A Surprise for Mom!

 Over a year ago, I absconded with scraps left over from a quilt top Mom had pieced.  I didn't exactly sneak them out of the house - she gave them to me, but I didn't tell her what they were for.  I had found a stunning pattern for a throw pillow that I though would be perfect for her, to accent the quilt.  It was a paper-piecing pattern - the Star Flower Pillow from Moda's Bake Shop - and I started in on it right away.

I hadn't done any paper piecing for a long time, but convinced myself that, since everyone was doing it, it couldn't be too difficult...  After fighting with it and struggling over it for about four days (it literally had blood, sweat and tears in it!) and completing less than half of the 20" pillow top, I dubbed it the "pillow from hell" and relegated it to a UFO bin.  I almost threw it out, it was so frustrating.

I have felt guilty, off and on, about that pillow.  It's called to me, mocked me, and insulted me over the past year.  I would see it, every now and then, while getting fabric for other things, or digging for scraps.  I kept telling myself that I'm an intelligent, adult woman who should not be defeated by a pile of fabric and paper!  And yet, I just couldn't bring myself to try it again.

Then, while working on my Craftsy 2012 block of the month sampler quilt (yes, I'm way behind!), I watched Amy Butler's video for her paper pieced blocks.  A light bulb came on.  After using her techniques to make the sampler quilt blocks, I couldn't believe how simple and error-proof the paper piecing was.  I finally felt like I would be able to master the pillow for Mom.  I pulled the pillow out of my UFO bin, and in one afternoon had completed the entire thing.  No kidding.  One calm, relaxed, no-stress afternoon.  No blood, no sweat, no tears.

I actually enjoyed it.  I did have to take apart a little bit of what I had already done, but not much.  The next day I quilted it and finished the pillow, using this tutorial from Sew4Home to make an envelope-style back, so the cover is removable and washable.  This ended up being such a fun, successful project.  I have finally conquered paper-piecing, and completed a project that I thought would never be right.  The finished product is gorgeous.  I almost didn't want to give it away...  But I already have plans to make another one!

Shire Study Shawl Finished!

 I completed this asymmetrical knitted shawl a few weeks ago, and have just been waiting for an opportunity to get some decent pictures of it.  I absolutely love it!  The pattern is "Stripe Study Shawl" that I found on Ravelry.  I used KnitPicks Palette yarn in Shire Heather and Black.  It was my first project using Palette, and I loved it.  It wasn't at all scratchy and I didn't have any major issued with splitting, either.  It washed and blocked beautifully, and I'm so thrilled with the finished project!

I've never blocked anything this large before, it didn't quite fit on the kitchen table, and I didn't have enough blocking boards.  I had to get creative with it, so the end result is not as "perfect" as I would have liked - the center line is wonky, but not nearly as badly as it looks.  Next time, I'll make sure I plan ahead a little better and borrow Mom's blocking boards to make sure I have enough!  It was also my first time using lace blocking wires.  Honestly, they were a pain to use, but totally worth it.  They weren't long enough to go the whole length of any of the sides, so I had to overlap them, but they kept slipping out and moving around... kind of frustrating!  But, there is no way I could have gotten such straight edges without them, even with such a simple shawl shape, so I'm going to keep using them and assume they'll get easier with practice. 

Canning Day! Four Berry Jam

I spent a very productive morning making fourteen pints of this - delicious Four Berry Jam!  I've made many different types of jams and jellies over the years, but this one is still by far my favorite.  I use a recipe that I found years ago here, and have modified.  One of the things that I like the most is that it's not overly sweet.  The berry flavor really shines through, resulting in a delicious taste of summer all year.  It takes less than an hour to make one batch of jam, and the results will last all year long (unless you give it all away - that's why I made two batches today!).

As you will see from the recipe, I use frozen berries for this.  You certainly can use fresh berries, but our berry bushes don't produce enough yet for that, and it's less expensive for me to buy frozen than fresh.  Make sure that if you buy frozen berries they are the "no sugar added" type.  I usually pull all of the bags of berries out of the freezer at night, let them sit in the sink to thaw, then rinse and drain in the morning.  

It cost me about $55 for the ingredients to make two batches of jam, coming to approximately $4 per pint.  Since this will last us all year, and be used for gifts, it's well worth it!  You could probably spend less, but I buy good quality frozen berries that I know from experience are not 3/4 ice...  If I were to use fresh berries, the current cost would be about $70, given the current prices in my area at the local grocery stores and farmer's markets.  Plus, there's a very small window in which the four varieties of berries are all ripe at the same time, so quality can be a concern here when buying fresh.  If you want to use fresh, please do!  And if you want to use frozen, don't feel guilty - the jam turns out beautifully, and no one will be able to tell!

Four Berry Jam 

2 c frozen blackberries - thawed, rinsed, drained

2 c frozen blueberries - thawed, rinsed, drained

3 c frozen raspberries - thawed, rinsed, drained

3 c frozen strawberries - thawed, rinsed, drained

2 boxes regular pectin

10 c sugar (a 10 lb bag will be just enough for two batches of jam)

7 pint jars, with rings and fresh lids

1. Combine all the berries in a very large stainless steel pot.  If you don't have quite enough of one type of berry, use extra of another.  If you're short on blackberries, use extra blueberries.  Low on raspberries, increase the strawberries.  The important thing is to use 10 cups.  Slightly more is okay, too.

2. Mash them up really well.  If the blueberries don't all mash, that's okay.  They'll burst as they cook.

 3. Add the pectin to the berries and, over med-high to high heat, bring the berries to a full, rolling boil.  Stir frequently.  You know you're there when it keeps boiling despite being stirred.

4. Add the sugar and stir really, really, really well.  Return to a full, rolling boil.  Keep stirring often!  Once a full boil has been reached, boil for one minute.  Then put the jam in prepared pint jars, leaving 1/4" of headspace, and process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

5. Let cool completely.  If any of the jars don't seal properly, you can try processing them again, or you can just stick the jar in the fridge and eat it first.

Additional Note:  Sometimes, there's some extra jam.  If I'm making more than one batch, I usually sterilize an extra half-pint jar.  Whatever is left after I fill the pint jars goes into the half-pint one, then when I'm all finished it goes in the fridge and is used first.  If I'm only making one batch, the extra goes in a small ramekin.  It's really good mixed in with some Greek yogurt...