Pink of Perfection

Quilting for Peace is, in my estimation, the best kind of craft book. It contains 15 simple, flexible patterns to get you piecing together a quilt of your own. But as creative people know, the magic of crafting doesn’t come from the simple how-to instructions but the stories surrounding the process. In the case of Quilting for Peace, these are stories told by quilters different in every way but united in “a firm belief in justice and people’s responsibility for each other; and a faith in patchwork’s ability to absorb the maker’s care, respect, and on occasion outrage, and to let whoever touches the quilt feel those as well.” To enter a giveaway for the book, click here.

How did you learn to quilt?

About eight years ago, my mom showed me the basics of piecing and tying so that I could make a baby quilt for a friend’s first child. After that I taught myself pretty much everything I needed to know with the help of a Singer machine-quilting paperback from the Eighties. I’m learning how to hand-piece now.

What inspired you to write Quilting for Peace?

A little bit of healthy competition with the knitters. I loved Knitting for Peace and wanted to show that quilters did just as much to make the world a better place. I was also inspired by an exhibit I saw at the New England Quilt Museum about nineteenth-century quilters who used their craft to provoke social change as well as to comfort those in need. They used their quilts, for example, as a way to participate in politics, work for social justice, and raise money for the causes they believed in.

You conducted interviews with dozens of people to write the essays in Quilting for Peace. What was that process like?

The quilters I talked to were so different from each other in many ways—women (and a couple of men) from ages 15 to 80-something, on four continents and in 14 U.S. states; quilters who are liberal and conservative, who live on farms and in suburbs, in city apartments and even on a houseboat, some of whom have been quilting for decades and others who have only recently learned to sew. And yet they share a remarkably similar way of looking at the world: a mix of pragmatism, hope, and determination, an instinct for what’s needed in the face of sorrow or tragedy, the resourcefulness to make things happen with little money and on short notice, a sense of humor, and a knack for rallying others. I admire them all a great deal. I wish quilters were in charge of everything!

Continue reading “Quilting for Peace with Katherine Bell” »

Erin McKean is kind of amazingly cool. There’s the fact that she is a lexicographer (which means she pretty much takes the “sexy librarian” thing to a whole ‘nother level), and that she loves words and frocks so equally she has been known to make dresses from crossword fabric. But I like her most of all her for whip-smart, funny, oozing-with-personality-and-charm blog, Dress A Day, on which she makes sewing dreamy dresses look not so terrifying. In fact, she even makes it look fun.

How did you learn to sew and tell us about the beginning and evolution of Dress A Day?

My mother, bless her, taught me to sew when I was about 12 or so. We chose a pattern and fabric together. She made the first dress (pink rosebuds, slightly dropped waist, sleeveless) while I watched, and I made a second dress (blue floral) from the same pattern while she watched and corrected. Then I was off to the races!

As, for the blog, I was out with my husband Joey one night and was talking about the blogs I was reading, and I told him I really wanted there to be a blog that talked about a dress every day. And because my husband is the kind of guy that intuitively understands what you really want and then eggs you on to do it, he said “Why don’t you do it?”

I registered the domain name dressaday.com and then sat on it for a year, not doing anything. So when it came up for renewal I felt as if I had wasted a year in which I could have been doing something fun and cool, just because I was “too busy.” I figured I would never be LESS busy, so I’d just have to make time for it. I’m so glad that I did!

No beating around the bush: you’re hilarious. Who or what cracks you up?

Aw, thanks! I’m a huge fan of absurdist humor, and language-y humor. And if you don’t find something to be absurdly funny every day, you’re not paying close enough attention.

What do you think is the essence of great style?

Being yourself — and being fearless about being yourself. You should never be yourself half-assedly. (Go ahead — be entirely an ass!) Also, no one on their deathbed says “I should have worn more black, I would have looked skinnier.”

What’s some of the best advice you’ve ever gotten?

Nobody will notice (insert flaw here), and if even if they do notice, only rude people would say anything about it.

Word on the street is you’re writing a novel. Can you tell us about it?

Um, yeah! It’s about a woman named Dora who goes home to run her grandmother’s vintage shop. And it’s about being brave enough to do what you want to do and not what you think you should do. And it has “Secret Lives of Dresses” in it. And some other stuff. (But no car chases. We’re saving that for the movie.)

