353 – Strange Fire

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Heather

Mother, knitter, spinner, writer, wife, weaver, host...not necessarily in that order...

19 Responses

  1. Tricia says:
    August 17, 2014 at 9:53 pm

    I listened to several chapters in a row today, so this comment may be on the wrong show – In the chapter where Margaret is beating herself up for not having enough faith, it reminded me a lot of Jane Eyre, The Scarlet Letter and even Little Women. In all of these books there is a sense that God’s approval relies on meeting inhuman standards of perfection. Each time I encounter that attitude in literature it frustrates and saddens me.

  2. Cheekyredhead says:
    July 30, 2014 at 11:40 am

    I don’t know if you’ve solved your window treatment problem but I suggest using window film. It’s a little like contact paper but is made for windows and is easily removable. Here’s a link for some I found on Amazon.

    http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001L7Y1MY/?tag=craf08-20+glass+film

  3. Jennifer says:
    July 30, 2014 at 1:15 am

    Hi Heather
    You’ve probably sorted the window issue by now, but wanted to mention another fun idea that I saw on Ysolda’s blog some time (years) ago. She dipped crochet doilys in liquid starch and then just stuck them on to the window panes. It looked lovely en masse, and is totally reversable.

    Am LOVING North & South – so good!
    thanks so much
    Jennifer

  4. Lauren Moore says:
    July 26, 2014 at 9:31 am

    You’ve moved to the part of the world that my husband’s family is from. He grew up in Phillipsburg, which is just a bit upriver on the Jersey side, but there are family members living all along both sides of the river. I think it was his great-grandfather who worked one of the mule teams that towed barges on the canal.

    I have always loved that part of the world for the creative spirit that seems to be part of the landscape. I have many fond memories of afternoons spent browsing the shops in New Hope.

    Just one word of warning. Beware of deer on the country roads. They are plentiful and they are everywhere. And your aging Saturn will not fare well in a close encounter with one.

    • Heather says:
      July 26, 2014 at 10:52 pm

      Heh, You’re not kidding. The aging Saturn won’t do well in a head-to-head with a garden slug, I fear.

      We’ve been warned about the deer (kind of like the cows in southern Arizona/northern Mexico) and evidently haven’t been hit with the full force of the mosquitos, but I agree with you. There IS a spirit here—both a “can do” (like the mechanic) and a “can help”. Quaker roots? Mystical vortex? I have no idea, but I sure like it.

      Mass CraftLit road trip to New Hope? We can all barbecue in my backyard!

      I actually think there might be room enough!
      😀

  5. Caroline says:
    July 21, 2014 at 5:43 pm

    OMG Weird Al. I would totally buy the album if it was all the videos! I love these videos!

  6. Dianna J. says:
    July 21, 2014 at 8:11 am

    I second Elizabeth’s idea of painted stained glass. At a house we used to live in, I did that on a bathroom window that looked out onto the front porch. I chose clear and frosted stained glass paint and used a technique to make the glass look rippled. Plenty of light came in but the view was blocked.

    The other idea I had was to find cute flour-sack dish towels that match the kitchen decor and use those as cafe curtains.

  7. Elizabeth says:
    July 20, 2014 at 9:09 pm

    Hey! Skip the curtains altogether and go for stained glass. We have a historic home too, and it’s a lovely way to let in light and still have privacy and color. Real stained glass is quite pricey, but you can get inexpensive “fake” stained glass panels here and there for less. Or get a really beat up stained glass piece from an antique mart, and it will still be charming. If you’re up for a crafty challenge–and I know you are–buy window paint and “draw” your own stained glass design. Most such paints can be scraped off when you move out. Maybe a Zen tangle window in light blue? Love it!

    • Heather says:
      July 21, 2014 at 1:07 pm

      Heh.
      You have more faith in my painting ability than I do.
      🙂
      Maybe I can get Shannon from Chop Bardto come help.
      😉

  8. Catherine says:
    July 20, 2014 at 2:12 pm

    Hi, Heather,
    I’ve lived in several older brick houses and apartment buildings that have deep window wells because of the thick walls made by two layers of brick. First off, don’t forget that there are some really cute pattern out there for knitted and crocheted bistro curtains, so that’s an option. Second, it looks like you are hanging the curtains using a tension rod, or that you could do so. Could you just move the curtain farther back toward the window, so that it’s behind your things on the windowsill? That’s what I’ve usually done. In some cases, you could also attach the rod to the window itself. Third, if you want to be able to open the curtains wider or more easily, try clip rings. These also make it possible for you to hang any fabric as a curtain, even if it doesn’t have a rod pocket. Fourth, an alternative to curtains is to apply frosted plastic film to the window itself. You just cut it to fit, and it’s removable when/if you move.

    • Catherine says:
      July 20, 2014 at 2:28 pm

      Oops, forgot a fifth comment–for inexpensive curtains, I’ve frequently used the JC Penney catalog/website. I think the kind of curtains you’re looking for are being sold as “window tiers.”

    • Heather says:
      July 21, 2014 at 1:04 pm

      See?
      This is why I ask!!!
      I’m doing a big ol’ “DOH!” For not simply moving the tension bar back.

      I’ve got some rings to test, too. But the knitting… I wanna, but I’m so burnt out on… Everything post-writing gig. It’s like it sucked out all of my creativity. Ugh.
      But this!
      This is doable!!!
      Yay!
      Thank you!!!

  9. Johanne Brown says:
    July 19, 2014 at 12:25 pm

    Been a fan for a long time. Love this podcast and recommend it to everyone.

    Regarding curtains, how about using curtain clips intend of a channel to attach curtains to the rod, this lets more light in when they are pulled back as the fabric folds as oppose to squish back.

  10. Jen says:
    July 19, 2014 at 11:26 am

    The curtain problem:

    I can’t sew a straight line. No, really. I had to have my eighth grade home ec teacher sew the pillow form for the latchhook project that made up my eighth grade home ec project.

    Anywho…

    My wonderful mother-in-law created curtains for our bedroom using twin sheets, so I’m wondering if you couldn’t do the same with inexpensive pillow cases.