beautiful design from Colette Patterns

Okay, I know that the last time I posted about sewing, it was to complain about commercial patterns. However, we all know that all commercial patterns are not created equal and I have to say, Sarai of Colette Patterns gets it right. In a big way. And I'm a little bundled up here, so you can't fully appreciate it, but trust me, this has been one of my favorite apparel-sewing projects ever. It's so darned satisfying to take the time and make something really beautiful, and Sarai is a genius at fit - because this thing is really beautiful!

This post and shout-out is long overdue, but since I've been hauting her shop's blog and waiting for her new fall patterns to come out (this Friday, Nov 27!), I may as well tell you now that I am SUPER impressed. This is the "Beignet" skirt (they have the cutest names!), still currently available in Sarai's etsy shop and through her blog. Though medium-weight fabrics are recommended for this skirt pattern, I made mine up in bulky herringbone silk suiting (it's constantly mistaken for wool suiting, it's so heavy). The skirt is fully lined, the waistband and button facings are self-lined; even the pockets are lined. The skirt has six panels, twelve buttons, beltloops and a matching belt, and fits like a dream.

I am SOLD! Plus, Sarai's patterns range from 2 (or even 0?) to 18, which is an amazing labour of love to grade all these different sizes. Cruise on over and check out her beautiful designs, if you haven't already! I'll be biting my nails until Friday...

Yep. Watermelon rind pickles

Growing up, I remember my Dad always talking about watermelon rind pickles. His mother (my grandmother) used to make them, and they were his favorite thing as a kid. But you can't find them these days, he would say, with just a touch of nostalgia and wistfulness in his voice. They sure were good, he'd say.

While in Virginia, one night some locals, friends of a friend with whom I was traveling and working, feted us with a dinner party at their home. They were the most delightful people. As we finished a very tasty meal and leaned back over dessert - spiked watermelon cubes - and conversation continued to range over politics, the state of the economy, history, and art, we got to talking about watermelon. And wouldn't you know it? My hostess voiced with that same wistful nostalgia a fondness for watermelon rind pickles. Which, apparently, were not to be found in the Virginia shops these days, either.

And then, one night while eating out at a fancy restaurant, my friend and I were served pickles and chutneys with our bread - including watermelon rind pickles. Oh lordy, I get the hype. They're sweet, they're spicy, they're a little chewy. Oh goodness, they are tasty! Why don't people make these things anymore?

Well. I had a mission, clearly. A bit of digging, and a bit of swapping around, and here's what I've come up with:

I use this recipe for the process because when it comes to canning, I trust the government to keep me from giving myself and my loved ones botulism. They know what they're doing.

(just to confirm, here's the process in brief: I salt brine the watermelon pieces overnight, then drain and rinse. Gently boil the pieces in fresh water for for 5-10 min, then drain again. Pour the reduced syrup/pickle over the drained, cooked pieces and let sit for another 8 hours. Then I cook for 1 hour in the syrup, then can and process for 10 minutes using the boiling water method.)

However, that syrup/pickle recipe is REALLY sweet, so I substitute this pickle/syrup recipe. And since I'm out of pickling spice lately, I just pop in a few cardamom pods, some juniper berries and mustard seeds, up the peppercorns, whole cloves, and other spices a little bit, and call it good.

And they are good. Really good. So good, in fact, that I had to make and can a fresh batch for my Dad's birthday because I'd gifted and eaten all but one little jar of the first batch (whoops). When summer rolls 'round, give 'em a go! A little bit of effort, but totally worth it - for novelty's sake, if nothing else. Oh, and I like to leave just the tiniest layer of pink flesh on the rind for these - it's a softer, toothier texture before you get into the pickle proper, and from what I read, sounds like a lot of home chefs and home canners who still make these delicious little edibles feel the same.

a batch of warm, flaky love on a grey day

Golden Delicious Apple Turnovers with Cheddar Cheese and Dried Cranberries

I've been holding out on you. I'm sorry. These are amazing. And easy. Try 'em. I made one change: my puff pastry came in a 20-oz package, 3 sheets. So I used all three. And I cut each sheet into 9 pieces, as another reviewer suggested. Just the right size - and so delicious.

the hardest thing in the world is debating if you pick the pepper before it's entirely red, or if you get it when only the sunniest side is red. If you wait too long around here, the bugs get in and eat half of it up, so this is one of the more dramatic ones (accented by a branch I did not mean to tear off, whoops.) I have to say, it's been lovely growing peppers this year! It's so great to just pop whatever's ripe in the oven for a few minutes, let them cool, and to have fresh roasted red peppers around for nibbling almost any time you want them!

I think my flower-arranging skills are improving.

one thing really frustrates me about patterns and about buying clothes online: for some reason, even though I know my measurements - and I know how to take them, I used to work in costume shops - ordering clothes in my size doesn't necessarily mean they'll fit. I mean, I've ordered things that have turned out to be three sizes too big. As with vanity sizing, I find this inconsistency frustrating. For one thing, it's a lot of work to keep track of all the different numbers that one wears in different brands/stores. For another, I feel like I'm the only one being honest in this interaction, and I wish there was a standard of measurement.

You can probably tell where this preamble is going. This cotton jacquard has a rose pattern woven in. And this corset-style cami is fully lined in lightweight cotton, the bust cups reinforced with interfacing, the back zips up, etc. It's beautiful. And after all the work of carefully sewing up this pattern, it came out too big. I think I might just try wearing it over a T-shirt or something for fall, if only because I can't stand the fact that I wasted my time and fabric. Dagnabbit.

I think I'm giving up on fitted patterns. Oh wait; I still have Colette's Beignet to make. But I put indie designers in a separate category, and Sarai still has my faith.

genius

isn't this a happy sight? They look so cheerful and plump. Better yet; they're low cholesterol. That's right. The dough for these is made of flour, water, yeast, and mashed boiled potato and potato water. (As in, not butter, like most of these delectable doughs.) The only real difference is that the bun itself tastes more like a lightly sweetened potato bread bun, rather than a super fluffy calorie-whammy. So, if you like potato bread (I pretty much like potato anything), these are a great option! Plus, without all that butter and fat in the dough, I think it's okay to make a cream-cheese frosting for these (and, in fairness, I do think they need some kind of icing on them). I made mine with neufatchel.

They're really good, too. I've been making these for about 8 years now, though I don't do it often because they really are a lot of work. I like to put extra raisins and chopped nuts in. Give 'em a whirl!