FO: Feathers

Way back in January 2014, I posted about the Feathers QAL, for the pattern by Alison Glass and Nydia Khenle.

I worked through the blocks fairly quickly, and instagram tells me that I finished the quilt top 93 weeks ago. So, the gist is, it took me less than a year to finish the top, and then it sat for over a year.

But, good news! I finished it, and here is proof!

I really love how it turned out, and I never tire of that cerise Architextures background!

We visited McKinney Falls over the weekend for a hike, and took this quilt along.

I used a big piece of a Melissa Averinos Sugar Snap print (Spirograph!) and two coordinating prints for the back. I quilted it with three different colors of thread in "organic" straight lines.

It feels good to get a 2014 WIP finished up so it can be loved again!

FO: Show Pillow

Elliott called this 'the Show pillow' when I first finished it (months ago), and it stuck.
I think what he meant by the comment is that it's fancy.
Good enough for company!

It makes me smile everytime I look at it, and I guess that's what's important.

I started this pillow in May of 2012, at the Houston MQG retreat. I just started quilting Liberty scraps, using a soft pink thread.

The project lingered for a long time. I would quilt a few and set it down again. Then late last year (maybe September or October), I finished in a frenzy.

I bound it in this favorite black and white.

I love how it looks in our living room.

January recap - new recipes

Olias, because I dislike pictureless posts.

I had grand plans to share this earlier, but I set a challenge to try three new recipes each month this year (in hopes of working my way through some saved pages/pins and a modest cookbook stash). In January, we managed to try six new dishes! I thought I'd make a monthly entry here to keep track of the ones we tried, and maybe you'll find some dinner inspiration.

-Slow Cooker Enchilada Soup from Skinnytaste
This was tasty, but I think I would add more vegetables next time.

-Lemon chicken pita burgers
We loved these, but I'll add more seasoning next time. We also used a whole egg instead of egg whites.

-Tangy Carrot Salad (again, from Skinnytaste)
This was a favorite. I devoured it. I love lemon.

-One pan roasted chicken and vegetables from The Make Ahead Cookbook
Loved this, and will make again. The dark meat could have been removed a few minutes early, but everything had great flavor.

-Apple Walnut Salad from Homesick Texan Family Table
We made a few mods to this, like pecans instead of walnuts. Super tasty.

-Molasses bacon sausage (again, Homesick Texan)
Um, yeah. This was amazing, and we actually have some in our freezer right now. And I want to eat it all.