Free Motion Quilting: Part One

I’ve been lurking around the Sew, Mama, Sew forum for a few weeks now and I gotta tell you: I love that place. I like having a venue where I can share what I know about sewing and offer up some tips and words of wisdom to help people through their frustrations. I had to learn what I know about the basics from a really mean teacher in college who had absolutely no sense of humor. I wish I would have known the future me–she’s much more patient and amusing than old Not-Sewing-With-Nancy-Nancy.

After receiving a couple of wonderful emails with some great questions, I have decided to share what I know about Free Motion Quilting. This is a technique that I attempted to learn for years and years and years on my own and I finally broke down and took a class on the subject because my attempts were making me want to throw my sewing machine on the ground and hit it with a bat.

For this first leg, let’s just start with some basic advice that I have not found in any book on the subject:

• The absolute key to success in Free Motion Quilting is to have a sewing platform. If you are lucky enough to have a cabinet that your machine sits in and provides this workspace then good for you. It is impossible to do this technique without a platform. Believe me, I’ve tried. A lot. You can buy a platform that is custom fitted to your machine or if you are willing to shell out a hundred bucks or you can do it yourself for about eight bucks with a little ingenuity and some carpentry skills.

My homemade sewing platform.

• Don’t use cheap thread. I haven’t found a book yet that will tell you that Coats and Clark is cheap thread. It is. Invest in the spendier stuff because it really does perform better and will give you better results. You will experience far less breakage–some machines are more temperamental about this than others. I had a constant problem with thread breaking until I learned that my older Kenmore is one of the models that was built by Janome and Janome machines are notoriously picky about what kind of thread they like. Since I switched over to higher quality thread I have had no more problems and that is totally worth an extra buck to me.
• Start with cursive “l”s and “e”s before you move onto fancier stuff. It’s hard to draw a flower if you haven’t practiced curves a billion times first.
• There will be a bit of goofiness with the bottom tension (just a bit) when you do curves. Some machines perform better than others. My machine (another Janome trait) tightens up on curves and I have to really slow down and concentrate on what I’m doing to keep my stitching even. Next time I get my machine tuned up (do this religiously) I will make sure that they have adjusted this a bit better for me.
• Get yourself a pair of Machingers gloves. I am not a gadgety girl but these are worth every penny and I would buy them again in a heartbeat. They are gloves with latex fingertips which really grip onto the fabric and make moving it around a breeze. The teacher in our quilting class let me borrow hers and I immediately bought a pair as soon as the class was finished.

This information is meant to supplement what you can easily find in any book about Free Motion Quilting. These are just the “aha!” tips that I learned in our class that have really made machine quilting work for me. Next week I will show you how to make your own sewing machine platform using a piece of plywood, a wooden dowel, and four wood screws.

Back to figuring out what my kid will eat and lurking around on Sew, Mama, Sew…

The Eye of the Hurricane

My goodness. It’s been pretty intense around here lately as summer winds down and the transition into fall begins. With two more weeks of the Farmers Market, a re-vamping of what it is I do around here, and a tot who is rapidly approaching independent movement I’ve had my hands pretty full. This on top of the regular duties of the household and another pretty major project in development that will remain a little secret for awhile.

So here’s the haps:

• The Store is closed for some pretty major renovations until October 15. It’s now time to really start moving in a more professional direction with my online presence and that means a new look and feel to my Etsy shop.
• A whole new scope of products is in development. Now that I am no longer planning on making baby carriers, I feel like the world is my oyster. There will be some pretty cool stuff happening around here in the next couple of months if all goes well. I am separating the store into two different shops: one that features patterns (and products made from those patterns on occasion) and one that leans more toward my artistic and experimental pursuits.
• I am devoting a lot of extra attention to my family these days. In addition to being on the move now, Nico has also proven to be a very finicky eater. It’s taking a lot of time and energy to ascertain what he will eat and when he will eat it. Unfortunately for me, he is not at all interested in the usual go-tos for a kid his age: bananas, avacados, cottage cheese, tofu, pretty much any steamed vegetable, and yogurt. Sigh. At least he likes oatmeal and he seems to be handling the introduction of gluten and dairy just fine. This week he is in a groove of Granny Smith apples and Cinnamon Puffins. That’s all. Nothing else. And though he still refuses to taste the cheese that I offer him, he will actually pick it up and squish it in his fingers now. And don’t you dare mention the word “wean” around this kid. He takes back to the boob like a newborn and refuses to eat anything at all.