What or who most inspires you?

I think I’m inspired most by having an interesting problem to solve. Why can’t we do something in a different way? Why not try a new approach? The worst that can happen is that you still have the problem you started out with, only now you know one more thing that won’t work.

What’s your surefire way to unwind after a stressful day?

A novel by Georgette Heyer, Donald Westlake, or Angela Thirkell, a hot bath, and maybe some popcorn (but not popcorn in the bathtub, that’s weird). Or watching House with my husband while we hold hands.

What’s in your fridge right now?

Olives, pickles, roasted red peppers, mild yellow peppers, giardiniera (basically anything that is steeped in vinegar and comes in a jar) and every possible thing you can put on top of ice cream. I like condiments.

Last but not least: Maryanne or Ginger (from Gilligan’s Island)?

Oh, totally Maryanne, but you have to let her raid Ginger’s closet. That’s the best of both worlds. (Also, I’m totally Betty, but I wish I were Veronica.)

Lisa Leonard’s jewelry is a breath of what we all need now and then: simplicity and inspiration. She has generously offered to give away a $50 gift certificate to a Pink of Perfection reader. Leave a comment on this post by midnight EST Thursday May 14 and you’ll be in the running; I’ll draw a name on Friday, May 15. But you don’t have to be a winner to get a deal on some new jewelry. Lisa has offered a 10% discount code to use on her site. Enter tellafriend at checkout.

When did you start making jewelry and what have you learned about yourself running your own business?

I started making jewelry in high school, but got serious about it after my first son, David was born.  I’ve learned that I am more driven that I thought.  Sometimes it’s hard to stop my brain and just rest.

What or who most inspires you?

I definitely get inspired when I’m outside.  I love the sunlight and the contrast of green grass to blue sky or warm sand.  My sister Chrissie is amazingly insightful and creative.  And she totally ‘gets’ me. When we are together we talk talk talk and it’s hard to keep from getting inspired!

What’s the essence of great style?

One of the most beautiful things a woman can be is herself.  I love to spend time with friends who are genuine and willing to share their hearts openly.  So great style would be a woman who is comfortable with herself and maybe a great haircut and the perfect pair of jeans.  I’m always looking for the perfect pair of jeans.

What’s some of the best advice you’ve ever gotten?

I clearly remember my dad pulling me aside one day and asking me what I wanted to accomplish when I grew up.  I shared some dreams and he challenged me to dream bigger.  I think his advice shaped me.

What’s your surefire way to unwind after a stressful day?

Surefire way during the day is a pedicure.  Heaven.  But at the end of the day-snuggling on the couch with my husband and watching our favorite shows.  Have you seen Better Off Ted?  Hilarious!  Oh and maybe a cup of decaf with lots of cream.

What’s in your fridge right now?

Our fridge is stocked with kid snacks like string cheese, yogurt, apple juice and raisin bread.  And my favorite snacks are fresca, toast with apricot jam, and lowfat milk with cereal.  And of course lots of cream for my coffee!

I’m a big fan of the sweet exuberance of Elsie Flannigan’s work and blog. There’s a simple wholesomeness — and hopefulness — about it that never fails to put a smile on my face. Learn more about this young mogul below.

Tell us a little bit about A Beautiful Mess and Red Velvet Art. Why did you start each?

I started A Beautiful Mess for fun but I never realized what a big part of my life it would become. I have really enjoyed sharing my evolving interests in art & craft. I started Red Velvet Art (RVA) 7 years ago with my sister and best friend. We started out making merch for bands and it has evolved into a way for us to encourage each other artistically and creatively.

Running your own business seems so stressful, but you seem to handle all the details so gracefully. What advice do you have about staying organized and managing a big project?

It’s actually a team effort. We try to work together really well and keep everyone in a place where they are doing the stuff that they are best at. I could never do this by myself!

What do you think the significance of the crafting movement is, particularly for young women?

I think it is amazing! The most inspiring thing for me is discovering all the stuff going on. I am just so happy to be a part of it all and helping to make the DIY industry more beautiful every day.

What most inspires you? Who most inspires you?

