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Alexa January 5, 2015 No Comments

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Baking 🤝 Quilting = This

Baking 🤝 Quilting = This

This is the final week of the #colorofconnectionqa

This is the final week of the #colorofconnectionqal & here is my completed (but not yet basted or quilted) quilt top! I loved being part of this QAL which ended up being more than just the impetus to sew my first full-size quilt. The @colorofconnectionquilt team provided weekly, thought-provoking prompts for QALers around identity, diversity & community & I’m grateful for the opportunity & space to reflect, consider & write up my thoughts.

This final prompt asks us to share why it's important to intentionally pursue diversity & my primary reason is: Black, Brown, Latinx, LGBTQI, Asian, Muslim & Indigenous people (& quilters!) have told us that it's important that we (those of us who are white, cisgender) do. That's enough for me. I'll always center the asks of those marginalized by white supremacy culture. I've been active in both white & multiracial anti-racist spaces for years & I'm comitted to continually working to address, unlearn & dismantle white supremacy in myself & my communities. The clear truth is: our society is founded upon white supremacy & it takes action & active participation to unravel & opt out of this harmful framework. I go through phases of posting more or less about my process and journey, but I vow to never stop til we're all free.

PS: HAPPY PURIM & Shabbat shalom! Jewish Quilters represent 🙋🏼‍♀️

PPS: this pic wasn’t really snapped in Queens 🤫 we spent the school break upstate in Bearsville where there are open fields & old growth pine trees. Queens is much louder & more crowded!

Some of my favorite sewing tools; a scrappy log ca

Some of my favorite sewing tools; a scrappy log cabin block.

Though I had some of this gear from past crafting & sewing projects, when I took the quilting plunge last year I bought more stuff & the truth is: I love it all. Pictured are some of my favorite tools to mark up & cut fabric, keep it together, push it through the machine & make it flat. And always & forever, my favorite everything tool: painter’s tape.

For years, I admired Sarah (@arascalrelish) for many things including her vast knowledge of botanical medicine, her gardening & cooking know-how & her general authenticity. But when I started sewing more, I began to pay closer attention to how she reused & dyed scraps & thrifted fabric to create her gorgeous mini-quilts, srunchies & tote bags. Thank you Sarah for inspiring me to be more sustainable in the fairly wasteful world of sewing. It may seem contradictory to share my favorite new, recently-purchased sewing supplies & my quest towards sustainability in the same post but in Sarah’s wisdom, “DIY’ing is always sustainable”!

Swipe left to see a log cabin block sewed from scraps of gifted, new, remnant & clearance bundle fabric. Isn’t it pretty?

#colorofconnectionqal #colorofconnectionquilt

Dining Table: Sewing Space, 2/10/2021. Dining Tabl

Dining Table: Sewing Space, 2/10/2021. Dining Table: Shabbat Lunch, 2/29/2020

I live in Queens, NYC, which was silent except for sirens from mid-March 2020 through much of the Summer. When I started sewing masks at my dining table in April, it was something tangible for my hands to do while my brain processed all that was happening around me. It was a no-brainer to use my dining table as a sewing space since our little family of 3 ate all of our quarantine meals at the kitchen counter, but using it for sewing meant I *wasn't* using it for its intended purpose: hosting friends & family for meals.

I'm thrilled that sewing has provided me creativity & exploration during these dark, isolating COVID times, but whenever I sit down at my dining table to sew, I get a tinge of grief & nostalgia. This same table—these days only accommodating my party of one—would often extend with two leaves to seat 10+ people for dinners, brunches, shabbats & holidays. So while I'm grateful for this space, I also can't wait to clear it off & get back to squeezing lots of people around it to eat & drink & laugh & spew droplets. Where will the sewing stuff end up? Who knows & who cares: Give me IRL community!

At its most fundamental, a quilt is 3 pieces of fabric sewn together. Quilts have been created all over the world by all kinds of people for thousands of years. I've only been paying attention to the quilting community for a few months & only in the digital space, but even in that short time I've craved more diversity on my feed. When I open Instagram, I want to see a range of quilters including more Black, Latinx & Indigenous quilters. I’d love to learn more about the diverse historical threads of quilting. I'd also love to see more quilters who don't follow patterns & express themselves freely, taking risks with fabric & thread. I want to see less striving for cookie-cutter perfection & uniformity, with more openness to experimentation, exploration, rawness & realness in the process. And finally, I’d love to not have to see only Christmas theme quilts & fabric from October through the end of the year. Jewish quilters represent 🙋🏼‍♀️ #colorofconnectionqal #colorofconnectionquilt

Me, a framed photo of Grandma Lisa as a girl & Gra

Me, a framed photo of Grandma Lisa as a girl & Grandma Lisa's sewing box.

