Beth Ferrier’s Blog

Traveling teachers rarely get time together. Even when we’re teaching at the same conference our classes often keep us too busy to visit.

So it was a real treat to spend a totally off task day with Pam Holland, teacher extraordinaire from Australia. I’ve known Pam online for a really long time. Known then as “Pam in the shed”, we were members of an early internet list called Quilt Bee, or something like that, more than a dozen years ago. It was so new then to exchange daily notes with people all over the globe.

Pam has a great curiousity about the world. She’s much more adventurous than I. If she hasn’t been there, it’s only a matter of time until she’s on her way.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

It was a lot of fun to share my little corner of the world with such a seasoned traveler. We had a really great time discussing our business over meals. Teachers often have so much in common, the same struggles and challenges, it’s always a treat to hear how others would handle the issues. And nice to know that we’re not the only ones dealing with petty jealousy, juggling responsiblities, longing for sleep, loving our jobs. 

Pam is off to Paris to work on her big project. Watch her blog for information on that. I’m off to Mountain Home, Arkansas next week, to teach. Who knows when our paths will cross again, but our blogs will keep us in touch.

First I need to thank you all for the terrific testimonials. My goodness, it makes a girl blush! I’ve forwarded them all to my book editor, she’ll make the call as to which will show up on the back of the book.

Second I need to tell you where I’ve been. I’ve been here in my studio, slaving away at the computer, working on things I can’t show you. I’ve been here, listening to the whole Sookie Stackhouse southern vampire series while weeding the garden, folding laundry and primping my home. I’ve been home, just being home for the entire month of July, something I haven’t done in a really long time. And I liked it!

Third, you know how when you’re with someone and the conversation lags and then falls into that uncomfortable silence and then the silence lasts just a little too long and it feels really awkward to break that silence? That’s how I’ve felt about the blog. Honestly, I don’t think my life is all that interesting, especially when I take time off, and I’ve vowed never, ever to post a picture of my breakfast on the blog (which is the blogging world’s version of jumping the shark).

So finally, to ease myself back into blogging I’ve decided to throw a party, a spur of the moment little thank you party.

For the next two days, until 9pm Eastern time Sunday night, we’re having a half off sale on my website. Nearly every book and pattern is half off. Since we’re down to our last few boxes of Hand Applique by Machine it won’t be marked down, and none of the notions are included. But everything else is half off.

The regular price is still posted on the website, but when you check out you’ll see that you’re getting the sale price.

And now that it’s August, and I’m back to work, I’ll be posting more often again, for what it’s worth.

It’s not the boulder in the road, it’s the pebble in the shoe. We can summon up great courage to conquer the difficult obstacles in our lives only to be felled by small, daily annoyances. 

Not so long ago Kent and I were both running ragged. He was juggling several difficult projects. After working long and hard days even the ride home in his beloved Mustang couldn’t cheer him up. 

I was snowed under with prep for AQS on top of at least six other deadlines. One of the downsides to working at home is that it’s really hard to come home from work. Even though I can close the door between the studio and the rest of the house it’s hard to relax knowing the mess will still be there in the morning. 

So, I hatched a plan. “I’m running away from home next weekend”, I said to Kent. “Want to come with me? I don’t know where I’m going; anywhere will do, as long as it’s not here.”

 “Too busy,” he said, “too much to do.” 

“Hmm,” says I. 

It only took him two days to come around to my way of thinking. So, after a little discussion we decided to head south, to the Dearborn Inn, near Henry Ford Museum and GreenfieldVillage.

I love the black and white tile floor. Set on point, it enlarges an already grand space. We use this idea in our quilts all the time. Rotated a simple forty-five degrees and our pieced blocks take on a whole new look.

Filling the spaces between the conversations areas, the tile both sets the areas apart, lending a feel a privacy in this very public space, and joins them together to retain the grand sweep of the room.

A little while ago (okay, so it was more than six months ago) my sweet daughter-in-law asked me to recover a pair of chairs that had been hers as a child. Hey, I can sew right? And I have slip covered or reupholstered chairs in the past. We went shopping right away to choose just the right fabric. The chairs and the roll of fabric have been quite comfy in the corner of my studio, waiting their turn on my to-do list.

Once the book deadline was met it was time to tackle that list. After some serious thought I decided that stripping the chairs down to the frame and reupholstering them would be easier and better than a slip cover. The chairs were a little worse for wear, a little musty and a little water damaged. Better to start fresh.

Because I just don’t have the hand strength (I have carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands), my hubby, assistant and son were all enlisted to do the hard stuff, like removing the old fabric and staples.

 The frame is made out of oak, very sturdy, and in great shape.

 We replaced the seat fabric with clean canvas and used old batting scraps as padding, cleaning out a nice space in my closet for more, better stuff.

