Circle Play

Since returning home from our latest road trip, Dan and I have been marveling at how much summer driving we did, beginning at Memorial Day weekend. While each trip was special, and included time spent with friends and family, road weariness felt very real. 

Using Google maps to calculate each trip, we put pencil to paper to tally the distances:

• Ohio and back
• Kansas City to Iowa to Kansas City and back
• New Smyrna Beach and back
• Montgomery, Alabama and back
• Texas and back
• Tampa and back
• Kansas City to Iowa to Kansas City and back

Not counting local driving in each place, conservatively, we put 11,279 miles (18,152k) on our car! No wonder it feels so good to be home!

Being away gave me lots of time to ponder the three challenge projects I've begun. The Central Florida MQG Chips and Charms Challenge has my attention right now. Using a stack of 60+ blocks that I'd hand-appliquéd onto backgrounds, I started playing with layouts. 

I don't know what prompted a lightbulb moment to make some insert blocks using Painter's Palette Patriot on a background of Painter's Palette Rice Paper. Then I made half-square triangle squares using Rice Paper and Mist. It was okay, but...

... when I made Patriot and Rice Paper half-square triangle squares, it looked better. 

Nice, but how might it look with the addition of another, more subtle color, like Painter's Palette Aquarius? Yes. 

This isn't the final layout, but as the design has grown (52" X 60" so far), I'm seeing how many more appliquéd circle blocks I need - at least 24! So, I've gotten busy making those. 

My method for making appliquéd circles is different than a friend, Fun With Barb, recently shared on her blog... precisely why quiltmaking is appealing to so many people. 

For making circles, I draw the round shape onto a mini-charm (chip) using the lid of a prescription bottle as my template. With a shortened machine stitch length, I sew the mini-charm square onto a square of fusible interfacing along the drawn circle. I use pinking shears to trim the circle, and then cut a slit in the interfacing to turn it right side out. I press circle edges on an appliqué pressing sheet, and then press to fuse the circle to the background.

This project is the first time I've used Auriful 12-weight (color dove gray) for hand appliqué, and I love it! My stitches are practically invisible! Though, you can't miss the fact that my nails match my fabric, can you?

After stitching, to reduce bulk I cut away the fabric and interfacing from behind the appliqué. The last step is to trim these blocks to 4½" square.

This is where I'm now, and I'm having a good time with it. 

Since I'm talking about round things here, how about pizza? 

At my request - pleading - on Sunday evening, Dan made my favorite pizza. It's an expensive pizza to make - the ingredients are pricey - but so-o worth it! We call it "white pizza," but in fact the recipe is called Brié and Pesto Pizza. We obtained the recipe from Wine Country Inn, in St. Helena, California, when we stayed there in September 2011. This is my blog post about being there. 

This pizza began with me! Unusual, I know. I'm certainly not the cook in our family, but I can follow a recipe and did so to make pesto. This was the first time I've ever made it, which I did because of an overabundance of basil growing in a clay pot on the lanai. I impressed myself! Delicious! Pesto recipe here.

So this pizza is built with Dan's homemade crust, my pesto, and topped with brié, zucchini, mushrooms, green onions, red pepper, and fresh grated parmesan. It was absolutely fantastic!  

Book Recommendation

Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica takes place in a quiet, upper-middle class neighborhood. In separate incidences, a woman goes missing, and a few weeks later, another woman and her six year-old daughter go missing. Neighbors gather to help in the search. In the first instance, circumstantial evidence points to death at the hands of the husband. But there are no leads to find the mother and daughter.

Eleven years later, based on circumstantial evidence, the first husband is in prison; the second husband is mourning his wife's apparent suicide, yet still wonders about his now-teenaged daughter. When a young girl escapes captivity in a lightless basement, and is reunited with her dad and brother, life still isn't normal for their household. Secrets are still being kept.

At first, it was a little disconcerting to hop from "11 years ago" to "now," and to follow chapters titled "Kate" or "Leo," but a rhythm develops in the telling. Once I caught on, I was completely hooked. Though the story is dark - literally - I felt great empathy for the characters. 

Linda's score: 4.2/5.0

Though many area churches have returned to in-person worship services, I still haven't found a church home. So, I continue to worship online each Sunday morning at 9 am (Eastern) to hear uplifting sermons from Lutheran Church of Hope. Go here if you'd like to join a live service on Saturday night or Sunday morning. 

Last Sunday, Pastor Mike preached about: Positive Megatrends in the 21st Century Church. I recommend listening to his message here, on YouTube (sermon starts at 38:50) about the "beautiful feet of messengers who bring good news." Romans 10:15.

Pastor Mike concluded his message with how-to's for sharing the good news of Jesus on social media. How to Let Your Light Shine Online. I need and appreciate these reminders the ways my attitude and behavior is a reflection (or not) of Who I believe in. 

This weekend I'm off to Kingsland, Georgia and Jacksonville, Florida for two days of teaching workshops that use Sew Kind of Wonderful "Quick Curve Ruler" and Quick Curve Mini Ruler." While I'm not looking forward to driving, I'm excited about teaching again. My first in-person gig since February 2020!

Let your light shine! Linda