Navy + Blue Bear Paw Quilt
This week's Quilt of the Week is a navy and blue Bear Paw quilt. If you look closely, this is really just a variant of a nine-patch, but the addition of the triangular "claws" adds a sense of motion to the pattern. My granny made this one a few years ago for my beau. I think it's just beautiful.
If you want to try a Bear Paw quilt of your own, here's a downloadable pattern.
Check out more Quilt of the Week posts here:
HerKentucky Shops! Capes & Wraps for Autumn
This time of year, I'm obsessed with capes and wraps. They're the ultimate layering piece for days when drastic temperature changes require multiple costume changes. They dress up jeans or leggings; they pull an outfit together with a pop of color or a fun pattern.
This weekend at the Breeders' Cup, I was thrilled that I'd accessorized with a sweater-knit wrap -- it was cool and rainy trackside, but warm inside the Bourbon Lounge. I was so glad I'd seen this awesome Talbots piece on two of my very favorite Kentucky bloggers, Authentically Emmie and Seersucker + Saddles; it was the perfect piece for an awesome day of racing!
If you have all the money to spend on a cape and wrap collection, then I'd suggest Burberry, as their colors are simply dreamy...
There are lots of amazing capes to be found at a much more realistic price point.
Of course, your favorite local boutiques are always a great place to find the latest trends. I love this one from Monkee's of Lexington.
Image Via Monkee's of Lexington Facebook
Monkee's also has a lookalike for SJP's amazing Burberry wrap -- you can even get your monogram!
And head to the Peppermint Palm in Lexington or Louisville for one of these adorable Lilly Pulitzer Harp Wraps. I have one, and can tell you that it's super-comfortable and functional!
Kentucky's Signature Sandwich
Celebrate National Sandwich Day with a Benedictine + Bacon or a Hot Brown
Today is National Sandwich Day. Of course, the story goes that, sometime in 18th Century England, John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, couldn't be bothered to leave the gambling tables, so he instructed his servants to bring him slices of meat between two pieces of bread, and the name stuck. Here in Kentucky, we've introduced two amazing sandwiches to the world.
There's the Benedictine and Bacon, the perfect mix of salty and sweet, hearty and light. It's a real-world interpretation of Jennie Benedict's tea-sandwich favorite, and it makes the perfect lunch around Derby time.
And then, there's the Hot Brown, the sandwich created to serve famished flappers at late-night dances. The same recipe that the Brown Hotel has used since for nearly a century, and the most lovely way to use Thanksgiving leftovers.
Image via The Brown Hotel
We'd love to hear from y'all -- what is your favorite Kentucky sandwich?
Muhammad Ali and the The Rumble in the Jungle
“You think the world was shocked when Nixon resigned, wait till I whup George Foreman’s behind.”
Forty-one years ago today, Louisville native Muhammad Ali took on up-and-coming boxer George Foreman in the nation then known as Zaire. The stakes were $5 million put up by dictator Mobutu Sese Seko. The fight was one of the very first promoted by a brash young man named Don King. The Rumble in the Jungle, as the fight was billed, would be remembered as one of the greatest sporting events of all time.
Ali, whom all Kentuckians and boxing fans now know as The Greatest, was the unanimous underdog in the fight. After an amazing start in the early 1960s, including achieving the title of World Heavyweight Champion at 22, Ali had faced years of backlash. He'd been stripped of his title and suspended from boxing for three and a half years following a conviction of draft evasion. Ali's opposition to the Vietnam war established the athlete as a counterculture icon, but did little to further his boxing career; he lost some of the most valuable years of physical capacity to the lengthy legal appeals process. Ali resumed training in 1971 and, despite victories including a unanimous decision win over Joe Frazier only a few months prior, he was considered too old (at 32) and small to beat the muscular, talented, 25 year-old Foreman.
Don King, along with an international crew of investors and promoters, made sure that the event received epic billing. A three day music festival known as Zaire 74, with a lineup of legendary musicians like B.B. King, James Brown, and Bill Withers, was planned. Foreman and Ali spent much of the summer of 1974 training in Zaire for a fight which was slated to occur on September 25th. After Foreman suffered a cut near his eye during training, the fight was rescheduled for October 30th.
James Brown in a still from the documentary Soul Power, via the New York Times.
The narrative of the fight presented the cocky, glib and charming Ali against the silent, brooding Foreman. Ali's stance as a conscientious objector to the Vietnamese conflict struck a chord with the young and hip, while Foreman, who'd proudly waved the American flag at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, seemed out of touch with his generation. Ali won the hearts of the people of Zaire, speaking against the European imperialism against which the locals (formerly inhabitants of the Belgian Congo) had revolted a decade earlier. When Foreman arrived with his pet German Shepherd, the local crowd reacted to the dog, which many associated with Belgian oppression.
AP File Photo
While sports fans and boxing insiders considered a Foreman victory to be a foregone conclusion, Ali shocked the world by employing his rope-a-dope strategy to wear Foreman down and avoid direct contact from the more muscular fighter. Ali's choreographedi footwork and brash proclamations -- in the greatest instance of trash talk ever, Ali hurled psychological taunts like "They told me you could punch, George!" and "Is that all you've got, George?" -- wore Foreman down as much as Ali's well-timed punches. The fight ended in the eighth round, Ali threw a right hook to Foreman's face, followed by a hard right that took the younger fighter down. Ali emerged victorious, beating the odds in what would become the most famous boxing match of all time.