For his birthday (and mine!) we are having apple cake with caramel frosting. I suspect that cake will go over well.

So the posts might be a little sparse around here for a month or two but I will do my absolute best to get the tutorials on Thursdays done every week and pop in to say hello at least one time a week. “Almost Winter” is a busy time in Montana and we have to relish every second of sunshine before the real thing hits. And being that it snowed in the mountains last night, it looks like this year might be a doozy.

Or it might be like the tropics. You never really know around here.

Making Grilled Pizza–A New Twist on an Old Favorite

Now that you’ve been given the keys to successful dough making, I’d like to share our method for cooking pizza on the grill.  My mother-in-law shared this technique with us and it has become one of our favorite ways to eat pizza.  (Thanks, Tina!)  Um, the picture bandit has struck again so there are limited photos in this tutorial.  Please holler at me if you have any questions.

After your dough has risen, punch it down and pull off a good sized chunk.  My favorite pizza dough recipe yields about 6-7 six to eight inch pizzas.  This is a great meal to make when you have company that digs being a part of making dinner.  Roll the dough into a nice circle-esque shape.  It’s pizza, don’t stress.

Now this part is very, very, very important:

When you stack the dough circles, make sure to separate them with parchment or wax paper that has been OILED ON BOTH SIDES.  We just use the spray stuff since it’s so easy.  If you neglect to do this, the dough will stick to the paper and you will have to roll it out again.  Don’t ask me how I know this.

We use the indirect grilling method on a charcoal grill since we are so happy with how the pizzas turn out.  You could also use a gas grill set to medium for similar results.  Spray the side of the dough that you are grilling with oil then place on the grill.

We close the lid and let it do its thing for about three or four minutes.  Depending on how hot your coals are, you will want to keep a close eye on these little babies since they can go from golden brown to crispy black in a heartbeat.  Only cook one side.

Spread your sauce, your ingredients, and the cheese on the cooked side of the dough.  Return to the grill and cook until the cheese melts and the raw side of the dough is cooked to your liking.  We have found that the second leg of the cooking process takes a little longer because the coals cool a bit.

If you haven’t noticed by now, I like to cook more by using my instincts and my senses rather than by following a set of rules.  I encourage you to experiment and use these instructions as a guideline to develop your own particular way of creating the version that is perfect for your family’s tastes.

And what are our favorite toppings?  We’re pretty sold on Italian sausage, crimini mushrooms, fresh spinach, and sliced grape tomatoes.

A New Direction

So I’ve been doing a lot of thinking as I’ve been making all of these baby carriers this month and I’ve come to a few realizations:

• Each one requires a pretty serious commitment of my time–cutting, serging, sewing, topstitching, pressing–and I just can’t compete in an already over-saturated market;
• I’m not having a whole lot of fun making the same thing over and over again;
• And sadly, they’re just not generating much interest.

It’s taken a lot of soul searching to finally come to terms with the fact that I’m going to give up on the idea of making baby carriers.  It’s an idea that I’ve devoted so much of my attention to that it’s difficult to let it go.  In the interest of simplifying our lives a bit however it’s time to accept the fact that my initial idea has failed.

And I’m ok with that.

As the boy grows, I realize that soon he’s going to be just fine walking around on his own, thank you, and I’d like to keep my mind open to the fresh ideas and new opportunities that are sure to be inspired.  I also have one of those personality types where I like the challenge of new things that require a lot of problem solving–once the initial task has been tackled I find myself bored and unable to focus.  I’ve learned through years of experience that it does little good for me to fight this tendency, especially when it comes to my creative abilities.

The purpose of creating a home based business has been for me to have fun while contributing to our family financially–the last thing that I would ever want to burn out on is my sewing.  Sewing has always been my sanctuary, my outlet, my means of communicating what happens in my mind in a tangible way.

And I’m not willing to compromise that energy.

As the Farmers Market winds down, I’ve been doing a lot of research about my plans for my Etsy store.  It has been sorely neglected for the last few months and all I can say right now is that I have plans.  Ok, I’ll spill it.  The plans involve two stores:  one store devoted to my sewing patterns (and items created from the patterns) and one store devoted to well, other stuff.  Other stuff that I’m experimenting with and developing right now.  Eventually I will combine all of my creative efforts into a website where all of the items will be available, but for now Etsy fits the bill just fine.

