fiddlehead

Cooking Miracles

2010-03-20T15:03:00.000-05:00

All soufflés, really, but especially these, because they're healthy. Healthy! And you thought I only had love for ice cream and cracklings. Recipe from Food & Wine here.

Happy weekends to you all. There is some sewing on the horizon and I am excited!

Menu Planning: Week of March 15

2010-03-15T14:00:00.003-05:00

Last week's cooking adventures were mostly successes, which was kind of surprising. The Creole Meuniere was delicious (of course, it's 95% butter so not a terribly risky choice), and the Martha recipe I printed seven years ago was ugly but great tasting. On the topic of ugly, so are my food photos. Either I only eat ugly food, or maybe I am just too hungry to worry about styling it and shooting it. Who has the time and energy for that after a day with a toddler?

Anyway, on to week two. These are mostly new recipes. . . my epicurious recipe box alone has over 100 untried recipes, not to mention the dozens of dog eared pages in magazines lying around the house, so I am on a mission to knock some off the list. Plus, my parents are coming and they will surely be gracious enough to eat my experiments. Ahem.

Monday: Grilled barbecue chicken, Three Bean Salad, Vegetable Slaw (which never got made last week)
Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Grilled sausages, French Lentil Salad with Caraway & Radish (CI), Les Halles Mushroom Soup
Thursday: Pizza, Roasted Broccoli (CI)
Friday: Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Sage Cornbread Crust, Tangy Broccoli Salad with Buttermilk Dressing (F&W), Art Smith's Goat Cheese Drop Biscuits
Saturday: Turkey Burgers, Grilled Portobello & Red Bell Pepper Salad with Rosemary Dressing
Sunday: Braised Pork Shoulder with Potato/Fennel Puree, Steamed Artichokes, Carrots & Rutabagas with Lemon & Honey

For the Angelina obsessed

2010-03-10T16:51:00.001-06:00

I'd be interested to know which one sprang to mind for you. Three years ago it would have been that too-skinny other half to Brad. Now, in this house at least, it is a dancing mouse.

Anyway, I am working on some art projects for Mia's room, and I'm trying to indulge us both. She looooves Angelina the Ballerina and showing off her "moves." I came across this book at St. Vincent de Paul, and it is amazing. It's seems to be almost designed for those seeking to teach themselves ballet. Now I'm a do-it-yourselfer to the extreme, but spending a few months working up to my very own Grand Rond de Jambe en l'air (terminating with renversé en dehors) is a kind of intimidating. So we're using it for some little girl room art.

So what do you think: a series of framed prints, or one big poster with several moves? Colored background or white with colored drawing? Here are a couple examples:

Hope all is well in your sewing rooms. I am trying to keep mine closed for sake of those drapes. So far, so good.

Menu Planning: Week of March 8

2010-03-08T14:35:00.003-06:00

It's amazing what a little sunshine, fresh asparagus, and fresh berries will do for my cooking mojo. While I love winter vegetables and roasted anything, I'm ready for salads and citrus and the grill! Every year I go through fits and starts with planning menus for the week, and every year I wish I had a record of what I had done previously. So I'm going to post my weekly menu plans here, with the hope that maybe they'll help some of you, and minimally they'll be here next year for me to copy!

Monday: Pecan Crusted Cod with Creole Meunier, Roasted Tomatoes, and Pan-Roasted Asparagus (Cook's Illustrated)
Tuesday: Hamburger Soup (Mom's recipe), Brown Soda Bread
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Chicken Breasts with Onion Jam, Baked Sweet Potatoes, ~~Sweet & Sour Red Cabbage (from this recipe)~~ (too much sweetness and balsamic for one meal), Braised Kale (CI)
Friday: Steaks with Cilantro Garlic Sauce, ~~Braised Kale (CI)~~, Quinoa Salad with Fresh Hearts of Palm , Sweet & Sour Red Cabbage (from this recipe)
Saturday: Beer Brats, Vegetable Slaw, Three-Bean Salad
Sunday: Leftovers

This is a mix of things I've made and things I haven't. The Sweet & Sour Cabbage, Steaks with Cilantro Garlic Sauce, and Quinoa Salad with Hearts of Palm are all great. The recipes I'm really hopeful for are the Vegetable Slaw and Three Bean Salad. . . both twists on traditional favorites. I'm worried about the Chicken Breasts with Onion Jam because I don't always have great luck with Martha Stewart recipes. What are you all cooking this time of year?

** Updates in red (to hopefully reapply next year!)

I have an illness

2010-03-02T15:34:00.001-06:00

I don't-want-to-sew-my-drapes-itis. How sad is that? It's just a lot more gratifying to spend a few hours and have a new dress that will fit for a few months than to spend more hours and have drapes that will last. . . forever. . .hmmm. Maybe a better term would be instant-gratification-itis.

This is my second version of the Oliver + S Popover dress, made from some superbuzzy fabric my sister gave me for my birthday (thanks Nelson!) I always love diagonal prints on the bolt, but then when they arrive I can't handle the assymetry of the look, so I chevroned this one, which was HARD. The print is not exactly at a 45 degree angle, which means I had one panel cut with the grain and 3 cut all wonkified.

But the dress actually hangs pretty well, which really surprised me. I did add a ruffle to the front because the dots were a little dizzying. When you combined the dizzying dots with a frequently twirling girl it was too much. I suppose the twirling means she likes it, though :)

Last "fun" sewing. I swear.

2010-02-26T12:37:00.007-06:00

Well, you must have known I wasn't sewing drapes when I wrote that tutorial for bindings and bias ties. But I did say I had one more fun project cut and here it is. . . the Oliver + S Popover dress. A free pattern, and although I'm also a free-pattern purveyor I'm always a little worried about the whole "you get what you pay for" thing. Nothing to worry about here, though. This is a cute dress.

While this pattern didn't use any of the clever construction techniques I've been loving in the other Oliver + S ones, it did turn out a cute, FAST summer dress. I made it from a thrifted linen dress, which forced me to cut it on the bias but I think this adds something to a pretty basic shape. It was still looking a little plain-jane, so I added a flower near the top, which helps but isn't quite right. Should I change the button to a covered button like this? Add a ribbon? Hmm.

As an aside, one of my frustrations with blogging is that to do it really well, it would have to be more than simply a means to share with friends and family; it would have to be an end in itself. Translation: for a better blog I would have to spend a lot more time taking and editing photos, finding the perfect setting, and probably ultimately dropping some $$$ on a new camera. And that takes time away from actual projects and even Mia, which seems a little. . . disingenuous? As if my blog would be saying, "Look at what our life would be like if I didn't spend so much time creating this image for my blog!" Does anyone hear me?

*Whew* I feel better. And now I can share this terrible flashy photo with you because it's the only one of the bunch that captures her true personality. Happy weekend, everyone.

Sewing a cleaner end on ties and bias bindings

2010-02-26T12:08:00.003-06:00

This may very likely be a "duh" for most of you, but I find most patterns specify a different means to finish the ends of ties and bias bindings, so I thought I'd share the way I do it.

Usually pattern instructions tell you to turn the raw (short) edges of bias trim to the wrong side, then sandwich the whole thing closed, and sew the fat little end down. For me this usually results in something lumpy and uneven, and I risk some messy stitching as the presser foot goes from that big lump to the flatter, main portion of the binding.

This photo summarizes how I do my binding ends. Yes, I need a manicure.

From left to right, starting in the upper left corner:

View of the inside, unfinished end of a bias tie
Fold the tie in half, right sides together so that one side has two folds and the other side has the two raw edges and center fold in the middle (it should look like a "W")
Place the "W" under your presser foot, with the side with the two folds closest to you
Sew a 1/4" seam along the edge. Do not backstitch at the beginning - sew all the way across the tie, then in reverse all the way back. This will keep all your threads on one (the inside) end
Trim threads and clip to both corners. Get close without cutting stitch line
Turn right sides out
Press corner out with scissors or something less likely to poke a hole
Press with iron
Sew tie shut as normal

Doing it this way may take a minute or two more, but will result in a much cleaner, flatter end. Happy Sewing!

