Pacific Rain

something new - and something old

2012-01-26T14:59:00.001-08:00

Buddha hand (a type of citron) is in season currently. I've always wanted to play with these things. They look so amazing and they smell wonderful. After doing a bit of digging, I also learned that Americans used to have a tradition of curing them as a pickle! In fact, did you know that watermelon rind pickles used to be made with the rind of something called a "citron melon"? And that pickled citron melon rind was called "American citron"?

Based on the recipes I could find for preserved citron (mostly from the 1800s), it seemed like I could just use the old watermelon rind pickle process and cure up some buddha hand. So! I salt cured it overnight...

then I brined it, but made some changes to the watermelon's vinegar pickle. This time, I used a mixture of freshly-squeezed lemon juice and distilled white vinegar, and for spices I used a bit of powdered ginger, along with cardamon pods, a few whole cloves, coriander and black mustard seed, and pink and black peppercorns - plus a touch of tumeric for that pretty yellow colour.

and voila! It actually looks a good deal like the watermelon rind pickles, doesn't it? Only these have a powerful lemony flavour.

What to do with preserved buddha hand? In about 10 months, I think I might commit to making my first real fruitcakes, with this citron, dried white turkish figs and apricots in them, wrapped in cheesecloth and fed with brandy and aged for a month before giving at the holidays.

I know, I know. Fruitcake has such a maligned place in American culture. We always loved it in our family - getting a fruitcake from my grandfather (or failing that, from one of the Oregon monasteries) was a highlight of the holiday. But then again, I grew up with the real stuff - no weird green artificial "citron" here, our fruitcakes were stuffed with real, recognizable fruits. Still, even with friends who (I think?) trust my baking chops, I don't think I'll be able to justify making more than just a few of these fruitcakes. I don't want to spend a month pouring brandy into something that might be thrown out before it is even tasted, you know?

What's your feeling on fruitcake? I know, we're kind of past the holidays now - but any other fruitcake lovers out there? Ever had an aged one? What did you think?

handmade holidays: jokes among nerdy friends

2012-01-17T11:29:00.000-08:00

Good guesses, Jen - it's actually David Garrick, the most famous of 18th Century English actors, renowned for his performances of Shakespeare (Garrick helped bring Shakespeare back *into* fashion after he had fallen out of vogue). The little card includes the portrait on which the monkey's outfit is based. Sent to a friend who just finished her phd (well done, your ladyship C!!), with a dissertation on theatre in 18th century England. I still owe her a pack of trading cards of Great Moustaches (spawned by our observation in a theory course we took together that all the great theorists and philosophers we were reading had really *unique* facial hair).

So. It's mid-January. And it's snowing here in Seattle. The U was closed for MLK Day yesterday; but I have no classes on Tuesdays, so it's officially a 4-day weekend for me. Which is nice; I've been feeling a bit sick after the MLA, as if all that stress and worry were finally expressing itself in the most drawn-out process of getting-sick that I've ever had. So I'm sitting here, watching the snow fall, hoping we do get those 5-10 (preferably 10!) inches that were a possibility in the forecast this morning, as I'd love to sleep in again tomorrow and sit here and drink another liter of hot tea and just rest. While Cass is at work, I'm listening to Christmas carols and stitching my first-ever alabama chanin reverse applique corset top (I have wanted one of these since high school, when I first learned about project alabama!) by hand. It's really nice. I think it counts as "resting" (for the sick) and it's doing wonders for my state of mind. I needed this. I really needed a good stretch of days (I find that four days of any particular activity/location/work is what it takes to kind of "reset" my brain) to actually be still, be worry-free, be nightmare-free, sleep in, contemplate the sky. Perhaps the snow is just the icing on the cake, but somehow, I feel like I needed it, too. It didn't feel much like the holidays around here this year, and I was willing to accept that and move on - but this weekend has actually gone a long way toward satisfying what I crave from the "holiday season."

Well. Back to it. Happy Tuesday, all. Back with pictures - hopefully soon - of the corset top. I've already done all the reverse applique. Now I'm adding embroidered "eyelets," to use Chanin's term, to the pieces before I sew it up. Two of eight panels done already. Hoping to have finished five by the end of today - though I suppose I have to get to some real work today as well. So long as it keeps snowing, I won't mind. =)

handmade holidays: coming soon.

2011-12-30T10:16:00.000-08:00

cannot wait to show you this project; I've been working on it (off an on; drafting patterns for clothes for this guy has been a HEADACHE) for most of the year and now it is finally going out in the mail to my friend who probably has no idea I've been engaged in such silliness (it really is very silly, I was giggling all evening as I finished it and even Cass couldn't help but laugh at it all). As soon as it's landed, I'll post better pictures. Ah, the packages - winging their way out a bit late this year, friends. If yours hasn't come yet, hold tight! I'm slowly getting through it all!

handmade holidays: plaid shirt

2011-12-25T12:17:00.000-08:00

believe me when I tell you that matching the plaid was nerve-wracking. I spent a lot of time thinking about how I was going to cut out the pattern and which parts were most important to match (the way the shirt is cut, with a back yoke, and pleated back, it's actually impossible for all of it to line up perfectly). So, I matched the vertical stripe on the center of the back yoke and the shirt back. I matched the sides of the shirt front and shirt back, but didn't worry about the sleeves. I wanted the verticals to match on the pockets, but decided I didn't care about the horizontals - I actually wanted the pockets to be a little less camoflauged against the shirt front.

All in all, I don't think I saved a penny over just buying him a j.crew shirt for Christmas. BUT I have the pattern, which I can use again. And I won't always have to use such expensive fabric - I used a nice medium-weight yarn-dyed plaid, which means the stripes have been woven in (as in, the shirt is actually made of differently-coloured threads - and it looks the same on both sides) not printed onto a woven fabric. As he tried it for fit, he even commented that it's heavier than his other shirts (some of which are rather flimsy, if I do say so myself). I say good! It'll last longer!

It's a great fit, isn't it? I used Colette Patterns' Negroni, in size medium. For any other tailors or seamstresses out there interested in this pattern, I've heard that the arm holes can be small on some who have very muscular arms or a broad chest. For reference, Cass is about 6' 1/2" or 1". He wears a size medium in jcrew shirts, but a size large in gap (or a medium tall). He doesn't have very broad shoulders - we've never found a man's blazer that doesn't look oversized on him. He told me that the sleeve openings on this, far from being too small, were just right - whereas some of his other shirts use a really large opening, so that the body of the shirt pulls up when he raises his arm above his head.

It's a bit of a labour of love, matching plaids and painstakingly pressing and doing all of those flat-felled seams (the arm openings AND the side seams are flat-felled seams), but the result is a quality garment with a good fit. Score yet another win for Collette patterns - so far, every pattern (see this skirt, this dress, this blouse, this slip) I've tried by Sarai has turned out an excellent garment that fits amazingly well. Sarai, I thank you!!

holiday spice: gingerbread scones with candied ginger and orange

2011-12-23T16:26:00.000-08:00

ohmygoodnessyum. I have a new favorite - also, I think my holidays needed a bit of gingerbread a LONG time ago. I made these scones by modifying this recipe for gingerbread raisin scones on epicurious. According to the reviews, the original was a little dry, so I added extra liquids and increased the flavour and incorporated something better than raisins: chopped candied ginger and bits of candied orange peel.

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
1.5 tablespoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup half and half
1 large egg
4 tablespoons dark molasses
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped candied ginger
1/4 cup chopped candied orange peel

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a baking sheet and set aside.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and spices in food processor and pulse to combine. Add pieces of cold butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal.

In a large bowl, combine half and half, egg, molasses and vanilla. Add flour mixture and ginger and orange peel and stir together until just combined. Gather dough into a ball and place on a lightly floured surface. Pat into a disk, about 6" diameter. Cut into eight wedges.

Place on buttered baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Let stand about 5 minutes, then cool on a rack.

note: the scones didn't puff so much as just spread out as they baked. But they taste INCREDIBLE, like soft moist gingerbread cakes. Yum. We're serving ours tonight for dessert at our friends' place, with roasted chunks of apples and a bit of whipped cream.

happy holidays, indeed!

handmade holidays: this year's wrap

2011-12-22T15:05:00.001-08:00

I'm quite pleased with how this turned out this year - especially this little package, isn't it pretty? Instead of buying paper, I saved the leftover scraps of Cole and Sons' Forest wallpaper from when we wallpapered our kitchen this summer, and used them to wrap up all the presents. Though arguably rather expensive to use as wrapping paper, I'm not sure what to do with the remnants otherwise - and I'm loathe to waste something so pretty.

I tied up Cass' presents with green garden twine and little paper tags; aren't they pretty under the tree? Our tree is all decorated in ivory, clear, silver and bronze glass ornaments in the shapes of acorns, pomegranates, icicles, and pinecones, and our tree skirt is a simple semi-circle that I made from some heavy-weight silk/cotton suiting fabric I bought for a song several years ago. I definitely have a thing for forest themes.

god jul!

2011-12-22T14:53:00.000-08:00

the winter solstice occurred at 5:30am this morning. The longest night of the year, the shortest day; already the days are lengthening - just think! Seattle's shortest days are about 8.5 hours long, our longest ones about 16 hours. That's a big change - and turning back to the bright side of the year always feels happy and hopeful for me, especially when we have such a beautiful winter day on which to celebrate. The light is going down, at 3pm, here in Seattle - it'll be twilight here in 90 minutes - but isn't it so beautiful on these trees? I'm glad I've been able to get out and about for the last few nice days; KOMO is calling for a WEEK of rain starting tomorrow. (Well, it has been unseasonably dry; we can't really complain, not in good conscience. I know Cass was looking forward to a great ski season this year, but for a "la nina" cycle, it's been uncharacteristically dry.)

the light on the tree inside might not be so majestic, but that's only because it comes into its own at twilight. You'll just have to trust me on that one - the camera doesn't really do it justice after dark.

Wherever you are, whatever holiday you celebrate, I wish you a very happy and joyful one! More from me over the next few days - I'm finishing up another gift for Cass, a new shirt (and hoo boy, is it ever intimidating to sew men's clothes! the precision involved is crazy).

light winter fare

2011-12-18T21:10:00.000-08:00

made this salad the other day for the first time and I thought it was delicious. Cass said he could do without the dates, but to each his own.

dressing: mix together 1 part balsamic vinegar, 1 part red wine vinegar and 2 parts olive oil with a bit of salt and pepper. (So, make as much as you'd like!) whisk together in a bowl or place in a canning jar, screw on a lid, and give it a good shake.

salad:
toast a half cup of hazelnuts (or so) in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 5-7 minutes. Remove from oven and place in a dish towel. Rub to remove the inner skins, then chop nuts.

Toss a generous handful (or two) of arugula with about one tablespoon of the dressing (just enough to lightly coat the leaves, but not so much that they are soggy/limp/weighed down). Place in a bowl and top with 4 medjool dates, pitted and cut lengthwise into quarters, a few tablespoons of chopped toasted hazelnuts, and 1 or 2 oz of good, fresh goat or sheep's milk feta, crumbled.

I have got to get some more sheep feta and make this again.

handmade holidays: a twist (loop?) on the classic handmade scarf

2011-12-17T15:31:00.001-08:00

I ran into one of my girlfriends on campus the first day I wore my hot pink handmade silimba loop scarf and she flipped. "You have to make me one!" she said. She wanted it in pink and purple - such a girl! I accidentally made the fringe so long on this one that I was at 4 balls of yarn just to finish the purple, so I hope that just-purple will do.

Btw, if you want to make yourself a silimba loop, here's how it works: chain a loop the length of your scarf (the original is something like 60 inches? - but keep in mind - as I somehow always manage to forget - that it is going to stretch as you make it, so make it shorter than you'd like your final scarf to be). Then single crochet. I do the center on a size Q crochet hook - it's a monster, yep. With big, fat wool and a softie wool-acrylic blend here for my friend's sensitive skin (it's Lion's Wool-Ease Thick and Quick).

Then it's simply a matter of chaining the fringes. This scarf has one fringe loop for each of the single crochets. My pink one has two. Up to you. For the fringes, I used a size N hook, so that the chain is a bit tighter and more compact than the center of the scarf. And that's it. It can be done in two evenings, easily.

handmade holidays: winter citrus gifts

2011-12-17T15:07:00.000-08:00

I can't believe the holidays (the actual holidays themselves) are basically upon us! The lines at the post office were crazy today; I still have to get my brother's package out to him - and it's not even complete; the actual baked goodies/candies haven't been tucked in. I'll have to send some to my parents to hold for him.

I got back to an old favorite this year: candied orange peel. These are actually candied satsuma peels. Cass will eat 5-7 satsumas a day, and he saves the peels in a tupperware for me in the fridge.

It's quite easy to candy orange peels. It takes a bit of time, but most of that time you do not need to be watching the peels. First, simmer the peels in water over low heat for about 2 hours, until the white pith becomes waterlogged and can easily be removed by scraping a spoon over the inside of the peel. Drain all the peels and sit down and scrape the pith away, being careful not to tear the peels. Then cut the zest into strips or little bits or whatever shape you like, removing the thick "navel."

Combine equal parts water and sugar in a sauce pan and stir/whisk until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the zest and simmer over medium-low heat for about 45 minutes. The zest can either be tossed in fine sugar and laid out to dry on aluminum foil (as with the pieces above), or you can skip the sugar-sanding and just lay the strips out to dry. The non-sugared pieces take several days to dry and remain a bit sticky, but I like the non-sugared ones better. A bit more bitter, a bit less sweet - and excellent additions to gingerbread, a must for true fruitcake, and I think I may look into making lebkuchen with mine.

Now on to the new recipe: I am trying out my first batch of preserved lemons. I bought two big bags of Meyer lemons at the grocery store (they're in season now - and for a limited time, if you don't live in Southern California. Pick some up and enjoy their sweetness for months to come!). I used the basic American/Moroccan style, which means you cut a lemon almost into quarters, not quite cutting all the way through the lemon so that the four pieces are attached together at the base of the fruit. Then pack about 1Tbl. kosher salt into the lemon - really mash it in. Place the lemon in a freshly-sterilized jar.

Now I have to pause for a brief digression about these jars! I only recently learned about these jars- they are German canning jars, brand name Weck, invented in 1900. Crate and Barrel just started carrying them for a very reasonable $4.00 - $4.50, depending on the size of the jar. The rubber rings need to be replaced each time you use the jar for canning/sealing, but that's it. The lids can be reused! - and if you are simply using the jars to store dry goods in your pantry or leftovers in the fridge, the rubber rings can be used over and over again. I like the idea of using these instead of tupperware: none of the danger of leaching chemicals if you want to reheat your food in a microwave!

back to lemons! So, you put your salt-encrusted lemon into the jar and kind of mash it down in there. Keep going. Every two or three lemons, sprinkle some spices in over the lemons. I used coriander seed, cardamom pods, and cloves. I decided not to add chilies, but that's pretty traditional, too. Keep smashing the salt-encrusted lemons in on top of each other - the juice will start to run from the lemons and fill the jar. When your jar is almost full, pour in some freshly-squeezed lemon juice to cover the last lemon (if your lemons haven't juiced enough to cover themselves already) and pop a lid on that sucker.

