Under the Needle: January

 Sewing time has been negligible since August, thus, monthly Under the Needle posts fell by the wayside. Now that we've finally settled in, I've enjoyed popping into my sewing room every now and then again.

We've still got lots of projects we're working on, but when DH is running the skid steer, working on a shared water line with the neighbor (he lives in town, but has property 6 miles from us and some cows on a forest lease) or in the shop, I can't be much help. 

Such was the case on New Year's Day, and I spent the afternoon sorting through old UFOs to take stock of what they still needed which turned out to be backing. Three tops had been hanging in the closet for too many years so I shopped through my stash and pulled fabrics and pieced backings. 

I found this piece of blue, leftover from the Gypsy Quilt I made for our girl 12 years ago. I had used it for the backing and I just needed to even up the edges and sew one seam down the middle for the perfect fit for the Baby Dinosaur Quilt...sometimes it's worth holding on to things!

The Jungle Baby Quilt backing was pieced with stash fabrics as well.

I found this old Robert Kaufman, Kiss the Cook, piece of leftover fabric that I wanted to use for the Farmer's Market Quilt, but it wasn't big enough so I added this gingham to bring it up to size

 Then I pieced this fabric for the back of the Love You S'more camping quilt I pieced last year. It's an old Debbie Mumm print that I found on clearance for $2.54 at a Lubbock quilt shop that was closing probably 10 years ago. I bought everything that was on the bolt...10 yards. And yes, for that price, I brought home more fabric. 😉

I also pieced a backing for this Autumn Gatherings Flannel Quilt

One day I dove into my Christmas fabrics and started pressing, and cutting for a scrappy Christmas Quilt

I managed to make all the blocks.

And towards the end of the month I started pulling, pressing and cutting browns for my Old Dirt Road Quilt although I haven't made much of a dent yet.

I finished this Peaches & Cream Gingham Quilt

As well as my Radiant Red & White Swap Quilt

And that's a wrap for January's sewing progress. It sure feels good to have something to share in an Under the Needle post again.

Radiant Red and White Quilt

 Back in December of 2023 I joined @redrainbootshandmade's  Red & White Swap via Instagram. I joined 5 groups so I sent in 5 yards of 5 different quilt store quality fabrics cut into 5" squares

                                   

I've never participated in a swap, but I was so impressed with how Julia handled every detail. I can't imagine what a huge job that was. She even put her children to work and it was fun to watch them working together. She recently completed a blue & white swap, but I have had my hands full and wasn't able to participate this time around. When I received my swapped squares, I set about making HSTs as leader enders in between other projects:

                                            

This was a fun way to add variety to my reds. I settled on a pattern called Radiant, that I've made before (this quilt went to a friend of our girl's who was undergoing surgery)

                                           

I made 256 HSTs and yes, I still draw lines. I'm contemplating trying some 1/4" seam tape, but I really don't mind drawing lines

Jackie and Sandy chose this fun quilting pattern and I finished it with a scrappy red binding

It finishes at 64" x 64"

I fell in love with this pretty print for the backing

This is the first red and white quilt I've made 

I was hoping to get this quilt finished a few weeks ago, while we still had snow left, but unless I wanted to climb the mountain, snowy patches were all I had access to yesterday

Swiss Steak Supper

I hadn't made this in a couple of years, but it's a long-time favorite that I haven't shared before. It's kind of a cross between two recipes and since I made it the other day, I thought I'd add it here

I've made this for the crew in the past when I had a small crew of maybe 6. After 38 years of cooking for a cowboy crew, it feels odd to not be feeding them anymore. On one hand, I miss them jingling in the door. And on the other hand, I do not miss setting my alarm for 2:30 A.M.. and stumbling into the kitchen to start a batch of biscuits for breakfast. 

Swiss Steak Supper

8 pieces tenderized round steak (cubed steak)

Flour for dredging 

1 can Rotel 

1 package brown gravy mix (I like the one with lower sodium)

1/2 C water

Small red baby potatoes, sliced in half 

Carrots, sliced into chunks or baby carrots

Dry round steak well to remove moisture. Season your flour well and dredge meat. Fry in cast iron skillet with some butter and oil. Remove from skillet when browned on both sides. Drain on paper towels for about 5 minutes. Place meat in baking pan. Sprinkle potatoes and carrots around round steak. Whisk Rotel, dry gravy mix, and water in small bowl. Pour over steak and vegetables. Season with fresh ground pepper. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

If you leave the potatoes out, it's good served over noodles or mashed potatoes too.

When I made this for the crew, I'd add a salad, rolls, a corn casserole, and beer battered jalapeno slices. That's too much for just the two of us, but I think I'll make a note and add it to the menu next time we have a houseful.

Peaches & Cream Gingham Quilt

 This is my 1st quilt finish of the year. Yes, it's another gingham quilt. I like the simple, timeless, classic design and I really like having a few on hand to welcome new babies. Last month I needed 2 and it was so nice to have some ready.

Sometimes a fabric just feels right for a gingham quilt. Such was the case for this sweet floral and coordinating fabrics I pulled from my stash back in May of 2023.

Sandy quilted it with this sweet daisy design that shows nicely in this shot

I backed it with this soft peachy-pink Minky that I've used often in the past

It finished at 48x58 - 

                                        

The quilting shows well in this one

I had trouble capturing the colors accurately

                                                 

But this is pretty close

After the sub-zero morning, 38° felt almost warm and that sky was SO blue

I know some of you are gasping that I toss my quilts out in the wild like this, but it's just for a few pictures - they get a good wash

                                      

I think this made a sweet finish

Digging into Brown Scraps

 I know that brown is probably the most disliked color among the quilting community , but I'm in the minority because I love it and I have the stash to prove it:

I didn't even know that there was such a thing as a color of the year, but somewhere I ran across the fact that Mocha was the color of the year for 2025 so maybe I'm finally on board with a trend. That'd be a first. LOL.

