Friday Favourites - Za'atar

Like all kids, mine love crackers. And crackers are expensive and filled with salt and preservatives. So, I picked up a book on making your own crackers. One recipe looked very promising but it called for this strange ingredient called Za'atar. Turns out Za'atar is a spice mix.

The most incredible spice mix ever to exist in the world of spice mixes.

Seriously, it is. It makes Herbs du Provence or any Italian seasoning look and taste like sand. Aromatic in the way that a Turkish spice bazaar must smell - exotic and slightly familiar and nearly overwhelming with pleasure.

Since its arrival in our house it has become my savoury Franks Red Hot - I put that *&$# on everything. Scrambled eggs, roasted veggies, tomato sauce, baked chicken, cheese balls, popcorn, in a grain salad, and yes, crackers and bread. If you've never had it you need to try it. Trust me.

I buy mine through Silk Road Spice Merchant, but you can also make your own blend.

Gratitude

Do you ever do the word of the year? I remember picking one last year, but then I forgot what it was. Clearly it worked really well for me. Maybe this year will be different? Whether I remember the word or not, I do need to remember the action.

Gratitude

... Be thankful for what I have in my life instead of focusing on what I don't have.
... Be thankful for the friends and family who support me.
... Write thank you notes, even when they are way, way, way overdue.
... Acknowledge past efforts of those who do things to make my life special and better.
... Let the kids know that every day they make my life better, even when there are lost goggles, spilled cheerios, and early morning interruptions.
... Give thanks to each of you for encouraging me.

Cataloguing the Scraps

So I designed a quilt. It uses 36 fat quarters but there are some leftovers and scraps. Such pretty scraps. I know people hate to see waste and overly generous yardage requirements in patterns. I do too. When I made the quilt I made a point to keep and organize all the scraps. Here they are.

They could combine to do some really fun and beautiful things. Instead of using the extra blocks on the back I kept them aside and they will be used in a baby quilt. There are all those circles cut from the back of larger circles appliqués. They could be another small quilt if appliquéd on a background. Then there are strips and snippets and trimmings. The fabrics are this Vanity Fair bundle from Dear Stella plus a lot of additions from my stash. All pretty. All useful.

Oh the possibilities!

When the pattern comes out in the Spring issue of Quilter's Connection we can talk more about the scraps - how they came to be and what I may have even done with them by then.

New Tool

It was time to start a new sketchbook. For a change - and because my girls have used up my special markers for sketching - I broke out the Prismacolors. I adore the perfection of them before they've been used and shortened and sharpened. Using special fabric? No problem! Using new pencil crayons? So hard to do.

Now, I wonder how long I can keep the kids away from these?

Paris: A Love Story (Weekend Reads)

Oh, all those decorating magazine that tell you to leave books, lotions, and treats in your guest room. My guest room is also the studio, so you're lucky if I vacuum to pick up any errant pins. But my SIL's Mama hosted me back in October for Quilt Market. She is such a generous person that of course she had all that stuff in her guest room for me. And for the second time ever I actually picked up the book on the night stand.

Paris: A Love Story is a memoir by journalist Kati Marton. With the backdrop of her marriages and love affairs with Peter Jennings and Richard Holbrooke she captivates with the story of Paris in her life. Paris was where her living and her grieving happened. Where she became a woman is Paris, where she meets her last love, where she retreats.

Now, I must admit that I didn't know the name Kati Marton when I picked up the book. I finally figured out who she was when I came to the picture section. I didn't feel the need to Google her because I just wanted to read the story. She is a wonderful writer, knowing well how to tell a story to capture her audience and hold them. So while the people in her story are real and almost all famous, I was interested in them as characters in her story. But if you know her world of American journalism and even the politics then it must be rather fascinating to have this behind the scenes look.

After three late nights spent reading I finished the book hours before I got on my plane home. And was able to leave the book behind for the next guest.

Friday Favourites - These Mittens

The Olympics are almost here!!!

