Darth Maul Apron

Darth Maul Apron

I have a brother who loves to cook.  He watches cooking shows to relax.  Reads cook books the way I read novels and experiments with recipes.  I have even seen him try out some plating.

To me, eating has always been like putting gas in your car; necessary but not really that interesting.  That all changed the year my brother (with my husband) made the thanksgiving turkey.

In American society I have heard every year the talk about, the turkey, the turkey.  It’s never been exciting to me.  It’s always dry, a crumbly meat.  I want to slather on mayonnaise just so I can swallow it.

I watched that year as my brother brined it, injected it with flavors and fats under the skin and put aromatics inside the turkey, instead of stuffing.  He took the turkeys temperature instead of going by the pop-up turkey timer.  As he cut up the turkey, I wondered as clear liquid ran down the knife “Is it done cooking?”

Then I tasted it.

“I didn’t know turkey could be moist” pops out of my mouth.  My brother and husband start laughing.  It has been enjoyable to have my opinion of the purpose of food change.  Now I certainly do not cook like my brother.  Sometimes there just isn’t time for a beautiful meal.  However, I don’t always eat like a soldier at the mess hall anymore.

When my brother’s birthday came around this year; I was trying to think about what I could make for him that wasn’t bland.  So then I thought “ I could combine his love of cooking with his love of hero’s and villain’s”  So I sent him a text with a list of the heroes and villains I knew he like “ Which one is your favorite?” His response, “Darth Maul” It took me two weeks’ worth of designs and redesigns and sixteen hours of sewing to make the apron.  He said”I like it a lot!” which I am really happy about since my brother is not prone to exaggeration.

Materials:

Black corduroy scraps

Black cotton scraps

Black canvas scraps

Red curtains

Total cost
0.00

                                       
                                                                 Apron Design

                  

                        Red Curtains

                      

            Black fabric scraps      

                                                    

             

                              Finished Apron                                close up of the apron

Hello Kitty Hat

HELLO KITTY HAT

About two years ago I crocheted a Hello Kitty hat for my daughter. She has loved this hat.  She even wears it in the summer sometimes just because she wants to wear it.  I have been watching as she has slowly been outgrowing it.  Now it only covers the top of her ears.  She asked me if I could fix it.  I was not sure if I could.  So I thought, "Well, worst case scenario I could take it apart and re-crochet it larger.”  So I put the hat back on her head so I could see more precisely, how well it still fit.  Due to the nature of things that are crocheted, it stretched out and still held its shape.  So I decided, first, I would see if I could just add a few rows of length. Ten minutes later I had added two rows of double crochet to the bottom of the hat.  Now the hat is again long enough to cover her ears.  I also have a daughter happily wearing her winter hat inside again.

Total cost:

0.00     I used scraps yarn left over from another project.

                                    

                           

    BEFORE          AFTER

        

         HAPPY DAUGHTER

What’s the Point

I have three grandmothers. Two of my grandmothers are physically deceased.  All I have left is my Grandma Mary.  It has been that way since I was a small child.  I have always loved my Grandma Mary. She is one fiery “old” lady sometimes.  Knowing her has greatly shaped my view of what it means to be “old” and how a grandmother behaves.  As a result, I was very curious what my other grandmothers were like.

 I prodded my parents for stories about them and my other ancestors.  My Great Grandmother Winnie Mac Daniel used to say “Use it up, wear it out, do with, or do without.”  When my dad first told me that story I didn't really understand what he was talking about.  Despite my initial lack of understanding of the meaning of that phrase, it stuck in my brain like gum in my hair.  I am aware now that it was a common phrase and way of thinking about things and life in the time period in which she lived. 

As I have my own family now, Great Grandma Winnie’s phrases make a lot of sense now and are very useful. The practice of taking the materials that are around the home and creating something new, useful, and beautiful to meet the needs of your family is very satisfying. This blog is called “Old Timer’s Habits” for a reason.  It is about my efforts to take the habits of my ancestors and other cultures ancestors and learn from their experiences and wisdom.  I should also state that I am not in love with old habits because of romantic ideas about the past. I love old timer’s habits because they work. An idea that’s only pretty on paper and doesn't work well is practice, well, what’s the point?