Laurel Anne Hill

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Creating an Apron for Day of the Dead (by Award-Winning Author Laurel Anne Hill)

Front of Laurel Anne Hill's Day of the Dead Apron

Attention sewing enthusiasts who celebrate Dia de los Muertos:  Day of the Dead.  It’s not too early to mark your calendars for November 1-2, 2014, and contemplate making an apron for the occasion.  I found some stunning Day-of-the-Dead fabric in the spring of 2013, which I converted into a four-corners “reversible” apron — a Christmas gift for my sister.  I didn’t have a traditional pin-and-cut apron pattern, so I used my purchased-from-a-craft-fair four-corners apron as a PATTERN GUIDE and found some helpful instructions online.

The following link leads to many possibilities you may wish to check: Four Corners and Other Apron Ideas and Instructions.

Fortunately, I purchased three times the amount of fabric that I thought I’d need.  Otherwise, I never would have been able to center the large and complex “skeleton fiesta” scene optimally, nor place the pocket to blend into the overall front-of-apron design.  The reverse side of my apron contains a simple repeating motif of skulls and roses.

Laurel Anne Hill's Day of the Dead Apron, Reverse Side

My purchased apron, aka PATTERN GUIDE, measures approximately 24 inches on all sides with two 36” x 1-1/8” ties and one 22” x 1-1/8” upper loop to slip over the head.  The finished pocket is 6” wide and 7” high.  I made my Day of the Dead apron a little larger.  My finished product measured closer to 26 inches on all sides with 37” x 1-1/4” inch ties and one 23” x 1-1/2” upper loop.  My completed pocket was approximately 7” square.  You see, I cut my fabric without a paper pattern and allowed for potential uneven cutting and generous seams of ½-inch.  My Kenmore sewing machine—once owned by my grandmother—is of 1930s vintage and ample seams always help me sew straight.  Note that the front of my apron consists of the skeleton fiesta fabric square plus a border (two strips that were 3” wide before sewing and 2” wide in the finished apron) of the reverse-side skulls-and-roses fabric.  The reverse skulls-and-roses side of the apron has no border or pocket.

Here is how I made my apron ties:  I cut one 39” x 6-1/2” strip of fabric with one side along the salvage.  I cut that strip lengthwise down the middle to produce two 39” x 3-1/4” strips.  For each tie, I folded the strip in half lengthwise with the back side of the fabric facing outward.  I ironed each strip to line up the fabric edges for easy sewing.  I left one end of each tie unsewn in order to turn the fabric “tube” right-side out.  After turning and ironing, I sewed the open ends of the tubes shut.  I hid these less attractive ends between the two fabric layers of the main part of the apron.

In fact, the main apron, the neck and the pocket are also double-layered and have to be turned right-side-out once the two layers are sewn together.  For the main apron, leave three inches or so unsewn where the ties will go to permit turning room.  For the pocket, leave a couple inches open on the bottom.  Once turned, these “holes” become closed when attaching the pocket, ties or neck piece.

Right Apron Tie
Left Apron Tie

Tricks to turning fabric when two sides are sewn together:  Trim close to the seams (approximately 1/8-inch) at the ACTUAL CORNER AREAS.  With care, use a yardstick to gently poke at the corners after turning so they don’t appear rounded.  You can use a knitting needle on the ties if a yardstick is too wide, but DON”T poke a hole in the fabric.  If you don’t have special turning tools, patience is needed to turn two long apron ties that are only 1-1/4 wide in finished form.  Listen to some music you like.  Take your time.  The end result will be worth the effort.  Or, first watch the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22DngINLQ-M and then buy some real turning tools in a fabric store or on online.

Note that the upper corner of my finished apron has been turned down 3-4 inches and hand-tacked in place (after ironing) adding a decorative button.  I tried on my apron creation and checked the turndown distance before finalizing the neck strap.  And speaking of ironing, after I sewed each section of my apron, I ironed it.  I ironed the finished product, as well.

Notice the Well-Matched Pocket
Secure Stitching of the Lower Tip

I didn’t do a turn-down style pocket on my apron because I didn’t want to interrupt the skeleton fiesta motif.

