A Dartmoor woods with river

From the beginning, it felt right to have a river flowing through the quilt.  I collected all of my fabric from The Cloth House in Soho and Exeter Fabric Centre in forest floor and river colours.

To begin, I got all of my Warm and Natural cotton batting and joined it together to make a huge rectangle.  It’s the remainder of about 15 yards I bought in America in 1998 before I moved to the UK, which I’ve been using for all of the quilts I’ve made over the past 13 or so years.  I laid the batting out on our living room floor and sketched in the outline of the river.  The finished dimensions will be 70″ x 95″ (178 x 240 cm) way too big for my design wall, so I’ve taken over our living room for the duration!

Then, I pieced some purple-green silk dupioni for the river.

I originally thought about piecing the forest floor fabric in large organic shapes, similar to the piecing I did in the headboard quilt.  But, the design wasn’t really working. I also thought about a crazy quilt pattern, since I’m using a lot of silks, velvets, tafettas.  Again, I didn’t really like the examples I saw – a bit too random and messy crazy.   I did some online research and came across a pieced diamond shape pattern, which Kaffe Fassett has made very popular.  It seemed like it would stitch together and grow quickly and I like the angles of the shapes and how the colours can flow together and apart.  I like the way the regularity of the pattern contrasts with the hanging quilt.  Plus, I’ll have the river flowing through the middle to break up the uniformity.   I cut all of my fabric into 7″ diamonds with a 60° angle.

And laid them out right onto the batting.

Since I am using so many different types of fabrics, it’s very challenging to piece them.  Especially the silk velvet!  The diamonds curl up like leaves, so I’ve cut out diamond shapes in freezer paper and ironed that onto the back of the silk velvet pieces to stabilise them during the piecing.

floppy silk velvet

I worked for about 7 hours today and got about a third of the diamonds stitched together.  It’s a bit of a slog and I felt like a quilting robot today.  I ripped out and re-stitched several feet of stitching when the points just didn’t line up.  Its looking really good though and I’m thinking ahead to how I’ll do the river, which will be very organic and flowing.  I’m looking forward to that part!

]]> http://melindaschwakhofer.wordpress.com/2012/01/23/it-starts-with-a-river/feed/ 0 Inspirationist RiverFlow1 RiverFlow10 RiverFlow2 RiverFlow3 RiverFlow4 RiverFlow5 RiverFlow6 RiverFlow8 RiverFlow9 http://melindaschwakhofer.wordpress.com/2012/01/13/breakfast-of-sickos/ http://melindaschwakhofer.wordpress.com/2012/01/13/breakfast-of-sickos/#comments Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:51:31 +0000 Melinda http://melindaschwakhofer.wordpress.com/?p=7311 ]]> You’ve heard of  ‘Wheaties: Breakfast of Champions’, right?  In the 1920′s Wheaties cereal began advertising on baseball field walls.  Throughout the 1930s, Wheaties increased in popularity with its sponsorship of baseball broadcasting, and by the end of the decade, nearly a hundred radio stations carried Wheaties sponsored events. During these events, athlete testimonials about Wheaties were used to demonstrate that Wheaties was indeed the breakfast of champions. Also in the early 1930s, athletes began to be depicted on the packaging of Wheaties, and the tradition is continued today.

I came down hard with stomach flu a few days ago and haven’t been interested in food whatsoever.  However, hunger pangs struck yesterday and I was faced with the dilemna of what to eat that wouldn’t outrage my still tender stomach.  So I updated my status on Facebook and learned about the BRAT diet from my cousin’s wife.  Banana, rice, applesauce and toast.

This morning I cooked white rice with chopped banana.  Very tasty, especially when I added a pat of butter!

Comfort food

I’ve also been laid up in bed, with books.   Among others, I’m re-reading ‘Knight’s Castle’ by Edward Eager.  It’s from a series of great magic/fantasy/adventure books written in the 1950′s which give a nod to E. Nesbit’s wonderful books.  Both have been favourite authors of mine since I was a child.  There’s something about being at home sick that brings out the kid in me and a desire to return to childhood comforts.

Over the summer, we’d found a duvet cover with red roses at Dunelm Mills, but the colour wasn’t right and it had polyester in it, so we took it back.  I did some searches on the web, but couldn’t find the one in my mind’s eye, so I decided to make one myself.   I bought a 100% cotton cover, chopped off the top and spliced in some gorgeous white on white rose fabric with a thin line of red piping.  It sounds pretty easy (and it was) but it took me an awful long time to get down to doing it.  I’m funny that way when I do something new.  It takes me a while to get the courage to start.