Now, most of the recipes I read say that this jar sits out for 30 days, and that you should shake it once a day to keep the salt evenly distributed. That means: no canning, no processing; these are not technically sealed. I'm not surprised. I've made the famous turnip pickles (recipes for which can be found in basically every arabian country, all basically the same) that are also a kind of fermented pickle; the salt and lemon juice are going to safely cure the fruits for you. However, a freshly sterilized jar is highly recommended (even though these were brand new, I boiled the lids and jars for 20 minutes and then let them dry for 2 hours in a low-heat oven, handling them only with freshly-washed tongs, not my hands). I actually put the rings on and put my jars in a water-bath and processed them (boiled them) for 10 minutes, just for added security. I also plan to store these in the fridge once they've been opened, though that is probably not necessary, either.

So there you have it: preserved lemons. Aren't they beautiful? And so tasty. I love to throw them into a rice pilaf or add chunks of them over mediterranean dish. They are so flavourful and bright! They would be lovely gifts, too, but since I only have the two full jars (and I'm not sure how well these Weck jars would hold up with the jostling of going through the US post??), I think these babies are staying at our house. Besides, they won't even be done for another three weeks!

handmade holidays: holiday sparkle - that you can eat!

2011-12-12T16:16:00.000-08:00

oh, hello, blog! Sorry about that - school, life, etc. getting in the way of me making things. Well, rest assured, more to come. I just proctored my students' final exam today; let the grading begin!

So, what are these fabulously purple sparkly things above? They're sugar plums! Yeah, like "Sugarplum fairy" and all. I always figured there must still be a recipe out there somewhere, but I'd never really thought about what it might be.

Then I saw these: Beakman 1802 sugar plums at Williams-Sonoma. Four sugarplums, a total of 2oz., for a whopping $22. ouch. They sound amazing: figs, dates, apricots, a bit of brandy, a bit of orange oil, spices... yum.

So, after a bit of digging around on the internet, I found Alton Brown's recipe, which is similar: fig, prunes, apricots, slightly more unexpected spices (caraway, fennel, cardamom). No orange oil, but I bought some from the natural foods section of the store and just put a few drops into the mix. They are delicious; our favorite barista at our favorite coffee shop said it was like eating a disco ball! Don't you want to eat a disco ball at your new year's party? =)

I think this recipe could be similar to the one used by Beakman: if you put in 2/3 c. each dates, apricots and figs, and substituted orange oil for the orange zest, the ingredients seem to be just about the same. But I prefer the spices in Alton Brown's recipe - the caraway was totally surprising and delicious - and I think the prunes may be more traditional, even if they turn some off. So, I'll probably make Brown's again (maybe with some dates?) and I'll add some brandy to the mix and let it ripen for a few days before rolling in sugar or coconut (coconut sounds good).

Give 'em a try. They don't take long at all to make. More from me soon - sterilizing some weck jars and I have two bags of meyer lemons sitting on the table... oh yes!

so I can find it more easily

2011-11-27T22:31:00.000-08:00

here's a recipe for a drink we came up with back in October - I had to scroll through a month's worth of posts on my facebook wall to find it! It definitely belongs here, where it'll be easier to access for the future. Cass is becoming quite the mixologist around here.

The Katydid:

2.25 oz vodka
1.5 oz rhuby
.75 oz grand marnier
½ capful green chartreuse
½ capful maraschino
Juice of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lime
Dash angostura bitters

Shake together over ice. Strain. Serve up in two glasses, with a maraschino cherry.

watch out - it tastes like a sweettart candy (remember those?) but it packs a punch! Drink water afterward!! =)

next: hot streak clutch

2011-11-26T13:58:00.000-08:00

I'm loving the envelope-clutches with a bright stripe of neon paint down the middle lately. It seems like they are everywhere! This is the hot streak clutch from anthropologie. It's quite small, actually, only 6.75" high and 9" wide - but $148. Ouch! Definitely one to DIY.

From the reviews I learned it's rather squishy-soft, so it doesn't need very stiff leather to make it - which means I may be able to do it on my machine and not have to buy a sewing awl. And it looks to me like it's lined in very lightweight suede. Okay.

I'm starting my first test run now; pics soon if it works out. It'll be about the same size, but lined in a heavier weight leather (I'm using up what I've got on hand); it's a good test for my sewing machine to see if it can handle the bulk, with a leather needle and heavy-duty thread. The little button/knob closures - whatever you call them - cost about $2.50 at Tandy Leather, and my mother in law was telling me over Thanksgiving that she actually has a bunch of deerskin hides that she once purchased and is never going to use (how PERFECT, no?) so if the test-run works, I'm definitely going to make a big pretty one, maybe even make some for gifts!

make-do: waxed suede shoes

2011-11-26T13:46:00.001-08:00

my old oxfords were literally falling apart after Europe - I'd had them four years and walked oh so many miles in them. When these Matt Bernson shoes came up on sale for $30 (down from $150) at Urban Outfitters, I snapped up a pair for my mother and one for myself. They needed a few tweaks, though; these were laceless oxfords, the top of the shoe held together by a strip of elastic affixed between the suede and the leather lining, and fed through the two layers of the tongue. They were too loose on my narrow feet. So I cut the elastic out and sealed the slit in the layers shut with shoe goo. Next problem: I needed oxfords I could wear year-round here in Seattle, and these are made of suede.

The inexpensive solution? Sno-seal. Sno-seal is a beeswax-based leather sealant, and it really works. We would use sno-seal to seal a new pair of ice skates - you did four coats over four days when you first got your new skates, and never had to worry about it again. Use a hair dryer to heat the shoe to a comfortably warm temperature, then just rub gobs of the sno-seal in with a rag (I cut up Cass' old shirts and boxers into rags for just this kind of thing - you're going to have to throw the rag away afterward). Let the shoe sit for 10-15 minutes, and wipe away excess. TO do multiple coats, just warm the shoe back up and apply again, wait, wipe excess.

The sno-seal darkened the colour from a very lackluster, ho-hum grey to a nice slate. I even sealed the sole and heel, to protect them from water damage as well. Then I threaded in an old pair of laces leftover from when I painted my fryes green and switched out their laces, and there you have it! New, winter-ready brogues!

Of course, now I'm on a sno-sealing kick - all my boots are getting a good coat, especially my poor frye boots that got completely soaked in a rainstorm last year.

make-do: sweater leggings

2011-11-24T23:51:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year; I'm pulling out leggings and wool tights to wear under skirts and add a little insulation to my wardrobe. I love the look of intarsia sweater leggings, but geez, the things are so expensive.

What's a girl to do?

Well, last year (yeah, last year! I am so behind on getting things done!) I bought a pair of gorgeous intarsia sweater tights by Eloise from anthropologie's clearance section ... for $5 (down from $38). score! But here's the thing: I bought these tights even though Eloise is too small for me (btw, from what I read, Hansel from Basel tights are too short for anyone over 5'2" or 5'4"). I figured that with a little elbow grease, I could turn them into leggings.

Here's how I did it:
first, take your seam ripper and carefully cut apart the stitches that hold the toe together. You don't want to pull or yank too much, so that you don't start the tights unravelling. These eloise tights are essentially long tubes - there is no figured heel or toe cap. I think if you have a pair of tights with a figured heel, you may want to just cut the tight open above the heel and continue.

next, fold the tights over and pin. Then fold again and pin. You want to trap the loose edges inside this roll. Use pins to keep it together, and remove while you sew.

You can hand-sew a stretchy stitch if you use a catch stitch. Catch-stitch around the opening, stretching the fabric slightly as you sew. I made one line of back stitches (half of the catch stitch) down the middle of my double-folded hem, and one at the top edge.

voila! done! Cute geometric-pattern wool sweater leggings for $5 and about 1 hour of time.

hm. Lots of bright pink lately ...

happy thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T23:41:00.000-08:00

green salads with warm walnut-crusted goat cheese balls, roasted brussel sprouts with chantrelles and shallots, turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and homemade cranberry sauce with orange zest and pomegranate molasses.

pumpkin pie, champagne with rhuby, and a nice slow afternoon and evening with Cass and his parents. Here's to family time and relaxation. Tomorrow's black Friday and I think I'll spend it grading, cutting down my mla paper, and putting some finishing touches (read: alterations) on some thrifted pieces.

handmade holidays: wrapping up gifts

2011-11-19T17:02:00.001-08:00

literally - more on the wrap itself later, though. I've been so stressed out with these fellowship applications and whatnot that I've been crafting like a madwoman in any free moment I can get - hammering and filing brass and copper into necklaces, weaving another wrapped glow bracelet," this time with pearlescent white leather and lapis lazuli beads, making more sets of those cinched quartz earrings, etc. It's all in the name of sanity and peace in the home.

So, the net result is, I'm basically ... done preparing for yuletide. Before Thanksgiving. Isn't that insane?? It's a little sad, actually. And I'm totally broke, so I really need to resist the siren song of "holiday sales!" after next week.

Well, I have a few things left to make up to keep me busy - I ordered a pattern to make Cass a new plaid shirt, and one to make him some chic skinny wool ties (a post coming up on that soon, with an inspiration scan from the recent j.crew catalogue) that I'm sure he won't wear as often as I'll want him to! I've heard tie-making is difficult; if I can get the knack of it, I think I'll have to start giving them away. I've always wanted to make ties - it's just the right mix of precision and handwork, and the kind of accessory that can really make (or break, or change) a look. I'd love to master it.

Other than the guy stuff, I finally decided to commit to sewing something with my ralph lauren red plaid fabric - colette's jasmine blouse. I haven't decided what to use for the contrast collar and cuffs yet, but I think I want to embroider the blouse, just at the top of each shoulder. Something ... Slavic-inspired, I think. In thick white thread or yarn. I think the juxtaposition could be interesting. Hopefully. Oh, and I've got a scarf/chiffon wrap I want to make for a friend, we'll see if I can pull that off.

Hm. Maybe my holidays are not quite so "finished" after all?

wintertide

2011-11-19T16:58:00.001-08:00

you know it's winter when it's suddenly impossible to get enough light at 2pm (or noon, for that matter) to get a photo that isn't grainy.

Had to make my silimba loop in pink (rowan big wool "glamour" instead of "madras") when the golden colour was sold out. Oh well.I still like it! Though I feel like it's going to take a bit of chutzpah to wear this thing. I feel a little silly, but shouldn't we all be able to laugh at ourselves from time to time?

oh, and -

2011-10-31T16:40:00.000-07:00

this scarf, anthro's silimba loop scarf. It's hand knit in Peru by a group of women earning a decent wage, but I just don't have $198 for a scarf. For $42, I have ordered five skeins (yes, I'm aware, it's probably way too much, but i get anxious about these things - and heck, if I have extra, I'll just make two and give one away) of Rowan's Big Wool chunky yarn in Madras (only $7.49/skein on amazon, half off retail), a size Q (!!) crochet hook for the central ring of the scarf, and a size N for the loopy fringe. The scarf is a 62" loop (as in, 62" in total) and 14" wide. I'm assuming the fringe is about 6" long (or rather, a 12" loop folded in half).

More on this when the materials come; I don't think it'll actually take a terribly long time to make; those loops, after all, just seem to be simple chains. Oh, this should be fun, I've never used such a big needle before! I also found an etsy seller offering remnants of metallic leather lace and snapped those up, too - looks like both these upcoming projects will be coming to fruition soon!

(This is what happens when I'm laid up with what I hope is a badly sprained/dislocated and not broken toe. argh. Happy halloween, indeed.)

next up

2011-10-31T09:42:00.000-07:00

anthropologie's november catalogue is up on the website; in it, I found the ice amulet necklace, made by the same artist (and using the same technique) as the cinched quartz earrings. I think this is lovely, too - one of the nicest quartz-point necklaces I've seen lately (and I have to admit, I kind of love this trend; I grew up in Eugene and still have a bit of hippie earth mama in me). The pendant is only half an inch long - can you believe it? it seems so much bigger in the image! I've heard that sometimes the pieces shot for the catalogues are one-offs, with slightly different proportions than the items sold in the stores - I wonder if that's the case here?

Anyway, it is strung on lambskin, which seems to have been dyed bronze with a metallic finish. I'm going to go dig around and see what I can find; I bet a simple 1/4 or 1/8 inch metallic leather lacing shouldn't be too hard to find - I think I've seen this treatment on deerskin lace, which is even softer than lambskin.

happy halloween!

2011-10-30T22:01:00.000-07:00

ah, at long last! There was more I wanted to do, but I just plain ran out of time. Oh well, I can add more to it next year. We decided to throw a Prohibition party for Halloween, complete with a big hors d'ouvres spread (next post) and classic cocktails, and we projected Ken Burns' new documentary on the wall of our friend's apartment (you can buy episodes on itunes already!)

so, getting in the 20s/30s spirit, I found this silk ombre dress (Gap!) at Goodwill. It's a bit big, but I figured, that's really going to give me the silhouette I want, anyway.

This is the dress after I dyed the dress with idye on the stovetop for a couple hours. I used kelly green because green and red are opposite each other on the colour wheel. Therefore, I knew I'd end up with a green dress that faded to brown where the pink colour was stronger. The colour seems much more Art Deco to me. Note: if you put silk chiffon in hot water, it shrinks. See the hem sticking out at the bottom? I thought I'd have time to take the dress up (it's a bit long for a flapper, anyway), but I didn't - oh well, another project for next year!

Next: I pinned appliques and bits of lace that I had cut up on the dress. Pin, pin, pin! I looked at images of 20s fashion for a few days and started noting the trends: deep Vs at the neck, whether overlays or appliques or just trim, there are a lot of deep Vs at the neck. And then a horizontal line right at the widest part of the hips. I arranged my appliques accordingly.

Then the real work begins: sew sew sew! I added little seed beads for additional sparkle after I got all the appliques and lace on.

And voila! The starry headband is a project from a few years ago; I also bought a wide headband base to cover with green silk when I take the hem up. So, hopefully next year I'll have a matching headband with appliques and maybe even tassels on the sides - next year, next year.

Cass made himself a foam-core tommy gun - isn't it cute? It's sculptural, too - about five separate layers. It was a hit at the party, everyone wanted to play with it. We don't know what to do with it, but it's too cute to throw away, so it's sitting in our bedroom.

Happy Halloween, everyone! Have fun tomorrow! I am looking forward to hanging out and seeing all the kids in their costumes and handing out candy!

handmade holidays, the early edition: It's a cinch!

2011-10-29T12:52:00.000-07:00

Oh, I love it when a plan works out! These cinched quartz earrings from anthropologie were SO easy to make. Let me show you how!

You'll need:

hollow brass rod, approx 1/4" diameter (from the hardware store!)

wire/metal cutters

ruler

hammer

anvil

metal file

needle-nose pliers

a strong but flexible epoxy appropriate for metal and stone

2 quartz points (drilled or not is fine)

14k gold filled jump rings (2) and ear wires (2)

since the original earrings were about 2" long overall, and it looked like the brass "cinch" took up about half the length, I cut two 2" pieces of my hollow brass rod (because this is going to be folded in half).

next, use your hammer and anvil to flatten those pieces of rod. Hammer the ends a bit flatter than the rest to really seal the rod into a flat bit of brass, and to give you some extra width to play with when you file.

