When I got back from Knoxville, the scans for our new line were waiting. That's always so exciting. The line is called "Looking Back" and will start showing to shops September 1st and then at Market. When I get the scans, ideas form and evolve and pretty well take over my life. It's almost obsessive - I just have to see what things will look like. (My husband would probably say I could take out the word "almost"). He becomes a fabric widower during the time I design. It's what I do when I get up - I stop at the computer on the way to the coffeepot half of the time - and it's what I do while he's getting ready for work and I'm getting ready for bed. And most of the time in between. I do try to take an hour or so to stop and sit with him around dinnertime BUT of course, I'm stitching if I'm not eating.
Then back to the design process. (And for those of you who are not familiar with the process, anything that ends up in a quilt has to first be drawn, then scanned into the computer, then drawn into the computer with my mouse.)
The fabrics here are our "Blessings" line. (It shows here a little lighter than it really is because of the flash.) Blessings is due in your shops in September. I'm sewing with Blessings" and designing with "Looking Back". It sometimes feels somewhat schizophrenic.
I sent the patterns from the Blessings line to Shannon today to put up on the website so you can look for them there and at your local quilt shop.
And then there's the garden. Tomatoes are ready for eating and canning, peppers for pickling & freezing, squash for shredding and freezing - to say nothing of okra, green beans, yada, yada, yada.
My favorite recipe for muffins for the grandkids. We shred the summer squash and freeze it in 2 cup packages and make muffins all winter long. Eat your veggies, kids. I took the muffins and the recipe to my Girl Gang last Saturday and took them all enough Summer Squash to make the recipe. And we still had some left over.
SUMMER SQUASH MUFFINS
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. nutmeg
2 cups shredded summer squash
1. preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. in a large bowl, use mixer to beat the eggs until fluffy. Beat in the sugar, oil, and vanilla. Gradually mix in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Fold in the squash. Scoop into prepared muffin tins.
3. Bake 20 to 25 minutes in preheated oven. They are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
I should be finished with the initial part of the design/pattern process by the end of August. Talk to you then.
