In season

It is my opinion that one should eat as many blueberries as possible during the season. Today, we made our second blueberry pie. We should be on our fifth by now at least, so we are definitely behind schedule. I keep buying the fresh berries from one of the at least 10 places that grow them within two miles of my house, but we have been eating them directly. I did manage to make blueberry scones, but it wasn't worth mentioning here.

This year we are making our blueberry pie according to the Cook's Illustrated Blueberry Pie recipe and using their Foolproof crust. This is the single best crust I have ever made, or consumed, for that matter. You have to try it. It's worth following every instruction to the detail in the Cook's recipe, including using vodka alongside the normal water. You can read about the science behind using the vodka in the magazine, but I don't see it anywhere on this link. This is one of the reasons I love Cook's Illustrated so much...they really get into the science behind their reasoning, and explain the methods of testing they used to get to the final version.

Christmas in July on Etsy

It's Christmas in July starting today through July 24, in my shop! Please use the coupon "JULYSALE" to enjoy 10% off anything in the shop. Don't forget that I donate 10% of all my profits from btaylorquilts to the American Cancer Society.

Jungle Wagon treasury

A treasury today.

Introducing......BTaylorQuilts Bags!

Yes, it's been a while since I've posted, but I've got a good reason. I've been busy designing and sewing a new series of bags. It's been a long time in the process, and mostly it just existed in my head, but I finally found the time to devote to getting this project underway. I'm really happy with the results, and will be listing them in the shop shortly.

The line up as of now is (from small to large):

• credit card / change purse - from the wallet series
• market purse / clutch - from the wallet series
• small tote / project / market / lunch bag - from the tote series
• large tote / project / market / beach bag - from the tote series

Here's a sneak peek :)

Photo Credits for this post: Latentecho

Large tote / project / market / beach bag

small tote / project / market / lunch bag

credit card / change purse

Special orders don't upset us :)

The shop has been busy with special requests for weeks now. Just before Christmas, I received a request for a queen sized green gradation quilt with a due date in early Spring. I love it when I really have some time to work on quilts like this. It gives me time to peruse my favorite fabric stores close by and also my on-line resources for really nice additions to the project.

I'm also working on a custom oven mitt, and a cover for a KitchenAid stand mixer. So cool! I haven't made a mixer cover before, so this is a new project for me...it ought to be pretty fun. It's been fun so far working with the customer.

And now I'd like to share a whole bunch of photos of the quilt. These are mostly detail shots.

Mitten Saga

"To be a good knitter, you must be a good ripper." These are the words of my Grandmother and I can hear her saying them still, and she's been gone a long time. She didn't teach me how to knit, but did teach me how to crochet when I was six. I taught myself how to knit with a little book called "Learn How" published in something like 1950 or so. I was so enthralled and enamored of knitting that I quickly became pretty industrious, and really good at it. I rarely had to rip out my knitting and got pretty good at translating complicated patterns so I wouldn't have to.I've been knitting a three color mitten, from the book "Folk Mittens: Techniques and Patterns for Handknitted Mittens" by Marcia Lewandowski. It's a fantastic book, loaded with technical expertise, history, stories, and amazing patterns. If you are into two and three color knitting, it's a great source for wonderful patterns. Here are some photos of said mitten in progress.

It's been a challenge, I've got to say, and mostly because I'm too distracted to follow the pattern strictly enough to avoid serious "ripping". I made the right hand mitten. My tension was way too tight, mitten was small. Ripped out whole thing. Start again.

It helps that the yarn I've chosen is a softer-than-you-can-imagine baby alpaca and bamboo called Qina by Mirasol in Peru. Their project is worth looking at. Anyway, when you are knitting more than six mittens for yourself, you need some soft yarn. I started the right hand mitten again, this time relaxing my tension and the mitten is perfect. Just need to add the peasant thumb and right hand will be done.

Pictured below is the right hand mitten, nearly completed, and the left hand mitten on the three needles in the process of being completed. You can see it in the first photo too. I was NEARLY done with the left hand mitten when I realized that I had placed the thumb opening in the right hand mitten position. After realizing my mistake I examined the thumb placement trying to figure out how to NOT rip out the 40 rows I'd knitted above it. I said to myself, "I am NOT ripping out all this work!!" And after careful consideration, and lots of bitching, I realized it would be a waste to have two right handed mittens. It just wouldn't work. I heard the words again, "To be a good knitter, you must be a good ripper" in my Grandmother's voice, and I ripped out the rows.

I Knew It!!!

Thanks Phil!