willow & moo

I scream, You Scream, We all scream for Ice Cream

2012-01-23T21:25:00.002+11:00

We are in the final run up to the finish of school holidays, and I've scored a virus with a nasty cough. I kept soldiering on all week last week. I had work two days and social outings the other 3 days. By the time I reached Friday afternoon I had to admit defeat, and I will admit that I've exposed all of my friends and coworkers. I don't get this sick very often, and even then sometimes these things creep up on me because of my asthmatic lungs.

So enough of my whinging. We've been having an ice cream fest going on here. Yesterday I made some sorbet. It was the Influenza RX Sorbet from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home. Awesome book! I also made vanilla bean and salty caramel. You might ask yourself why am I making all of this ice cream? Well, I bought myself an ice cream maker with a built in compressor.

I've wanted an ice cream maker with a built in compressor for ages. I could never justify the expense plus I had one of those freeze the bowl machines. So when I got my Thermomix, I was excited by the idea of how easy it would be to make custard based ice creams in the Thermomix. I pulled out my freezer bowl from the cupboard to find that it had leaked coolant. It was no good. About a month later I was at the Castle Hill Homemaker Centre and walked past a shop that was advertising the machine at the cheapest price that I'd seen in Australia (it's even cheaper now!). Even then I dithered, so that when I went back, they were out of stock. They took my name and promised to call when more came in. They did, and I bought my machine a few days before Christmas.

Upon buying the machine I decided I needed some good ice cream books so I bought The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz, Making Artisan Gelato by Torrance Kopfer, and Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home.

I know a few of the books are missing from the photo. I also bought Paletas because I figured the Thermomix would be perfect for making up frozen treat bases! And well, I've been meaning to buy The Homesick Texan book for ages.

I started using Jeni's bases before her booked arrived. I just found recipes on the net. I've really fallen in love with her method, and the funny thing is that I can't use the Thermomix to make her bases. Her ice cream base does not use egg. I highly recommend her book, and also David Lebovitz's book. David's book is worth its weight in gold for all of the sauce and mix-in recipes.

I've made salty caramel, vanilla bean, darkest chocolate, milkiest chocolate, vanilla fudge swirl, lemon yogurt with blueberry swirl and roasted strawberry buttermilk from Jeni's book. From David's book I made Vietnamese Coffee. Next flavour planned is Black Coffee from Jeni's book.

Rainbows, Rainbows, Rainbows!

2012-01-14T12:13:00.000+11:00

This month's theme over at Gossamer Dreams is Rainbow Connection. I couldn't resist joining in the fun. Here's a peak of what I will have on offer.

1. redondo 5-6, 2. Star Mandala Silk/flannel Blanket - Blue, 3. Mareen 7-8 front, 4. Flower Mandala Silk/flannel Blanket - Pink, 5. Star Mandala Silk/flannel Blanket - Orange, 6. Rainbow Ruffle Lore top 7-8 front, 7. Flower Mandala Silk/flannel Blanket - Yellow, 8. Mareen 5-6 front

Previews of all of the lovely items up for offer will be from 8pm Queensland time tonight. The shop will open at 8pm Sunday night for purchasing.

Fun at Featherdale

2012-01-08T22:50:00.000+11:00

On Wednesday a text message from my friend, Ed, meant that we had an impromptu trip to Featherdale Wildlife Park. Ed's mom was visiting Sydney, and she wanted to see some kangaroos. While Featherdale doesn't have the amazing views and diverse selection that Taronga has, it is very accessible. It's flat, and there are opportunities to get up close to some of the animals.

Here's the obligatory "pet the koala" photo.

Not sure about that Emu

This emu wanted Ed's I-phone.

The kids looking at the peacock or is the peacock looking at them. I wish he would have shown us his tail feathers, but no luck.

The kids had the opportunity to feed the pelicans, but they didn't want to touch the pilchards.

I love the Tawny Frogmouths. You can stand there right next to them.

We saw a sleeping wombat.

And an echidna...so cute!

The croc "smiled" for us.

This sweet little roo liked licking Moo.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T22:56:00.000+11:00

We spent our NYE with some good friends.
Will and his bestie eating sausages. I just adore how the boys are sitting there on the stairs eating and having a chat. I think the photo sums up the evening for the rest of us....lots of good food, plenty to drink and the fabulous company of friends.

Wishing you a happy and healthy 2012!

Rainbow Ruffles

2011-12-21T09:53:00.000+11:00

This top was part of my new ideas for rainbow clothes. I've used the Farbenmix Lore pattern and sewn ruffled strips of my hand dyed fabrics to the top. I've left the edges of the ruffles unfinished which makes the construction quicker, but I also think a rolled hem would add weight to the ruffle pieces.

The back of the top

From the side of the top you can see how the orange ruffle doesn't extend around. I'm thinking if I made this again I'll run the orange ruffle into the binding and around the arm. Then I'll trim the ruffle to be even. I am still happy with my first draft of the idea.

Next time I'll also make the ruffle pieces longer, so that they overhang more. If there is a next time! (it has been tipped that there will be a next time because this top is a birthday gift, so it will not be part of Miss Moo's wardrobe)

Another year gone

2011-12-09T21:19:00.001+11:00

Today was the kids' last day of school. A few weeks back I made the teachers gifts.

For Will's teachers coffee cups filled with Lindor balls and a mug rug.

The mug rugs are from Jolijou's Coffee Break embroidery files.

For Mollie's teacher I made a wallet.
Pattern: Geldborse big*money*bag

Open Day

2011-12-04T22:10:00.001+11:00

It was Open Day at school on Saturday. I managed to take a few photos of the kids' classrooms plus one in Big Kindy.

The Big Kindy photo is really only a taste of how the room was set up. The Big Kindy teacher always does the most amazing job every open day. Here's a photo of the water feature that was set up in the room.

Will will be in Big Kindy next year. Super excitement! I adore that space.

Photos from Will's classroom

Some photos from Mollie's classroom

The amazing albatross that the children made from paper mache.

Tees for me

2011-11-29T07:54:00.001+11:00

Since I've had some time at home, I've been doing some sewing. I made myself some new t-shirts. I've made all of these tops before, so it didn't require much thought.

My favourite thing about homemade shirts - they don't ride up in the front. I think almost every store bought top I have bar some old maternity shirts end up too short in the front. I try the t-shirts on in the shops, and the length is ok. Then I wash them at home, and they are too short! Ottobre's plus size patterns usually have some gathering/ease in the side seam which adds some extra fabric in the bust that combined with me adding a bit of length usually gives me a good result. One day I will have to face up to doing a FBA on a t-shirt pattern, but for now I just keep sewing patterns that provide extra fabric in the front through gathers, pin tucks, etc.

Also the tops I make tend to fit through the shoulders instead of looking like a hanging sack. Unfortunately I don't have any modeled photos, so you have to take my word on it.

Pattern: Farbenmix Fano
Fabric: Hilco Jaimie knit from a couple of winters ago

Pattern: Ottobre 02/07 #4 with #3 sleeves
Fabric: Stenzo rose print knit

Pattern: Ottobre 05/09 #3 - no pockets and shortened
Fabric: Mad Sky daisy knit

New Glasses

2011-11-25T13:33:00.001+11:00

After breaking two pairs of my glasses in August I finally went to the optometrist to get new glasses.

I wanted something trendy and a bit colourful because the glasses I've been sporting lately are so 1990's. Like seriously!

Each arm of the frames has different colours

I also picked up some contacts to trial. Not that contacts are new to me. I just never got any more after I used up my other ones.

Cockatoo Island Adventure

2011-11-15T20:57:00.001+11:00

One of my best friends turned 40 a couple of weekends ago. It was a super celebration weekend as he and his partner rented the holiday houses on Cockatoo Island. We had never been to Cockatoo Island. It's in Sydney harbour at the junction of the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers. I stressed about how we were going to get there with all of our luggage, but we were able to get a parking spot at the Woolwich wharf which is only one stop from Cockatoo Island.

The house is pretty special.

See that tree on the left. There was a lovely table and chairs underneath it. We sat out there a lot.

The tennis court next to the house.

Ed's party was on Saturday afternoon. I didn't take very many pictures at the party which was at the Island Bar. Here's the birthday boy at his party

Happy Birthday Ed!

Here's Will partying down.

His poses made me laugh.

The same weekend was the beginning of the Outpost Project on the island, so we spent a bit of time looking at the art and doing some of the activities.

The chalk was really popular.

We still don't know what "218?" is about. Mollie is enigmatic at times.

Will conquers Ed.

Will recording his observations.

We had to correct someone's grammar.

Some artsy stuff

This exhibit had this really dark music playing which echoed in the shed. Mollie hated this work. We discussed how sometimes art makes you uncomfortable. Then we joked about how it just like where Daddy grew up. (not really, really. Col grew up in the western suburbs of Sydney which have a bad rep.)

There were tons of screenprinted t-shirts. The KMFDM shirt made me giggle.

For the record I am a Depeche Mode fan. I bought Ed one of the specially screen printed shirts made there.

There was lots more stuff that I didn't photograph. It's definitely worth a trip over there if you are interested in this type of art. My only word of warning is that if it is a really hot day, it's going to be stinking hot on the island. There isn't much shade outside of the buildings. And if you want an alcoholic drink, the bar will be full of hipsters out for a drink.

Waiting for the ferry to go home.

There are some photos that I haven't blogged which are interesting views or buildings or crazy psycho seagulls.

Thanks Ed & Steve for a wonderful weekend. It was really great to meet some more of Ed's "family". Ed had friends fly in from the US, NZ, up from Melbourne and down from Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast. I got to meet Ed's other woman, R, and Steve's sister. The people made the weekend.

Finally I've drawn the giveaway

2011-11-09T12:33:00.000+11:00

I did it old school. I printed the comments.

Scrunched them up. Mixed them up.

Closed my eyes and picked

Congrats Helen!!!!

(now if you follow Helen's blog too, you might think it's a conspiracy as I've just won Helen's button giveaway, but it's not. Must be karma or something because it was totally random.)

Yes, Again!

2011-11-03T21:43:00.001+11:00

I was at Costco again, but in my defense I wasn't shopping for myself. It's a special birthday for my friend, so we were doing party shopping. I will admit to doing a teeny bit Chrismukah shopping for the kids too. We told Will that the remote control helicopters were for Steve's nephew and niece!

So it was me, Ed, Steve, Armen and Will. Will had a blast eating all of the samples with the boys. Every time I turned around Will was helping or being entertained.

Here Steve has put him up in a tent on display.

Steve also carried Will around on his shoulders. Will dropped his ice block, and it fell down Steve's shirt which is why there are marks on it.

Ed with his favourite! Excuse Ed's manic look. This photo was taken at the end of our shopping trip, and he was a bit overstimulated from the shopping and the people. Although I think I have quite a few photos of Ed with that expression.

Look at the trolley! Not the best photo of Armen & Ed, but it was the best photo to see the overflowing trolley. There was even stuff on the bottom of the trolley which you can't see.

I have to giggle because you know you are getting older when your guy friends have substantially less hair than you remember from your days at university!

Blogtoberfest Day 31 - Thanks for hanging in there with me

2011-10-31T22:31:00.000+11:00

Today was an awesome mail day. The parcel guy left these on my doorstep this morning.

Lark had these on special last week. I couldn't resist buying up. Some will go to Moo for a holiday present. Some will be stashed for future presents.

When I waved my friends off after the Thermomix demo, I saw the white envelope that any Ottobre Design subscriber looks forward to receiving.

Then when I pulled out the envelope, I saw more mail underneath. Within that bundle was this...

It was a gift from Cherie because I sent her some velours for telling me the flavour of the Japanese Kit Kat bar. Very unexpected and totally sweet! I'm not sure that I will share with the kidlets. Well, except for the fact they saw them and will expect to have at least one. Thank you Cherie!

So thanks for going on this Blogtoberfest adventure with me. For one lucky reader I'm going to buy you a metre of fabric from Crafty Mamas.

Why Crafty Mamas? Well, it's where I buy most of my fabric, and Lisa's customer service is fabulous. It's a good time to win a metre of fabric because Lisa just received her Stenzo shipment. I'll pick a random winner from the comments on this post next Monday. (for the record this isn't sponsored in any way. I want to give away a metre of fabric, and Crafty Mamas is my favourite place to shop.)

Here's Mollie modeling her Amelie dress.

Blogtoberfest Day 30 - Scraping the Bottom

2011-10-30T20:48:00.000+11:00

Nothing exciting to say today. I'm tired after trying to get two excited girls to go to sleep last night. The girls didn't go to sleep until midnight! Moo was ready for bed by 6pm tonight. The kids also ran around like lunatics in the yard with the sprinkler going, so that would have worn them out that bit more. No lectures about water usage, we have a rainwater tank.

I spent most of the day tidying. I'm having a Thermomix demo tomorrow. I'm only having the demo, so I can get my Thermo Server. My friends know this. They don't feel any pressure, and we get fed lunch. Because I was trying to organise the house and minimise the chaos created by the kids, I didn't grab my camera at all today. Although my friend did pop over to take some photos of the girls, Moo, B & C, in some of my creations. I was secretly hoping that C would send me some of the photos. So instead you can have this photo of Will showing off a Lego creation. We love Lego until we step on it.

