Patchwork Patterns, Ruby McKim

When I first heard about
quilting and decided to give it a try
there were very few resources available.

I remember seeing patterns printed in the newspaper,
but they looked so old fashioned.

I started my first quilt in 1973
after I saw my friend's sister was making a quilt
and she was a hippie, nothing old fashioned about that!

I jumped right in.

Here is the story of my first quilt.

After sewing a gazillion rectangles together

I figured there must be something more interesting than that.

I received a copy of this book in 1974.

It was the beginning of an exciting journey.

I never knew that squares and triangles could create so

many different patterns.

It was a treasure trove of ideas.

Everyone got pillows for Christmas

so I could experiment with all of these patterns.

Do you notice how different this book looks from the books

and patterns we purchase today?

Simple single patterns,

the pattern pieces didn't include seam allowance,

no finished ideas,

and no color photos.

 Ruby McKim did include value placement ideas

with the simple black and white drawings.

This was actually a wonderful way to start

creating quilts and designs.

There were no preconceived ideas of what

was possible.

It was totally up to my imagination and creativity.

It's very easy today 

to make quilts

only the way a pattern shows

and with only those fabrics.

I admit I've lost some of my creativity.

 But look what's also in the pamphlets

I'm giving away.

"Something New, Ready Cut Quilts"

 Quilts kits for those who wanted it just that way.

Don't you love the prices in 1931.

Quilt kits are still big business for a quilt shop.

There are a lot of quilters, myself included at times,

 who want it just that way

even today.

 ****

Don't forget to leave a comment

on Monday's post.

 I'll be drawing on Saturday for

the winner of these

original Ruby McKim booklets.

 They could be yours,
to spark your creativity.

 Until Next Time-
 

Peach Beehives

From cobblers to salads

from breads to ice cream,

the lovely summer peach

is such a  delight to use.

My family's all time favorite

summer peach recipe

is

Peach Beehives.

These little beehive replicas 

 

 are so easy to make

and so delicious.

A friend gave me this recipe

way back

in the mid 70's

and now it's a tradition

to enjoy this summer dessert. 

Each peach is wrapped in a narrow

strips of your favorite pie dough.
I had to use store bought this time.

 Leaving the skins on the peach  and starting

with the stem side down,

wrap the pie dough around and around

overlapping until the peach is covered.

 

Make sure the dough is

firm around the peach so all

that delicious peach juice doesn't

leak out.

 We always have to make

a few bees out of the leftover dough.

That's the fun part.

Bake at 375 degrees for 

30-40 minutes,

depending on the size of the peach,

or until lightly golden brown

on a baking sheet that's lightly

greased or on parchment paper. 

 

That's a brown bee on the top,
not a pecan!

We add a nutmeg sauce

which is made by:

creaming some butter ( 4T )

adding some vanilla (1 t.)

milk (1 T)

nutmeg

a pinch of salt

Confectioners Sugar ( 1 cup)

Make it what ever consistency you like and the

amounts might vary depending on

how many peaches you bake.

Serve warm, but not hot.  

Those peaches inside stay pretty hot.

Take a bite, 

close your eyes,

and

enjoy the last days of summer.

****

Don' forget to 

leave a comment on Monday's 

anniversary post to win 

these.

Until Next Time-

Blog Anniversary and a Give Away

My blog,
Timeless Reflections,
has been my opportunity
to create an online diary.

Nothing earth shattering
or world changing.

Just a glimpse into me

my family,

my passion about quilt making

and life around me.

Writing is not my career,

and, yes,

the only C I ever received 

was in

Freshman Creative Writing at

Western Michigan University.

I appreciate all of you

for taking the time to 

follow along,

and leave a comment or two.

As a thank you,

it's time for a give away!

I have 3 origianal

booklets printed by McKim Studios, I think,  in 1931.

 I'd like to share these with one lucky follower.

These are a treasure with patterns, history

and the cutting edge of quiltmaking.

"The friend who sent us this lovely design to copy

also sent a helpful suggestion as to patterns:

She suggests using blotting paper

instead of cardboard for the cutting units,

as they stay placed so firmly on the cloth.

A wax crayon is excellent with which to trace

around these."

We've come a long way since then.

***

So leave a comment.

I'll draw the lucky winner next Saturday,

Sept. 1.

Thanks as always.

Just a side bar:

Notice how my hair style really hasn't changed 

since 1956!

 Until Next Time-
 

Pointy or Plump

Pointy or Plump?

****

Were you thinking I was going to share
about a recent trip to a lingerie department?

No.
Sorry.

I use to teach quilting classes before and 

while I worked at the Fig Leaf quilt shop.

One of my favorite classes to teach was
 beginning applique classes.

My goal was to help quilters learn to like 

the "A" word.

The challenge for most appliquers

is keeping the curves curved

and the points pointy.

This month I've been working on

 this quilt and appliquéing stars and leaves.

The pattern was drawn with plump star points.

I'm so use to making pointy points

that doing plump points has been a challenge.

It's like doing a very tiny curve on

the star tips.

Here's some plump one.

Here's some pointy ones.

I would tell my students not to worry about 

turning corners or making points 

until the stitching reached that part.

By anchoring the point with a stitch,

 and then turning the corner, it's pretty easy to 

make perky pointy points.

Older appliqué instruction included pressing

under seam allowances with an iron, which meant 

burnt fingers and big plump corners.

Finger pressing is a safer and easier
way to create a smooth curve.
(no spanks required!)

Instructions also recommended clipping

seams allowances to create smooth curves.  

All that did for me was to create pointy curves.

