Christmas Lights Quilt

 This top actually dates back to my covid lockdown series, not because it’s when I started it but because it is made of the scraps from a quilt made during that time.

 

 

Back in 2022 I made the Rainbow Cubic Quilt with this beautiful rainbow pack I’d gotten in a raffle.  I was also able to complete a table runner with some of the scraps… and yet I still had more. So what to do with those…

 

 

After sitting on the shelf for a while I finally decided something had to be done with them. Everything was sewn together, I just didn’t know what to do with them. It happened to be Christmas time and I thought they kind of remind me of Christmas lights. Inspiration hits.

 

 

I got to work creating the hexagons and then laid them out randomly so they’d be all spread out among the grey hexagons. I added the white to spread them out, but in hindsight I think I added a little too much white. 

 

 

I got all of the rows together and felt like it really didn’t need a border; it was already a pretty modern-style quilt. I needed a backing though, and found one on my annual trip to Rosies in San Diego. It was the oversized backing fabric, which meant less piecework to get it to the right size.

 

 

My goal with the quilting was to make sure everything had good texture on it, but I felt like there was no 

need for a particular pattern. So I went with a meander and kept it simple.

 

 

Once it was all done, I added my label and completed the binding with some of the backing fabric I still had left. All finished!

 

 

I took a step back and looked at my finished product and realized I accidentally switched the last row, so it’s not in step all of the other rows. Yikes! Oh well, I’ve heard the Amish believe nothing should be perfect so they purposely add flaws to the quilts. I’m sure that’s what this was. I purposeful mistake. It’s curious to see if others notice it.
 

Scrappy Pinwheel Quilt

What do you do with the scraps from a project? I always struggle with this when I use a technique that causes cut pieces that are already sewn together, making it a pre-sewn block. It’s like it’s meant to be in something. I just don’t always have the time or patience if the pieces get too small.

 

 

So, back in 2022 I made my Natural Beauty Garden LatticeQuilt. It turned out awesome, but had a lot of little half-square triangles that were already sewn together. I wasn’t sure if I should try to turn them into something or let them go. While I thought about it, I completed Natures LostFour-Patch quilt with the leftover 10” squares.

 

 

That project gave me time to think about how I wanted to deal with the small pieces. I was finally ready to get to work on this one. I decided it was worth it.  This one is the last of the trio with this set of fabric. I pulled out everything I had and started putting it all together.

 

 

I started with the small pieces that were the original leftovers and made them into pinwheels. Once they were made I had to figure out a plan for them. I had some black with a black floral pattern on it that I really wanted to use in a project, so I decided to use it here even though solid black was used in the pinwheels. It felt like a small enough difference that wasn’t too noticeable and added some character as well.

 

 

Once all the pinwheel blocks were completed, I used the leftover backing fabric to make the sashing. The large flowers are such a great pop of color. I used the black-on-black floral for the cornerstones as well.

 

 

For the backing, I had the blue version of the floral that was used in the sashing. The large print is excellent for a backing.

 

 

I used a basic meander quilting as this quilt was already busy enough, and then I put on my tag and the binding, which was more leftovers from previous projects. I was really working hard to finish up all the fabric.

 

 

I love how this one turned out. It would be a fun baby quilt with a more modern and vibrant feel, or a great sofa blanket that adds color to the room. The colors in the fabric are just so much fun! I’m really glad I decided to use up the small pieces I had left. I feel like I really used every part of the layer cake pack that started all this. And yes, I still have a bit of fabric left but it’s minimal enough that I can save it for a scrappy project. Phew! 

Classic Juicy Meatloaf

When my husband and I first moved in together, we started trying recipes that we were familiar with to figure out what our tastes and styles were. The classic Lipton meatloaf was something we both knew well from childhood.

 

 

As we got older and played with more flavors, I realized this was a recipe that really could use some jazzing up. I wanted to add more texture and moisture with zucchini and fresh onion. Also, I found that combining the bread crumbs with milk first allowed for a more moist loaf as well.

 

 

I’ve never been a fan of sauce on top of a meatloaf. I like the crispy meaty bits that happen when you make it without a topping. I also like to add my own amount of ketchup to my individual piece while I eat.

 

 

 

We always pair this with mashed potatoes. The combination of meat and potatoes is just too classic! It is absolutely comfort food that I’ve been perfecting for years now.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Classic Juicy Meatloaf

 

2 lbs ground beef

1 medium zucchini, finely shredded and drained

¼ c onion, minced

½ c bread crumbs

¼ - ½ c milk

2 eggs

1/3 c ketchup

1 packet Lipton Onion Soup Mix

 

 

 

 

 

Pre-heat the oven to 350F. In a mixing bowl, combine the bread crumbs and the milk. Use the amount of milk that moistens the bread crumbs to a wet sandy feel, but not soggy. After a few minutes of soaking, add the rest of the ingredients. Mix everything together well.

 

Line a glass baking dish with aluminum foil and spray the bottom with cooking spray. Shape the meatloaf into a loaf shape; it should be long and even a little oval on the ends. You can also make it more rectangular, whatever you prefer.

 

 

Spray the top of the loaf with the cooking spray and then place it in the oven. Leave it in the oven for about 50-60 minutes, when it reaches 165F internal temperature. Pull it out and let it sit to cool for about 10 minutes. Serve with ketchup or barbecue sauce, which ever you prefer, or leave it undressed like me.