Blogtoberfest Day 29 - Sweetness!

2011-10-29T22:17:00.000+11:00

Weeks ago I signed Mollie and a friend up for a children's cooking class at Sweetness The Patisserie. The class was part of Crave - Sydney International Food Festival. I always look in the festival guide when it comes out. When I saw this class, I KNEW that I had to book a spot for Miss Moo.

Here are the girls in uniform.

I don't have any photos of them creating because I left them to it. The patisserie isn't really big enough for parents and kids, so I went shopping while the girls learned and created.

Here they are waiting for their rainbow shortbread to be bagged. I tasted a tiny piece of Moo's shortbread. It was delicious, and definitely short!

Beautiful and delicious!

I have a confession. I work nearby. I can easily pop into Sweetness on a work day, but I don't. It's not because I don't want to, but that it's counterproductive for the weight loss project.

It is worthwhile mentioning that Sweetness also sell some ingredients that aren't easily sourced other places. A while back I blogged about Fiori di Sicilia. Gena sells it! So yes, you can get it in Australia. She also sells the divine Boyajian citrus oils and dried Montmorency cherries.

Blogtoberfest Day 28 - Don't Drink and Blog

2011-10-28T21:06:00.000+11:00

Col and I drank this with dinner, a nice big steak. I can't be assed writing a blog post now.

I can tell you that I made the most delicious pie/tart for my friend's birthday today. I highly recommended it. I would have taken a photo, but there was NONE left by the time I remembered. Guess that means it was good.

Blogtoberfest Day 27 - For my Angel

2011-10-27T23:24:00.000+11:00

Mollie spotted these glittery iron on wings a while back. She's been asking me to make something with them. Then I bought this cloud print knit, and an idea was born.

I chose to make a tunic from the Farbenmix Amelie pattern. This is a super simple pattern. There are no sleeves, but at the same time the shoulder is covered. It is really perfect for hot days in Sydney. I also made a size 146/152 because Moo is just a shade over 140, and I was worried she'd outgrow the top too soon. She'll be able to wear it as a dress now.

Wings on the back

Blogtoberfest Day 26 - Daisy Skirt

2011-10-26T22:41:00.000+11:00

I picked up my overlocker today. It's good because I was starting to get withdrawals from not making any clothes. I've had this skirt cut out for Moo since August.

Pattern: Farbenmix Caroline
Caroline is a cute tiered skirt with leggings. The leggings come in three lengths.
Fabrics: Mad Sky Daisy print for the skirt and Stella in lime for the shorts.

The leggings underneath

Close up of the gathering

I'm not sure if you can see the difference in the gathering between the top tier of gathering and the lower one? The top one looks nicer, little gathers with even spacing. With the bottom tier, I made a couple of mistakes and was too lazy to fix them. So what is the difference?

For both tiers I used my ruffler foot, but with the upper tier I made sure the gathering stitches were on the seam line. With the bottom tier the gathering stitches were too far from where I was sewing the seam because I'd forgotten that I'd cut my pieces with a 6mm seam allowance. (sometimes I use a 1cm seam allowance.) The gathering stitches were over 1cm from the edge, so too far where the seam was stitched.

My second mistake was that I didn't use my walking foot when I sewed together the middle and bottom tier. I just did it on the overlocker. So the two factors combined gave me uneven gathering that looks really flat. When you use a walking foot, it doesn't compress and push the gathered piece as much as a standard presser foot. It is also important to make sure your gathered piece is on top, so that you can adjust and make sure the gathers stay even.

Blogtoberfest Day 25 - New socks

2011-10-25T20:52:00.000+11:00

It's all Mary's fault. After I posted my rainbow socks, she pointed me in the direction of these socks.

Hopefully I'll have some crafting to share with you soon. Tomorrow I go back to Chatswood to get my overlocker. I sew so many things out of knit fabrics that I've really missed it. I really want to make myself a few short sleeve t-shirts, but can't!

Blogtoberfest Day 24 - Fruit & Veg Shopping

2011-10-24T20:32:00.001+11:00

Monday is usually fruit and veggie shopping day. I buy most of our fruit and veg from the farm shop at Warrah. Not everything is grown there. The shop manager gets organic produce from the markets to supplement what the farm grows.

It was a hot day here in Sydney. A taste of summer for sure! The kids had a cool drink and sat under the tree while I did my shopping.

Blogtoberfest Day 23 - Dinner with Friends Again!

2011-10-23T22:20:00.000+11:00

Today we did a fair bit of cooking. We made more choc cherry Power Balls. I made another fruit loaf because Mollie really liked the previous one.

I also made those peanut butter brownies again because we had guests for dinner again!

Ed LOVES peanut butter and chocolate, so I sent all the brownies that we didn't eat home with him!

Mollie did some crafting with glitter today. She was really happy because she loves things that sparkle!

Blogtoberfest Day 22 - Dinner with Friends

2011-10-22T22:44:00.000+11:00

Today we had friends over for dinner. I didn't manage to take any photos of the meal, but it wasn't anything that exciting, just a barbecue - hamburgers, sausages, coleslaw and potato salad. Although the pavlova did look spectacular. It was so yummy that Col and I finished it off after everyone went home.

Really, we had to finish it off because there is no room in the fridge for it.

Blogtoberfest Day 21 - Adding to the collection

2011-10-21T21:31:00.000+11:00

I had to buy Bill Granger's new book. I always like his recipes. I don't think I've had a "fail" from any of his books unlike Donna Hay. I get suckered into her styling, but I never have faith that her recipes will work, so I've stopped buying her books.

I also bought In The Mix which is a new Thermomix cookbook. It does have quite a few recipes that I wouldn't make, but there are definitely a few that I will try out. Plus I like reading about how to make all sorts of things in the Thermomix because it gives me ideas for things I'd like to do myself.

Blogtoberfest Day 20 - My Diet Tip

2011-10-20T22:12:00.000+11:00

If you love to bake, bake for others. Almost every Thursday after school we go to the park. I like to use it as an opportunity to bake something because there are many mouths, and if there are leftovers, I can take them to work on Friday (just don't tell my coworkers that I didn't bake especially for them).

Today's creation - Peanut Butter Brownies with Reese's. I've had these Reese's sitting around for a while, and they needed to get out of the house instead of into my mouth.

The recipe is from The Boastful Baker.

Will's having an ace time.

Here are the crazy kids.

And the mums (minus me...I was taking a sneaky photo)

It was such a beautiful day to be outside that we got home at 6:45. Oops!

Blogtoberfest Day 19 - Busy Day Wednesday

2011-10-19T20:29:00.000+11:00

Wednesdays are my "child free" day. Will and Mollie are at school. I don't normally work on a Wednesday. I love having a bit of time to myself, but today I had to take the car for a service and rego inspection. The car service place said if I had the car to them by 7:45 that I'd have it back by lunch. This meant that I had to be up and out of the house by 7:30. The service centre runs a shuttle to Parramatta station, so I thought I'd take that and have a good look around Westfield, but last night Col suggested that I walk instead. I'm so glad he had his thinking cap on. It was a pleasant walk, so much so that I walked back. Hurrah for some exercise!

I spent a fair amount of time looking in shops which is such a luxury without the children. After a while I needed something else to do, and I walked by a hair salon, so I walked in and got a hair cut.

This might not seem like a big deal, but it is. I haven't had my hair cut in over a year. I just never seem to find the time to do it.

When I got home, I saw this week's Good Living on the table.

Col picks it up from the newspaper at work at the end of the day. So sweet that he thinks of me.

Blogtoberfest Day 18 - Socks

2011-10-18T21:18:00.000+11:00

Here are the socks I was wearing today.

I like fun, colourful socks. Am I scraping the barrel for something to post? Uhm yeah! No crafting today. I had work. Picked up the kids. Got my allergy needle. Went to our friends' place. Came home and did the dinner/bath/routine. I'm hoping I can manage something more interesting tomorrow, but it is a fairly hectic day again.

Blogtoberfest Day 17 - Ribbon Bracelets

2011-10-17T17:30:00.001+11:00

A few months back I saw these super cute ribbon bracelets featured on the Farbenmix Inspirations blog. They've been on my to-do list ever since. So while my overlocker is away at the spa, I've been looking for projects that use only a sewing machine.

Want to make some too? I'll tell you how I made mine.
Materials:
ribbons
woven fabric
Steam-a-Seam 2
Spray Starch (optional)
Resin snaps + snap press
coordinating thread
lighter to heat seal ribbon ends
sewing machine
iron
bias tape maker - 18mm and/or 25mm

1. Cut strips of fabric. If you are going to use a 25mm bias tape maker, you need to cut 50mm (2") strips. I don't cut the strips on the bias. I cut them across the grain. If you want less fabric showing on the edges then cut 36mm wide strips, so you can use an 18mm bias maker. Most Farbenmix ribbons are 15mm wide although some are narrower and a few are wider like Florafox. I cut most of my strips 50mm wide, but next time I think I'll go for 36mm.

2. Spray strips with starch. Iron dry then use the bias maker to make the "bias". I like to use starch as it gives the fabric nice body and the folds press sharply. Then cut the strips into 21.5cm long pieces. Iron each end in by 0.5cm.
In the photo below you can see the ends of the fabric strip are ironed in.

3. Cut a 24cm piece of ribbon. Use a lighter to heat seal the ends (not like in the photo below. My lighter ran out of fuel.) Then iron the ribbon. Make sure the iron isn't above a wool heat setting. The ribbons have a tendency to shrink when a bit of heat is applied to them. Since I used Steam-a-Seam to adhere them to the fabric strip, I needed to pre-treat them with the iron. Cut a piece of Steam-a-Seam to fit the ribbon. Press onto ribbon then place the ribbon onto the fabric strip centred over the opening. A bit of ribbon should overhang on each end and will be wrapped around to the back (you can see the backs of some of the bracelets in the bottom photo). Steam ribbon onto the fabric strip.

3. Stitch ribbon. You can use a straight stitch or a narrow zigzag or any other cute stitch that will stitch the ribbon. I usually use my #10 foot on my Bernina which is the edgestitch foot. It has a centre blade which I line up with the side of the ribbon and then I move the needle to the side. Zoom, zoom and the ribbon is stitched down. Me being me used a coordinating colour in the bobbin, so the stitching on the back matches the fabric, and I changed my needle threads to match the ribbon.

4. Attach the snaps. I have to admit that I originally only had one socket snap, but it made the bracelet too big for the kids. I added an additional socket 2.5cm in from the socket snap at the end (see photo below). That way the bracelet can fit big and little people. If you wanted to make them for little people only, you could take 2.5cm off of the measurements for the fabric strip and ribbon and just use one socket snap.

If I haven't been clear about anything, just ask me! Sometimes the way my brain sees things is different from other people, or perhaps I just got tired of proofreading.

Mollie has already claimed a couple. A couple are for the daughter of the woman who gave me all those ribbons and trims. A few are for Will, and the rest are for the kids' friends if I can manage to stash them away until Christmas/Chanukah time.

Blogtoberfest Day 16 - Summer is coming

2011-10-16T21:35:00.000+11:00

Kids are happy. They love mangoes. I have to admit that the main purpose of this post is to rub my friend's face in the fact that we have mangoes because for the past 7 weeks I've had endure photos of our dearest friends' trip around Europe. Jealous much?

Now they have to face winter in Chicago. Enjoy the cold mates!

-Blogtoberfest Day 15 - Ribbons & bits

2011-10-15T21:21:00.000+11:00

When others know that you sew, sometimes you get nice little gifts.

Mollie's favourite trim

A mum at school gave me a bag full of trims and ribbons. Some I won't use, but there are plenty of good things in the bag. There are lots of pretty flowers and Mollie is in love with all the little sequin things like butterflies and hearts.

Blogtoberfest Day 14 - Date night

2011-10-14T21:08:00.000+11:00

One of my perks of working where I do is that I get a box of products each month. I end up getting more stuff that I will ever use, so my friends end up with bits and pieces. The things that I won't use or my friends don't want go to work with Col. Tonight I handed Col these bits to take to work.

Col's comment, "it's the perfect date night for Dan (his coworker who I am sure doesn't read this blog). Dinner and he'll smell great*."

*Lynx Directions

Twist top to reveal nozzle.
Spray to smell great.

Blogtoberfest Day 13 - Balls

2011-10-13T21:46:00.000+11:00

I saw this recipe on Tenina.com, and the mention of dried cherries had me sucked in. I love dried cherries.

I changed the recipe to suit the ingredients that I had on hand.

100g dried cherries
100g sultanas
100g cashews, toasted
100g raw cacao nibs
30g maple syrup
Desiccated coconut for rolling as needed

Weigh the cacao nibs into the TMX and process 10 sec/speed 8. Throw the rest in except the coconut. Blend 10 sec/speed 8.
With damp hands, roll into tablespoon size balls and roll in coconut.

Tenina advises to let the balls sit for a while. Don't eat them right away. I totally agree with this. The flavours meld nicely after sitting.

