On Quilting and Kolaches

December 20, 2019Uncategorized

Once again the quilter’s Christmas party was postponed. We had heavy fog with below freezing temperatures, making for the possibility of icy roads. The party is now scheduled for our regular meeting date in January. Now I’m doubly glad I didn’t make my mug rug with a Christmas theme.

For the January meeting we are making 12 1/2″ blocks using the leftover challenge envelopes from a few years back. Each year the group defines a challenge which can then be entered in the competition at the county fair the following year. The challenge we are using for next month’s blocks consists of an envelope with a shape and a sample of fabric. The blocks must contain the shape in the color that was in the envelope. The blocks will then

be assembled into a quilt to be raffled off at the 2020 fair. My envelope contained a egg shape with a blue scrap of fabric.

Contents of Challenge Envelope

Since the shapes in the remaining envelopes are likely to be circles, rectangles, squares, and stars, I don’t want to make something that looks like an Easter block. I have thought about using several of the egg shaped pieces as flower petals to make a flower, or as leaves on a tree. There aren’t too many blue flowers or tree leaves out there but that’s the best I have come up with to date. Any suggestions or ideas would be more than welcome. Just comment below.

Today I baked kolaches for the family for Christmas. I decided to use unbleached flour this year. It is amazing how different they turned out compared to when I have used bleached flour. They are much less fluffy. Since I can’t eat them, I am not sure how much difference there is in the taste.

Normally I make my gluten free kolaches before venturing to the well-glutened variety. For some reason my organizational Zen has abandoned me, and I ended up making the regular variety first. That was probably not a good idea as it added quite a bit of extra work scrubbing everything down to prevent cross contamination. My gluten free kolaches did turn out to be much moister and softer this year. I’m not sure how that happened but I’m good with moister and softer.

Happy Holidays everyone, and for those of you in the cold regions of the country, stay warm!