Friday, May 27, 2011

Strawberry Time



I went strawberry picking with my husband and daughter on Wednesday. We go almost every year to Butler’s Orchard in Germantown Maryland- the same farm I’ve been going to since I was a little girl. The strawberries are fabulous this year. It was easy picking and look at the size - almost like California berries!








We picked 16 pounds. It took me a few years as a young adult to remember that picking is just the start. Once you get those berries home there is still more work to do! We made jam, froze whole berries for oatmeal (my favorite winter breakfast), sliced and sugared some and ate a lot while we worked.


We also like to eat our strawberries with this dip – mix together 1-32 oz. container vanilla yogurt, 1-3.9 oz. box vanilla or chocolate (we like the chocolate) instant pudding (not cooked, just the powder), and 1 cup mini chocolate chips. Yum!





Fabrics with strawberries on them were among the first I started collecting as a new quilter. I made the blocks in the quilt below a long, long time ago and they sat because I didn’t know what to do with them. The 2005 McLean QU challenge was to represent a favorite recipe in a quilt. So I put the blocks and sashing together and submitted the strawberry dip recipe for this cookbook.







Our challenges are almost always considered complete with just a top. A couple of years later our challenge was to use a technique you’d never used before. So I pulled out the strawberry top and added the borders – both the dogtooth border and scalloped edge were new techniques for me. This time my challenge was a completed quilt.







 


I think I started saving strawberry fabric because of a childhood memory. When I was about 5 years old I had a shorts set made of feed sack fabric. It was a beautiful cornflower blue with strawberries. My aunt had made it for my cousin and it was handed down to me. I loved it so much I wore it out.








Have a great weekend!

6 comments:

  1. Our berries are all still coming from CA. Spring has been slow to arrive.
    What a fun quilt with a fun history.
    Enjoy your weekend.

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  2. how fun - your berries look so good!
    i love your quilt and I'd really like to try scalloped borders someday.
    you did a beautiful job!

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  3. I was just looking at jam recipes last night....can't wait to make some up, just have to wait for the berries to come in!

    Your quilt is beautiful....love the dogtooth border....it just makes it! And the scalloped border is fabulous! I've never made one....but I have a wall quilt in mind, and it would be perfect for it! Thanks for the inspiration!

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  4. the strawberries look delicious~! nothing better than fresh picked and your dip sounds yummy too. i'll have to give it a try.

    i too love the scalloed borders and have toyed with the idea of trying them but have yet to be brave enough. you inspire me with your beautiful results~!

    :-)
    libbyQ

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  5. Yummy for the strawberries and beautiful quilt love the border!!!

    Hope you are having a wonderful weekend.

    Carolyn

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  6. I remember having beautiful strawberries during my first visit to Paris. I bought some strawberry fabric to make some sort of memento but it is still sitting there...
    Lovely quilt and the curved edges finish it beautifully.

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