Under a Blue Moon

The Gremlin

This is what I sew on. A Kenmore circa 1979. It’s like the AMC Gremlin of sewing machines. It’s a bit humiliating to be honest but it sews in a straight line and that is pretty much all I ask of a sewing machine.

It weighs about four hundred pounds but I dragged it down to my Dad’s this week ~ determined to make some progress on my Valentine’s table topper. Which I did. Mostly of the seam ripping variety but progress none-the-less.

My sisters are very accomplished quilters. Very. Jaw droppingly accomplished. Kate just finished the top to a bargello quilt done in gold, peacock blue, black and cream Asian fabrics that looks like a jewel. Nicki consistently produces quilt after quilt all done in really well thought out color palettes. She loves a scrappy quilt and can find forty different fabrics in the same shade of pale buttery yellow to work into a quilt design. She is so patient and meticulous and methodical when creating a quilt. I’m all about the instant gratification which is why I buy fabrics and then pretend I will make quilts out of it some day. She’s the one I go to when I need help with a calculation or a tricky intersection of fabrics.

Anyway – said sisters both do their quilting sorcery on Berninas. Nicki hosts a monthly quilting get togethers and everyone shows up with their fancy machines and I’m always kind of ashamed to lug in my old Kenmore. But like I said – it does the trick.

What I would really love is one of the old Singer Featherweights. What I wouldn’t do to have a white one. They are small, portable and they sew in a straight line. I need to apply myself to finding one – they are all over e-Bay but I’d rather buy from a local restorer.

I want to finish this quilted tabletopper so I can get on to my next project. I want to make this quilt in the Moda Poetry collection (exactly as depicted in the pattern – only bigger). We (my sisters and I and seven other quilters) are going on a quilting retreat in April and I think I can accomplish this quilt top during that trip. We are going to a monastery in Danville – we have booked one of the conference rooms for our sewing and the monks don’t care how late into the night we sew as long as we are quiet.

I’ve never spent more than an hour or two at a time working on any of my admittedly meager quilt projects so I’m looking forward to having two full days of uninterrupted quilting with so many accomplished quilters.

I’m sure they will all be too polite to comment on my sewing machine.

The Domino Design Project

This month’s issue of Domino Magazine has a very heartwarming article about a project they participated in. They took an empty 40 unit apartment building in the South Bronx, 8 designers and donations from many companies and decorated each unit for women and their families affected by HIV/AIDs.

The designers were all so thoughtful it creating spaces they felt would be calming and an efficient use of the small spaces. The results are really lovely. But on a deeper the level, what really struck me, is how it just proves that your home, the place you take refuge from the world and it’s challenges, can so totally impact your quality of life. Many of these women spent years in shelters and had no place to call home prior to moving into these apartments.

One woman is quoted as saying that now her family eats together for the first time. For the simple reason they never owned a table before. How fundamental is that? The fellowship of sharing a meal with your loved ones.

I was really touched by the article and the people that made it happen.

On another note – The picture in the lower right hand corner is from a different article in the magazine. It’s a piece on Olivia Chantecaille, of the cosmetic empire, and her new dressing room. I have that vanity. Look – here’s another view of it (peer behind Olivia):

And here it is in my room:

Of course I don’t have an entire room in my house devoted to my dressing needs – just a little corner of the bedroom. And I don’t actually have a chair to sit at yet. I still haven’t found what I’m looking for. Maybe I should just do a slip-covered parsons chair until I find the perfect chair.

Am I the only one that is a little surprised that Olivia shops at JC Penney? That’s where I bought mine and who Domino magazine credits in their index.

You’re it!

Oh for the love of bob I’ve been tagged. I’m always shocked that I’m not the only one reading my blog so ~ to be totally engaged in reading someone ELSE’S blog and see my own mentioned is quite startling.

So five things about me you don’t already know.

Hmmmm – seeing as how I blather on about myself this might be tough….

My father’s proudest moment of me was when I was nine years old. Yes, I peaked in his esteem at a very early age. We lived in Ankara, Turkey at the time, as did some friends of ours, the Gomez family. One Saturday we were at the American Army base (neither family was associated with the military at the time, but we would frequently partake in the diversions the base offered) with the four Gomez girls and two of my sisters along with myself. All girls outfitted with roller skates with the idea we would spend the afternoon rolling about the base tennis courts. Mr. Gomez and my Dad decided to pit the families against each other in a race. My older sister Kate was too sophisticated to even considered participating and my younger sister Trish was off spinning around in circles chasing something. So it was me against the Gomez girls. We all stood at the starting line and my Dad started the countdown. Three. Two. One. GO!! And just as he yelled ‘go’ Mr. Gomez grabbed onto me and wouldn’t let go.

Off went his girls down the court while I struggled valiantly against him – finally when they were halfway around I managed to free myself and off I went – I sped down the court and rounded the corners and passed the Gomez girls and crossed the finish line! Neither Mr. Gomez or my Dad could believe it. My Dad still loves to tell the tale that even beset with obstacles from the get go I could still prevail. I think it was a valuable lesson to learn.

Okay, that was a long story – let’s move on. In high school I took four languages. German, Spanish, French and English (I can count that, can’t I?). I was fluent in German at one point (and would even think in German and to this day occasionally dream in it) but for the most part I’ve lost it all. Well except for the English which I still have a tenuous hold. That’s why one of my goals for the year is to take up one of the languages again. French is my first choice but professionally Spanish would be more useful. Decisions, decisions. Follow my heart or be practical….