When I used to quilt, I washed my cotton material before cutting it into pieces.  With cotton aprons, however, I simply purchase quality fabric and allow for a little shrinkage.  This is what my grandmother used to do and she was practically a one-woman apron factory.  However, fabric comes from all over the world these days.  You should consult with your local fabric shop when making your purchase to ascertain if you should pre-wash or not.

By the way, my sister loves the Day of the Dead apron I made for her.  Now it’s time to get busy on one for myself.  As a published author of science fiction, fantasy, steampunk and horror, I intend to wear my own apron throughout the year.

My Mexican ancestors would be proud of me, particularly because some of them sewed to make a living.

Happy sewing,

 

Laurel Anne Hill (Author of “Heroes Arise”)
http://www.laurelannehill.com

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Operation Pie Crust Pat-Down (Holiday Greetings from Laurel Anne Hill)

Deck the halls with Who?

My rolling pin glared at me from the corner of my kitchen counter.  Each square inch of her smooth marble surface practically flashed pissed-off purple.

“On Thanksgiving morn,” her indignant voice echoed between my ears.  “Why aren’t YOU using ME for your most challenging culinary task of the year?”

Ms. R. Pin referred to my annual act of squeezing molecules of flour, margarine and water into pie crust dough, all the while praying the result would melt in the mouth rather than crack dental fillings.  Although I’d baked a variety of pies during the past 70 years—pumpkin, mince, lemon, cherry, rhubarb, custard, chocolate, pecan, apple and berry—each individual crust always possessed its own personality.  Some tough.  Some tender.  Others total flakes.  A few downright surly.  They were unpredictable characters in my life-long story.

Today, inspired by Elaine Cookman (the wife of Roger, my husband David’s second cousin once removed) I intended to pat instead of roll the crust for my annual pumpkin pie.  When we’d visited the Cookmans during our recent trip to England, Elaine had created delicious pie crusts without rolling them into submission.  With Google as my guide, I’d try to do likewise.

The loaf of sour dough bread was already rising in the pan when I commenced “Operation Pie Crust Pat-Down.”  My recipe called for canola oil instead of a solid shortening.  But all that liquid fat transformed the flour into mush.  Elaine’s dough hadn’t looked like this.  What should I do?

There are times in life when one needs faith.  In oneself.  In God.  Or maybe in the words written on a recipe card.  I’d never sat in an oven and watched a pie crust bake—for obvious reasons.  For all I knew, traditional rolled crusts initially turned squishy when the shortening melted.

As a scientist, I certainly realized that some experiments didn’t work.  No doubt about it, this crust was an experiment.  I glanced toward the clock.  Nearly 8 am.  I needed to put the bread into the oven at 9:15, then work on the turkey.  Talk about a time crunch.  I’d have to use this pastry or none at all.

I plopped the oily goop into my pie dish.  My fingers pushed the stuff into place.  Once I’d added the pumpkin filling, the experiment went into the oven.  Forty-five minutes later, I pulled out a pie with a well-browned crust.  Looked great.  But what about texture and taste?  Would my pie-crust character be a hero, a villain or a wishy-washy wimp?  Whatever, it would contain love, a main ingredient in all my cooking.  Didn’t love always help?

My thoughts turned toward preparing the turkey stuffing.  I’d chop the onion first.  Soon my eyes stung and watered.  The best yellow onions always made me cry.  This batch of dressing would be a winner.

Christmas, just weeks away, also always made me cry—tears of mixed sadness and joy.  The process of aging reduced the familiar cast of human characters around me on an all-too-regular basis.  In 2013, David and I had lost several more friends.  Plus David had taken a tumble in September and separated his shoulder.  Now he had one bad shoulder and another even worse.  I’d done most of the luggage hauling during our recent travels.  No complaints from me.  What if he had sustained a more serious injury?  David remained the beloved star in my life story.  We’d been lucky.

I added the chopped onion to the stuffing mix, then stirred in spices and chicken broth.  David and I probably wouldn’t be able to manage a real Christmas tree this year, even if we had help dragging a six-to-seven-foot fir into our house and maneuvering it into a stand.  Sawing off the branches in January to dispose of the tree would be beyond our present comfort zone.  A small fake tree might have to do.  Would our daughter, Alicia, be disappointed when she came home for the holidays? 

