I do remember when Julia Child was new and what she was cooking exotic and other-worldly. At least it was to me: all those ingredients, tools, recipes. She was funny and entertaining and I appreciate that even more now when I watch the early shows in reruns. I enjoy her in the newer shows with other chefs and those with her long time friend and equally wonderful and instructive friend Jacques Pepin.

Julia, adding some, “White pepper.”
“I like black pepper,” replies Jacques.

I have always liked a good cookbook; some of the ones on my shelf I purchased in the 70’s and a few older that I purchased more recently. In the interest of reality and space I try to show restraint these days.

A beau in the 80’s gave all his friends and family copies of Mastering the Art of French Cooking and I accepted mine gladly. It’s a great resource for questions like “what sort of herbs would be good with this?” “What sort of side dishes?”

There are, as this NYTimes article reports, those dishes that become one’s own repetoire. Although I did make an Orange Bavarian once with that beau, my own leanings are toward Floating islands (oh, the smooth luscious liquid of the Creme Anglais!), and Tarte Tatin and Pommes Anna arrived at the family table well-received. I do make cassoulet, not by the full recipe but knowing that it’s a make-your-own recipe that you build with what you have, just like Julia said.

I happened on Julie Powell’s blog in the days when she was cooking her way through the canon. What a bit of luck! She was funny and sad and determined and it was wonderful to adventure through those mind-blowing recipes with her.

So here’s to you, on what would have been your one hundredth birthday, Julia. Know that your first two books aren’t missing from the bookshelf linked above but they’re here, well-used and at hand, in the kitchen itself:

This is very gratifying, to look back and see a nice increase in traffic. Shows up nicely in a weekly view as a trend. On Quiltart, they’re having a “why have a blog?” discussion. Here’s what my first post on Blogger said and I know I’ve revisited this a few times. I was just looking at this page thinking it was a pretty good guide to the decision-making process too.

Thanks regular visitors and welcome new folks. Hope you enjoy! What I posted back when this blog hit post number 2000 still holds true as to what and why and all.

So my math said that I needed five strips of fabric, cut on bias to make enough binding for the quilt I’m working on. Being cautious, I cut six. No big deal.

As I turned the third corner I had the normal qualm – will there be enough for the last side? I turned the fourth and last corner and paused to see how much was left. I smoothed the binding along the edge and don’t you know, there were about three inches of the fifth strip past the starting point.

When I got a little closer I checked again and cut off strip six at the seam. When I trimmed off strip five to fit inside the first strip with just a little inside… three inches left on the ironing board.

Math is good. Too close isn’t good. If I’d gone with five strips I’d be three inches short, right? You know it!

PS This is bias cut at about 60° rather than 45 just for fabric thriftiness and ease of cutting. I could have cut 45° bias but it seemed silly for so few strips. I am content with the different fabric choice and know I could not have eked out enough from my first choice.

Tomorrow: two sleeves and the label!

Thank you younger self for learning how to make mitered corners on continuous bias binding so that this older self doesn’t have to sweat it out every time. Owe you a big one!

Thank you, younger self
for taking the time to learn
what older self must know.

Those lessons I learned
to use and to teach others
are still inside me.

Learning thoroughly
and then more years of practice
makes it look easy.

I’m through the scary bit of drawing a line all the way around the edge of the quilt (just to see how it connects at the end.) If the line does connect, I then proceed to the scarier bit of rotary cutting (please please please no oopsies!) all the way around taking off the one inch or so of extra that’s there. That’s done too. So the scariest bits are done.

After that, I’ll be sewing one line of stitching all the way around in the seam allowance for a bit of stability. Before that, I’ll be making and ironing the bias. Since my bias isn’t the 45° my seams won’t be either, me having decided in a math-geek-moment that it’s better to stay with the principle of bias binding and to have the seams join on the straight grain of the fabric. Whoa. I’ll let you know how that works out.

I also need to make two sleeves, one wider than the other to attach top and bottom. These can be put on after the binding is attached or at the same time. No difference.

One hopes that when you hang up a quilt that the edges are flat. At least I do. I don’t want gentle undulations or anything else going on. Once I’ve got the binding and sleeves on, I usually hang it up for a quick look at how it seems and take any corrective measures needed.