Quilt for a Rainy Day Continued...

Well I learned that I can't really make a quilt in one day. I like to tweak them to much. I started one thing... then it changed... then it changed again.

I made my first blocks to big. (This is why you don't do math when you have a cold!) Then I changed the other ones to make for smaller blocks instead of one large one. 

Overall I love the outcome so much better! I have one more seam on the top and then to add a boarder. Once I do that I should be able to tie it... AWESOME! I love it. Super soft all homespun fabric! I will post the finished quilt soon.

Little Quilting to Brighten Up a Cloudy Day

As the weather turns colder we have been enjoying the open windows and fresh air. I love the evenings where we can enjoy a light quilt over our laps on the couch. This past year when my grand parents estate was settled, my mother gave me a little lap quilt she had made for my grandmother, many, many years ago.

We have several quilts to cuddle with on the couch, but this one is soft and worn from many years of use. Though we love to be warm with it, I want to retire it from use to a safer place as it is threadbare in a few places.

Today I pulled out my stash and looked through some of my Pintrest quilt photos so I could find some inspiration for a simple, quick to piece, fun to tie... quilt.

I choose this photo for inspiration...

 and went to my warm, soft homespun's for the choice. (though not as colorful... they are way more cuddly than batiks)

I now have my trusty Kenmore 158.480 out and ready to sew. Stay tuned for the finished top!

What Plants Go in a Cold Frame for Fall and Winter

Plants	When to plant	When to harvest	Virities and Links to order online
Cichorium Radicchio Endive Chicory Frisee Escarole Sugarloaf Dandelion	Mid July	Unfrozen	Marachre – Seed Savers Dandelion Italian Cilo – Johnny’s Seeds Many others, these are the ones I will try this year.
Swiss Chard	Mid July	Unfrozen	Rhubarb Red – Seed Savers Fordhook Giant – Seed Savers
Scallions	Mid July	Can be picked frozen	White Alisa Craig – Seed Savers Red Wethersfield – Seed Savers Yellow of Parma – Seed Savers
Parsley	Mid July	Unfrozen	Triple Curled – Seed Savers Giant Italian – Seed Savers
Carrots	August 1	Unfrozen	Paris Market – Seed Savers Scarlet Nantes – Seed Savers
Mustard	Mid August	Unfrozen	Mizuna Asian Green – Seed Savers Mizuna early – Southern Exposure New Star Mustard – Southern Exposure
Turnip Greens	Mid August	Unfrozen	White Purple Top – Seed Savers
Spinach	September – All Winter	Unfrozen	American - Seed Savers Bloomsdale
Mache	September – All Winter	Can be picked frozen	VIT (Valerianella locusta) – Johnny’s
Lettuce	September – All Winter	Unfrozen	Lettuce Mixture – Seed Savers
Arugula	September – All Winter	Unfrozen	OG – Seed Savers Apollo – Seed Savers Sylvetta – Seed Savers
Claytonia (miner’s lettuce or winter’s purslane )	September – All Winter	Unfrozen	Claytonia – Johnny’s Seeds
Minutina	September	Unfrozen	Minutina – Johnny’s Seeds
Radish	September – All Winter	Unfrozen	Helios – Seed Savers Philadelphia – Seed Savers Purple Plum – Seed Savers Watermelon – Seed Savers French Breakfast – Seed Savers Early Scarlet Globe – Seed Savers China Rose – Seed Savers
Leeks	Mid July	Unfrozen	Giant Musselburgh – Seed Savers Prizetaker – Seed Savers Blue Solaise – Seed Savers
Sorrel	Mid July	Unfrozen	Sorrel – Johnny’s
Thyme	Mid July	Unfrozen	Thyme - Seed Savers
Rosemary		Unfrozen	Rosemary – Seed Savers
Cilantro	Mid July	Unfrozen	Cilantro – Seed Savers
Peas	August 1	Unfrozen	Green Arrow – Seed Savers British Wonder – Seed Savers Champion of England – Seed Saver Tom Thumb – Seed Saver

We only just finished the cold frame yesterday and I tried my best to get it planted a couple weeks ago. Didn't get to plat it when I should have for maximum growth, but this will be a little experiment. We should have a good bit of fresh greens for salads and juice. The things I can plant all winter, we will be having lots of those. 

I grew this Dinosaur Kale for the first time this year in my summer garden. It is still going strong as a monster plant. I love to use the leaves in my juicer as they are long and narrow. 

Vates Kale is the one you see often in the store. Very curly and so very tasty. I love to make kale chips with the Vates. So yummy. My massage therapist Julie gave me the best recipe for making them in the dehydrator. Sooooo Good! I can almost eat the whole batch myself. After "cooking" for a couple hours I am in the kitchen sampling them. Last time I ate two trays before it was finished.

My husband loves radishes. As long as they are washed and ready to eat in the fridge he will munch away. Or he gets them right from the garden as he is walking in from work. I like to think of him as my "rabbit".

I love beets! Roasted, pickled, steamed, greens, and any verity. Though maybe my favorite is the golden beets.

Cleaning out my seeds this fall, I found I had five different envelops of spinach. I choose three and planted them all. This one that I bought in bulk at the feed store was the only one to come up. I have not had the best of luck with spinach in the garden. Though I love it! So I hope this one keeps going strong. I will be planting more this week.

With my mother being from Alabama, we grew up as children eating lots of greens. Collards and Swiss Chard were more common in our home. Swiss Chard is so much like spinach, but some days I think even better. The smell of it steaming in the kitchen is one of the best earthy smells. YUM! Think I know what I will be having for lunch tomorrow.

My first time planting onions from seed. I got these three from Seed Saver Exchange in Iowa when I was out there for my sister-in-laws wedding. So want to go again in the middle of summer. Can't wait for these to get even bigger! 

It is finished!  YAHOO!!!!

I am so excited I could explode! 

4' X 14' Cold Frame

It took way to long to paint the windows and have them ready to go. Special thanks to my sister who helped me last weekend, and a extra thank you to my massage therapist Julie for giving me these windows last year. She, like me loves to garden and this is something we have talked about during many a massage sessions.

This is the thermostat sensor that is tells me what the temperature is from the comfort of my kitchen counter.

I love how easy it is to see what the temperature is and know when to go open or close the frame. For those who may or may not know. 

You want to keep the inside of the Cold Frame colder than warmer. Below 75°F during the summer Below and 60°F for the spring and fall. When it is about 40°F you want to start venting and anything above 50°F take the lids off or open the all the way. Don't forget to close the lids in the cooler evenings. 

The one thing we still are working on is the ropes that help with the venting. Right now it is all manual, we are thinking of adding a crank. This is my husbands idea. I love him! He likes to look for the "better" way of doing everything! If it looks like hard work, he will find a way to do it with a button. Hence my digital thermometer, vs. the one that you have to peek at from the inside of the cold frame. That is to much work when there is a foot of snow on the ground.

Here is me playing with the venting of the "lights". I LOVE IT!

This is my sweet Maggie. She loved every moment we worked on the Cold Frame. She "supervised" as she ate a larger than life kohlrabi root that I pulled for her last week and dried in the sun.

Just a few finishing touches. Some weather stripping around the windows and caulking for the larger cracks. Lets not forget that crank system my husband wants to install. I think it is a GREAT idea! If anyone knows of something that will work feel free to suggest it.

More tomorrow about what I have planted inside.