Year: 2018

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Oh, For the Love of Chai!

There is nothing better on a frosty morning than a big mug of fragrant Chai! I love the spicy, heavenly aroma of this spicy tea but do not love all the sugar in commercial mixes. I’ve purchased Chai tea bags hoping that they would satisfy the craving, but the watery tea doesn’t satisfy the craving for the creamy mixture I love.  I had pretty much given up on drinking Chai when a good friend of mine brought this recipe to my attention.

I was driving home from the holidays (a very long 12+ hour drive) and saw  my friends facebook post about this amazing looking Chai tea that cures all your aches and make you feel shiny and new again. Needless to say I stopped at the grocery store before arriving home and picked up the ingredients I was missing. 
(The original recipe was posted on Facebook by author Elizabeth Gilbert. Click here to see her post.)

While I thoroughly enjoyed the original recipe I have tweaked it to fit my tastes. Here is my version of Elizabeth’s Big Magic Chai Tea Recipe!

Chai Tea Recipe

Start with 4 cups of water in a pot
Add:
  2 Cinnamon sticks
1 to 2 inches of ginger, diced
1 teaspoon of ground cloves
1 teaspoon of whole black pepper
About 8 – 10 pods of cardamom, crushed.

Bring it all to a boil, let it simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes.

Add 2 green or black tea bags. I prefer green.
If available add a couple inches of vanilla pod sliced down the middle. I also add a small piece of Star Anise (not a full Star Anise). Be careful not to add too much— it takes over EVERYTHING.

Simmer again for about 5 minutes. If not drinking immediately let cool and then strain into a quart jar. Store in fridge for daily use.

In a small glass bowl mix approximately 1 TBSP of Turmeric powder with approximately 3 TBSP of honey. I love using a pampered chef prep bowl for this.  Adjust these amounts based on your love of Turmeric and how much sweetener you like in your Chai.  I leave this on my counter to use every morning. You can also mix your turmeric with your coconut oil instead of the honey. That would give you a little more control over your sweetener without getting overwhelmed by turmeric.

In the morning I take out my preferred mug, and fill it about 2/3 full of the Chai tea. Then I fill with milk (use whatever kind of milk substance you prefer)  leaving about 3/4″ space at the top of the mug. I then pour it all into a pan and heat it.

While that’s heating I put about 1/2- 1 TBSP of coconut oil and of the honey/turmeric mixture in one of my Magic Bullet containers. ( a blender or food processor would work equally as well.) When the chai has heated to just below boiling I pour it into the Magic Bullet container, attach the blender and mix until all the honey and coconut oil have blended and it begins to take on a frothy yellow appearance.

Pour it all back into your mug of choice, sprinkle with cinnamon and enjoy!




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How to Hang It

The Conundrum:

Throughout my Longarming career, one of my biggest struggles has been to get quality photos of my finished quilts.  Before I hand off a customer quilt I like to get a few (or sometimes a 100) pictures of the finished project. Photography is important to me and I’ve learned over the years how vital it is to get quality photos of quilts to showcase my designs and quilting. Some of my past techniques have included draping quilts over the longarm machine, laying them on floors, and even hanging them from my machine light bar.  This usually left me climbing on furniture to get pictures of questionable quality.

A year ago I made the difficult decision to have my studio separate from our living space. I was lucky to be given work space in my boyfriend’s dad’s house. (That’s a mouthful isn’t it?) The walkout basement gives me plenty of space to spread out. Which means I’ve finally been able to set up a quilt photography space! I determined that the extra bedroom with the nice big window to create side lighting would be the best space to use. So now comes the question . . .How to hang the quilt?

