Author: mjkisner

How Long Does It Take to Make One Greyhound Coat?

That’s a question I have not been able to answer over the last 20 years I’ve been making coats for Nittany Greyhounds. Usually, I make 4 coats at a time… occasionally two at a time. Because the way the pattern is laid out on the fabric, I can make two coats with 1 1/2 yards of fabric.

If I have a special order for 1 coat, large or small, I make two and give the other one to Nittany Greyhounds.

So, to answer the question of how long it takes to make one coat, first I had to think about how I make four coats.

Cutting out the Coats

I start with 3 yards of fleece for the outside of the coat and 3 yards of coordinating fleece fabric for the lining. That means I’m cutting out 8 coat shapes. I can do that in about 4-5 hours with breaks to let my cutting hand rest. My daughter have me the best scissors to cut out the bulky fabric, but of course my weak link is my hand!

I do all the cutting in one day and then put the assembling aside for another day. Even if I’m making only one customer coat, I cut out the second one at this time. What I’m left with is a stack of pieces ready for assembly.

Assembling the Straps and Snoods.

The straps need to be stitched along three sides, turned right side out and top stitched while attaching my label. Then a piece of Velcro Hook is sewed on one end (a piece about 3″ long of 2″ wide Velcro).

The snoods are next. They must be sewn right sides together at the neck edge, turned right side out and top stitched. Then the bottom edge that will attach to the coat is sewn and trimmed (it took me a long time to figure out that it was easier to trim at this stage, rather than when it’s attached to the body of the coat.)

Prepping the Body of the Coat.

The coat is sewed to the lining right sides together along the outside edge; then turned right side out and top stitched. The neckline of the coat is stitched and the lining is trimmed away from the seam.

To give the flat coat some shaping I make three darts along the back edge so it will drape better over the dog’s tail. The coat is pretty long but does not seem to get in the way while the dogs run and poop (smile!). It does seem to keep them warmer in the winter.

Assembling the Coat

To assemble the coat, I sew the snood to the body of the coat (leaving a 3″ slot in the seam for the leash to go through) and stitch down the sides of the seam. The neck seam is done the same way. The strap is attached along the side of the coat.

Finishing the coats involve sewing the Velcro Loop to match the location of the Velcro Hook on the strap. It needs to be long enough so it’s adjustable to any size dog. This is usually a piece about 6-7″ long of 2″ wide Velcro.

Occasionally, there is enough fabric at the end of cutting to make on matching scarf (for the human). Not enough to make four, but someone might find it fun.

And the Answer Is…

OK, to answer the question, “How long does it take to make one greyhound coat?” It depends. If I’m up to it and I can focus on just one coat, I can finish it in about 4-5 hours. Of course, that assumes there is something interesting on TV to watch while I sew!

Beyond that, if there is anyone out there interested in volunteering to make coats, I’d be glad to share the pattern and walk you through how to make them. It is a well-appreciated volunteer activity!

You can contact me at marykisner@comcast.net or email Nittany Greyhounds at toni@nittanygreys.org.

Roasting Vegetables

Every time I roast vegetables, they come out differently. After this last batch, where I thought I understood how to get them tender in the middle and crunchy on the outside, I decided it was time to do some research!

The first article I found online was, “Everything You Need to Know About Roasting Vegetables.” Of course, after I read the article and took notes, I was unable to find it again! Phooey! However if you type that title into your search engine, you will find many more articles to search through!

This article was a good review of things I already knew, like how to cut the vegetables, what temperature to roast the vegetables (400 to 425 degrees) and how to not crowd the baking sheet. That third suggestion seemed to be the crux of my problem! When I chopped up vegetables the other night, I did separate the potatoes from the vegetables. They came out great!

I found a great YouTube video from a woman in Australia (I think) with details about what kind of potatoes work best, the benefits of parboiling, and what kind of oil (or butter, lard, duck fat) gave them the best flavor. It was a very informative video! (See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pigPB9xE4j4)

But then I chopped a whole bowl of assorted vegetables…kind of like I do when I’m making vegetable soup! I ended up with a bowlful of “assorted vegetables” that were too thick on the baking sheet.

The vegetables could not be separated from each other (too crowded) and so some steamed while others burned at the tips!

