Under the Tulip Tree

Back in the Making

The stirring started months ago. It was a creative stirring that I didn't expect. It beckoned me to get my hands dirty again, to use tools again, to explore again. Why now? I asked myself. What's the point now? But it's best not to question the intent of a creative stirring. It's best to just go with it. And besides, why not now? And that is why I let the stirring lead me to the ceramics studio, the likes of which I hadn't seen in over twenty years. I haven't thrown a pot in twenty years, I thought to myself. So WHAT?! I barked back. (Inner struggle can be exhausting.)

After I found a local open ceramics studio, I bought a bag of clay and I sat down at the wheel and I actually centered that clay and threw a pot. I was highly encouraged by this act and was no longer questioning my need to be there or why— I was simply enjoying myself. Uncharacteristically undeterred by failing to center another ball of clay for weeks, I didn't throw a fit or slam my clay on the ground. Instead, I watched clay-centering tutorials on YouTube until something clicked. And when I went back to the studio the next day something really did click because I totally centered that clay. Fantastic! I thought. What next?

I played around with slab forming and hand building and things started to get even more interesting to me because I was no longer limited to what I could throw on the wheel. And then other ideas came for things that weren't ceramics. And then other ideas came from those ideas. And then I was inspired to make jewelry. And before I knew what was happening I was back in the making. And I still am.

I've been making things like crazy and it feels like art school again.

More to come…

ANY

Sweet Summer Nights

I love when night is just starting to fall and the world gets a little softer, a little quieter.

I love the way the evening sun lights up just the tips of the leaves and flowers. And I love the way some flowers seem to glow.

I love the sound of gardens being watered, and the sound of muffled laughter, from people out for their evening walks.

I love hearing mourning doves in the distance, and crickets chirping nearby.

I love seeing the evidence of a day well spent— rackets and balls around the yard, broken water balloons on the ground, a baseball hat left in the grass, and a bucket of chalk overturned on the step.

I love feeling the cool sidewalk under my bare feet, and the faint, delicate breeze of the day going quiet.

I love the windows open, good-night kisses, and plans for the morning.

I love stopping for a moment, and soaking in the pure delight of a warm summer night.

ANY

Peach Crumble Pie

I'm slightly embarrassed to admit this but this is the first pie I've ever made from scratch. I'm not sure how I've gone 39 years without making one but I guess it just never came up. Truthfully, I was intimidated by the crust. I've never had a food processor (until now) and making a pie crust without one just didn't seem possible.

This recipe struck my fancy because it didn't need a lot of sugar, or prep work, and I wanted something with peaches. After I started cutting the peaches, though, I wished I didn't pick something with peaches. I hate cutting peaches. For me, they don't really cut, they just sort of smash, and after my tenth one (or so), I was cursing pretty hard. But the peaches got all jumbled up and cooked down anyway so it didn't really matter how perfectly they were sliced.

I wasn't able to taste my concoction before the event (I didn't even consider making two pies so that I could taste one of them— at midnight the night before) so I had to just put it out on the table and hope for the best. I tried it as soon as I got the chance and I will say it was pretty stinkin' good. Not too sweet and perfectly peachy. And it begs to be served with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

ANY

Peach Crumble Pie
From Everyday Food

For the Crust:
1-1/4 cups flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for rolling
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

For the Filling:
3 pounds peaches, halved, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch slices (8 cups)<
2 tblsp. brown sugar
2 tblsp. flour

For the Crumble:
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup flour (spooned and leveled)
1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
6 tblsp. (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1. Make crust: In a food processor, pulse flour, salt, and granulated sugar until combined. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (if necessary, add up to 2 tablespoons ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time); do not overmix. Form dough into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour (or up to overnight).

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly flour a rolling pin and work surface and roll out dough to a 12-inch round. Place in a 9-inch pie plate, fold overhang under, and crimp edges. Make filling: In a large bowl, toss together peaches, brown sugar, and flour until combined. Make crumble: In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, and oats; using your hands, work in butter until large clumps form.

3. Transfer peach filling to pie shell, then sprinkle crumble evenly over top. Place pie on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until juices are bubbling and topping is golden, 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack 1-1/2 hours before serving.

ANY

Afternoon Party Dress

Patterns: Butterick 5029 and New Look 6676
Views: B and E
Fabric: 100% cotton

You guys, it may not look like it but this dress was almost my complete undoing. Complete undoing. Most of the time a pattern undoes me because it doesn't fit. And this one did not fit. It's hard to tell from this picture but the bodice has two parts: the halter top and a separate gathered piece at the waist. The gathered part gets basted onto squares of lining and you can't really know if it's going to fit until the whole bodice is put together. When I finally put it together, the top was humongous and falling off me and the waist was too tight. Crikey. I fixed the waist (which was a pain and wasn't easy) but there was nothing I could do to salvage the ginormo top. (By the way, kudos to the woman who could actually fit that bust because I didn't even come close.) So I went back to the stupid fabric store to get more fabric and try the top again. Instead of using the Butterick pattern for it, though, I used a different view from New Look 6676 which I already knew fit. I widened the straps to look more like the original Butterick pattern and thank god that worked because I was already in so deep, who knows what I would've done to make that sucker work.

In hindsight, I should have made the dress in muslin first. Do you ever do that? That would have been a smart thing to do. Also, it's quite hard to pin things on yourself so I finally got a customizable dress form after needing one for years. So now that I'm armed with ten yards of muslin and a new dress form, ill-fitting bodices should be a thing of the past… right?

All that said, I really like how this dress turned out. I wore it over the weekend and it was one of the most wearable and low-maintenance dresses I've ever worn. Absolutely worth the trouble.

ANY