Table Runner

Sometimes the hardest part of a project is not...being...able...to...talk...about...it. I'm glad this reached my friend for her birthday today.

[I like this composite image, made from 2 photos, even though it distorts the rectangular shape of the runner.]

Crescent Rolls

Originally I intended only to email this photo to E who is on a business trip and missing homemade cooking (sorry, Love). But this recipe is too good not to share.

Today I am making rolls for Thanksgiving. The last time E and I hosted Thanksgiving was 9 years ago - there were only six of us but I ate like it was the end of the world as I was 40 weeks pregnant and couldn't have cared less about an extra pound or two. [it really was the end of the world, as I knew it, anyway.]

Cooking for 16 this year will be a learning experience and I'm determined to make it easy. While I'm a bit nervous about the turkey, I can bake bread in my sleep and I'm happy to have an excuse to make my long-time favorite roll recipe. These can be made small or large. They are perfect with jam or sliced for sandwiches.

Basic Yeast Dough / Crescent Rolls (adapted from Southern Living)

Ingredients
1 package yeast, active dry
1 cup water warm (105-115 degrees)
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 each egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3+ cups flour, all-purpose flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large mixing bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Add sugar, shortening, egg, salt, and half of flour; beat at low speed of an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Place dough in a well-greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85 degrees), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in bulk, or cover and refrigerate up to 5 days. [note: my experience is that refrigeration is best. The dough is less sticky and dividing the task keeps it from taking most of your day]

(If refrigerated, let return to room temperature before proceeding.)

Punch dough down; turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead 4 or 5 times. Divide dough into two balls. Roll each to a 12-inch diameter circle, rub with softened butter, cut into 12 wedges, and roll each tightly, sealing points underneath each roll. Cover and let rise until doubled. Then bake for 375 degrees for 12 minutes.

Try not to eat immediately but wrap well and freeze until Thanksgiving.

[I took this picture of Sam at the same time as the rolls...is it just me or doesn't he look like a roll himself?]

St. Theresa's Textile Trove

I received a sad email just now - St. Theresa's Textile Trove is closing. I've written before about what a treasure the store is - funky fabric, Japanese fabric, African fabric, Balinese fabric, Aboriginal fabric, batiks. And then there are buttons. And beads, feathers, bones and anything else you might want to sew with.

I first read about the Trove in Kaye England's book, Quilt Inspirations from Africa. Although their fabric is available online, I read about how folks drove an entire day as a sort of pilgrimage to the store. They said there was no place like it. So on a cold February day I played hooky, packed up the kids, and we drove to Cincinnati. After browsing like mad, we ate lunch in a smokey bar adjacent to the store. I couldn't care less - I had amazing fabric for a new quilt. The quilt for my Japanese quilt also came from there.

The fabric stores of my childhood are gone. I am sorry to see St. Theresa's go as I can think of no other resource nationally in its niche. St. T's is not crafty or cute. It is an art quilter's paradise and I need to think about fitting in a trip soon.

If you are interested, here is the hours and sale information offered in the email:

Now through Nov 14: 30% off

Nov 17 - Dec 15: 40% off
Dec 16 - Dec 23 (closed Dec 24 and 25): 50% off
Dec 26- Jan 31 (closed Dec 31 and Jan 1): 60% off

Now that the days are getting darker earlier, our new (and final) store hours will be 11am-5pm, Tuesday-Saturday, effective Tuesday, November 3. We will still be closed on Sundays and Mondays.

Sewing a Book Cover

I've been feeding the sewing muse lately. Reading the new Stitch magazine. Playing with shapes (like the enlarged garden patch coasters below). Proceeding to sandwich my Japanese quilt. Staring sessions with my Butler brown-blue squares and then sewing them into different configurations (will they make a quilt? a table runner? a bag?). I want to learn more about free motion, adding dimension to items, and dyeing my own fabric. Some weeks I'm pressed for time and just want to feel fabric in my fingers. And it's true--the stash starts talking to you if you leave it alone for too long.

Last night my play turned into something. I started out making a birthday card and ended up with a book cover (I'm sure the recipient will be much happier!). It was so easy that I did it without a pattern or instructions. It took under an hour which is a happy thing for quick-gratification-loving me.

Here's how:

1. Take a blank book and lay it flat over a piece of fabric. I used a piece I had previously quilted. Cut fabric around book adding a 3/4 inch margin. This is for the book cover.

[here's the front of my quilted fabric cover]

2. Cut another piece of fabric at the same size. This is for the lining.

3. Cut two pieces for the flaps. They should be the same height as the cover and lining. Fold each over so they're two-ply. See how they look when placed.

4. Make a sandwich: first the cover, then the two flaps (folded in half so the right side of the fabric shows), and then the lining. Right sides together for the cover and lining.

5. Sew all around it, leaving a 4-inch opening. I used a quarter-inch stitch.

6. Remove pins and pull right sides out. Poke out corners.

7. Top stitch, catching the open part. I also zig-zagged the perimeter to match the free-motion, sketchy stitching I did on the quilted cover.

8. Ta-da. It's done. Doing this makes me think of other applications–maybe a checkbook cover, billfold or photo album.

Small Thing of the Day

Foodies and Fabric

I generally don't watch tv but I've gotten hooked on two tv programs that I tape and watch during lunch. One is Diary of a Foodie (I'm crossing my fingers and hoping the now-defunct Gourmet doesn't ax the show). It is produced extremely well. Each episode is a sensory delight showcasing travel, people, ideas and techniques. My leftovers pale in comparison to whatever they're showing but then, I'm generally so absorbed in the show I'm hardly aware of what I'm eating. All episodes can be downloaded for free online. This grilled cheese recipe was amazing. Seeing Ruth Reichl is also fun since I loved her three memoirs.

The other show is Quilting Arts TV. I've purchased the magazine a few times but really dig the show. Each episode is equal parts inspiration and technique, showing me how to apply often-innovative methods step-by-step. Apparently individuals can create a login and view episodes online but QA seems to have issues with their site (there's a lot of resources online but they're hard to find and the login doesn't seem to work). Anyhow, the show is great and it would be appealing to both artists and crafters. The episode I watched today featured Jamie Fingal's "Heavy Metal Aprons" and Julie Fei-Fan Balzer's scrappy, quilted scarves (omg, look at this.)

After watching either show, it's no wonder I have a hard time jumping back into work. I do need to fit in some sewing time--I've been dreaming at night about fabric stores.

Readings...

Currently Reading:

Housekeeping (Marilynn Robinson)

The Informant (Kurt Eichenwald)

[both are engrossing and hard to put down so you can imagine I'm not getting much done...]

Read Recently:

Black Boy (Richard Wright)

Wise Blood (Flannery O'Connor)

Franny and Zooey (J.D. Salinger)

The Sparrow (Mary Doria Russell)

[Housekeeping and the Wright, Salinger and Flannery O'Connor are on the reading list for a Open Yale course which is FREE online...I am making my way through the sessions slowly but surely]