I can see I need to work a little harder to roast fewer kinds of vegetables at once. My mindset that I can combine vegetables on one tray needs to change! I finally found a chart that could help me remember. I think I’ll post this someplace handy:

________

How Long to Roast Vegetables at 425 degrees/F

Root vegetables: 30-45 min. (beets, white and sweet potatoes, carrots)

Winter squash: 20 min. (cubed) 45 min. (halved) (butternut squash, acorn squash, spaghetti squash)

Cruciferous vegetables: 15 to 25 min. (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts)

Summer squash: 10 to 20 min. (Green & yellow zucchini)

Thin vegetables: 10 to 20 min. (asparagus, green beans, snap peas)

Soft vegetables: 15 to 25 min. (Cherry tomatoes, eggplant, bell peppers)

(From: https://www.thekitchen.com/roasted-vegetable-cheat-sheet-2655019)

_______

Obviously, my major issue is that I try to do more than one kind of vegetable in the same pan. Of course they don’t all turn out great!

I’ll try to roast vegetables in groups with the timing suggested above. MAYBE my next batch will be more successful! Enjoy!

Making Apricot Bread

On our trip last weekend to southern Pennsylvania, we enjoyed a delicious addition to our breakfast spread…Apricot Bread! I knew about banana bread, blueberry bread and raisin bread but had never had apricot bread! It was a delicious, colorful bread!

I was told the recipe came from a cookbook written by James Beard…Beard on Bread. I just so happened to have that book on my shelf!

I typed out the recipe because the small paperback would not lie flat and I couldn’t weight it down without covering the recipe! (It’s on page 175, if you also have the book.) I’ll include a photo of the recipe below.

When I start a recipe like this…with several ingredients needing additional preparation, I try to prep them before I start…in this case chopping the nuts and soaking the apricots.

I did not take pictures of mixing the bread up. By the time I thought of it…it was mixed! It was really pretty simple and made the whole house smell good!

It made a pretty loaf. Perfect for breakfast or dessert! Give it a try! Enjoy.

The Case of the Missing Lamp

Have you ever had an unusual experience that left you unsettled and questioning reality? This weekend we had such an experience. We just came back from a lovely overnight visit with Bert’s sister and her husband in Greencastle, Pennsylvania. Greencastle is in southern Pennsylvania and spring is about two weeks ahead of central Pennsylvania. Trees and flowers were bursting out all over! My nose was running from all the pollen! We went out to dinner…Bert always looks forward to oysters…and came back to their home to have a nice visit.

Before settling down to visit we took our suitcases into the guest room. I reached down to turn on the small lamp right inside the door. It was more like a night light, but provided just enough light to see the room.

The lamp was about 12″ high with a base of brown glass with a small shade. The shade was not glass…more like parchment. The picture below shows what I think I remember about the lamp base…the one on the right. The glass had little bumps on it…sort of a squashed round globe. Of course, this picture is of old-fashioned Aladdin lamps that burned oil. The missing lamp was electric and the base glowed with a small lightbulb inside. Anyway, this is the only picture I could find that had the color base I remembered.

We then spent the evening exchanging stories of medical appointments, activities of extended family and future plans. We never seem to run out of things to talk about!

When we went to bed, I was checking email, while Bert took his turn in the bathroom. When he came back, he turned off the little light by the door. I finished and turned out the other light that was still on.

After hours of an unsettled stomach (probably from my big dinner) and a drippy nose (from pollen) I finally decided to take my antihistamine medicine…but of course it was buried in my suitcase. It was 4 a.m. I thought I’d just turn on that little lamp so I could see my suitcase. I reached the door in the dark and felt around for the tiny lamp. I wasn’t able to find the lamp…instead my hands felt a small woven basket…??? The lamp should be right there! So…I turned on the room ceiling light, thinking I’d locate the lamp and dowse the ceiling light.

Surprise!! That lamp was nowhere at all anywhere in the room!

Where did it go? I looked around the room at the two other lamps, but no evidence of that small lamp.

Did someone come in the night, unplug it and relocate it to another room? I’m sure I would have heard someone doing that!

I got my meds and turned out the ceiling light, wondering what had happened. I went to the bathroom and checked in the hall outside the room. Yes, there was a cute lamp on a small table, but not the one I was looking for.

So, I went back to bed trying to figure out what could have happened!