Thank you, Alan Flusser

2010-02-24T11:45:00.000-06:00

Men's clothing designer, mentor to Fonzworth Bentley, apparent inventor of the term "waist pageantry", and creator of a great shirt I picked up at Goodwill on 1/2 off day. What would we do without you, Alan? I've spent the last few days turning the shirt into an Oliver + S 2+2 blouse for Mia.

Whenever I see a pattern that calls for a back button placket I immediately think of making it out of a men's dress shirt. Not because I mind creating the placket or spacing and creating the buttonholes, but because I hate sewing on buttons! Isn't that silly? In this case it turned out to be really silly. Any time and angst I saved on the buttons was respent fivefold trying to deal with matching the plaid at the side seams. With the placket in place, there was no obvious place to adjust the layout to allow for matching. So I had to take width out of the center front of the blouse, which required adjusting the gathering and the front placket construction, and blah, blah, blah. Moral of the story: if you're going to go this route don't use a large scale plaid shirt (although my side seams do look fantastic, if I say so myself).

This is Oliver + S pattern #3, and it is beautifully drafted. I think this is the first set-it sleeve I've done that has great-fitting shoulders and sleeves. If any of you have smaller-boned kiddos, I think this is a winner, and the finish details make it look very RTW. There is definitely a v2 in the future.

I have one more "fun" sewing project cut, and then I must do something I'm dreading. I have 55 yards of velvet and lining cut, selvages trimmed, and partially seamed (thanks Mom. . . can you come back?) to make drapes for my family room. I think I'm dreading it because I have no idea how I am going to manage six widths of heavy fabric under my presser foot. But we have both a fishbowl and heat-loss situation with these windows, so it may go eerily quiet here while I work on them. Say a prayer for me.

"Best Bib" bonanza

2010-02-18T15:00:00.002-06:00

This much is certain: I have an entirely new level of respect for etsy shop owners and craft show showers. I've been making bibs for a few days and while I'm really pleased with how they turned out, making ten of the same item just did absolutely nothing for me creatively. I'm a "once I've got it figured out I'm bored so let's move on to the next thing" kind of girl. I'm excited to get on with the gift giving because that will be the best part.

That said, did you all have favorite bibs for your kids when they were babies? I did. I always reached for the same ones first and dreaded the times when only the too-small or too-thin or too-ugly ones were left. That should not be the case for Miss Amanda and Master Beau's mamas. These are made from JCasa's "Best Bib" pattern and they are kind of awesome. I made the boy versions second and lengthened the tie to 40", but other than that I generally follwed the rules.

So Miss Amanda's gift should finally be in the mail today, and Master Beau needs another little something. I was thinking maybe one of these or one of these. Any other recent tutorials you've seen that are just begging to be tried out?

"Ping Cake" (aka King Cake, toddler style)

2010-02-17T05:08:00.003-06:00

We're doing our best to conjure up what we were doing last year at this time, because we're effectively housebound with all the snow right now. (I nearly said, "We miss Louisiana" but didn't want to put that in print.) Anyway, I think the photos pretty much speak for themselves. We had tons of fun making this, and it's so naturally tacky that a two year old couldn't really do much but just add to the effect.

Recipe here, filling recipe here, although I wouldn't necessarily make that filling again. The recipe easily made cake for twenty, so it would be great for your Mardi Gras party!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T19:58:00.000-06:00

Dinner, wine, Olympics, and bib-making in full swing. And a day off for Daddy tomorrow, which is the best present ever.

Baby Lily says. . .

2010-02-13T07:50:00.002-06:00

Make a Market Skirt. And make it easy on yourself by using my mama's spreadsheet to determine all your cut lengths/widths. All you need to know is the desired waist size (Baby Lily's is 12" and length (5", here), and even if you don't know those you can use the estimated sizes I included. Thanks to Dana for the great tutorial!

PS - You will probably notice how uncute Baby Lily's top is. Mia felt Baby Lily would be better off naked on top than to have to suffer the indignity of wearing a skirt over her pajamas. The horror. I suppose I will have to make a teeny tiny little top, now.

A Valentine's Day Confection

2010-02-12T14:07:00.003-06:00

Another version of Dana's Market Skirt, this time made from a men's dress shirt. I have to say that even in a medium-sized city I have better luck finding quality cotton fabrics when I thrift them out of something v. buy them at the store. The main skirt body is from the railroaded front shirt panels, the waistband was cut from a sleeve, and the hem is from three strips cut off the back. I loved this shirt and am glad that the rather confident man who once wore it put it out for his garage sale.

I was really, really tempted to put some sort of Valentines-related embellishment on this, but in reality it's a summer skirt and I don't want her to look past season before she ever really gets to wear it.

Sweets for my sweet! The proportions Dana has laid out in her tutorial are great. I even geeked out and made a spreadsheet to auto-calculate the cut dimensions given a desired length and waist. I should probably not publicly admit that but I know at least one person reading who will appreciate it:)

Far Far Away. . . from being cute

2010-02-12T13:53:00.000-06:00

My heart was in the right place. . . I had stashed some Far Far Away unicorn fabric last year, saving it for a rainy day. And my rainy day came when, after years of waiting, one of my best girlfriends from college finally got her adoption referral. So I broke out this fabric and I have to say the double gauze is kind of heavenly to sew on. But I just cannot make this orange work into something cute for little girls.

Mia is modelling because even though she has almost two years on this baby, she's only got about four pounds on her! So the skirt is short here but will probably be tea length on little Miss Amanda. The top is the Oliver + S Swingset tunic and the skirt is MADE's Market Skirt - pockets + applique. Both patterns turn out cute garments with good proportions, I think.

So the big question - is some part of this salvageable as a gift? As you can see, together they don't work and that applique will be completely covered up (maybe for the better) once this is on a roly poly bundle of joy. What should I pair these orange unicorns with? I'm thinking maybe brown & white ticking stripe or seersucker? Or maybe I just drank the kool-aide on this line of fabrics. Sigh.

8 months?

2010-02-10T12:10:00.001-06:00

I think this is how long it's been since I sewed any non-event children's clothing. That makes me so sad. But my sister got me a superbuzzy gift certificate for my birthday, and I finally cashed it on some Oliver + S patterns and fabric. This was my first attempt at these patterns and I kind of understand the oohing and ahhing, now. For the two of you left out there who have not tried them, there are some clever construction techniques and the end products both fit and look great.

I could not encourage my child to model shorts on a day with 8" of snow outside, which was kind of surprising because she generally likes to be closer to naked than not. But you get the idea. This was just a scrap of leftover denim to test the sizing (after all my Ottobre debacles can you blame me?) but I have some fabulous Japanese linen/cotton that I'm dying to try next. Assuming I can sew another garment before this summer :)

Scrap oilcloth project #1

2010-02-10T11:59:00.004-06:00

Scraps of fabric I have lots of ideas for, but scraps of oilcloth not so much. Today I came up with a quick project for two 4" x 16" pieces, inspired by the adorable aprons my Mom made us for Christmas. Now we look so cute cooking that we look disproportionately uncute when cleaning (which I hate to do anyway). With the gloves below, at least I'll have a little sunshine in the process.

An easy enough project: sew a tube, fold in some eyeballed pleats, french seam them to the glove edge (so the oilcloth doesn't poke your forearms), done! Mia loves them. Now all I need to do is teach her to clean toilets. Any other ideas for oilcloth scraps? I could make 8 more pairs of gloves but that would leave me with zero excuses on the cleaning front and who wants that?