We'll be wearing our support and watching the world come together. The whole world.

Mittens to support the Canadian Olympic Foundation (the athletes) and available from The Bay.

Alturas Applique

With all due credit to Carolyn Friedlander and Sarah Fielke I must admit to a new addition: hand appliqué. Okay, so it is only in the early stages, but boy do I like it.

Yes, I have a hand quilting project on the go. And a hand piecing project (which I'm really going to wrap up as soon as I can find the first chunk of sewing I did). But over the winter break neither of these were getting me all that excited. I was looking for something to keep me busy as I kept Hubby company at the end of the day while he watched endless episodes of Top Gear and Patrick Dempsy: Le Mans.

You know my aversion to patterns, but I didn't have the brain power to be creative in this instance. Besides, I had Carolyn's appliqué patterns and they are just so cool. So I decided to keep it simple and go with the block based pattern Alturas. Fuel to the addiction for sure.

That being said, I'm not sure I have it in me to make a full size quilt of hand appliquéd blocks. Right now I am committing to nine of them and then we'll see what happens.

Goal Setting for 2014

My oldest, The Monster, is very big into goal setting thanks to her public education. We work hard at breaking down the details and steps necessary to reach her goals. In that process it has reminded me that I need to do a bit of that myself.

So, here goes. In 2014 my studio goals are:

1. To turn all quilt tops sitting in my closet as of right now into completed quilts. There are 10 of them. And 2 others already being quilted.

2. To distribute all the Just One Slab quilts before the end of winter.

3. Stay on top of my accounting with a monthly sit down in front of a spreadsheet and a pile of receipts.

4. Revamp my website and blog (with the input from all of you!)

5. Produce at least 1 new pattern for sale.

6. Finish one of my novels.

7. Complete at least 3 quilts in a series I've got planned. This Mountain Meadows would be the first one in the series, but I have sketches for many more.

8. Teach the girls, as they ask, how to use the sewing machine on their own.

9. Make exercise a daily part of my life again. (I consider this a Studio Goal because it is part of my overall time management for work.)

10. Start and finish my third quilting book.

Those are the big goals. It does not account for the ongoing, must do, and just for fun sewing and writing commitments that are there every day as well. And of course all the awesome unplanned things that could still come up. Oh yeah, and that family thing that happens outside of the studio too.

Yes, I am insane. And I wouldn't have it any other way. How about regular updates on all of these, so you can help keep me in check? They may be more like reality checks, but I am not scared in looking at this list. I think teaching the girls to sew on the machine themselves might the most frightening thing of them all!

Jane Austen Update (Weekend Reads)

So... it's been two and a half years since I confessed that I hadn't read any Jane Austen. I thought I would give you an update.

I've read three now - Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Mansfield Park. Phew.

Here is the next shocking confession: I didn't particularly like them. Now, I didn't hate them, but I certainly didn't love them. And I expected to love them. When faced with an evening alone and the TV to myself I search for a period drama. I love Downton as much as as anyone else (and boy are there plenty of parallels between Downton and Austen). I adored all the Bronte books when I read them. But, at times, these three Austen books were a bit of a slog to get through. I finished Mansfield Park at some point last winter and decided to take a break from Austen.

I'm not dismissing their value as literature of the the English language, nor the enormity of their story and the fact that they were written by a woman. There were, however, many, many times that the detail was intense and the plot very, very slow. More than once I wished the BBC had done a miniseries on all of the books.

(As an aside, I do totally get the Colin Firth thing now.)

You know what? I think I would have loved these if I read them in my 20s. When I had a romantic view of romance and still thought drama in a relationship was admirable. I too was daydreaming of marriage and that being an end result as opposed to a beginning. Now, approaching 40, I consider it romantic when my Hubby empties the dishwasher and drama means The Evil Genius thinks the world is out to get her again.

Don't worry, I'm not giving up. I will finish the other three, maybe even this year. I've got lots of tea on hand.

