discoveries

Today things seem a little misplaced here in blogland.  My pictures won't line up like I want them to.  I am doing a little work-around to even get the pictures in here because the usual system I use is not cooperating, so I will just be happy that I even got the pictures to appear!

While I was just away on a fun quilting retreat, we started talking about the good places to find tools that help our sewing and quilting.  These are not items found at a quilt shop.  Let me explain.

These little paper clips/binder clips are from the office supply store.  They have a heavy paper tab added that can be written on.  I have used these not just for papers, but for groups of blocks or pieces that I can clip together, label, and then come back to later.

IKEA does hold a wealth of gadgets and gizmos that can be applied to our quilting hobby.  Even the button rug I wrote about not long ago!  This item below is a magazine or paper or letter sorter.  Now it is a ruler holder!  Hanging nicely on the wall, it helps tame the ruler madness.

Not every ruler fits into the wall holder, so the remainder sit nicely in this desktop letter/file holder.  This was a thrift store find.  If you are looking for one for yourself, be aware that some of this type of holder are wire.  That works, too, but not very well for the smallest rulers because they fall through the bottom.  The one in the picture is plastic and has a solid bottom to each division so nothing escapes.  I even put small cutting mats in here.








Again, from the office supply store, I landed on a stack of screw top containers meant for lunch or snacks.  Now they are a neat way to transport little necessities.



And lastly, these adhesive pieces can be found in your everyday discount store (Target, etc).  They are adhesive on both sides with a soft gel-like center.  Available in strips or squares.  I have used them when I need to make a seam allowance other than my usual 1/4" width.  I remove the cover from one side of the adhesive, then measure my seam allowance from the needle, and adhere the strip to the bed of my sewing machine.  It has a little thickness, so serves as kind of a bumper for the edge of the fabric feeding under the presser foot.  And when I am done, I just peel it off, replace the strip of clear plastic that covered the sticky stuff, and save it for another day.  The pack contains multiples, so I likely have a life time supply!

Another discovery to share with you--a new brand of oatmeal!  It is certainly the time for oatmeal here with winter upon us, but it can really be eaten anywhere anytime.  This particular brand of oatmeal is called Better Oats and comes from Malt-O-Meal.  Just down the road a bit from here!  I don't have a picture to share, and my attempts to "borrow" the picture from their website have been unsuccessful, but if you go to the website you will see it.  It is Oat Revolution Steel Cut Instant Oatmeal with Flax.  I purchased mine in the little Gordy's grocery store in Augusta, WI.  Mine is flavored with maple and brown sugar, but you can get them plain or in other flavors according to the Better Oats website.  It cooks a little longer than regular instant oatmeal (2 1/2 minutes) but comes out with more chew to it and I like that.  If you can find it in your area, give it a try!

That's the limit of my discoveries for today!  Have a good one!

whew!

That was a lot of binding! This quilt binding seemed to go on and on and on, must have been at least a mile. But here's the final result, and I am liking it--

Soon to be found on display at Bear Patch Quilting Co. and available as a series of classes. This pattern is Civil War March by Yellow Creek Quilt Designs.

In my quest for leading a less meaty diet, with the hope that I will in turn become less meaty, I tried a recipe today for Black Bean patties. This came from the Angry Chicken blog, which seems an odd name for a place to find vegetarian recipes! But the result was quite tasty, and oh so much better than the frozen black bean patties I have purchased at the grocery store. Now I have my own supply of delicious patties in the freezer. In the making of this recipe, I needed to use some oatmeal. The recipe did not specify what type of oatmeal, and this always leaves me in a quandary. I have regular old-fashioned oatmeal on hand for my granola, and I have quick oats for the days when I only have 1 minute and 10 seconds to make breakfast. Don't let that 1-minute claim fool you, oh no, you have to allow at least an extra 10 seconds to get the right consistency. Anyway, I finally learned everything you ever wanted to know about oatmeal so now I know what to use in my recipes. I'm sure you are just as relieved to know the details as I am!