The weekly “little of this, little of that” feature here at Like Mother, Like Daughter!
Long-time readers know that I suffer from NGEMTFAP (Not Getting Enough Materials To Finish A Project, due to existing FOES — Fear Of Exploding Stash) and also PMIADCCW (Painting Myself Into A Design Corner, Crafting-Wise). You might not believe it, but these are actually separate, if related, syndromes.
This time is no exception (and I sense a similar fate coming with the knitting and do I have enough yarn to see it through, but that's a post for another time).
Would you like a little glimpse into the thought (if you can elevate it by that name) process for Finabee's quilt? I neglected to buy ALL of the cute blue fabric. Can't explain. And now it's out of production and not in the usual haunts (believe me, I know where to find discontinued fabrics and yarn, sigh).
After pondering everything in my stash and all the fabrics at JoAnn's and my local quilt specialty store, I naturally concluded that only this orange I bought long ago complemented it in just the way I was seeking. (In making this choice, I rejected several lovely patterns, also in my stash, bought just for this particular quilt. The design process takes on a life of its own — a monstrous life in my case!)
And of course, I only had a certain amount of the orange. And it's not available anywhere that I can see.
So I dithered along until I came up with patchwork that I felt made the most of these two fabrics, using white to stretch them to a respectable size. And then, of course, was left with the issue of the backing.
You see, the particular blue of the blue and the exact orange of the orange are not readily coordinated with any blues or oranges out there. It's surprising how different they are. I find that this is often the case with fabrics from specialty lines — the dyes are just so and don't go with anything else. In the case of the blue, even within the line (Juliana Horner Edelweiss), the other fabrics aren't quite what I was looking for — I really needed to move away from the blue — wouldn't have minded some pink (I happen to like the pink-and-orange vibe). But no.
Back to JoAnn's and pondering. I do believe I found the one bolt of fabric there that works. And in a mad stroke of uncharacteristic commitment, I bought four whole yards, which I really think should do it for this lap-sized quilt. Here's hoping!
I kind of like that the pattern picks up the pink in the Edelweiss fabric, ever so slightly.
On to our links:
First — a plea for help for those fleeing or remaining in the Middle East, especially Syria, where Aleppo has undergone intense targeting of hospitals. It's hard to know what to do, but the Knights of Columbus promise that (after the modest expenses for the concert), 100% of the funds raised here go directly to those in need; they are there on the ground to see to it. Come listen to the beautiful music — but if you can't, donate directly to the fund.
Bridget and I are part of the large choir, so if you want, come up and say hi afterwards.
The Methuen MA details (tomorrow!) can be found here. And the Nashua NH details (Tuesday!) are here.
Besides the cause and the need, the music is beautiful — and quite unlike anything you've probably heard! I hope you can come!
- Bridget wrote about her college's involvement in the project, which is a natural extension of the unique Guild program at Thomas More College.
- Watch a video of Paul Jernberg, our director, friend of LMLD, and composer, speaking about the event and the need (that's Bridget in the middle, wearing the beige sweater!):
- The world turns and there is another way that the enemy tries to get us to turn away from God. Lately I've noticed that this new-ish way is what might loosely be called the “self-care” ideology. When we do things God's way, everything is orderly: we will be given the right idea about taking care of ourselves (for instance, ponder the words of Jesus: “love your neighbor as yourself” Mark 12:31). But you know, every single person has suffered or will suffer — this condition of suffering is a result of Original Sin. Doing things the way that is not God's plunges us into darkness. Fr. Robert McTeigue, SJ, a reliable witness, writes about this danger in The “Jezebel” Tactic.
- Rosie Hill has a nice post about setting up a prayer table for her children (and she sweetly includes a link to The Little Oratory, in which we help you to be peaceful about living the liturgical year. The important thing is to connect with Christ's life in His Church at your own pace). Alert! Lots and LOTS of good links to sellers of religious art including icons. I plan to take a deep dive into all of that soon. Very soon if you know what I mean (ahem Christmas shopping ahem).
- But what was the persecution of Galileo all about? Science? Or something else? As usual, that story, above, peddles the “Enlightenment” narrative that Galileo was the victim of vicious persecution from anti-scientific religious authorities. But here is what actually happened.
- Speaking of religion and science, meet Sister Doctor Colonel Deirdre Byrne!
- The Chief on what's happening in the Catholic Church with the presentation of five questions (Dubia, as they are officially called) by four Cardinals, to the Pope on the topic of marriage. Be sure to follow him on Catholic Culture for responsible commentary on all things religious!
- Go “like” Deirdre's husband's Facebook page if you are so minded! John Folley, artist.
From the archives:
- That time that Deirdre insisted we record my pizza-making process, here and here. Would I have liked to have been less sweaty? Yes. But there it is — and the method is the same for making excellent artisanal bread, so take a look if you are wondering about that.
- In which I answer that sad but perennial question, Will Homeschooling Make Me Lose My Mind?
~We’d like to be clear that, when we direct you to a site via one of our links, we’re not necessarily endorsing the whole site, but rather just referring you to the individual post in question (unless we state otherwise).~
Mrs. B. says
I think the cleverness of the fabric you picked for the back is that the little orange flowers and the green sprigs recall the details of both the blue and orange fabrics. It all looks very pretty!
The article on the “Jezebel strategy” reminds of something Fr. Scalia once said – we need to ask our Guardian Angels to heal our memories, the wounds in our past that keep hurting us.
Thanks also for the link to Rosie Hill’s piece – we put small icons in our kids’ Christmas stockings last year, and I would like to keep doing this every year, but I’ve only looked at eBay for sources. We’ve also been putting a Christmas tree ornament in each stocking for a few years now, something that reflects their taste: when they’re grown-ups, they will have some ornaments from their childhood to start decorating their own trees.
Ann says
Wonderful article by your husband over at Catholic Culture. I too am troubled by Pope Francis’ recent comments regarding those who love the Extraordinary form of the Mass, calling them “rigid”. Instead of fanning the flames of our young people’s love and zeal for our Catholic faith and its beautiful traditions, he seems to be squelching it. Troubling times.
Olivia says
Thank you for the link to the pizza posts; I was planning to make some today. I was wondering at which stage could you freeze the dough? Or would you just bake the extras into loaves? Thanks!
Leila says
You’re welcome!
I never freeze the dough. I either keep any leftover dough in the fridge — it keeps for a few days, covered with a wet cloth, or make it into a loaf of bread, and freeze that, or make an extra pizza and freeze that.
If I remember, I make that extra pizza in a rectangular pan, because guess what — rectangles are way easier to store than circles!! But I usually forget 🙂
Rosie says
I freeze my pizza dough after the first rise, but you can also easily stick it in the freezer immediately after making it – it’s one of the few things I *will* freeze because I’m picky about food and it’s nice not to have to measure out many cups of flour when you have a newborn strapped to you. Of course, I’m planning on outsourcing the dough making to my older kids this time around, so dough freezing may not happen anymore 😉 It’s very forgiving!