Albino Monkeys

2010-01-29T15:33:00.002-06:00

The latest in sewing with Tyvek - an albino version of mmmcrafts's Molly Monkey. I'm almost a little embarrassed to call her Molly Monkey, because Molly is SO CUTE and this one is so. . . zombie-esque? But It's a great free pattern and I'm definitely planning to make a normal one. Not that albino monkeys aren't normal. You know what I mean.

We had fun coloring this one together. I tattooed one arm and then felt that took the creepy factor over the top so I tried to give her a cross necklace to balance things out. I don't think it helped. But that's the beauty of these things. . . one trip through the washing machine and she'll be back to her uninked self. I did make a few changes v. the Black Apple doll. . . I used black for the topstitching and I think it gives a little needed definition. I also used Tyvek-covered buttons for the eyes which I love.

Have any of you done any fun sewing projects on non-fabric? After the oilcloth and Tyvek I'm kind of in the mood.

Because when it's 18 degrees, you want to make ice cream

2010-01-29T15:11:00.005-06:00

I've always felt a little guilty I left you hanging way back when without a recipe for the chocolate ice cream. Well today my helper and I managed to almost ruin THE page in my recipe book, and I found myself needing to type it up. So voila! Make sure you have a little whipped cream and maybe some toasted almonds on hand when you eat this.

Ultimate Chocolate Ice Cream
adapted from Caroline Liddell & Robin Weir's Frozen Desserts: The Definitive Guide to Making Ice Creams, Ices, Sorbets, Gelati, and Other Frozen Delights

Prep work:

Separate eggs, keeping yolks
Chop chocolate
Make espresso syrup: combine in a saucepan 5 parts sugar with 4 parts espresso (I usually use 2.5 c sugar and 2 c espresso and keep the extra syrup in the fridge for subsequent batches). Heat and stir until sugar is completely dissolved.
Empty your dishwasher or clear out your sink. You’re going to feel like a bomb went off in the kitchen but everything can go in the dishwasher if there’s room!

Make the stuff already

In a medium sized bowl, whisk half the sugar (7 Tbsp or ½ c minus 1 Tbsp) with the cocoa powder. Measure out the milk and whisk in just enough to turn the cocoa/sugar mix into a thin paste. Bring the remaining milk to a boil.
Once boiling, whisk the milk into the bowl with the cocoa/sugar paste, mixing well. Put entire contents of bowl back into saucepan and gently heat to simmering, stirring constantly. The more committed you are to stirring, the more aggressively you can heat the mix. I usually set the burner to just above medium and stir constantly. Simmer for 6 minutes, continuing to stir. Remove pan from heat and stir in chopped chocolate.
In another medium bowl, beat together the egg yolks and remaining sugar (the other 7 Tbsp or ½ c minus 1 Tbsp) until pale. Temper egg yolk mixture with a small amount of the molten chocolate deliciousness, then slowly add the rest, whisking vigorously. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and return to the stove. Heat gently as above, stirring constantly, until the mix reaches 85°C/185°F.
Remove mix from heat, and stir in espresso syrup and vanilla extract. Sit pan in an ice bath until cold. Strain, cover, and chill in fridge until cold.
Once cold, beat in heavy cream and freeze in your ice cream maker according to the instructions.

Important Note: This makes a really rich really dark chocolate ice cream. Let's be frank, it is delicious because there is a lot of dark chocolate and a lot of fat in the recipe. There's a bit of chemistry involved in making ice cream, and altering the ratios of solids/sugar/fat/milk solids can have dramatic effects on the flavor and texture. Low-fat, low-sugar chocolate ice cream "works" at the grocery store because there are tons of chemical helpers. If you try to healthify this recipe it will probably end up closer to a frozen brick of poo than a delicious ice cream, so don't do it. Eat a salad for dinner instead, for pete's sake!

(Also, because it doesn’t have any chemical softeners or gums, you’ll probably need to let it sit in the fridge to soften for 15 minutes before scooping.)

Is two years old too young to put your kid to work?

2010-01-22T16:15:00.006-06:00

We put ours to work on last week's trip to Florida carrying her own stuff through the airport. In retrospect, what was great for our backs and hands was probably not so good for our sanity. Shushing a two year old along an interminable terminal (say that five times fast) is tough enough without a suitcase dragging behind her. But I have to say, she looked awfully cute.

Santa made Made by Rae's toddler backpack and it went off without a hitch. Sewing on the oilcloth was a little tricky, but one stapler and a roll of scotch tape later and we were cooking with gas. Of course, on Christmas morning Mia preferred all things purchased to handmade, but our trip to Florida got her excited about the backpack.

This backpack is the perfect size for her - big enough to hold actual necessities and to grow into, but not quite too big for her little two year old shoulders. I'm dying to make more, but am thinking that this is just my own bag obsession talking.

A couple of shots for the fam: her suitcase in action, too! (This was really the big hit of the day, Mom). And Mia and baby Lily on the plane - one of them sat perfectly still and for the other we were very thankful for the seatbelt:

Baby Ava: "bathed" and ready for round II

2010-01-08T18:56:00.002-06:00

Amazingly clean, given where we left off.

Paper Dolls: The Sewer's (Sewist's?) Version

2010-01-08T17:25:00.007-06:00

This was so much fun. I saw the Miss Doodle Doll at anthropologie and was dying to try coloring one, but not for $50. I've never made a doll before, but thought I could make something similar for less (it turned out to be much less: $1 total). Enter the ubiquitous Black Apple Doll pattern from a few years ago, which was incredibly easy to sew, although sewing it on paper was not so easy (no pins, etc.).

Baby Ava (as Mia christened her) is in the washing machine, but based on a test run I expect her to come out bright white and ready to color again! We had so much fun coloring. . . "I'm giving her shoes! She needs a bracelet! She has polka dots!"

I'm going to make another, maybe more detailed doll as attempt number two. Any suggestions on a pattern? There can't be any terribly small parts to turn because I had to keep my stitch length pretty long and the seams threatened to tear when turning the arms and legs. Does anyone else have experience sewing on Tyvek (outside of backpacking gear)? Advice would be much appreciated!

Christmas Pyramid

2010-01-04T14:30:00.009-06:00

I love Christmas decorations that call back to my heritage, and while I'm mostly Scandinavian we do have some rogue German roots. So in addition to the nisses and yule bucks that liven things up around here, I've always wanted one of the Christmas pyramids Jeannine talked about here. When I saw this one at an antique shop for $17, I bought it.

Unfortunately, in our move it was damaged and some of the blades were actually thrown away. In searching for replacements I found out this is actually a tremendously expensive thing that is still sold. So new blades have been ordered and I went after years of attic and antique shop dust with hundreds of Q-tips.

There are several teeny, tiny little sheep on the second level. I considered leaving them dirty because I could rationalize dirty as authentic, but somehow nativity sheep seemed like they ought to be white white.

The details are amazing, and for all the dirt it's relatively intact.

This was my first attempt at a photo of the holy family. Notice Mary looks like she's just given birth in a barn. Back to my Q-tips.

Better, but not perfect. This actually would have been a great project for recent retirees (*ahem*). I will never understand why people throw things like this away.

Reupholstery

2010-01-04T13:58:00.009-06:00

For the first time in ten years I have a living room, so I went on a mostly-craigslist-and-goodwill decorating mission to find seating. A lot of smoke, thousands of staples, and THREE total sofas later, I have seating. So much for "thrifting."

I don't really expect the general blogging public to care about my sofas, but my sister has been asking so here are the photos. *IMPORTANT NOTE* yes, I know my walls are crimson and my sofa is gray, but this is a left-over paint color and I will be painting. Please don't confuse me with a Buckeye fan.

Couches #1 and 2. I fell in love with an Anthropolgie tufted sofa and these fit the bill. Unfortunately, I am so used to "Goodwill smokey-smell" that I did not notice how horrible these were. Gag.

