Noelle's sashiko sofa throw finished ... and puppy reality check ... and homemade bread

It's a cloudy cozy Saturday here in North Carolina.  I have a crock pot dinner going, and bread dough rising, and an afternoon free for quilting. 

First things first though, after some "getting real" thinking, I've decided to delay (possibly forever?) getting a puppy - for all the usual reasons!  It was fun and thought provoking to read comments on this topic, on my last blog post - thank you!  When I really tried on the thought of just saying no to the puppy idea, I felt both disappointed and relieved, mostly relieved, even very relieved.  Alas!  and Whew! 

Anyhoooo in my pet-less townhouse I finished up the sashiko on Noelle's throw.  I'm real pleased with it and will bring it for show-and-tell tomorrow at guild meeting.  

This is the third of these sofa throws I've made so far, using Susan Briscoe's excellent guidance in The Book of Boro.  

Here's the top, photographed in the shade to try to capture the indigo hue: 

 

And the back: 

I add a few patches once the sashiko is finished - including David's family Kamon (crest):  

I love adding in some special pieces of Liberty tana lawn with the recipient in mind: 

Below, once of my all-time favorite pieces of vintage Katazome: 

Knife edge "hem" - 

In other news last week David taught a sushi making class for a group of adults (with and without intellectual disabilities) my niece Alyssa works with in her work with L'Arche.   My sister in law and I helped him.  A lot of work and a lot of fun.   

I just took my bread out of the oven!  It's a sourdough sandwich bread, recipe from King Arthur Flour.  I love that it combines a sourdough levain that you mix the night before, with a little active dry yeast, for an easy recipe, consistently delicious results.  I always add some whole wheat, wheat germ, and a bit of vital wheat gluten,  in place of some of the white flour.  Using a scale has forever changed the way I bake! 

I let it cool like this, elevated, to prevent soggy bottoms.  

Hope ya'll are having a good weekend in your own neck of the woods... 

x

Cynthia