Triple Pinch pleat curtains

Well, these were a big fail! They look fine for the purpose - but I would not go this route again. I am not sure if it was the pleating tape itself, or the fact I was using a polyester suiting fabric, but overall results were subpar.

Most of the rooms in our house already had traverse rods installed. These are the rods that have a cord that you pull to open and close the drapes. The drapes are generally attached with hooks.

I was trying to match these cream faux silk curtains - that belonged to my great grandmother (and namesake) - that we have in our bedroom. They have very nice triple pinch pleats, so that is what I was trying to match.

I found some tan polyester herringbone suiting material at Joann's in the clearance bin, which was the closest color texture match I found that didn't cost and arm and a leg. The fabric was 54 inches wide, more than enough for my purpose.  I also bought a couple yards of pleating tape. The idea behind pleating tape has a series of cords that you can pull to gather your material after you have sewed it onto your material.

I followed the excellent directions from this website, but when I pulled the cords I got a lot of bunching and general messiness. I straightened out the pleats as best I could, but still nothing to write home about. Next time I will try using 4 prong drapery hooks or sewing pleats by hand...

Go-to recipes

My requirements for a standby recipe: can be prepared in advance, impressive presentation, can be altered with seasonal ingredients/what is on hand.

Panna cotta fits all of those requirements and so is one of my staple dessert recipes. Its an eggless custard - thickened with gelatine - and goes great with fresh fruit, compote or sauce.

The basic recipe is 3 c cream, 1/2 c sugar, and 1.5 t gelatine. I usually make mine with half and half instead of cream, and usually do 2 c of some sort of tangy milk product - yogurt, buttermilk, and goats milk are all good options. For a recent dinner party, I served buttermilk panna cotta with blueberry cabernet sauce. Delicious and so easy!

Buttermilk Panna Cotta

1.5 t gelatine

3 T water
1 c half and half
1/2 c sugar
1T vanilla
2 c buttermilk

Add water and gelatine to a small bowl. Let soften for at least 10 minutes. Gently heat half and half and sugar in a saucepan until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and gelatine. Then stir in buttermilk. Pour into 6-8 prepared ramekins (I use handled soup bowls which work perfectly). Let chill in fridge for at least 4 hours before serving.

Blueberry Cabernet Sauce
In a saucepan bring 1 pint fresh blueberries and 1/2 cup cabernet sauvignon to a boil, stirring constantly. Let cool before serving.

At my window...

The best thing about my office is the wall of windows that looks onto a small wooded area.

One of my colleagues got me this awesome window bird feeder and its so fun to watch all the birds come to eat! I have mostly house finches - but also commonly see Tufted titmouse, Chickadee, House Sparrow, and Morning Dove. Hopefully I can attract some fun migrants over the next few months.