Pointy,

Plump,

Curvy

I guess I could be talking about lingerie .

Until Next Time-

Peachy Keen

It's peach season and 
there's nothing better than the 

smell of a ripe peach and then the juice

drizzling down your chin.

I've collected a lot of peach recipes over the years.

My all time favorite recipe is peach beehives, 
I'll share it with you later when my

Florida daughter comes to visit next week.
It's one of her favorites.

In the meantime,
Elizabeth and I needed to make cupcakes
and the flavor of the month
has to be Peaches and Cream.

We decided to use one of our
favorite sour cream and vanilla cupcake recipe
and doctor it up with some peach puree.

The buttercream frosting became Peachy Keen
with some peach preserves added along with
a couple of drops of red and yellow food coloring
to enhance the color.

 

Peaches and Cream Cupcakes

Makes 1 dozen

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, room temp

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup peach puree ( I added a dash of lemon juice

to keep the peaches from turning brown.)

Preheat the oven 350 degrees.

Mix dry ingredients together and set aside.

Beat eggs and sugar until light and creamy

Add butter and vanilla and beat on low speed for about  

one minute until well blended.

Add the dry ingredients on low speed until just blended.

Add the sour cream and beat until smooth

Finally, add the peach puree.  Mix.

Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 full.

Bake about 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean, cool on 

a rack for about 5 minutes and remove from the pan and cool

completely before frosting.

Peach and Cream Buttercream

11/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp

3 cups or more confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup peach perserves

1 Tbs vanilla

2 Tbs of heavy cream

Whip the butter until light and fluffy.

Add the confectioners' sugar and beat until combined.

Add peach preserves and vanilla and beat until smooth.

You can add a drop or two of red and yellow food coloring to make

it a peachy color.

Add the 2 Tbs of heavy cream, mix enough to combine and then

increase the speed mixing for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy.

 

Great Cupcakes,
Happy Co-workers

Until Next Time-

Kyle

The Elusive Buckle

The alarm went off at 2:30 am

and we were up and ready to leave the motel

by 3:30 am to join the other 

795 ultramarathoners at the start of

" The Race Across the Sky"

I wished Running Man good luck and 

reminded him I would see him in 23 miles.

The gun went off at 4:00 am

 and what seemed like an endless

stream of headlights were
 quickly swallowed up in the early morning darkness.

The first runners completed the first quarter of the race

in 3 hours and 5 minutes.

Hey, I'd like some of that energy.

Running Man was close to his target when he

came onto this check point.

As a crew,

which stands for 

Cranky Runner,

Endless Waiting,

we had a list of items to prep and

things to do and items to exchange in and out, but 

basically, we were there trying to meet his needs
and to keep him healthy and safe.

All seemed good, 

but later when we looked closely at the headlight he had given us

 we noticed it was cracked

and commented that he had blood on his elbow.  

He hadn't mention the fact that he

had, we assumed, fallen somewhere along the trail.

But on he went. 

There's such excitement, enthusiasm and a  party atmosphere 

in an event like this.

Some runner have no crew and only use drop bags to 

get their supplies, while others

have such huge groups complete with signs, horns, matching 

Tee shirts and even costumes.

We loved how this van had the race drawn on the
windows and was marking their
runner's progress.

Notice how the runner looks at the end.

Running Man just had Elizabeth and me waiting at 

the check points.  

But we were there and always ready.

Twin Lakes was the next big check in point.

Unfortunately, we did more waiting than we had planned.

Here's Running Man

  making his entrance down the steep rocky hill
into the station.

 The 40 mile marker.

He had seemed tired to me.
He didn't have the
"eye of the tiger."
 Why?

He had twisted his knee when he had
fallen early in the morning.
He had caught the toe of his shoe on a large root
that crossed the trail,
twisted his knee and fallen on the other one,
and landed on his head protected only by the headlamp..

At this point, he sat for a while,
trying to decide what he needed to do
and wrestling with what he wanted to do.
 
His 40 miles completion was
no easy thing.
He was disappointed.
And I know he would have pushed himself to
complete more of the race, but
he chose the safest path
and turned in his timing chip.

 Here is the first racer across the finish line.
Note the time:
100 miles in 16 1/2 hours.
 Wow!

The mantra of the race is
" You can do more than
you think you can."

 "Running Man"  We're proud of you! 

Until Next Time-

Running Man is in Leadville

It's the middle of August 

And I just got out my winter coat,

Mittens and hats,

Sweatshirt and boots.

It's an odd wardrobe for this time of the year,

Unless you are heading to 

Leadville, Colorado.

Running Man has plans,

Big plans for this coming weekend.

It's time for the 

Race Across the Sky,

The Leadville 100 mile race.

Leadville sits in the Rockies at a starting

Altitude of 

The trail goes along  here

Then up over this.

You run 50 miles out

and then you turn around and 

run it all again heading back to the start.

The course is brutal,

Unforgiving, and 

Both a mental and physical challenge.

Running Man made his first attempt

Two years ago.

He ran 60 miles.

You can read about that adventure Here.

Elizabeth and I will be his crew.

Now he has more race experience and 

A 100 miles finish.

He's ready to try again.

It will be a long weekend,

Hopefully with good weather

 And swift feet.

Until Next Time-

A Few Random Thoughts

 I'm glad I was able to
work on a few of the
Just Takes Two blocks
that I had previously cut out.

 ****

  It's funny how a nickname can stick.

I never really had one as a kid.

But I can show you why

I call Ed,

"the Running Man."

****

Two special little
babies that make me smile.

Sanford
8 months

Everdeen

2 weeks

****

I'm blessed.

Until Next Time-