The Mad Hatter of Maui

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Life's a Beach...

...and then you get a blister and need a Sponge Bob band-aid to make it all better!

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Graphyx, Tangram and Disco Dot

GRAPHYX, my black-and-white collection, debuted last October at International Quilt Market in Houston, Tx. I designed it to be a study of positive and negative space. Each of the prints uses a different ration of black:white or white:black (is the glass half full or half empty?)

(Image courtesy of Hawthorne Threads)

From left to right:

Tangram, North Star, Bevel, Corset, Fishbone and Camellia

I have not figured out the exact ratio of B to W in each design, but it is apparent simply to the naked eye. I know that Fishbone is 1/2 black and 1/2 white while Camellia is mostly white with a black flower outline, and Corset is more white to black. Bevel appears to have more black than white, and Tangram? What about Tangram? I'll show you more below.

Tangram North Star

Bevel Corset

Fishbone Camellia

I decided to make a little study of the group. I pieced the six patterns together and then had the pieced cloth dyed. It is interesting how the print designs are contained within a given space yet the dye transcends those borders and roams freely across the fabric. My friend Meriah of Maui Tie Dye dyed the cloth and I was reminded of an important fact about fiber. I chose a color scheme based on a silk scarf - and silk dyes vibrantly and intensely. When the same formula for the silk was applied to the cotton, cotton's super absorbency and cotton being cotton, the colors came down and didn't give the same effect. Then the scan didn't do the fabric justice but I believe you understand what I am trying to convey.

Now back to Tangram. The same design used strictly in black and white was manipulated so some of the black was replaced by shades of grey, and portions of the white substituted with color. Then to juxtapose the lines and angles of the design, we paired each of the four color combinations with my good old friend Disco Dot.

The four colored versions of Tangram and Disco Dot are being released this month.

From top to bottom for both designs: Brite, Clementine,Jewel and Neutral.

And for those of you who might believe they're having a sense of deja vu with Tangram, I had originally designed a quilt top and then revised the layout for the fabric pattern ;)

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Beef and Pork Wraps

There is good food and there is bad food.

Not to pass ANY judgement. but the sushi, my friend and I attempted last week, we both deemed as bad food.

So the anthesis was a lunch I did last week.

Stir-fried beef and pork with various (good) condiments in a lettuce leaf wrap.

There was shredded carrots, bean sprouts, fresh mint leaves, baby cilantro, sliced cucumbers, bean thread noodle and blanched, toasted almonds.

The steamed rice (my bowl) has a furikake shake on it; the shake is comprised of sesame seeds, dried fish flakes, nori or toasted sea weed like the wrapping for sushi.

Sunday, January 12, 2014

The birth of “Kaiten Sushi”; (Kaiten means sushi served on a revolving conveyor belt),

has spread all over the world and established itself as an icon of Japan’s food culture.

So my friend Dina and I saw the Hobbit 2 this afternoon. A second time for me. I wanted to see Smaug, the very well spoken yet crafty and cunning dragon on the big screen again. Can't wait for it to come to DVD.

after, we went to Genki Sushi. I've always been intrigued by the fact that you sit at one of the many counters in the establishment, and the sushi goes round-and-round passing by, on a conveyor belt.

Here are a few clips of the options available...

It was a nice place to try... once.

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Like the Phoenix to Start Anew

I don't know about you but I always get this sense of renewal at the beginning of a new year. I'm full of hope and new ideas, and feel chuff that I can tackle anything, beliving that all things are possible. At the buffet of promised accomplishments and short-term goals, I fill my plate. And if not by the second day, then definitely the third, I am stuffed and now looking down at that helping with a keen and judicious eye. Goals, dreams and aspirations are one thing; sensible reality and honesty make it possible to see what it is that I am actually capable of accomplishing.

So what it is that I am looking forward to achieving this year? Many things, all of which will be shared with you over the coming year. Keep checking back to see what I'm going to be up to in 2014...

For Christmas 2012 I made my mother a suite of linens for the dining table for the holidays. I used the designs from my GINGERBREADTOWN collection. This year when I arrived at my parents' house the table had been set with the table cloth, table runner and place mats. I did a bit of rearranging for the photo shoot to stylize it as it would be set for dinner.

For Christmas this year I made breakfast. Simple, decadent and completely satisfying.

Mom and I have been talking about savory waffles for some time now so I decided to follow through with this idea... that morning we had a BLT on Dubliner Irish cheddar cheese waffles with a fried egg on top, and for a sweet tooth, a trifle of plain greek yogurt drizzled with honey and layered with fresh blueberries, mango and pears.

Cheddar waffle batter in the waffle iron and crispy, cheese waffles

The early morning sun shining on the sunny side up egg, BLT and waffle, and with a dollop of what else? Hellman's mayonnaise.

Plain greek yogurt, honey, blueberries, mango and pears; crushed graham cracker

I travelled home with a bottle of PAU Maui Hawaiian pineapple vodka for dad.

Poinsettias I fashioned from pastillage or gum paste for my birthday cake (I had a disaster with the sponge cake I made and rolled in a powder sugar-coated towel for the Yule log). Mom and dad came to the rescue and ran out and bought a Napoleon cake. I really like how the "black-and-white" geometric icing design juxtaposes the organic and realistic shapes and form of the flowers. BTW, the flowers are completely edible, save the wire and centers made of wire and yellow sewing thread.

One day of my stay I had hands-on training making perogies.

The dough was so springy and had such stretch and memory it was difficult to roll it out in a rectangular shape and it was even more challenging trying to cut rounds to shape and work around the fillings, which included (shown below) potato, farmer cheese and onion and my whacky concept of kielbasi and shrimp egg roll filling. Mom also did sweet cabbage and I, sour cherries.

Potato and cheese, above, and egg roll, below.

Onions bubbling happily in butter to coat the cooked perogies.

Mom making perogies and as I have learned, taking photos with the iPhone camera isn't the same as shooting motion with the 35mm digital.

Assorted perogies laid out on floured towels drying a bit before being poached.

Sour cherry perogies cooking and after, drained.

Egg Roll perogies after cooking.

We calls these "worms" and are made of just the dough and are similar to cavatelli or spaetzle - these are my sister's favorite.

Cooked potato and cheese smothered in onions, and then pan fried to a crispy, delicious golden brown. YUM!!!

I cooked New Year's Eve dinner:

Chicken Costoletta, Wasabi-Roasted Garlic Mashed Pototoes, Haricot Vert Almondine, Mark's Waldorf Salad (celery root, granny smith and macintosh apples, golden raisins)

The return home: riding around my first day back with the top down I got a bit of sunburn (got pasty in NJ, LOL) and the next morning woke up with Frodo hair!