Gauze Wrap with Reverse Applique

This project was conceived from two recent creative sparks. The first is our trip to Japan, during which I saw some great multi-ply quilted cotton gauze spa towels that were glorious to touch. The second inspiration was checking out a few books from the library about the Alabama Chanin design aesthetic. I decided a multi-ply gauze scarf with some stenciling and reverse applique would be a great project to try both. It occurred to me that reverse applique in a woven rather than a knit was a questionable choice with potential fraying, but I also thought the fabric paint might help to limit fraying.

I bought 2 yards of cotton bubble gauze (58" wide, $10) and decided the final scarf would be 3 ply, and about 12" wide by 72" long. I bought two bottles of RIT dye ($6) at the craft store and proceeded to dye the inner panel lighter gray and the outer two panels darker gray. I heated the water to a simmer and let them soak in the dye for a full 30 min, but the dark gray fabric has some mild mottling. It's not significantly noticeable, but I would use a higher-quality dye next time. After dying, I washed, air-dried and pressed the fabric.

One of the Alabama Chanin books had a "bloomer" stencil sample in it, and I traced the sample onto a sheet of 6 mil mylar (pack of 10 sheets, 12" X 24" on Amazon for $14) and cut it out with a craft knife. I applied acrylic paint through the stencil by pouncing with a stencil brush. 

I used a large embroidery hoop and medium-weight sashiko thread that I bought in Japan. I stitched a running stitch around all of the stenciled edges, then carefully cut away the top layer of fabric. 

One side done

On the first side, I accidentally cut through both layers a couple of times, so on the second side I pre-cut slits into the top layer before any stitching (this would be even easier to do next time before basting the two layers together). I did my best to repair these areas with fusible interfacing and small stitches. Once I'd stitched around, and while it was still in the hoop, I used a long serger tweezers to lift up and tug the top layer so it could be more safely cut away, but this is still a bit of an arduous process. The second side went faster, and it was helpful to have the pre-cut slits to start with.

2024 Camping Retro

We love the convenience of storing the camper at the State Fair, but they give you a pickup time window (this year at 10:30 on Wed April 3) that you just have to make work. We made it work.

First up was back to Whitewater state park the last weekend of April. We made the chicken and parsnip stew cooked in beer again- so delicious. It rained on Sunday so we left early. April camping is dicey with the weather, but we're so eager to get out there.

Lunch at Whitewater

Chicken and parsnip stew with carrots and celery

The trim on the ceiling was coming down in the same spot as last year. Last year the dealer fixed a few things for us including this trim but for some reason it was sagging again. I used a toothpick to work epoxy under the bowing area, then got creative with our extendable window washing wand to apply pressure to the epoxy for 3 days. I actually had to do this twice, because I don't think I used quite enough glue the first time and it sagged again after a couple of weeks. 

Gluing loose ceiling trim

For Memorial Day, we went to Lac Qui Parle state park in western MN for the first time. It's in the prairie, so not a lot of trees. We were up on a bluff which was quite windy (which turned out to be a benefit because there were so many mosquitos and the wind helped keep them away). Andy did a little kayak fishing in the sag area of the lake, and I tried to hammock, but it was so windy we both had to bail. We had Sat dinner in Montevideo because Andy was suddenly craving broasted chicken. We decided to leave early Sunday afternoon to get home so Andy could continue with his garden-building project and so we could watch the Wolves v. Mavs playoffs game with Will and Cara (we lost the 3rd game in a row). On the way home, we stopped and toured Historic Chippewa City in Montevideo. It's a little recreated village with 24 historic buildings moved there. The nice lady let us take Harriet with us.

Peach crisp

June 21-23 we went to Rice Lake State Park for the first time. It's only 53 miles away, near Owatonna. We've been in a real rainy jag, and it was forecast to rain over the weekend but since we weren't going far, we decided to go for it and we could always return home if it got bad. We ate dinner at home Friday then got there and set up camp and turned in just before it started raining. On Sat, we tried to take a walk, all of the trails were very muddy and even partially submerged. There isn't a lot to do in this park, but there are a lot of nice trees in the campsites. Sat afternoon I drove to Faribault for the 1 PM tour of the Faribault Woolen Mill, Andy stayed back and had a fire and a roasted hotdog before the rain came. Sat evening we ate a wonderful dinner at the Hubbell House, which opened in 1854 in Mantorville while the dog waited patiently in the car (it was not hot out). We left right after breakfast on Sunday, and came home to wash the muddy dog, camper and car.

The usual blueberry pancakes

Mudpit Harriet

Over Labor Day weekend (Aug 30-Sep 2) we enjoyed another stay at Cascade State Park. We spent Sat in Grand Marais where we ate lunch at Hungry Hippie Tacos, got donuts at World's Best, bought a Superior rock lamp at an outdoor craft fair, and took a guided walking tour put on by the local museum. Sat night we ate at Cascade Lodge, and Sunday we had a lazy day at the campground, hiking, taking a nap, reading in the hammock and cooking dinner over the fire. I tried making brownies for the first time, the bottom and edges got a bit burnt as the fire was so hot. Andy made dutch oven pork chops with mushrooms and a nice gravy.

Sour Cherries

Both of our cherry trees produced a lot of cherries this year, with the Northstar in mid June and the Evans Bali in late June/early July. We picked, pitted and froze cherries numerous time.

Tons of green cherries developing 

Pitting the cherries is time-consuming, but the pitter does work

Sour cherries are a nice addition with other fruit, such as in this peach and cherry crisp.

