FO: Brushstrokes Plus

It's no secret that I love plus quilts.
I made this one using Jeni's Arithmetic pattern a few years back, and decided it was time for another!

Holly released her first fabric line earlier this year, Brushstrokes, for Cloud 9.

I paired the bundle Holly sent with a few black and white prints, as well as a smattering of pastel Cotton Couture solids.

A quilt like this comes together pretty quickly, especially if you have a design wall. I tend to use the floor for this task, since my "design wall" is only about a yard of space (but I'm glad to have it!) (and hi Olias!).

I quilted this very simply with diagonal lines, and I love the way it turned out.

(Hi Bella!)

And of course, I love the back.

FO: Ron Burgundy

Did I tell you I have a new nephew? It's true.
He is my sister's first child, and it is really awesome to see her in this new role.

This was taken at her baby shower a few months ago, when Jill opened this knitted sweater that I made for her.

I used the free pattern Baby Sophisticate, which I would definitely knit again. I chose to knit the 6-12 month size, since you never know how big a baby will be!

The yarn was intended for some felted slippers last year, but it seemed like the perfect color (Malabrigo Worsted in marron oscuro).

I especially love these buttons, which I found on etsy (here!)

As much as I would love to share pictures of my nephew, my sister has decided not to post any online photos of him for the time being. If that changes, I'll be sure to share!

My project is here on ravelry. Oh, and obviously, I named this sweater for the famous anchorman.

July, August and September recap - new recipes

I know. Three months of recap? Yikes. Even though I have kept up with the goal of trying three new recipes a month, I have been less than awesome in sharing it with you. So, starting with July...

July

-Chicken Gyro Salad from Smitten Kitchen
This was tasty and fresh!

-Creamy penne with asparagus and peas from The Make-Ahead Cook
I thought this was pretty tasty, and a nice change of pace (peas aren't something I use often)

-fresh pasta

So, after purchasing a pasta maker on sale (and helping my mom make a batch of pasta earlier this year), it was so fun to try it out for myself! It feels like cheating to call it a recipe when it only has two ingredients, but it counts! We are planning to make another batch very soon.

August
-ham and cheese pastry puffs from Back in the Day Bakery cookbook

This was the first recipe I tried from this gifted cookbook, and they were a tasty hit at my sister's baby shower. Oh, yeah, did I not mention my sister was pregnant? (Past tense because she had her little boy!)

-Black bean and rice bowl from SkinnyTaste

-Moroccan chicken with lemon and olives (Cook's Illustrated monolith)

-Lemongrass Basil Sherbet from Bon Appetit
DUDE. I can't even tell you how amazing this was. It was perfect, and I want it again right. now.

September
-Flat-roasted chicken with baby potatoes from Smitten Kitchen
This was tasty, but it made me realize that I needed a more shallow roasting dish. The potatoes didn't crisp up like they should have. I hope to try this one again with my new pan.

-Coconut beef curry from Bon Appetit
This was tasty, although I would precook the potatoes next time (the curry thickened a little too much because the potatoes needed more cooking time)

-Almost no-knead bread from Cook's Illustrated

oh yeah. Another big winner. I made the version with olives, parmesan and rosemary. I will say that if you don't like olives very much, you probably won't like it, as it is pretty olive-y. We ate almost nothing but bread until the loaf was gone. I'll make it again, definitely, and I want to make the cranberry orange one soon, too.

Okay, that's it! I hope you find something new to make, or at least some dinner inspiration!