The morning hours of Thanksgiving melted into afternoon.  I served dinner at 5:00.  The mush I’d turned into a pie crust was delicious.  Perfect, really.  I’d never cooked a better pie.  Surely putting up an artificial Christmas tree would work out fine, too.  Wasn’t the real Christmas all about love?  And love always helped.

With love,

Laurel Anne Hill
Author of HEROES ARISE
http://www.laurelannehill.com 

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SHANGHAI STEAM Steams Forward (News from Laurel Anne Hill)

A Recommended Read

This month I received more exciting news about Shanghai Steam, the steampunk-wuxia anthology containing my short story, “Moon-Flame Woman.”  Shanghai Steam has been mentioned twice in the new book Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction: How to Create Out-of-This-World Novels and Short Stories (September 2013) by Orson Scott Card, Phillip Athans, Jay Lake and the editors of Writer’s Digest.

First, on page 146 in the section Critical Reactions to Steampunk:

“A handful of editors and writers are tackling the issues of classism, racism, and imperialism head on, including independent Hades Publishing anthology Shanghai Steam (2012), which offers a Chinese view of the steampunk world.”

 

Recommends "Shanghai Steam!"

Next, page 150 lists Shanghai Steam in the section Recommended Steampunk Reading under the heading Anthologies, Short Fiction and Miscellaneous.

Then this past week, the ebook edition of Shanghai Steam made Amazon top 100 lists in both the steampunk and Asian myths and legends categories.  On the Asian myths and legends list, Shanghai Steam at one point was rated #11.

All this is in addition to the anthology’s nomination for an Aurora Award in Canada earlier this year.  I’m proud to be one of the authors featured in Shanghai Steam.

For those of you seeking a good book for yourself or a person on your gift list, please consider Shanghai Steam (Calvin D. Jim, Renée Bennett, and Ace Jordyn, editors).  Available on Amazon.

A description of Shanghai Steam is as follows:
From ancient China to a future Mars, from the British Empire to the Old West, 19 authors show you worlds with alcohol-fueled dragons, philosophical automatons, and Qi-powered machines both wondrous and strange in tales of vengeance, paper lantern revolutions and flying monks. Shanghai Steam is a unique mash up of steampunk and the Chinese literary genre known as wuxia (loosely translated as martial hero). Shanghai Steam includes works by: Camille Alexa, Shen Braun, Amanda Clark, Ray Dean, Tim Ford, Laurel Anne Hill, Minsoo Kang, William H. Keith, Crystal Koo, Frank Larnerd, Emily Mah, Derwin Mak, Brent Nichols, Frances Pauli, Jennifer Rahn, Tim Reynolds, Julia A. Rosenthal, Nick Tramdack, and K. H. Vaughan.

To view the book trailer, CLICK HERE.

Happy reading,

Laurel Anne Hill (award-winning author of HEROES ARISE)
http://www.laurelannehill.com

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SHADOW PEOPLE by Scott Thomas Anderson (Review by Laurel Anne Hill)

 A Riveting Read!

Shadow People by Scott Thomas Anderson
by Scott Thomas Anderson

Want to read a touching tale during the Christmas season?  Curl up in a chair with your hot cocoa and let prose transport you to whimsical worlds filled with happy endings?  Well, Shadow People, by Scott Thomas Anderson, won’t take you to that warm-and-fuzzy location.  Nevertheless, his amazing piece of investigative journalism—created in association with the Coalition for Investigative Journalism—might just push your personal alert button in time to protect those you love.

Anderson uses the creative writing style of narrative nonfiction to show how methamphetamine addition and the crime that results from it are eating at the heart of rural America.  Plus, the laws meant to keep precursor chemicals out of the hands of clandestine chemists have only shifted the manufacturing of methamphetamine from mom and pop laboratories to the drug cartels.  In other words, wherever you build the demand—cities, suburbs or rural landscapes—the suppliers will come to that location.

