Hi Everyone,
Is everyone in the Holiday spirit yet? I’m looking forward to spending time with family. I’ll be having the party this year at my home. It seems that I’ve been doing most of the holiday dinners here lately. I enjoy it. It keeps unnecessary stress off my parents who have historically done them. My son’s company gave some turkeys to their employees so he is giving that to the dinner. I’ve never cooked a turkey before so this should be a new experience for me. I’ve always been afraid that it wouldn’t be done all the way and make someone sick. So I’ve shied away from them and let someone else do them. I guess I’ll get a ham also, just in case. You can’t go wrong with those.
I’ve been making progress on my For the Love of Geese quilt. Last week I showed off the medallion I was working on. Here’s another look.
I finished the medallion and placed it in the center of the geese circle to get a look at how it will look. I’m pleased with the results so far.
So now it’s on to the border blocks. I’ve been compiling them and I’m almost done. The next step will be to sew the border blocks into 8 pieces then start putting it all together.
Once I get all the pieces put together, I suppose it will be time to peel off all the papers from the back. I’m not sure what to think about that. It probably will be a somewhat of a mess. I’ll bring the trash can near by and hope all the papers make it in there.
I’m also starting to think about what I will do on the backing. I bought extra fabric for the front anticipating that I will make a few mistakes since this is the first paper pieced quilt I’ve done. While I did make plenty mistakes, I seem to have some left overs. So I’m thinking that I can just put it together in a pleasing way and that would work just fine.
Hoping everyone is enjoying my progress. That’s all for now.
Cherie
Cherie's Quilting Journey 
This looks amazing, truly it does. Is that gray fabric in the border geese? Whatever color it is it really sets it off. Are you having a hard time not staring and admiring your work, lol? The paper, oooh all the little papers. I keep a 5 gallon crock in my sewing room with a 13 gallon trash bag and compress as I go. But it never fails that there are a few small pieces that love to venture out into house by way of my cloths. There is always paper and thread falling off of me. The worst I ever used was red thread, I had that shit everywhere inside and out. Or it seemed so because it does not blend with my earth tone floor like neutrals do.
Glad to know I am not the only one who has never baked a turkey, I share your concerns. We have ham at my home on Thanksgiving and turkey at my sisters home on Christmas, it works for us. At 48 I have no immediate plans to ever attempt it either. Good for you for stepping outside your comfort zone.
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Hi Denise, Yes it is a dark grey in the border. I’m hoping to get some better pictures but as you know there are too many pieces to move around much now. I try not to stare at it so much but since it is stationed in the middle of the floor it’s hard not to. There is a mess around the table I’m using to trim my pieces. Threads and bits of fabric are sticking to me, but that tends to happen wether I’m paper piecing or just plain sewing. Thanks for all the encouragement and I’m hopeful you are pleased.
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What its important is if you are pleased and no regrets. I am so thankful that you stepped in and took this project on.
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You’re making great progress – looks super so far!
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Thanks, starting to think about what comes next. Thanks for having the linky party so I can show it off.
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Hi Cherie,
Wow – you’ve come a long way in that week! The center medallion is all pieced, and the borders nearly complete. Are you thinking you’ll have it sewn together (just the top) by the end of the year? I can’t even imagine how you’re going to quilt it, but I sure will watch with interest. ~smile~ Roseanne
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Hi Roseanne, I’m thinking I may have the top together by the end of the year if I’m lucky. We’ll see how easy it is to get them all together. I have started thinking about the quilting. I want to keep the piecing in focus and it is pretty busy already so something subtle.
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This is your first paper pieced quilt? Wow, that makes this even more amazing! So gorgeous…thanks so much for sharing on Wednesday Wait Loss!
As for the turkey, have no fear. There are a couple of things I have found that help with success. First, don’t put the stuffing in it. That slows down the cooking time, dries out your turkey, and can cause the stuffing not to bake properly getting people sick. Instead, stuff aromatics inside after removing the giblets you’ll find packaged in the neck and stomach cavities–aromatics such as lemons, apples, garlic, and herbs like sage, oregano, thyme, parsley.
