Attended another online EBHQ workshop by Cheryl Arkison. This time she covered making pieced fabric letters. She covered fabric, color, cutting tips, style tips, information about letters (kerning, etc.)
I first learned about piecing fabric letters while participating in the Block Lotto in 2012 - back then it was very difficult for me to make the letters. Now though with Cheryl's tips and techniques I was able to get most of the letters I wanted to make done in class. A B O U F L C W - just need K and S in the fabric I selected today. Tomorrow hope to finish K S and add T I R E N - then you will know what I am up to!
: )
Tomorrow evening she is presenting a lecture that is open to the public.
I attended a really wonderful EBHQ zoom workshop with Cheryl Arkison presenting: Scraptastic Options.
Even though I had read her book "Sunday Morning Quilts" the presentation covered it all more in detail so it was really nice. She is one of those teachers who really enjoys quilting and people - it was a pleasure to spend the day with her and with the EBHQ community.
First she discussed different ways she organizes scraps. The book just has some measurement guidelines, but she really explained how she does it - as a model for us to consider ourselves. There was time to organize. I only was able to do the first sorting as I was trying to do it all with fabric balance on my lap using a bankers box lid as the table. The people who really spread out were able to do much more.
Then she went thru the process of making a block with the larger scraps and gave us sewing time. Then the other sizes with more time to try things out. At each level she also showed examples, and gave us more ideas and tips so we could be successful.
I'm excited to really get into organizing my scraps and using her ideas to make my own quilts.
I recommend both her book and taking workshops from her.
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| 2022-04-10 |
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| Bought Dunkn Donuts Coffee at Costco this week. Usually around $14 (I think), now $23! Amazon and Costco Update Added 10-6-22 |
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| Added 12-15-22 |
One
When our son was little we had Australian friends who came and visited. Actually we only knew them because the husband was writing up an Australian version of a program that I wrote the documentation for the American version. Anyway, at the time they seemed to be to be only family with new little baby so they came and stayed with us for a while. They did that a few times and I remember walking with them and thinking how we would be couple friends forever and would see each other kiddos grow up and be friends too.
But sadly that didn't happen.
The husband got a job with Microsoft so they moved to the US for a few years. They were in a different state though. More importantly we did not keep up writing letters or keeping in touch. When they moved back to Australia instead of coming to see us they would fly to the East Coast and stay with someone else. I wrote letters but did not get a reply, so when I heard they were visiting the other family gave up writing. It was a great loss to me to not have that forever friendship. It would have enriched our lives so much to have that connection - the adults and the children.
I learned a lot from that Australian woman while they were here and when we were writing each other. She had one slightly older daughter who also stayed with us. My mom bought that little girl a beautiful dress with pink polka dots on a black background as a going away gift, it was so much fun to have them stay with us. It was wonderful to see the kids interacting and playing together.
She taught me how to make playdough - and we would set the kids up each with a little pile of the stuff on what she named the playdough counter. It's a divider between our kitchen eating area that is about 18 inches high on the eating side and you (the adult) can stand at the den side and easily do crafts with little kiddos. Other people may get high stools and serve drinks on the counter, but we always used it for crafts.
I had our son go to UCSD to be part of a study about delayed language - he was not talking when I signed him up, but was talking by the time the study started. He would be in a room with a student doing whatever they asked with blocks and things - and they would ask him questions. I could look thru the window and see and hear what was going on. They asked if he had a sister and he said he had, but she moved back to Australia. Little kids. It made me so sad to hear him say that.
She gave me these wonderful cookbooks that showed how to make special birthday cakes - she said it was fun to make them instead of just buying them. To this day we always make our birthday cakes here.
She also told me about the concept of 'parent and me' playgroups.
Three More
I looked into parent and me playgroups and my son and I had fabulous times not only at the classes (operated thru park and recreation programs) but even more wonderfully after a few years. Three mothers got together and organized a private group and we were invited to join in. For several years every Friday we would trade houses and the hostess would plan activities for the kids and food for us to share. I don't think we even did potluck, it was as I recall, all the responsibility for the hostess to entertain and feed for the day. Those ladies and the kids were so special to me.
It turned out one child was born the day before our son at the same hospital, and the other was born the same day at the same hospital. Years later we realized we had photos of her and her husband in the recovery room in our photos!
It was so much fun to be part of a group. When we would take a little trip, I would bring back three little things to share with them.
