Berlin's Whimsy

Sewing Fabric Beads.

For my simple curtains, I used the selvages off white linen for the tie-backs. In fact, I use selvages for many things such as tying up packages or for use in kids' crafts. My kids often turn those selvages into reins for horses or leashes for their softies. Selvages have so many possibilities because of their disposable nature and their strength, too...

After peering at my plain tie-backs, I decided they would look even better with some color contrast so I added fabric beads to the ends. Fabric beads are always my go-to choice for adding that little extra something to a sewn item.

I first learned to make fabric beads from the wonderful book, 'Omiyage' by Kumiko Sudo. If you are interested in making special little sewn items, this book is for you! I've owned my copy for years and I continue to turn to the wonderful projects inside for special gifts for others (hmmm, Mother's Day?!).

Fabric beads are simple to make and are one of those crafts easily done by hand in an evening. They can be added to ties of all sorts (even shoelaces)! Here's how I do it:

#1: Tie a knot in the string to be bound in a fabric bead. Just an overhand knot is fine but make sure it is secure.

#2: Cut off the extra string.

#3: Depending on the size of the knot to be covered, cut out a circle of coordinating fabric. A juice cup works great...

#4: Around the perimeter of the circle, press a small hem under with your fingers (creating a crease).

#5: Now with your thread and needle and leaving a long tail, hem that raw edge down along the crease with a long running stitch which you will use next to gather up your stitches...

#6: Gather up the stitches a little to produce a cup shape to your future bead with the right side of your fabric on the convex (outer) side. Before pulling the gathered stitches tight, add the knot to the inside of the bead and then pull the stitches to enclose that knot.

#7: With the same thread, secure the fabric bead to the string by stitching through the entire bead & string back & forth with small stitches (I used a contrasting thread here for these photos but you should use a thread that matches the bead's fabric). If there is any additional bulk in your gathering, stitch that down, as well. When finished securing the bead to the string, knot the thread and cut off excess.

There you have it----a fabric bead!!

The Creative Process---Embellishing Knits

Have you ever noticed that when the same exact recipe is prepared by two different people, it can taste so differently? I have.

Each of us has a unique way of going about things----our own ideas, our own techniques, our own tools and know-how. Moreover, I'm fascinated by other people's creative process---how did they come up with that design or that sewing pattern? Or even that recipe? Often, it's a amalgamation of experimentation, alterations, unique concepts, or even just serendipity.

I like to take things a bit further, to expose the parts that create the whole. In that attempt, from time to time I'm delving a bit deeper in the creative process. To explain more than just show and this is my first post.

I knitted up a simple hat pattern out of one of my handspun yarns. The colors are so spring-like (variations of green and brown). I decided to take that spring effect and go with it. Flowers are opening up all over the place----how about a flower on this spring wool hat?!

Here's how to embellish your knits with a simple little flower---bring a bit of spring into your life, too.

First, choose a color family for your embroidery---one in which you have two similar yarns in different hues (that is, choose a main color--- as in red, blue, yellow, etc----and alter the hue a bit). For this flower, I chose a reddish color which led me to a reddish orange and a peach---both from the same "family" but differing enough to draw attention to both. Some other color combos could be differing hues of green (moss and pea) or yellow (sunflower and wheat).

Use the more subtle color of the two for the base stitching. Stitch large stitches in a donut shape to lay out the initial design---focus on large stitches. Don't pull these stitches too tight for you want them to stretch along with the knitted fabric.

Once you have laid out your initial shape, switch to the more dramatic color (darker) and begin stitching petals to your flower. The petals are stitched using a large chain stitch over the subtle base stitching. Don't overdo the chainstitches---you don't want to completely obscure your foundation stitching, just enhance it. In addition, you want these petals to extend out past the base stitches so they pop a bit. Again, don't pull these stitches too tight. I might briefly wash my hat just to felt it enough to adhere the embellished stitching to the knitted fabric underneath...

Voila!  A spring wool hat for that in-between time of year---a time full of promises of warm summer days but still whispering remembrances of yesterday's cold embrace.

Now off to line the hat with soft cotton jersey knit...

Yumm-y Sauce Recipe

It's one of the things I'm good at: identifying and replicating flavors in foods.

My Mom invited me to lunch last week with the goal replicating a cafe's signature sauce. She wanted me to make it at home. Since the sauce is so tastey, I quickly went home and set to work. Because of the ingredients in the recipe, it has a very rich and buttery flavor without the fat of butter----what a great combo!

I whipped together a version based on taste and a bit of information from one of the waitresses at the cafe and only later did I think to 'google' the cafe's name for recipes. My estimation of ingredients came amazingly close to the recipe I found online (yes, that sound in the background is me patting myself on the back).

Here's the deal: the sauce is especially good on both green salads and the healthy layered "bowls" this franchise cafe makes. In their version, they layer a bowl as thus: a hearty layer of brown rice, a layer of beans (I used adzuki but black beans are great, too)... Around the rim of the rice bowl, place servings of these items: shredded medium-sharp cheddar cheese, sour cream (or yogurt), sliced olives, diced tomatoes, and sliced avocado (1/2 an avocado). Personally, I would also add toasted sesame seeds & sprouts to the bowl if I had them...I'd also add roasted tofu if I had that, too!

On top of it all, sprinkle over THE SAUCE...