Use your metal file to round the edges of the hammered piece so they are smooth, not jagged. Then use needle-nose pliers to fold in half - you want a gentle loop at the top, not a tight crease. Use the metal file to rough up the brass on the inside of this "cinch," as this will help ensure adhesion when you apply the epoxy/glue.

If your quartz points are too long, you can gently tap the ends with a hammer on your anvil and gradually chip away some of the length, leaving blocky points like the ones I have (yes, I hammered mine to achieve this proportion). Then, make sure your "cinches" fit tightly around your quartz points. My cinches closed quite tightly, so I'd have to kind of wedge the quartz into them - this is good.

Once you've guaranteed a tight fit, remove the quartz stones from the cinches.

Place a drop of glue/epoxy (I used Gorilla Glue's superglue gel, as it promised flexible hold for metal and stone, was suitable for indoor/outdoor usage, low temps, and in humidity, etc.) on either side of your quartz stone where the cinch will come into contact with it. Carefully wedge the stone back into the cinch. Do your best to avoid smearing the glue about so you don't end up with detritus stuck to your earrings.

Let these dry overnight. I stuck pins into my dress form at an angle and hung the cinched quartz bits, free of contact with anything, to dry.

The next day, add jump rings and ear wires. Note: if you're really smart, feed your jump ring onto the cinch before glueing the stone in. I got very lucky that the jump rings I bought fit - but what if they hadn't? I would've had to start all over, boo.

and that's it!

A group of my girlfriends receives care packages every year with a little jewelry surprise tucked in amidst the pickles and jams; I hope you all are into the brass-and-sparkle? I think this is the theme of this year's gifts!

love these

2011-10-27T15:52:00.001-07:00

anthropologie's cinched quartz drops. Lovely, aren't they? $128 for brass and quartz, with a gold-filled earwire. Do you see what I see? Look closely; you can make out where these pieces of quartz were drilled. That's right, these are quartz point beads; a strand can be bought for approximately $30. Now, the challenge is - do I have any quartz points that are short enough to recreate this style? Would it be too tacky if the quartz crystals were longer? They could be masked - to some extent - by the brass. Oh, that reminds me - I forgot to share my little quartz point necklace that I made. I'll have to do that.

So, how to do the brass? I'll get a hollow tube of brass from the hardware store, cut two lengths, pound flat on the anvil and smooth the edges with a file.

How to affix the crystal to the metal? I'll use a heavy-duty epoxy glue; rough up the back of the metal with the file to help ensure adhesion. Probably superglue, whatever the hardware store has.

I may not find oversized jump rings made from a square wire like this, but I'll find heavy duty jump rings of some kind or another.

Definitely not $128 of materials is what I'm saying. Anthro, challenge accepted. (Besides, wouldn't they make really pretty gifts at the holidays, even for my friends who are less outlandish in their dress as I am? Yes, I do actually realize that not everyone goes around with taxidermied starling wings on their head.)

ok, I have GOT to go finish my Halloween costume so I can get started on this.

halloween fun: glitter bats!

2011-10-22T15:40:00.000-07:00

Our neighbours really go all out for Halloween; in order to keep up a bit, I made a garland of these cute glittery bats for our porch! Here's how I made them:

Download a picture of a bat stencil. Print it out and cut it out, then trace it onto your cardstock or cardboard (I had to use foam core because it was all we had on hand. I think a thin cardboard would be better.) You can use a white charcoal pencil if you are tracing it onto a dark surface, so that the outline shows up.

Cut out your stencilled bats. I made about 10 or 12, using an exacto-knife to cut them out.

Next, punch holes in the tips of the wings. I used a leather punch and a hammer, but a regular hole punch would probably be fine for thin cardboard. Also, you might want to paint your bats a dark colour - whatever colour you want them to be. Coloured glitter can only do so much to alter the colour of the material underneath.

Next brush a thin layer of elmer's glue all over the bat. Keep a cup of water on hand for soaking your brush if you need to step away. I used glue-all from the hardware store. Note: we are only glittering one side of the bat at a time!

Set your bat on some kind of drop cloth or mat to keep the glitter from going everywhere. I used a trash bag. Sprinkle glitter all over the bat. You definitely want to immediately glitter the bat after brushing it with glue - don't try to glue and then glitter three at once, as the glue will dry and then you'll have to start over.
Let your bats dry for a few hours. Afterward, I sprayed mine with a fixative designed to keep charcoal from smudging. I figured it would help keep the glitter together - and even better, it gave the parts of the bats where the glitter didn't stick (if I had a dry patch, for example) a bit of a sheen. Then I let them dry 24-48 hours before starting over again with the other side: glue, glitter, fix.

Link your bats together with a bit of wire (see the photo at the top of the page) and use a bit of wire to hang them.

Ta-dah! Cute, aren't they? We're carving pumpkins tonight, and I'll wrap our porch light with some orange cellophane or tissue paper before Halloween night, to give the porch a suitably spooky atmosphere. I had two bats leftover, so I might hang them with a bit of fishing line taped to the soffit. One more halloween post coming - my new costume!

by the pricking of my thumbs

2011-10-16T20:25:00.001-07:00

something wicked this way comes!

I love fall quarter. I always give my students Macbeth to read and then write a paper on just as we hit Halloween. I love it.

Everyone on our street, it seems, goes all out for halloween. There are decorations everywhere. Not wanting to miss out on the trick-or-treaters by broadcasting a candy-free message, we're putting up a few bits of holiday cheer to make sure those monsters and witches come a'knocking in droves again this year. Try switching out the bulb in a streetside lamp or your outdoor lights with a "flicker flame" bulb (our smaller local hardware store didn't have them in stock, but Home Depot did) to create some atmosphere! You can always switch it back later!

More halloween posts from me in the next few days, including the glittering bat garland I'm cooking up for the porch and a new halloween costume for me this year: a dress with some flapper attitude, just in time for a Prohibition party. (bonus: I think I'll wear my costume to the university on Halloween this year, something I surely couldn't do with my faun costume!)

a harvest classic: tomato sauce

2011-10-16T20:22:00.000-07:00

with balsamic vinegar, red wine, and fresh garden basil - a great way to use up the last of the tomatoes before tearing out the final plants. We had several spaghetti dinners in September made with homemade sauce from homegrown tomatoes. I'd forgotten how simple spaghetti with bolognese can be - and how enticing, if you have four or five hours to let your tomatoes and wine and meat and onions ever so s-l-o-w-l-y simmer down to beautiful, deep, rich deliciousness.

This is like a shortcut to do the same again this winter. If you haven't canned tomatoes before, the only real trick is to make sure you add enough vinegar (with at least a 5% acidity level - my balsamic was 6%) or citric acid so that your acidity is at a safe level. Not sure about how much to add, or seeking recipes? I always rely on the USDA to tell me how to make sure my foods are safely packed. Find more information here. And happy harvest!

after

2011-10-02T17:06:00.000-07:00

erm. seems I accidentally deleted my "before," since it took so long to complete this project! Let me paint you a picture: denim-blue cabinets with a shabby-chic dry-brush effect over them in white. Lemon-yellow walls and door. White trim, except for the middle part of the wainscoting around this window, which was a darker yellow, and except for the trim around the ceiling which was, for some reason, also denim-blue with a shabby-chic treatment.

This is the second room that had 3- 4 different colours of paint on the walls when we moved in. We did the bathroom first (lavender walls, with trim in two colours of green, a celadon shower, and ivory fixtures, woof!). Now it is blue, with white trim, and we are still stripping the shower to paint it white as well. After working all summer to get every bit of the painting done, I finally got Cass to help me do the wallpapering today - we'd been putting it off, dreading it. Thank goodness it was only the one wall - it only took a few hours to do. I still have to re-upholster the chairs, which are badly stained after years of use, and put up the steel curtain rod we purchased at ikea and hang privacy sheers (won't our neighbours be glad!), but mostly, this room is DONE. Whew!

Now, the walls are a muted off-white, as close a match to the background of the wallpaper as we could find. All trim is bright white, the cabinets are a pale green. Wallpaper is "forest" by Cole and Sons. It retails for $180/roll at anthropologie, but it's quite a bit less if you have friends in Britain, as wholesalers there offer it for about 55 GBP/roll.

I absolutely love the way this wall looks now. We'll be packing a few more plants into that window for winter - all the lemon-scented things that need to overwinter indoors, plus a few plants that I am taking care of for the neighbours while they are visiting family overseas. We bought little bathroom benches from Ikea to set them on, which can double as additional seating at the table when we have guests - we'll just move the plants to another room and set some cushions on the bench and voila! Seating.

So there it is, my little "swedish forest," as I am calling it, of a kitchen. Can't get over how elegant that paper is!

diy: anthro's gleaming cuves bracelet

2011-09-26T20:59:00.000-07:00

lovely, isn't it? And on sale - down to $80 from $160. still too rich for my blood, though.

So I bought some brass rod from the hardware store, cut it, hammered it, filed it. I learned that I need an anvil - hammering on my concrete stairs was difficult and I couldn't get the even curves I wanted at the ends.

Then I wrapped it in silk cord designed for stringing pearls. On half of the bracelet I figure out how to twist the thread to unwrap the ply - it gives the softer look of the silk cord on the original. That long tail will be used to wrap the beads.

But first I had to get the pyrite beads on there. In order to secure the pyrite, I strung them on fine beading wire; I cut a long piece and wrapped it around one side of the bracelet. I put on the beads, and then wrapped the ends around the other side.

Then I worked the cord between the beads and made a few stitches at the back to secure it. Ah well, it's not bad for a first attempt. I have more pyrite; I think I'll look into getting some lighter-weight brass rod and an anvil and give it another go. For one thing, I think it'd make a lovely gift.

remembering summer

2011-09-23T09:44:00.000-07:00

for a while this summer, the door which leads off to the deck from our bedroom was flanked by bunches of lavender. Our own lavender plants aren't big enough for this yet - nope, this is from our wonderful next-door neighbours, who offered us six big bunches when they cut theirs down in late summer.

We dried them for two-three weeks, then used our fingers to rub the flower buds from the stems and into a big paper bag, where they had to stay while we were on vacation in the desert.

Yesterday, I finished sewing up sachets stuffed full of the buds. I've had a half yard of this pretty printed canvas for years, waiting for a good project. I had been thinking it would make a pretty pocket on a hand-made tote bag or something, but I really like it in these sachets; perhaps I'll keep it and just keep using it every year for more sachets until it's gone.

What a quick little project, too - I used the sewing machine to quickly sew three sides of the sachets together, then pressed the top edge down, stuffed, and hand-sewed the tops. We came out with seven, all told - Cass took one to work, I gave two to a friend, and four remain to keep moths out of our sweaters (and of course, they smell heavenly!)

harvest: pickled wild apples and crabs

2011-09-22T19:10:00.000-07:00

crabapples, that is. The dark jars on the left have molasses in the mix, I think they're better that way. These will be great cut into small wedges and served on a cheese tray, or stuffed into roast fowl. I plan to use one jar in my Thanksgiving turkey this year, won't that be a pretty treat?

more "summer" sewing

2011-09-22T18:59:00.001-07:00

the equinox technically occurs at 2am tomorrow morning, so I suppose this is squeezing in at the 11th hour of the season that is on the way out. I've had this washable lightweight wool for a while and finally figured out what I wanted to make with it: a maxi skirt.

I used Very Easy Vogue V8232 again (just as I did for the skirt that I made at the start of summer) for the bias-cut skirt panels, but this time I altered the hem so that it was higher in the front and scooped down lower in the back (obviously, I'm a fan of the hi-lo hem). I also used the pattern that I drafted for a waistband for that white summer skirt. Then I cut three three-yard strips, each 12" high. I gathered one of them into the middle tier, and sewed two of them together to make the bottom tier of the skirt. The gathering took a while - I recruited Cass to help me pass the gathers all the way along the skirt.

The result? Voila! Wore this today with some heeled ankle boots and it's lovely. Hard to tell in this picture, but the back of the skirt is just barely above ground level when I am barefoot, so it doesn't drag on the ground. With all the fullness and extra length in the back, it kind of skims and swirls about a bit - a cute girl with magenta hair came over to me at a coffee shop to compliment it, comparing the movement to waves. I think I'm in love.

oh, and how cute are those thistle buttons? Found those (for 10 cents each) at a favorite antique/vintage shop in Fremont.

harvest: spicy green tomato pickles

2011-09-13T18:15:00.000-07:00

what to do with a small handful (okay, maybe two hands full) of green zebra tomatoes and a few leftover homegrown onions? Spicy Tomato Pickles! (I used this recipe for rough proportions of ingredients, but added whole dried red chilis to the spice mix). Sorry, friends - this one probably won't be going out for the holiday care packages, as I only have the one jar!

farewell to summer

2011-09-13T18:08:00.000-07:00

summer is definitely ending ... I'm a little sad about that this year, it really was quite short, though it was lovely while it lasted. Trying to enjoy the heck out of every last bit of summer I can - here with a few flowers from the yard: dusty miller, black-eyed susans, purple coneflower and chocolate cosmos tucked into a silver pitcher.

make do: shoes

2011-09-13T18:03:00.000-07:00

behold, my beautiful new hunter-green oxfords!

except they're not new (see those heavily creased toe boxes?). Nope, these are my beautiful and much-loved ivory brogues from Frye, my first pair of lace-up brogues, that my sweet husband bought for me years ago (and which I've already had resoled - twice now, I think - I really wear my heels out!).

But they weren't looking so ivory these days. In fact, I always felt a little embarassed when I wore them. A pair of dark-wash jeans had rubbed smudges of blue on them. Rainwater had spotted them near the soles. An attempt to polish them and brighten them up had resulted in some unfortunate muddy-looking taupe patches. Blah.

So while I was getting a pair of boots that my mother-in-law gave me (I get a lot of shoes for gifts. It's a gimme gift with me.) tailored this summer (really, when are they going to start making narrow-calf boots? Why only wide?), I saw a wall of shoe paints and immediately started asking about them. The staff seemed positive, so I chanced it. Three coats of paint (plus lots of time detailing the crevices) and a new pair of shoelaces from welovecolours.com (that I'm not thrilled with, honestly - they're so...synthetic. oh well.), and I think they look as good as new!

bonus, they'll match the gorgeous green leather car coat I bought last year at a church yard sale I happened upon one Sunday afternoon.

carnitas

2011-09-13T17:59:00.000-07:00

so, while in Utah, we ate at a brewery (the Moab Brewery) that boasted "root-beer braised carnitas" on its happy hour menu. We never got around to eating them at happy hour, so guess what I made as soon as I got home?

I used this recipe on epicurious.com. I only used about 1/3-1/2 the meat called for, though next time I will use the full amount (and there will be a next time - Cass was raving!), but did not reduce any other ingredients - except oregano and salt, per the recipe's instructions for halving. And I substituted two bottles of Virgil's rootbeer for the water. It worked, perfectly.