Couch #1 minus everything that smelled smokey. You'll notice there is nothing left, and we-even stain-blocked the frames before putting them on the moving truck with the rest of our furniture. The smell was gone, though.

Couch #3 craigslist ad. Because of the tufting, the quotes I was getting on the first sofas were over $2500 for just labor. Add that to the fact that I have tons of other traditional furniture in the front of the house, and the disappointing sinuous springs. . . I had to bail and start over. When I went to look at #3 I actually sniffed it all over right in front of the owner. Kind of gross, really, but not a bit of smoke. There was plenty of eye-rolling from darling hubby, but I knew this was it. For real, this time. I promise.

Couch #3, done but in need of throw pillows. I love it! The fabric is Robert Allen Cojedes in Slate, which is the perfect shade of gray.

The wood veneer extends from the sides around to the back. I sent my upholsterer home with photos from NOHO Modern and I think he did a great job. Plus, my total cost was waaaaay less than the NOHO Modern price which is the only reason why I am still allowed to shop on craigslist. On to occasional chairs!

Is it a shame to do a test post

2010-01-04T13:27:00.008-06:00

8 months after starting your blog? I've almost forgotten how. I suppose I can (ashamedly) count myself among resolutionist bloggers, although in the spirit of full disclosure I'm not sure I'll continue. But that's another story.

To catch up the four of you non-family members who might not have decided to delete the feed, we did in fact make our move back home. It continued to be much more chaotic than just sorting out brown touch up paints, but we made it and count the move as a blessing only slightly below faith, family, and health. There has been sewing, cooking, and general homemaking a-plenty, but I don't suppose anyone is still in the halloween spirit. Still, I'll include a few catch-up fall photos before I get on to more recent things:

Raking our deck. Who knew?

Motivation for the deck-raker above.

Can you tell we've recently moved up here from the South? Hat and mittens for raking? Check.

My little leprechaun. I was forced to sew this to pay out a bet, but she was pretty cute.

The bet-winner and his best girl.

The annual Sweet Potatoes 'Anna'. I suppose I ought to call them 'Kristen' as it's my own recipe.

Assembled. Every year I vow to count the slices and every year I forget.

The *&%^!@)*&*-ing butterflied turkey. I have the smallest oven on this side of the Pacific, and the only way to get a bird in there (a 14 pounder!) was to butterfly it. The photo is from the test run. . . the real turkey had grill marks from the oven rack above, because no matter how I beat it or hacked at the bone structure it would. not. flatten. Delicious, though.

Well, flickr is not cooperating so I'm publishing before I find myself behind another five month hiatus. More to come. Thanks to all you non-lazy bloggers who kept me inspired and motivated these past months!

Chaos

2009-08-01T20:48:00.012-05:00

Can you guess what we've been doing? It's involved the following:

Any guesses? That's right! We're MOVING! Two weeks ago we found out that somehow by the end of September we'll have moved back home. It's been a mad rush to get the house on the market, which is what the photos reference: 1) the varied and glorious (ha) shades of builder brown paint we needed for touchups; 2) one of the many, many wasps' nests we've taken down. We try to keep up with them, but there were several in crazy places that we were finally forced to get to. Only in Louisiana. Well, and probably other places in the South but definitely not what I'm used to. Sometimes I actually long for the days of the cicada.

Now I have tons and tons of home decorating type things to talk about, which of course are probably completely uninteresting to all you free-toddler-sewing-pattern lovers. But I just can't afford to do anything that's not directly related to getting this house sold. We already know we're going to be mortgaged to the hilt for a while, so it's going to be all home-staging, all the time for the next few weeks. Hang in there with me people.

Did I mention I get to go home soon? You ought to be able to feel me smiling right through your monitors. I'm beyond glowing.

Oh wait, I have a blog?

2009-08-01T19:53:00.009-05:00

That's right. That blog thing. Hmmm.

Things have been NUTS around here since Mia's Birthday, which I'll get to in another post. I do want to add a few more details from her party before I get swept away in chaos again. (Will blogger even permit me to post about something that happened more than two weeks ago? It may as well have happened two years ago!)

We had a birthday of Favorite Things. Nothing so classic as whiskers on kittens or cream colored ponies, but I tried to include some of a two-year-old's favorites in each element of our party:

Sauce: Not a particular one, but sauce in general. . . Mia loves it, although she has yet to grasp the notion that sauces are a compliment to another food. Typically she dips something in sauce, sucks the sauce off, dips again, and repeats. So I made the sauciest main course I could think of: ribs. The American Idyll menu in the July Gourmet reminded me of home and included a ribs recipe, so I made several dishes from this. Beautiful food, but the only recipe I'll make (and have made) again was this one. Note that to date I have posted about peeps, chocolate ice cream, cracklings, ribs, and am about to post about peanut butter, but the preceding recipe is actually both delicious and very healthy.
Peanut Butter: We had a small family party, so we took advantage of the opportunity to have peanut butter, because lord knows she won't be taking anything in this realm to school someday. I made the Cook's Illustrated Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Easy Peanut Butter Buttercream, and my heart is pounding at the memory of them. . . completely wonderful. CI recipes are usually subscriber only, but this one has been reprinted here.
Ducks: Mia is hugely into ducks, primarily because there are swarms of them in our bayou. I made her dress from some Lizzie House duck fabric I've been saving for a long time. I also thought I'd try a new pattern and, as is often the case, this was not a good time to try something new. I had heard it ran big, so I made something just larger than the 12 mos size, and it still seemed huge. If I do this again (use an untested pattern/size for an "occasion" dress), please scorn me publicly. I do think we'll have something darling that will fit on her third birthday, should she still be into ducks.

Those were the big favorites for this past year. Of course, we also had favorites for decorations (lots and lots of balloons), favors (homemade suckers), and gifts (too many to mention), but I don't think these are particularly unique so I won't extend the verbosity. I will, however, add one more gratuitous cuteness photo:

It's everywhere!

2009-07-14T20:52:00.004-05:00

The number 2, that is. It was a big day in this household, and if I wasn't so exhausted from party prep I'd probably be well past sappy and into teary. Happy Birthday to my little girl. I love you more than you'll ever know.

(more party details to come, but sleep is going to win out over blogging. Fancy that.)

Proud mama

2009-07-08T13:17:00.005-05:00

That pretty much sums up how I feel when you email me with cute things you've made from one of my patterns! Erica was kind enough to send photos of her cutiepie Lauren modeling a 4T version of the Beach Party top. Her kid is so dang adorable you probably wouldn't even normally notice the top, but check it out! Yea!

I'm projectless this week at the beach, but another little dress is brewing in my mind. Something flouncy and flirty, I think :) Next week, perhaps.

Blessed

2009-07-08T06:10:00.004-05:00

Is how I feel this vacation week. I've crept out of bed and I am the only one awake to see this

and to work on this

before spending the rest of the day something like this:

Blessings to you all, too.

It took one of these

2009-07-01T13:51:00.005-05:00

and some of this

and finally just some brute force "make them fit" work to get the Beach Party pattern graded. I could not for the life of me make it all work mathematically and it drove me bananas to the point of waking up at night. I take this as a good sign, that if these are the troubles waking me up, my life is pretty darn good. And in case it is not obvious, I am kind of a geeky math type person.

Anyway, the pattern is hosted here and in the DRAFT Patterns link to the right. I've made a few of the other sizes and the pattern hangs together, but until a bazillion of you have made them for your kiddos and tell me it's working well, I won't consider it final.

*Whew* cross that one off the pre-vacation list. Next up: mowing the lawn. In the heat. Pray for me.

