Creative Input and Creative Output - easy quilt and easy recipe

SUMMER QUILTS FOR CREATIVE INPUT

Every year my family and I go to the beach - so to switch out the living room to summer had to pay tribute to the beach!  This quilt is made of Log Cabin Blocks and Courtyard Steps.  I got the idea from a picture of a quilt in the A New Look at Log Cabin Quilts book by Flavin Glover

Although I was inspired by a photo of her beach quilt, there wasn't an actual pattern to follow.  I figured it out!

I love this pattern in the book for making a sheep and lamb quilt!

Someday...

When we go to the beach, my dog, Teddy Bear, has this little game he plays.  He has to be 'on leash' - but nobody said anything about anyone holding onto the leash!  The dog runs to the surf, drops his leash into the water and when the tide starts to rush back in - he 'saves' his leash by grabbing it in his mouth and runs back toward our towels.  All. Day. Long. Crazy, but cute!

So when I made this beach scene quilt, my kids and husband said there was something missing - where Teddy and his leash!  Right!  I fussy cut and from brown/tan batiks and added my sweet silly dog!

I love how adding Teddy makes this quilt truly our family.

I named it "Another Perfect Day"

Now, here's a fun fact about this quilt.  I made it as a 'Header and a Footer'.  What?!  Most sewers have a piece of fabric to start the sewing process, sometimes called a 'header and footer' piece or a thread saver because it helps keep your thread from tangling and the feed dogs from chewing up the corner of your quilt block.

Quilt designer Bonnie Sullivan came up with the notion of "If you pushing a piece of fabric to begin and finish your fabric block, why not make it count?"  Brilliant!  When I read her idea in American Patchwork and Quilting Magazine - I ran with it!

Here you are working on your main project, but you are getting a secondary quilt done in the process!  The key is make it simple - a log cabin quilt is perfect because it's just a lot of 2 1/2 strips being sew into a 9-12 inch block without much thought other than keeping your dark's and lights separate.So for the beach quilt, I kept my beach tans, my dark ocean strips and my sky fabric all separate.  When sewing the beach blocks, I separated lights and dark tan and beige strips, and could almost mindless create a whole secondary quilt!

 My current 'header and footer' quilt is a dark blue and white log cabin for my son.  A 'header and footer' quilt does take longer than the main project but it's summer in Washington D.C. - he won't be needing it for a while!

When I've made the right amount of blocks needed - at least 80- I 

believe he said he wants the Streak of Lightening setting 

Creative Output Cook book Challenge

Cherry Tomato Salad with Buttermilk Basil Dressing

created by Pat and Gina Neely 

via The Food Network recipe e-mails clogging up my inbox

and this is why I chose this recipe -

I've got enough tomatoes for a party! But who would come - most everybody's got enough tomatoes for a party!

I mixed it up in a jar with a good lid

which was smart because it was better the second day!  The resting time gave it a chance to marinate and the shallot, basil and garlic had a chance to mellow out a little.  It's a keeper **** four stars.  The best thing is that it has less fat and calories than the "lite" bottled dressing from the store.  Two tablespoons of that dressing is 70 calories while a whole cup of buttermilk is only 90 - and the recipe only uses 2/3 of a cup.  The scant 1/4 cup of sour cream shouldn't add too much - other than the thicker texture.

Pat and Gina Neely from Down Home with the Neely's 

  This is fresh without all the binders and junk so it's all around better for you and it can last in the refrigerator for up to a week.and I've got an abundance of herbs to play with too. The recipe calls for 6 cups of cherry tomatoes but my husband is growing large ones this year so I just cut up enough for us to eat - and put the jar of dressing in the fridge for tomorrows tomatoes!

CHERRY TOMATO SALAD with BUTTERMILK BASIL DRESSING

prep: 15 mins   yield: 4 servings   level: easy

6 cups red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved if large

pepper and kosher salt

2/3 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup sour cream

3 Tbsp of finely diced basil leaves 

1 shallot, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

Put tomatoes in a large serving bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Mix remaining ingredients and drizzle over tomatoes - toss and serve!

tomorrow I am fabric shopping - I am making a present for a friend!  :-D

    

Pam