The most inspiring person in my life is my boyfriend, Jeremy Larson. Also, I am very inspired by my mom, who is a painter. My favorite painter is Jim Houser. My favorite band is the Flaming Lips. My favorite album of the month is the new Animal Collective. My favorite new movie is Synedoche, New York.

What’s some of the best advice you’ve ever gotten?

“What doesn’t get done, doesn’t need to get done.”

What are some things on your life list (things you want to do before you die, or as I like to think of it, to feel like your living a great life)?

Just a couple of things on my list is that I would love to visit Japan, live in a cabin, have a baby, and design my own line of children’s toys.

What’s your ideal day look like?

Wake up early-ish. Coffee with the boy. Eat pancakes. Work. Go thrift store shopping!!!

If you could invite anyone to a dinner party, living or dead, who would come?

Charlie Kaufman, Bjork, Barack Obama, and my grandma!

You just won $100 on a scratch-off. How do you spend it?

On coffee and thrift store dresses.

What’s in your fridge right now?

Pineapple, left-over pizza, and orange juice.

If you’re hungry for more q & a’s, Jen at the Haystack Needle asked to do an interview with me; you can read it here! Thanks, Jen!

One of my favorite things about blogs, hands down, is how you can feel like you can count people as your friends who you might never get the chance to meet in real life. Amber Karnes, of the super fabulous My Aim is True, has long been that for me. Her craft room is a site to be seen, and I’m constantly inspired by a life that seems to be a flurry of friends, good food, creative fun, and lots and lots of colorful, meaningful beauty.

Amber (looking the happiest) with super cute hubby on the last day of her honeymoon

Tell us a little bit about your blog and what the name means.

Well my site is sort of my life in notes and photos, if that makes sense. I talk a lot about crafting, cooking, my grumpy dog, music that I like, stuff like that. The name is a line from an Elvis Costello song called “Alison“.

How did you first get into making, crafting and cooking? Any particularly memorable flops or successes?

I was homeschooled for most of my life, and my mom always encouraged creativity and artistic pursuits. We made a lot of crafts when I was younger, everything from teddy bear bread to a heck of a lot of t-shirts covered in puff paint. I guess I grew out of it for a while, then after college I decided I wanted to learn to knit, just out of the blue. I showed up to a stitch ‘n’ bitch night, and the rest is history. I love teaching myself whatever new thing I want to tackle and making things myself so it was a great fit. I taught myself to cook mostly by experimenting, then from cookbooks and the internet after I went vegan in May 2007. Vegan cooking is a totally different game.

I think my most successful DIY projects have been things around the house. I can follow a craft pattern pretty well but I feel like I’m more creative with interior design and making just so-so things into really special things.

Flops? Ask my husband, I’ve cooked some pretty awful things. A lot of it involves eggplant. Why are those suckers so hard to cook properly?
Dude, I hear you. The craft scene in Norfolk seems really vibrant. Tell us about the 7 Cities Crafters.

The 7 Cities Crafters are a group of crafters and visual artists who sort of represent the indie art scene in the area. We’ve been a group for a few years now in one form or another. We’re a pretty diverse group, most of us are in our 20s and 30s but we have had everyone from high schoolers to 70 year old women come to our get-togethers. We have a monthly meetup where we bring food, hang out and craft together. We also host free skill-sharing workshops where one member of the group will hold a demo and teach the rest of the group a skill like knitting, photography, whatever. They’ve been very popular and we just scheduled several more for the next few months. I got the group going out of a totally selfish desire to meet more creative people in the area, sort of bring them out of the woodwork, and it worked!

What do you think the significance of the crafting movement is particularly for young women?
I think the coolest thing about the crafting movement is the information sharing. I am a big advocate of knowledge sharing, skill sharing, making or doing something and then getting the word out about it so others can do and enjoy it too. One of the
things that makes the DIY/craft movement most appealing is that someone can look at something I did and say, “Hey, I can do that too!” Then they might take the technique I used and put their own awesome and unique spin on it. I love that! I think the craft movement has been a great outlet for young women to be a part of something bigger than themselves. I am going to have a hard time articulating this, and I’m sure some women’s studies major could do a much better job, but I feel like young women have a hard time bonding with other women a lot of times. Men seem like they are just born to support each other or bond with their “bros” but girls are bred by society to compare themselves to one another and compete with one another. I feel like the craft movement has been one way for young women to find their own voice, express themselves creatively, and be a “team” with other girls just like them.