When it's still 100 degrees at 6:00pm

2009-06-25T20:57:00.006-05:00

What should you do? Go to a park and climb up and down stairs for 30 minutes, of course! At least, that's what my kid wanted to do. She chanted "BIG GURL SIDE! (slide) MIA, BIG GURL SIDE!" as we passed the park. How could I say no to that? The heat didn't seem to phase her in the least. Don't you wish you had the stamina of a toddler? Sometimes I wonder if it's not stamina so much as ignorance . . . they don't know it's hot hot. I, however, know I'm supposed to be suffering, therefore I do.

Can you imagine wearing a diaper while playing in 100 degree heat? Ugh. Those shorts (which are from the same pattern as the Girly Skort) have about a 1 inch inseam, but the crotch depth has to be pretty ridiculous to accomodate the Dora pullups. They're plenty full, though, and I put in "no-buttonhole" buttonhole elastic, so I'm hoping she can still wear them next year when we will be out of diapers.

When all that playing was through, I realized she finally knew something I've been working with her on for months. She knows she's supposed to say "cheese" for the camera. *Melt*.

ISO: Photoshop skills

2009-06-24T12:17:00.006-05:00

I need them, madly. I've been trying my hand at grading these patterns and the fact that I have super-beginner Photoshop skills is killing me. For all you gurus, a) I hate (read: am really envious of) you; and b) you would be roflol'ing all night to hear me. . . "Oh! I can put my layers in folders! Excellent!" "Oh, I can preview the curve before drawing it! Wow!"

That said, I'm finally at a pretty good place with the Gymboree-Style top. I've drafted sizes 12m - 6, and put them in a new section of the sidebar. I wanted "DRAFT" to actually be "DRAFT," but I couldn't figure out how to do that in the sidebar. (See paragraph above for the general state of my computer skills.)

Anway, enough caveating. I hope someone is brave enough to try and will please give me some feedback. I got a lovely photo via email last night of a beautiful Far Far Away version of the Beach Party top, and it made my night! What a brave soul to try this unheard-of lady's pattern on such pretty fabric, but it was darling (*whew*).

Happy Sewing!

Why should a girl lose her twirl?

2009-06-22T12:56:00.005-05:00

Just because she wants to be a little more practical for play?

I've been thinking about shorts and skirts and summer bottoms in general. It's so tempting to put her in skirts, because, well, little girls are so darling in them. But this is one busy girl, so shorts are way more fun. For some reason, though, I just don't really care for any of the shorts patterns in my stash. And bloomers? I loathe sewing bloomers. It takes me longer to sew bloomers than to sew whatever I'm covering them up with!

Enter, the girly skort:

I really think that if "skort" weren't such an ugly word, they'd be way more popular. And this one, if I can say so, is so much cuter than what you usually find in the store and in patterns. It's not a pair of boys' shorts with a little wrap skirt on top. It's fluttery and floaty and girly. Saying there's a twirl factor might be overstating things a bit, but there's definitely a swoosh factor.

We did a test run on the slide and it did its job perfectly. I'm dying to make another one - maybe a cotton/linen blend? Maybe a chambray? Hmmmm. Time for a trip to ~~the store~~ the closet, where I will pull something out of my stash.

A couple more gratuitous cuteness photos for you all. Happy Monday!

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-22T12:43:00.003-05:00

A day late, but we ought to celebrate more than just one day, anyway! I went digging through my old photos for some of my Dad. Well, for one photo in particular, in which my sister and I are wearing my Dad's shoes, wishing with all our little girl might that we could be just like Daddy. I couldn't find it, but I did find this other photo with awesome footwear:

A collective "awww" is completely warranted, I think.

For my own little family, mr. fiddlehead received a surprise early present - a sprained ankle - on Saturday night, so things were a little low key. I did try to soothe things over with a favorite for brunch:

Our version of eggs benedict (with lots of cheese. anything for mr. f has lots of cheese), with a new recipe for the hollandaise. I was a little concerned about the lemon, but he actually a) noticed, and b) liked the brightness of it with the otherwise heavy breakfast. I think the next time I try it will be with asparagus, which should be wonderful.

And here's a shot from better, non-sprained days. She's crazy about her daddy, that's for sure. She'll be trying to wear his shoes in no time.

Finally! Let the beach parties begin!

2009-06-18T14:00:00.012-05:00

Note: The original beach party dress & top pattern was written for 24m only, but a draft version of a multisize pattern is here. The initial feedback I've gotten is that it may run a little small, so be sure to check the dimensions before cutting!

Whew. I drew these pattern pieces in photoshop what feels like an eternity ago, but it's taken me weeks to get the whole pattern together. I present (da-da-da-DA!) the Beach Party Top & Dress pattern. Now YOUR little one, too, can stay cool all summer. We're in Louisiana so I know something about staying cool.

I've called this pattern a draft because I like to print the whole thing out and sew it up once more before it's done done, and I haven't done that. But if you want to try making it I'd *love* any questions, feedback, etc! Happy Sewing :)

Much Better!

2009-06-17T09:53:00.006-05:00

Remember this, my first crack at copying those cute little Gymboree swing tops?

Well that bunched-up casing was just bugging the living daylights out of me every time I saw it. Wearable? Yes. Wearable without making mama crazy? Nope. Why can I not let things like this go? She's not even 2!

When I first set out to copy the Gymboree version I had been totally unsuccessful in finding delicate enough laces in the store. I found this beautiful ombre lace handerkerchief at an antique shop and I knew just what to do with it. Now I had the perfect reason to rip off and fix that casing while adding a cute little detail.

OK, now on to fix that second version, too. I give up. . . I'm anal about these things.

Garage Sale Bargains

2009-06-14T15:35:00.006-05:00

Two of them, to be exact. Meet ugly chairs numbers one and two. More specifically, meet ugly upholstery:

I found these chairs at a little country garage sale this weekend. Think of a gravel driveway and goats next door and you'll be in the right arena. The upholstery is in awful condition, but I loved that a chair with both an upholstered seat and back could look so modern and airy, and I'm always looking for things to balance all the heavy pieces we've inherited. I sat down and knew that with some new foam these chairs would also be really comfortable, so I asked the price and was told they were $3 for the pair. Wow.

I pulled them out of my car and noticed the label:

So of course I came in and googled and what do I see near the top of the results list?
". . . Milo Baughman for Thayer Coggin. . . ."
Huh.
No way.

Seriously?

Score! Now, one of mine is damaged, and I'd love to keep them (imagine a pretty, warm-colored bouclé with those legs), but man, I could use a few thousand extra shekels.

4th of July - Party Preview

2009-06-12T13:39:00.004-05:00

I must be excited for vacation, because when have I ever sewn anything this far in advance? We have so many July birthdays that the 4th becomes a huge party at the beach. I can't wait to see this dress all sandy, sea-salty, and rumpled on the floor after a day of playing.

Delayed Gratification

2009-06-10T12:54:00.008-05:00

Don't you love it when you wait to use something you love, finally get around to it, and then it exceeds your expectations? That's how I feel about this fabric. I got it from Leslie's shop closing sale, and slowly, over the weeks, have grown more and more fond of it peeking out from my stacks of fabric.

I finally took the plunge and made another one of these tops. Hopefully I'll post a pattern soon because this one might be my favorite. This fabric sewed up beautifully, and I'm scratching my head to figure out what I can do with the last little smidgen. Maybe a pretty bow for her someday-maybe-hopefully-soon-long-enough-for-braids hair?

Does it get much cuter than this?

2009-06-09T09:26:00.000-05:00

ISO: One reaaaalllly lanky toddler

2009-06-08T19:06:00.004-05:00

To fit into this modish dress. I bought my first e-pattern off etsy and I have to say I'm pretty disappointed. The instructions were good, but the fit is way off. Mia is a tiny thing and somehow the chest on this dress is so snug that we nearly have to dislocate a shoulder to remove it. I'm still looking for the place where it indicated I needed to add seam allowances, but so far I'm not seeing it! Good thing I used a pillowcase and not a fabric I care about, although I did have the perfect button :(

As an aside, I notice I have a lot of posts categorized "sewing" and "oops." You'd think I'd be better at this by now.