We’re working to make life a little more simple around here and this will allow me to create some more space in my studio.  I’ve always been so busy trying to find a spot for everything that suddenly the idea of just creating space fascinates me.  Maybe it’s because it’s finally time to babyproof our house?  At the ripe old age of eleven months Nico has finally mastered the art of rolling over.

Crawling is sure to come.  Soon.  And we need to make some room for our little explorer and some extra time for his mama to take him on proper adventures.

Thank you all for the support that you’ve given so generously–there will be more to come!!

The Countdown to the First Birthday Begins…

When our midwife saw this picture, she asked me if I was in labor when Papa J took it.  Nope.  This was one year ago this week (three weeks before the arrival of The Boy) during the stretch of record breaking temperatures and a nasty fire season.  The 105 degree days were filled with the acrid, clinging, permeating smell of smoke.  There was no escape.  

These days mark the beginning of my lessons in endurance and self-sacrifice.  The juxtapostion of misery and gratitude.  There is no chart that can document this kind of growth, there is no percentile to fall into, there is only the blissful opportunity to experience each moment and become the woman I was meant to be with honor and grace.

Though I must admit that it’s a little easier when my skin is not bursting at the seams and the projected forecast is 85 and clear as a bell.

Homemade Dough: How to Show It Who’s Boss

So there’s a funny little quirk about Bozeman–there are very few good places to eat around here that don’t cost a fortune. And when I say a fortune, I mean ridiculously expensive. I don’t care how good it is, I’m NOT paying over $30 for a pizza. Perhaps we’ve been living in the beautiful middle of nowhere for a little too long, but are sandwiches $11 where you live? I mean, come on already. And you get chips. Not fries, CHIPS. Sometimes they’ll distract you with a pickle just to keep you from throwing the plate back at them.

Needless to say if you want to live in Boze-Angeles and eat well without taking out some pretty serious loans, you have to learn how to cook. Everything. Don’t even get me started about the Mexican food up here. (Although as an ambassador for eating seasonally and locally, if we wanted really good Mexican food then we should live closer to Mexico.) Anyway, we can make a couple of pretty serious pizzas at home for about $12-$15 if we start from scratch. After a few years of eating some…interesting…pizza crusts, I have finally settled on this dough using the method I am about to share with you.

Let’s start from the beginning since that’s the best place to start. This method uses a KitchenAid mixer. If you don’t have one of those and you cook or bake a lot, you should get one as soon as humanly possible. Get yourself a jar and put a dollar in it every single time you think about a KitchenAid. If it’s something that you truly desire, you will have the money saved in no time flat. Back to it:

Part One: The World of Yeast

Maybe you know this, maybe you don’t, but yeast is a living organism. You always begin a yeasted dough with the process of combining the yeast, a sugar, and warm water. These are the only three ingredients that are put together in the beginning. The yeast feeds on the sugar (or honey in this case) and the warm water creates a peaceful, supportive environment for the event to happen. Ideally, the water should be about 105 degrees (almost too hot on the tender part of your wrist). To ascertain the temperature, use a meat thermometer to gauge the feel of the water and commit this feeling to memory. Or you can use a thermometer every time if that works for you.

When the conditions are ideal, this will happen in about five minutes:

This is what is known as “the sponge”. Basically it’s a bowl of foamy goop. There are rules to yeast, but don’t be afraid of it. If the water is too hot it will kill the organisms, if the water is too cold the process will take FOREVER. The feeding frenzy must be stopped at this point or else the yeast will overproof (gorge itself and die) and won’t work in your dough. How on earth do you stop the madness of this hungry yeast? Add your salt. That’s it. And technically it doesn’t stop it, it just slows the process down to the point where you can add the rest of the ingredients and give the yeast some real work to do. You don’t want to add your salt prior to this point though because your bread will turn out dense and brick-like.

Part Two: Balancing the Texture of the Dough

This is the point where the art of breadmaking becomes a part of your soul. There is no way to learn this process other than to experiment and it is not a process for wussies. It can be heartbreaking and sad or joyous and triumphant. Until I started working with some very talented bread artisans at our co-op, I had no idea why there was such an imbalance to my dough making efforts. I will attempt to share the most common mistake through these pictures:

Not enough water. (Notice the dry texture and the unmixed flour at the bottom of the bowl.)