Friday Favourite - Hoarfrost

It's snowing again here. And by again I need to point out that we've had snow on the ground since before Halloween. I clearly remember leaving a thunderstorm in Houston at Quilt Market and returning to a storm here. Winter is long. That's why you have to take the pleasure where you find, embrace the beauty too. Whether it be...

... a perfectly shovelled walk (yes, there is such a thing).
... snow angels.
... any time spent in the mountains.
... the fields of straw covered in snow against a blue sky.
... skating on the outdoor ice.
... buildings snow forts and mazes in parks.
... snowball fights.
... the quiet that envelopes the world when the snow falls.
... hoarfrost.

Oh, hoarfrost. I revel in hoarfrost in the winter like I do a good thunderstorm in the summer. Weather is going to happen so let it give you a thrill!

Sometimes you go to bed knowing it will happen. It is cool, but not warm and you can feel humidity in the air. Sometimes it is a Christmas morning surprise when you wake up and the world is white. Not the ground and the tops of the trees only, everything is white. And it is magical and pretty and you can't help but twitterpate.

For those of us who like to take pictures you wish the sun would come out a bit so the light makes the world even more magical. But that is a terminal wish because the sun causes all those fragile crystals coating the world to melt and drift away. So go for a walk, sit in the window with tea, or look through the branches and the beauty.

Tell Me About Yourself

Some say that blogs are going the way of the dinosaur. It may or may not be true, but I truly enjoy this space and have no plans to go anywhere. That being said, some changes are coming. I would love your feedback and a bit of information about you, my readers, to help guide my journey.

Could you please take a few minutes to answer these questions? It will help me understand my audience here at Dining Room Empire and be able to provide content you are interested in.

The survey will be open until January 10 at 11:00 pm.

And when you are done the survey, please leave a comment letting me know you answered. There will be a give-away of fabric, books, and more for all survey respondents.

Click here to take survey

Thank you so for your feedback.
Thank you for continuing to join me here.

Thank You for Making it Special

My son gave me a cold for Christmas. It's been well over a year since I suffered the indignity of this much snot. Right when he was born, come to think of it. My already easy going holiday became much more low key because of it. I also got very reflective. Very, very reflective.

Not to throw him under the bus, but my husband wasn't much help. Super stressed at work and fighting a nagging injury that won't heal rendered him tired and grumpy and only up for a few things. So, despite my cold, it fell mostly to me to do the things like find the decorations, bake the bread for breakfast, buy all the groceries, and cook a turkey dinner. And change the diapers and make sure there was real food consumed among the sugar. I am as tired as the up-early and burnt out by noon child in all of our homes right now.

So, back to being reflective. This holiday, seven years into motherhood (eight if you could being pregnant), I've realized that if it wasn't for Mamas Christmas would really, really suck.

Yes, the fathers do a good job with what they do, and there are a few who adore Christmas and go all out with their ugly sweaters, hot wheels tracks, and light shows. There are also fathers who are alone and do it all themselves and turn out some very magical affairs. But it is the Mamas who make it special for the vast majority of us.

Mama is the only who buys or loads the advent calendar despite the fact that it drives us insane both that they beg for candy every day this way and that it forces an impatient countdown we have to live with for twenty five days. Mama is the one who bakes - with or without the kids along side - for countless teacher gifts, neighbours, Santa's plate, and all the leftovers we likely eat ourselves. Mama is also the one who usually remembers the teacher's gifts. Mama is the one that remembers the random statement about yet another useless toy and gives up her precious babysitter time to drive across town for it.

Mama is also the one that gets the stockings out and makes sure there are oranges in the house to stuff in their toes. Mama buys the candles to line the table so the meal feels extra fancy to a five year old. Mama makes sure the party dresses are clean just in case someone wants to dress up for dinner.

And then Mama is the one who has to say no to TV for the few days of holidays. And Mama makes sure everyone gets outside for sledding even though the new toys, and their wrappers, beckon. Or Mama is the one who gets up early when even though the kids stayed up late they awake wired and ready to go.