I have a piping foot for my Husqvarna sewing machine which I didn’t end up using.  The online tutorials I looked at used a zipper foot.   BurdaStyle gave an easy step by step guide to making the piping and this post from J Stern Designs showed how to insert the piping.  Once I finally got started, it took about 4 hours to make.  I just had to be very accurate and do lots of pinning!

Snug Bear

My next big project will be making a Provencal quilt from the same rose fabric with some red and slate grey fabric in it somewhere, with a scalloped edge.  Probably not as detailed as this example though!  I’ll see what develops  .  .  .

Detail of a white cotton boutis quilt

]]> http://melindaschwakhofer.wordpress.com/2012/01/08/thin-red-line/feed/ 0 Inspirationist ThinRedLine2 ThinRedLine1 ThinRedLine3 Boutis http://melindaschwakhofer.wordpress.com/2012/01/06/enter-the-forest-of-dreams/ http://melindaschwakhofer.wordpress.com/2012/01/06/enter-the-forest-of-dreams/#comments Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:51:49 +0000 Melinda http://melindaschwakhofer.wordpress.com/?p=7282 ]]> Twelfth Night is a festival in some branches of Christianity marking the coming of the Epiphany and concluding the Twelve Days of Christmas.

It is defined by the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary as “the evening of the fifth of January, preceding Twelfth Day, the eve of the Epiphany, formerly the last day of the Christmas festivities and observed as a time of merrymaking”.  However, there is currently some confusion as to which night is Twelfth Night:  some count the night of Epiphany itself (sixth of January) to be Twelfth Night. One source of this confusion is said to be the Medieval custom of starting each new day at sunset, so that Twelfth Night precedes Twelfth Day.  In some cases the 25 December is the first day of Christmas, so therefore 5 January is the 12th day.

At any rate, tonight we’re celebrating Twelfth Night by taking down our Holy Day decorations.  We ate, drank and made much merry over the festive season and it’s time to get back to business, look forward into the New year and see the deepest, bleakest part of the winter through.

I’ve set myself a couple of important quilting goals.  I’m entering a juried quilt show in Germany at the end of February and am working on a piece for that, based on one of my South Bank photos.  Techniques include digital imagery onto fabric, machine stitch & applique and painting.  I’m working on a very large scale with cotton organdie and it’s exciting, challenging, frustrating and rewarding.  In that order!

Suncast Shadows - detail and palette

I’m also going to have my studio open to the public on 10th March in conjunction with the 4th annual Moretonhampstead Festival of Food, Drink and the Arts.  I’ll display the bed I made in furniture school, ‘Enter The Forest of Dreams’ for the first time since 1999.   I’m making a beautiful quilt to cover the bed from silk, taffeta, corduroy, silk velvet and other sumptuous fabrics.

Enter the Forest of Dreams

It all feels really good and I’m really ready to focus on the hands on, material (tee hee!) work.  Tonight, I got my pretty, new (just a few months old)  Canon G12 out and played around with the tripod and some lowlight night shots of our Twelfth Night.

I made a little altar to some of my artistic heroines:  Georgia O’Keeffe -  painter, represented by ‘One Hundred Flowers’ , Red Poppies, 1925; Lee Miller – photographer, represented by ‘The Lives of Lee Miller’; Tracey Emin, artist, represented by the postcard ‘Running Naked, 2011′; Diane Arbus – photographer, represented by the photo ‘Melinda Schwakhofer in Tiger Costume, 1966′ and my Muse – represented by a plaster cast I made of my face.

‘Fortitude’ is the word which has chosen me for 2012.  I think of strong tree trunks and stout hearts of oak.  I feel that I am entering the forest of dreams.  Shortly before his death, Robert Schumann dreamt an angel, possibly the spirit of either Schubert or Mendelssohn,  dictated a “spirit theme” to him.  What a beautiful gift and vision (even if he was going ‘mad’).  I wonder which, or if perhaps all, of my artistic angels will inspire and encourage me on my Journey and what gifts they’ll bring.  I know I’ll be rewarded with Fortitude, because each of these remarkable women either came through some tough times, or pioneered right smack over the edge of what ‘everybody else’ was doing, or both.

My Guide to the Deepest Depths

Blessings on your Journey into the New Year.  May your guide(s) be with you.

So we take our Holy Day decorations down and sing ‘The old year now is fled away, the new year it is enteréd  .  .  .  .  God send us a happy new year!’

Southerners look forward to an annual dish of black-eyed peas at New Year’s. The peas portend good luck because they represent coins. Cooked greens are good luck, too, because they represent folded paper money. If you eat both on New Year’s Day, you might, or might not, get rich during the coming year.  Most recipes call for rice, but we never added it when I was a kid and I still don’t.

