Making me happy today...

is my lunch!

Homemade bread with Potato and garlic soup.

The soup was something I came up with when living in Alaska, having to cook for four men and suddenly realising no one had been to the supermarket in over a week. Literally all I could find was some old potato's (the ones that end up at the back of the pantry) and a few lonely gloves of garlic. So all you need to do when in a similar situation is boil some potato's and garlic in some chicken stock, puree this and then add some soy sauce and chilli powder (or I also think smoked paprika would be nice?). I then threw in some bacon and parsly. It makes for such an easy, filling and warming lunch.

Whats making you happy today?

When it all goes horribly wrong....

A few weeks ago my creative space was about this hat which I was feeling less then inspired about. I could tell it was going to be way to small for me, and I was loathe to undo it and redo it. As I think I have mentioned before I live in Sydney, and though it gets a bit nippy, I really do not need a warm wooly hat. So it sat in my wool pile for a few weeks, sending off waves of resentment, when I finally decided the thing to do would be to finish it and send it off to New Zealand to one of my nieces. Lovely plan you might say, plus it would be the first thing I have made for someone else, so with much excitement it came out of the wool pile...

And is a complete and total disaster, really my first major one in this journey of re-learning how to make things. It is SO small, as in it might just fit a baby, plus it has no give so I imagine it would cut off the circulation to the poor baby's head. It is a torture hat, nice.

I think perhaps this is due to my somewhat laissez-faire attitude to counting my stitches, that and I think I made the puff stitches way to tight. I found them really difficult, not technically but physically, this hat made my hands ache. Which perhaps should have been my first sign that things were not as they should be?

But, trying to look at the positives, apart from being way to small, it is still a nice looking hat. I may even try it again at some point, perhaps after I have done a little more research on tension... which seems to be how I finish a lot of posts. Perhaps I am being really slow at learning my lesson?

Sydney Biennale

It's not particularly crafty but if you are in Sydney at all during July can I please urge you to check out Cockatoo Island as part of the 17th Biennale of Sydney. My husband and I went yesterday and it was amazing! My husband is not particularly interested in art, usually managing to stay in a museum for half an hour before total boredom sets in, but we happily spent four hours wandering around. There were many highlights, in particular Static No. 12 by Daniel Crooks, which was a stunningly beautiful video of a man doing Tai Chi, where due to some time delay in the video, the mans movements all blended into one. I also loved Kasbah by Kader Attia which is a replica of the rooftops of a shanty town, one that you can walk all over, it is really interactive and I think it would be a great way of starting a conversation with child about poverty in other parts of the world.

Then there was Inopportune:Stage One by Cai Guo-Qiang, a series of cars suspended in mid air, exploding.

Of course there were many, many other exhibits but I think a major part of the appeal was the setting. Cockatoo Island is basically a huge abandoned industrial space, in fact it used to be a shipbuilding yard and all the mechanics, buildings and structures remain. Most of the exhibits are in these enormous cavernous areas, and all the fixtures are rusting and falling apart. I would have been happy wandering around without all the art, that was just an added bonus. But all in all it was a perfect way to spend a day and even better, totally free!!

Sorry there are no photos, I stupidly did not take my camera (although, I think sometimes its nice to enjoy things without also thinking about them as a subject for photography).

My Creative Space...

involves a big pile of dress pieces that need tailor's tacks. Enough said I think ;-)

Lots of lovely creative spaces here!

Little beribboned pouch

I saw a lovely clutch, somewhere, can't for the life of me remember where, which had some ribbon detailing on it which just took my fancy. I figured I could probably make something similar, so here is my version.

Naturally, I didn't bother looking online for patterns and tips and just ploughed ahead, making it up as I went. I was not being too precise with this one as it really was just a trial run, and the fabric is stuff I picked up for $1 from my local op-shop so I didn't feel to compelled to make it perfect. In general I am pretty happy with it, although next time I make it I would be a tad more mathematical with the ribbon placement...