In the morning there was still no evidence of the mystery lamp. I asked Bert if he moved the lamp somewhere…he looked around the room and said, “No.” He remembered turning the lamp off. What could have happened?

We asked Joanne and Mark if they had moved the lamp…nope! They had never had a lamp with that description. If Bert had not touched the lamp himself, I’m sure this would all be chalked up to my imagination!

It’s really not important, but I could quickly see that the more we talked about it, the details were getting fuzzy. I found I wanted to expand my memory with more details when all I remember was the base and the location of the lamp. I figured I’d better write down what actually happened!

However, all the thinking and describing doesn’t solve the mystery…where did the lamp go? Or, where did it come from for those few hours? Lots of questions with no answers.

I think a good mystery writer could build a whole story around this experience, with parallel universes, or maybe the previous owner of the house had such and lamp and she had come for a visit…??

I will not dismiss the experience, but I really have no answers. Have you ever had an experience like this? Enjoy!

Forsythia Looking Good

For many years, our property was surrounded by 27 Blue Spruce trees. When we first moved here in 1970, we had a huge garden. We had some tiny spruce tree seedlings that we planted in the garden. When they were big enough…took several years…we transplanted them around the property line. They gave us some wonderful privacy for 50 years.

2019

By 2019, we noticed several of the trees were unsteady in high winds and had to be removed. We didn’t want to be responsible for a large tree landing on our neighbor’s roof! Eventually, we determined it just wasn’t safe to have any of them. Plus, they weren’t looking too health. Looking at the trees was more like looking through lace; it was just too risky to leave them up.

2019

The process of taking them down by professionals was the only way to go. It was a pretty sad day.

2019

It did leave us with a huge pile of logs that Bert worked on for several weeks…a little at a time! The picture below was just a small portion of the pile of logs.

2019

This was just the beginning of the final wood pile!

2019

In 2022, we decided it was time to replace the trees with…something! Anything huge would not have time to grow big enough to enjoy. As much as Bert dislikes plants that seem to grow where ever they want, he agreed forsythia plants would define the property line and be pretty in the spring in a year or two. We invested in 65 plants and Bert, with a willing friend, managed in a few long hot days to get them all in the ground. Whew!

The first year they just looked like a bunch of sticks in the ground. In 2023, the plants tried their best, so we had a few yellow flowers.

2023

2023

2023

This year, 2024, we can really see the potential for pretty spring flowers.

2024

2024

2024

So, even though we still miss our Blue Spruce trees, we’ll now have pretty forsythia to look at each spring…and we won’t have to worry every time the wind blows! I don’t think the forsythia will ever get so big it will block our view of the mountains. Happy Spring!

Checking Out the Bead Mercantile Show

Over this past weekend I drove to Pittsburgh for the Bead Mercantile Show (and to spend time with Kathy’s family, of course). Kathy, her mother-in-law, Anna and I made the 30-minute drive to the Show location. I was so glad to not have to worry about getting to the show…Kathy knew exactly how to get there!

I had no idea what the show would involve but I was hoping to find a few beads for my bracelets. Turns out, beads were just part of the offerings!

The location was in a ballroom of a Comfort Inn & Suites south of the city. I believe the next show will be in the fall. There were at least 15-20 venders with everything a bead-lover could need.

At the registration table, the woman collecting the $3 entrance fee was also a vendor. We got to see amazing works of art made with beads before we even got inside! The display was definitely inspiring!

Entering the large room, I was overwhelmed by the choices! Luckily, I had a list of the specific beads I was looking for.

My first encounter was an assortment of large beads…very unusual and interesting, but I had my best friend Toni in mind. She uses beads like this and could not make it to this show. I wanted to pick up some for her. Here are some of the beads I had to choose from:

These are the beads I picked up for Toni…a total of $12.00!

Unfortunately, the beads I was interested in were more expensive, of course! My strings of beads were $8 to $30 each.

I was also able to pick up some tiny spacer beads in gold and silver plated…the three tubes of beads shown here were $30!

I’ve been saying this hobby of making beaded bracelets was expensive…now I’m convinced that I’d better find places to sell them! I certainly can’t wear them all!

With all the supplies available at Jo-Ann’s, Michaels Craft Stores, Amazon and other online companies, it is a very satisfying hobby. I would recommend giving it a try if you’d like to make them yourself.

