GEORGE WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY!

I grew up calling February 22 "George Birthington's Washday" and thinking it so funny...obviously, this was before "Presidents' Day".

I finally got to work in my studio and made a wonderful, lightweight coat. It might even be called a raincoat, except we never get any rain...

Both the pattern and the fabric for this coat came from Marcy Tilton...V8934 and

I've had my eye on this pattern since it came out, so when I found this yummy pewter crinkle, I knew the combo would be pleasing.

The pattern has darts at the bottom to bring the silhouette in a little. I'm very
happy with it...the weight is perfect for my kind of climate.

I added snaps to the front and used some buttons I had made some time ago for a different top...

and it goes perfectly with a pair of Aerosoles I've had and loved for a long time.

I'll bet you didn't know I belong to a Bean Club...Rancho Gordo's Bean Club, to be specific. They sell the most wonderful heritage beans, and I get a delicious assortment every three months. I made this bean dish last week and I think it's going to be a TNT recipe (tried and true, just like a pattern!)

The dish is called "Spicy Beans and Wilted Greens" and the recipe is from Epicurious, linked above. I had turned my friend Willie on to this source for beans and she sent me a Valentine in thanks...

She's so clever!

I am absolutely thrilled to have been chosen as "Star Blogger" for the newest issue of Vogue Pattern Magazine, April/May 2015. If you subscribe, it's on pages 12 and 13. If you don't, here's a glimpse of the column...

It's amazing what has happened to the world of sewing with the internet and blogs!

I am linking up again with Visible Monday on Patti's site, Not Dead Yet Style.
Come on over a little later today and admire all the visible women!

TTYL...

Food, Friends, Family, Fun and Fabric

I'm sure I could have come up with more "F" words if I'd thought about it a little longer...

The fun, friends and family all came together in one fabulous (see, there's another one!) day last week. A group of women I've been involved with for at least 25 years meets monthly on the first Monday of the month with some sort of adventurous program. This month, we met at a beautiful local vineyard and winery, Andrew Murray Vineyards, which is owned by the daughter and son-in-law of one of our members. 

The reason this meeting was so special is that we were asked to bring our daughters and/or daughters-in-law. Since the group has been together for so long, we all know each other's families, and were delighted to reconnect with all the younger women. Some of them were in school together and hadn't seen each other for 20+ years.

That's Maggie on the right, Mindy on the left...

We were treated to a wine and cheese pairing, the cheese coming from a relatively new local cheese shop. There were 4 wines paired with 4 different cheeses, both being explained to us by the winemaker and the cheese maker, respectively.

Our "program" for the pairings...

That's Andrew, telling us about the wine.

This was particularly happy for me, as Maggie decided to come up from Los Angeles for the event...I picked her up at the charming Santa Barbara train station 

on Sunday afternoon...

and there she is, just off the train. We had dinner together (Salmon with Furitake) and left Monday morning for our adventure.

10 of us sat in this charming room (the others kept closing our door...we must have been the noisy ones!)

Here I am with my long-time friend Wendy, who helped me through Maggie's adolescence!

and more of the women, with one DIL

finishing off the day with a wonderful lunch. (No, we didn't eat the succulents...)

I have been cooking up a storm...

clock-wise, from top left...Salmon with Blood Orange Salsa, Salmon with Furikake, Stir-Fried Pork with Baby Bok Choy, Brussel Sprout Hash with a

Fried Egg on top, and, in the middle, a streamlined Vietnamese Beef Pho.

YUM

And, though I haven't got any actual sewing done, I've been planning and dreaming, which is lots of fun, and, of course, adding to my fabric stash...

A beautiful striped linen and a wonderful Japanese cotton, both hanging after washing, both from Marcy Tilton.

And here, a pile o' fabrics waiting to be chosen for my next project... I am, after all, a FOOL FOR FABRIC...

And I am heading over to Patti's Not Dead Yet Style where there is a Visible Monday going on...

TTYL