From the back cover of Shadow People:
Sleepless and paranoid, methamphetamine addicts often see “shadow people” in the darkest hours of the night.  Yet it is the addicts themselves that cast a shadow over the most peaceful corners of America, driven in large numbers to commit fraud, identity theft, burglary, domestic violence, elder abuse, child abuse, assault and murder.

In 2010, award-winning journalist Scott Thomas Anderson began to explore the link between crime and methamphetamine, spending sixteen months as an embedded reporter with rural county law enforcement agencies and traveling to dozens of small towns battling the epidemic across the United States.  The result is Shadow People, an unflinching look at the havoc and heartache meth spawns in the open countryside—a window to how the drug is threatening America’s wide-open spaces, fueling crimes against citizens, breaking families apart, devastating innocent children and tearing away at the psyche of each community through which it spreads.

And here is just one of the book’s endorsements:
“A compelling and up-close look at one of the most corrosive issues that our communities face…this book is full of the kind of front-line reporting and gritty detail needed to illuminate the meth scourge.”

        —Greg Miller, National Security Reporter, The Washington Post
 

The happy ending for the seemingly “neverending story” of methamphetamine will come when “we, the people,” write it.  To start, we need to better educate ourselves and upcoming generations about the horrendous mental and physical disaster associated with methamphetamine addiction.

Purchase Shadow People (copyright 2011) and/or get the book into your local library.  This is a nonfiction book that as many adults and teens as possible in the U.S.A. should read.

With warm wishes for a happy and safe 2014,

Laurel Anne Hill (award-winning author of Heroes Arise)
http://www.laurelannehill.com

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GLYPHBINDER by T. Eric Bakutis is a Spellbinder (Review by Laurel Anne Hill)

Every year I read the opening pages of at least fifty novels.  Some in my local library.  Others in bookstores or at science fiction/fantasy conventions.  I particularly love perusing the giveaway books at the World Fantasy Con.  Alas, relatively few of these novels grab hold of me and refuse to let go.  Plus, I must do plenty of other reading to research my own stories or serve as a speaker.  My completion rate of novels that aren’t self-assigned homework or written by masters of the craft is abysmal.

So imagine my delight when I picked up Glyphbinder—the debut fantasy novel by T. Eric Bakutis—and didn’t want to put it down.

As Glyphbinder opens, magic paralyzes Xander.  His father and grandmother have arrived to murder his unborn daughter, Kara.  His family contains gifted persons who use their own blood to scribe “glyphs”—powerful symbols capable of altering reality.  The future magic potential of the unborn Kara is unusually strong.  If she is permitted to survive, mind-invading demons will claim her body and soul, then destroy the world.  By the end of the first chapter, Kara is allowed to live, only because Xander is forcibly separated from his pregnant wife and their true memories replaced with false ones.  The demons must never read the truth and discover Kara’s identity.

In chapter two, the reader meets Kara as a nineteen-year-old student enrolled in the academy of Solyr.  There are a number of magical disciplines in Kara’s world and she can scribe blood glyphs from all of them with ease.  Her main goal, however, is to heal her mother, who has a painful and fatal illness.  In secret, Kara gathers ingredients needed to perform a transference glyph—magic that would allow Kara to exchange bodies with her mother.  But Kara encounters a wounded man on her foray for an ingredient.  Wolves driven by magic attack her and the stranger.

Kara’s life changes forever.

Glyphbinder, as you can probably tell by now, has engaging characters, plenty of action, and strong forward momentum.  The book does have some unsettling—bordering on horrific—scenes, however, and may not be appropriate for everyone.  There are occasional point-of-view shifts, and pivotal action toward the end could have been set up better beforehand.  Fuzzy minds such as my own may have trouble keeping track of all the characters.  Overall, these matters are minor in comparison with the rich and exciting story.  Glyphbinder is a spellbinder, and would make a great gift this holiday season—for you or fantasy readers on your holiday shopping list.  You can purchase Glyphbinder (McBryde Publishing LLC) on Amazon.com.

Happy reading,

Laurel Anne Hill  (Award-Winning Author of Heroes Arise) http://www.laurelannehill.com