clay: butter dish

There's a class on making napkins at a sewing studio in Berkeley, but the class costs $78--so ironic that handmade which for some people was a way to not pay for the higher prices of manufactured goods they couldn't afford is now the opposite. A talented seamstress makes $15 to $20 an hour in this country while some poor person in China makes pennies in a sweatshop, but most Americans don't want to delve into the why of the things they buy. They just want the bargain. I recently bought cloth napkins at Joann's that are cute, off-white or cream with blue striping and were on clearance. That weighs on my conscience, it really does, but it didn't stop me from unethically buying those napkins. And so I've been on a mission these past few years to re-make some things in my home by hand. I think I can sew both types of napkins below, mitered corners and reversible napkins on my own without the class and with the aid of YouTube or Craftsy or Creativebug videos because I've mitered corners and sewn bindings before on my quilts.

I need to really just find those napkins I bought and sew a coordinating tablecloth. Maybe if linen goes on a 50% off sale (and that does happen at the fabric store), then I'll buy enough fabric to either make a table runner with mitered corners or reversible with simple white linen stripes or crosses as embellishment. And there's the conundrum. That cloth I'll end up buying to sew that tablecloth or runner will likely be mass-manufactured in China. Sigh.

Below is the tomato I sliced last night for our burgers.

These are the tomatoes over which Patrick has been waging a losing battle against what we call ratatouille rats because they're so discerning of our tomatoes. They'll eat these Ananas Noir (meaning black pineapple) over the Black Krim. We ended up with just two of these tomatoes from the bush, and the rats are right, they are the best tasting tomatoes of all our heirlooms.

And the best part of my Saturday? The finished butter dish I brought home from the Central Park studio.

Meral had said when I first made it that it might not be tall enough, but I think I did have the height right. But no matter. This is just the first of other prototypes to come.

 

I also like how the butter dish coordinates with the pale palette of my sugar, salt and pepper crocks.

Another highlight of my week was my breakfast of the Thai red curry chicken noodle soup, Cecilia made. Oh my gosh, the fresh herbs of Thai basil, mint and I think culantro, no, not cilantro, but culantro or Thai parsley or Pak Chee Farang, which I saw you can buy on Etsy.

Another yummy meal this week were the tacos I made with our leftover fajitas beef. The condiments were awesome saucesome. 

I gotta remember to make some more chipotle crema for next week's tacos.