The traditions are the family's, but it is Mama who makes sure they happen each year. It is Mama who sacrifices her time on the beach to make pyrohy in a vacation beach rental because we always have pyrohy on Christmas Eve. It is Mama who makes a second batch of Christmas Tree Bun because your family devoured it before Hubby got any and it is his family's deal anyway. It is Mama who makes collects toilet paper rolls to make personal Christmas Crackers.

Making the holiday special is far from a thankless task for a Mama. It may the one time - whether it is Christmas or Yom Kippur or Eid or Festivus - where our work to do things for our family is truly noticed and appreciated. So much work, but worth every late night, every elbows up shopping trip, every flour covered nose, every sticky floor to see the light on their faces at something truly special, the giggles of a family treasure, the insistence on the tradition. I don't care that I didn't get a single thank you - other than the quiet one when she got to play without an audience. Actions speak louder than words and I know they had their moments of glee and I had something to do with them.

It was only this year, perhaps clouded by the whiskey I was using to kill the cold virus, that I realized just how much my Mom did to make our holidays special. And just why it hurts when that day comes when your kids don't show up and let the Mama do her job. When we grow up and move away we change the traditions, we take away the opportunity for Mama to make us feel special. We think we're doing her a favour, easing her burden. We don't understand her lamentations about how things just aren't the same anymore. We don't realize that we've taken away a chance for her to deliver without thanks, to make us feel special by doing the Mommiest of Mommy things.

So, to my Mom, thank you. Thank you for your endless baking of rogalki and whipped shortbread and Christmas Jewels, for spending a week in the kitchen to cook two meals that we practically inhaled, for doing the dishes while we played an old version of Trivial Pursuit or Life while Dad shouted out the answers, for making spinach dip every New Year's Eve, and for snuggling us when the party after midnight mass got to be too much. Thank you for letting me steal some of those traditions for my family. Thank you for letting me come to this realization myself. Thank you for bringing special to me.

Merry Christmas.

Last Minute Shopping

Have you checked out Craftsy lately? They are constantly adding new classes. And man, there are some good ones right now! Seriously. (Beyond my class, of course.)

And, if you need to do any last minute shopping for yourself or a friend, there is a big sale on right now. I'm picking up a few cooking classes myself. And perhaps some garment sewing because that is a 2014 goal. Go check them out and grab yourself a treat!

Never Gets Old

One would think that after writing the book and making the quilts, after all the Just One Slab blocks, after teaching the class almost a dozen times this year, that after all that I would be tired of making slabs. Nope, not at all.

Perhaps slabs are my default sewing? When in doubt make a slab!

Actually, that is a lesson I teach my students. That once you have the basic technique down it is perfect for when you just need to sew something, anything. If the fabric is there then there is no prep work needed. If you only have a few minutes you can work up a block without even thinking. If the day sucked and your brain hurts you can still sew and not stress about perfection.

Then there are the possibilities! Slabs as blocks, as fabric for making other blocks and more blocks, as background, as the whole quilt... I feel it is impossible to get burnt out on the technique or the possibilities. Maybe you are tired of seeing slabs from me? If you are, then oh well, because I will keep making them.

That mess up there in the top photo? That's what happens when a toddler who has to get into EVERYTHING finds your scrap baskets (also made from slabs) and you let him go to town because it gets you ten minutes of writing. What can I say, though, the boy has good taste. The mess sat there for a few days, taunting me with all the lovely colours. I was head down on a deadline but finally couldn't resist. I figured that if I randomly grabbed fabric and used them as leaders and enders I wasn't technically starting anything new. Whatever we have to tell ourselves.

Pink, orange, yellow, and grey. So loverly and so many possibilities.

Triangles

It took a scary day, medically speaking, to push me to finish The Evil Genius' quilt. It sat on my design wall for well over a month. Frankly, it is so pretty I was content to look at all the triangles and not sew them together. But then my girl needed a pick me up so I finished the top. 