Please email me directly if you’d like me to write tutorial piece on how to make them (marykisner@comcast.net). If there is enough interest, I’ll put that together. Enjoy!

New Spring Door Quilt on Wood

Over the last 3 years I’ve been making assorted quilt blocks to decorate my front door. I started with actual fabric quilt blocks. They solved my dilemma of the small space between the door and the screen door that routinely smashed any wreathe I tried to hang on the front door. With 6 quilt blocks, I could change them out about every two months.

Unfortunately, after two months in the sun their color faded and by the second year, I was a little disappointed with using them. You can read more about my transition to painted quilt blocks on wood here: https://marykisner.com/lavender-inspired-quilt-block-on-wood/

The process of painting a quilt block on wood involves first painting a miniature of the chosen quilt block before starting on the full-size (12″ square) block. While the full-size blocks decorate my front door, one at a time, the miniatures are an interesting decoration for my mantle.

To make my new spring quilt block on wood, I first chose a pattern. I have used this same pattern several times…by changing the colors and their placement I was able to use the pattern below (called Fifty-Four Forty) that I made with patriotic colors and change it into the variation that almost looks like tulips!

I always start with sketching the design on a 3″ x 3″ canvas. That lets me see which lines should be erased so the pencil doesn’t show through the paint. Then, I’m careful when drawing on the wood so the pencil lines are faint and won’t show through.

Let the painting begin:

It takes several days to finish a project like this. The final step is to take clear acrylic spray and give it a nice weather-proof finish…all with waiting times between coats. Bert will attach magnets to the back that will stick to our metal front door. In the end, I’ll have a new spring door quilt and a new miniature for the mantle!

From Wheat Berries to Bread-repost

(The dreary rainy weather is prompting me to bake bread today! I especially wanted to remind you about this recipe that starts with grinding the wheat to making the bread. I always feel like The Little Red Hen in the children’s book! This was posted in May of 2022, so forgive me if you remember it. Sometimes I just need to do it again!)

Baking bread has always been my favorite activity when I want to do something that reminds me of my mother. I learned the “feel” of a well-kneaded loaf of bread when I was young and carried that skill over to my family when I became a mother. When sticky buns made an appearance in my mother’s kitchen, I was always glad I had hung around and could try the first batch.

Fifty years ago, we had few choices at the grocery store…white bread was everywhere. There was much in the news about how white flour had lost much of it’s nutrition by sifting out the wheat germ and bleaching it with chemicals. Of course, then we used wheat germ in cookies and added the bran back to our diets with Bran Cereal! When I cruise the bread aisle today. I’m always struck with how many choices I have of whole wheat and multi-grain artisan bread and buns. However, I still enjoy the process of making my own bread.

I’ve already shared my Oatmeal Bread recipe (https://marykisner.com/marys-oatmeal-bread/) but I’m still struggling to find a good whole wheat recipe that tastes good and isn’t as heavy as a brick. Last week, I did an internet search with “the best whole wheat bread recipe” to see what came up. Lo and behold, a recipe called, “The Very Best Whole Wheat Bread Recipe” was at the top of the list. The recipe was from https://www.fivehearthome.com/. It looked pretty simple so I thought I’d give it a try.

The day before I was going to bake, I went to the health food store and picked up about 10 lbs. of white whole wheat berries and a small bag of Vital Wheat Gluten. This powder will add more wheat gluten so the loaf sticks together better.

I set up my wheat grinder and got it running. Within an hour or so I had about 10 lbs. of beautiful flour ready to go.

Now I’m ready to bake! I did notice that the grocery store carries King Arthur brand of “White Whole Wheat Flour” now, so I shouldn’t have to grind my own if I don’t want to.

Here is the recipe:

Here are the rest of the ingredients:

Directions:

Step 1: Measure out the flour, vital wheat gluten and yeast into the mixer bowl.

Steps 2-3: Add 2 ½ cups of very warm water. Mix up for 1 minute (I did this by hand) and let it rest for 10 minutes.

In 10 minutes, the yeast is going to town!

Step 4: Add salt, oil, vinegar and honey. Mix for 1 minute.

Step 5: Add and mix in 2 ½ to 4 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time.

Step 6: Knead in the mixer until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and feels smooth rather than sticky (5-15 minutes). Turn the dough out on to floured surface. Form into a smooth ball.