The end is near

2009-06-06T23:34:00.006-05:00

Crawfish season is drawing to a close. 2 years ago I would not have been sad about this, but now I think I will miss the little buggers. I certainly will miss crawfish boils and the messy camaraderie that comes along with them. Tonight we tried to get Mia to partake since it will likely be her last shot until she finds herself back in Louisiana someday. I was hopeful she'd roll with it, because bugs and critters are probably the only area in which she is not a total girly girl, but they were too messy for her.

I'll also miss our favorite local crawfish place, which closes with the season, even though it sells all sorts of other Cajun deliciousness. I have to say my favorites are the cracklings. My arteries actually groan at the words, but they really are wonderful and there is absolutely no way to describe them that won't sound gross to the non-initiated. Here's what wikipedia says:

A cracklin is a fried piece of pork fat with a small amount of attached skin. Cracklins are generally considered to be part of Cajun cuisine, but can also be found in Soul food. Cracklins are not frequently served as part of a regular meal. . . . Rather, they are a snack item which would typically be served at times other than regular mealtimes, and are regarded as more of a delicacy or treat.

Cracklins are naturally very high in fat and cholesterol, which is to be expected considering what they are composed of and the fact that they are generally prepared by being deep- or skillet-fried in lard. Cracklins prepared by persons who conduct the home butchering of hogs, which is still occasionally conducted in the rural South although with decreasing frequency, have a decidedly different taste from those which are distributed nationally or internationally.

Pork fat deep fried in lard! Can you imagine?! Who comes up with these things? There were also some wonderfully descriptive comments about them being greasy and occasionally still having the hair attached, but I didn't really think they would help my pro-crackling cause. I went in search of photo evidence, and this came up:

Since the Internet is not backing me up, I guess you'll just have to take my word for it. All that said, I will still miss them. Maybe there's a new haunt we aren't aware of that will stay open past June.

To say it was fun. . .

2009-06-02T23:54:00.003-05:00

would be the understatement of the year. We had a blast that can be summed up neither in words nor pictures. Many thanks to Grandma & Grandpa for being so full of love and energy. So much for slowing down in their (almost) retirement.

I'm forcing myself to seriously edit on the photos, so these are my four favorites. Miss y'all already.

Remeber that rookie blogger mistake?

2009-05-30T13:00:00.003-05:00

I was so disappointed because I loved the project, but now I can finally show you! They turned out cute, didn't they? Happy Mother's Day again, Mom.

Memorial Day

2009-05-27T23:10:00.005-05:00

Otherwise known as: I want to post this before it's June, but have no time for commentary. We had a great time in San Antonio! Memorial Day last year involved sweating our way around New Orleans all day with a compliant, happy camper in the stroller. Today the notion of keeping Mia in the stroller for more than 45 minutes makes us all laugh. A great time in a different, more active, and still sweaty way. When will we learn and head North for this holiday?

We stayed here, and would absolutely recommend it to anyone visiting the city. . . I mean, you really can't go wrong with a free happy hour. It's a renovated bank building and the lobby is gorgeous. And when I hit the elevators, it even smelled like a bank. You know what I mean, Dad?

I thought these engravings were particularly appropriate these days. Thrift before it was trendy!

On to the part Grandma cares about:

I have to comment about the above. I have neither Madonna arms nor Incredible Hulk traps. She was just. . . done, and you can see how well forcing a photo op went.

Garage sale deals: vintage scarf redo

2009-05-26T12:55:00.005-05:00

One constant at the garage sales down here is vintage scarfs. Everywhere. I have bought several beautiful ones, but unfortunately, most of my great deals are now in unused piles in my guest bedroom. So the cause du jour is reducing my stash of "bargains."

This top started life as a cotton voile scarf, sold with two others for $1.00. It begged to be a top for the Louisiana "hot hot," as I call it, both because it was so lightweight but also because it's the only garment I could pull out of a 26" square. Mia loves it and figured out how to untie it in ten seconds. This was another attempt at my own patterns and I'm definitely getting better. . . I love this, which is good news because I have two more scarves left.

An exciting first

2009-05-19T13:23:00.005-05:00

Her first real ponytail, which lasted about 40 minutes. That doesn't sound like long but I was totally amazed. My heart just aches when things like this happen. How can I slow her down?

These photos were supposed to be of the new top, but she's just so much cuter.

Version 2 of the Gymboree-Style Top

2009-05-18T12:43:00.007-05:00

Here's my second attempt at a Gymboree-Style top. I love the ruffle along the neckline, particularly since that's one of the entire reasons for putting together the top this way. However, I made it 2.5x fullness, which gave me a nice, thick seam allowance and, you guessed it, more stiffness along the neckline. This was kind of a bonehead mistake, so of course I blame it on trying to sew while Mia was awake. It turned out better than last night's dinner, though (also done with a lot of "helping.")

I posted the patterns ~~pieces~~ for this top and the "Bayou Summer Jumper" to the right. ~~Eventually I'll add the assembly instructions, but if you're surfing sewing blogs you can probably figure it out without my help!~~ note: Full patterns are up! They're not perfect but I'm proud of them as first attempts. Use them for whatever you like, but please link me since, as of now, I think about 4 people read this blog. Next up: step by step photos, but that will have to wait a bit because I'm dying to make, well, anything else.

I need to get a better shot of the hem, which is done with a contrasting wide bias tape. It's really pretty next to the blue, and since we're currently given to lifting up our top to show off our belly button to strangers, the prettiness will probably show!

Instead of a drawstring through the casing, I create a loop by binding the straps and elastic together. This gives you a flexible fit but eliminates fiddling with the gathers or your toddler untying the straps. Which, you know, never happens.

A closeup of the binding. I butt the ends of the strap and elastic together on top of a piece of bias tape (not required but it makes my feed dogs a lot happier). I trim off the excess & threads later.

Action!

2009-05-15T20:25:00.004-05:00

We took our new top on a test run to the zoo. Of course, it was all about anything that quacked for her:

Did you know black swans quack? Mia says they do!

The top was pretty cute. The casing is too narrow, causing some stiffness/lumpiness, but that's an easy fix. This practice run counts as wearable in my book.

Joy upon learning there were baby monkeys. Of course, they weren't monkeys but some fancy and exotic sounding sort of primate that I don't remember. I'm sure, given time, she'll remind me of the proper name.

Too busy to wait for Mom!

Pattern "drafting", attempt #2

2009-05-15T13:42:00.009-05:00

OK, so pattern copying would be more appropriate. I've taken a shot at copying-without-destroying-the-original again. This was a much simpler target:

I think I have several patterns which are already pretty close to this shirt, and likely could have used any of them. But the shirt had a few details I really liked: the elastic in the casing allows for a flexible fit while also stabilizing the gathers, so no more fiddling with pillowcase dress-style straps. Also, the casing is a separate piece, so a cute lace or piping can easily be inserted along the neckline.

Small details, but then I remember the crazy-popular Oliver + S Lazy Days Skirt pattern. That ribbon hem makes all the difference between an adorable skirt and a beginner 4-H project.

Here's the outcome of my first attempt. I need to change a few small things, but overall I'm happy and a lot better at drafting armholes.

It's nap time, so I'll have to get a modelled shot later, but I'll leave you with one from the first project I sewed with this fabric. Boy, they change fast, don't they? Can't say I miss the drool.

Inspiration of a different kind

2009-05-14T11:19:00.014-05:00

My favorite Bach piece, transcribed for piano. I love the purity of the original, but this is something different entirely, wonderful in its own way. I need a soundproof room or a toddler who can sleep or sit through this while I play (i.e. practice a LOT).