Grandma Lisa was a Home Ec teacher. I've spent much of my life channeling her in the kitchen, but she was an equally skilled sewist & I have fond memories of playing around on her sewing machine. I started, or really returned to sewing in March after digging out my machine to start making masks. Once I reacquainted myself with the basics, I fell hard & fast. Since then I've been relishing in this new way to channel Grandma Lisa.

I've always wanted to make a quilt but I was super intimidated. As an artist—a painter—I already think in color, shape & contrast, so in some ways it seemed like a logical jump to make from painted canvas to fabric, but it always seemed too technical & impossible. I'm not sure I would've even attempted it had it not been for 2020, COVID & quarantine.

At its foundation, quilting is cutting things apart just to sew them back together. During this traumatic year, the order & expectedness of that process grounded me. All of our lives were cut apart & put back together. I find quilting reassuring: there's a beginning, middle & end. It's creative but also mathematical & hones my mind. It's expressionistic & yet exacting. I love that sewing keeps my hands busy & unless it's being used to play a podcast or audiobook, keeps me off my phone. I love that at its end, I've produced something tangible.

I'm a beginner on the edge of vastness—there's so much history, technique, storytelling & creativity to explore. One way I'm doing all that is by participating in the #colorofconnectionqal. I'm enjoying learning more about the 3 women who started this project (@collectivequilts @meeshquilts @mrsporfiria) which is more than a quilt pattern & quilt along. Throughout this month, they'll be initiating conversations around quilting, race & diversity. They're also building a 501c3 with the mission to host quilting workshops with vulnerable youth with the goal of making quilting more accessible to all. Happy to jump in with the #colorofconnectionquilt crew.

Since posting on my stories yesterday about giving

Since posting on my stories yesterday about giving up the @sustainablepantry handle, I’ve been rethinking things. I started Sustainable Pantry so long ago (2008!) because yes, sustainable food was & is important to me, but also because I wanted to share how I cook in my kitchen, where many of my meals pull heavily from a deep pantry. I am sustained by my pantry.

And that’s still how I cook. I’ve been cooking down my pantry over the past month & relying mostly on my CSA + the many grains, beans & frozen foods already in my kitchen. That also means reimagining leftovers & not running out for a specific ingredient to make a particular recipe.

As for my blog, I struggled with how to effectively share my food. I never knew how to package the content in a way that everyone wouldn’t just reply with, ‘recipe please’. @jenblossom’s Last Night’s Dinner was always a big inspiration as she unapologetically posted her food without recipes. Thank you for showing me what’s possible, Jen!

Long story short, I’m still not sure what I’m going to do re: my Instagram handle. Does it even matter? But when I looked down at this lunch of leftover polenta reheated with frozen peas & topped with Sichuan chili oil, scallions & sesame seeds, I got a tang of nostalgia for Sustainable Pantry. So I’m sharing this non-recipe lunch. I *did* follow @thewoksoflife recipe for the chili sauce, but the rest is just a thrown together—but still delicious—bowl of food.

PS: thank you to all of you that engaged with the questions I posed yesterday & shared wise advice!

#sustainablepantry #vegan #cookwithoutrecipes #pantrycooking

Confession: In many ways I prefer my winter CSA sh

Confession: In many ways I prefer my winter CSA share. I like (LOVE!) cabbage way better than lettuce — it’s so sweet, sturdy, versatile & bonus: no washing needed! I just peel the outer layer & start slicing it up. I make many versions of this slaw with whatever comes in the share. My last @gardenofevefarm CSA share was 12/16, these veggies have been in my fridge since & they’re still good.

Today’s version: cabbage, carrots & watermelon radish with a garlicky miso sesame dressing with a whole bunch of scallions blended in. I keep the dressing on the thicker side since the veggies release water, diluting the dressing. I end by topping with a pile of cubed cold tofu, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes & dig in!

If you’re local to me (Queens, NYC) & want to get in on the rest of the winter CSA season, DM me & I’ll connect you.

#vegan #seasonal #sustainablepantry #csarecipes #gardenofevefarm

This beautiful challah cover is heading out to the

This beautiful challah cover is heading out to the Midwest today! 💌 I used a lot of @carolynfriedlander Jetty fabric with a touch of regal golden @robertkaufman Klimt to bind it. I love how the quilted שלום (shalom/peace) came out as a centerpiece — I even love the backside backwards embroidery! May it cover many-a-challah in its long life: amen!