Steps 7-8: Grease 2-3 bread pans. Divide dough into three oblong loaves and put them in the pans. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. for one minute and then turn the oven off. Place the pans in the warm oven and allow them to rise for 20-40 minutes, until the dough is nicely domed above the tops of the pans.

Step 9: Without removing the pans from the oven, turn on the oven again to 350 degrees and set the timer for 30 minutes. The oven will go through the whole preheat cycle now, which sets the crust.

Step 10: The bread is done when the tops are golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 190 to 200 degrees F.

Step 11: Once the loaves are baked, immediately remove the hot bread from the pans to cool on a rack.

Delicious!

I think this recipe will be my go-to recipe for whole wheat bread. I was so happy with it that I ordered a 25 lb. sack of white whole wheat berries from Amazon! Beats trying to bag it up myself at the health food store.

Give it a try…even mistakes taste good! Enjoy!

Progress with Gemstone Bracelets

I truly have been busy this last week! However, I have been deep into making gemstone bracelets and finally feel confident that I can now explain some of what I’ve learned. I do believe it would be worth your time…if you think you might enjoy learning how to make them yourself. Making things with beads is the hot craft at the moment. The youngest kid (that can safely not put them in their mouth!) can make bracelets out of inexpensive plastic or ceramic beads and trade them with friends. They can stack them up their arms and show off the variety of novelty beads available…from sports to animals to letters. I started with some letter beads illustrating a poem (see https://marykisner.com/making-bracelets-with-words/). That was fun but didn’t satisfy my interest in using gemstones. The hardest part was tying the knot of the elastic string and figuring out how to hide the knot in a spacer bead. A spot of jewelry glue really helped keep it tied!

Learning about the gemstones I’m using is expanding my interest in this craft. I started with making bracelets I wanted for myself. Bert made an adorable stand for me to display them. Then, he made a second one that I can use at the craft fair in July.

Each bracelet I make uses one to three different gemstones. Over time, I could see that if I didn’t label each bracelet, I’d never remember whether that white bead was Moonstone, Quartz or Howlite! For example, here are the three bracelets that will be my “Patriotic” theme:

My three bracelets can be worn as a red/white/blue set together. I really couldn’t afford to make very many bracelets like this to sell…they’d be too expensive for the craft fair. I finally got some red and blue glass beads and used Howlite for the white ones. Now I have some Patriotic bracelets to sell at the craft fair that won’t be as expensive.

Then, I wanted to make some blue and white bracelets (since Penn State is nearby) and first made a few with the letter beads P S U on them. When I had used up my assorted letters of P S U, I tried just blue and white…understated PSU, right?

I’ve now acquired a variety of beads in 3 sizes so I’m ready to make more bracelets. I will try to include glass and ceramic beads to reduce the cost, but I think the real gemstones give a bracelet its sparkle! As I’m learning about the beads I’ve discovered in their descriptions that each stone holds a unique vibration that can enhance things like mental clarity or alleviate stress. In another post, I’ll try to explain how that is possible. In the meantime, my bracelet production is underway. So many beautiful beads to work with! Enjoy!

Spring is Holding Her Breath

As much as we’d like to think that Spring could emerge any time now, here in central Pennsylvania we hope it holds off a few more weeks. How many of us remember huge snowstorms returning mid-March and killing frosts in April. We all hope fruit blossoms are not fooled into opening too early…which would mean no apples, peaches or pears this year!

Two weeks ago, this was our backyard:

Today it was 42 degrees around lunch time and all the snow is mostly gone:

Even the grass is trying to turn green!

The forsythia bushes look healthy and have many buds ready to pop. We should have a beautiful border around the back of our property if a late frost doesn’t kill them before they open!

The lavender in the garden is a silvery green and looks like it did well this winter. Hopefully, it can hit the ground “running” this year! We’ve never had lavender plants winter-over and do well the next year.

The echinacea is still dropping seeds. We’ll trim out the dried stalks in a few weeks.

Bert pulled out the package of garden seeds for this year and separated the packets of seeds that he wanted to start early in the shop under grow lights. He’ll probably start them around mid-March.

We’ll try not to push Mother Nature…even a Spring on time is just fine. Every day it stays light just a little longer and that feels hopeful! Enjoy!