Oh and did I mention this is my first time putting a zip in a bag? Turns out it is much easier then in a dress! Although I did run into a little problem with the lining, attaching it to the zip before sewing it up, resulting in my seams being on the inside of the bag, instead of between the layers. I improvised with a bit of fabric, made like bias tape, but not actually bias tape as I did not cut it on the bias, sewn over the seams. I probably need to do a little research to see how the linings should actually be put in.

I think next time I will make pattern pieces out of tracing paper, so that all bits of fabric are the correct size. Even though I was measuring everything I found when it came to sewing it all together, none of the pieces actually fit...

So, to sum up, in hindsight I might have found it easier to make a more simple bag before jumping straight into this one, but it mostly worked and only took about an hour to make so I would be happy to whip up some more because after all, practise makes perfect, right??

My Creative Space

Today there will not be too much making going on as I am off to the Sydney Craft and Quilt Fair. I have no idea what to expect as this is my first Australian craft fair. The last "craft" fair I went to was in New Zealand and was more of a market place for candles and jam, and not too much crafting. I am hoping I will get some new ideas, and some more supplies, I would love to find some decent felt as I am yet to find any in the shops here.

Hopefully though I will find some time to put the finishing touches on this.

It is surprisingly cold here at the moment and in an attempt to keep our power bill down I am resorting to carrying around a hot water bottle. Was getting a little sick of the rubber though, so once this is finished it should be nice and cosy. I made up the design myself, but I think I would make a few changes to it if I were to do it again. That is a totally different post though!

Lots more creative spaces here.

The true value of handmade

I went op-shopping yesterday, just to one store that had been recommended to me, the Anglicare Shop in Summer Hill. This is basically the depot where all clothing donations get taken before being sorted and distributed to other shops. As such it is literally just bins of clothes that you need to dig through, so it is really cheap, $6 for a kg of clothes. There is also a store there, but this seems a little pricy to me. I found a few bits and pieces, a couple of simple dresses, scarves and a shirt (which is ugly but I liked the fabric so will see what I can make of it). But then I found this.

Now, I do not have children, and I am not even sure if I will ever have children but this caught my eye. For one this is one of my favourite colours, and secondly the styling of it is adorable. So, I hmm'd and haa'd and eventually put it back thinking I should leave it for someone who has a daughter. Then I thought about it some more, because I am pretty sure that this little dress was handmade. Beautifully handmade I might add, but the lack of even a hint of a label, and just how much work has gone into it leds me to believe that someone put a lot of time and effort into this dress. And that made me unspeakably sad. That this beautiful dress was made for someone, someone poured love into every seam, pictured a little girl wearing it, and now it is at the bottom of a bin of clothes, most of which came from Target anyway. Then, I felt like a hypocrite, as I am lucky enough to have friends and family who all make things, and when I think of all the things I have got rid of, that someone made especially for me, I feel sick to the pit of my stomach. So, I brought the dress, for about 50c, and decided that I will show it the care no one else deemed it worthy of. Who knows, maybe one day I will have a little girl to wear it, or it will make a lovely gift for someone who will appreciate it. I don't know what I will do with it, but it will not be sitting at the bottom of a bin. I have the feeling that whoever made it had hoped that it might become a family heirloom, so I hope that I will do the best by this dress, and maybe make up a little for the lack of care I have shown all the beautiful things others have made me. Because, now that I am making my own things again, I know that something handmade is so much more valuable then simply the fabric it was made from.

Sping time skirt

This skirt was inspired by the fabric, I found it at Tessuti, and I loved the spring time feel of it. I guess it was a nice antidote to winter? I used McCalls 5591, which was a really simple pattern to follow. I made the skirt A version, without the contrasting fabric. Excitingly this was the first time I have ever made pockets, and it turns out they are actually pretty easy! I was very proud of myself and my poor husband had to listen to me stating over and over again, I made pockets!

Pockets!!