We helped one of the families move to their new home and had fun at birthday parties and holiday events. Then one year before the Christmas party that was to be at our home one of the ladies decided we should not exchange any gifts - adults or children. We certainly don't need gifts, but I was shattered as my son did not have siblings or cousins - that was the role the Friday Group was to play for him.
I still thought we'd know each other and be friends forever. But the kids started kindergarten then and we mainly stopped seeing each other.
The real kicker was years later when we finally did get together, I discovered that one of the kids had gotten married more than a year before. I really felt out of their lives then. I know how difficult it can be to invite people to a wedding - there is an extra cost for each guest, and brides may restrict the number of groom family invitees so they can have more from their side of the clan present - but I thought I'd get a phone call or email telling me of the engagement or wedding.
Every few years one of us will contact the others, but the closeness is gone. There doesn't seem to be any point to asking questions and catching up now.
When we were looking for schools for our son, the local school gave us a very bad impression. Remember this was before all the school tragedies - but the school had signs saying that parents were not allowed on campus, not just that they were to sign in thru the office, but they were not permitted on campus! That and that there were no grouping for writing or math put me off of the school. Another school only used workbooks for the kids to learn - it was a very non-creative environment. Another one had a super high percentage of handicapped and disabled children who needed diapering and feeding care. None of the schools had groupings for writing and math, only reading...
So when we were thinking about what school to have our son attend we started hearing about Waldorf. There were three times we learned about it, let's see if I can remember any of them. The last was a notice at a garage sale telling about the Waldorf Open House. I will think to see if I can remember the other ways.
Anyway, Waldorf seemed perfect as it was so arts and craftsy - the opposite of what my husband and I could offer our son. He started in a kindergarten program. Before school started I missed hearing that the kids were supposed to wear different colors on different days of the week. We had red, yellow, and green shirts, but needed orange and purple. So that first day after leaving our son off I went to the store to get some white t-shirts and fabric paint - so we could decorate a shirt together. But I got rear ended that afternoon, so was late with picked our son up. One mother stayed on the playground with my son and her son and they played together. I will always remember how wonderfully kind that was for her to do.
The four of us spent many hours together after school during that year. Her husband was living in their native country, so she had lots of time to share with us. We would take the boys to so many places - it was always fun! My husband was working all the time so he didn't miss us at all... I cried when she and her son moved back to be with the husband. They wanted their son to live in their country and learn that language. I caught her at a time when she needed company too, as we had met her just after her husband had left to work in the family business.
We have seen each other a handful of times since then. Here, in Boston and Buffalo, and in their country two times! I always feel like we just start up where were left off even though we have not done a good job of keeping in touch in between visits.
Her son is now a dentist working at the university where he did his training.
The last time I saw her was in 2015 at the beginning of my wonderful drive across the country with my Swedish friend. The first friend's son was starting dental school in Buffalo so we drove from Boston to her and stayed a few days. We went to Niagara Falls, did a self-guided architectural walking tour of Buffalo, the Teddy Roosevelt Inauguration House Museum, had Buffalo Wings, and ice cream and sponge candy at an old fashioned classic ice cream parlor (Fowler's?), (pretty sure we went to the Modern Art Museum). Chatted, shared thoughts and feelings. It was a great beginning of the driving trip.
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At Waldorf the kindergarteners and teachers make lunch together every day. I found the recipe booklet while going thru a box so will write them down here so they are handy! While typing I searched the web to be sure of the bread recipe and discovered that different schools have different recipes for their schools. Makes sense, but I thought all these years the schools all did the same thing...
Monday - Violet Day - Rice Cereal
(For 25-30 children)
3 c sweet brown rice - cover with 1.5 inch water
Cook until tender (watch pot and stir often) The school had a heat disperser the grains didn't burn.
Sprinkle with gomasio (sesame salt) or sweeten with honey.
Tuesday - Red Day - Bread
1. Sponge: Combine and set aside, 1/4 c water, 2 T yeast and 1/4 t maple syrup
2. Combine 1/4 c oil, 1/2 c maple syrup, 1/5 t salt and 2 c water
Add 1 & 2 together, add 1.5 c flour, stir 200 times and then let rest 5 - 10 min. Add 4 c whole wheat flour (okay to sub 1/2 c oats for 1/2 c flour) Knead, add flour as needed. Shape and place on oiled pan. Bake in 325 degree oven for 20 min for rolls, 45 min for a loaf.