We served ours on flour tortillas with baby greens, sliced avocado, fresh tomatillo salsa (using tomatillos I've been growing on the porche) and some dashes of hot sauce we bought at our favorite Moab breakfast spot, the Jailhouse Cafe. Delicious. I completely and wholly recommend this recipe!

heart of silence

2011-09-13T17:51:00.000-07:00

sorry for my absence - I was out here for 10 days, taking a bit of a beating trying (and failing, really) to keep up with friends who are in much better shape (and who still have their knees - I'm still limping this week), and at the best of times, listening to the silent heart of the desert. There's nothing like it, that I know of. A deep silence, a silence that plugs your ears with nothingness.

can't beat the view, either: this is from Dead Horse Point in Dead Horse Point State Park in Utah. That little glimpse of green is the Colorado river, 2,000 feet below where our little band of three sat and watched the sun go down, the red rock cast fiery orange, then rich ruby and cooling purples before fading into the blue vastness of space and night. I still can't believe how high, how far, how wide the view - it catches my throat, a little bit.

back in the saddle

2011-08-24T16:42:00.000-07:00

it's been something like 10 years since I've done any weaving. It's nice to get back in the habit, and something about the jingle of the heddles as I raise and lower the sleys makes it the perfect soundtrack to a September evening (not getting ahead of myself, not really - this will take a while).

I've started my first tapestry weaving, on a small-ish 8-sley loom. This scarf will be about 24" wide and approximately 80" long with fringes. The warp is commercially-spun silk; the weft is two-ply camel and silk made by my awesome and super-talented mother-in-law (and given to me to use under the strict condition that I weave only for myself - I am NOT allowed to give this away, ha!). She also lent me the loom:

Love that pattern (it's called "undulating twill"). My mother in law actually made herself a scarf in white-on-white in this same pattern and it was just too gorgeous for words. I'd already admired this one, but when I saw her scarf I asked if I could weave one like it for myself. I cannot wait to don this soft beautiful thing this winter!

harvest: well, harvest.

2011-08-24T16:38:00.000-07:00

I pulled up my young onions - and braided them, for fun! Also, I've been priming the cabinets; they're going to be painted that pale green there, on the left. I think it's going to be a big improvement on the circa-1980s shabby-chic blue cabinets with dry-brushing in white and "distressing" that was here when we moved in. Kitchen makeover will be posted later, when I'm finally done.

yellow finn potatoes, apples (stolen from an overhanging branch of a neighbour's tree - ssshh!) and the tomatoes are finally coming on: cherries, yellow pear, early girl, mr. stripey. Love those gorgeous rich ruby reds. I want to drink in all these colours for as long as I can; I don't plan to put anything in to overwinter - we're supposed to have another La Nina winter this year, and the odds are too slim that I would be able to bring anything through it. I just don't have the time or the proper equipment (cold frames) to pull it off. So, I'm enjoying the heck out of this harvest-time. It'll be awhile before there's another.

harvest: oregon grape jam

2011-08-18T14:18:00.000-07:00

continuing to sample wild local berries this year with this oregon grape jam. Oregon grape needs a lot of sugar to make a tasty jam as it's rather sour - and even sweetened, it retains a tannic/bitter edge. Langdon Cook writes that the resulting jam is as at home on pb&j as it is on a cheese plate, and here I couldn't agree more. I think this would be excellent paired with gorgonzola (or even rogue creamery's smokey blue), as the bold sharpness of the cheese would balance the tannins.

But mine is probably more tannic than most because it contains - drumroll please - the seeds. Here's the deal. Oregon grape has big, hard seeds in the middle of the fruit. But after getting only 4 small jars from about 4-5 cups of salal berry picking, I sure wasn't about to strain this batch of the seeds. Instead, I tried something new: after boiling the berries with a bit of water to get them to start releasing their juices, I popped the hot fruit in the food processor and blended, seeds and skins and all, for about 3-5 minutes straight. The result? A thick smooth paste, which I thinned with water (no harm to the flavour, which is still quite strong) and then sweetened a bit. I added pectin with the sugar and ended up with 14 small jars this time. I still probably will continue to strain my salal berries, if only because of their sticky, hairy skins, which seem to pick up a lot of dirt and debris from the environment that I'm happy to leave out of the jam, but I think this blending process is a winner for oregon grape.

Now, the only thing is, this jam should NOT be enjoyed by pregnant women or nursing mothers, as the naturally occurring berberine can cause or worsen jaundice in nursing infants, and cause contractions in pregnant women, sometimes leading to miscarriage. Otherwise, it's supposed to boost your immune system, which makes this a great peppy jam to enjoy during winter's cold and flu season!

harvest: watermelon rind pickles

2011-08-11T09:11:00.001-07:00

Not much of a harvest, more of a reuse of materials otherwise destined for the compost bin: ran by the store and picked up another box of rinds, my second this summer, and packaged up another batch of watermelon rind pickles.

If you're new to this blog, you might not know that I've been making these for the past two or three summers, not sure now. This post not only gives you a visual breakdown, but it links to other posts with recipes, if you'd like to give them a go yourself. They're becoming a standard in yuletide care packages - especially for my dad, who kicked off this whole process by waxing reminiscent all the days of my childhood about one of his childhood favorites - his mother's watermelon rind pickles.

I love that I'm able to pair with a local grocery store and take these rinds off their hands (they are from organic watermelons cut up in-house to create fruit platters), as it helps keep my costs down (especially as the jars haven't been coming back, so I have to re-invest every year in those). I also bring the produce folks a jar from every batch as a "thank you," which they seem to enjoy. Yesterday, one guy brought me back to introduce me to everyone as they cracked open the jar and began digging the pickles out with their fingers. I have to say, I really am so in awe of the power of food to bond people together with ties of mutual goodwill; it continues to inspire and move me. I also got my first pickling commission. Part of me wonders - will I look back one day and say, "and the rest is history..." ?

harvest: pea shoot pesto

2011-08-11T09:06:00.001-07:00

you know it's been a cold/wet year when the pea plants are still growing in August. They finally started to fade, though, and I picked the overblown pods and laid them out to dry (I'll use those peas to grow next year's crop), picked the still-edible pods, and cut all the younger shoots from the plant.

The shoots went into the food processor with a couple of cloves of garlic, some olive oil, pine nuts, graded end of a bit of parmesan, salt and pepper. We ground it up to make a pea pesto, since even the young shoots are too fibrous at this point to really saute and eat on their own (which is how we eat them in the spring).

We dug up a couple of our onions (still young "spring onions") and sauteed them with the edible snap pea pods, and tossed it all together with some fresh pasta for a cheap dinner that used up leftover garden produce:

We have extra pesto which I am freezing in an ice cube tray, so that we can pop a cube or two of pesto out of the freezer whenever we need or want it in the next few months.

harvest: salal jam

2011-08-09T20:55:00.000-07:00

I'd read that native americans in the pac nw harvested salal berries and dried them in massive cakes (like 10-15lbs. per cake) for a winter foodstuff. Why, I wondered, did no one seem to eat them today, if they are so abundant? (And believe me, they are EVERYWHERE, with plump berries unpicked!).

Well, I learned that part of the reason may be the sticky experience of picking them. They are covered in a kind of gummy coating that stays on your hands after picking, even through scrubbing with soap and water. I finally resorted to my pumice stone in order to get that crud off my hands!!

Next, the rinsing is difficult, for the same reason - that stuff is STUCK. ON. So I washed them, but decided to go ahead and make a strained jelly rather than a jam, as I figured I'd be hours getting all those berries perfectly clean - why not just boil and strain?
so I did just that. Put the moderately-cleaned salal berries in with a bit of water and boiled them awhile. Strained through cheesecloth. Isn't this shot great? Just another Saturday night at home, squeezing what looks like an organ through a sieve. =)

my, I'm getting brown - my own plains indian heritage showing through... a little sun this summer, as we're headed to the deserts of utah for some biking in september and I'll need the extra protection (plus spf 50+) on the trails there...

I ended up adding pectin because despite all these so-called high-pectin berries, I never seem to get them to gel properly without a bit of the boxed stuff. Ah, well. Added a bit of sugar, a bit of pectin, a bit of lemon juice, cooked until thickened (maybe? Still seems kinda thin to me). About 3-4 cups of berries yielded these tiny 4-oz jars. That's it.

We'll just have to go pick more, sticky fingers and all!

harvest: lavender wand

2011-08-09T20:48:00.000-07:00

seriously? I'd always wanted one of these as a preteen/teen. I pined for these at the farmer's market, but never had the money to buy one. This year? I bought a length of amber-coloured silk ribbon and made my own, courtesy of a sweet neighbour who gave me some of her grosso lavender (the preferred lavender for sachets and perfume oil). I only used 11 strands for this slim wand, and isn't it pretty? Dharma Trading has the directions here - in fact, it's probably not too late: if your lavender hasn't faded yet, go ahead and cut a few strands and weave one for yourself! The blossoms are tucked inside the bulbous end of the "wand," with the stems pulled down over them as you weave the ribbon over and under, so they are trapped and won't shed little lavender buds everywhere - so while it's probably preferable to use lavender that is just beginning to bloom, you could definitely use lavender that is already in full bloom; those blossoms are still going to be trapped. However, remember that the sun is going to evaporate some of those essential oils off during the day, so cutting and weaving early in the morning will give you the best result!

I'm using mine as a sachet, but being careful that the sharp stalk ends don't snag my lingerie. It smells absolutely divine. Somewhere, a younger me is thrilled (what can I say? I had simple dreams).

harvest: nasturtium capers

2011-08-09T20:26:00.001-07:00

whoa! sorry - it's that thing that happens in summer: my parents came for a week-long visit (which, for me, is an opportunity to thank them for being such great parents and selfless people by giving back with a week of treats: special meals, touring grounds at Bloedel reserve, a weekend in a cabin at the magical Lochaerie Resort on Lake Quinault - check it out, it's not what you'd expect from the word "resort" AND owners Kris and Tom are seriously delightful human beings!), I owe my first chapter of my dissertation in a couple weeks ... etc., etc.

Things are going on, I have some back-posting to do (expect a barrage - now!). To sum up, it seems to all be about "harvest" right now, which brings me to the first item: nasturtium capers.

I started my nasturtiums early, I guess. Though my next-door-neighbour's are still going strong, mine were overflowing from pots (that they shared with some pretty pink-flowered scented geraniums, which I'll have to bring in for winter) by mid-June, a tumble of blossoms all over the deck. We ate some in salad, but mostly I couldn't keep up with them - and that's okay, because I got a lot of pleasure out of watching the local hummingbirds (who are getting quite tame! One came and sat by this morning while I watered, not three feet away - note to self: we need a birdbath in this bird sanctuary) feed at every single blossom every summer night. One of them would spend about 30 minutes feeding, it was great to just sit and watch him dart from bloom to bloom.

But, as all things must, the blossoms faded and seedpods surfaced. Having seen a recipe for nasturtium capers in my library-lent copy of The Herbfarm Cookbook (long since recalled, sigh), I went online, and sure enough, The Splendid Table had adapted the recipe (not sure how, since for some reason I didn't write down the Herbfarm recipe) and posted it online. Bless you, NPR! I made the recipe exactly as written.

The results? SO delicious, really. For the longest time, I wasn't really wild about capers. I have recently, with my sudden newfound appreciation of other salty brined foods (aka olives! yum!) started to work on getting more capers into my diet, if only because I feel a truly well-rounded palette can find room to love most - if not all - flavours. I aspire to be open and able to enjoy all flavours I encounter, really, even though I was consciously working to acquire a palette for beets, mushrooms, and raw tomatoes in my 20s. Anyways, chatter aside, the material point is: we substituted these for "capers" in a salad recipe the other night and they were AMAZING. I am SO glad we have three small jars (and I have a basket of more seedpods on the table about to be turn into another half-jar or so) of these "capers" in the fridge to be used up by January of 2012.

I want to wait a little while, if I can; I love being able to enjoy a taste of summer as autumn deepens; in this land of fog and rain, it's such a nice reminder of these gorgeous days of sun, don't you think? So, if you are growing nasturtiums and the blossoms are fading, try this recipe. It's super easy and delicious. And if you didn't plant nasturtiums this year, I would totally recommend buying a 6-pack of nasturtium seedlings (usually about $1-$2 is all) next spring, tucking them into a pot or at the edge of a rock wall or over your driveway - nasturtiums will tumble and they are happiest when they have warm rocks or a warm deck to luxuriate on - and give them a go next year! For a cheap little annual plant, they really give a lot back in terms of beautiful bright colour, nectar for birds, and edible flowers and seeds for you!

taking the plunge

2011-07-17T12:57:00.000-07:00

sorry about the photo quality; it's raining today and I was having a hard time getting the camera to cooperate in the strange light...

I know that drop crotch pants are one of those items of clothing that engenders strong responses: people either seem to love or loathe. I loathed them at first, but I have to say, eventually they began to have a strange fascination for me, the way many aesthetically challenging things do. Now, do I think these lengthen my legs? Heck no. (But who cares? I'm 5'11" with a 35" inseam. I *never* worry about leg length, to be honest; even if I am "shortening"). Do I think they take 10lbs. off my booty? Haha! But if one stops thinking of fashion for a moment as a way to attract a mate (and believe me, Cass looked extremely dubious when I finished these and put them on; I'm not sure he realized what I'd been sewing that night), they're interesting. And personally, I've always loved the look of the zouave soldiers and the pampas cowboys, billowing pants tucked into knee-high boots. The shape of these gives the same silhouette whether or not I tuck in, and that's fascinating to me. I also LOVE the on-seam pockets on these pants and the waistband. I've never made pants before (I was always so afraid of fit), but I have to say, the waistband on these pants fits PERFECTLY along the curves of my hips and small of my back - something I've rarely found in store-bought pants. So, three cheers for the pattern! (info below) I thought I'd be rocking these with heels, but I tried a pair on with them and winced; perhaps another pair will be better, or perhaps I'll just stay in flats with these.

linen drop-crotch pants, McCalls pattern #5858. I will add that I made these in the size 12, though I am definitely not a 26" waist/36" hip these days (dagnabbit, marriage = I've put on 2 inches!). So, if you're intrigued, I'd say, size down. There's enough cloth here that you will probably want to. I made mine from three yards of 45" wide linen, which I ore-washed and dried on high (and so it probably shrank a bit) and there was still plenty of cloth when I was cutting out the pattern. Nice way to use a spare 3 yards!

update from the foraging/canning jam brigade

2011-07-15T16:27:00.000-07:00

After the first round of salmonberry jam, I knew I needed to make more. So when we went up to the mountains to visit Cass' folks and spend the day hiking (and setting up a loom for me - more on that later! my first weaving project in over 10 years - and it's gonna be a BEAUTY!), I insisted we bring a bunch of tupperware containers - you know, just in case we happened to stumble upon some berries.

Oh, mama. We did. Just as we left town, I looked down and realized there were tiny wild strawberries EVERYWHERE alongside the road. Twenty minutes of concerted picking by all four of us, and we'd cleared the area. It was enough to make 2 6-oz containers of VERY sweet jam (as Cass observed, it smelled like ihop strawberry syrup - and was probably as sweet, though I only put in 1/4 c. of sugar). These are VERY special this year, if only because in such limited supply. Wild strawberries are about a quarter (at most) the size of domestic strawberries, but their flavour is so much better.
We did also find some more salmonberries and this time I purchased little 4oz jars so that I'd be able to send some of this cherry-and-clove-flavoured goodness on to more of our friends, come yuletide.

I'm also trying out a new pickling recipe, but more on that when it's done - it takes 6 days to prepare, and I'm only 3 days in, so I'll get back to you with pictures and a report and a link to the recipe next week!

making a statement (I think it's "I'm cheap!")