I butter the skin with softened (not melted) butter mixed with herbs, salt, and pepper. Stick the turkey in a big pan (roaster) with 2″ sides to catch the juices (you can purchase a disposable one at the grocery store), cover with aluminum foil or the roaster lid and roast at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 min a pound. I set a timer and baste the turkey every hour. (I do a large one over 18 lbs.) About 45 minutes to 1 hour before the turkey is going to come out based on this time, I take the cover off and start browning the skin. To test if your turkey is done, stick a meat thermometer in the thigh, but don’t let it poke the bone. It should read 180 degrees. Don’t rely on those thermometers in the turkey as sometimes they get stuck and don’t poke out when they should and as a result, your turkey will be overdone. Oh! I almost forgot. Let the turkey sit for about a half hour so it can retain it’s juices, then carve it.
To make the gravy, stick the giblets you found in the cavities (except the liver which frankly stinks) in several cups of chicken stock, onion, and celery, and simmer to reduce it and create a flavorful stock. I remove the giblets (you can carve and add the neck meat back in if you want) then bring it to a boil, adding cornstarch or flour mixed with a bit of water to thicken the gravy. You can add some of the turkey juices to the gravy after you remove the turkey from the oven if you want.
The stuffing as I said I make and bake separately. I typically do the turkey ahead of time because there’s less pressure. On the big day, I reheat it, covered with a bit of water drizzled over the top to keep it moist at 325 F for about a half hour or so.
Good luck! You can do this!
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Hi,
Yes this is my first paper pieced quilt. It’s not difficult at all and the results are amazing.
I’m the kind of person who jumps right in. I’m sure I got the turkey also.
Thanks for having the linkup so I can show it off.
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Amazing work here, Cherie!
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Thanks, I appreciate it.
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WOW! This is a beautiful quilt and I am in shock that you picked this one for your first paper piecing project! What a way to jump right in! Very impressive! Keep up the great work!!
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Thanks, I’d like to say I conquered paper piecing. I dove right in. Hopefully my turkey turns out the same. I’m using the same mindset.
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That quilt is already amazing, and it isn’t even finished! The trick with a turkey is to remember to reach into that cavity and get out the little bag of innards, so you don’t bake them with the turkey. =) I used to always get Butterball because it had that pop up thing that said when it was done. Now I just buy a turkey breast and call it enough! But, yeah, ham is a great plan, and that’s what I’m having, too.
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My Mom told me a story about her first Thanksgiving turkey where she didn’t realize there were innards inside. My Dad was in the navy so she wasn’t near their parents to give her advice. I went to the grocer and bought some aromatics to put inside and I’m just going to season and butter it and see what happens. I have a neat meat thermometer that sticks in the meat but has a wire where the digital display sits outside the oven. I am hoping I stick it in the right place and all should be good.
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Super cool! Using the left-overs is perfect for this quilt’s backing. You can do the turkey! You got some great tips up there. Particularly about not baking the stuffing inside the turkey – you’ll do just fine!
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Thanks, I have a recipie for a cajun rice dressing instead of traditional stuffing. You can see the video here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu7JFJ-M29k. I really like this guy.
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Wow, you have made some serious progress with that border! It’s looking amazing! I always tend to overcook my turkey. I always follow the timing according to the usds.gov website, but learned this year that when I cook them in a roasting bag they cook faster! Since my husband likes only the white meat (and dry at that), it always works out well that I overcook it…LOL!! It’s never a pretty turkey, but at least people get fed! I hope you have a great experience with cooking it this year. I wish you a happy holiday season!
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Thanks, I know that some of the best dinners are the ones that I don’t cook. So I’m sure that my guests won’t be too picky. It’s always better if you don’t do the work.
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