What I Needed:

My requirements for my system were:

  1. Low budget
  2. Ease of installation
  3. Low impact/damage on the wall

After a trip to my favorite helpful hardware store (I swear those guys groan when they see me coming), I had supplies and a plan! And at $24.75 for supplies I had hit all my requirements! Here’s what I had:

  1.  2 eyebolts   $2.79
  2. 50 ft of soft thin rope      $5.99
  3. 10′ metal conduit 3/4″ diameter $5.99
  4. 1 boat cleat (to tie off with) $2.49
  5. Curtain hangers (optional) $7.49

What We Did:

After recruiting my boyfriend and his power tools, we went to work! First we installed the two eye bolts as close to the ceiling as we could. I wasn’t too concerned with them being perfectly even as I figured I could level the quilt as I pulled it up. And honestly, what are the chances of me holding my camera perfectly level anyways? This is why I have Lightroom!

Then we slid the hangers onto the conduit and ran our rope through the center of it.  You will want considerably more rope on one end than the other as one rope will travel to the other eye bolt before going down the wall.

Next we strung the rope through the eye bolt on each end of the wall. Then we ran one of the ropes over to the opposite end of the wall and through the eye bolt on that side (so one eye bolt has two ropes running through it. This allows me to raise and lower the quilt from one end. Finally we installed the boat cleat to tie the ropes off.

Now I was ready to load a quilt! First I tie off the hanger so it is about half way down the wall. This makes it a convenient height to load a quilt on.  The curtain hangers easily clip onto the edge of the backing and batting. (I’m careful not to clip them onto the quilt top as I would be concerned about leaving marks.) Next I untie the rope from the boat cleat and pull the quilt up to the top. Tie it off again and happily take pictures!

The End Results:

I have been so pleased to have this up and running! It’s easy load a quilt on, and it raises and lowers easily! But I do have a few critiques of the system.

  1. Installing it on a 8 foot high wall means that a lot of my larger quilts still drape on the floor. My only taller option would be outdoors. That’s just not a realistic option day to day here in the rainy Flathead Valley.
  2. My metal conduit does bow a bit.  Originally I had wanted a wood closet dowel.  However these were very expensive and I could only find an eight foot option. Next I considered PVC but decided this would be too flimsy. I consider this slight bowing of the metal conduit acceptable for the inexpensive price. Also the fact that it is light weight, while leaving it susceptible to the bowing, makes it easy to raise and lower.
  3. I’m not sure if the curtain hangers shown here are the best option for this system. They are easy to use, but I don’t feel that they hold the quilt as flat as I would like.  I’m still debating other options.

What about lighting you ask? Currently I’m using my extra plant and chicken lights. You know, the ones with the metal shades and clamps that you can find at the feed store. I made sure to purchase bulbs that didn’t have a yellow tint to use with them. While this has been working moderately well in conjunction with the natural light, I have plans to experiment with my system. Stay tuned for more info!

Do you have a quilt hanging system you love?  I’d LOVE to hear about it! Email me at cfbquilts@gmail.com!

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Stretch Away the Stress

Winter Blues:

I think every longarmer or seamstress is familiar with the toll our craft takes on our neck, shoulders and back. Long hours this winter sitting at a desk working on website and hovering over my Gammill doing custom quilting has certainly left me with a few aches and pains.  It seems no matter how I adjust my machine height I’m constantly hunched over the quilts I’m working on, straining my lower back. Over the years I have found that the more active I stay the easier it is to deal with these aches and pains.

BUT, let me introduce you to winter in Montana.  That time of year when the weather outside is frightful, and it takes great effort to maintain any kind of exercise routine.  Anyone who has experienced the heavy gloom of the Flathead Valley, in northwest Montana, knows what I’m talking about! Usually I greatly enjoy winter and use cross country skiing or snowshoeing to chase the winter blues away. However we have been plagued by icy snow conditions this winter. That along with my busy work schedule has made it difficult to grab much time outside in the few daylight hours we get. After losing my side kick and personal trainer Hank the cow dog the beginning of January, my will to exercise hit an all time low.

A couple weeks ago, after a particularly nasty weather day I decided it was time to take action.  I was tired of living with an aching neck and back. I needed to motivate, so the aches and pains didn’t keep spreading!  I also needed some exercise to release some of the stress and cabin fever that has built up over the winter. The solution? Welcome my old friend yoga!