The first time I made these I gave them to a friend. She likes this type of stuff. She's pregnant, and I thought these would make a nice little pick me up because they are full of good stuff like antioxidants. And I used organic ingredients (except the cherries). Of course, I had a mental discourse about "should I or shouldn't I?" "will she like them?" "am I being silly?" In the end I just decided to do it. I'm trying to push through my introvert tendency to over-analyse everything. I want to evaluate all possibilities, so I spend too much time thinking and not enough doing. I've decided that more doing is good. I think about my friends often, and I like doing things for them which is why I made more today.

Blogtoberfest Day 12 - Does your mom stalk you online?

2011-10-12T22:22:00.000+11:00

Mine does. I made this fruit loaf on the weekend, and I put a photo on Flickr.
This morning I get this email

Sara your fruitloaf looks like a beautiful challah bread. I mean it is gorgeous.

LoveMom

(for you non-Jews challah bread is a very delicious bread with egg in the dough. It's so nice toasted. Now I think I am going to have to make some because I am way too lazy to drive to the eastern suburbs of Sydney to procure some. I really dislike driving in the eastern suburbs.)

Does it bother me that my mom checks up on me? Not at all. It means I can be lazy. I know I can just put photos on Flickr, and she will see them. She never misses a cute photo of one of her grandchildren. I think that is the main reason she is stalking me. She just wants to see Will and Mollie, or maybe she's just bored at work.

Blogtoberfest Day 11 - Mushie top for Moo

2011-10-11T23:25:00.000+11:00

I've had this top cut out since I went away in August, but I didn't get to sew it until tonight. The pattern is Farbenmix Antonia.

I'm glad I made myself get up and sew, but unfortunately my overlocker is still being painful. I thought the trip to Chatswood had sorted it all out, but it is not happy sewing thicker seams or fabrics. I never had this problem before. That's all I have to say because I'm cranky at the moment.

Blogtoberfest Day 10 - Cold Turkey

2011-10-10T20:07:00.000+11:00

My crack smokin' bird fell off of my bag and his pipe broke off. He's going to have to go cold turkey now.

Blogtoberfest Day 9 - the Costco obsession

2011-10-09T22:30:00.000+11:00

I love Costco. I feel like I shouldn't love American consumer experiences, but it's in my blood. I can't help it. If you are new to my blog then you wouldn't know that I am American by birth and Australian by choice! I grew up in America and was always used to being able to shop around for the best price. I suffered severe sticker shock when I first moved to Australia. Things have changed here to a certain degree with the strength of the Aussie dollar, but with a smaller population and distance from other places, consumer goods just cost more.

I signed up as a member months before the Sydney store even opened. It did help that the sign up office was in the same centre as my "local" Spotlight.

When Costco opened on July 21, I swore that I would avoid the shop for a few weeks until the crowds died down, but in the end I didn't even last a week. For the first month it was open, I think I went once a week. Now I've cut back to once a month. I tend time my trips for when I know it will be less busy like close to opening time in the morning or after school in the afternoons. I never go on Saturday or Sunday.

I get asked if I think it's good value. Obviously I find value in shopping there, but if you are good at shopping sales at Woolies and Coles, you can better deals with their sales sometimes. For example, Lurpak ran a promotion with Woolies where you get two blocks of Lurpak unsalted butter with a loaf tin for $5.99. At Costco a 3 pack of Lurpak is $10.29 ($3.43 each) which is a lot cheaper than the normal price at the shops which I think is about $4.70. If you buy a lot of homebrand/store brand merchandise, you might not see the same value.

Organic milk is a good price when they have it in stock. It's $3.99 for 2 litres instead of $5.12.

They also have American products like Hershey's syrup, Dawn dishwashing liquid, Dr. Pepper, Monterey Jack cheese, Hershey Kisses, Ghiradelli chocolate, dried sour cherries, etc. I really like the organic salsa. It tastes heaps better than any of the store bought salsas in Australia. It's also a great thing for me when watching my weight as it adds flavour without too many calories.

Kirkland is Costco's "homebrand". Usually their homebranded items are very good quality.

I also like buying bigger size things, so I don't have to buy as often. I don't mind having a 300m roll of Glad wrap or buying 48 rolls of toilet paper (stashing it around my house can be challenging). And the best "big" thing, a 500g bag of Cheezels!

There are clothes, books and homewares. I tend to always have a look at books when I go. The book prices are similar to Big W's book prices.

What don't I buy? In general I don't buy meat because none of it is organic, and lots of it is grain fed, so I choose not to eat it. They do have free range chicken, but I prefer organic chicken. They have free range eggs which I would use in a pinch, but yet again, I prefer organic. It is the same with fruit and veg, but if something is a good deal or I can't readily get it organically grown then I will buy it.

Blogtoberfest Day 8 - Pretzels

2011-10-08T23:55:00.000+11:00

Will loves pretzels. We used to buy them from Bavarian Smallgoods, but they closed a year ago. Will keeps asking for them. So when I first looked through one of my Thermomix cookbooks and saw a pretzel recipe, I knew it would only be a matter of time until I made them for Will.

No photos of me dumping stuff into the Thermomix, but here's Mollie shaping the pretzels. She did all but one of them.

After shaping I put them in the boiling baking soda solution

Then popped them on the tray and sprinkled on the salt

After baking

Col and Moll both ate two. Will only ate one. Maybe he'll eat more tomorrow. I would have eaten more, but the Weight Watchers points on one is 6 points. Col said he would have liked a beer with his.

The recipe is from My Way of Cooking
Ingredients
400g milk
40g fresh yeast (I used two heaping teaspoons of Lowan Instant dried yeast)
600g flour
2 tsp salt
600g water
4 tbsp baking soda
coarse salt, to sprinkle

1. Place milk and fresh yeast into mixing bowl, warm up 2 min/37degC/speed 2
2. Add flour and salt, knead 2 min 30 sec/interval kneading cycle. Place the dough into a bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size (approx. 30 minutes).
3. Preheat oven to 200degC.
4. Divide dough into 10 equal pieces and roll each onto a non-stick surface into a rope shape (60cm) which is thinner at the ends. To form pretzels take both ends, twist them 2 times and flip them over onto the thicker part of the rope.
5. Bring water with baking soda to boil in a pot. One at a time, place pretzels onto a skimmer and dunk them into the boiling salt solution for 30-60 seconds, then place them on a baking tray covered with baking paper. Sprinkle with coarse salt and bake in a preheated oven at 200 deg C for 15 minutes. Cool for several minutes before serving or serve them cold.

Blogtoberfest Day 7 - Sweet Things

2011-10-07T22:11:00.000+11:00

If you live in Australia and have watched Masterchef then you will probably recognise this name.

What lurks inside

Lots of pretty pictures and lots of great recipes. The book is definitely full of eye-candy!

I saw Adriano Zumbo's new book as I was walking through Costco (tomorrow I'll tell you a bit about my Costco "obsession"). I just had to have it. Mollie, my little gourmand, is a fan of Adriano's macarons. Mollie wants to make something from the book tomorrow. Hmmm, I tend to want to read and digest before diving in.

Blogtoberfest Day 6 - Cutting Time

2011-10-06T23:56:00.000+11:00

Ok, I'm barely scraping in for today. I really want to go to sleep, but I said I'm doing this Blogtober thing, so here I am. Tonight was craft night and I took along my Silhouette SD cutter to show my crafty pals.
Cass wanted me to cut out these hearts

All cut out

I cut out some velours and weeded them.

Tomorrow I'm taking that overlocker to Chatswood. Hopefully they can fix it on the spot. If not, I might borrow the one that sits next to me at work.

Blogtoberfest Day 5 - Time to Relax

2011-10-05T23:15:00.000+11:00

Today I was pleasantly surprised to find this in my mailbox.

I subscribed, but wasn't sure when this issue would show up as I've bought the previous two at the shop. I really need the distraction tonight as my overlocker has decided to not play nice. I have done everything I can do to rectify the problem. I'm super annoyed because I wanted to finished those skirts tonight. They just need waistbands and rolled hems, and now I don't know when I'll get a chance to do them especially if the machine has to go to Chatswood. Nothing I can do right now, so I better go read that magazine.

Blogtoberfest Day 4 - Busy as a bee

2011-10-04T20:19:00.000+11:00

I worked today, so I don't have much to show you. I could tell you how I made stuff in my Thermomix, but I don't want to bore you with too many of my Thermo adventures. For those curious types I made dhal for dinner and mango sorbet for dessert when the kids asked about dessert. I'm such a sucker although really I had this mango that needed to be consumed.

Here's Will at work in his cube.

I thankfully don't work in a cubicle. I work in a lab with washing machines, and I have a desk in a office with 2 other people although there is usually only 2 of us there at a time. Most everyone else at work is in a cubicle, so I feel pretty lucky, but they don't have to listen to washing machines. I'd rather listen to washing machines than listen to other people talking.

Blogtoberfest Day 3 - I had the lucky lemon

2011-10-03T11:30:00.000+11:00

My friend, Tas, had a giveaway on her blog, and I was the winner. I had to laugh because I was hassling her about when those lemons would drop. I hadn't expected my lemon to drop.

The nice thing about crafty friends is that they usually have a good idea about your style and taste, and Tas nailed it with this bag that she made for me.

I love the floral print on the bag. It's fun, but not too bright, so it goes with lots. I really like the long strap, so I can wear it across my body. I hate it when my bag strap keeps falling off of my shoulder. I've clipped my crack smokin' bird pin onto the strap. (I've just discovered that it's called an "old man bird brooch". I still think crack smokin' bird is funnier. I'm weird though. My dear friend, Ange, gave me the brooch for my birthday this year.)

Blogtoberfest Day 2 - Blueberries

2011-10-02T16:37:00.000+11:00

Lots of fresh blueberries are hitting the shops in Sydney. Will is a berry monster and loves them. When I was shopping at Woolies a few weeks ago, I also discovered that they have frozen organic blueberries.

This morning's breakfast, blueberry pancakes, made with the remaining fresh berries (Will had eaten most of the punnet) and then supplemented with the frozen ones.

Blogtoberfest - Day 1 Chocolate Tart

2011-10-01T15:41:00.093+10:00

I've decided to join Blogtoberfest again this year. Thank you to Tinniegirl for hosting. I thought it would be good to have a kick in the bum to blog a bit more.

For the next month you can expect to see a bit of crafting, a lot of cooking and some of the kids.   We are going to our friends' house for dinner tonight. I offered/insisted/begged to make dessert. I made a chocolate tart and salted caramel sauce for dessert.
Here's the tart before baking

The tart recipe is from Le Cordon Bleu Home Collection Tarts & Pastries
Sweet Pastry
200g plain flour
large pinch of salt
70g unsalted butter
80g caster sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1-2 drops vanilla extract

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour and salt. Cut the butter into 1cm cubes and place in the flour. Rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
2. Stir in the sugar and make a well in the centre. Pour in the combined egg and vanilla and slowly work the mixture together using a palette knife or a pastry scraper. If the dough is too dry, sprinkle it with a little water until it just holds together.
3. Remove the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Using the palm of your hand, smear the dough away from you until it is smooth.
4. Gather the dough into a ball and flatten it slightly. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the the refrigerator to chill for 20 minutes before using.

OR if you are me, ignore steps 1 and 2 and chuck it all in the Thermomix and go speed 6 for 10 seconds then follow steps 3 and 4.

My tart tin was smaller than the recipe specified, so I ended up lining my tin which is 24cm and two 10cm tins.

Bitter Chocolate Tart
1 quantity sweet pastry (see above)
150g dark chocolate (I used Callebaut 811nv)
150g unsalted butter, chopped
4 eggs
200g caster sugar
75g plain flour
cocoa powder, to dust

1. Preheat the oven to moderately hot 200C. Roll out the pastry to a thickness of 2.5mm (1/8") and line a greased shallow loose-bottomed flan tin, 26cm across the base.
2. Bake blind for 10 minutes until firm. Remove the beans and paper and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes.
3. Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl set over a pan of steaming water, making sure that the bowl does not touch the water. Remove the bowl from the pan. Beat the eggs, sugar and flour together and mix them into the melted chocolate and butter. Pour this mixture into the pastry case and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the filling is just set.
4. Remove the tart from the tin and leave to cool completely before dusting with cocoa.

Yes, I did use my Thermomix to do the filling.
1. I used raw sugar, so I weighed the 200g of raw sugar into the TMX and 10 seconds at speed 9. Weigh in the 75g flour and then set the flour and sugar aside.
2. Weigh 150g chocolate into the TMX. I used Callebaut callets which are already in bit size pieces. Grate the chocolate for 15 seconds at speed 6. Scrape down the sides.
3. Cut the butter into cubes and weigh 150g into the TMX. Set the TMX to 50deg for 5 minutes at speed 3. If the chocolate and butter are melted before 5 minutes, then you can stop it before 5 minutes. Mine melted in about 3 minutes, but if you butter is cold, it could take longer.
4. With the TMX running at speed 3, drop each egg through the top of the lid one at a time. Once eggs are incorporated, take the lid off, scrape down the sides and add the flour and sugar. Mix at speed 3 for 15 seconds (I have to admit that I stopped taking notes, so this is from memory. IF the mixture doesn't look blended, just go a few more seconds).
5. Pour into the tin and bake as above.

