with yummy results. These granola bars are so delecious, they might as well be a dessert, which sort of ruins the intended purpose, but whatever - they're a few steps up from what you buy at the grocery store, and that was my goal.

First, you make granola - this recipe will make enough granola for about two batches of granola bars, or you can make one batch of bars and then use the leftover granola for other purposes...like snacking, as an ice cream or yogurt topper, or whatever.

Granola

• 5 c. old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/3 c. sesame seeds
• 1 c. sliced raw almonds
• 1/2. c. unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 t. salt
• 2 t. cinnamon
• 1/3 c. canola, safflower, or melted coconut oil
• 1/3 c. pure maple syrup
• 2 t. vanilla extract
• 2 t. almond extract

Preheat oven to 250. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In large bowl, mix dry ingrediants together. Add wet ingrediants and mix well so everything is coated and there are no hidden pockets of syrup or dry ingredients. Spread on prepared pan and bake for 90 minutes, stirring 1/2 way through. Let cool completely before storing in airtight container (mason jars work great). Store in fridge for up to three weeks, and in the freezer after that.

Granola Bars

• 1/2 c. nut butter (like peanut, almond - whatever you prefer)
• 1/2 c. brown rice syrup
• 1/2 c. honey
• 2 T. water
• 1 c. rice krispies
• 1/2 c. chocolate chips
• 2 1/2 c. granola
• 1/2 t. finishing salt

Preheat oven to 325. Line 9x9 baking pan with parchment paper. In a large saucepan, cook the wet ingrediants over med heat until they start to bubble, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the granola and rice krispies and everything is coated. Transfer to prepared pan and press firmly into an even layer. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over, and press firmly into the granola mixture. Sprinkle with salt. Bake just until edges darken, 15-20 minutes. Cool completely, remove from pan and cut into bars, whatever size you want (mine are about 2x3). Wrap in plastic wrap and store in the fridge.

Back in the Saddle Again

Well, my fun in the sun had to come to a sad end. I did tons of reading while I was there, in long glorious bingey stretches. Here's the damage:

In sewing news, I got my machine set up for free-motion quilting, and have been working on getting my Award Ceremony quilt from 2015 quilted. I'm doing it in a simple stipple, and it's just about done.

I also have a couple baby quilts for some of my mom's friends to finish up, and THEN I have some ideas for new projects to start. Yes, I feel excited to start sewing for realsies again.