2011-07-15T16:14:00.000-07:00

every so often, I like to cruise the "for the collector" section of anthropologie's jewelry. I can never afford any of it, but I frequently find pieces I like that are easily replicable. Take, for example, the fossil coral necklace above, which rings in at - would you guess? - a whopping $598. I couldn't quite believe it myself.

So I went to my local fine fabric store and spent awhile digging through the upholstery trims. I bought a yard each of three trims that I liked together, and pawed through stones at my local bead shop to find this big hunk of agate for $4. These trims come with a bit of twill tape attached to them, so that you can easily affix them along the seam of a pillow or cushion of an upholstery project, but this bit of twill tape (or "lip," as the ladies at the shop called it) is actually very loosely basted on, and can easily be removed with a bit of patience and a seam ripper or some sharp scissors. You just want to take your time removing the lip, so that you don't pull the threads of the trim and end up with an unsightly fuzzy explosion here and there on your trims. All told, I spent about $15, including the big African brass bead that I used as a toggle clasp.

Then it was just a matter of sitting down and following the picture as I stitched the trims together. All of the stitches are between the trims, hidden inside where they meet. I used a heavy dosing of tacky glue to seal the ends up, the wrapped them with leather and affixed my toggle bead and a strip of leather to wrap around it as a clasp. All in all, I'd say this project costs about $15 and takes about 5-10 hours to do, and not too difficult.

Thanks, anthro, for the inspiration!

big day.

2011-07-09T09:51:00.001-07:00

So the reason I haven't been posting much in the way of projects lately is because I've secretly been working on a surprise present for my friend Adrienne, who sang at our wedding and who is expecting her first child later this month. Her baby shower is today, and as I mused over what to make (love the "handmades and homemades welcome!" line on the invite!!), I happened to read this post over at Unruly Things, wherein a mother reminisced about the first days back from the hospital and how hungry she was when she was nursing, and how nice it was when friends brought her dinner.

Eureka, that's it!

Since we live in different neighbourhoods not easily accessible to each other by bus, I have made my friend and her husband about 3-4 weeks' worth of dinners, all separated into individual servings and frozen, so that she or he can take out as much as they would like at a time and just reheat.

my friend Samer says "food is love," and I couldn't agree more. Here's the love round-up for Adrienne and Gered and little Aria Vita:

a quart of acorn squash soup with sweet spices (star anise, ginger, allspice), and sesame cream (vegan, recipe from The Artful Vegan)

And then the parade of Italian comfort food begins with homemade vegan gnocchi with garlic and herbs (adapted from the sweet potato gnocchi with garlic and sage in The Millennium Cookbook); we froze on a cookie sheet and bagged individual servings of 15 gnocchi, with a little slip tucked inside each bag detailing ingredients and cooking instructions.

homemade arugula and three-cheese raviolis. Here's where I made one concession to time: I bought fresh pasta sheets for the ravioli instead of rolling my own. But I was just about out of time, only made these yesterday afternoon, so I'm sure I'll be forgiven! They are stuffed with a mixture of ground fresh arugula leaves, fat-free ricotta and fat-free feta and (not-fat-free) parmesan, with a touch of nutmeg and nutritional yeast to provide a nutty counterpoint to the cheeses.

A traditional lasagne with layers of bolognese (slow-simmered for hours on the stove, it drove me AND the neighbours crazy!), noodles, and ricotta (thickened with a bit of egg), topped with a good hearty layer of mozzarella. This photo is titled "no willpower" on my desktop as I couldn't resist tucking in to a small piece as it cooled on my table.

Another lasagne, one I haven't made in 8 or 9 years, but one of my favorites. This one comes from epicurious: Eggplant Lasagne with Parsley Pesto. It also has a garlic bechamel sauce in there, and the pesto has been mixed with ricotta. Not a tomato in sight, but such a wonderful dish, especially in the fall.

And that's it! It all just barely fits inside our cooler; good thing I checked in with her husband to make sure they have room in their freezer, eh? =) This is going to be a fun surprise!

upcoming

2011-07-08T09:29:00.000-07:00

buying into the fur trend, but ethically: I just bought some faux fur at fabric.com with these projects in mind. A friend has commented that my animal/animal-esque collection of wearables is becoming impressively eccentric.
Prada's s/s 2011 fox fur stoles. I am on a bit of a budget, so I couldn't splurge on the really bright/long shag fur; instead, I bought one yard of luxury shag in black for the solid side and tail, and burgundy (or is it red? we'll find out when it arrives!) and bright baby blue for the stripes. Should be fun, no? =)

Liu Wen in "Wild Dreams" shot by Greg Kadel for Vogue Germany. Isn't this cape amazing? I wish I knew who makes it, so I could get a closer look. I'm pretty sure this gal is wearing the same one:

I would love to credit this photo, but I've forgotten where I found it, gah. Can anyone help me out? Have you seen this around? And yes, still hoping to figure out who made the cape. I didn't want to buy cloth for the cape, since I have some beautiful heavy wool in a huge blanket plaid pattern in dun colours. I'll use that (though I only have 3 yards, so yes, I am concerned about having enough cloth; I may have to make mine a tetch shorter AND give up on matching the plaids, sigh).

I bought two yards of a polyester faux fox fur and plan to cut it across the gentle stripes so that my fake "tails" have some variation down the length of the tail, like these. And from there, I'm just trying to decide whether I should suspend all the "tails" in a bath of idye poly (red, obviously) or use simply spray upholstery paint.

What do you think? I think I'm leaning toward the latter, because red dye ALWAYS seems to run, and with all of Seattle's rain, I fear all of my pants/socks/skirts/shoes would be dyed pink.

summer desserts: plum dumplings return

2011-07-07T20:24:00.000-07:00

another round of plum dumplings, using last year's recipe. Tastes like summer!

perfect!

2011-07-07T20:23:00.000-07:00

matcha macaron with matcha-cream-cheese filling. look at the size of those feet! wahoo!

again with the foraging and the canning

2011-07-06T15:27:00.000-07:00

I think most people just eat salmonberries on the trail. I'd been discouraged from making them into tarts or jam, but I'm really glad I didn't listen. I made this jam with about a pint of berries (most of them still golden - unripe - to be honest) left over after the tart. Maybe 3 cups, max. There was a little water in the pan from when I rinsed the berries. I added a half cup of sugar, and about half a packet of sure-jell light pectin. I brought it to a boil and then reduced it to low for another 10 minutes or so, while I got the jar lids heated up in simmering water.

I popped it into jars and processed for 10 minutes in the boiling water method. Easy as pie.

And the results are totally worth it: this jam tastes like the perfect tart-cherry jam, with just a pinch of cloves. Now I'm sad that I didn't have more berries. I think we need to go back to the park one night this week and get some more, because I have a feeling I'm going to want to eat these jars myself and I really want to be able to send these out to friends and family at Christmas! I am planning to send mostly wildforaged gifts this year: I want to do salal jam, rosehip jam, salmonberry jam (fingers crossed), maybe even thimbleberry jam, if I can managed it, and we have been collecting tree bark for a very special tea.

There's just something about giving gifts from the woods. I feel a little silly, because it's so trendy these days: hipsters with wood ties and everyone serving cheese on slices of wood, bark still attached, but I can't help it. I've lived in the NW almost all of my life, and I've always loved the woods. I joke about it, but I really would love to live in a cottage in the woods, have a river-rock fireplace, and basically grow up to be Juniper in Monica Furlong's Wise Child. Did you ever read that book as a kid, or the prequel or sequel? I confess, I loved Juniper even more, for all the details about Angharad's house, the weaving, etc.

baking triumph!

2011-07-02T21:37:00.000-07:00

Katie and I are starting to feel like we finally mastered the macaron; look how beautiful this lemon-blueberry batch turned out! We used the 28/8/1 proportion (the 1 was lemon zest put through the food processor to grind it up) and with eggs aged at room temp (which has been about 70 during the day) for three days. I cooked down and then strained blueberries, then combined the juices with lemon juice and made a lemon-blueberry curd to fill them with. We let them sit out overnight to leech some of the moisture from the filling. We seem to only consistently succeed with lemon-flavoured cookies. The plan for the next batch, as I understand it, is green tea.

still, I can't wait for Jacinthe's macaron-making friend, Emily, to come and visit in September; I want to work through a proper tutorial with her when she is here in September, and ask her so many questions throughout the process!

second sewing project: done!

2011-07-02T21:29:00.001-07:00

Also on Friday, I finally got around to turning this sashiko panel project that my friend Katie brought back from Japan (and that I finished last year in the spring) into a muslin bookbag. I immediately got to put it to use, hauling a heavy volume of a dissertation that I'd borrowed back to a professor (to whose house I walked on a sunny Friday afternoon to share gin and tonics and talk terrorism and Beckett, gotta love it).
I used the instructions for Instructables' tutorial for a gusseted canvas bag (only cut a piece of cloth 33" X 15.5" - as you'll see, no reason to double the width). Otherwise, the tutorial is perfect. I made two, so that my bag could be fully lined in muslin. It's so cute, and I am so happy with it! big thanks to katie for the sashiko project that makes this bag so charming!!

first sewing project done!

2011-07-02T21:11:00.000-07:00

I printed out my summer to-do list this year, so that I could actually enjoy the satisfaction of crossing things off, or of making little cross-hatch marks in the weekly boxes, noting whether or not I've practiced yoga (still building up flexibility/strength in my injured wrist; we've a long way to go, but I think yoga is the best way to recover use of my right wrist), walked/biked, or made enough vegan/legume-based meals this week.

I will post my goals soon, with some already crossed off, like making this skirt. There was a bolt of cotton batiste in my living room all throughout the late winter/early spring/early summer, but I finally got around to cutting this out. I used Vogue V8232 dress pattern (five layers of batiste to make a demurely opaque skirt) and drafted my own pattern for a waistband on my dressform, using interfacing to reinforce the lightweight cotton so that I could sew a proper buttonhole.

Pretty cute, eh? I finished it just in time to put it on and wear it on a long walk to a professor's house on a beautiful Friday afternoon in Seattle - perfect!

small fun project: flowers

2011-07-02T21:06:00.000-07:00

I was pruning this big shrub in the front garden the other day; this time of year it is covered in these gorgeous white blooms, and I felt so awful cutting anything off it that I cut the blooms from the branches that I'd pruned, and since our friend Katie was coming over that evening, I made her a little bouquet with some roses (the red = knockout; the pinks = the real knockout, "gertrude jekyll"), and pea shoots (chinese snap peas, with purple blooms) so she could take home some pretty sights and scents from our garden.

playing with flowers is so much fun; I hope I get to be good at this one day, I really do.

foraged treats

2011-07-02T19:59:00.000-07:00

last week we went to Discovery Park, walked the trails down to the lighthouse, collecting salmon berries along the way. One of the things I love about summer is having time to let my mind wander and think about things other than school, curriculum, papers, etc.. As we picked, I told Cass, "these would be good with sage - and maybe, lavender." So I made a salmonberry tart with a sage custard and an almond and lavender crust. I made a glaze for the salmonberries by melting the last of my cloudberry preserves (from ikea; cloudberries and salmonberries are close relatives).

Turned out pretty good. I basically used the recipe for my fig/sweet potato/blueberry tart, substituting almonds for the cornmeal in the crust, and made the custard from 2c. heavy whipping cream and 2 sprigs of sage, chopped (bring the cream to a simmer over medium heat and then turn off heat and infuse about 2 hours, strain out sage, whisk cream with 2 eggs and approx 1/2 c. sugar, pour into parbaked tart shell and bake). Refrigerate for several hours, then top with berries and brush with melted jam and chill again another hour or two.

salad days done right

2011-06-24T14:25:00.000-07:00

from The Artful Vegan (my favorite vegan cookbook): heirloom tomato stack with thai basil, avocado, and arugula; curried hazlenut mojo dressing (a creamy and zingy blend of toasted hazelnuts, citrus juice and zest, balsamic, honey, curry, cumin and fresh ginger made in the food processor), snipped nasturtium blossoms.

our Midsommar traditions: floral flair

2011-06-22T15:24:00.000-07:00

Another reason to love Midsommar: it is traditional to wear a flower crown, or flowers on your person, even if you are a grown-up. The last three hours before the party, a crack team of three of us were quickly whipping up crowns, headbands, corsages...

and boutonnieres for all the gents. Of course, it's Seattle, so you practically have to push any kind of attention-getting accessory onto people.

But the results are charming, no? That's me in the middle with two friends. We're all nearly 6' tall and as such, if you put us together, we're mistaken for relatives - or for each other, which is extra-amusing. One classmate's husband came bounding up to Natalie on the left there, in the green skirt, hugged her, and exclaimed how good it was to see her again (they've never met). She just went along with it, and then my husband, dying of laughter, pointed out that that girl was not the hostess. Ah, midsommar madness.

I keep hoping that some of my friends who had cameras will send me some more pics of everyone looking extra-darling with all these flowers! (We even broke out about a hundred golden sparklers later, to take the place of the traditional bonfire - you'd be surprised how fun it is to run around in the dark with a sparkler, even as a grown-up. It was great to see everyone making shapes and laughing together in the dark).

Happy Summer, everyone!

our Midsommar traditions: cloudberry cake

2011-06-22T15:20:00.000-07:00

Once I decided to open our cloudberry preserves (thank you, IKEA!), I realized I wanted to be able to pretty much use up the whole jar. Even though real cloudberries aren't available to me here (not that I know of) in Seattle, I figured, what the heck, let's go for a cloudberry cake.

I made this recipe for a jam cake, adding a bit of Mexican vanilla, increasing the baking powder slightly, and cutting the crumb topping, but otherwise sticking to the instructions. Some reviewers, you will notice, said the cake was dry - GOOD. I wanted it to be dry.

I made four mini cupcakes for the two little girls who were coming, because the rest of this cake was soaked in cloudberry liquer. How much cloudberry liquer? Oh, probably a half cup or so (it's not a big cake). The night before the party a friend brought over the remainder of her cloudberry liquer from Denmark, and we started sprinkling the cake with spoonfuls of it. I kept doing this every few hours, whenever I thought of it, until the party.

This cake? Gone so fast, I should've made two. Cass didn't even get to try it - guess I'll have to find cloudberry liquer and make another one! (shucks!)

our Midsommar traditions: gravlax and herring

2011-06-22T15:05:00.001-07:00

Hard to imagine a Midsommar party without these traditional foods. What is gravlax? Gravlax (or gravad-lax) is a dish of cured fish. Traditionally, the fish was salted and then buried in the cold ground and left to pickle/preserve in its own juices as the salt drew them out of the meat. Lacking a suitably chilly patch of permafrost, we use our fridge - and Marcus Samuelsson's recipe in Aquavit: And the New Scandinavian Cuisine. This book is dynamite. We received it for Christmas a few years ago and have absolutely LOVED every recipe we've tried. I highly recommend checking it out from your library and giving some of the dishes a go: the venison chops marinated in akvavit and juniper, with a berry chutney, is a particularly gorgeous and company-worthy dish.

Anyway, so you mix together salt, sugar, and cracked peppercorns (hence the morter and pestle; you want to crack, but not grind, the pepper), rub it into both sides of a beautiful skin-on cut of salmon (is that not a gorgeous piece of fish? I love living so near to Alaska), set it in a dish and sprinkle the remaining salt/sugar over, then cover the fish with fresh chopped dill.