I also made this salted caramel sauce that I spread on the plate under the tart slices.   I made that sauce in the Thermomix, but I found this sauce which looks delicious and I reckon would be even better than the one that I made. The Thermomix may do lots of cool things, but it doesn't get hot enough to make a true caramel.

Like my cute jars? Got them at Chefs Warehouse last week. Think I'm going to have to head back there in the next couple of weeks because we might be making sauces/jams/curds for holiday gifts this year.

Some colour on a dreary day

2011-09-28T11:55:00.000+10:00

It's overcast here in Sydney. My friend, Helen, issued a rainbow challenge over on Crafty Mamas to help brighten our day.

I've just finished ironing redondo pieces for 6 rainbow redondo skirts, and giving 6 pairs of rainbow leggings a final press before tags are sewn on.

So I've looked at plenty of rainbows today. There's some proof that I have been crafting and not just cooking.

Here's what is running around the house and backyard at the moment.

That is my most favourite silk that I've ever dyed. I'm still wondering why I gave it to the kids!

Having a bit more fun

2011-09-26T22:16:00.000+10:00

It was rainy and dreary in Sydney yesterday which was perfect for my planned day. I had invited our friends for dinner, and we had a playdate scheduled for today. For dinner I made slow cooked barbacoa beef which I neglected to photograph. I love that recipe as it yields a tender shredded beef which is reminiscent of Texas bbq which I am unable to get here.
Going with the bbq theme I also made potato salad. I used the Thermomix to steam the potatoes and cook the eggs. It worked a treat. If I wanted to be super gourmet, I could have made my own mayo, but I always have to be mindful of what I eat, so I used Hellman's/Best Foods light mayonnaise.

I made coleslaw with the Thermomix too. That was super easy peasy. Again I used the light mayo.

I also made soft buttermilk rolls in the Thermomix. I thought the meat on a roll with coleslaw would be super yummy. I was right. The recipe is from the super awesome Tenina. She has a superb website of recipes that use the Thermomix.

But wait there's more...to complete the meal I made frozen margaritas in the machine.

I'm still annoyed that I didn't manage to snap a photo with the meat in it!
And more! I made caramel popcorn (no Thermomix used here!) for our playdate today. It's always a hit, and it is ALL gone, the whole half sheet pan.

I also started these divine biscuits.

Today I finished them. I did half mint and the other half orange. To do orange I used some Boyajian pure orange oil.

That's all for now. Really!

Confession time

2011-09-19T10:18:00.000+10:00

I bought myself a new toy

It's a Thermomix. It's sort of like a powerful blender that also heats. It also has a bit that you can pop on the top, the Varoma, to steam stuff too. A while back I bought a Kitchen Aid blender (not to be confused with my beloved Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer), and I really haven't been happy with it. I also have a really old food processor, so when my tax return arrived, and my husband generously shared a part of his bonus with me, I decided to buy a Thermie for my kitchen.

I know there is going to be a learning curve with using it for certain applications, so I've been trying to use it a lot. The machine was delivered on Friday afternoon. I made the veggie stock concentrate with the consultant as part of the delivery demo. For dinner on Friday night I made pancake batter. Saturday morning I made crepe batter, and while I was cooking crepes I made lemon butter/curd with my last two lemons off of our tree. For Thermomix users I used the Lemon Curd recipe out of the My Way of Cooking book. The fun aspect of this machine is that I didn't have to stand over the curd while it cooked, so while I cooked crepes, the machine made the curd. While I can make lemon curd on the stove, it requires constant stirring and attention especially because there is no corn flour (cornstarch) to stabilise the mixture.

On Sunday we were going over to our friends' house for afternoon tea. I saw this as a perfect opportunity to have more of a play. I decided to make strawberry and lemon tarts. I used a shortbread recipe from the MWOC cookbook, but honestly any pate sucree, sweet pastry, recipe would do. The pastry mixed together in a flash.

While the pastry was resting in the fridge, I made the pastry cream. I thought I would compare the pastry cream/custard recipe in the Everyday Cooking book (EDC) that came with the Thermomix with the pastry cream recipe that is in my book, The Professional Pastry Chef by Bo Friberg. I have to say that the ingredients in recipes were almost identical.

Pastry Cream from The Professional Pastry Chef
480ml milk
1/2 of a vanilla bean, split OR 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons (32g) cornstarch
4 ounces (115g) sugar
1/4 teaspoon (1g) salt
2 eggs

1. Place the milk and the vanilla bean in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan. Bring to a boil.
2. Keeping an eye on the milk, mix the cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a bowl using a whisk. Gradually add the eggs, and mix until smooth.
3. Slowly add about one-third of the hot milk to the egg mixture while whisking rapidly. Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the remaining milk.
4. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Boil for a few seconds longer to make sure the raw starch taste has disappeared. Removed the vanilla bean, rinse and save for another use, or add vanilla extract if used.
5. Pour the custard into a bowl and cover with a piece of baking paper. When cooled, store in the refrigerator. If made and stored properly, Pastry Cream will keep fresh for up to four days. However, when it is that old it should only be used for pastries in which it will be baked.
NOTE: If the heat is too high or you are stirring too slow at the point when the Pastry Cream reaches a boil, it will lump. If this happens, pass it through a strainer immediately before it cools.

In the Thermomix I whizzed up the sugar until it was fine like icing sugar.

Then I added all of the ingredients, and set it to heat and stir and 7 minutes later, I had pastry cream. While the cream cooled in the fridge, Mollie and I made the tart shells. The tart shells were blind baked. I should have used my pastry weights, but I was too lazy, so the sides of the tart shells collapsed down a bit during baking which made the pastry thicker than I had intended. I decided to let go of the perfectionist in me and focus on the fact that everything would taste delicious.

The tart shells definitely looked better after they were filled. In the two small shells I put the lemon curd that I made on Saturday. The larger shells were filled with pastry cream and topped with strawberries.

The strawberry tarts were very well received by the kids! And my biggest "kid" even gave his approval with the caveat that the strawberries should have be sliced thinner as they kept falling off of the tart when he was trying to eat it.
The lemon tarts were my favourite.

Not everything has been perfect. Last night I decided to follow the recipe for mashed potatoes out of the EDC book. It has you cook the potatoes in milk which I thought was a great idea, but the milk burned a bit on the bottom of the jug, and I cut the potato pieces too small, so they cooked faster than the recipe stated. Because they cooked too quickly the blades broke them up, so I ended up with mashed potatoes that were gluey. I think if I can tweak the recipe, it would be a super easy way to make mash. I normally boil my potatoes then drain them and use a ricer which results in very fluffy mash. The kids ate them without complaint, so they weren't that bad!

Also please don't think this is going to become a Thermomix blog. I've just been quiet on the crafting front because I am working on a batch of rainbow redondos and leggings. Once they are done, I hope to get back to making a variety of things for me and the kids!

Keeping it simple

2011-09-05T08:43:00.000+10:00

I made a top last week. I desperately need a few new tops for the warmer weather. Most of my tops are looking very worn and on a positive note they are getting a bit big for me as I am slowly, slowly shrinking.

I pulled out my Farbenmix Fano pattern and some "stella" knit in black.

A thumbs up from me. The shirt is comfy and I like the yoke with gathered front. The gathers are great for a bigger bust. Now I need to decide what colour to make next!

Climbing higher and higher

2011-09-03T23:35:00.000+10:00

Last week we had the annual Spring Fair at school. I spent the first half of the day with Will and Col doing activities. One of which was watching Mollie's class do Indian dancing. Unfortunately I didn't take any photos which I regret. Mollie didn't do stuff with us. She was running around with her friends.
Will saw the crate climbing and was set on doing it. He patiently waited his turn, and it finally arrived.

Here he is starting out

Getting a bit higher

Way UP high!

And down he came. The fun couldn't last forever.

And the recipient of iron-on velours is

2011-08-29T10:05:00.000+10:00

Karen

I used the random.org random number generator, and I can't for some reason remember how to cut and paste. So you have to trust me that it chose #12 out of 12 options. I removed my comment and Cherie's comment from consideration.

Happy, happy, Joy, joy Kit Kat

2011-08-24T20:20:00.000+10:00

So you want to guess what flavour this Kit Kat is?

A friend gave this to the other half today. His sister brought it back from Japan. We have no idea what the flavour is, but we don't think it's chocolate!
Here's the back

Isn't the pack cute? It has a place to put To: and From: if you want to give it as a gift.

So have a guess. I'll send the closest guess a few iron-on velours. And perhaps I'll send the most amusing answer some too.

The "L" and the "C" are for someone one, but I can pick out a few from this pile for the winners. If you have a boy and are willing to wait, I can cut some bugs or stars or something more suitable for a boy.

Hoot, Hoot

2011-08-22T20:57:00.000+10:00

Two Hilde tops in Farbenmix Owl jersey and velours for twins.

If you haven't made Hilde before, it is worthwhile to know that the pattern runs slim. It is designed to be a close fitting shirt. This is the reason that I chose the pattern. The twins are slim and I didn't want the shirts to swim on them.
The twins' party was at the Galston Valley Railway. Lots of fun was had by all.

Craft Camp - Pearl Beach

2011-08-11T22:06:00.000+10:00

Last weekend I had the pleasure of going away for the weekend with some fabulous and wonderful crafty women. While everyone else was busily sewing away on quilts, I was hogging the table with my 3 machines, so I could sew some clothes.

For Will I made 3 tops.
Ottobre 03/06 #26. Will really likes this top. He wore it on Tuesday.

Ottobre 02/05 #20 He wore this top on Wednesday.

Ottobre 03/06 #30. The jury is still out on this top. Col says it looks like pajamas. I'll wait and see what Will says. If it is destined for pj's, I'm not bothered. I can quickly whip up some shorts to go with it.

Miss Moo got two tops.
One is a Farbenmix Hacktop. My friend, Peta, crocheted the band for me. I cut the mushroom iron-on on my Silhouette. So excited to use my first iron on that I cut!

Farbenmix Unella tunic top

I have another top cut out for Moo, but it won't get sewn up for a couple of weeks. We have two birthday parties coming up, and I have 3 tops that I need to make for those!

Time for new glasses?

2011-08-08T12:36:00.002+10:00

Last night after getting home from a fabulous weekend away, I took off my glasses and went to clean them with my shirt (yes, I know it's naughty). And snap! So Moo went to get a spare pair, and it happened again!

Thankfully I own a 3rd pair of glasses. This is because my vision hasn't changed much in years. The glasses that I snapped were my "newest" at 5 years old. The ones with the broken screw are over 15 years old. I reckon the ones I am currently wearing are 10 years old.

Think it's time for some new glasses!

Dancing Queen

2011-07-31T20:44:00.000+10:00

Last night Mollie had a "disco" party. All week she had been asking me to make her a dress for the party. She wanted something shiny. Luckily I had some panne velvet stashed away here. I had two different pieces, and Moo choose the blue one. (excuse the mud stain on the knee of her leggings. She'd been playing out in the backyard.)

I was going to use the panne velvet on the neck as "ribbing", but it was a pain to iron in half. While I was ironing, I remembered that I had some glittery blue fold over elastic. Thankfully it matched the dress.

I also did a lettuce edge hem on the dress and long sleeves because it's faster! I really wanted to use metallic thread in the rolled hem and in the past I've had issues with thread breaking. This time I had different thread (Gutterman), and it worked like a charm.

But we needed more bling, so out came the Silhouette SD. Moo chose a swirly shooting star, so I cut out that and a bunch of other stars. On the front of the dress we put the shooting star and little stars. Around the hem of the dress more stars.

Moo had a lovely time at the party, but I think Will had an even better. He was the star of the night with his crazy dancing.

It's a small world

2011-07-25T20:42:00.000+10:00

I won the first issue of Mollie Makes a few weeks ago.

I won it from the lovely Peta of Tins and Needles. And I'm not waxing lyrical when I say Peta is lovely because I actually have the pleasure of knowing Peta "in real life". Our daughters used do to swimming together ages ago (like when Miss Moo was 3 or 4). And we never spoke, mainly because I don't just chat with people I don't know. Then a few years back we ran into each other at Stitches N Craft, so we had a chat. And I told Peta that another crafty woman was amongst us at swimming. Now we all hang out at craft group once a month.

Isn't this apple cozy sweet? Peta crocheted it as a gift along with the mag.

Playing catch up

2011-07-18T20:52:00.000+10:00

Ok, Mom is on her way home as I type this. I never really had the time to sit down, edit photos, and concentrate to write some text. I bought some books back in June. Although I bought them from Amazon, and they would be shipped for free to my mom's house, I had them sent here. I had used up all of my alloted luggage space with the Silhouette and rolls of heat transfer flock.

The Tex-Mex Grill and Backyard Barbacoa Cookbook by Rob Walsh - if my ramblings about Tex Mex food have piqued your interest, I have to totally recommend Robb Walsh's books. I also have The Tex-Mex Cookbook. The books are not only filled with great recipes, but so much information about the history of Tex-Mex food.

