finished wedding quilt

Finally I finished our wedding quilt. Once the sewing started it came together fairly easily. I found some lovely fabric for the borders and backing that I just love. Everything was going swimmingly until I got to the binding. Holy hell that took forever. There must be a more efficient way to sew the binding but as it was all by hand it cost me several hours in front of the tv. Not that I mind, but time is precious commodity at the moment.

In making this quilt I truly fell for quilting (as if I need another craft to love). I think I was done in when I went to a quilting store to get the remaining fabric for the border and backing. There were so many modern, beautiful, printed fabrics; I was smitten. I hope I can find time to make quilts in my future as It’s so nice to make something that feels like it has a use and will last for ages. That being said, I’m not sure what to do with this quilt as I’d like to preserve it with all the messages from our wedding guests. Ideas? I’m thinking it might look nice hung on the wall if i could find the space.

dress dying

I bought this lovely vintage dress a few months back but have never had the occasion to wear it. It was so pretty but also kind of a drab white. Finally with a special event to go to, I decided to dye it. Originally I thought green would be best but I got nervous and went with brown. I sort of wish I’d stuck with green since I’m by no means an expert dress dyer, and the brown wasn’t so rich as I’d hoped. It turned out nice though overall and helped me blend in the natural setting.

Thanksgiving 2011

I can’t believe our tiny Thanksgiving break is almost over. It flew by in what seemed like a matter of seconds. I suppose that’s what happens when you have lots to do over a few days. We started off our celebrations at Madeleine Bistro for a four course Thanksgiving feast. We’ve been to Madeleine’s for the past few years but this meal topped them all. I don’t think I’ve ever had such a delicious Thanksgiving meal in my life. Everything was exquisite. Next year we plan to have Thanksgiving at our house and I hope we can make something even just a fraction of how good this meal was.

We spent the rest of the weekend with friends and family relaxing and eating lots. I did very little cooking considering. I made this wonderful green bean casserole and an apple pie. Yesterday Shawn was in a short film so I had the day to myself. I spent it watching British period dramas, knitting and sewing. It was pretty nice to not have to worry about work and projects for a whole day.

When I was a kid, after every school break I would make a list of all the cool things I did in my time off filled with movies I’d watched or things I’d made. This year if I made a list, the two biggest things would be finishing the binding on our wedding quilt (which took FOREVER) and hanging up some clothes that have been sitting in our bedroom for about a month. Pretty simple, but a major relief to have finished at the same time.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. What would you put on your list?

Oslo August 31

Oslo August 31 is the kind of film that sits with you, waits in the back of your mind and haunts you for weeks to come. It is a portrait of a man on his one day of leave from rehab. He takes the day to explore Oslo and reconnect with old friends as he tries to face his impending release. It’s a simple story, that goes beyond just one person’s struggle drug addiction.

Joachim Trier is able to create a perfect balance of emotion and imagery with his melancholic storytelling. There is beauty and hope mixed in with Anders’ disappointment and despair as he navigates the last day of summer. Anders Danielson Lie captures the nuances of his character with flawless realism. He is subtle and reserved, only occasionally letting his raw pain seep out, just enough to for you to connect to him and hope things will turn out okay.

The film is one of the saddest I’ve seen and yet one of the most honest portrayal of the reality of living today. Beyond the fact that I think it is a great film, if you’ve ever known anyone who has been severely depressed, I feel like you have to see this movie. I’m not saying this as some sort of public service announcement, but rather that I think Oslo August 31 is able to capture an unexplainable emotion.

dinner time

I bet you thought I was going to talk about movies all week. I guess I tricked you, didn’t I?

I’ve been trying to make some more wholesome dinners. It’s easy to eat pasta or rice and broccoli every night when you’re busy, and as much as I love both of those, variety is good too.

I picked out some easy recipes this weekend and with the help of our slow cooker have made them in no time after work. The first experiment was lemony pan-fried chickpeas with rainbow chard. This lovely dish came together in about 20 minutes and was shockingly flavorful especially for how simple it was. I added in some seasoned jackfruit that I had cooked up over the weekend just to make it a little more substantial and used rainbow chard for a little bit of color. The whole thing was very satisfying and I loved the varied texture of chard, chickpeas and jackfruit together.

It was a nice reminder that meals can be simple and still be special.