Hoppin’ John

• 2 cups dried black-eyed peas
• 1 onion, diced
• 6 bacon pieces or a slice of smoked ham, cut into bite size pieces, or a ham hock
• red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper
• cider vinegar
• greens, such as collard, nero cavolo, purple sprouting broccoli, kale

Soak the beans overnight.  The next day, put them in a big pot with the diced onion and meat. Cover with water, bring to the boil and let simmer for about 2 – 3 hours.  Season with red pepper flakes, salt & pepper and cider vinegar.

Wash and slice the greens into ribbons.  Cook seperately in a pot of water with some cider vinegar and salt.  Add to the beans with some of the pot likker about an hour before serving and heat through.  Serve with cornbread.

Even better the next day!

Most food historians generally agree that Hoppin John is an American dish with African/French/Caribbean roots. There are many tales or legends that explain how Hoppin’ John got its name:

• It was the custom for children to gather in the dining room as the dish was brought forth and hop around the table before sitting down to eat.
• A man named John came “a-hoppin” when his wife took the dish from the stove.
• An obscure South Carolina custom was inviting a guest to eat by saying, “Hop in, John”
• The dish goes back at least as far as 1841, when, according to tradition, it was hawked in the streets of Charleston, South Carolina by a crippled black man who was know as Hoppin’ John.

Thinking about which word chooses me for 2012.  Fortitude.

In the midst of all of this, I honour my Mvskoke ancestors and am grateful for the fortitude given to me from my Tribe.

Even though this letter, beautifully read by Johnny Cash, is about the Cherokee Removals in 1938, it captures some of the experience of each of the 5 tribes removed on the Trail of Tears.

]]> http://melindaschwakhofer.wordpress.com/2011/12/31/fortitude/feed/ 0 Inspirationist http://melindaschwakhofer.wordpress.com/2011/12/15/winter-holy-days/ http://melindaschwakhofer.wordpress.com/2011/12/15/winter-holy-days/#comments Thu, 15 Dec 2011 22:31:08 +0000 Melinda http://melindaschwakhofer.wordpress.com/?p=7252 ]]>

Protection

I’ve been in between storms for the past few days.  An excitedly, unsettled weather system has been blowing in from Cornwall.  Sunshine to the East and dark, looming storm clouds to the West.  Which way is the wind blowing?  Will it be rainy (or even hailing!) by the time my bus drops me off.  And what of my ride into work?  Will I get drenched or fight against a headwind?  I’ve been watching the jackdaws and crows flying the grey skies and playing on the edge of the storm front.  So what if it rains!  It’s fun!

I’ve been studying the skies like a sailor and at a glance can tell if it’s a rain cloud and how soon I’ll have to get out my umbrella out, if at all.  I guess I’m prepared for anything.  Tonight though, I’d forgotten my umbrella and sat at my bus stop for 20 minutes in a cold, dark rain.  This was after riding 3 miles from work to my bus stop.  So I was pretty wet.  But I loved it; I loved the experience of riding down the wet, dark country roads, seeing the waning moon glow behind or flash between dark rain clouds.  And the winter trees framing the edge of the stormy sky.  Yesterday morning, I thought they looked like they were grasping for the torn shreds of clouds racing past.  But tonight, they looked like delicate, filigree lace, gently edging and cradling the night sky.  When I fear and fight against letting go, or when I remember that I am held in the Center of the void – these affect the way I see the winter landscape, which after all, reflects the landscape of our Soul.

While I was sitting in the rain, I loved knowing that in about 45 minutes, I’d be home to our warm flat, where I could strip out of my sodden waterproofs and slip into a hot bath with a glass of wine and ‘The Right Attitude to Rain’ by Alexander McCall Smith.  Then, I could eat a grilled ham and cheese sandwich, or better yet, a baked potato with cubed ham and melted Gruyere.    Winter teaches us not only about the dying and stripping away which is such an important part of our lives, but that we can make our own comfort in this cold, dark place and time.  My comforts are Home, Love, Creativity, Friends and Family, Beautiful Food and my wonderful husband Steve.  And I intend to surround myself with these over my Winter Holy Days.

Steve will back home tomorrow and is bringing his Mum Patricia, whom I really enjoy spending time with for the weekend.  I’m having a Christmas High Tea for some of my Lady Friends on Saturday afternoon, then we’re having a Rumtopf Open House that evening for several of our friends and neighbours.  Then up to the Midlands to have a pre-Christmas visit with Steve’s family.  Finally, back Home with Steve to spend the next couple of weeks enjoying our midwinter break At Home together.

This is my favorite American holiday and one that tugs deeply at me, even though my home is now on British soil.  Steve and I  planned the menu to include many of my beloved childhood Thanksgiving dishes – Heavenly Hash, Candied Sweet Potatoes, Frank’s Pea and Cheese Salad.