The Hidden Gifts of the Introvert Child by Marti Olsen Laney. I own her other book, The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World, which I found really helpful in understanding myself and why I do the things I do. Miss Moo shows definite signs of being introverted like her parents, so I thought I would get this book to see if there any tips to make her path in life easier. I have to say that I keep seeing so much of myself again as I'm reading this book. The biggest revelation for me regarding these books is that Introverts really do have a different brain chemistry to Extroverts. There is a real biochemical difference. It's not something that is just "learned" and can be changed.

In Search of Total Perfection - Heston Blumenthal. Heston, oh, Heston. To be honest I hadn't paid much attention to him then one day I saw his Fantastical Feasts series on SBS. I just love the way he approaches food. I don't have an itching desire to make his molecular gastronomy creations in my kitchen, but that burger that he made on In Search of Perfection and then the Masterchef contestants had to create Heston's burger in a challenge made me buy this book.

PatternReview - 1000 Clever Sewing Shortcuts and Tips. I haven't really had a chance to read through it yet. I thought it might have some interesting tips and I"m always looking for ways to make sewing quicker, smarter, better.

Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunch - Melt in your Mouth Cookies by Alice Medrich. I don't own any of Alice's other books. She is a well know author of dessert cookbooks, and I am a lover of dessert cookbooks. I also love cookies, and I thought I'd add this to my collection. I haven't had a chance to read it or bake anything from it.

The Bon Appetit - Fast Easy Fresh Cookbook, ed. Barbara Fairchild. I'm a long time subscriber to Bon Appetit, and this book was listed for 13.98 (price seems to have gone up) which I thought was really good value for such a huge cookbook, so I just added it to my order. I've had a quick flick, and there seems to be lots of yummy recipes. I guess there has to be some winners in that book that big!

For some cheeky devils

2011-07-12T19:20:00.000+10:00

We've been super busy here with our visitor, but I've managed to sneak in a bit of sewing and embroidery. I really wanted to make a couple of shirts for my cousin's boys. They (really my cousin's wife!) were kind enough to send some presents over for Will & Moo, so I wanted to send something back with my mom.

Pattern: SCKL Imke
Fabrics: Stella knit (from Crafty Mamas)
Embroidery: Little Devil by Jolijou

I also did a couple of embroideries for my mom of a wire fox terrier. I only managed to do two because the design is 35000 stitches and took forever to stitch out!

And I finally managed to piece together the backing for my quilt. I have the wadding and now I need to cut the binding. Then I need to face up to sandwiching and pinning. I have everything here that I need. If only I had the energy for it. The constant trips everywhere are very tiring for this introvert!

Who needs clothes?

2011-07-01T20:31:00.000+10:00

Well, apparently my mother does. But she was kind enough to give up some of that luggage space to bring me this...

It sat around for a couple of days then I finally decided to give it a go. I cut some paper for my first go (no photo, well, I did take a photo, but it wasn't that exciting as it was a white piece of paper with stars cut out). Next up I made some iron-on velours (more luggage space was taken up by rolls of heat transfer flock)

I couldn't believe how easy it was to do. Love it!

If ya got it

2011-06-30T22:54:00.000+10:00

flaunt it. This is what Rainbow Girl came out wearing last Saturday.

She knit that scarf at school last term. Rainbow clothes you've seen before.

I have some other bits to blog. We've just been really busy with Grandma visiting.

Play at the park

2011-06-23T21:50:00.000+10:00

I've had several friends tell me that the park at Newington Armoury is really good. I don't know why it's taken me so long to go there. It's not far from our house. I had planned to go to Chatswood Chase this afternoon to do some shopping, but decided it would be a lot more fun to take Will to the park. Col had the day off, so he joined us. No Mollie. She's at Winter Festival.

View from near the slides down to the river. The brown building is the cafe. Having a cafe at the park is a HUGE tick for me. It's nice to be able to buy a coffee.

Will climbing up the hill

At the top

Coming down the slide

Will climbed up that rope ladder then crawled across the ropes to us. We are the shadows.

Sorry the photos aren't the best. The light is hard to deal with in the late afternoon. Will really liked the park and said that we must bring Mollie and Grandma. Grandma arrives on Monday!!!

Going Dotty

2011-06-15T22:12:00.000+10:00

I've wanted to make these pants since this pattern came out, but I could never find the time. I also hadn't found the right fabric. I was afraid of a fly zipper. Afraid of not being able to do it just right. Marie suggested the Jalie instructions for a fly zipper. Thank you Marie. The instructions worked a treat.

Funny thing is that you can't see the zipper because the apron covers it!

Pattern: Farbenmix Roberta
Fabric: Cord from Spotlight, patchwork printed poplin Stenzo from Bunte Fabrics.
Embroidery: Milli Zwergenschoen from Galerie Tausendschoen; Hedgie from Kunterbunt Design.

Moo loves them.

Making marshmallows

2011-06-13T20:35:00.000+10:00

I've made marshmallows before, and I used powdered gelatin. I always thought I could taste the gelatin in the finished product which is icky to me. I don't really groove on gelatin at the best of times. A few weeks back on MasterChef a pastry chef mentioned that leaf gelatin doesn't have the same sort of flavour issues. This prompted me to grab some leaf gelatin last time I was at Chefs Warehouse.

I don't cook a lot with gelatin, but I wanted to have a play with my new ingredient, so I did a google search for marshmallow recipes using leaf gelatin. I found a very easy to follow recipe at the delightful Fig Jam and Lime Cordial.

Pan prepared. I would recommend a thicker coating of cornflour/icing mixture. My marshmallow stuck to the pan a little, but I was able to pry it off.

Egg whites whisked (loving my glass bowl for the Kitchen Aid!)
f

Sugar syrup boiling

Used my Thermapen to check the temp of the syrup (couldn't take the photo while holding it in the syrup)

Leaf gelatin soaking. Super easy to use. It dissolved into hot sugar/egg whites with no issues. Magic!

Egg white & sugar syrup being whisked up

In the pan

Being sliced

The assistant tosses the cut marshmallows in cornflour/icing mixture

All done

We did make rocky road with half of the marshmallows. I think the kids will eat the other ones or maybe they will be used with hot chocolate.

Chilly cold today

2011-06-06T20:53:00.000+10:00

It was cold in Sydney town today. It was a good reason to wear my super cool fingerless gloves.

My friend, Peta, knit these, and she also knit these wrist warmers for Moo.

Moo was also the recipient of this fabbo bean knitted by Suzanne.

Suzanne also knit me a gorgeous headband which I haven't photographed, but I've been wearing. Love it!

Makeup Bags

2011-06-05T11:56:00.000+10:00

These bags were another "retreat" project. I figured I could easily sew them up and chat. They were all made with scraps that I received at Sew It Together. I'm not a scrap sort of girl as I tend to mainly sew clothes as you know. Some of the scraps were from Hawthorne Threads and some were from the lovely Anna of Polly Pratt. I didn't take photos of the insides of the bags, but they are different, but coordinate with the outer fabric. Some of the bags I embellished with ribbon and/or iron-on velours.

Pattern is an e-book from Farbenmix, Lieselotte Hoppenstedt. The pattern comes in English.

Lounge chooks

2011-06-04T10:28:00.000+10:00

Chook #1 out of mainly Ginger Blossom fabrics. This chook is a gift for a friend. She doesn't read my blog or really blogs in general, so it's safe to post now. I made this bird at the annual Crafty Mamas craft retreat. I spent most of last weekend sewing and eating a lot of Malteasers and LAUGHING.

I didn't sew this bird at the retreat. I put it together and home and realised that I'd done most of the work, so might as well sew it up at home.

Our lounge chook was made to match the quilt for our lounge which is a copy of my friend, Milly's quilt.

I sewed the quilt top at the retreat.

The bird cushion is the Hello Birdie pattern by The Red Thread. Great little pattern for whipping up something very cute in a short amount of time. Thank you to Lisa at The Red Thread for giving this pattern to everyone who attended Sew It Together this year.

Old and new

2011-06-03T22:37:00.000+10:00

My lovely friend, Milly, made these very cool pants for Will. And the main reason that I hadn't blogged about them is that I wanted to make a top to go with them. Yesterday I finally stitched the top.

The pants are made from Patterns by Figgy's Dapper Dillinger Trousers. To make the top I used the trusty Ottobre 301 pattern. I purposefully sized up for Will's top. I want him to get as much wear as possible out of that lovely Hilco campan knit.

I took this picture in a hurry, so it's not the best. I know Milly hasn't been thrilled with the fit of these pants. I have to say they look ok in the front, but are a tad too baggy in the back for my taste. Let's not tell Will that, ok? I think they look pretty darn cute on him!

Never say never

2011-05-23T20:00:00.000+10:00

Silk/Flannel blankets were one of the first items that I ever made for sale. I guess it's sort of fitting they are the last things I've made for customers. I'm not saying that I'm never going to sew for others, but I'm definitely having a break. How long? I don't know.

I've always made two different styles of blanket. One is low water immersion dyed (LWI) This style isn't as visually striking as the tie dyed rainbow mandalas, but it's very lush. I use a sand wash silk for these blankets which is softer and suits the pastel mottled colours.

Then there is the bright, bold rainbow mandalas. The mandalas are dyed on a 12mm silk habutae.

Winter woolies

2011-05-21T12:11:00.000+10:00

This all started because I bought Will a couple of merino tops from Eureka a couple of years ago, and he's outgrown them. One top was a ribbed merino knit and the other was ahoodie.

The top on the left is the new one and the one on the right is Will's old one. Excuse the look of the top. It had been worn two days in a row which is always a good sign here!

I used the Sewing Clothes Kids Love Imke pattern. I used my overlocker for all of the seams and my coverstitch for all of the hems. With the hood I turned the hem back 2cm instead of folding it over twice as per the pattern instructions.

Here's Miss Moo modeling her top. Yet again this is after she'd worn the top the day before.

If the top seems a bit roomy on her, this is intentional. I sized up for both of the kids to get as much wear as possible.

Now I'm thinking I want something for me out of merino jersey.

Surry Hills Shopping

2011-05-11T22:40:00.000+10:00

Every so often I go out shopping with a friend of mine. We usually have an agenda like checking out some new places or hunting down something. My friend wanted to see some interior design/homewares shops in Surry Hills.

I wanted to go to The Fabric Store. I'd been wanting some merino knit to make some tops for the kids. Will had a couple of tops from Eureka which were really great, but I didn't want to pay NZ$80 for a hoodie that I could easily sew myself. The Fabric Store's website says they stock merino wool knits, and they do! There weren't all colours of the rainbow, but there was a nice assortment of colours. They were $28-$36/m which I thought was reasonable.

The stripe knit was only $10/m. It's a cotton/spandex.

Now what pattern do I use? Farbenmix Imke or do I look through all of my Ottobre Design magazines?

Since we were in Surry Hills, I took the opportunity to pop into Chef's Warehouse.

I think I see some baking in my future. Probably something chocolaty!

Does she really need it?

2011-05-10T22:47:00.000+10:00

Yes, Moo does need another rainbow top. She's outgrowing her rainbow sleeve Antonia top, and I didn't like the rainbow sleeve Zoe top. So after my success with the C*Z*M Mareena top, I thought I'd use the Mareen pattern for Moo.

Excuse the dirt at the hem. She wore the top to school before I had a chance to photograph it.
The kids always like photos of them together. Will looks like he's about to bite Moo on the neck.

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T21:55:00.000+10:00

This morning I rolled out of bed and popped cinnamon rolls into the oven. I had prepared them the night before. Col made coffee, and we lounged around in the morning.

Then I reminded the family about my present. Yes, I buy my presents. I bought the glass bowl for my mixer. Never mind that I own 3 stainless bowls for my Kitchen Aid, one of which is engraved with my name (thanks Mom!).

This afternoon we did some gardening. I pruned my lemon, we weeded underneath the lemon and lime trees. I fed the trees and then we put down mulch.

We then planted some herbs in the planters out front and hacked back the umbrella plant.

BEFORE

AFTER

Thyme and Rosemary

Parsley, Coriander and Chives

And while I was out front, I snapped a photo of our solar panels. Cool, eh?

I made dinner too. I'd prefer to eat at home where we can be relaxed. I cooked a yummy Gundooee rib cutlet which we ate with truffled mash, roast beetroot and pumpkin, and of course, a nice red wine, Tamburlaine 2003 Syrah to be exact.

The love is gone

2011-05-06T12:59:00.000+10:00

It is, and it's weird because I've nurtured this love. Perhaps I've made myself believe it was there or perhaps I've had a dose of reality. I don't know. But what I do know is that I have lost the love of sewing for others. I know the catalyst for this feeling. It's the new job. The new job is wonderful. I had no idea how much I missed that sort of stimulation, and to add to that to feel wanted and to be remunerated for my experience and knowledge. So if you ask me how I feel about my "new" job, I love it. I think that is where the love went. It moved on.

But at the same time I don't want to let go, but I can't see myself actively pursuing or even accepting sewing & dyeing work because if I do it means that I can't sew for me and the family. In the past I used to feel guilty when I'd take time out to make Mollie or Will something because I should be working on something else. As I sit here and type this I can see the Hilco poplin that has been sitting on a chair for 6 months that is intended for a Manhattan dress. It's been patiently waiting. Waiting too long. What else is on the chair? Some really cute fabric from Ikea that I bought to make myself a skirt. The cut out pajama pants for me that need to be sewn. The Leni and Roberta patterns that I traced out at SIT for Moo. So much has been pushed aside. It's making me wonder what else around the house has been getting pushed aside.