There is a legend associated with this piece - that Bach wrote it upon the death of his beloved and in it captured his grief, if not a statement on life in general. It's probably untrue, but even an image so romantic and dramatic is entirely insufficient to describe the range of emotions captured in this one section, of one piece, for one instrument.

Part 2 below. Part 1 here: Hélène Grimaud, Busoni transcription of Bach's Chaconne from the D Minor Partita.

Totally inspired and defeated at once

2009-05-13T10:17:00.003-05:00

That's how I feel about my own sewing after seeing Katie's adorable summer wardrobe she's putting together for her girls. And my clingy toddler excuse doesn't hold because she has THREE children. As Mia would say, "oh maaaaaaaaahn."

Make sure you check out the rest of her work - it's adorable and inspiring!

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-11T12:26:00.006-05:00

A day late, but I'm all for extending these celebrations. Mr. fiddlehead gave me a GREAT gift that he's been hiding since January, and we were blessed with beautiful (hot) weather.

Here are some photos of Miss M. in action in her new jumper. The flowers in our yard right now are out of control. I thought I'd try to bring some of the gorgeous display here.

The magnolia blossoms are as big as Mia's head, which is big. She didn't quite know what to do with them.

I clipped a cluster of 5 roses, and then noticed three more buds hiding behind the blooms. Many, many thanks to Mom for finding these for us.

My little sweet pea. The flowers pale, don't they?

'Twas not meant to be

2009-05-11T12:12:00.006-05:00

I'm sad to announce the addition of one green jumper to the "only wear when desperate for clean clothes" pile. The fit was actually pretty good, but between the drafting mistakes and a few construction "learnings," I just wasn't happy with it. And then there was this:

See the difference in color on either side of the seam? (OK, subtle, but STILL!) Well, when you hear warnings about using different cuts of the same fabric due to possible changes in the dyelot, take heed. This was the last straw. It just mocked me every time she turned around.

So I made a new version, incorporating all that, and I LOVE IT. The pintucks, the contrast binding, the seersucker. It's all gorgeous, summery, adorable, and a pretty great copy of the original, if I do say so. It's also more "baby" than "little girl," which is probably my wishful thinking that I could keep her forever at this age. Mom and Dad are superheroes, everything is a new source of joy and learning, and she doesn't know enough words and phrases to talk back :)

Photos of her in action in it to come. I hope you all had wonderful Mother's Days!

Hello, my name is Kristen, and I am an over-pinner

2009-05-07T13:25:00.005-05:00

I'm trying something new, sewing-wise. Mia has a jumper that I love, but I bought it secondhand and therefore probably won't find another. With our daily highs already near 90 degrees F, though, we need as many staying cool outfits as we can get. So I'm trying to make a pattern without destroying the original. It's involved lots of Glad Press 'n Seal and many, many mistakes.

No, I haven't marked up the outfit with a Sharpie. That's the Press 'n Seal in action.

Notice that I'm cutting bias strips from something that looks suspiciously like a front bodice piece. Oops #2, I think.

So far I'm pretty happy, save the enormous tuck in the crotch, which resulted from adding the pintuck fullness to the CF *after* drafting the curve. Le sigh. I'm hoping it won't give the whole thing a humpty-dumpty effect when she tries it on. This is cheap fabric with a heavier hand than the original, so if I'm happy enough with the end result, I'll buy something lighter and of better quality for a second run.

Of course I have about 30 minutes of work left (I've made a little more progress since the above) but no more time today. Hopefully tomorrow.

A Mother's Day Hint

2009-05-06T14:14:00.003-05:00

Not because I'm coy, but because I am a rookie blogger and forgot to take photos of the finished project.

Oh, and Mom? Consider yourself officially and publicly warned that the gift, while creatively wrapped, will be revealed if you open the Priority Mail envelope. Assuming it doesn't get Louisiana'ed and arrives by the weekend. No opening until Sunday!

They finally have a proper home!

2009-05-06T14:00:00.003-05:00

I was a little stuck with these birdies. They are so pretty, and my bathroom was so blaaaah. Tall ceilings + small rooms + brown paint (which I love and loathe at once. Loave, perhaps.) = a bit of a cave, and what kind of joyful, pretty bird wants to live in a cave? And for that matter, what kind of toddler wants to take a bath in a cave?

Then I saw Darby's awesome orange bathroom makeover, and realized I had that same line of fabrics in my stash, from the same sale at Hancock's. So I made a new shower curtain, and voila! A bit lipstick-on-a-pig, but it's so much better. A new, (straightened) hand towel and we should be good to go, at least until we move out of the cave.

Thankful

2009-05-06T12:40:00.019-05:00

I did something today that gave me hope for eventually becoming a Southerner. Actually, who am I kidding. . . perhaps it's just hope for being able to pretend to be a Southerner, as I think there might be some different DNA involved. Anyway, I found myself in line at the KFC drive through. At 10:04 am.

KFC is big time down here. And I don't say that as some sort of flip stereotype. I say that as someone who has been stuck more than a few times on North Blvd waiting for the line from the drive through to clear. And it's not because this is the only location in town, not even close.

Anyway, I found myself there because of their free Kentucky Grilled Chicken promotion. Even before my order was taken, I was a little cranky. Why were there four cars already in line? Why did the car two in front drive off without anything? Was the promotion sold out already? Even if it wasn't, would I end up with two tiny Cratchit Christmas drumsticks? Would it be good? Fresh? Or trucked in in the massive quantities that would surely be required, grilled three weeks ago, shot with Liquid Smoke to summon the Kentucky barbecue and MSG to preserve the artificial flavors?

After my order was taken, it got even worse. The former-life me took over, pondering the promotion planning and market research. How good could it possibly be if it was free? Surely it would be *just* good enough, the portions *just* large enough, to satisfy the average KFC customer. Or the average not-normally-a-KFC-but-not-necessarily-opposed customer. Something sufficient to generate enough future business to recoup their costs, but barely above the line. Surely not something appetizing. What did it say about me to be taking part in such a thing? What kind of consumer was I? What kind of person was I?

At this point, I almost drove off like the lady two in front of me. I mean, who wants free food, anyway?

Then I realized that I've become an ungrateful, marginally paranoid old lady. No matter the quality, the consumer research & psyche-manipulation involved, I'm happy to have a free lunch, especially today. The man who handed me my lunch-at-breakfast-time said, "Thank you, ma'am. Have a great day!" and smiled. And Mia got a spork, which is a great little tool for toddlers. I love great food but I'm not a picky eater, and above all I'm thankful.

Disastrous parenting move

2009-04-27T21:16:00.007-05:00

Please remind me, when she paints my walls with eyeshadow and lipstick, that I allowed this. As a way to buy mama time to get ready, we always pretend to put makeup on, but this time I left her to her own devices to see what would happen:

I find a couple of things interesting, here. One is that (obviously) everything became lipgloss. I'm wondering if this is due to my chapstick problem, or because she's smart enough to realize her lack of coordination and probable eye-pokage if she tried to put the shadow where it belongs.

More glaring is just how ugly and garish this looks against her delicate baby skin. It makes me wonder if it can possibly help me all that much! It also highlights that somewhere along the line, I have grown ~~old~~ up. I always wondered why my own mom would talk about how beautiful and soft my skin was, and now I know.

PS - This last one is after the first of four cleanups. Don't you all get strong Nelson vibes? All she needs are the pigtails.

Please rescue me. . .

2009-04-21T10:37:00.014-05:00

from the chocolate ice cream I made yesterday. We had some after we had dessert last night, although I won't take full ~~credit~~ blame as it was at the request of our guests. And now I've eaten it for breakfast, which just cannot become a new thing. Shorts season (it's simply too hot here to avoid them) is upon us and I've started in on ice cream for breakfast. What is wrong with me?

