A Modern Twist by Natalie Barnes

A Modern Twist

by Natalie Barnes with Angela Walters

we are the sum of our parts

 

it's something I think about every day

every morning that I wake

and every evening before I retire for the evening

we are truly the sum of our parts

if you have purchased a copy of my very first book

A Modern Twist

the first thing you will notice is that

the by line is shared with Angela Walters

and if you read the first page of script, you will find

"...we are the sum of our parts. 

We truly stand shoulder to shoulder, and we are better for it."

if you have ever attended one of my trunk shows

the first thing I will tell you

is that it was Jill Marie Landis that encouraged me to create 
beyond the reef

 

 when I look at the photo above, it is rich in color to me

I see gifts from Steve and Jill

and knitting I have shared with Lisa

I have candlesticks given to me on the Ranch

and shells from my ex business partner

I see trivets and coasters from other friends

and of course a lovely artisan piece

that was my mothers

the lamp, from my Aunt Laura

there are twigs, and a feather, and butterfly wings

all with a story to tell

even the hutch

was hauled home in the back of a truck with the help of my friend Anne

even tho she's in Buffalo, the times we spent together in the past

are still a part of my life today

A Modern Twist

just wouldn't be the same without the help of 

Angela Walters

the same way that 
"..a quilt's not a quilt until it's quilted."

and you all know, in your own lives
quilting wouldn't be the same without the people you meet along the way
so the next time you pull out a piece of fabric
think about the person you were with 
when you purchased it

the next time you start to work on a swap mini quilt
think about the time you have shared with your swap partner

and the next time you are at a quilt show or a retreat
and you see someone sitting alone
do as my friend Leslie would
invite them to join you at your table
you never know
you might just make a friend for life

be.do.create
natalie.

www.beyondthereefpatterns.com

ps - want an autographed copy of the book?  visit the website.
or purchase any of the bookblogtour authors' titles
using the links below!!

want to hear more?
tune in
Monday 20 April
to listen to Natalie with
Pat Sloan!!

 

...would you just look at the time!!!!

I know.

I have been absent...but it IS...

Thanksgiving.

whether or not you are participating in the day

I hope you'll take some time

to just be still for a moment and count your blessings

 

I am thankful for my 'sisters' (see above) who you all know as

quilt show fabric cutters, fabric walkers, register girls

and so much more!

I am thankful for all quilters

for donating quilts all year long

and for digging deep during times like StormSandy

 and when I stop for a moment to be thankful,

I will think of all of you

my beyond the reef family of friends

that enjoy the blog, facebook, twitter, pinterest

and quilt shows and quilt lectures and classes

and that shop at our online shop site

I am thankful for you.

please, take just a moment and leave a comment

about being thankful

one of you will be selected to receive the Martingale & Co. book 

501 Quilting Motifs 

random number generator will select a comment this Sunday

Natalie.

Be.do.create

www.beyondthereefpatterns.com

photos:  Kenna Ogg, Madison Cottage Design; Roberta, beyond the reef & cash register girl; Joanie W, Quilters by the Sea lecture & class; Jill Marie Landis, Author & fabric walker; Lisa, fabric cutter.

dog photos:  Guide Dogs for the Blind; Guide Dogs of America, Buddy.

"a sum of the parts that make us whole"

the history of

b e y o n d   t h e   r e e f

you probably know enough about this blog author, and this blog, 
to know that I don't like to blog too much about myself

events, sure.  beyond the reef, sure.  places, sure.

but not

"I.Me.My"
unless of course, I "rotary cutter my finger", and I think there's a lesson in it for someone, somewhere

so this post will be a little difficult for me to craft, and a little longer than usual

history lesson

beyond the reef was started in 1994 drinking coffee on a lanai in Hanalei, Kauai

it would rain every morning

and my friend, author, Jill Marie Landis, and I would sit in the still of the morning

drinking coffee and watching the rain

she would be reading or writing a book, and I would be working on some applique

when Jill's friends started asking her where they could buy the pattern for the project I was working on

Jill said to me, "you have to do this!"

I had just started hunter|hughes w/friend and business partner John Hunter

providing commercial/corporate interior design to fortune 100 companies
but that didn't stop me
beyond the reef was born

a few months later Jill and I visited a lovely woman named Julie Yukimura

Owner of The Kapaia Stitchery

"These are nice," she said, and started carrying the patterns

if you have ever been to Kauai, you will know about Kapaia Stitchery

Julie has passed on, but her family carries on the tradition

in the one story plantation style building by the side of the cutoff road into town

please visit them and say hello

it's a great shop filled with treasures and surprises

fast forward

corporate clients had demands, and schedules never faltered

but I managed to design a few beyond the reef quilts a year and attend a few quilt shows a year

recently, the hunter (john) and the hughes (me) decided to retire
and I became a full time beyond the reef designer, quilt maker, pattern maker, shipping clerk

it was time for a new look for beyond the reef

I sat down with a mac and a few books and dove right in to learn

illustrator, inDesign, photoshop, bridge

I must say, THAT is the accomplishment of which I am the most proud

if I could just stop right there, that would be enough for me

(architecture/interiors is a pc based cad based world)

I selected a printer after interviewing a few folks face to face shake your hand nice to meet you style

I worked with ssylvester.com photography on a new quilt photo concept

and then, as Jill tells people about getting a whole book written,

I put my butt in the chair and started drawing and writing and remaking about 25 of my 35 patterns

Lisa did proofs. Jill was the wordsmith. Kenna was in charge of encouragement.
Katey was a great distraction. Paul took care of the computer. Buddy took one for the team. 
Rose cheered me on. Roberta made me take 12 mile bike rides to clear my head.
And John took one last look at the press sheets.


