Timeless Stitches: Cook & Sew, 16 Feb 2022

--Sharon Vesecky

Recently my sister gave me a small banner to hang on my wall. It reads, "God would not have made me a Quilter if he wanted me to cook and clean." Now there is a message that I can get excited about!

When the pandemic necessitated staying home for a few weeks, I moved my featherweight sewing machine downstairs. After all, sewing masks was a totally different operation than quilting. The lighting was better at the kitchen table, John didn't complain so long as his three meals a day appeared on his side of the table. I found it really convenient as I could bounce back and forth between cooking and sewing! I could put something in the oven and then sit down and sew while it baked. And I didn't have to go up and down the stairs repeatedly to check on the meal or baked item in the oven. I could wash dishes, pots, and pans, and if something needed to soak or I got tired of standing, I could sit down and sew until I was ready to finish the job at the sink! I used my break machine more. I had always loved to make bread, but having to make gluten-free bread had taken most of the joy of baking out of the experience. But I then had time to experiment and come up with some interesting products. (I guess that is one positive thing that came out of the pandemic!)

Here is a recipe I found recently in Grass and Grain newspaper. It was submitted by Kimberly Edwards, Stillwater, OK.

Sausage Muffins
1 cup Bisquick (I substituted Pamela's Pancake and Baking Mix to make them gluten-free)
1 pound sausage, cooked
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Mix all ingredients together. Spoon into greased muffin tins and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

They were a quick and easy breakfast.

Crock pots and slow cookers are another type of appliance that can be utilized to good advantage by a quilter. Take a few minutes to put the ingredients in the pot, plug it in, and let it do its thing! And all the while it is cooking, guess what else can get done--plenty of sewing!

Of course there is always the option of calling for take-out at one of the local restaurants. If you can talk someone else into going to get it, you can sew while they are gone.

Now cleaning is another situation. I did get a robo-type vacuum cleaner for the main floor of the house. It does a pretty good job and encourages you to keep everything, including electrical cords, picked up off the floor. What I really like about it is that it picks up the threads that fall to the floor when I sew. I relocated my sewing operation to the dining room table after Christmas. (After all, we probably will use it only a few times until next Christmas, so I can leave my sewing machine, wool ironing mat, and cutting mat where they are and the kitchen table is always available for meals.) I do have to run the robo cleaner more often because the dining room has carpet, and that would be burgundy carpet. Those light-colored threads from the sewing machine really show up on that burgundy carpet! The robo can run while I'm cooking, so the sewing area is ready after supper every evening.

Dusting is another matter. I'm still working on that one--haven't found a way to run the dust cloth while I'm sewing. I keep telling myself that I need to get up and move around and burn a few calories. It's all a matter of finding the right balance.