GLORIOUS CREATIONS: STARTING A FIRE

This is mostly a quilting and sewing blog, where does starting a fire come in. A cold spring day with rain says start a fire. We are very fortunate to have both a fire place and wood stove (which has a flat top I can cook on).

Today is opening day for the Cardinals. It is a cold drizzle which makes the house feel damp. So far I don't think it is has topped 45. It's the perfect day for a fire. Which is what this blog is about. The wood is on the damp side and will be hard to start by regular methods. I don't use tons of news paper for starting my fires. I have made my own fire starters.

I like to use candles for atmosphere, occasionally we need them because the electric has met wind and ice storms. The nubbins left over along with the scraps from my quilting make great fire starters. I save a couple of metal cans when I make pineapple upside down cake for melting these nubbins in. I wait till I have a fire going. I don't need to waste electric melting the nubbins.

I have 100% cotton scraps of fabric and batting in an aluminum disposable roaster pan (these are saved from take out orders). They will be recycled after this step. When the nubbins are melted just pour them over the scraps. They don't have to be saturated, a little wax goes along way.

These are left to cool and then they are placed in a kitty litter bucket to save for a rainy day.

My fire has heated up the stove, the kettle for adding humidity to the air is already boiling. The porcelain coffee pot with well water in it, is almost ready for its Earl Grey tea bag. I am ready for the tea! I have a little box oven that sits on top of the stove and it will bake our potatoes for supper.

May your life be warmed by the quilts you make and the fires you start with your scraps.

Another hint for those fabric scraps, use the selvages for tying up your plants in the garden. (I had enough coals 15 minutes ago that I toasted my treat. I love marshmallows, they can't be burned though.)

If you sew, please peruse my blog. I have a very easy mystery quilt which a beginner with limited sewing skills can make. I am also participating in an online Block of the month. I am blogging about each block and its construction.

The following are the links to the mystery I am hosting for the Piecemakers Quilt Guild

Introduction: http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-mystery-in-making.html
Clue 1: http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/2013/10/a-mystery-in-making-clue-1.html

Clue 2: http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/2013/11/a-mystery-in-making-clue-2.html
Clue 3: http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/2014/01/a-mystery-in-making-clue-3.html

Clue 4: http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/2014/02/a-mystery-in-making-clue-4.html
Clue 5: http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/2014/03/a-mystery-in-making-clue-5.html

This is the information where you will find

the Block of the month.
This alphabet BOM is a twenty-six month Trip with

Dorothy Young, owner, of the yahoo group "A Pocketful of Mysteries".

This Block of the Month quilt series began in January 2013, and will continue for the next two years.

The yahoo site for this trip is:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/apocketfullofmysteries/

I have found the construction of the blocks simple.

I recommend you start with the first block if you are a beginner.