I know that for most of you, the winters are filled with brown and in places it's known as khaki season but, around here it also shares space with the deepest blue sky and loads of bright sunshine: 

                             

I have a soft spot for brown 

and those of you who have been here for a while know how much I love my dirt road so when I stumbled upon this pattern, it shouldn't surprise you that I caved:

                                   

I've had the pattern in a bin for 5 or 6 years, but while I was looking for something else, I peeked inside and decided it was time to start cutting. I pulled some other fabrics from my stash because I want a scrappier rendition

Pressing and cutting take time, but every step moves the project forward and I'm in no hurry. It may be a week before I get to my sewing room, but it's not going anywhere.

I found the following somewhere online years ago and I loved the way the author brought the color to life. 

Brown is the color of hearth and home - of dried herbs and stone-ground bread and freshly baked cookies. It represents all of the nurturing, life-sustaining, down to earth qualities of terra firma, the very shade of the earth itself. Just as in the sturdy oak, brown represents roots, a steady, stable source of security, comfort, and normalcy. It is the color of fertile soil and plowed earth, buckskin and rawhide, weathered redwood, bison and mustang, frontier land - rugged and outdoorsy. It is pine cone and bracken, chipmunk and acorn, beaver and doe. Brown is considered a classic shade of solid substance. ~Leatrice Eiseman, "Brown: Earthy and Real," Colors For Your Every Mood - 1998

Well said! So I'll be happily puttering with my collection of brown fabrics for the foreseeable future. 😉

Stromboli

 I haven't shared a recipe in a coon's age. I haven't stopped cooking, so I don't know why there's been a dry spell. Sometimes I just forget to take a photo and although I'm not a food photographer, it seems a post ought to be accompanied by a photo.

I've been making this for a long time...probably at least 20 years and I made it over Christmas when everyone was here. It's a family favorite even though I got sidetracked and burned it. 😂

I realized I hadn't shared it here yet, so I made it again yesterday. The day before, we went to town (50 miles one way) for an insurance appt., errands, and a Safari Club board meeting. Neither of us had been to town since the 30th (15 days) so the list was long. I do not like Walmart, but I like their pick-up option. I still go in to choose produce, but the pick-up option works well for me. We didn't get home until just after 10 p.m. and by the time everything gets put away

and showers and closing out the day takes place, it was almost 11:30. That is about 3 1/2 hours past my bedtime so I was dragging the next morning and Stromboli is a fast solution for dinner (our lunch) when you've spent the morning working outside.

Stromboli

1 can Pillsbury Pizza Crust (or use a homemade dough)

Diced Black Forest Ham (from a good deli - we have a local grocery store that has a great deli)

Diced Salami and or Pepperoni

Grated Baby Swiss Cheese (or Mozzarella or Provolone or mix it up)

3 diced green onions

1-2 Tbsp melted butter

Parmesan

Parsley

Granulated Garlic

*Roll out pizza dough. Sprinkle with ham, salami, and pepperoni. I often just used ham because that's all I had at the time. Top with shredded cheese, and green onions. Roll up into a log, sealing edges and ends well. Slice across top of dough a few times to vent and let steam escape. Add some parmesan, dried parsley, and granulated garlic to melted butter. - stir to combine. Brush on top of Stromboli. Bake at 375° until brown on top - approximately 30 minutes. 

I had cauliflower, broccoli and some pepperoni in the fridge and pasta in the pantry so I made Italian Pasta Salad.

to serve with the Stromboli

Brilliant blue skies and 50° in January and this just hit the spot.

Thawing Out and Working Out

 We ended up with 8" of snow last week. DH is very conservative in his snow measurements so it could have been more. 😉 But it certainly transformed our home into a winter wonderland

I told our girl that we had been dropped into a Hallmark movie. LOL. 

                                         

DH and his handy dandy skid steer were called into action

We had some wicked icicles 

that looked funny as things began to thaw and snow began to slide off of the roof

It was 50 degrees on Saturday and the snow was melting fast in places

We spent all day working on the chicken yard. Come to think of it, I've never seen a Hallmark movie where they built a chicken compound. LOL

We worked on digging a 70' trench around it. We used a heavy pry bar to loosen the dirt and the shovel to clean it out. We will bury the wire panels 12" deep to discourage wild critters from digging in for a chicken dinner.

In all honesty, I could barely lift my arms the next day and my hands were useless. but I was quite pleased with my straight trench (DH dug 40' in the time it took me to dig 20') even though it's just going to get covered up.😂

DH is putting SO much work into this. I told him I didn't know he loved my chickens so much. He said, "I don't, but I love you". 🥰 This is his love language. 

Our high was 32 on Sunday and it snowed again, but we bundled up and went back to work.

I just wanted a simple chicken coop, but DH came up with the design and details and simple isn't in his wheel house. 😂 Even Skeet's on board with making sure all the details are correct.

We had a few spoonfuls of ice cream after dinner and DH laughed and asked if I wanted Advil sprinkles on top. 😂 

I wanted to add some binding stitches to my latest quilt that evening, but could barely hold the needle, much less keep my eyes open.

Silly chickens have no idea how lucky they are!