I think you hit the nail on the head — and very articulately, I might add! So what most inspires you?

Continue reading “Amber Karnes of My Aim is True” »

You may know Margaret Roach from the editor’s letters she used to write from the helm of Martha Stewart Living magazine. She then became editorial director of all of MSLO, overseeing magazines, books, and web content. And now, she’s out from behind the desk and bad corporate lighting, getting her hands dirty everyday and writing from her garden in upstate New York on her blog, A Way to Garden. Her writing has the same understated, evocative quality that I love in M. F. K. Fisher and Mary Cantwell. How she manages to do so much, to be so generous, and to create so much beauty (and share it), I’m not sure. But I want to find out and then be just like her when I grow up.

Do you think gardening has some of the same meditative qualities as yoga?

Funny you ask that, because I have often said that gardening was my first form of moving meditation, and then came yoga. I try to practice both mindfully; neither one for me is “exercise” or “a hobby,” as that would demean their importance. Certain aspects of gardening that you repeat again and again in a single “practice” (in a single gardening session outdoors) are like the asanas: a series of movements, performed over and again, with a particular alignment and order to them. Think of weeding (bend, pull, toss; bend, pull, toss…) or shoveling mulch or compost, shovelful after shovelful after shovelful (step, scoop, toss…). Gardening (like yoga) is also very much about connection, union…the experience of our inner world connecting with the outer one.

I don’t have an outdoor space but I’d really love to nurture my green thumb. What are the best things to grow in pots in windowsills and on fire escapes?

First, the disclaimer: It’s against the law to garden on the fire escape, or at least to in any way block safe access to it and use of it in case of an emergency. Now that we got that out of the way…yes, many herbs will do in pots, on a sunny windowsill or in a window box, so long as the pots are of a decent size (like 6-inch diameter or larger). Parsley, basil (especially naturally dwarf “bush” types like ‘Spicy Globe’), chives, rosemary, and even thyme and sage will do OK. Bigger containers, like a half whiskey barrel, could support a whole miniature herb garden, really. A little trick: If you like garlic, try growing a few cloves in a pot (even over the winter) to get a crop of “garlic greens,” which you can clip like you would chives to season or garnish salad, egg dishes, etc.

Has writing always been a part of your life? And what do you think about self-publishing on blogs — are you loving it?

I just wrote my short bio and resume for MargaretRoach.com, the gateway into my eventual larger portfolio of activities online and off. The first sentence or two:
“There was little hope of escaping a career in the world of words, being born as I was to a couple of journalists who both also loved to read. The pull was strong enough to sweep in not just me but also my sister, Marion…” So yes, writing has always been my thing, and my family’s thing. Nature and nurture. I have written newspaper articles, books, magazine articles, sections for marthastewart.com…but nothing has been as empowering or astonishing as this medium of blogging. I only wish I had come to it sooner, and were at least a decade younger so I could really master it and have a long career at it. But meanwhile I will try to make up for lost time…

Favorite books?

Classic reference: Wyman’s Gardening Encyclopedia: Dated, wonderful, all you need to know in one chunky hardcover (please disregard any chemical suggestions–he didn’t know better probably). No fancy photos, but all the answers, or practically. A classic guide to living for me: A Path With Heart, by Jack Kornfield, longtime Buddhist teacher. A must-read for everyone. More escapist, perhaps, and newer than either of those: Birds in Fall, by Brad Kessler, a recent novel about the aftermath of a plane crash but with an ornithological riff.

What’s your ideal day look like?

I like to do many things at once; I am a grazer both when eating and working. So I have my cup of black tea early, and start on multiple things (writing, paperwork for my business, gardening in the season, bird-watching year-round), catching myself staring out the window a lot or into space if outdoors, and I generally flutter from thing to thing till I fall down in a heap. That’s basically my life story.

What’s your go-to, quick weeknight meal?