Like her first quilt she picked all the fabrics and layout for this quilt. I will admit to spending a few days strongly suggesting that using red on those edge triangles would not make the quilt look better. I finally had to cut a few options and have her compare. This is the fabric she chose for the backing and I think it works well here (My preference was for a pale grey or white.) She definitely has a future as a quilter.

It finishes out at a twin. Because she wanted a quilt big enough for when she gets her own bed. (My girls share a bed.) With no plans to actually buy new beds that means I have tonnes of time to get it done, right?

Friday Favourites - Douglas the Monsternaut

I cannot tell a lie. I am generally opposed to stuffies. Softies, stuffed animals, teddy bears, whatever you want to call them. I refuse to buy them for my own kids and you will never see me getting them as a gift for someone. To clarify, I am not opposed to the idea of them, or the making of them. But as a mother to three kids I am opposed to the idea of them in my house. And the thing I dread most when a new baby made their appearance in our place was not the sleepless nights or colic, it was the new crop of stuffies people felt the need to bring over.

It would be one thing if they had one special stuffie, like The Evil Genius and her Tiger. But we all know that it is impossible to predict what item will become the special thing, the IT. Tiger was a random hand off from family of friends who had it for some reason and will never have kids. Now that thing is loved on in ways that make you not want to touch it. There is not special person behind it, no outpouring of love. No, those are all in the stuffies that live in a box, never seeing the light of day.

That guy up there is Douglas. He is the first of three stuffies we've ever purchased for our children. Just writing that I am in shock that we bought that many. For the record, two were purchased by Hubby.

Douglas came to us when we were on our last trip before The Evil Genius was born. The Monster was at home with Grandma. Some adult only shopping can be dangerous when you are hormonal and you've never really left the kid before. But how could you resist that face? And then we found out his name was Douglas, which was my FIL's name. And he's Canadian. And well, he's damn cute.

I'm happy to say he is a loved one. Not every night in bed kind of loved, but loved for couch cuddles and make believe. He's sitting in my sewing room right now because his little antenna needs some attention. The Monster just came in here for a morning cuddle and instead of me she went straight for Douglas. It may just take a bit longer for Mama to fix him because I kind of like his company.

Douglas and many more awesome creatures are available from Monster Factory. Just in case you are lacking in stuffies.

Glitter Bomb Greetings

 Our house is in constant flux. With the basement 95% finished the upstairs is evolving in its new uses. No more TV in the living room means that I keep rearranging the furniture to find the right energy. I think I have it now and it is both cozy and open. The space is a bit of hang-out/wrestling zone/reading area. Yes, all three.

No more TV in the room also means I have an unsightly mess on the wall from when the TV hung there. We have something on its way to hang on the wall, but with Christmas coming I felt the need to pretty it up a bit right now.

Armed with a coupon and my girls we hit the big box craft store for supplies. Lots of glitter, a canvas, some glue. That's it. If I already had the glitter this project would have cost us only $20. I stole a pencil from my Hubby and printed off letters in just the right size. A sharp pair of scissors cut them out just perfectly for me. I measured and laid out the letters, lightly traced around them with the pencil, filled them in one at a time with glue, and glitter bombed them.

This was a Mama only craft. Hubby was sick as a dog but he kept The Garbage Truck busy. The girls worked on their own craft. This was after a mini tantrum on my part about not needing a peanut gallery to do my own project. Did I mention there was glitter?

My glittering skills leave something to be desired, but the overall effect is what I wanted. And even though it is early for me to be decorating, I like knowing the mess on the wall is covered up. I pulled out all our Christmas and winter books so we can cozy up and wait for Santa.

Someone doesn't seem too impressed. What does he know? Or maybe he's just mad I put the glitter away with the one other thing we don't want the kids getting into - the booze?

A Month of Sundays in Use

Thank you for sharing the past Month of Sundays with me. I've quite enjoyed learning a bit more about each of you. And I'm very happy to discover so many tea drinkers amongst us! I put together a few giveaways and take aways from A Month of Sundays. 