Not enough flour. (This is the kind of dough that sticks to everything that it comes in contact with. Like a booger.)

Just right. This dough is supple, pretty stretchy, and a pleasure to touch. That’s about the only way I can describe it. It just feels right. The measurements for your flour and water are guidelines in breadbaking–the dough will vary by the amount of moisture in the air, the type of flour you are using, and sometimes the mood of your mixer that day. Start with the recommended measurements, then your experience should be similar to this:

• Well that needs a little more water.
• Whoops, too much water. A little more flour.
• A little more flour.
• A little more flour.
• A little more flour.
• Whoops, a little more water.
• There we go.

Start with about a tablespoon at a time until you get to know the feel of what happens with each addition. Pizza dough is the perfect place to start getting to know the process of making your own dough because even if you screw it up it will probably still turn out pretty good. It’s also something that we like to eat a lot so it gives a lot of opportunity for experimenting without the serious emotional attachment.

Part Three: The Magical Secret of Kneading the Dough

There is a special little secret about dough making that I have never heard or read about until I started working with a very talented gal named Jaclyn. I’m not sure if this is represented very well by photos, but it is the end all be all secret to knowing when your dough has been kneaded enough. This is my secret to making something that actually looks, feels, and tastes like bread from a bakery instead of something that could be used to hold a door open.

When the gluten has been sufficiently worked, it creates web-like structures when you stretch the dough.

Not it–the dough rips apart. (This is about two minutes of kneading in the KitchenAid with the dough hook.)

Not it. (About four minutes of kneading.)

Closer…see what’s happening?

And we’re there. This is about 6-8 minutes of kneading in the KitchenAid.

If you overknead it, the dough will feel really soft and just rip apart again like it did in the first picture so be very watchful with this process. I think it took me 4 or 5 different tries to really know the magic spot. Again, this will vary on the day, the weather, the flour you’re using, and how much you’re actually paying attention so do stop the mixer and check the dough every minute or two. The perfectly kneaded dough will look like it has layers of webs when you gently stretch it out.

The texture of the dough should feel heavenly, similar to a baby’s bum or an earlobe. Another good gauge would be the density of the jiggly underpart of your arm, though this may be the only time I ever describe that as heavenly.

Part Four: Relax and Rise

Prep a bowl by running hot water over it to warm it up. Oil the bowl, plop your ball of dough in, and cover with a purty little towel.

Place the bundle in a warm spot to rise and it will take about an hour to double in bulk. In the wintertime, I preheat the oven to 150 degrees, turn it off and leave the door ajar while mixing and kneading the dough, and let it rise in there with the door closed. You can definitely let it rise in a cool spot, but keep in mind that it will take a long, long time. If we had a woodburning stove, I would put the bundle in that room near (not on) the stove.

And there you have it: homemade dough de-mystified. Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions on this process.

Next week: How to make Grilled Pizzas using this recipe.

From the Studio: Nursing Clothes for the Rest of Us

Here’s the situation: It’s summertime, I am a nursing mother, and I have one nasty farmer’s tan because all of the tank tops out there (that are cute) do nothing to hide this hideous freakshow known as a nursing bra. We like to call it my “lunch lady bra” on good days but most of the time I just put a shirt on as fast as possible so that I don’t have to look at it. Some days there are tears. And no, I’m not going to pay fifty dollars for a bra that’s actually pretty.

So into the studio I go, armed with some freshly dyed fabric to conquer my latest feat: a tank top that is suitable for nursing.

The pattern that is applying for this demanding job must meet the following criteria:

• must hide this hideous bra entirely with no chance of letting it see the light of day
• must be easy to make so beginning sewers can conquer it
• must provide easy access to the girls without putting them on display
• must be CUTE–grown woman cute, not bunnies and kittens cute
• must hide what my friend Mijanou calls “the waterbed”

Extra qualification: potential to be converted into a sundress. Wouldn’t that be…oh, wouldn’t that be just so nice? A dress that you could frolic in on a summer picnic and feed your baby in at the same time? Sigh. Or at least something cute that you could wear to the grocery store after you tie up your dirty, ratty hair and put on some lip gloss.