There really isn't to much to discuss with this skirt, I think it is a really flattering style, and while looks a bit complicated with the pleats and pockets it is actually pretty easy to sew up and really does not take too long. My only gripe is, after making it I saw someone selling a similar version in the same fabric at a market here is Sydney, but it was just a simple aline skirt, with out any detail. But still, someone out there has something very similar, grrrrr.

Also on a side note, it is very difficult to do a full length self portrait! I even have a remote and it is still tricky so please excuse the poor photos!

Today I am off op-shopping and hoping for some exciting finds, so wish me luck!

My Creative Space...

involves a little bit of this:

And a hell of a lot of this:

The crochet pattern comes from here and in theory is nearly done but does not seem nearly big enough so I think I have to unravel and add more rows. Always annoying I find.

The elephant is part of 1000 photos from Africa that I need to edit, (the joys of shooting in raw) but in doing so is bringing back some pretty amazing memories so is a pretty enjoyable way to spend the day.

Plenty more creative spaces here!

Refried Beans

Not much crafting going on today, although I have my last millinery class tonight so will hopefully be able to post some pictures of my creations soon. So today I thought I would share my recipe for refried beans, which are 1) delicious 2) better the next day so 3) the perfect meal to make when I will be out in the evening.

2 cans of drained kidney beans (for the record I have tried using dry beans but they are such a hassle to soak and cook)

1 can diced tomatos

2 cloves garlic

half and onion (diced finely)

half a cup of chicken stock

1 teaspoon of my super hot sweet chilli (see this post)

half a green pepper, diced

Salt and pepper

Fry the garlic and onion in a little olive oil until tender, add both cans of beans and the chicken stock and fry until heated through. Then using a potato masher, mash the beans until you get a somewhat goopy texture (you will be able to tell when to stop mashing). Next add the tomatos, chilli, green pepper, salt and pepper and stir through. Allow this to simmer uncovered for about half an hour or until most of the moisture has evaporated.

Have this with tacos, or nachos, or rice, or even on pizza (with tomatos, peppers, cheese and rocket- mmmm).

My Creative Space - White on White on White

Ohhh, my first ever creative space. Today I am making these beauties. Goodness knows what I am going to do with them but I am sure they will find a suitable home. Instructions via Portobella Pixie.

More Creative Spaces here.

Queen Anne Lace Scarf

After taking a small break from the crochet hook I recently picked them up again to attempt the Queen Anne Lace Scarf, which struck me as being the perfect Sydney winter scarf, not to big, not to flimsy, for those not to cold but not to hot days. I used this pattern, found via Ravelry. This was a really nice project to work on as you saw progress very very quickly, and it took less then a week, when I only spent about an hour a day working on it. I also felt like it would be a really nice piece for a beginner as you are using three distinct stitches (chain, double and treble - or for the Americans chain, single and double) over and over again so they really get cemented in your head. Rather annoyingly I forget to jot down the wool I used, but it is really soft and I love the colours. My only issue with it is that I think for this project it might be a little to thick (I think its a 10 ply) which means I have lost some of the detail of the stitches. But I would be happy to make this scarf again so, when I have finished the sixteen other projects in my head I think I will try it again with a much finer wool. By the way, I am reading way to many US blogs and keep wanting to refer to wool as yarn! Here are some shots of the detail, no photos of me wearing it yet though sorry!

The Great Sweet Chilli Sauce Disaster

So, I thought it would be a fine idea to try making my own sweet chilli sauce, ha! All was going well, it looked lovely, the consistency was good, the very first taste was lovely, and then a freakin' bomb went off in my mouth! Holy cow! And now of course I am kicking myself as I was thinking as I was cutting up the chillies that I should remove some of the seeds. However I wasn't sure if all the sugar was going to dilute the heat (or something) and didn't want to end up with an insipid sauce. So, note to everyone, the heat stays!!! You can see from this shot just how many seeds there are in the sauce, and this shot was taken after it had been blended.

I am currently trying to dilute it, but honestly I do not see that happening. Rather then wasting some preserving jars I might just make it again, and this time, LESS SEEDS!

By the way if anyone is interested the recipe I used is from Jo Seagar's book The Cook School Recipes.