First, the take aways.

A Month of Sundays is truly a unique quilting book. And I appreciate all your comments about how you are enjoying reading it. Especially when you say you pick it up again and again. And as much as I LOVED writing the book, remember that you can sew from it too. There are all the quilt, of course, but there are also the 8 sewing projects. Projects that are perfect for gift giving season...

Oh yes, simple, sweet projects that will be perfect for teachers, moms, kids, families, hosts. A project that will be perfect for spending some quiet Sunday mornings together with your little ones. Projects for little adventures. Projects for sewing together and giving together. Projects for throwing a little celebration. So, even if you don't want to read the book, there is a lot there to keep you sewing.

I do hope you will be inspired not just to take back your weekends, but to sew.

When you do sew, please share your projects! Send me photos. Blog, share on Twitter and Instagram. Use the hashtag #slowdownandsew all the time.

Now, for the giveaways. I've got four.

A complete kit for Crossword. All the charms cut and ready for use.

This goes to: Sarah! That first Sunday she was doing this:

I loved your first book so I'm sure I will enjoy your second! I actually prefer when pattern books have stories as well. I went to church Sunday morning, and then got busy doing housework. Nothing special on, but a nice day at home.

This lovely bundle of tea party inspired fabric.

This goes to: Miggsie! These were her Sunday dinner comments:

Your brisket looks yummy! We have dinner together as a family almost every night, and the favored topics are sharing what each of us did that day, and sharing all the cool stories we each heard on NPR that day.

And two books!

These go to: Susan

For me? Coffee, please. Loved the photos of your fabric pulls. Just delightful eye candy.

And Quilter Kathy

I like all hot beverages, tea, coffee and hot chocolate in that order!

I will email all winners. In the event that I can't get a hold of someone I will draw a new winner.

Thank you so much for joining me for this A Month of Sundays. I am toasting you this morning with my cup of tea. Take back your weekend.

Friday Favourites - Northern Exposure Sweatshirt

Let's just say that I graduated high school a long time ago. Back when Northern Exposure was about the most awesome TV show on the planet, followed closely by Twin Peaks. I have no idea where I found this sweatshirt back then, but I am so glad I did.

And yes, I still wear it. The flannel shirt too (It's even older - it was the early 90s, after all).

I have two seasons of the show on DVD and I wish I had them all (but with the original music). And iTunes doesn't have it, argh. If I had it then I could cozy up in my flannel and sweatshirt, cook up a moose meatloaf, and settle in for a long winter's watch. Or could someone at least record all of Chris' soliloquies and release it as a podcast?

Santa?

Slabs Meet Low Volume

No doubt about it, scraps get overwhelming at times. And other times the scraps are so inspiring and excited. This time it is the latter.

When I was working on A Month of Sundays all my scraps ended up together in one large messy pile. Then that pile moved to a bag. And that bag moved around and was shoved in different corners. I'm not sure why I felt the need to keep these all together, but I'm glad I did.

Ever so slowly I've been sewing together slabs from the scraps. It is like both my books are colliding into a beautiful mess. I'm in love! I didn't, however, want to just make slabs. I wanted to be a bit more creative, experiment a little.

At some point I read Denyse Schmidt's Modern Quilts Traditional Inspirations. Her interpretation of Shoeman's Puzzle struck me the most of all the quilts. Without a moment's hesitation I started turning my slabs into Shorman's Puzzle blocks. She uses templates, as she usually does. Because of the slabs and the proliferation of bias edges I chose a different route. My blocks are paper pieced. Each block has three seams, about one of the easiest paper pieced options ever. It was a smart choice as it is keeping the blocks in check.

Now, to find the time to make more. I've got more slabs sitting there waiting. When I teach a slab class this is the demo fabric I use. I just need a bit more time and some freezer paper patterns. I made the blocks 10'' square which means I can't print them. So freeze paper it is.

Aren't they fun?