Time for a Change:

For years I’ve practiced yoga on and off. The benefits and enjoyment are undeniable, but when we get busy usually the little luxuries for ourselves are the first things we cut out of our daily schedule.  But I recognized that if I didn’t do something to at least improve my posture I was going to be facing much bigger problems in the future. So two weeks ago I decided it was time to commit to a routine. . .even 20 minutes a day . . . surely I have 20 minutes a day for myself . .  . for the well being of mind and body.

Anyone who knows me knows that routines are not my strong suit. I love the idea of planning out what I’m going to do each day and for how long, but the reality of being able to stick to that plan often escapes me. Especially when the boredom of a routine sets in and distraction takes over. So my number one concern setting up my yoga routine was how to keep it interesting.

A Little Online Help Goes a Long Way:

Enter yogadownload.com. Introduced to me by a yoga crazy friend, this website that offers some free streaming classes, downloads upon purchase, or a monthly subscription for complete access. It has made all the difference in my morning routine! After creating an account, (and no you don’t have to subscribe to start an account) I searched through their free classes and compiled a wishlist of ones that I want to try in the 20-30 minute range.  This reduces that morning search through class after class that quickly cuts into my allotted exercise time. I found many different style of free ones from light stretching routines to ‘you better have a towel handy for this 30 minute class’! I even found an 11 minute stand up and stretch video that I’m excited to try on the days when I have to be behind the computer digitizing patterns or when custom quilting is getting to my back.

So my current morning routine??  Get my workout clothes on and boot up the computer. Get my stove top espresso maker together and ready to roll.  Pick out one of the 20-30 minute videos from my Wishlist or Class favorites, and get it ready to play. Turn on the stove, then hit play! I have found a 25 min class will finish up right about the time that the espresso stops percolating. There is something soothing and enticing about doing yoga in the morning while smelling the alluring aroma of coffee brewing.  And it’s a great treat at the end of the session! Do you need enticement to do yoga you ask??  I need enticement to do anything in the morning I say. . . .

The Benefits:

The results in the two weeks I’ve been committed to this have already been amazing.  I’m starting to notice my flexibility increase, while my aches and pains decrease. Also my body is starting to take shape again after softening out over the winter. Most of the routines I do don’t even get me close to breaking a sweat! Every time I can get a little deeper into a pose than I could yesterday, or feel more balance and strength in a pose, I’m thankful for the changes I chose to make. I’m excited to see how far I can go over the next couple weeks! Another bonus – I don’t dread heading to the desk or machine to work, as I know it’s not going to be so painful when I’m done!

Are you a beginner and scared to try yoga? While I’ve tried several great teachers on yogadownload.com, Jackie Casal Mahrou has some fantastic free light stretching classes with clear instructions and information on how to vary a pose to your level of fitness. I particularly liked her Daily Decompression class!

There is one negative aspect of this routine that I’d like to caution you about.  While doing floor poses the other day I had a little time to stare up at the ceiling.  After a few minutes I registered the cobwebs that at some point this winter have appeared along the beams. Why oh why did I have to notice that???  I guess spring cleaning shall be the next routine to tackle. . . .

 

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Website Launch!

It is Finally Here!

As many of you know months of work have gone into getting this website ready to launch. There have been many brainstorming sessions, lots of sighs, a few tears of frustration and possibly a glass of wine or two. Who knew that a girl’s idea to sell a few designs online would turn into such an undertaking!

But I am so proud of the site we have put together! And I couldn’t wait to roll it out for all of you to see! We (my wonderful web expert Jenn and I) will continue to add content and fine tune things over the next couple weeks. We have tested the site on several different devices but if you have any suggestions or feedback as you wander through it on your device, we would LOVE to hear them! Please email me at cfbquilts@gmail.com.

I’m so excited to have this website up and running so you all can shop on your own schedule, but I’m also a little sad to be automating it. While it is definitely more cumbersome to handle transactions one by one, I have loved the opportunity it has given me to get to know my customers and develop relationships with each of you. Just remember, even though the buying is automated I’m still right here to help you with any questions or concerns. And thank you to all of you that have already become valued customers and friends!

But for now sit back and enjoy your visit at Peak to Prairie Quilting!