I'm not sure now if the kids only had bread on this day. I'm remembering they all had baskets for their lunch and how I had to look for metal bowls and cups for him to use. I made cloth napkins and a cover for the basket. I still have the napkins and one of the baskets - now holding hand towels. My favorite napkin was made with red and white checkers, but it had ants printed on it so they were crawling around. Anyway, maybe these recipes are for a mid-morning or afternoon treat, not a full lunch.
Wednesday - Yellow Day - Apple-Millet Cereal
Serves 25-30 children
2.25 c millet
6 - 8 c water (or apple juice)
5 - 7 apples, cut up
2 t cinnamon
Cover with water, add more as needed. Cook until tender - around 20 minutes.
Perhaps serve with maple syrup.
Thursday - Orange Day - Barley Soup
1 onion
3 carrots, chopped
3 c barley
1/2 c tamari
1 T parsley
1 T oregano
2 quarts water
Chop onion, saute in oil until soft.
Add remaining ingredients.
Cook until barley is tender.
This was our son's favorite. A few times that year they asked me to have him bring in a few carrots or apples to use.
Friday - Green Day - Rye Cereal
6 c rye flakes
1.5 t salt
12 c water
Cook until tender.
Serve with maple syrup and bananas or honey.
Note: 3 cups rye and 6 cups water for 11 to 12 children.
Birthday Cake
For our son's birthday the teacher made a cake and decorated it with beautiful orange nasturtium flowers they picked from their hillside. I'd never had them before, they added a fresh and peppery taste to the cake. They must have had this cake many times during the year, but it felt special for us and our son to have it to celebrate his birthday.
Applesauce "Birthday" Cake
3.25 c whole wheat pastry flour
1.5 t baking soda
1.5 t cinnamon
3/4 c butter
1 c maple syrup
1/2 c molasses or honey
1 egg
1.5 c applesauce
Combine dry ingredients. Cut in the butter. add rest of ingredients, Beat well. Bake at 350 degrees for around 1 hour.
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Compared to our lives, there was a lot of religion in Waldorf, but we felt it wasn't a religious school. I'm looking over this verse and recipe booklet. Ah well. It's good to be good to each other and ourselves. Here are a few poems/verses the kids recited. I don't remember them all, but do remember I thought it was sweet the way they added to the order of the day, the rituals, the community, and the memories.
Verse of Anticipation
When I have said my evening prayer,
and my clothes are folded on the chair,
when Mother switches out the light,
I'll still be ___ years old tonight!
But at the break of day,
before the children rise and play,
before the darkness turns to gold,
Then I'll be ___ years old.
Birthday Verse
In heaven shines a golden star
An Angel lead me from afar
From heaven on high unto the earth
And brought me to my house of birth.
Birthday Song
We wish you a happy birthday
a joyous and celebrated birthday
To our friend _____
May you have a long, long life
Candle Lighting
I can light a candle
God can light a star
Both of them are helpful
Shining where they are
Candle Snuffing
Candlelight shining bright
Thank you for your loving light
Good night
Good-bye Verse
Our work, our play, our song
In us becomes a light
We carry it along
Until the stars shine thru the night
To God we bring it all
Answering his call.
Good-bye Song
Good-bye now, Good-bye now.
We leave you now
And home we go.
Good-bye now, Good-bye now.
Good-bye to all of you.
It's time to go or we'll be late.
Let Martin lead us to the gate
Good-bye now, Good-bye now.
Good-bye to all of you.
Come Out and Play
Bright is the day
The birds are all singing
The flowers are gay.
Stretching up, oh, so high
Trying to reach the sky
Come Out and Play!
Bright is the day
The birds are all singing
The flowers are gay.
Wash Hands
Wash hands wash
The men have gone to plow.
Now's the time to wash your hands
So wash your hands now
Snack Blessing
Earth who gives to us this food,
Sun who makes it ripe and good,
Dear Earth, Dear Sun, by you we live
Our loving thanks to you we give
Amen
Join hands, join hands, join hands.
Blessings on our food.
Lunch Blessing
Before the flour, the mill
Before the mill, the grain
Before the grain, the earth, the sun, the rain
The beauty of God's will.
Join hands, join hands, join hands
Blessings on our food.
Morning Verse
To Earth I come to greet the light, to greet the Sun
The stones that rest
The plants that grow
The beasts that run
To greet all people who walk and work and will
Love God in all
Then God greets me, in all I do
And you and I and God are one.
Morning has come
Night is away
Rise with the sun
And welcome the day!
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There is more to remember about those Waldorf days, but I will save that for later. Going to get ingredients for barley soup now!