It sits on the counter in a cool place for 6 hours, then goes into the fridge for 36:

When it's done, you simply rinse off the salt sludge and slice it up. We actually rinsed ours, then wrapped it in plastic wrap for another day until our party. This stops the pickling process before your salmon turns into jerky and as the meat has been cured, there's no problem wrapping it up for another day or two or three - even four, if there had been any kind of leftovers (there weren't; I barely got a scrap, myself).

And while on the subject of pickled fish, we also serve smorrebrod, a traditional open face sandwich, using this recipe from epicurious for a smorrebrod with herring in mustard sauce and pickled beets. I use Beth Hensberger's Bread Bible recipe for the Swedish Rye bread, and sneak in extra fennel, orange zest, and replace some of the water with extra molasses in mine. Then I bake it in many mini loaf pans so we can make cocktail-sized smorrebrod bites.

The beets, incidentally, kind of match the salmon for colour.Scandinavian cuisine sure is beautiful, eh?

our Midsommar traditions: black pansy sorbet

2011-06-22T14:57:00.000-07:00

After enjoying dinner at The Herbfarm, I checked out The Herbfarm Cookbook from the library. I was so thrilled by the prospect of some of the dishes (like black pansy sorbet) that I immediately began culling Seattle for black pansy plants. I bought 3 little 6-packs, or 18 plants, three times the number of plants the cookbook advised having on hand for the recipe - and perfect estimate! When I culled all the blossoms before the party, I got 3 gently packed cups of blossoms, so I made a triple batch of this recipe.

the beautiful blossoms are ground with sugar into a paste in the food processor. Then you add a bit of water and keep grinding.

Next, you add quite a bit more water, and stir it up to make a syrup.

The fun begins when you add fresh lemon juice and the whole things turns a magenta colour - kitchen witchery, indeed!

I don't have an ice cream freezer, so I had to just pop mine in the freezer and keep scraping it up with a fork about once an hour.

The result was more of a granita than a sorbet, but how wonderful! It is sweet, pretty, and so unusual. I have a ton left; looks like we'll be eating flowers for a while!

our Midsommar traditions: may wine

2011-06-22T14:48:00.000-07:00

This year we introduced some new traditional foods to our Midsommar dinner, and some were very special; I thought I'd tell you some more about them.

The plant above is known as Sweet Woodruff. It is a shade-loving groundcover, and yes, it is this bright green in my own garden. Now, the only problem with Sweet Woodruff is that it is an aggressive and invasive plant, and I'll soon have to start tearing bits of mine out, alas.

See all the tiny flowers there? They smell like jasmine - another plus for this plant. And they are the key ingredient in making may wine for a traditional maying celebration (or in our case, midsommar).

To make may wine, you need 24 of the little stems per bottle of wine. You don't want to use any more than this, because sweet woodruff can be toxic in higher doses, so stick to the recipe.

Now, open a bottle of a medium-sweet riesling or gewurtztraminer wine. Not too sweet, but definitely not dry. Pour out about 1/4 cup of wine to make a bit of room in the bottle. Stick your 24 blossoms in, and recork. Stick your bottle of may-wine-to-be in the fridge for two days. Be sure to strain out the blossoms as you pour your wine! We used a simple tea strainer held over each glass.

So, what does it taste like? Almost like cinnamon and celery seed have been infused into your wine. It's incredible! And it was a great pairing for our opening offerings: foie gras on toast with cloudberry preserves and home-cured gravlax (pictures forthcoming there).

You can also add a bottle of champagne to your bottle of may wine, and float some wild strawberries in the mix, you have a traditional may punch!

fun with rhubarb

2011-06-22T14:37:00.000-07:00

as a wedding present, Cass' firm purchased us gift certificates for a dinner at The Herbfarm. Cass let me pick the meal, and I selected the spring forager dinner earlier this year. It blew our minds. Or at least, mine. To kick off, we were served a warm rhubarb and douglas fir punch, which was incredible - I definitely needed to be able to drink it as often as the craving hit! What's a girl to do?

Well, I found this recipe on Not Without Salt for rhubarb tea, and made a few changes. The pot above is filled with 8 stalks of rhubarb cut into 1/2" to 1" pieces, 8 cups of water (1 cup of water per stalk), lemon zest, and fresh rosemary sprigs (for an extra piney boost). You bring to a boil then reduce the heat and cover (so as not to boil off the liquid!) for 30-60 minutes, or until the rhubarb has literally become a mush.

Strain out the solids, add honey to your taste and drink - voila! Beautiful, warm rhubarb tea:

While we were sick, we would sometimes drink a whole pan of this together in an evening. It was delicious and so comforting.

But the other day, we weren't sick, had some rhubarb that had gone a bit limp, and needed to use it up. I made the tea, but we didn't polish it all off in a night. What to do with the leftovers?

Rhubarb cocktails! I can't be terribly precise here, but these drinks consist of about 2 parts rhubarb tea, 1 part St. Germain, 1 pt. Aviation gin (a local gin that is very light and floral), a dash of Austrian stone pine liquer, and maybe 1 pt. sparkling water infused with lime. The stone pine and the juniper from the gin complemented the piney qualities of the rosemary and the tartness of the rhubarb, and the St. Germain sweetened it up a bit (complemented by the floral qualities of the Aviation). They were pretty amazing; Cass is developing some mad skills as a mixologist.

all food and no crafts?

2011-06-15T14:06:00.000-07:00

a little lean on things to show, except for all the excellent nosh we've been making! Saturday is our Swedish Midsommar party (five years running now!) and we are really pulling out the stops this time: I am making cloudberry cake and trying a recipe for black pansy sorbet and we have the last jar of foie gras from Paris to open, etc. etc. Should be a lot of fun.

So it's all cooking and cleaning and cleaning out closets and returning borrowed things and streamlining the house as much as possible these days. We gave these crab cakes with cilantro, corn, and chili a spin two nights ago and boy, were they ever amazing!

The only change we made was to use fresh corn kernels cut from 1 ear of corn, rather than canned. And we just spritzed ours with fresh lime juice - I think Cass topped his with some guacamole - and they were absolutely delicious. Totally recommend. And if you've got a Whole Foods near you, check the cooler case in the fish department; they are now selling pre-packed 8oz. containers of different grades of crab meat. We got the cheap stuff, at $6.99 (I think?) and it was just fine. Nice to have an affordable option for crab just as summer comes (hopefully soon!)

kale pasta

2011-05-22T14:55:00.000-07:00

we put a pasta maker on our wedding registry. It was one of the more expensive things, since our registry was small and primarily composed of small-ticket items. My husband was against the idea, but I'd always wanted to be able to make my own pasta (and we both grew up making noodles by hand, and so we both know from experience how time-consuming that process is!) and he eventually agreed to it. I was totally surprised when some sweet friends of ours bought it for us, and we finally broke it out a couple weekends ago. I'd pulled the dino kale out of the garden that was weak and delicate after our long, cold winter. We blended it up in the food processor, then combined it with the ingredients for egg noodles to make kale pasta.

we kept some of the noodles long (we learned that if you are going to have bits of leaves in your noodles, you should cut WIDE noodles so those little leaves don't cause your very thin noodles to break up and fall apart) and folded some into birds nests. It was so fun to roll pasta together - we are definitely still "beginners" with this thing - and to dry them over chairbacks in the sunlight. I am looking forward to a lot more of this in the summer!

spring eats

2011-05-11T23:01:00.000-07:00

there hasn't been much time for making things lately. At least there's been time for the garden, which we have loaded up with plants that (fingers crossed) could make for a particularly nice yard this year. The table is covered with 5 or 6 tomatoes and 3 pepper plants that can't go out yet, so they're in front of our big picture window in the kitchen, soaking up what sun they can while still protected from the cold. (And it is cold tonight! I could see my breath!)

there have been some spring eats, too. As I've been working to clear out the last of the overwintered vegetables, I found this red mustard never really "filled out"; all of the leaves were like delicate lacey threads. But they didn't taste bad - and as all of the tiny little plants were bolting, I figured, better pull 'em up and make use of them while I could. I peeled all of the leaves off of each of about a half dozen plants and had a beautiful basket of delicate greens, deep burgundy on the top and chartreuse on the reverse. We dressed them with a rhubarb vinagrette and ate them with a friend one night, with some New Zealand lamb sausages and kale rabe. Yes, it's been peas and asparagus pretty much non-stop around here, and I can't wait to go nettle foraging (hopefully this weekend) to finally make nettle ravioli.

but more on pasta in my next post!

while we're on the subject - another winged headdress

2011-04-24T00:24:00.000-07:00

So, last year (last year? I think?) I saw this picture of Rumi (from fashion toast - not one of my regular reads, but occasionally I like to go indulge and paw through shots of Rumi's outfits) wearing a reid peppard headdress. Hadn't ever heard of reid peppard before. Loved the headdress, but - yipe! - it's 350 gbp. As of today, that's $578 USD. Ouch!

It took me 5-6 weeks to find taxidermied bird wings online that weren't old (as in, Victorian/Edwardian) turkey wings (too big!!). I went with a pair of starling wings from etsy seller okiedokieartichoky, as they are slightly more diminuitive and - again - I do plan to sport my new headdress when teaching/at the university. I ordered some metal headbands, and covered one of them with a bit of leather from a leather jacket I thrifted, then applied the wings with tacky glue. There is a small patch of leather on the inside of each wing, that covers the headband and part of the wing on either side - just for added stability. Pretty simple, really!

long live McQueen.

2011-04-12T20:09:00.000-07:00

It's been over a year since his death. I was crushed when I heard the news. I've never been one for rabid fandom. I've never worshipped celebrities. I'm not even much one for heroes. I admire many people; but I've always been my own person; I don't really go in for idolization.

But I loved Lee McQueen. I had a deep respect for him. He was my favorite designer. As a theatre scholar, his shows have consistently been the most interesting intersection of performance, art (fashion, styling), and commerce. And since he took his life, there has been a little hole in mine. I go back through his old collections, I read old articles, and new ones, looking back on his life every month or so. I heave a heavy sigh, I shed a tear. The world lost an incredible visionary. And as a person who likes to be inspired, it's very melancholy to lose a visionary.

A friend of mine reads the new yorker. I asked if I could have this issue from last year. It's framed on my wall now. Spring/Summer 2008 (above) isn't even my favorite collection (Widows of Culloden and The Girl Who Lived in a Tree still leave me breathless; I love watching the videos of Shalom attacked by the pneumatic paint guns, the dance competition, the chess game as well), but this butterfly hat has always enchanted me. I've seen several versions about, including some multi-coloured ones.

And now, thanks to my brother, who bought me the feather butterflies (alas, couldn't find this model in just red ) for my birthday, I have made one to wear. It's a bit smaller than the original, only because I actually plan to wear this to the University for a normal day of teaching and classes and I wanted to be able to a.) see my students and b.) get through doors without too much trouble.

thanks for all the inspiration, Lee. There are no words for the rest, but suffice to say, I really admired and respected your work, your aesthetic, and your vision - and you are fondly remembered and sorely missed.

fun with fabric dye

2011-04-10T17:49:00.000-07:00

so on Saturday we made an unprecedented trip to Goodwill for a little thrift-shopping for me. Cass actually found something, too - an Ikea chair that matches the ones we already have at our dining table - for $3. He picked it up. The upholstery is even in better condition than ours! (not that it really matters; I purchased some cute upholstery fabric to redo our chairs this summer). I found a cute Theory jacket for $10, a long pendleton wool skirt for $5 and this Odille skirt (remember when anthropologie carried this brand? Do they still have any Odille stuff anymore?) for $8. Unfortunately, this skirt had a tiny, barely-visible stain about halfway up from its hem. Not really a big deal, but I get oddly self-conscious if I know my clothes are stained or torn or ill-fitting or whatever. I always think everyone else can tell. Ugh.

So. I tried treating it with some ecover, to no avail. So I balled the skirt's lining up with the sash at the yoke (top of the skirt), and soaked the bottom of it. I lay a plastic painting dropcloth out in my living room and fanned the skirt out in a sort-of-circle shape on it. I mixed up some of my procion fiber reactive dyes and started painting in navy, pearl gray and warm black. The navy came out a bit assertive, and I must say that at one point my skirt started to get a bit drier and I was disappointed at how much more defined the drops and dabs of dye are at that part, but I had a fair bit of fun "watercolouring" my skirt, and I think the results are charming. As for that spot ... totally lost under all the brighter spots now!

purple potatoes

2011-04-03T23:53:00.000-07:00

okay, this post makes me feel *kinda* childish, but who doesn't enjoy a funny-coloured food from time to time? Especially if the dyes are the natural product of the food in question? (Case in point: I have been making BEET cookies with cream cheese frosting lately. They are good! Subtly, warmly sweet - like vanilla or toasted coconut - and bright magenta! Love it!)

So tonight Cass was bringing some homemade swedish meatballs home from his mum. We made mashed potatoes with 1 lb. fingerling and 1 lb. peruvian purple potatoes. Left the skins on, boiled, then mashed. Isn't that lilac glorious? I'd swear it was the same colour as the candied violets we brought back from La Duree in Paris. I, of course, scarfed even more potatoes than normal because I couldn't get over the colour (isn't that a weird reaction? Pretty colour - munch!). The salad is a combo of celery, frisee, avocado, toasted hazelnuts and mandarines, tossed with a dressing of creme fraiche, olive oil, mirin, salt and pepper.

We paired this super-pretty plate with glasses of Pink! prosecco laced with Thatcher's cucumber liqeur. Bizarre and addictive: the combination smells and tastes like a watermelon jolly rancher, but stops just short of the disgustingly cloying sweetness of those candies (pace jolly rancher lovers, I've just never been able to enjoy them). It is a girlie drink par excellence; try it some night that you're not feeling serious about life or what you're drinking - say, for example, on a night when you feel like eating purple mashed potatoes!

spring break: pillowtalk

2011-03-27T20:49:00.000-07:00

My friend Katie brought back all but one of these lovely reverse-appliqued pieces when she visited Panama this December. How cool and amazing are they? I love all the colour! Since I hadn't switched out my pillowcases since I'd made my own reverse-applique pillows back in 2008, it was high time to change things up in here. So, the panamanian pieces, with a bit of bright fabric from IKEA, made three new pillows. The olive green one with the swirling pattern came from Laos in the 1970s; my mother-in-law gave it to me about 10 years ago, because she was so happy to finally have someone in her family life who loved olive green and appreciated textiles! At long last, I feel like I'm doing this gift some justice. Plus, I like that these brights seem to make our red walls make sense, rather than seeming like crazy colour overload (which I'd feared would happen; I have to admit I haven't got the greatest decorating sense).

spring break: disco, baby

2011-03-27T20:37:00.000-07:00

I bought this sequinned applique back in December, from MaryNotMartha's etsy shop, whose lovely trims all seem to go for a song. (check 'em out!) Anyhow, I had this bit of rayon knit tucked away in pale lavender and as it seemed to be a colour that was all over the spring runways, I thought, hey, why not?