If this sounds dreamy to you, I’m taking five pattern testers. Just email me and I’ll get you set up with the first version of whatever I come up with. There might be some FOE involved, I’m not sure yet.

Promises, Promises

Yeesh. I apologize for neglecting to update the Farmers Market Feature yesterday. For some reason I assumed that I would be able to squish it into an already packed and stressful day. No such luck and I think it’s high time I remembered to stop stressing about every little thing so much. I’ve been working on balance quite a bit here at the old homestead and I’m not going to lie: it’s really tough. I’m so amazed at how much our lives have changed in the last eleven months (as of today!) and I’m feeling a little introspective as we approach the boy’s very first birthday. And my thirty-third.

Here is what I was so dang busy doing yesterday:

I had the opportunity to take an all day dyeing class on Low Water Immersion Dyeing. You know when you feel something really powerful enter your life? Acquiring this knowledge is an incredibly powerful tool that I believe is going to dramatically shift my journey into fiber arts. Different from other low water immersion techniques that I’ve read about, this method has given me the ability to put some science behind the art of dyeing so that my results are somewhat predictable. Well, as predictable as dye can get I suppose. A big thank you to Susan Lohmuller, dye guru and weaver from Montana, and to The Yarn Shop and Fiber Place for offering this incredible workshop.

And I also got to hang out with a bunch of crazy weavers whose gang I am eager to join. Here are the fruits of our labors:

It was such an inspiration to keep company with so many other fiber artists. Sometimes I feel really isolated in my little sewing/dyeing/quilting/patchworking/wannabe weaving/designing world and it was a breath of fresh air to meet a whole group of women who share similar interests.

But even if he doesn’t share my passion for fibers, this little dude (and his papa!) certainly makes some pretty good company too:

Feeding himself. Curried Tomato and Lentil Soup no less. The funny thing is that we can’t even get this kid to eat simple things like carrots–he does share my passion for food I suppose.

A Recipe and Some Rest

So I’ve been attempting to run on a little schedule here, though I’m afraid I’m not doing a very good job of it this month. Thursdays have been pegged for tutorials by the way. After the hard core display of tutorial writing that I demonstrated with the diaper sewing instructions a few days ago I’ve decided to chill out this week.

So there.

I will give you the recipe for next week’s tutorial in which I will de-mystify the process of making Homemade Pizza Dough. I have some little tricks to teach you about all of that just in case your current efforts yield little pasty bricks of flour and yeast. Feel better? I thought so.

And now your recipe (based on the pizza dough recipe from Horn of the Moon Cookbook by Ginny Callan):

Honey Wheat Pizza Dough

• 2 Tbsp dry baker’s yeast (about 2 packages)
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 3 cups white flour
• 1/4 olive oil
• 2 teaspoons salt

In a medium sized bowl, combine yeast, warm water, and honey. Let sit for about five minutes. Blend flours while waiting. When the yeast foams, add oil and salt and slowly add flours, reserving about 1/4 to 1/2 cup for kneading. When the flour has been mixed in, turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead for six minutes or so. Wash the bowl, lightly oil, and put dough back into it to rise. Let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour if in a warm spot.

After the dough finishes rising, turn out and knead again for about three minutes. Roll out to fit pan(s). Will make one deep dish 14″ round, a couple of cookie sheet size, or two or three thin 14″ rounds. Let rise again for about 30 minutes if you like a lofty crust or cook it up right away if you like denser crust. Experiment. Don’t be scared.

In the tutorial next Thursday, I will also show you how to grill them.

Just try and tell me that’s not exciting. If there are any specific problems that you have had with making any kind of bread dough from white and wheat flours, holler at me and I’ll try and include it in the tutorial.

From the Studio: Making Headway with Dyes

Well, you can’t really see it in this picture but this Glacier Lily Wrap turned out the most vibrant shade of violet. Must work on my photography skills…

I even busted out the manual for my serger (um, finally) and figured out how to do a rolled hem. It was so easy that I think I might actually figure out how all 6 of the feet that I got with it work now. The ruffler is definitely first in line…

So what is a glacier lily? A glacier lily is a beautiful, delicate little flower that grows around here in high altitudes. They are simple and stunning little beauties and offer a cool little perk: you can eat the bulbs. And they taste really sweet, not all plant-ey.

Useful and beautiful: two of my favorite things.