van Gogh biography

Van Gogh by Steven Naifeh


I know I'm going to like/maybe love this book. Loved their life of J Pollock. But in the very beginning they blame van Gogh's mom. I'm not sure for what, but it's her fault.


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Simple T-shirt quilt

I just made two T-shirt quilts for graduates, and I love them (quilts AND grads). The quilts are simple and cuddly. And they are a collage of the graduate's life, a picture of the person. You've heard the saying "every stitch a prayer." Maybe not EVERY stitch, but plenty of prayers, good wishes and gratitude seasoned the sewing. You could make one too, and not just for grads. Sports, family reunions,  even blood donations are all themes for T-shirt collections. Here's how to do it:

1. Decide to take a relaxed approach. No perfect centering, no pinpoint-matched corners necessary!
2. Ask the grad for 16 favorite T-shirts.
3. Cut the sleeves off. If you use sharp scissors this is easy.
4. Separate front from back at the side seams and shoulders. Just lay the shirt down and cut the seams away. You don't have to cut off the neck binding.
5. Put the back of the shirt aside. Unless it has the image you're after, you don't need it.
6. Cut a 14 1/2" square from each shirt. I marked my cutting board with red tape, laid the T-shirt down kind of centered, with the neck binding above the cutting line. Cut across top and bottom, then at each side. Here's what the cutting board looks like.

7. Arrange the squares into four rows four squares each. I leave this up on my design wall for a day or so and rearrange until it's perfect. One of my grads is an art student, so I invited her over to show me how she wanted hers to look.

8. Sew the rows together with 1/4" seams. The knit T-shirt fabric makes matching ends easy: just stretch it a little and everything turns out fine.

9. Sew the rows together to make one quilt top. Use 1/4" seams.

10. Iron it. Use a pressing cloth if you have any sticky-ish designs.

11. Buy 2 yards of fleece. One grad asked for light blue; another for leopard print. School colors are also good. Or you can simply use sweatshirt gray for a classic effect.

12. Lay the fleece on a big table or the floor. Make sure the fluffier side is up and the flatter side faces the floor or table.

13. Using Sulky temporary spray adhesive, attach the T-shirt top to the fleece. You should have 1 1/2" at each side and plenty of fabric at top and bottom.

14. Use big quilting pins to reinforce the center area. I put pins where the squares met.

15. Sew the top to the fleece along the seams. I used a neutral color of thread that would blend with most of the squares. For the bobbin I matched the color of the fleece. I used a quilter's walking foot, but you could make do with a plain foot. I used to use a straight stitch for this step, but have found that a narrow zigzag is better. It avoids threads snapping due to the natural give of knits.

16. Cut the fleece 1 1/2" above the T-shirts at the top and the bottom of your quilt.

17. Make a self-binding: Fold the fleece  over the edge of the quilt, turn the raw edge under, and pin. It makes a binding of about 3/4". I was kind of flexible here. I cut the selvage away when it was too stiff to turn under. The fleece is just the right size for this, and, depending on the fabric, you may have to fudge a little as you turn the binding. Just make it look nice. Pin it down.

18. Sew the binding down, reinforcing the corners with an X or some double-seaming. Once I did this by hand, but it is actually stronger and prettier by machine.

19. Make a little label and sew it on the back. I do this at the bottom right corner (as seen from the front), and sew it on by machine, matching the bobbin thread to the front T-shirt.

That's it.

Faith Ringgold at FSU

Last Friday I went with Jennifer to see artist Faith Ringgold at FSU. Campus was quiet -- empty of students -- and we seemed to be approaching a likewise tidy, traditional red-brick college building. But recently-renovated William Johnston Building is eye-popping inside. Even the ceilings are stuning, and at the far end of a five-story interior atrium glitters a sculpture (by Rob Ley) of woven steel going all the way up. The lecture hall is roomy, comfortable, and intimate. So far so good!

Ms. Ringgold was even brighter than her surroundings. (I expected a rather tired speaker, to tell the truth.) Her inimitable images illustrated her talk. A Google search will lead you to her bio and paintings -- many of which are layered and quilted. So here are tidbits from Friday, reflecting on a life in art:

"I decided I wanted to be an artist ... I had to decide, what kind of pictures was I going to make?"
"It's a lifetime of work, being a painter."
"In the '60s I became a mature artist. I just decided it myself: I was a mature artist."
"Art has to be about the artist."
"You have to take that chance (to reveal yourself through art).  If you're not willing to take that chance, then I don't think you should do it."

Key Lime Pie

It's in a foil pan, but it's homemade Key lime pie. On Wednesday I made two: one for us and one to share. Here is the recipe for one pie; it doubled easily.

Last weekend we had Key lime pie at the Island Hotel in Cedar Key. It had been a long time since I made this, but in my memory mine was better ... just had to check by making it right away! Mine IS better -- theirs was heavier and not as tart. This one is ethereal.

There are many Key lime pie recipes, all variations on just one recipe. The hotel may have used more egg yolks, and baked it longer; it was very firm.  Mine had lots of beating on a heavy-duty mixer. I used my old recipe (on an index card from who knows where?) and researched about a dozen other recipes online (zest or no zest ... ). I got some reminders about beating from this recipe from Saveur. It's supposed to be from Joe's Stone Crab on Miami Beach. Wow! I just discovered Joe's recipe right here.

Key lime pie

Crust
Mix together:
1 1/2 C. graham cracker crumbs
1/4 C. melted butter
1/2 C. sugar

I mixed this in the food processor, but since I was doubling it, the crumbs kind of flew out the cracks and I finished mixing it in a bowl.
Press the crust into a 9" pie pan. Bake at 375° until light brown, 5-7 minutes. Lower heat to 350°.

Filling
Beat 3 large egg yolks until pale and thick, about 5 minutes. Add one 14-ounce can of Eagle sweetened condensed milk and beat until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes more.
Add 1/2 C. Key lime juice and the juice of one lemon -- enough to equal 2/3 C.  (For a double recipe, on my electric juicer I squeezed a small mesh bag of those little Key limes to make about a cup of juice, and then added enough lemon juice to make 1 1/3 C. juice total. Some recipes call for just Key lime juice, but this combo works. You can use bottled Key lime juice or plain lime juice, but the taste will be slightly different.) Mix in the juice until smooth. Pour into cooled crust.
Bake at 350° about 15 minutes, until set in the middle.
Cool. (I thrust one into the freezer for a couple of minutes because I was in a hurry.)
Whip 1 C. cream with a little confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Swirl on top. Refrigerate. This sets up in a couple of hours, but you can eat it right away too. I've never done it, but it seems like it would also be good frozen.

Cedar Key inspiration weekend

Municipal park

What we saw in the park (above).
What we heard: Friday night a song, kind of like shape-note singing, drew us down to see a group praying there.
Saturday afternoon we eavesdropped on an air-boat fishing competition awards ceremony in the park. I loathe loudness, so I was surprised to be touched by the cheers when a little boy and his dad won. The roar of those (airplane) engines (on boats) is a family and business thing here where clams and oysters are the crop. The tournament was for fish with fins, however.