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.