We shopped and started cooking today.  I had to order miniature marshmallows, canned pumpkin (Libby’s), Nabisco Graham Crackers and ‘Nilla Wafers online.  But the supermarket was a breeze (Sssssssh!  .  .  .  .  .  no one knows it’s Thanksgiving over here!)  This is our third Thanksgiving together and it’s already one of the best ever.  Even though Steve has yet to experience Thanksgiving on American soil, he enthusiastically joins in.  We love to entertain and host our friends, I am so thankful that he and I share this together and with others.

Tonight Steve and I made Gingered Nuts & homemade onion dip (tomorrow’s appetizers w/ Prosecco), three different pie crusts – Gingersnap pecan, short crust & Graham Cracker for Punkin Pie, Chocolate Pecan Pie and Maple Syrup Cheesecake w/ Roasted Pears , respectively, rinsed the brined turkey and made homemade corn bread for the stuffing.

I have a tin pie pan my cousin Cynthia gave to me in 1997, when I was still living in California.  She’d come out from Virginia to visit her sister (and my cousin Lanneau) and brought me an apple pie from the Julian Pie Co.,  near San Diego.  I keep the pie pan under my flour sifter (where we always kept one when I was growing up).  Once a year, it comes into service in its intended use,  as a vessel for my pecan pie.  All of these childhood memories, connections to foods and people, are woven into the  dinner preparations.

Cynthia's Pie Dish

Tonight, following on the success of our cocktail party two weeks ago (details to follow, but in the meantime here’s a teaser) we tried a Green Ginger Wine, Vodka & Cointreau concoction.  After a very full and productive day, time to have a well-earned sleep.

In the morning, the pies will be assembled and baked, the bird stuffed and cooked, the vegetables prepared, and setting up our kitchen and dining tables for ten to gather round.  Then the welcoming of guests and the enjoyment of each other’s company and fine food, lovingly prepared and shared.

Red Williams

First, sliced thin with thin slices of Parmesan cheese, then au naturel, and finally, in slices on toast with Nutella.  This last one got me to thinking about a famous chocolate and pear dessert.  Poire belle Hélène  is a dessert made from pears poached in sugar syrup and served with vanilla ice, chocolate syrup, and crystallized violets.  It was created around 1864 by Auguste Escoffier and named after the operetta La belle Hélène by Jacques Offenbach.

Paris and Helen from a production of La belle Hélène at the Mikhaylovsky Theatre.

The Williams is often eaten raw, but holds its shape well when baked or poached.  The fruit has a bell shape, considered the traditional pear shape in the west, and its green skin turns yellow upon later ripening, although red-skinned derivative varieties exist.

Williams Bon Chrétien 1822

Before we get to my culinary creation, did you know that the Williams pear is known by another name in America?  The Williams’ bon chretien pear is commonly called the Bartlett pear in the U.S. and Canada.

The Williams pear is thought to date from 1765 to 1770 from the yard of an Aldermaston, England, schoolmaster named Mr. Stair or Mr. Wheeler, giving rise to the now-obscure synonyms Aldermaston pear and Stairs pear. A nurseryman named Williams later acquired the variety, and after introducing it to the rest of England, the pear became known as the Williams Pear.  However, the pear’s full name is Williams’ Bon Chretien, or “Williams’ good Christian.”

In 1799 James Carter imported several Williams trees into the United States, and they were planted on the grounds of Thomas Brewer in Roxbury, Massachusetts.  The Massachusetts estate was later acquired by Enoch Bartlett of Dorchester, Massachusetts.  Unaware of their origin, Bartlett named the pears after himself and introduced the variety into the United States.  It was not realized that Bartlett and Williams Pears were the same until 1828, when new trees arrived from Europe.  By that time the Bartlett variety had become vastly popular in the United States, and they are still generally known as Bartlett pears in the U.S. and Canada, although there are about 150 other synonyms worldwide.

I couldn’t believe this sentence from the GreatGrub website:  “Apparently the British, refusing to bow to American marketing still refer to it as the Williams Pear.”  Well why not?  It was developed over here for crying out loud!!

Now onto this morning’s breakfast in which I invented a tasty little something I call Poire belle Hélène avec de la cannelle caramélisée sur le pain grillé, or Cinnamon Carmelised Pears and Nutella on Toast.

Poire belle Hélène avec de la cannelle caramélisée sur le pain grillé

• White bread
• Butter
• Nutella
• Williams or Bartlett pear
• Cinnamon and sugar

Preheat the grill.  Lightly toast the bread, then butter and spread generously with Nutella.  Arrange sliced pears on top and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.  Put under the grill for a few minutes until the sugar has partially melted and the pears are soft.

Voila!

Info Source – Wikipedia

Where sky skimming swallows flew,
apple trees bough
laden with Autumn fruit.

-Melinda Schwakhofer, 2011