Don't ever believe the people that tell you they do it all themselves.
They don't.
we are all a sum of the parts that make us whole
we are all better because we are connected
because we reach out to each other
and walk through life
together

the design concept

it's an interesting project to approach

keep a company's graphic standards, core vision, and values intact

while updating the whole suite of packaging and marketing materials

(my corporate design, creative, process driven, side of me will always be a big part of who I am)
working with companies like Mercedes Benz, Quiksilver, Epson, Mars Inc. 
and some 'not to be named' demanding music, film and television Producers
gave me great insight, and trained me well

living in the moment
I hope you will all agree

that the beyond the reef you have all come to know and love

has not been lost in the remake

and that you'll be just as excited as I am

with the results of this new project

I hope that the shop owners and book/magazine publishers and fabric companies

will be delighted, too

okay.  that's enough of that!

we'll do a giveaway post as soon as they arrive

so now, it's on to something other than

I.Me.Mine

did you know there's a quilt show coming up?

Seven Sisters Quilt Show

Madonna Inn, San Luis Obispo

next weekend, Sat/Sun

it's a combined Guild show

and a lovely time to be on the central coast

take a weekend off and take a drive up the coast

be.do.create

natalie

www.beyondthereefpatterns.com

Friendship.

friendship.

friendship comes in all shapes and sizes

it is the family we wish we had

it is our inspiration

our accountability

there are times that we struggle with it

and those are the times, I have found, that you must remind yourself

that your friend may be struggling too

one day one of my best girlfriends and I were at an outdoor quilt show

she is 5'-0" olive skinned, I am 5'-8" and blonde/blue

someone overheard our exchange and asked, 

"are you two sisters?"

and before I could say a word, my friend simply and calmly replied,

"if she was my sister, I would have killed her a long time ago!"

have patience

and be thankful for whatever kind of friendship you have

for it is truly the best gift of all

that friend that makes us more than the sum of who we already are

and urges us to be more than we could ever hope to be

HappiestDays

natalie.

time to give back

It's time to give back.To my girlfriend in Hawaii.

Who loves my green curry chicken zucchini soup.  With anything else you want it to have in it, too.

So, Jill, make a double batch of this soup, and keep it in the 'fridge for those days that you are on deadline and you are writing, writing, writing.  This, and a little salad, yum.  This, and a little of Greg's rice...yum.  These pics were taken on the 4 burner and a griddle O'Keefe that Greg found at an estate sale - a little cleaning, and it was as good as new!!  (me, I'm waiting for the pancakes off of the griddle)

And so the rest of you can see Jill Marie Landis' work - or read her work - go to 

www.beyondthereefpatterns.com

and go to plantation bookstore

and go to Hawaiian

and pick up a Jill Marie Landis' book to add to your fall or winter reading list.

AND, of course, the cookbook.

Here you go, Jill...it's actually a pretty simple recipe once you have the basic staples in your pantry.  And now, I keep the staples handy, because it's a pretty hearty soup, yet it's pretty simple in the long run.  While I do not endorse any of these brands, I shop at these places - Trader Joe's, Whole Foods (365 brand is great - their generic, and often organic), and Fresh & Easy.  So the basics are - coconut milk (I use light coconut milk), fish sauce, green curry paste (I add red, too), and, the secret ingredient - brown sugar, and, well, those are the basics - the recipe follows. For the 'guts' of the soup, zucchini, Asian eggplant, and chicken.  Sometimes I do zucchini and mushroom alone.  There you have it.  Green soup.  Hmmmmm.  Oh, and I cook mine in the big heavy pot...

• 2 medium zucchini or 2 long purple Asian eggplants
• 1-1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
• 2-3 tablespoons green curry paste
• 1/4 pound boneless chicken thighs or breast, cut in big bite size pieces
• 1-1/2 cups chicken broth or water
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon palm sugar or brown sugar
• 6 to 8 wild lime leaves, torn or cut in half (optional)
• A handful of fresh Asian or Italian basil leaves, plus basil springs for garnish
  

Cut the zucchini - lengthwise, then crosswise into 1" chunks, set aside.  In medium saucepan or heavy skillet, bring 3/4 cup of the coconut milk to a gentle boil over medium high heat.  Cook for 2-3 minutes until it starts to thicken and becomes fragrant.  Add the curry paste and cook 2-3 minutes, pressing and stirring to dissolve it into the coconut milk.  Add the chicken and cook 2 minutes more, tossing to coat it with the sauce.  

Add the remaining 3/4 cup coconut milk, the chicken broth (or water, which I use), zucchini, fish sauce, palm sugar, and about half the wild lime leaves.  Bring to a gentle boil.  Reduce heat to maintain a lively simmer and cook, stirring now and then, until the chicken is cooked and the zucchini is tender but still firm, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining lime leaves and the fresh basil leaves.  Garnish with a few sprigs of fresh basil and serve hot or warm.  

Serves 4 to 6

Finally, if you're quilting the weekend away, if you want the kinder gentler version of gridiron chili, try this recipe. Remember - I add some red curry to give it more kick...

be.do.create

2008

Thanks for thinking of

b e y o n d   t h e   r e e f

Natalie.

natalie@beyondthereefpatterns.com