Nothing really changes nothing about the blog because it has never really been about business. It's about what I make, and that isn't going to stop. In fact I hope that I can make more fun and wonderful stuff because I like making crazy colourful clothing. I can spend the time to mull over designs and I can use my European fabrics with freedom because I won't have to consider how much they add to the final cost. It's good.

Speaking of fun and colourful, I made these two hoodies recently.

Pattern: Farbenmix Quiala
Fabric: Hand dyed cotton/spandex French terry
Embroideries: Florafox by Luzia Pimpinella (available at Huups.de)

Pattern: Farbenmix Imke (old paper pattern, not SCKL)
Fabric: Hand dyed cotton/spandex French terry
Embroidery: Florafox

Just an interesting fact, doing the embroideries for these two tops took 4 hours.

What is this world coming to?

2011-05-02T21:56:00.000+10:00

Two posts in one day? Nope, that's not what I'm talking about. Today I picked up the newest Sookie Stackhouse book in Kmart. The official release date of this book is May 3, and I have it here in Australia before that date.

And the Aussie dollar hit $1.10 today. I still can't believe that the Aussie dollar is worth more than the American dollar.

Tonight's Dinner

2011-05-02T13:30:00.000+10:00

I've had a hankering for lasagna for a while. I tried this recipe a few years ago, and I really like it. It reminds me of my cousin's lasagna (yes, you Melissa!). I don't add all the veggies, and I also do what the reviews say and make twice the sauce.

This is my first blog photo with my new camera. Not a perfect shot, but I also didn't take the time to set it up. I've finally bought myself a compact camera which I am going to carry around with me. I'm hoping to be able to take photos of places I go, so that I can share more.

Mareena for me

2011-04-26T17:44:00.001+10:00

I have a confession. This is actually the second Mareena top that I've made for myself. It's hard to get a photograph of me wearing something since I take most of the photos around here. That is a funny thought considering Col is more knowledgeable with a camera. It's also funny that I always dislike the photos that he takes of me. Or perhaps it's more that I just don't like seeing photos of myself. I had the choice of two photos. One where I'm smiling and look happy or another where I have a horrid expression on my face. Either way just look at the top, ok?

The pattern is Mareena from Cinderella*Zwergen*Mode. I got mine from my "dealer" aka Crafty Mamas. The fabric is stella knit in New Cherry and the sleeves are pieces of Asian inspired print knits. I bought them as a remnant pack from Sheree's Alchemy a while back.

I like the pattern, but I don't think raglan tops are the best design for my body. It is very comfy though!

Nice as pie

2011-04-24T23:13:00.000+10:00

I made apple pie today because we were having guests for dinner. (photo taken before baking!)

It was made with apples that we picked in Bilpin the previous week. Will proudly told his grandparents that he picked those apples at the orchard.

We also had a yummy piece of slow cooked veal for dinner. I didn't take a photo of it because really, it didn't look that spectacular, but it tasted so nice. Before you start jumping up and down and telling me about how veal is bad. This veal is raised on a biodynamic farm where it's allowed to free range with its mother.

If you are concerned at all about how the meat you eat is raised, and you are in Sydney, you have to check out Feather & Bone. Feather & Bone have been doing their thing for a while, and I have to admit that I'm a bit late coming to the party. Not late as in caring about what I eat, but late in buying from them. Not only do they offer excellent produce, but their customer service is fabulous. I showed up there on Thursday not having placed an order to see if they had anything on hand. They were super busy, but still took the time to help me and didn't make me feel like a nuisance. I could rave on and on about them, but I think their website does a better job than I ever could.

Rainy day sewing

2011-04-16T22:25:00.000+10:00

The weather has turned cool in Sydney, and I've done the clearing out of the kids clothes. In the process I discovered that we had no winter pajamas that fit the kids! I couldn't just go buy some when I have a plentiful stash of fabrics and my trusty Kwik Sew 3234 pattern. So I spent the past day sewing up some PJs.

For Mollie I chose some knits that I've had in the stash for a while, but couldn't see myself using for her everyday clothes. My selection of knits for Will isn't as big, so I choose the Oogas and some of my new to the stash JNY knit fabric from Sweden (via Crafty Mamas!). I had originally purchased the JNY fabric with a different intention which is why I didn't have enough fabric for the sleeves. I also made the pajamas a size too large in hopes that we can get two winters wear out of them.

Mollie wanted to take the photos in the kitchen. The kids were doing action shots. So you get one "nice" photo and one "action" photo because they are kind of funny.

I still have a few more things cut out to sew like a couple pants to be dyed rainbow (1 done, 1 to be sewn), leggings for Moo (we have a lack of leggings too), a Mareen top for me, and because Moo wanted a matching top, a Mareena top for her.

Slacker

2011-04-16T22:01:00.000+10:00

Yup, that's me. I hadn't managed to photograph anything. Hadn't really sewn much in the past couple of weeks. I think I was recovering from the party stress. Perhaps it was just that busy-ness of the last week of school. But I've made up for it in the past 72 hours.

On Thursday I made a Caroline skirt for Cass' littlest.

I also made Sheridan a LoveChirp PimpiCuff. It was her birthday on Wednesday, and at SIT she mentioned that she liked the PimpiCuffs I had made for the sample swap.

Oh I love my comfy pants

2011-04-03T21:09:00.001+10:00

I'm sitting here on the lounge in my trackies (sweatpants/track pants for non-Aussies). Today was a big day, Mollie & Will's birthday party at Fagan Park. I've been doing bits and pieces for the party for the past two weeks. I made the rainbow Happy Birthday Mollie & Will! bunting which my photographer didn't shoot. And yesterday I spent ALL day baking. I love to bake, so I didn't mind. I baked up the rainbow cookies, my choc chip cookies, ANZAC biscuits, 64 cupcakes, and caramel popcorn. I totally recommend the caramel popcorn recipe. It was a big hit at the party, and Col & Moll really liked it. If you are in Australia and want corn syrup, USA Foods sells Karo Corn Syrup. You could probably use glucose syrup in place of the corn syrup. The corn syrup helps to prevent crystallisation when making the caramel.

My photographer did take a photo of the cupcakes

Sorry for being so quiet last week. Last week was a big change for me with starting back at work. Work isn't hard (it's actually great), but after being at home for 5 years, it's different to get myself dressed and out of the house to be with other adults for a few hours. I was also sick last week, AND it was my birthday. But wait there's more...we had a mouse in our house. Not just a quiet, sneaky mouse, but a crazy climbing mouse that would climb the blinds in MY bedroom! That dreadful creature also gnawed the bottom of my laundry room door and my front door! So there. I have lots of good excuses.

I haven't forgotten that I missed my blogiversary. I want to do something for it, but I couldn't contemplate making anything for it over the past few weeks.

For me or Moo?

2011-03-30T09:40:00.000+11:00

I still can't decide if I bought this amazingly beautiful scarf for me or for Moo. I mean I did buy it for Moo, but surely she can let me borrow it.

The scarf was made by Sandy of Hobgoblin House. She has a Facebook page and an Etsy shop. I've also heard rumours that she might be a guest stockist at Gossamer Dreams soon.

Distracted

2011-03-28T22:11:00.000+11:00

This going back to work gig and the kids' party have been occupying most of mental space. I start tomorrow. I'm not fearful of working as I really like the people with whom I am going to be working, and I know what I'll be doing. The thing that is stressing me out the most is how bad will the traffic be driving there. This thought keeps occurring because I will hit city-bound traffic on part of the way there. It's normally only a 15 minute drive, but I don't know how peak hour is going to change that. But really I don't need to stress. If I'm 5 minutes late, it's no biggie!

For the kids' party I need to write a list, so that I can feel more in control.

And to add to this crazy list, I have been tormented by a mouse. We have a mouse in our house, and that cheeky rodent will not get itself caught in a trap. It will not eat the bait. We have the plastic traps, and they are not working. It has had near misses twice (trap gone off, but no mouse), and one time when it escaped from the trap). So I'm going to get some old fashion mouse traps next time I'm at the shops. That mouse of ours is wily and quick, and it is crapping all over my house which is completely freaking me out. And yes, I'm pretty darn sure that it is only one.

I also went to Sew It Together on Saturday.

I don't think I talked much about going because to be honest talking to a bunch of people that I don't know stresses me out. I am really, truly an introvert. I'm not someone who just says that. It's a tested fact that I am. In my usual fashion I chatted mostly with people that I already knew. I did get to meet a few people like Kylie and Karen that I've "known" for a while. I also met the very lovely and bubbly Gillian. And a huge thank you to all of the lovely sponsors of SIT. So many amazing goodies in my bag. And as a door prize I scored a couple of things from Crafty Mamas, a Knippe magazine and a Farbenmix Celina pattern.

I've been sewing. I made some PimpiCuffs for the SIT sample swap which was organised by Cass. The swap was excellent. I got a notebook and pencils from Cass, an Iphone pouch from Karen, a casserole carrier from Donna, a beautiful house quilt from Helen, and a lovely appliqued bag with some gorgeous scraps from Anna.

Oh sewing...you want to see some? I think I've been reticent to post photos of this jacket. I wanted to love the pattern, but I didn't. Mollie really likes it though. I just didn't find Little Woo very enjoyable to sew. The neck binding was very fiddly, and I don't like the placement of the button loops. And it's not easy to alter the loops if the length is incorrect, and I couldn't figure out how to know how long/short they need to be until the garment is constructed and the loops are sewn in by that point. Sorry I don't have any modeled photos. Moo's been wearing it, and now it's dirty and wrinkled looking like most of her well-loved items.

Front

Back

8

2011-03-22T23:13:00.000+11:00

She had attitude when she was born.

She loved hanging out with Grandma (and still does!)

And here she is almost 8 years later.

I didn't manage to snap a photo of her today, and I really like this one that I took the other day. Yeah, yeah I know you've already seen it! Today was a bit of a whirlwind as I prepared the birthday girl's dinner of rice paper rolls. We had a pavlova for "cake". I also made her those yummy, scrummy cinnamon rolls to take to school.

While doing dinner preparations and tidying the house, I also did some machine embroidery. I made Moo a PimpiCuff and made another that I need for the SIT swap. I've also started the "HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOLLIE & WILL!" bunting. I hope I can get through the Mollie & Will part. At least Happy Birthday on its own will work.

Rockin' Rainbow Pants and other news

2011-03-14T17:16:00.000+11:00

I'll show you the pants in a moment. The news is NOT that I'm pregnant. Because if you know me, you'd know that I have no intention of having any more children. I like my two very much.

My news is that I am going back to working outside the home. I'm going to work "school hours" a couple of days a week. These would have been days when I would have been doing willow & moo work. I am not stopping willow & moo, but I'm not expanding it either. Any one who crafts for money would know how it can be all consuming. And most items that I make require multiple steps to create whether it's cutting, tying, dyeing, embroidery, stitching on embellishments, sewing. Every time I start to think about doing a market on my own, I find the thought overwhelming. So I'm going to try to balance it all. Having a job where I can work a couple of days a week with a definite amount of money frees me up to be more creative and to have more joy in what I create. This is good for everyone.

willow & moo is going to be similar to when I was doing the renovations and doing mainly custom orders. From time to time I will make things for the Etsy shop, but most of the new listings will be for custom slots. Please feel free to email me with requests too!

If you've read this far, here's some eye candy. For a while I'd been thinking about making rainbow pants, not leggings. I was pretty sure that the Farbenmix Oona pattern would give me the look that I was after. Oona pants have a slight flare at the bottom of the leg. They remind me of the Ottobre "Jump" pants. The pants are made from a French terry type fabric which contains spandex.

Mollie wanted to wear them to school today, but I told her that she would be too warm in them. I'm wondering if 25 (deg C), will be cool enough tomorrow. Then again as we head into autumn, she'll have lots of opportunity to wear them in a few weeks time.

Another party

2011-03-13T22:08:00.000+11:00

Another present needed. I followed Cass' excellent idea of making an Ooshka Babushka for a present.

I have to say these make very sweet presents and are very easy to whip up. It's one of those items where I could have drafted it myself and even embroidered a face, but I quite like the design of Lisa's faces, pretty and bright. The birthday girl loved it.

I'm going to

2011-03-13T18:30:00.000+11:00

Sew It Together. I know it probably seems odd that I haven't mentioned it yet. Well, if you know me, you would know that I get overwhelmed with crowds. I tend to stick to my friends that I know. I think I've been stressing about going. I'm terrible at making small talk, but at least with crafty people, there is plenty to talk about.

I was in the name tag swap. I made this one for Claire.

I have to say the colour palette for the name tags was a challenge for me. I am not a big fan of orange, yellow and brown and least of all together. Claire makes the cutest sock owl kits which inspired my choice of an owl for the name tag I am actually thinking of taking my pattern with me to SIT as it seems like a nice little project to work on in that environment. And well, if I get stuck, I can ask the designer herself for help!

I received this beautiful name tag from Nic of Small, Dark and Handsome. The stitching is perfect, and I love the design. Even though they aren't "MY" colours, I think the name tag is very me. Thank you Nic!

