The Quilt Inn Country Cookbook

Aliske Webb

So, come to the Inn in Winter and bundle up. On cold clear Saturday nights we

brush the snow off the stone patio, set up a telescope, turn off all the lights, and

rediscover the stars, again for the first time! There’s something extraordinary and

magical that happens as everyone snuggles into deck chairs to stargaze. Voices drop

instinctively to hushed whispers. As if we were in a hallowed space, and perhaps we

are. Muffled giggles and guffaws come from under sleeping bags and quilts as people

discover and share their own personal cosmology and humor.

We start by rounding up all the star-pattern quilts in the Inn to keep warm in.

There’s quite a few because they’ve always been one of my favorite traditional quilt

themes. Next, everyone receives a pad of paper, a pocket flashlight and black felt pen.

You can make your own star map if you like. Find and name your own constellations.

Reclaim the night sky. Reclaim your connection to nature. All you have to do is be able

to “see” a picture in the “dots” the stars outline, write it down and know its relative

position to the Pole star. Your constellations will circle around the sky during the night

if you stay up late enough, and around the sky as the seasons change. But you can

always find it.

Last year someone renamed my “Cleopatra’s Bosom” to “Madonna’s Bosom”.

After all, it’s a new generation! Someone else “found” a ‘57 Chevy. A chemist found a

molecular structure in Draco. A gardener thought Sagittarius looked more like a

watering can than a teapot.

A psychiatrist would probably have a field day with this, analyzing all the

subliminal transferences and projections we make when we create our own stars. But

who cares? When we name something we make it ours. The poets tell us, “It’s written

in the stars.” When we write our own stars, do we not write our own destiny as well?

If you want to have your own star naming party, here are some ideas.

Clear the snow away from whatever area you are using. Dig out all the Summer

deck chairs. Line each chair with a sleeping bag or a quilt to keep the cold from

everyone’s back. It’s really important to keep warm. Sitting outside at night in Winter

can be unpleasantly cold and dampen the party spirits unless you prepare well in

advance. Make sure everyone has a warm hat and mitts to wear. Keep feet warm too.

Provide everyone with a pad of paper to draw on, black felt pens and pocket

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Country Cooking