The recipe is from Caroline Liddell and Robin Weir's Frozen Desserts, which is an amazing book. There are plenty of delicious, non-traditional flavors just begging to be made, but the Ultimate Choclate Ice Cream recipe on page 72 is just that. Ultimate. I do make a couple of changes: I use a 2:1 ratio of bittersweet to semisweet chocolate, and I use an espresso syrup (5 parts sugar to 4 parts espresso) instead of plain sugar syrup. The espresso just rounds out the flavor and deepens the color to a dark chocolate lover's dream. Just looking at this ice cream you'll know there's nothing cloying or Hershey's about it.

I would post a photo but I am afraid to open the container again. Here is the cover of the book, which you should buy immediately if you enjoy making ice cream:

If you have never made ice cream, you should buy both the book and an ice cream maker immediately. . . it is that delicious. Next up? Chinese Walnut Brittle Ice Cream, p155.

Humility

2009-04-18T11:36:00.007-05:00

My mother taught me how to sew when I was pretty small. She made clothes for my dolls, which to me was grounds for hero worship, so I couldn't wait to learn.

So I have to confess, I've felt a little puffed up when seeing some of the sewing that gets posted online. . . unfinished, wonky seams. . . you know. Stuff that to me seems so basic, so "I learned that 20 years ago."

Which brings me to this week. I've been having some problems with the tension on my 10 year old machine, so I got out the manual to see if I could figure it out, and I did. Yeah, I've been threading my machine incorrectly. Oops. Probably should have been something "so ten years ago."

Crib Bedding, Take Two

2009-04-18T09:41:00.010-05:00

Having our first child on moving day impacted a lot of important things for us, but also little things, like Mia's crib bedding. I found myself trying to finish it in a new-mother-to-a-preemie stupor, and it didn't turn out well. I was so afraid to suffocate my tiny darling with the bumpers that I made them very thin. What I found, however, was that very thin = very sad and droopy looking.

When her teeth came in, Mia took out her own frustrations over the droopy, sad bedding on the crib rail.

So last week I finally got on the ball and made my third attempt at fixing the bumpers, this time using 1" Nu Foam and tufting it. Nu Foam says it will hold its shape without quilting, but the first wash resulted in the inserts twisting themselves into a big mess, so I would highly recommend at least tacking it down! Here is the fluffy, tufty, result! I love them.

My favorite part of the project, however, is the crib rail cover I made. I have loved these quilts for a long time, and decided I would take a deep breath and quilt a rail cover without drawing the quilting pattern. Gulp. This was tough on the engineer in me, but it is without a doubt my favorite quilted thing I have ever made. A patchwork of nursery fabrics (shown above) on one side, white on the other to "disappear," if I want. Yea for the blog-spiration!

Peeps

2009-04-13T13:13:00.008-05:00

I am not a peeps fan. I know I'm in the minority, but I can't get past the raging, neon FD&C Yellow #5. And when I do, I get to a dry, stale-even-when-fresh, too-sweet "marshmallow." It's hard to imagine that the Peeps-makers found a way to make theirs even sweeter, since marshmallows are just sugar cooked with a different kind of sugar, but they did.

When this month's Gourmet came out, I saw a recipe for Lillet marshmallows. Now THAT sounded interesting. Not only would I make my own marshmallows, but they would be fancy-pants, French aperitif marshmallows. Then I saw Twig & Thistle 's beautiful Peeps, so I set out to make my own, thinking maybe this would make me a believer.

The good news? I now, after 3 very sticky tries, can make respectable marshmallows. The bad news? Well, my attempt at an alcoholic version was the stickiest, goopiest, non-fluffiest concoction you can imagine. The "ffffwhunk" it made when the whole batch hit the garbage bin is probably the best descriptor. On my last batch, when I finally produced something with the right texture, it required so much food coloring just to get a pastel yellow I swear I could taste that FD&C #5.

And oh yeah, I still don't like Peeps, even the homemade version. But it was a fun cooking adventure, and isn't that the point?

Happy Easter!

2009-04-13T13:09:00.004-05:00

The gifts and dress and candy and egg hunting were all fantastic, but I find myself feeling very blessed for simpler things. I hope Easter brought you all the same.

Easter Muumuu

2009-04-09T13:36:00.011-05:00

At least, it looks like a muumuu to me. Not sure why I don't trust my tape measure and Ottobre's size chart.

I've been buying linen things secondhand and found a beautiful embroidered linen skirt that begged to be an Easter Dress. I'd made the "Baby Deer" pinafore before, but not since she's been walking and I really ought to have made a muslin at this size.

Once I stop staring at the "I-took-the-photo-before-washing-and-ironing" wrinkles, I realize I love the fabric and the general feel of the dress. I love the piping (I made & used a micro cord v. the faux piping the pattern calls for). But it's too short to be a dress, and wide enough for two Mias. Le sigh. I'm hoping some Ottobre "Candy" pants will do the trick.

Something for my big little girl

2009-04-09T13:22:00.009-05:00

She'll be doing her first Easter egg hunt this year. Well, I think she will. We've been practicing putting the eggs in the basket this week, so hopefully when she sees them hidden in the yard she'll know what to do. If she doesn't get them, our favorite fur baby surely will.

I made her a basket this year and it was a bit of a making-it-up-as-you-go adventure. The felt used as accents for the cousins' Easter goodies came from a very, very large sweater I bought for Mia's basket. This was my first go with Peltex, and it was easier than I thought it would be. If I could do it a third time (and I could, because really the sweater was huge) I'd hand stitch the handle, but I'm not really craving any more felty-Peltexy stuff under the needle. I think I'll just cover up the offending spot with some flower embellishments. Or I'll come to my senses and realize my toddler isn't going to care (yeah, right).

A few Easter goodies, one lacking an "Emmmmmm"

2009-04-09T12:59:00.011-05:00

Just when Mia thought she had the laundry figured out, I've totally confused her. I've been washing her bath towels over, and over, and over again to help felt some sweaters I picked up at Goodwill. (I read somewhere that you should toss a few heavy things in with the sweater pieces. . .true?) I haven't figured out exactly what I'm doing, so let's just say that the storage room being full of detergent is a good thing.

The felting shenanigans started when I found Betz White's Girl's Spring Mini Tote tutorial from last year and knew it would be the perfect thing for Mia's cousin Abby. I have to say, this was a really easy project and the flower embellishments are adorable and quick to make! Mia was pointing at the bag, saying "Emm?" "Emm?" as if to ask, where is my letter M? What is this stinking A doing on here? I think she likes it and wishes we had kept it (we need a place to keep Grandma's lipgloss!) Hopefully it will make it to Florida on time.

Our other project was an effort to give Will a more manly means by which to collect his Easter eggs - the Easter tool belt. Unfortunately, when I showed hubby the finished product, he said, "What is that? An apron? Fig leaf? You know, it kind of looks like a loin cloth." Not exactly what I was going for. Fortunately, Will loves to swiffer, so he probably won't get too hung up on the whole thing.

I used this Toddler Tool Belt tutorial originally developed by Kristin, and changed a few minor things, like adding four tool loops directly to the webbing, and using D-rings for the closure since that's what I had on hand. In retrospect, I would have made it twice as wide so there would be more pocket space for eggs. And while the felt matches Mia's basket (more to come on that later), I don't think it helped the "apron" and "fig leaf" effects. The good news here is that from Mia's vantage point, this gift DID have an M so everything was kosher and smiles abounded.

Thank you Grandma & Grandpa!

2009-04-02T10:28:00.009-05:00

I had so much fun. I mean, I got my first set of wheels! Mom says I can drive myself around as long as I learn how to use the potty first, which might take a while. . . the new car and the potty both require the same posture, and this morning I said "VROOM VROOM" while on the latter. Love you lots and can't wait to see you again.