#quilting #quiltersofinstagram #quiltersgonnaquilt #sewing #sewist #challahcover #covidquilt

Happy 42 to me, the year of selfies! Thank you to

Happy 42 to me, the year of selfies! Thank you to my friends & loved ones who put up with an endless stream of content from me: the selfies, virtual cocktail hours, HouseParties & FaceTimes. I sent selfies with sheet masks on from the bath, with Oreos in my mouth & when I burned my finger. I documented my good hair days & almost every time I put on lipstick because you all know how much I love (& miss) lipstick.

Thank you to those of you who picked up my FaceTimes so we could cry together, or share our fears, or just cook dinner. I’m so grateful for the endless communication options this year. As an extrovert, I needed alllll the options: I have Insta DMs with new friends & old friends & twitter DMs with others & WhatsApps & HouseParties & good ole iMessages & texts with the rest of y’all.

The takeaway is: This year has challenged *to the core*. I so miss being with people. I miss Lindsay, who passed away just before COVID. I miss speaking loudly in a crowded room & museums & dancing & traveling & seeing live music. I miss NYC & I live here! But nonetheless, I’m so grateful for my health & safety, the love & support from all my loved ones & the incredible connections that persevered & grew through it all. My loving husband is my rock & our son is the best. We had a really fun year, just the 3 of us & we still managed to have some great adventures! We laughed, loved, created, explored, learned & played & I wouldn’t want to be stuck inside an apartment in shut-down Queens with anyone else!

Sending love to you ALL! Happy December 11th!

This challah cover is complete & being sent out to

This challah cover is complete & being sent out to its new home today! I’m thrilled with how it came out & my hope is that it’ll be used for Shabbats & holidays for years to come. I used fabric scraps to make a small, matching coaster for a Kiddush cup.
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I love the regal gold accents in @robertkaufman’s Klimt fabric line, which don’t come through so well in these pics, but they’re there! I’ve been practicing my free-motion quilting & after the exacting process of cutting, piecing & sewing the quilt, I relish the opportunity to be free & doodle the quilting pattern. I’m enjoying the whole quilting experience & diving into a new craft has brought me so much joy during these challenging times.
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#quilting #sewing #challah #challahcover #newquilter #quiltersofinstagram

Woke up feeling like I wanted a big ole pot of bra

Woke up feeling like I wanted a big ole pot of braised beans...Just that kinda day. I turned to @jenniferperillo ‘s blog because I knew she would have the perfect recipe & bingo: she did. But also, her perfect recipe was bracketed by a meaningful post about loss & grief. The universe works in mysterious ways... I wanted beans & I found comfort.

I didn’t share here but if you know me IRL, you know I lost one of my closest friends, Lindsay, to colon cancer earlier this year (in what we now know was the waning weeks of the pre-pandemic world at the end of February). In Jennie's post, she writes that the stages of grief aren't as neat as they're made out to be. Yup. I'm currently in the throes of missing Lindsay. So badly. She would have loved these beans & she would’ve been the first to comment on this post. What a loss. We were robbed. I want to talk to her about so many things.

Meanwhile, the apartment is starting to smell delicious & comforting. I admire Jennie for her ongoing candor when writing about her perpetual process of grieving & I guess posting here is a step in my process. I’m weeping writing this but...sometimes I weep. We all do. I’m striving to be more honest & authentic in sharing life’s struggles & today the struggle is: I miss Lindsay.

I was feeling congee-ish, so I put 1c rinsed short

I was feeling congee-ish, so I put 1c rinsed short grain white rice + 9c water, 1 peeled/cubed sweet potato, a few dried mushrooms & a knob of diced fresh ginger in the #instantpot for 30min. Then I topped with steamed tofu, steamed @gardenofevefarm greens & diced scallions & some Japanese pickles & finally drizzled with shoyu, sesame oil & sriracha. Hit 🎯the 🍲 spot📍

This groovy lady is heading off to my dear friends

This groovy lady is heading off to my dear friends’ house where she can live out her groovy days in the country. I’ll miss her, but she’ll love the fresh air, all the green & the lack of honking. It was the first time I experimented with a number of techniques when I made her, including improv piecing & the daisy free-motion quilting. I love the way it turned out & I’m exited for her to start her new life out of the city. (She’s 12” square.)