 We numbered each piece of the fabric as it was removed so that we would know what order to recover the sections. The pieces were used as rough patterns to cut the new fabric. I don’t know what I was thinking when we picked out a striped fabric. This is the second chair. I learned a lot while doing the first chair. The stripes on this one are a lot straighter. (Amanda, you can swap them out, if you want!) Once the arms were done all the hard parts were finished.

To finish up the little cushion was repadded with more batting and then covered. I thought turning the strips to vertical on the sides of the cushion would be fun.

And finally, even though the chairs arrived without feet I thought they needed a little something. I found these darling little bun feet at Lowes.

The plan is for one chair to live with Alex and one to live here so Alex can be comfy with us. The first chair was sent off almost the instant it was done, but footless.

They are totally not perfect (the first one is even less perfect than the second), but they are much better than they were. Not bad for a quilter, eh?

Eight days remain before my first draft is due. I must have everything ready and report to the Fedex outlet before five pm one week from tomorrow. I swing between smug confidence that all is going well and abject terror at what I may have grossly overestimated my skills.

 Luckily my family has provided lots of distractions this past week. Living in one’s head for too long is not good for creative work. My sons have graciously stepped up with dramas of their own to get my attention.

 Caleb, who has been suffering with a really bad cold, finally saw the doctor. A chest xray thankfully proved that, while miserable, it was nothing more than a cold. Some really good cough syrup provided the much-needed sleep. My sunny boy has returned.

Jake showed up last Tuesday evening with a nasty infection in his left hand. A small pimple on his index finger on Sunday was now an open wound, red swollen hand and frightening streaks heading up his arm. We packed off to the emergency room.

 Two hours later, after a round of IV antibiotics and a prescription for heavy duty anitibiotics for the next couple of weeks, we left with Jake’s arm in a sling and a diagnosis of MRSA. He’s made four more trips to the family doctor to monitor the condition. He’s made a terrific recovery. While he still needs to remain vigilent for reinfection, for now he has a clean bill of health.

I still can’t show you what I’m working on for the book. Most of it is pretty boring to look at anyway, just words on pages, planning inserts for pictures, unformatting fractions, blah, blah, blah. The quilts aren’t due until December so I’ve delayed most of the fun until after the words are done anyway.

But I can show you how I unwind at the end of the day.

 Knitting is what I do so that I know I’m not working. The first sock was started last Tuesday in the emergency room with Jake. The second sock was started on Saturday night as I watched the old  Alfred Hitchcock movie,Rebecca, with Kent. The pattern, Loksins! can be found here. I made a couple of small changes. I started with an extra repeat of the garter pattern. The heel is stitched out K1, S1 and then purl back instead of just stockinet stitch and grafted the toe instead of gathering. It’s a really pretty pattern and I look forward to making it again.

 What do you do to relax?

My all time favorite movie is “It’s a Wonderful Life” starring Jimmy Stewart. George Bailey is one of my heroes. He’s just an average guy, living an average life, doing the right thing, selflessly.

For those who may never have seen this terrific old movie, on Christmas Eve George finds that his building and loan company is in deep trouble, not by his own doing. In his dispair, George wishes that he had never been born, a wish that is granted. Guided by Clarence, the most charming angel ever, George gets the chance to see a world without him.

As I listen to the news of the day, so sensational and scary, I think of how George Bailey handled the stock market crash of ‘29. So sensibly, he refused to panic. His counterpart, Mr. Potter, a crotchety old miser who owns the only other bank in town offers to buy up George’s accounts for pennies on the dollar.  As George’s office lobby filled with frightened customers, George explained the situation. “Mr. Potter isn’t selling, Mr. Potter is buying. And why? Because we’re panicking and he’s not.”

All ends well for George, he learns that his average life counted for quite a bit, a lesson that I have taken to heart. We don’t have to be rich, famous, beautiful or clever to live a meaningful life. We just need to do the right thing, selflessly. We don’t have to help on a grand scale. Small good deeds can make a huge difference in someone’s life.

I have faith that all this falderal will work itself out. I’m hoping that it’s an opportunity for our leaders to show their best selves. George Bailey may be nothing more than a character in a delightfully smarmy movie, but I’m looking for a bit of him in each of us.

Recently we had an opportunity to enjoy a baseball game in grand style. Kent’s office reserved a party room at the Great Lakes Loon’s stadium.  A class A farm team for the Los Angles Dodgers, the Loons offer major league baseball in a fun and friendly setting.

There were enough extra tickets that we could include our entire family.

Nate, Caleb, half of Elaine, the top of Rachel’s head and Jake mugging for the camera as they watch the game from our private balcony seats.

I was distracted by someone much more interesting.

We really didn’t expect such deluxe accomodations. We had cloth covered tables, prime rib on the buffet and lots of room to comfortably enjoy each other and the game.

I’ll have to take the guys’ word for the game, though. Because I have to admit when this little fellow is in the room I hardly have eyes for anyone else.