I’m an exhibitionist. Okay I WAS an exhibitionist. When I was six years old I streaked the mailman. Oh it was well plot out – I hid in the bushes in the side yard, entirely disrobed, until he pulled up in his mail jeep and waited until he walked up to the house and deposited the mail into the slot. Then I bolted out of the bushes, stark naked with my head down and ran across the driveway towards the other side of the yard. Only to run smack into my mother who had picked that particular fine day to go out and greet the mailman. I’m not sure who was more startled, the mailman or my mother.

I have a terrible Diet Coke habit. I drink a minimum of a six pack a day. I’m sure my braincells are rotting from all the traces of aluminum but I’m powerless to stop. It’s the first thing I do in the morning. I get up and toddle off to the refrigerator for my first Diet Coke. I have the entire family trained to tuck the last one behind a old jar of mayonnaise so that I’m not ever left without. By 9:00 am I’ve already had at least three. It has to be in a can. And it cannot, I repeat, cannot be Diet Pepsi. It just isn’t the same.

And, finally, I cannot sing to save my life. I’ve lipsynched my entire life. Ever since, in first grade, Valerie Smith told me I had the worst voice and couldn’t even remember the right words to "Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head." While I’m fairly certain that Valerie did not go on to sing Aida at La Scala her voice has stuck in my head and I just don’t sing. Even Happy Birthday. If, at the end of my life, I’m asked to sing to gain entrance into the pearly gates – well I’m just doomed.

Alrighty then – Sara, Mimi, Cindy and Cindy – you’re it!

Is this getting tiresome?

I found a little table to go by the guest room bed. Much better than the little round decorator table.

Bedding looks good here too, don’t you think? I love the vintage embroidered pillowcase with the new pillow sham. Just the look I was going for. This room is shaping up and as soon as I get the laundry folded (conveniently just out of picture, but mounded up on the bed) and put away you all can come visit.

I bought the little table at Homegoods – a store that just opened up near us. It’s one of those hit or miss stores but the prices are always good. I did change out the knob on the drawer. Some people have a signature fragrance or a signature color. I have a signature knob. I have it on all my kitchen cupboards and on a small, free standing cabinet.

I keep telling Rick that before we ever sell the place I am going to switch out all the knobs with something else because I am not leaving them behind.

I actually went in looking for plates for my wall rack. I originally had small silver trays on it but I wanted something different and the silver was tarnishing really quickly out in the open like that.

I finally had to force myself to leave because some of the outdoor garden furniture was looking really appealing and I absolutely don’t need any more of that. Not to mention I couldn’t exactly fit it in the trunk of my car anyway.

I did manage to toss one final pale green pitcher into my cart on the way to the checkout counter. It is just the perfect shade of green and who can’t use an extra pitcher.

Fairycakes

I’ve noticed a lot of press about cupcakes lately. While personally I prefer pie over cake it’s hard not to be charmed by a cupcake. They are just the perfect size where you don’t feel like you are over indulging or falling off any resolution bandwagon if you eat one and they are just plain cute. It’s hard to be cranky and eat a cupcake at the same time. Go ahead – try it.

There also seems to be a ton of bakeries popping up that specialize in cupcakes. I don’t remember those growing up – but what fun would that be to work in a cupcake bakery? My very first job was working in a bakery and I can’t remember if we even sold cupcakes or not. Can’t you just imagine how fun it would be to have little shop on Main St. and how bright and cheerful it would be? You could have a couple of little bistro tables and cafe curtains in the window. It would be adorable.

I wonder why the sudden cupcake renaissance. I hope it isn’t a passing fad like the creperies and fondue restaurants of the 70’s. It’s hard to find any history on cupcakes but I think they have been around for some time. Hostess started making them back in 1919 so I’m thinking they are here to stay.

I use a super top secret recipe to make my own cupcakes. And normally I would just throw some sprinkles on top if I was going to embellish at all but yesterday I felt like trying my hand at fondant. So I bought a kit and made some flowers. It’s kind of like playing with Playdoh only it tastes marginally better.

I have to figure out the proper ratio of cake to frosting. Lots of frosting looks good but really most people over the age of six prefer less frosting.

If you want to see some really spectacular cupcakes look here, here and a blog devoted to the art of cupcakes here.

Ice ice baby

This has been a weekend of burst pipes, too much work and a bird that wants to move in with us.

It’s cold all over, I know. But in our little neck of the woods we aren’t used to it so we don’t know all of the precautions we should be taking. Oh we cover our lemon bushes when the newsman tells us to but that’s about it. The burst pipes all happened out doors, fortunately. Do pipes freeze inside too? I think they do but I’m from California so what do I know.

That’s a picture of one of my rose bushes which I have yet to prune. Doesn’t look like it will happen this weekend either, despite my good intentions. Instead I’ve been working all weekend. I have a big project coming to a head this upcoming week and I’m getting last minutes changes that I have to deal with. So I spent all of yesterday at my computer and it looks like more of the same today.

As I’m sitting at the eating area table yesterday, a bird flies into our entry area and looks like she wants to come in. She flies around, trying to figure out a way to get inside where it’s warm. She gives up and flies off and then about a minute later she back at the kitchen window trying to get in that way. The back deck is kind of sheltered with a big wooden pergola and she flies under that and flutters around the window. Now this morning I’m sitting in the living room and she’s trying to figure out how to get into the big picture window. She is a very determined young lady.

I should go check the feeders and make sure they are nice and full. And I probably should go get some suet this afternoon too.

If you look closely in pictures you can see that the daffodils are starting to come up!

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