Baked potato with butter, salt, and a can of vegetarian baked beans on top. True. My English heritage showing, I suppose (ask in any pub for “jacket potato with baked beans”). Or baked beans on toast (again, butter, please). Or baked potato with cottage cheese (and yes, butter). Or pizza–homemade, with my own garden-grown tomato sauce and pesto on it, the crust also from scratch from Nick Malgieri’s Neapolitan Pizza recipe from How to Bake. I quarter the pre-baked pizzas and freeze them, then just pop one “slice” in the oven at suppertime, so one pizza-making yields eight suppers. Or just crackers and cheese and gherkins…in fact, I probably eat more of that combo than anything else.

Mmm, I think cheese and crackers make one of the best meals ever. Favorite movies?

Pulp Fiction. McCabe and Mrs. Miller. Mean Streets. As Good As It Gets. Once. Truly Madly Deeply. Moonstruck. (I am so bad at recalling movie titles, but these, at least, are in my head.) If we extend to BBC series, I will watch anything with Robson Green, or Helen Mirren, and lately devoured multiple seasons of the original English crime drama “Cracker” with Robbie Coltrane. Frankly I am far more seriously addicted to music than to movies…but you didn’t ask that, did you?

Well, why don’t I? What are you listening to these days?

Oh, my..I am (as ever) a grazer, and frenetic. My standards are Leonard Cohen, Al Green, Lucinda Williams, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson (oh, and a dozen others whose work I also have every drop of, like John Prine, John Hiatt, Van Morrison, Nick Lowe and…and…). I like Keith Richards when he goes country (and as a Rolling Stone). I like Teddy Thompson (and his parents). Alison Kraus lately, especially with Robert Plant.

I like songs that make me laugh, like Bill Kirchen’s “Get a Little Goner” (”If you’re gonna get gone, get a little goner…”) and Jean Knight’s “Mr. Big Stuff,” (”Mr. Big Stuff, who do you think you are?…”) and “These Boots Are Made for Walking” (particularly the cover by Velvet 99).

I like songs that make me dance, like Kemo the Blackican’s “La Receta” or anything Tina Turner, especially early stuff with Ike like their hot version of “Stormy Weather.” I like Motown Girl Groups, and am glad to hear this sound coming around again.

I like any version of the song “You Are My Sunshine,” and have many. I collect songs from around the world and through the ages that have the word “hallelujah” in them (or its variations, like alleluia). And then I like to listen to WFUV, from Fordham University, and other alternative-ish stations on my Sangean wifi radio, and get newer stuff, like Great Lake Swimmers, Nicolai Dunger, Josh Ritter, Alejandro Escovedo, Ray LaMontagne, Joseph Arthur, Architecture in Helsinki, Brett Dennen…so many I cannot keep track. Eclectic, usually about love done in or love in bloom (more the former than the mushy stuff). Singer-songwriter, with emphasis on the lyrics.

Blues, too (more Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon than now). And vintage Pablo Casals cello solos. And I have gone on forever and could keep going. The iPod is full. If I hadn’t started blogging I’d have more music; that was my previous favorite thing to do on the Mac: make music mixes.

Favorite flowers?

Alliums, the ornamental onions, probably. So insane looking. I’m am more of a foliage and fruit person than a flower girl, especially big, bold foliage that brings a hint of the tropics to my cold-zone garden, and fruits meant not for humans but for the birds.

What’s the best thing about leaving the corporate world?

Top benefit: Living in my garden for the first time in the 20-plus years I have been making it–waking up every day and looking out at it. And not ordering lunch ever again in midtown. And grazing all day, as I said, like a high-calorie-burning kid, up and down to the fridge that’s full of food I cooked or at least that I like (unlike all those midtown takeaway spots).

What’s one dream you have for your life?

Love, love, love. To love my new work, to love my garden, to love some great new guy who’s showing up any day now I think (tee hee). Or as David Byrne says in some song or other of his: “Peace, love and monkey business.”

I have a major girl crush on Cathy Erway. Fed up with brunches that give you two little poached eggs in return for a hard-earned hamilton, Cathy resolved to not eat out, not ever, and started writing about it on Not Eating Out in New York. That alone, as an exercise in anti-consumerism and Girl Scoutish self-sufficiency, is reason enough for me to love her blog dearly. But Cathy also writes in this droll voice that makes me want to invite her over, get her drunk on old-fashioneds, and make her spill all her secrets. I settled for the next best thing: sending her questions over the internet and profiling her on Pink of Perfection.

