Patchwork

Do you still do any “hippie crafts” from your book, and what is your favorite recipe from LOTE that you enjoy cooking?

Benny Goodman Fan

My creative energies at this time are mostly consumed with music, storytelling, writing and illustrating. I will probably continue making salads, soups, stir fries, stews, and other vegetable intensive dishes for the rest of my life.

Thank you for writing to me!

Alicia

Sorry to bother you with another question, but when you were still doing crafts, what were your favorites? I read craft books, and there are so many to choose from, I just can’t decide which to try. 🙂

Benny Goodman Fan

Making patchwork quilts has to be my favorite. There are so many cool things you can do, too—print photos and other images on fabric and then frame them with other fabric, tie-dye several fabrics in different sets of colors before you cut them up to use in the patchwork, paint on fabrics with acrylics or fabric paints before adding them to your patchwork, get cheap and free fabric by cutting up old clothing from thrift stores and free boxes or by getting scraps from a clothing maker, embroider, bead, and applique designs and images onto the pieces of fabric before sewing them into the patchwork, use fabrics from other cultures that have wonderful designs and textures, use a variety of colorful buttons to quilt the fabric instead of sewing patterns into it (you can often find collections of buttons at garage sales and thrift stores, too). It’s wonderful to turn other people’s waste into precious heirlooms!

Tip: use fabrics of equal weight and strength. Avoid silks, as they tend to disintegrate long before other fabrics will.

Still peace and love,

Alicia