We've enjoyed this sour cherry crisp recipe in a 9X9" pan or deep pie plate.

For a small batch of cherry crisp in the smoker, in a 6" skillet:

• 8 oz frozen sour cherries
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp corn starch

Combine these in the 6" skillet, top with the blended crisp:

• 3 Tbsp rolled oats
• 3 Tbsp flour
• 2 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp butter
• pinch salt

Smoke, covered with foil at 350 for 30 min, then remove foil and smoke another 20 min or so until the top is browned.

Our friend Dawn makes a great cherry cobbler in a 9X13" pan from a Thomas Keller recipe. I tried making a smaller batch in an 8" skillet reducing this recipe to 1/3, but it turned out too bready. Back to the drawing board on this one. 

Greek Grill

A great summer dinner.

• 2-3 large lemons
• 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tsp fresh thyme or 3/4 tsp dried
• kosher salt, black pepper, Cavender's Greek Seasoning
• 1/4 c olive oil
• 2-3 lbs boneless chicken, cut into 1.5" cubes
• 1 c plain yogurt
• 3 Tbsp chopped fresh mint, plus more for garnish
• 1/4 c finely chopped cucumber (peeled and seeded)
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 med red bell pepper, cut in 1" squares
• 1 med yellow bell pepper, cut in 1" squares
• Pita bread
• Crumbled feta

Grate the lemon peel to yield 2 tsp zest and juice the lemons to yield 1/4 c juice. Add garlic, thyme, salt, pepper and Cavender's. Whisk in 1/4 c olive oil. Use this to marinate chicken 2-6 hours in fridge, bring to room temperature 30 min before grilling. Skewer the chicken, alternating with peppers (if using wooden skewers soak them first). Brush lightly with olive oil and grill on all sides, about 8 min. Place pitas on grill to toast slightly, about 2 min per side.

To make the cucumber sauce, combine yogurt, cucumber, mint, cumin and 1/2 tsp kosher salt. We like to add minced garlic, as well. Serve with crumbled feta on the side.

Food on Boards

We entertain family and friends pretty frequently, and I've been searching for new ideas beyond our usuals. I stumbled into a trend of serving more than just charcuterie on boards and was immediately intrigued. Of course, many of the pictures are stunning and make you want to try it.

Round serving boards are expensive, so I opted for this 24" diameter ottoman tray at World Market for $45 and gave it two coats of polyacrylic to make sure it's food safe. I also bought two rectangular boards off FB Marketplace (because once I started looking I couldn't help myself). I got a couple of cookbooks from the library and bought a couple.

Chocolate fondue

First up,, I made chocolate fondue (doubling this recipe) with cocoa krispie bars, pound cake from Costco, fruit,, potato chips, marshmallows and shortbread cookies.

Next came the taco board with two kinds of refried beans, rice, corn, etc.

Digging into the taco board

Then came the cobb salad board.

No doubt more to come.

Needle Felting

Needle felted sunset on consignment denim jacket, Feb 2024

I've been sewing clothing ever since I was a young teen, and lately it hasn't been calling to me as a hobby like it has in the past. There are a number of reasons for this:

• I have a lot of really great clothes already. And ever since the pandemic started in 2020, I've been working mostly from home I don't really take the opportunity to wear many of them
• Also related to the pandemic, clothing has gotten a lot more casual so there isn't such a need to sew well-tailored jackets for work
• I can often buy clothing on consignment for less than it costs to get the materials to make it myself

So, it's time for a new hobby. I tried a little bit of needle felting in 2011 after meeting a lovely orthopedic surgeon at a "Fishbone" fellowship orthopedic event in Maine. This surgeon had a busy practice and had adopted a handful of kids, and she woke up at a ridiculous hour (like 4 AM) to do just a little bit of needle felting before starting her busy day. She took my name and address and after the event she sent me a big box full of felting supplies, including some felting needles, various colors of wool and a foam felting pad. What a dear. At the time, I felted a little sheep Christmas ornament, then tucked the box away.

I've decided to try needle felting again because it's portable and can (mostly) be done while watching TV. I ordered a couple of kits, a wool felting mat, needles, and a bunch of colors of loose wool roving from Living Felt. My first project was to needle felt a sunset on a $12 consignment denim jacket. I didn't really know what I was doing, but I had a great time blending the colors. I wet felted it afterwards to help it stay adhered to the jacket. Of course, I had to shorten the sleeves on the jacket, as I frequently do.

Next, I tried some three dimensional needle felting, creating an easter egg bunny and a Santa from a kit. Each figure took about 4-5 hours total, and they were very relaxing to work on.

Santa, in progress

I'd purchased another kit for pumpkins and completed those, learning how to blend wool colors together.

I wanted to felt fruit for arranging in a bowl, so I worked on these 8 pieces, doing all of the design for shaping, colors and blending myself.. I'm definitely getting more confident with being able to get some of the shapes I want. 

Felting with a view of the lake

I completed the apple leaf by felting onto a (dry) disinfecting wipe as a stabilizer.

Ready for Halloween

Graham Cracker Pie Crust

This has been my go-to for years, from the Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook.

• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/4 cup sugar (I usually halve this)
• 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (9 rectangular sheets or 18 square crackers)

Preheat oven to 375. Melt butter in pie pan in oven- watch carefully so it doesn't burn. Process crackers in food processor to turn them into crumbs. Add crumbs and sugar to the melted butter in the pie pan and mix then press into bottom and up sides. Bake 5 min, then cool.