For years I kept journals -- in composition, spiral bound, and French graph paper books. This blog is an attempt to get back to writing and documenting the world around me using photos, newspaper headlines, and other articles.

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Baking and Sewing

I spent my weekend baking and sewing.  I had a pretty rough week and I needed to do something that would get me out of my head space and into something soothing.  I opted for baking bread and sewing.

I can't remember when I first started my birdbaths at sunset quilt.  It might have been two winters ago, but at least one.  I didn't write down the date in my little project notebook.  I remember spending part of a snow day ironing fabric so I know I'm in the right season. Anyway, the blocks don't come together quickly.  I think it takes me close to three hours to make a set of six.  Yesterday I made up two sets (a set being of the same center square fabric), except for all the raspberry corner triangles.  And this morning I made up another one.





I think I have now made nine sets and I have eleven left to go.  When I started, I organized the strips around the center fabric squares.  Before I cut the strips into specific lengths, I make up cards with little scraps of fabric so that I can remember the pattern combination.



And then I can cut the strips and put them together in sets.



I have lots of little fabric clippings.



In between ironing, cutting, and sewing, I baked bread.  Last night before I went to bed I forgot to start the no knead, slow rise dough.  I pulled out Laurel's Kitchen cookbook and went back to a more conventional recipe that doesn't need 16 hours of rising time.  Can I say that I love my new rising buckets!  They are so cute and are the perfect size for the two bread pans that I brought back from London in 2011.



Today's dough was airier and lighter and smelled more yeasty.  I think it will be tasty as well.



I've been experimenting with different yeast and flour that I bought in Vermont.  Last week I made the slow rise, low yeast bread with a mix of regular bread flour and the European blend.  It was dense and delicious.





It will be interesting to see what yeast and flour combination we like the best.