I have to admit that I haven't been blogging much over the past week. I have quite a few creations to share and a bit of news. Now I must go make dinner.

Birthday season

2011-03-06T12:20:00.000+11:00

We are gearing up for birthday season in the house of willow & moo. Within a period of 3 weeks we have my birthday, Will's and Mollie's. Mollie missed out on having a party last year because of the renovations, so this year I promised her that she could have one. The kids decided to have one together which is great for me. Yes, I'll have to prepare a lot more stuff, but it will be only once instead of twice!

I can't remember if I mentioned that I bought a printer. We haven't had a printer in our house for years. This was mainly due to the lack of space. Then it took us forever to buy one because we had to decide what to buy. I bought the printer in January. I love having the freedom to print/scan/copy whenever I want! I used to ask Col to print things for me at work. This was bad because he would know things like I had a Spotlight coupon!

Anyway back to the invitations. I just printed a simple invitation on some white card, and decorated them with my hand carved stamps from Chantal Vincent Art. I adore Chantal's stamps!

And it's almost the 3rd birthday of this blog. Might have to start planning something good for that.

Rainbow blankets

2011-02-28T23:05:00.001+11:00

I've been making, but not sharing. The first week the kids were back at school I did some dyeing. I dyed rainbow redondo skirts (they're in the Etsy shop). I also dyed some silk and flannel to make blankets. I had a couple of orders, so I made a few extra.

The silk side of the blankets dyed with rainbow mandalas.

To take the photos of the blankets I have to stand on a step ladder. Today I had the brilliant idea to pay Moo to be my stylist. So she laid out the blankets, flipped up the corner and turned them over so I could get all of my pictures. Now she will have a bit of pocket money for the Lorien Markets on March 12. I'm going to be at the markets peddling my wares too. I'll be hanging out with my Lorien Novalis Playgroup friends, so if you are in the neighbourhood and come looking for me, that's where I'll be.

A pretty present

2011-02-24T21:34:00.000+11:00

A friend had a birthday today. The other week she mentioned in passing that she liked the wallet that I made, and she wanted me to make her one. She wanted to pay me, and I scoffed at her and told her that I'd make her one for her birthday.

Before I made the wallet I had a quick chat with my friend. I came home and looked through the stash, and I saw THIS fabric. It was one of my first Euro fabric purchases, and I think it is perfect for a wallet. I love the colours and print. I wanted to keep the wallet for me which means it is perfect to give as a present to a good friend.

Ooey Gooey Yummy!

2011-02-20T13:21:00.001+11:00

Yesterday Ed came to visit. Ed and I have been friends since uni. I always think that I'm a very lucky girl because one of my very best friends lives in the same city as I do even though I moved half way around the world.

Moo has been playing with our old digital camera again. She took this photo of Col, Will, me and Ed.

Since we were having a visitor, I thought I would bake something special. On Friday I had a shopping day to restock chocolate, cocoa and spices. When I was at Herbie's, I bought some cassia because as I discovered, cassia is the spice that I most strongly associate with "cinnamon". I really wanted to make something with it, so I searched the King Arthur website for a cinnamon roll recipe as I thought I'd seen one in a blog post. I looked through the cinnamon roll recipes and found the one that had the best reviews.
(photo taken by Moo again)

I have to agree with the reviews. The cinnamon buns were excellent. Exactly what I was after, and I found the dough easy to work with. Although I did have to add a bit of extra flour to get the consistency just right. I should add that I used 2 tbs of cassia and 1 tbs of cinnamon. If you are after ooey gooey super yummy cinnamon rolls, I can recommend this recipe.

Yes, that is a little Lego man in the picture.

A worthy read

2011-02-19T22:10:00.001+11:00

I don't normally talk political stuff, but this is an issue that is close to me as it is affecting a very, very dear friend of mine. And truthfully it affects all of us in Australia because if you want food to eat, we need land to grow it and clean water.

So here is the email that my friend, Carolyn, has asked me to share.

Dear Friends,

As you would know, I am not normally one for all out broadcast emails.  However, this issue is so important to me not just on a personal level because we are so intricately involved, but also on moral, ethical, social and environmental grounds. 

As you know, we purchased 170 acres of land at Ilford (halfway between Lithgow and Mudgee) about 6 years ago.  A beautiful rural bush property with nice neighbours, stunning views of the surrounding countryside and mountain ranges, and abundant wildlife – a great place to relax and enjoy life with our family and friends.  About 18 months ago we started to build a modest house to use as a weekender initially, but with plans to more than likely retire there in the distant future. 

About 12 months ago, our tranquil bush existence was ripped away from us when we were told by our neighbours that the state government had granted a mining exploration license covering our area to a company named Centennial Coal.  In August of last year we were advised (again by our neighbours) that the next door property (Mount Ilford Winery) had been sold to Centennial Coal.  The information from the company about its intentions in our area, is vague to say the least.  What has been said to our local action group is that the coal in our area is of very low quality, and that 95% is destined for overseas. 

The coal seams in our area are apparently so close to the surface that open cut mining in some areas will definitely be the way that they will proceed for the old winery site.  Our house is halfway to completion (almost at lockup) and our bedroom window will more than likely look out onto an open cut coal mine less than 300m from the house!!!  To this day we have had no communication from Centennial Coal!!! 

How is it possible that if my next door neighbour here in Sydney wishes to erect a pergola, everyone within the immediate area is advised and asked for input.  Yet if my next door neighbour at Ilford wants to establish an open cut mine, no communication at all is needed ?????  [Note: The length of time that is given to receive, read, digest, prepare and submit objections to that pergola are the same for the coal mine (just 4 weeks)].

The proposed mine (old winery) site has a creek running through it which flows to more than 100 small farms in our area – they rely on this water.  Most of the flow from this creek ultimately ends up as part of the Murray-Darling River.  If the mine proceeds this water will be hideously contaminated with a toxic cocktail that is the by-product of coal mining, and/or the water will just stop flowing – I’m not sure which will have the worst effect.  Air quality in the surrounding area will be significantly impacted as dust from the mine (heavily laden with varying levels of nitrous oxide, heavy metals including lead and uranium, plus arsenic, cadmium and other toxic chemicals) is spread through the air.  Its effect is compounded by many residents' reliance on tank water.

This is not just an issue for us and our little property – this is a very serious issue that is affecting vast tracks and fertile farmland right across (mainly) NSW and Queensland. 

For your information, I am providing for you a couple of recent articles from the Sydney Morning Herald:

1.    “Food security outranks mining in land use policy”

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/state-election-2011/food-security-outranks-mining-in-land-use-policy-20110215-1av7k.html

The Running Stream area referred to in this article is the proposed mine next door to our farm at Ilford, near Mudgee !!!!!  The Bylong Valley area referred to in this article is owned by “Labor powerbroker Eddie Obeid” and there is an article in today’s SMH regarding this property, and I quote:

Mr Obeid, who was once the minerals minister, told the Herald last year that he planned to retire to the magnificent Cherrydale Park, a rural property in the Bylong Valley, near Mudgee, which his family bought three years ago. The Obeid family may be in for a windfall with Cascade Coal about to pay a handsome price for the farm to mine for coal.

2.    “Obeid joins the jetty set”

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/obeid-joins-the-jetty-set-20110218-1azlz.html

Hmmmm.....this is such a dirty, dirty business in all senses.  The community has to know that this is going on!!  Our current and future food and water resources are at serious risk, and the decisions that are being made are by those with direct financial links to these projects. 

3.    “Planning for food or coal”

Following is a link to the Sydney Morning Herald’s property blog from last week.

http://smh.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/blogs/property-values/planning-for-food-or-coal/20110210-1annk.html

ABC Four Corners “The Gas Rush” Monday 21 February 8.30pm ABC1

The upcoming ABC Four Corners program on this Monday night will investigate the issue of gas coal seam mining, a potentially more serious issue that is set to devastate our country if allowed to proceed.

Right across Australia gas companies are drilling down through the earth to extract the resource that the industry says will be one of the answers to our future energy needs. Already some $31 billion worth of gas projects have been approved by the Federal Government, which are expected to generate thousands of jobs and billions in revenues. But this precious resource lies beneath homes and farms, and the food bowls of Australia. And this is where the gas companies are drilling; prompting a heated conflict over who should pay the price for our energy supplies.

The program shows local activists testing for leaks and finding highly explosive gasses leaking at alarming levels. Others talk of their fears that Australia's greatest underground water resource, the Great Artesian Basin will be contaminated and depleted. Four Corners details cases of water supplies being tainted by salty toxic water.

Many of those affected are beginning to work together on a national campaign to call a halt to "The Gas Rush".

Four Corners, presented by Kerry O'Brien, goes to air on Monday 21st February at 8.30pm on ABC 1. It is replayed on Tuesday 22nd February at 11.35 pm. You can also see the program on ABCNews24 at 8.00pm each Saturday, on ABC iview or on our website at Video on Demand.

http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2011/s3141787.htm

Peter Cronau

Producer

Four Corners - ABC TV

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

GPO Box 9994, Sydney 2001, Australia

tel: (+61) 02 8333 4617

fax: (+61) 02 8333 4755

www.abc.net.au/4corners

Free Screening of award winning documentary “Gasland” Saturday 5 March 1pm

And finally, the Ryde-Epping Greens are running a free screening of the award winning documentary “Gasland”.  This film is a compelling story about gas coal seam mining and the devastating effects that it has on the environment and the community.  This film has recently been awarded a Special Jury Prize for US Documentary at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, and is a 2011 Oscar Nominee for Best Documentary !!!  For more information go to www.gasland.com.au

The screening will take place on Saturday 5 March at 1pm at Boronia Grove, 49 Rawson St Epping (behind the Epping Club – access via Coles outdoor carpark). RSVP to epping@nsw.greens.org.au or just turn up on the day (bring a friend).

Please help

I don’t normally send this type of email broadcast, and I don’t normally ask for help, but we need it now.  Will you please send this information out to all of your contacts via Facebook and/or your email list. 

Coal for 20 years or Food and Water for a Lifetime ?

Thanks for your help in getting the message out.

Kind regards,

Carolyn Ballard

I was going to blog about the awesome cinnamon rolls that I made today, but this was more important. I'll be back tomorrow with those.

14 years

2011-02-15T17:16:00.000+11:00

Wow, we look young there! It was super hot that day. You know how February in Sydney can be. And we were married way out west, so it was really hot. I think that is why Vanessa and I had to drink so many glasses of sparkling wine.

And this pretty much sums us up

(I have been making a fair bit of stuff, but a lot of it is in progress like an embroidery for the Little Woo that I am making for Moo. It's even cut out. I've cut/dyed/iron pieces for redondo skirts. I made some key fobs. I finally made my name badge for the SIT swap. It needs a brooch pin thing for the back. I'm not so good at in progress photos. Oh and I made a rainbow Olivia dress for a friend's daughter, but I didn't take a photo of it before I gave it to her.)

New wallet

2011-02-08T21:47:00.000+11:00

I kept seeing this very cute wallet showing up in my Google reader, and I needed a new wallet.
My poor old Kate Spade wallet that I bought to match my very chic baby bag was showing its wear. Not surprising as it's 7 years old!

So I bought the e-book even though it's in German. Hey, I sew with German Farbenmix patterns, so I figured I could manage it. Plus the lovely Andrea told me that she would help me if I got stuck. In the end I muddled through with the excellent photos and my friend, Google Translate.

My next challenge was to pick fabrics. Initially I was thinking of some machine embroidery and then thought that I should keep it relatively simple the first time around, so I picked fabric that matches my El Porto bag.

I like it!

Will's lunch bag - the tutorial

2011-02-07T12:51:00.003+11:00

Ok, so here goes. I don't usually do tutorials because I'm involved in the process when I create and grabbing a camera is the last thing I think to do. This is why this is mostly words and few pictures.

This lunch bag is designed to fit the Tupperware Sandwich Plus lunch box.

I have drawn the pattern pieces in half scale. This was so I could scan them. You might be able to enlarge them on a copier at 200%. Otherwise you can see the dimensions and shapes, so you can draw them with a ruler. The pieces do NOT include a seam allowance!!!! (this is because I didn't want to confuse you as I measured the lunch box in inches and my seam allowance is 1 cm). Please don't ask me why I did this! My brain works in strange ways and I am used to flipping around between imperial and metric measurements.

There are 3 pieces: the bag body, the flap and the strap.

When you cut out the pieces, you need to add a seam allowance! Pick whatever you like. I used 1cm.

I have to be honest and say I don't know how much fabric that you will need. I'd guesstimate and say about 0.5m of each fabric. You also need snaps or velcro (if you are going to use velcro read my comments at the end of the instructions because I'd choose to sew on the velcro while constructing the bag, not when it's finished. Although you could do it when it's finished. The stitching will just show on the outside of the flap.