So I modified an easy vogue pattern for a top with an uneven handkerchief hem, because I love this look, but I'm not sure it's flattering enough to my hips to justify spending any sort of cash on a drapey top like this in a store. I whipped up the top all the way back in December. It just took me this long to finally finish hand-stitching the applique. Whew! Can't wait to wear it; maybe for the first day back to school!

spring break: anthropologie treasure trade necklace

2011-03-27T20:32:00.000-07:00

I loved anthropologie's Treasure Trade Necklace from the first moment I saw it - but, c'mon, $198? Fat chance. $50 later, I have a lot of leftover wood beads (since my local shop would only let me buy them on strings), a LOT of leftover gold foiling/leafing supplies, a bracelet made from some of the leftovers, and this:

totally worth it.

a bit of flare

2011-02-27T18:45:00.000-08:00

a new project, inspired by one of my new favorite blogs: honestlywtf, a bit of almost-daily fashion/home/lifestyle inspiration, with a good dose of DIY projects injected into the mix, which I really like. Upon seeing friendship-bracelet-style necklaces featured in Flare magazine, they posted their own DIY version to create the look for less. I loved the idea - and the fact that this was a project that I could work on here and there over a long time, without feeling like I was failing to complete something (an anxiety which I just can't take any more of, lately).

I stopped at...7 or 8 or however many there are here because I couldn't find a larger cap to use as a crimp bead around all of these. Probably a good thing, too, or I would've driven myself crazy trying to come up with all possible combinations of these colours.

What do you think? Personally, I can't wait to don this this week with that green crinkle silk tee I made last year.

finishing up wips

2011-02-27T18:36:00.000-08:00

sorry to just disappear for the last few months; I'm in the final quarter of classes for my doctoral program, which also happens to be the last quarter in which I take 20 credits (twice a full-time load) and teach. Ugh, I am SO tired and so stressed and so busy all the time.

So it's kind of amazing that I've found any time at all to work on old works-in-process (WIPs) this winter and start finishing them up. But, I have. I've also started and (almost!) completed some new things. So I should have a few fun things to show you over the next few weeks. I have a big plans for spring break: painting my shower, woodburning matryoshka dolls, a full skirt and some harem pants to sew, etc. In short, hoping to get back to posting a bit more regularly around here.

I can't believe it's taken me a year and a half to get this simple project done. I found this heavy leather hat at a vintage shop in Sept. 2009 and snapped it up. I was so in love - I'd never seen anything like it before! Of course, now I am seeing hats like this in catalogues everywhere, which is kind of crazy. I had no idea it would be a "thing," but seeing as it has the makings of a trend, I thought I'd better don this baby before it becomes ubiquitous. Rather than push the "Western" feel, I wanted something that would temper it, make it feel a little more equestrian/British than Western/American, and it has taken me 18 months to find a ribbon to make a proper band. I had planned to do a whole lot more embellishment, but I just haven't figured out a combination that I like yet; perhaps a spray of pheasant feathers will eventually find its way onto this baby. For now, a pale honeydew-green strip of silk dupioni, that I pleated and stitched on by hand, will have to do.

I want to wear this with a long, slim linen dress that looks like it belongs in the 1910s. And flat lace-up boots. Fun!

macaron madness

2011-02-13T21:49:00.000-08:00

this week: red-bean macarons, lemon curd macarons. I had the idea (genius, if I do say so myself) to colour and flavour the red bean cookies with beet powder. The sweet earthy flavour of the beets, diluted by all the confectioner's sugar and almond powder that comprise most of the cookie, tastes pretty similar to the homemade adzuki bean paste that fills them. The beet powder does have thickening properties, though, which means next time we make beet cookies perhaps I won't actually beat the eggs quite as stiff as I normally would.

Lemon cookies have tiny bits of lemon zest mixed into the sugar and almonds and let stand overnight for flavours to meld; homemade lemon-curd filling.

and last week we made rose cookies with rose-cream-cheese filling. The cream cheese overwhelmed the rose a bit; next time we'll have to just make a buttercream...or figure something else out. Still good, though - and so pink!

We've been using this recipe for our base, working with 28 Tbl. powdered sugar, 8 Tbl ground almonds, and 1Tbl flavouring (27/8/2 for beets) for dry ingredients and 3 egg whites beat with 2 Tbl granulated sugar and a pinch of cream of tartar (plus food colour) for the wet. We let them stand an hour before baking and they develop a great skin. It's working amazingly well, even in this wet northwestern winter.

DUDE.

2011-01-30T23:11:00.000-08:00

we are SO close. Nice crunch, feet, but just a little bit tacky as you hit the bottom of the cookie.

details of our successful-in-Seattle-winter recipe:
1.) drop all blinds in your kitchen in attempt to block out damp and cold.
2.) 3 egg whites, 2 Tbl. granulated sugar. Next time + a pinch of cream of tartar.
3.) 28 Tbl. powdered sugar; 8 Tbl ground almonds; 1 Tbl. baking cocoa; pinch salt.
4.) 1 hour rising time.
5.) Oven 280 degrees F, 15-16 minutes on cookie sheet (low/no sides).

will update again after next attempt!

new skirt

2011-01-24T20:55:00.000-08:00

ever since I saw Kayte's post on fashion week last September, I've been meaning to make a skirt with an uneven hem and a lot of fullness in the back. It took me forever, but I think this is a good start! I used a simple Vogue pattern but redrafted every piece, cutting a single back panel into four, removing a ruffle, etc. etc. I left it unlined so that I can wear it in autumn as well as winter; though the seams really show (because of the colour contrast between right and wrong sides of the fabric), I'm okay with it. It's made from Vera Wang lambswool herringbone in tangerine and rust - so it's not just bright and swishy, it's also warm!

I still want to make a maxi skirt with an even more exaggerated hem, from a lighter-weight fabric for spring or summer. I feel a bit old to be shopping at Free People (for things other than socks and shoes, mind you; I found these Sanita clogs deeply discounted on their site in December), but I gotta tell ya, I am really in love with their maxi dresses and maxi skirts right now - so inspiring!

aftermath

2011-01-24T20:27:00.001-08:00

This is all that remained of the best dinner party I think we've thrown. Of course (typical!) forgot to take pictures throughout it. One little apple galette has to bear witness to a 5 1/2 hour meal for nine. Great company (rowdy! fun!), great contributions (Katie brought a delicious local cheese and wine; Milan brought one back from Switzerland and wine; Matt and Laura brought fresh, homemade baguette; Jacinthe and Jeff brought three bottles of wine), and a super-luxurious winter meal.

Why so special? Part of it was what we ate. Though it was a bit of a risk using all new-to-us recipes, everything turned out perfectly - and came together on time.

First course (and the inspiration for the entire meal): foie gras from Le Petit Schiere in Paris on toast points with tokay gelee

Second course: chestnut and sherry soup with white truffle oil (instead of the topping in this recipe)

Main course: braised rabbit in grainy mustard sauce and brussel sprouts with wild mushrooms and fried shallots. I cut the brussel sprouts into chiffonade instead of roasting them whole. Cut the roasting time and made for a nice light texture. The rabbit was AMAZING. Might also have helped that my butcher got fresh (not frozen) rabbits in the same day that I needed them. And the brussel sprouts? Funny coincidence. Turns out that no one at that dinner likes brussel sprouts normally (including Cass and I); I am on a mission to learn to appreciate them. And this dish? Disappeared rapidly. Everyone exclaimed that it was the first time they'd enjoyed brussel sprouts. Can't argue with that!

Dessert: apple galettes with walnut paste (I substituted walnut paste both to fit with the loose "Normandy" theme of the dinner, and because I'm honestly not a huge fan of almond paste. I simply substituted walnuts for the almonds in this almond paste recipe - a bit oily to handle, but worked perfectly in the recipe.) I cut the caramel sauce, at Cass' insistence. Also, as my puff pastry came in rather small sheets so that, even with rolling it out, I couldn't fit five 5"-diameter rounds on each piece, my tarts were quite small. I obviously had to arrange the slices in a different manner because I couldn't get a fan of slices to fit on the top of the tart. Also, I cut the apples very thin so that they would cook through properly (see the reviews on the recipe; it seemed many had problems with this). I also didn't bother to remove the peels.

And to finish? 1984 Calvados we brought back from La Mere Poulard on Le Mont St. Michel.

Vive la France, non?

handmade holidays #12: better late than never!

2010-12-29T23:23:00.000-08:00

spent all Christmas Day putting this together for my mom, fitted it (straps) two days later, and voila! Now, I just have to mail the finished piece to her:

I made up Colette Patterns' Cinnamon slip dress in Vera Wang hammered silk charmeuse in chartreuse (chartreuse charmeuse! fun to say!). In this fabric it's definitely a slip or nightie, not a dress. I really don't enjoy sewing a delicate, slippery silk like this; the fabric is so tricksy. I do nothing but worry and second-guess myself the whole time, but phew! I think it came out alright! The credit really must go (once again) to Sarai's beautiful and thoughtful designs.

Sorry I couldn't get a better photo; it was blowing like mad outside today and dark inside: folded on the bed was the best I could do. I still have a few gifts to get together. ahem, sorry ladies. And an orange skirt I'm finishing for myself that I need to post, before the nightmare that is winter quarter absorbs me (I am teaching and taking 20 credits - twice a full load for doctoral students). Ugh. I'm starting to feel too old and too tired to be excited anymore. Then again, I always feel this dread before returning; I just have to remember that I will enjoy it when I'm actually back in classes again. At least this quarter I have a slightly better schedule (eg, I've managed to get a full weekday OFF from campus - haven't had that in three years!) and have purchased all my books online on the cheap - or at least, all the ones I know about. That should offset the cost of having the beautiful gray boots my mother in law bought me on sale taken in at the back.

handmade holidays #11: simple green (earrings, that is)

2010-12-22T13:29:00.000-08:00

don't you just love this colour? This was my favorite colour in childhood; I kept it secret, though. It was "snot green" and "puke green" to most other children, and I knew well enough not to admit that, weirdo that I was, I used to colour things in in the colouring books with my olive crayon just to admire the colour on the page. I claimed I loved red. Which I do. But chartreuse and olive will always have a special place in my heart.

I'm not even sure if these are agates or some kind of jade - but I like them! I picked up the stones somewhere - Cali? Washington? I don't know - in the past few years, figuring I'd make earrings with them. I had originally planned to make a little cluster of garnet drops drape the tops of these stones, but while I was making earrings and playing in my box of beads and bead supplies, I found these little ...whaddya call 'ems? Pop-on...somethings? pendants? I don't know. Found these little metal bits and fit them to the green stone beads. Added some simple silver earwires. Because I can't wear giant tassels in my ears every day, but I can wear olive and chartreuse any day I want.

Speaking of chartreuse ... wait 'til you see my next sewing project. Hope to have it finished/posted tomorrow - so I'd better get to work!

handmade holidays #10: anthro-esque earrings for a song

2010-12-22T12:53:00.001-08:00

for my sister-in-law: some over-the-top earrings that are as bold and fun as she is. Inspired by the Gothic Revival Earrings at anthropologie:

fun, but also $158, ouch! That is a statement! Mine aren't made with silk tassels (only because I couldn't source any locally), so I had to use rayon ones. The pearls were a gift my mother-in-law brought back from Mexico, the little bits (4 links each) of sterling silver under the pearls were leftover from another project and the surgical steel posts (because my sis has sensitive skin - like me, how convenient!) came from my large stash. I had to buy the sterling head pins and the tassels, but that was it!

To make your own: hit up a good fabric store and check their notions/trims for tassels. Usually, these are with the upholstery fabrics and trims, as tassels are so often used to tie back curtains. In fact, the tassels on my sis' earrings were attached to each other by a long rope cord. I stitched the cord together a bit, so that it wouldn't fray, then cut it off. I saturated each cut end with tacky glue and let dry for a few days.

When the glue is dry, sew the bottom link of your chain to the cut end of the tassel. The glue also gives the end some stability so you can sew into it. I made several passes, as I want the earring to be strong and durable. Slip your ear wire onto the other end of the chain.

Feed a pearl onto a head pin. Make a loop (but don't close it!) above the pearl. Slip the head pin through the chain, so that the loop is now around one side of one of the links. It's best to work from the bottom up. Secure, trim off excess wire from the head pin. Keep going, putting four or even six pearls on each link so that the pearls stack up. I used two different sizes of pearls in similar colours for this, trying to keep the smaller pearls on top.

It takes an hour or two, but it's worth it!

I even made a (much) longer pair for myself: these babies hang past my shoulders on my collarbone. I think I'll put my hair up and wear these with a low cut top and heavy eyeliner to really play up the drama!

handmade holidays #9: tasty treats - the salted chocolate caramel tradition

2010-12-22T08:57:00.003-08:00

as last year, I didn't quite get them solid enough in the first go-round. So, I tossed them back into the pot the next day (after a night in the fridge) and recooked tme to just over 240 degrees Fahrenheit. Not as pretty (nor as salty as I'd like), but the texture is a success. This year's adaptation? Cook over medium-low heat (4/10) and stir every few minutes. The oil didn't separate out of them this year. Score one point of success!

I dream of the day I can make these right the first time. But still, they taste delicious, the unmelted flakes of Hawaiian sea salt make for a delightful surprise crunch!, and their smooth texture (aside from salt crystals, that is) is spot-on. Everything worth knowing takes time, eh?

If you haven't seen my caramel posts before, I've linked one above where I note the changes I make for a full-batch of caramels. And here's the original recipe on epicurious.

And why yes, that is sunshine on the parchment paper. For a brief hour or so, solstice morning dawned sunny (I love it when it does that):

I'm off for a walk. I overtaxed my injured wrist yesterday and am feeling the burn today. So, no gym today, a long walk instead. I'm going to pick out a nice vegan meal and go buy groceries to make it. I'll be back later this afternoon with another handmade holidays post: knocking off anthropologie again, this time it's some seriously dramatic earrings.

handmade holidays #8: tasty treats - chestnut and rosehip turnovers

2010-12-19T22:20:00.000-08:00

and now for something completely different, eh?

I make these with frozen puff pastry (rolled out, cut into squares) filled with a little squeeze of chestnut paste that I brought back from Paris (Clement Faugier's chestnut paste, which is also available at DeLaurenti's in the Market now), and a dab of rosehip jelly that I made from the wild nootka rosehips we foraged in the mountains last winter. You simply swipe the edges of the little square of puff pastry with water and fold it over the paste and jam, pressing with fork tines to seal it together. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cut a little vent in the top (I like to make two small diagonal cuts). Beat an egg with about a tablespoon of cold water. Brush the mixture over the tops of the turnovers and sprinkle sugar over them. The egg will give them a nice gloss, and the sugar gives a tiny bit of crunch. It's that extra pzazz that makes it seem like you really know baking ;)

Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes, or until pastries are golden. Let cool at least 10 minutes before eating - really. The jam becomes molten and Cass and I seriously burned ourselves (both mouths and hands) the first time I made these because we did not stop eating them!