Today, the political overtones of the fight hold a far different connotation. It's hard to imagine a time when Ali wasn't a beloved humanitarian, or when Foreman wasn't the guy who sold grills and named all his kids "George." The Rumble in the Jungle remains a fascinating story of African sociopolitical history, popular culture, and the greatest underdog story in sports.
As always, here's to the Greatest! Muhammad Ali continues to inspire Kentuckians in so many ways!
Four Last-Minute Halloween Costumes with a Kentucky Twist
Halloween costumes with a Kentucky flair!
Am I the only one who wishes at the very last minute that she had thought up a creative and fun Halloween costume? If you get the call for a Halloween party this week, you can come up with a unique costume with a Kentucky theme!
Rosie The Riveter
Rosie The Riveter is every girl's go-to last minute Halloween costume. All it takes is a chambray shirt, a bandana, and a badass attitude. Did you know that one of the models for Rosie the Riveter was a Pulaski County native named Rose Will Monroe? Drop that little piece of HerKentucky trivia on your fellow revelers, and suddenly your last minute costume becomes an homage to a Kentucky feminist icon!
All you need is a denim shirt, some dark jeans, and a bandana. I kind of love the Frye boots below...doesn't this costume seem like a great excuse to get them?
Bottle of Bourbon
Want a costume that takes 5 minutes to pull together, yet will make everybody stop and smile? Pull together the brown items in your closet -- sweater, skirt or pants, tights, it really doesn't matter -- and print a color copy (or draw it if you're more artistically inclined than I am...) of your favorite bourbon label. Why not go for the good stuff with a 20 year Pappy Van Winkle label? It'll start conversations all night!
A whiskey-label t-shirt does the trick as well -- I love this one from Pappy & Company!
Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence is Kentucky's favorite It Girl, and her Red Carpet looks can be pretty easily replicated. Trim a blond wig into her signature cropped style and recycle an old maxi dress or bridesmaid dress. Jennifer's iconic solid-color dresses make for an easily-replicated costume. Stick with bold shades like red or white, and clean, strapless lines.
Daisy Buchanan
Every girl has gone to at least one Halloween party in flapper dress, right? I know I have.
True story: I first bought this dress for a college formal and recycled it for many Halloween costumes.
Put a Kentucky twist on your flapper garb by speaking with a voice that's "full of money", dropping references to the Seelbach, and reminding everyone that you grew up in Louisville.
Happy Halloween, y'all!!
The Most Kentucky Jack-o-Lanterns Ever
Download pumpkin-carving stencils with a Kentucky flair!
Remember when you were a kid and carving a pumpkin was, more or less, just about adding some eyes and jagged teeth? Yeah, it seems the game has stepped up a lot since then.
Here in Louisville, there's the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular at Iroquois Park, where 5,000 intricately carved pumpkins line a 1/4 mile walking trail to create a nighttime art installation. Over in Lexington, my alma mater, Transylvania, is hosting its fifth annual PumpkinMania tomorrow night.
Image via Transylvania University
Clearly, an old-school snaggle-toothed pumpkin just doesn't cut it these days. In honor of National Pumpkin Day and the upcoming Halloween holiday, I set out to carve the most Kentucky Jack-o-Lanterns ever. I went with three patterns that symbolized some of my very favorite aspects of my Kentucky life: my team, my city, and my dogs. I started with three pumpkins and a little fuel.
Then, I thought of some of the designs that would work best for my skill level and my love of the Commonwealth. I had a few ideas:
School Spirit
Here in the Bluegrass State, we love our sports teams a lot. Your college (or high school) logo makes a great pumpkin design. I downloaded this Kentucky Wildcats pumpkin template. I also found a WKU Hilltoppers, and it would be easy to create a template from this Louisville Cardinals logo or this UPike Bears logo.
Max investigates the pumpkin-carving process.
Famous Kentuckians
This takes a level of pumpkin-carving skill that I simply can't master, but famous Kentuckians would make for a kick-ass set of Jack-o-Lanterns. Here's an Abe Lincoln pattern. This guy could easily be converted to Colonel Sanders. I even found a Johnny Depp pumpkin on Pinterest and a Loretta Lynn in a country music magazine!
City Specific
Of course, here in Louisville, we have the fleur-de-lis to symbolize our city; this one belonged on my front porch for sure! With a little creativity, you could make a bourbon barrel, a racehorse, a bridge, or a local landmark!
Country Livin'
If you love the Kentucky country life, you could create a barn or a deer, or any other critter you like. If you follow HerKentucky on Instagram, you know that I'm obsessed with my dogs. I downloaded a Labrador Retriever stencil for Max and Sophie; you can find many popular breeds here.
Here's to a Happy Halloween, y'all! Hope you carve the perfect pumpkin for your Kentucky Home!
Pink and White Dresden Plate Quilt
This week's HerKentucky Quilt of the Week is a pink and white Dresden Plate. I love this pattern. My granny made one for me in pink with burgundy accents. I've seen this pattern in so many different color schemes and I always think, "Oh, I love that pattern!" Check out this Christmas Dresden Plate Pattern on Pinterest, and this one! And click here to learn more about the pattern and download a template to make one of your own!
