Quarantine Series #10, Minty Christmas Quilt

 

Minty Christmas Quilt

 

Back in 2010, I had just had my first baby and was confident that I could return to work, care for a newborn and continue my quilting interests. Ha Ha! I was introduced to a Connecting Threads catalog and while thumbing through to get pattern ideas, I discovered this amazing fabric line for Christmas that was not traditional colors. 

 

 

I was in love! I ordered a yard cut in 7 different fabrics. I had a pattern picked out and was ready to go. Once the fabric arrived, I was in the thick of teaching and balancing work with a newborn. The fabric was placed in a bin and lost in the back of the closet for so many years. 

 

 

Every time I saw the fabric in the bin, I remembered what I wanted to do with it and wished I could get back to it. But time passed, and I lost the original plan I had and I wasn’t sure what to do with it.

 

 

As we now get closer to Christmas, I decided I wanted to try and catch up on some of the holiday projects I have wanted to do. This was definitely on the list. I found another pattern in an old Connecting Threads catalog that I’d liked, and discovered the fabrics I had would work perfectly for the balance and style of the pattern.

 

 

I came up with a few measurements and got to work. The piece work actually came together pretty quickly, and the colors help it look weaved together and wintery.

 

 

I needed a backing to complete the project, and while at a local quilt shop, I browsed the clearance fabric and discovered this great teal fabric that compliments the front wonderfully. Best part, it was only $5/yard and cost $15 total! Love that!

 

 

 

I used some of the leftover candy fabric for the binding, and added my label. I still had a bit of leftover fabric and used it to create a table runner. I love table runners. I still need to add some final touches to that and hope to get that posted soon. Until then, I am going to enjoy my first Christmas quilt in forever!

Quarantine Series UFO #9, Thangles Sunset Quilt

 

So, so long ago…

 

Back when I was a new mom and looking at quilt projects that “might be fun”…

 

 

Actually, this story goes back even more than that. Many years ago, there was a block of the month class I attended that used thangles to make the blocks. It was a lot of fun and I made 2 of my most favorite quilts ever; the 30’s Thangles Quilts.

 

The next year, I did the block of the month thangles again and created this awesome batik quilt for my sister and a civil war quilt (that, unfortunately, is still unfinished because I made it king size and I haven’t been able to pony up the money to have it quilted).

 

I really enjoyed the thangles approach to triangles and decided to try one on my own. I found this neat fabric line on Connecting Threads called Cheap Talk and I really liked the colors and the color-on-color pattern.

 

 

I got work with the fabric and a white to offset and started making thangles. So many thangles; more thangles, and more thangles, and then a few more thangles. I was getting exhausted! It was time to lay some things out and see what I was working towards. It looked good, but the number of thangles I still needed to make was overwhelming. This project got tabled while I attended to a newborn.

 

 

I pulled this out again when baby #2 arrived in hopes of finding some new perspective. I started adding some larger triangles with the smaller ones to add some interest and movement through the quilt. Unfortunately, baby #2 was more demanding and everything got tabled again.

 

It took a quarantine to make me finish this project, but I am so glad I did!! I finally finished the largest triangles and a few of the medium triangles and got everything assembled. I thought for sure I’d finish this with disdain and a solid desire to never look at it again… and then It was done and I was in love!

 

 

 I was afraid I was going to have to table it again until I found some backing, but I made an appointment at my local quilt shop, Cactus Quilts, and they had this a-m-a-z-i-n-g honeycomb-pattern fabric in the clearance room in the colors that matched the quilt perfectly! I bought it ALL and I added a strip of a green fabric I had to make it big enough (I have a sister quilt to this one that has the rest of the honeycomb fabric ; details to come). 

 

 

I finished the quilt with a simple meander and reached the binding step. I did not have a fabric plan for this, so I started looking through my stash. I found this cute brown fabric that looked like sticks from a birds nest. It seemed fitting for the birds in “cheap talk” to need a little nesting material so I went for it. I really like how it framed the quilt. 

 

 

This was an amazing finish! I am so glad I finally got this done, and I admit, I don’t think I will be working with thangles for a while. They are awesome tools to make triangles from strips, and I’m really glad I discovered them. I just think I need a break. Maybe a nice strip quilt to change course a bit.

The Most Versatile Chow Mein Ever!

 

Growing up, I was never a huge fan of chow mein. I didn’t care for the noodles, and preferred fried rice with its egg and veggies and bolder flavor. I didn’t realize chow mein was one of those dishes that can be made into whatever you want it to be. 

 

 

Over time, I have become more and more adventurous with my foods. While I realize chow mein is not typically an “adventurous” food, it was for me. I discovered how many different things you can do with it! You can use chicken, pork, beef, or scrambled eggs. You can use ground meat, chunked meat or shredded meat (although I prefer shredded if I have it).

 

One of the big hang-ups for me was some of the ingredients that are not my typical pantry items. When I looked more into it, I discovered some alternatives that didn’t cause my family to turn their noses up as quickly and at least give it a try. And then… they liked it! They started requesting it! Music to this mom’s ears.

 

 

Even better, this meal is quick to make, minimal dishes are messed up, and it’s a bit lighter so it won’t sit in your stomach all night. In these Covid lockdown days, we need some lighter meals in our meal plan for the week.

 

This is definitely a recipe to try… and experiment with. Try chicken one day and pork another. Use different noodles, like spaghetti, linguini, chow mein (I’ve tried all these and they are all fabulous!). Try making extra for some lunch meals to enjoy later. It’s so fast and easy, it will make it totally worth it.

 

Chow Mein Made Your Way

 

8 oz chow mein noodles (or spaghetti, linguini, etc)

2 Tbs canola oil, divided

1 lb cooked chicken, shredded or chunks (or pork, beef, etc)

Pinch of salt

½ c yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 c broccoli florets

1 c baby carrots, or thinly sliced carrots

½ c red pepper, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

 

Sauce:

1 ½ Tbs hoisin sauce

1 Tbs lite soy sauce

1 tsp canola oil

¼ tsp white pepper

 

 

Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Set aside. Also, mix together the ingredients for the sauce and set aside. Meanwhile, in a wok or skillet, heat the oil to medium-high and brown the onion. Add the carrots and broccoli to soften, a few minutes. Once softened, add the peppers and cook for a couple minutes. Finally, add the garlic and allow to cook for just a minute more. Add the meat and noodles and mix together. Finally, add the sauce and mix thoroughly. Adjust any seasoning as needed, and serve.

 

Side note; add or omit any vegetables you like or don’t like. For examples, a traditional chow mein will have shredded cabbage but my family is not a huge fan so I don’t use it often. When it’s in season though, I will. Also, I have used the broccoli slaw mix in place of the onions, cabbage, and carrots and that has been well-received. It’s what I love about this recipe! It is sooooo very flexible and versatile! Have fun with it!

 

This recipe was adapted from healthy nibbles