Thursday, January 26, 2023

Ladders & Steppingstones

It's like winter finally decided to take up residence in Southern Colorado!  It started snowing on Friday afternoon... it snowed overnight, we had at least 10 inches says Dave, but I think more like 12"... and a truck with a flatbed trailer full of three vehicles stuck on the road just below our driveway.  You can read all the details of that adventure in this week's Sew & Tell edition.  

Ladders and Steppingstones  has been quilted with some simple quilting outlining the steppingstones, free-motion feathers in the wider, outside ladders and vines and leaves in the narrow ladders.


I am thrilled with the finished look of it!  It ended up with much more red than I typically use in a quilt, but I still adore it.  It is a perfect lap sized quilt and is ready to get loved on and used at a new home.

Trying to get the quilt in place without having a lot of footprints in the snow around the quilt can be a little challenging... and required a few carefully placed (and lucky) tosses... 

Here are a few more shots of the quilt in the wild. 😍





Ladders & Steppingstones is a bright and cheerful quilt for a cold and snowy week... We have had snow flurries several days this week and I have been busy in the kitchen.  I tend to prepare meals using the oven more in the winter.  And I have been doing my fair share of that while making breads and muffins.  I like the extra warmth that the oven use offers. 

But I think I have finally figured out how to use the instapot that I have had for more than one year.  It doubles as a slow cooker too.  Bonus!

I have actually decided that I like it.  It has a stainless-steel pot, rather than a ceramic crock, allowing me to place my frozen No Guilt::Go Quilt crockpot meals in without the worry that I will crack the pot.  Dare I say that I am even considering giving up my traditional slow cooker??? 

Brown rice, beans, hard-cooked eggs, stocks and soups are among the most popular items I cook in it.  With the soups, if not using made-ahead freezer meals, I can sauté onions and garlic and chicken pieces and then add in the remaining ingredients.... reducing the number of pans that are required.  WIN!

For the stocks/broths, I have a container that lives in the freezer to collect vegetable peels and any cut-offs from potatoes, carrots, celery or onions.  These get added to a chicken or turkey carcass or beef soup bones.  Nothing goes to waste!  I do, after all, loves scraps. 😉

What's the weather like in your area?  
What's your favorite meal to prepare in the oven?

I love a roasted chicken with baked potatoes... leave a comment.  I'd love to hear from you!

Stay warm and keep piecing!

Melva

Linking with:

Put Your Foot Down at For the Love of Geese 
Needle & Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation
Free-Motion Mavericks at Quilting & Learning
Can I Get A Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Off The Wall Friday with Nina Marie
Brag About Your Beauties at From Bolt to Beauty
Peacock Party at Wendy’s Quilts and More
Friday Foto Fun at Powered by Quilting
Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts

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12 comments:

  1. Your quilt is beautiful!
    I wanted to say I love my instapot. I've cooked dry beans unsoaked in 20 minutes! I also like making chicken noodle soup in it. I cook the chicken first, cool down, and add the rest. Then cook a few more minutes depending on the noodles. I love my air fryer too! More time to sew!

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    1. Thank you. :) I haven't completely mastered cooking all beans as the higher altitude requires extra time... almost double the time, it seems. I feel that the air fryer is best for french fries, reheated pizza and salmon.

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  2. What a lovely quilt, the color scheme is beautiful.

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  3. This is a fabulous and fun quilt, Melva. Love it with the snow in the background.

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  4. The quilt looks gorgeous... especially in the snow...
    What a great finish for TGIFF.... thanks for joining in too...xox

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  5. What a beautiful quilt! Such gorgeous colors-nice job! I underuse my instant pot, but I do love it. I wish I had counter space for all the "small" appliances that Hubs has accumulated. I made him build some shelves for our utility room wall, so it doubles now as a kind of pantry, just for the small appliances that he insists on buying. I hardly ever prepare a meal in the oven, other than turkey, ham, or a casserole. We are due freezing rain with some ice accumulation over the next 2 days and temps freezing or below, so we are glad we don't have to drive much!

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  6. Beautiful quilt!! I really like the photos against the wagonwheel - gives it that Westerny flair!!!
    I love my Instapot - I even cooked a whole chicken in it!!! but in the oven.... do cookies count as a meal???

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  7. Hi Melva, what a great quilt! Those fabrics make it look so comfy and cozy. Thanks for linking up to Free Motion Mavericks.

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  8. LOVE your quilt, did you give dimensions of the quilt somewhere? of the blocks? Our current weather in central Oregon is 40 degrees and sunny. It is warming up! Miss Kitty is reclining behind my computer screen next to the window blinds where it is warm.

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    1. Finished dimension was 41"x 51". The outer ladders were 6-1/2", 4-patch blocks used 2-1/2 squares and those units with the white around them were 6-1/2" (made with 4-1/2 squares cut on the diagonal). I hope that answers your questions. :)

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  9. Oh, and I don't have one of those instant pots nor air fryers, no room in a 5th wheel to store these, with my fabric collection. I do use a crock pot, and start the beans the night before to cook on high, safely, to be ready the next day.

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  10. Thank you sew much! that really helps. Have a beautiful day, very windy here today!

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