Holla for this challah cover! I wanted it to say ‎חלה (challah) somewhere & after some experimenting with embroidery & appliqué, I landed on this quilted outline technique & I love how subtle it is on the patterned front. You can really see the letters (in reverse) on the back because of the contrasting thread color. On deck projects: finishing a lap quilt, coasters, masks, my son’s Wolverine costume & more challah covers.
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#sewing #crafts #quilting #sewing #sustainablepantrycrafts

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Her memory will be for a bles

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Her memory will be for a blessing when my family & I say hamotzi on this challah. We’ll be celebrating Shabbat & this first day of 5781 with bagels & appetizing in Central Park. In years past we would all be celebrating—tightly packed!—in our Queens apartment. I’m grateful that some of my extended family can still be together outside today, honoring our traditions in a non-traditional way. I’m blessed to have this day & this opportunity to reflect & pause, before we tackle the work ahead of us this year. Sending you all comfort & peace. Shana Tova!
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#challah #roshhashana #ruthbaderginsburg #rbg

May 5781 be with you. I hope the year brings you,

May 5781 be with you. I hope the year brings you, your family & your community health, happiness, comfort, liberation, acknowledgement, justice, safety, nourishment, inspiration, love, creativity, joy & laughter. But, reality check, this year might be challenging, disappointing & dark. Either way, tonight begins a new year: Shana Tova, friends. Don’t forget to register to vote, request an absentee ballot & complete the census!
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#challah #5781 #jewishfood #roshhashana #breadbaking #homecooking #sustainablepantry

1: Front/back, 2: Front, 3: Back

1: Front/back, 2: Front, 3: Back

Image from artist Rachel Stone. In the artist’s

Image from artist Rachel Stone. In the artist’s words: “The text is ‘lo tirtzach’, ‘do not murder’ from the ten commandments, repeated. There's an idea that the Torah/Bible is black fire (the letters) and white fire (the spaces) and the spaces say just as much as the text. I hope I'm also working towards a world where it's universally obvious that ‘do not murder’ includes Black people, but I spelled it out here because #BlackLivesMatter.”
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This was created in mid 2016 & I don’t know when I found it but I’ve returned to it over the years. I included it in the Haggadah I made in 2017. Of course it has such heft on a dark day (week) like today when another Black life has been lost by the hands of a white cop. 50 days ago it was Passover & today we celebrate Shavuot, when we receive the 10 commandments, including do not murder, so of course this image came back to me...
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Black Lives Matter. Shabbat shalom.

I made these #dairyfree, #vegan, #nobake desserts

I made these #dairyfree, #vegan, #nobake desserts 🔴LIVE Friday afternoon with the @greatbigjewishfoodfest. I had such a blast doing this IG live & I’d love to do it again soon! What should I do next?
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But back to these beauties: once you have the basic recipe down, the possibilities are endless! Here is the skeleton recipe which is the key to creating your own version with whatever you have in your kitchen + your imagination.
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Crust: dates (I prefer mejool, soak in water if too dry. Play around with other dried fruits — I really want to make an apricot crust one of these days), nuts (I used ground almonds + hazelnuts, but any nut will do), vanilla, coconut oil, shredded coconut, pinch of salt. Pulse in food processor til mixture holds shape when squeezed.
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Filling: soaked raw cashews (soak in water to cover for 12-24 hours), cold coconut milk (use the thick part from the top of the can first, use the watery part if you need to thin out filling), dates (or honey/agave) & vanilla. Whiz together in a blender til very smooth. Taste & adjust with more sweetness if needed.
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Build: push crust into bottom of pan (cupcake tin, tart pan, etc), top with filling of choice & pop in the freezer to set 💁🏼‍♀️ perf for those warm days coming 🌞
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Options: Pic 1) add lemon juice to filing & top with lemon zest. Pic 2) add tahini to filling & top with sesame seeds. Pic 3) make a fruit layer by reserving some filling & blending with fruit before pouring in. What will YOU make? Tag me!
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Keep 👀 on @greatbigjewishfoodfest because there are so many fun onlinr events through 5/28!
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This recipe was adapted over the years from @minimalistbaker ‘s Key Lime Pie Bites which is an amazing, precise & delish recipe!
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#sustainablepantry #homecooking #glutenfree #veganrecipes

🍓 How gorgeous is this? 😍 I modified the lem

🍓 How gorgeous is this? 😍 I modified the lemon bars I’m making tomorrow *right here* on my Instagram live at 3pm with @greatbigjewishfoodfest into this beautiful, layered strawberry cheesecake with a few simple substitutions. Any way you make it, this creamy dessert is perfect for #Shavuot, traditionally the “dairy holiday”, even though it’s #dairyfree (& #glutenfree, #vegan, #nobake & delicious)! I can’t wait to show you how you can make a version of it at home with whatever you have on hand in your quarantine kitchen. Register via the link in my bio or just tune in tomorrow at 3!

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