It’s hard to walk to the corner in New York without running into a
restaurant, a push cart, or a take-out joint. So why Not Eat Out?

I ask myself that all the time. But really, I thought it would be a fun project or “fast” to test out, and I wanted to see how easily or not easily it could be done. It might not be practical for everyone, but I’ve benefited enormously through it all, from figuring out how to braise beef cheeks to eating more healthfully for myself and for the environment to saving tons of cash.

What’s been the most unexpected result of not eating out?

That it became so routine. Sometimes my friends ask me if I order the occasional “cheat” take-out when I’m just home alone, and I think — why would I ever do that? I’d much rather grab a nice cut of steak, or good wedge of cheese or something really exciting at a shop instead and make something wonderful out of it. Maybe I just enjoy cooking too much.

I’m always trying to figure out things to cook for dinner that feel
totally luxurious and restorative but are as fast as ordering in. What are
your go-to weeknight meals?

This is sort of what I was talking about with buying one or two really good, luxurious ingredients, like a ripe avocado, or steak, maybe some crusty bread, and doing what you will with them. But for my go-to weeknight meal, I’ll say a stir-fry with rice. I make them with any combination of ingredients, the most common perhaps being chicken and broccoli. This stuff really takes me back to my childhood. It’s simple to throw together and makes good leftovers, too. Another good one is pizza — get the dough from your local pie shop, raw, and throw some fresh mozzarella and whatever else you want on it.

What are some of your favorite Brooklyn destinations for eating, not eating,
imbibing, buying things, looking at things, walking, etc…?

Lately, it’s been Prospect Park, where I like to ride circles around and then flop on the grass. I like making a special trip to DUMBO, to see what’s in the art galleries and bookstores there, hang out at the waterfront, buy some baking chocolate at Jacques Torres, and imbibe at Superfine. Ditto for Red Hook, switching Baked bakery for the chocolate (or some other goodies), the bar to Sunny’s, and if there’s time, adding a shopping trip to Fairway Market.

What’s your ideal day look like?

Probably doing all of the above. And then making an elaborate feast with friends and bringing it to a nice spot outdoors — parknic!

What song is totally making your commute/exercise/scrubbing the tub a
rollicking good time?

Raw Ramp by T. Rex, a bonus track on Electric Warrior. I’ve been listening/dancing to it with friends so much it’s not even funny anymore, and nobody can figure out why it’s called Raw Ramp.

Maybe T. Rex has a thing for spring onions? What books are you your bedside table right now?

I’m reading Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook: Recipes from Hunan Province by Fuchsia Dunlop right now. It’s the province that my grandparents were from.

So I’m not the only one who reads cookbooks in bed! What blogs can’t you get enough of?

I check out what Deb is cooking at Smitten Kitchen all too frequently; I read Apartment Therapy, especially the kitchn, and Serious Eats often, too. Makes me wish I were a whole staff of bloggers instead of my little, time-constrained self.

Man, do I hear that. What’s one dream you have for something you’d like to do in your life?

To do a year’s worth of research/eating/learning to cook in Taiwan and then writing a book about Taiwanese cuisine.

That’s a book I would definitely buy.

When I first found One Hour Craft, my heart leapt. What creative person in our modern rush wouldn’t love a blog filled with simple craft tutorials that can be accomplished in 60 minutes or less? As an added bonus, One Hour Craft founder, Maria (Mia) Binns, writes with a sweet, encouraging voice nudging her readers to seek out pleasure and make the most of the time they have. This sort of thing being just my of cup of tea, I wrangled Mia into our first Pink of Perfection Profile. I hope you enjoy this new feature, and please pass on your picks for future interviewees in the worlds of crafts, cooking, design, and lifestyle.

What inspired you to start One Hour Craft?
I was inspired to write OHC to provide crafty and people who don’t yet know
they are crafty with an easy way to kick-start crafting. In this day when
almost everyone is run off their feet, I think it is still possible to find
an hour to craft, and if not an hour, then fifteen minutes a day for four days! I figured that there were people like me who just don’t have the head space for long projects at the moment but love making a load of different things and love not only the process, but producing something. By the overwhelming response the site has seen I am convinced that there are plenty of ladies (and some men) who are in the same position as me.

Continue reading “Maria Binns from One Hour Craft” »