A note on rosehip jelly: a Serbian friend of mine, upon learning what I'd been making this summer, informed me that rosehip jelly is a winter tradition back home, so I gave him a jar. He was able to confirm that the flavour of our native wild nootka roses is very different from the roses used in European jam recipes - which I think favour rosa rugosa and other large-fruiting varieties of shrub rose. So my rosehip jelly is tannic, like sweet black tea, but I think these would be just as good if you were able to source a more traditional European rosehip jam at an import foods shop.

handmade holidays #7: a necklace in leather and silk charmeuse

2010-12-18T15:14:00.000-08:00

remember how it was on my summer to-do list to make a leather necklace a la handle and spout's creations? Well, it took me some time, but look! I made good on that pledge. I decided I liked the way it lays across the collarbone, and added silk ties for soft-edged textural contrast. This one's winging its way south to a girlfriend of mine, but I hope I can find time to make one for myself eventually - and hopefully it won't take another 6 months for me to finish!

(speaking of to-dos, you should see the ridiculous list I've made for my two weeks off. There should be plenty of posting over the break - though, if I were wise, I'd hold some in reserve for winter quarter, when I'm in for another 20-credit quarter - twice a full load for a grad student - and teaching)

holiday tree

2010-12-18T15:00:00.001-08:00

the tree has always been a very special part of the holidays for me. I moved out a decade ago, and I still remember our first tree: we covered it with origami roses because we could only afford a few ornaments. It was about 2 feet tall, so we put it on the kitchen table so it would be more prominent in our apartment.

We still get a small tree - smaller than any I grew up with - but mostly because Rising Sun Farms (in Ravenna) has such great prices on their little trees. Plus, when I first moved to Seattle, I used to walk there a couple times a week to buy groceries at rock-bottom prices. They got to know me, and they cut me a deal on the tree that first Christmas. That kindness meant a lot to me as I was almost completely out of money that December, having only just managed to find work after months of looking. And so, I am perennially loyal.

But as I was saying. Every year I purchase 2-4 ornaments, usually the day after Christmas, on sale. And over the years, it's really become a beautiful collection of orbs, acorns, pinecones and glass icicles (a nod to the tinsel that I loved as a child). We haven't used the origami roses in a few years, but they still live with the Christmas ornaments in the Christmas box. I think one of these years I might them up in our bedroom, a romantic reminder of our early years.

Anyhow, I was struck by a ray of winter sun gleaming in through this blown glass pomegranate the other morning; it so perfectly expresses how I feel about winter, the brief glory of cold, low yellow sun.

But of course, the tree is particularly glorious after dark. So, for family and friends that won't be in Seattle this winter - here's a peek into our holiday. With presents for you under the tree, just waiting to be packed up and sent out!

wishing you a holiday as beautiful and special as winter sunshine, full of memories of love and family!

handmade holidays #6: a feathered fascinator for a flapper

2010-12-18T14:42:00.000-08:00

a friend of mine recently celebrated her 27th birthday with a 20s speakeasy party. Dress code was black and white, inspired by the Jazz Age. I couldn't make it down to Portland (owing to Cass' firm's annual holiday party - and the fact that I'm still grading my students' final papers and will be all weekend), but it looks like it was a killer party. She nabbed an underground (literally) venue with great atmosphere and knowing this girl, whipped up some great food to pair with her prohibition-era cocktails.

In the spirit of the thing I whipped this up for her - and got it to her just in time! - for a little extra black and white flair (it was charming against her Louise Brooks wig). Black and white rooster feathers (from this project), black leather (from this one), a vintage rhinestone earring that the vintage shop owner was willing to just give me, a vintage button I had on hand, and a small piece of one of the plastic combs I bought when I made this.

Times are tight, and moving this year reminded me just how many raw materials I already have on hand; so I'm trying to use some of them up this holiday season, when I can come up with a good way to do it.

handmade holidays #5: a pretty bracelet for a special lady

2010-11-26T18:03:00.000-08:00

a pretty bracelet worked in lemon jade, leather, silver based on the wrapped glow bracelet from anthropologie - because I love my friends, but that doesn't mean I have $158 to drop on each of them. I only wish these beads had been faceted; still, they're pretty, and I think they'll pair well with the colour palette of a particular lady's wardrobe.

handmade holidays #4: Frank Lloyd Wright shirts

2010-11-25T12:59:00.000-08:00

for my sweetie this year, two new kinds of architecture-related T-shirts. Frank Lloyd Wright is one of his favorites, as he's a real modernist/neo-modernist kind of guy, so a few wearables (he always needs clothes) in honour of his favorite. (more on the process behind these two shirts here)

I was going to reverse-applique this one, but I liked the print so much (and it's so intricate) that I left well enough alone as soon as I removed the stencil. I love this one; it turned out perfect, to my mind: bright, crisp stencil, bold colours ... I have to say it, I think I'm finally being won over by modernist design (it's been a long process). I may steal this one a few times, hee! The pattern is based on a relief featured in the concrete blocks of the Ennis House (1924).

Cass was less fond of this motif, so I kept the colours softer so it wouldn't stand out so much. The waffle-tee is probably not the best thing for reverse applique technique, so I applied a LOT of paint in order to ensure that it had thoroughly soaked the fibers of the tee before I started stitching and cutting. The tulip window is the classic Lake Geneva Inn (1911).

handmade holidays #3: packaging!

2010-11-24T23:33:00.000-08:00

the last two years, I've wrapped the packages under my tree with beautiful celadon, cyan and silver wrapping, but wrapping paper always eats at me, no matter how beautiful it is. It is wasteful, you know. Plus, it's expensive! This year, I think I'll intersperse a few blue packages with packages wrapped in recycled brown kraft paper (I bought a role of packing paper designed for the mail). To make it a bit more special, I thought I'd use white ink and stamps. I carved this arctic fox from a fabric-printing block a few years back; I hope I have time to carve a pomegranate, so that I have a few options (and the pomegranate would be more festive). The little white bud-things came from a sprig of these I found at a thrift shop last summer; I think it makes a nice little detail to spruce things up, and ties in with the white ink.

ta-da, what do you think? Maybe with a bit of striped butcher's twine for tying up some of the packages?

handmade holidays #2: a wreath for the door

2010-11-24T10:37:00.000-08:00

whilst snowed in yesterday, I took the time to put a wreath together. I like to put up lights over Thanksgiving weekend and get the tree the next weekend, which is my birthday weekend. It's kind of become a tradition. This year, I wanted to do a wreath, too, as I just love this charming little house we are renting and am feeling extra holiday spirit in the form of the drive to decorate!

Putting a wreath together is pretty easy, actually. You make or buy a form. You buy or trim small branches of greens, and you gradually wire them onto the form in small clusters, with the greenery pointing away from you and the branches coming towards you. As you get to the end, you have to fuss a bit and kind of tuck the branches from the last bits of green under the greenery from the first bits you put on (does that make sense?), but it's not hard. I tucked some rosehips into this one for a bit of colour; I wish I'd had some eucalyptus pods to put in it, too, but I haven't, and the florist's (like many other businesses) is closed due to snow. Ah, well, that's life!

Martha Stewart has some instructions for making wreaths in this post on her website from what seems like a much older episode of her show. Use the instructions for the six-inch wreath. I know I learned to make wreaths from her show in 1993 or 1994, and I think it was this same season. The newer ideas seem primarily to use pre-made wreaths, so those won't help you, unfortunately. (Martha! shortcuts? really?? I'm surprised at you!)

handmade holidays #1: because it's never too early to start

2010-11-17T23:22:00.001-08:00

saw something similar on totokaelo (okay, in honest truth, a blog linked to one of those social inspiration-saving sites with a picture from totokaelo), but I just don't have $300 for individual presents - birthday, holiday or otherwise. After all, I am still a student and living on loans. Oh, the high life!

So! Printed out some free peyote stitch graph paper, dug through my beads to find the colours I wanted to combine (or at least,the closest approximation I had on hand), and got to colouring that graph paper with markers until I made a design that I liked. Beaded this up over the weekend while too sick to do much else (handy, that!), then roughly affixed a thick piece of red leather to the back by stitching from the leather through the links of the chain and down through the edges of the beading. Does that make sense? I let the chain droop a bit below the patch because I liked that look, and affixed these solid brass drops.

Bada-bing, bada-boom!

Now, this is actually a birthday present, but I am in a SERIOUS holiday gift-making mood (too bad I still have two small seminar assignments, a presentation, and two papers to write before I'm done with the quarter, pah!), so I'm calling it the first post of this year's "Handmade Holidays" posts. I have SO MANY ideas this year - it's going to kill me when I run out of time! =)

But for now, optimism is the word. Bring on the cheer and the mistletoe. It's freezing in Seattle and I am psyched for the holidays!

holidays are coming!

2010-10-24T21:40:00.000-07:00

and this year I'm reverse-appliqueing some motifs from Frank Lloyd Wright's houses (this one was a pattern in cement blocks in a wall) for the architect in my life.

For more on reverse applique, see these previous posts from me:
2009: Irish County T-Shirt
2008: Maidenhair Fern Pillow Covers (in velvet!)
2008: Tallulah Bankhead T-Shirt

And this post from the woman who brought reverse applique (along with a unique business plan and eco-conscience) to exquisite heights in the fashion world, Natalie Chanin:
DIY Eagle T-shirt

To make your own one-time-use stencil out of cheap printer paper (which has the benefit of being easy to cut, for all that it is a flimsy stencil), spray the back of your stencil (after you've selected, enlarged, printed, and cut out your image) with a repositionable spray adhesive, available at some arts and crafts stores. It basically turns the backside of your paper stencil into a giant sticky note. I have found that the adhesive did not leave a residue on these shirts, even though I left the stencil on the shirt for two weeks while I applied multiple coats of fabric paint.

autumnal eating

2010-10-24T21:13:00.000-07:00

nothing quite like a bit of wild mushroom bisque with a savory pumpkin-shallot biscuit to take the edge off the cold and damp (emphasis on the damp today) and bring a little more warmth to these dwindling autumn days. Though I've made this soup before with only shiitakes and portabello mushrooms, I think I prefer the delicate combination of chanterelles and lobster mushrooms. The latter, true to their name, lend the flavour of shellfish to the soup, which pairs nicely with the apricot sweetness of the chanterelles. I add a little bit of shiitakes to ground the flavours with something a bit earthier.

Wild Mushroom Bisque

1/4 c. (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 c. flour

about 2 c. loosely packed sliced chanterelle mushrooms
about 2 c. loosely packed sliced lobster mushrooms
about 1/2 - 3/4 c. loosely packed sliced shiitake mushrooms
3 Tbl. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbl minced fresh rosemary
1 c. cream sherry
3 c. vegetable stock
1 c. heavy whipping cream
2 c. nonfat milk

Use the butter and flour to prepare a roux: melt the butter in a small sautepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, to form a thick paste with a toasty smell. Do not let the roux darken. Set aside to cool.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add mushrooms, onions, rosemary, and garlic. Saute over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking and burning, until the mushrooms and onions have softened and begun to caramelize, about 10-15 minutes.

Add the sherry and cook until liquid has reduced by half. Add the stock, milk and cream. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to keep the soup at a simmer. Stir in the roux a tablespoon at a time until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. You will probably need all of the roux, but feel free to make a thinner soup if that's your preference.

Puree the soup in a blender or food processor. Return to pan and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Savory Pumpkin Biscuits with Chives and Caramelized Shallots

2 shallots, thinly sliced
1-2 Tbl. olive oil

2 1/2 c. flour
1 Tbl. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
4 Tbl. (1/2 stick) cold butter, cut into small pieces

2/3 c. pumpkin
1/4 c. milk

5 scallions (green onions), dark green ends only, chopped

-----
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit

Heat olive oil in a small saute pan over medium heat. Add shallots and reduce heat to medium-low. Saute until deeply caramelized and crispy. (Note: you can prepare the biscuits while these cook, just keep an eye on them and keep stirring occasionally as necessary to prevent sticking/burning). Drain on paper towels. Chop or crumble between fingers.

Meanwhile in separate large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in butter pieces with pastry blender or fingers until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add pumpkin and milk and combine to make a soft dough, adding more flour as necessary if mixture is too sticky.

Work chopped chives and crumbled shallot into the dough, then turn dough out onto a floured work surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic. Roll out to 1/2 to 3/4" thick and cut into small rounds (I used a small-mouth mason jar as a cutter; you could also use a glass or - of course - a proper biscuit cutter).

Place biscuits on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment. Allow some space for rising, though the pumpkin seems to prevent them from puffing up too much, so you don't need to space them more than 1" apart. Bake at 425 for 15-17 minutes, or until they have turned golden (or really, a slightly deeper shade of orange).

october sunset

2010-10-24T21:09:00.000-07:00

getting cold here

simple is delicious

2010-10-24T01:07:00.000-07:00

cut 4 plums into quarter, removing pits. Place in a roasting pan. Drizzle with the juice of 2 limes, sprinkle 1 Tbl sugar over, then drizzle with 1 Tbl. olive oil. Sprinkle 2 Tbl. chopped fresh rosemary over the plums, laying four sprigs of fresh rosemary in among the plums. Bake at 375 until plums are soft and juices have become a thickened ruby sauce.

Remove from oven, let cool slightly. Top with a dollop of plain nonfat strained greek yogurt or better, plain Icelandic skyr (I like Siggi's skyr, which I find at Whole Foods). Drizzle with just a touch of honey.

enjoy!

checking off old to-dos: wool pants to wool shorts

2010-10-24T00:55:00.000-07:00

these were too-short wool pants that I've owned since about 2003 and haven't worn since at least 2006 (if not longer). Took a bit of doing to get it hemmed properly/smoothly since the leg was tapered through the thigh, but I think I'll get more use out of them in their new incarnation. Hope so, anyway.

pilaf for dessert

2010-10-24T00:43:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I grew up with a lot of rice pudding. My mom would make it with regular milk instead of cream, with raisins and just a little butter. We'd have it for dessert, then leftovers would be breakfast the next morning. My dad and I would sometimes eat leftover white rice cold, with a bit of milk and sugar. It was kind of a thing. I'll still do this for breakfast on hot summer mornings, only now I mix the nonfat milk with a bit of lowfat coconut milk, and top it with mango slices or fresh strawberries. So I'm partial to sweet pilafs for a snack, for breakfast, for dessert. It's familiar, comforting, and most of the calories come from rice - which is really not a bad thing, in my book. (Especially if you make brown rice, though admittedly I didn't do that here.)

So, when I had some bananas about to go bad one day, I decided to make bananas foster - rice. I cut the four bananas lengthwise, then sliced the halves into 1/2"-thick half-rounds (approximately). I melted 1 or 2 tablespoons of butter, added a tablespoon of brown sugar, some vanilla, and spices (I think I used nutmet, cloves ... and maybe ginger or cardamom?). I added the bananas and cooked them over medium heat until the bananas were soft and the butter/sugar cooked into a thick syrup. Meanwhile, I cooked 1 cup of basmati rice with 2 cups of water. When the bananas were soft and the rice was fluffy, I stirred it all together. Try it - it's a good, simple treat!

well hello there

2010-10-24T00:19:00.000-07:00

going through images left on my digital camera, I realized how many posts I've been meaning to put up. Whoops, sorry about that.

So let's begin with a recipe we made a week or two ago from a cookbook we got for our wedding (Earth to Table): a pizza topped with shredded chanterelles, corn kernels, fresh thyme and goat cheese (we used maple-smoked chevre). Literally, that's all that topped this pizza. Simple, and delicious. I think next time, I would use a thin crust and brush it with olive oil and season with some salt and pepper, too. Delicious!