That’s David, my youngest keeping us company. I didn’t get a good picture of Amanda, (or any of the girls, for that matter) darn it all. She was sitting next to David. We had a lovely visit while every one else was distracted by the game. Silly folks, how could a mere baseball game hold a candle to this precious little guy?

When I left Saginaw on Sunday it was 9 degrees below zero. The windchill was something equally crazy. We had fifteen inches of snow on the ground, with more on the way. Piled high on the patio furniture, the snowbound world seems to have turned to stone.

 Here in California it is already springtime. The fruit trees are in full bloom. The recent rains have brightened every living, green thing. My sister,Lori, and I had a lovely day off between classes shopping at a local mall here. I was surprised to see that it’s not an enclosed mall, but more like a collection of storefronts on winding, narrow roads. Oh, wouldn’t that be fun in the snow?

After a decadent lunch at the Cheesecake Factory we decided to treat ourselves to a movie. An easy choice, we went to see 27 Dresses. It’s totally formula, quixotic girl, cynical boy, unrequited love and finally falling for the right one, but it was fun, and funny.

By the time we came out of the theater evening had fallen and the mall had truly come to life. Right in front of the theater is a small amphitheater, and there a band was tuning up. Soon the benches were full of young families enjoying the music. Even babies, new on their feet, were dancing their precious little dances. Is there anything more endearing than a little guy, all knees and elbows, swinging his sweet self to the beat?

 Never in a million years, when my boys were still young, would I have imagined that someday I would long for those times. But I do. I miss those precious moments, watching their joy of discovery as they mastered their worlds. The pudgy fingers and ackward gait, running, falling and laughing out loud. I am so happy to have baby Alex in our lives, to remind us of the simple pleasures of life.

 And sometimes, something silly comes along, to remind us how to laugh right down to our toes.

Baking is one of my favorite hobbies. Cookies, cakes and pies, I love making them all.  I love the discipline of it, the careful measuring, the required mixing orders all appeal to the scientist in me. I used to be really good at it.

But I think that I’m just a little distracted these days. Too many thoughts, ideas, obligations, responsiblities. Lemon merangue is a favorite of both my hubby and my oldest son. And it’s the one pie that I haven’t yet mastered.

The recipe from my well-loved Better Homes & Garden cookbook tasted great, but never seemed to set up well enough.

For this week’s Sunday Dinner with the boys I decided to try a new recipe, this time from the Joy of Cooking.

Lemon Merangue pie is a bit of an ordeal to make. The pie crust must be baked ahead. The lemon curd is cooked on the stove, adding eggs and butter and lemon zest at just the right moment. The egg whites need to be whipped up to be heaped onto the hot curd and then the lot is popped into the oven to cook the merangue. It looked so great at this moment I though, at last! A recipe for success.

Never one to miss the opportunity to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, the first warning came with the merangue. The three egg whites whipped up into a paltry mound, tasty yes, but not much volume. Thinking that the problem with the runny lemon was just undercooking, I left the lemon curd on the stove a little longer. A sudden change in texture signaled the second warning.

But it went into the oven anyway. The merangue puffed and browned wonderfully only to deflate as the pie cooled. Even a stint in the refridgerator couldn’t firm the runny filling. We served it with a spoon.

Even though it wasn’t pretty, it was delicious. I’ll give this new recipe one more shot, and then I’ll be looking for another. Got any good recommendations?

There’s always plenty to do when you live in an old house. I’ve been on the road so much this summer that the dust was so thick on my dresser that I swear, in another week, we could have planted crops in it.

Just off my patio outside the studio, I have a very small pond. It’s one of those preformed plastic jobs, just under three hundred gallons, but it gives me so much joy. The three koi and five comets give me lots of pleasure. It’s true, watching fish really does lower the blood pressure.

Today has been one of those days where I have just had to content myself with just being. Some days we can be Wonderwoman, checking every chore off our to-do list and still have enough sizzle to spark when the husband returns from work. Most days we are thrilled to check a few items off our endless lists of chores. Today, I’m just feeling happy to be upright and breathing. Anything that gets done today will be a bonus.

Since I wasn’t making much headway on work I decided to water the flowers in the planters on the patio and in the window boxes. And, while I had the hose out, I figured it would be a good idea to change a little water in the pond.  What a surprise to see that we have a visitor! It’s a big, fat frog, poised near the upper pond.

 He’s a pretty big guy, just the prettiest green you could ever want. I’m guessing that he’s from out of town, our neighbors have a huge pond, right along the edge of our property. This fellow and a few of his closest friends often serenade us to sleep.

 Now that it’s cooled down some and we can have the windows open again, I really enjoy the sounds of the country around us.

I’m not sure what brought this big ole frog over to our little pond, but by the time got back with my camera he had made it to the other side of the pond. I tossed some food in for the fish, but he seemed content to just watch.

It’s been a perfect day for slow dancing, not too hot, hazy sunshine, and the distant calls of song birds on the gentle breeze.