You need to cut
For the body
2 x fabric for the outside
2 x fabric for the lining
4x pellon H630 (this is to give structure and a bit extra insulation)
2 x insul-bright

For the flap
1 x outside fabric
1 x lining fabric
2 x pellon H630
1 x insul-bright

For the straps
1 x outside fabric
2 x lining fabric (or can be the same as outside fabric)
2 x interfacing (I used a medium weight woven interfacing and cut it without the seam allowance)

I also inserted a base into my bag. I used Nicole M's tutorial on how to make a bag base with Fast-2-Fuse. If you have some Fast-2-Fuse sitting around, I would recommend making a base as it gives the bag nice stability since the bottom of it is quite large. But if you don't want to bother, I think it will be fine as the lunch box will stablise the bag when it is in there.

So now that you've cut that big stack of pieces. Iron all the pellon onto the pieces, so each body piece and each flap piece.
Iron interfacing onto the straps

As I sew, I press all seams open. I also used a heavy weight needle 100/16. You definitely need a sharp needle for sewing through multiple layers of fabric like a denim needle.

Lets start with the strap
1. With the strap pieces wrong side together sew down one long side. Turn right side out and press the seam. Also press under the seam allowance on the strap pieces. Topstitch the long edges of the strap. I also stitched rows of stitching down the length of the strap to stablise it (in addition to the topstitching there are 3 rows sewn down the strap about 0.5" apart)
Set aside the strap.

Now lets sew the flap
1. Put the flap pieces right sides together. Place the Insul-bright on top of the outside fabric. I used some pins, so everything doesn't shift. I also used a walking foot to sew the layers together. Sew down one side around the bottom and up the side. Leave the top of the flap open.

2. Trim the seam allowance and clip the corners. Turn the flap right side out and press. Topstitch around the sides and bottom. Then baste the top of the flap closed within the seam allowance.
Set aside the flap.

Now for the body
Lining
1. With wrong sides togehter, sew the side seams and the bottom seam of the lining. Trim seams and clip corners. Press the seams open.

2. Now match up the side seam with the bottom seam, and sew across this diagonal. This creates the boxed shape on the bottom. Repeat on the other side.

Body
1. Sew the Insul-bright to the wrong side of the body pieces just within the seam allowance. You want the stitching close to where you are going to sew the seam, but not on the line or too far into the seam allowance. Stitching it down keeps the Insul-bright from shifting when you sew the pieces together. I like to be able to trim the Insul-bright back as close to the seam as possible which is why you don't want to baste it down near the edge.

2. Sew the outside body pieces together like the lining pieces, so side seams then bottom seam. Trim the Insul-bright close to the seam. Press. For my bag I topstitched the sides and bottom seam before i sewed the bottom edge seams. For my bag I stitched 6mm each side of the seam using my 1/4" foot. Then I sewed the bottom edge seams. together.

3. If you are going to do a bag base then you need to sort it out now. I did mine according to Nicole M's tute and attached it to the lining.

4. Mark the centre back of the back of the outside of the bag and the centre of the flap. Place the flap and outside bag with outer fabrics facing, matching up the centre marks. Pin and stitch the flap to the back of the bag within the seam allowance

5. Mark the centre points of the short strap edges. Match those points to the side seams and pin the strap with the outer fabric facing the outer fabric of the bag. Stitch the down on each side within the seam allowance. This will scrunch the bag up a little bit because the strap isn't super long.

6. Now turn the lining so that its right side is facing the right side of the outside of the bag. Match side seams and pin. Stitch the lining to the outside of the bag leaving an opening of about 15cm along the front of the bag. Trim the excess fabric in the seam allowance (but not near the opening. I find if I trim too much there it can be hard to press under the fabric Leave an opening along the front of the bag.

7. Pull the bag through the opening. Press the seam and press the edges of the opening. Pin closed the opening (or use some Wash Away Wonder Tape). Topstitch the top edge of the bag all the way around.

8. The bag is basically completed except for a closure. I used snaps because my snap press is one of my new toys. On the top flap, I placed snaps on each side (1" up from the bottom and 1" in from the side). The snaps on the body of the bag are approximately 1" in from the side "edge" and 1.5" up from the bottom edge (there is no seam there, but you can see the "edge" based on where the corner of the bag is. Same for the bottom "edge").

Here you can see the snaps

Velcro would make an excellent closure. I just wanted to use my snap press. If using Velcro I'd consider sewing the pieces of velcro on before construction. So sew the hook piece to the lining of the flap before construction and sewing the loop piece to the body of the bag before sewing it all together. That way the stitching from sewing the velcro will be hidden on the inside of the bag. I can't give you exact placement for the velcro, but you could figure it out based on the positioning of the snaps. I have to be honest and say that I decided where to place the snaps after I'd sewn the bag and picked the spot where the flap fell and I thought it looked good.

Have fun! If you've noticed an error, please let me know. I just knocked this up for Will, and never really had any intention of doing anything further. Feel free to make as many as you want. Make them to sell, just don't take credit for the design because that's totally not cool.

The weed

2011-02-06T22:58:00.000+11:00

We call Moo the weed because she just keeps growing like crazy. I was once told it was all the good life forces in the organic & biodynamic food that we eat (although trust me, we have our share of unhealthy food too). Last week in the extreme heat Mollie chose to wore her Lore top.

I just noticed that I took this photo just over a year ago. And now her top is getting too small.

Being the nice mum that I am I offered to make her a new top. She wanted another velour on the front, so she rummaged through the velour stash and chose this sweet white fairy. I picked the fabrics, Chez Ami knits front and back and Hilco woven for the binding.

I wanted to take a photo of her wearing the top, but it's just been way too hot to venture outside. Thankfully today we had a cool change. 20 degree Celsius, BLISS!

Been dyeing, again!

2011-02-05T22:03:00.000+11:00

Towards the end of last year I'd run down my stock of hand dyed organic cotton/spandex knit. This is the fabric that I use to make rainbow sleeve Antonia tops and rainbow Olivia dresses (and whatever else my mind dreams up). So this week I dyed some fabric.

This time I used a bit more dye to get slightly deeper shades. The photos is deceptive as the colours are richer and deeper in person. I dye my fabrics in a bucket with minimal agitation as I like the hand-dyed mottled look on these fabrics. If I wanted a solid even colour, I'd use my washing machine to dye them.

I also dyed some spandex French terry. I like to use this for Imke tops.

This batch is deeper in colour than the French terry that I dyed last year. I really like this fabric for pull over style tops in cooler weather. The spandex gives it a nice stretch and helps the fabric retain its shape. French terry has a smooth knit side with loops on the back.

Will is definitely in need of an Imke. He's outgrown his other ones.

Lunch bag for the boy

2011-01-30T21:08:00.000+11:00

Will used this lunch box last year

He likes it because he can see everything in one place, but I don't like that I can't put a normal size piece of fruit in it. I hate sending stuff in a separate bag, so I decided that he needed a bag to fit his lunch box, drink bottle and whatever else I feel like putting in (like a banana).

I had a look for a tute because I thought that I couldn't be the only person who'd want a lunch bag that would fit this container, but I didn't find one easily, so I ended up drafting my own. I can give details if anyone wants them. When I am in the process of making, I am not very good at stopping to take photos especially the first time around.

Here's the lunch box in the bag

The front of the bag

The side view

Will modeling with the bag. He'd been running around all day without a shirt. I asked him to put one on for the photo and he chooses long sleeves (and too short in the body!).

Col called it a man bag when he saw it. I will admit that I think it looks pretty big, but it will be functional.

I fused some Pellon to the lining and outer fabric. I also used Insul-bright for insulation. I added a base to the bag using Fast-2-Fuse like Nicole M's tute. I also used a 16/100 heavy needle. The outer fabric is a Japanese robot print and the lining fabric is a batik from Indonesia that was given to me by a friend.

Sewing small things

2011-01-28T18:06:00.003+11:00

I have this box of scraps and unwanted fabric that I'd given to Moo. It was overflowing, so as part of the culling process, I thought I'd use some of the scraps to make some clothes for Moo's dolls. If I used my fabric from my stash, the outfits would be a bit different (more coordinated!).

Also by using scraps, I don't feel so bad when my alteration or the pattern itself isn't quite right. I used Simplicity pattern 5733 and the book "All Dolled Up" by Joan Hinds. The leggings and t-shirt were from the Joan Hinds book. For the dresses I just extended the t-shirt pattern. I tried to add a bit of flare to the skirt like an Olivia. The pants and raglan sleeve top are from the Simplicity pattern.

dresses & leggings

velour pants with raglan top & rose print shirt with jeans

I still like the Mod Kids Kyoko doll pattern best. I need to make up the Frida doll pattern. But in all fairness I picked the fabric specifically for the Kyoko dress, so naturally I'd like it more. And Kyoko did take longer to put together than this mish mash of clothes.

I thought the rise in the pants with the Simplicity pattern was too high. I didn't like the hem allowances in the Joan hinds book. I also thought the neckline on the t-shirt was too high (I lowered it 1/4 inch). I am thinking that this is to cover the neck join on the doll, but it makes everything look like a mock turtle neck. The one item that I didn't photograph was the pink t-shirt which I made according to the pattern. Do you think the necklines on the dress and red rose top look ok?

At the end of the day Moo is happy to have some new clothes for her dolls.

Cha Cha Cha Enchilada

2011-01-22T22:58:00.000+11:00

It's been 4 years since I've been stateside, and I've been having a hankering for enchiladas. I normally make either cheese enchiladas or chicken enchiladas with blue corn tortillas and green sauce.

Right before Christmas I put in an order at a Mexican food place that is luckily located not too far from my house!

The impetus for the shopping was that I can't stand the corn tortillas sold in the shops here. They are nothing like what I used to get when I lived in Texas for obvious reasons. Since I own a tortilla press, I figured it was time to buy some masa harina again and make them myself.   We've had corn tortillas a couple of times since then.

Then this week I stumbled upon The Homesick Texan blog. And while I was looking through the recipes, I saw one for Squash Enchiladas.   I thought that it sounded interesting, and I had what I needed already in the house!   I try to make a couple of meatless meals a week, and this recipe fit the bill.   I don't really go on about it, but like most every one I try to stretch the food budget. We eat a lot of organic produce, and it comes with a price.

Now I did make a few changes.   I didn't have cascabel chiles, but I do usually have guajillo chiles as they are my favourite, so I used guajillos. I didn't used tinned tomatoes because I didn't have a tin of whole tomatoes. I had some ripe ones that needed to be eaten, so I skinned and seeded them and cooked them with the onion and garlic for the sauce.   And I used 4 yellow patty pan squash because we don't have the same yellow crookneck squash that you find in the States. And I'll confess I used some pizza cheese (a mix of mozzarella, cheddar, parmesan) on the top with some added Nimbin Natural cheese. I was just using what I had and was convenient. I have to confess that I am hanging out for Costco to open in Sydney, so I can get Monterey jack cheese.

Stack of freshly made corn tortillas

Guajillo chiles soaking after being dry-fried

Onions, garlic and tomatoes sauteing up for the sauce

The actual sauce after the ingredients go in the blender. The sauce is cooked again after blending ingredients. This is typical of enchilada sauces, and I think it helps to meld the flavours.

The zucchini and squash filling which tasted very nice all on its own.

Tortillas get dipping the sauce and rolled up with the filling

Here they are out of the oven after having all the sauce poured on them and cheese put on top.

I had the blender out to make the sauce, so Col suggested making margaritas to go with the enchiladas.

The margaritas were a good call. The enchiladas came out quite hot, as in spicy hot. I noticed my chipotle in adobo was really hot. I wasn't too concerned about the heat of the dish because I knew Will wasn't going to eat it.   I served the enchiladas with a simple salad of lettuce, tomato and corn with a vinaigrette. It helped cool the heat along with the margarita! I am always blown away by Moo's tolerance for spicy food. She ate two enchiladas, the same amount as me and Col. I am no wimp with spicy foods, but both Col and I kept commenting that dinner had quite a kick. You know when your lips are still burning 5 minutes after you are done eating.

I would definitely make these again. We really enjoyed them.

Auction Closing Time to change!!! Please note!

2011-01-22T20:29:00.000+11:00

I am going to change the auction end time to 9pm on Monday, January 24.

Delightful Destina

2011-01-19T21:01:00.001+11:00

Pattern: Farbenmix Destina. I've loved the look of this pattern from the very first time that I saw it. It's one of those patterns that is just made for mixing fabrics.

Fabrics: assorted Stenzo and Hilco poplins. I had originally thought this dress would be more pink, but when I laid out the fabrics this was the combination that came together.

I dug into my stash and used some ribbon, and I used my snap press to put snaps on the front. I asked Moo her preference, and she chose snaps.

Size 134/140, so it should fit Missy Moo for ages. I'm thinking a pair of leggings in campan or campante will come along soon to go with the dress.

Excuse the expression on her face. It was bright to her eyes since the lounge lizard has been inside all day.

Moo wanted a Farbenmix tag sewn on. I have a little collection of them from the patterns that I've purchased. She looks through them every so often. Of course she picked the one where I only had one, and I wanted it for myself. I think she has a sixth sense about those things!

I just noticed that you can see the topstitching quite well in this photos. I happened to find a spool of turquoise topstitching thread which I used for all of the topstitching. It makes it stand out a bit more.

Don't forget to check out all of the fabulous auctions and raffles. The tally of funds raised as of today (it will be more as the auctions and raffles haven't closed) is about $45,000. Isn't that fantastic!