YUMM-y Sauce

1/2 C. canola oil

1/2 C. whole almonds

1/3 C. nutritional yeast (not the kind of yeast for bread making)

1/3 C. garbonzo beans, drained (I used more like 1/2 C.)

1/4 C. cooked soybeans (not edamame and if you cannot find them, omit and either add more garbanzo beans or use equal parts silken tofu for the protein)

1/2 C. lemon juice

1/4 C. filtered water (if needed to thin the sauce)

2 garlic cloves, pressed through a garlic press

1 tsp. curry powder

1/2 tsp. fenugreek powder (sometimes this can be difficult to find. It's an essential ingredient to curry powder and Indian cuisine--you'll recognize the fragrance and flavor).

1/2 tsp. salt

How-to: In food processor or blender, pulse the nuts, beans, soybeans or tofu, and garlic together first. Add seasonings, yeast, and lemon juice. Pulse together. With the machine running, slowly add the canola oil to emulsify the sauce. If the sauce seems thick, add the water bit by bit to the consistancy you want. The sauce needs to sit for an hour or more to meld the flavors. After this period of time, check for seasoning to taste... You might need salt.

Variation: To make a "hot" version, add a couple chipotle chili peppers from a can to the sauce.

Enjoy!!

Easy Breakfast Dish---Mmmm

 

I wish I had a better name for this wonderful creation. My Mom made it for my brother and I all during our childhood and I think it might have come from my Great Aunt. As far as I'm concerned, it includes all the ingredients for a perfect breakfast dish: easy, yummy, with many variations. We always called it "that egg pancake-y thing." My daughter calls it, "That Breakfast Cake."

 

Baked Egg Pancake Dish

~1/2 C. Butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place butter in a 8"x8" (approximate) porcelain baking dish. Place the dish in the oven to melt the butter and heat the dish. Meanwhile, blend the following ingredients together in a blender on high speed for approximately 2 minutes...

~6 eggs

~1 1/2 Cups Milk

~1 1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour

~dash of salt

When the butter has melted and the dish is hot, pour the batter into the dish. Place it back in the oven and bake until the edges have lifted up and the center is cooked through, approximately 20 minutes (jiggle it---when the entire center moves as a mass and you can push on the middle and it provides a bit of resistance then it is ready).

This dish is best eaten still warm. The edge browns and lifts up and the middle is almost like a flan. Some people prefer the edge pieces, some the middle. Cut it into squares and eat with one of the following toppings:

~Sweet ideas: berries and powdered sugar; maple syrup; blueberry syrup; baked apples with sugar and cinnamon...

~Savory ideas: only salt; salsa; hot sauce or ketchup; Or even these ideas: black beans and corn topping with salsa and sour cream or go Mediterranean and warm up a tepanade and slather it on top...

The topping ideas are endless!

 

We ate ours with some huckleberries my Mom gathered in the mountains last summer. She had to fight off the bears to get them! (Well, almost)... My son preferred his with frozen strawberries that we had thawed out.

 

To make a simple berry syrup topping, mix berries with real maple syrup and heat together until just warm. Mmmmm.

Added later: Thanks everyone for sharing your own experiences with this dish! I have a few recipes for Dutch Babies but I found most of them to add sugar to the batter to sweeten them. I like that this recipe is so versatile. The original recipe was double this amount and I thought that if I were feeding a crowd for breakfast, I'd make the doubled amount in two dishes and then set up a "breakfast bar" with both savory and sweet toppings for guests to add... Stacey: I love the name Hootenannies! We might adopt that one. And hey, if you can think of any other topping ideas, please let me know! ;-)

Smell's stories.

Fragrance is important to me and apparently I'm not alone. I remember hearing somewhere, sometime, that fragrance is one of our senses most linked to memory. There is a physiological reason for this.

For me, fragrance's memory link is strong. In the spring, a whiff of opening blossoms and the earth waking up from its winter nap fills me with joy. The smell reminds me of my college days when the campus was full of flowering trees and I anxiously awaited the coming summer.

The smell of mint brings back memories of working outdoors near mint farms. Some nights, the sticky sweet smell almost brought tears to my eyes. And when I used to dread a full day of housecleaning in the bleakest months of winter on the coast, I mixed up a bucket of natural soap with a few drops of mint oil for its vibrant pick-me-up quality.

I will always associate the soothing fragrance of lavender with ironing and sewing. And my kids in the bath as their crazy energy slowly submitted to the warm water spiked with lavender.

And I even love the earthy and bitter smell of wool's lanolin (and no, that isn't a sheep----it's an alpaca). Lanolin's smell evokes memories of the most peaceful of activities: handspinning. I love the smell of the lanolin as I watch the fiber slowly twist into something useful between my fingers.

What about you? Do you have certain fragrances linked to memories?

**I received a couple requests for my recipe for the lavender linen spray I mentioned yesterday. I know there are probably better recipes out there, as this is the simplest recipe of all: Fill a spray bottle with distilled water and add a few drops of essential oil. Shake it up and let it sit. Before each use, shake it to distribute the essential oil. That's all I do!

Essential Oils can be found at:

Liberty Naturals (a great source for high quality oils at reasonable prices, as well as spray bottles & containers)...

Mountain Rose Herbs (this is a wonderful company and be sure to poke around their site for many other great natural products and ideas---they have wonderful tea)!

Bread Machine Tips---Daily Bread.

Though I was an artisan-style bread baker, I love my bread machine. I was hesitant at first to use one but I finally relented when I just didn't have the time to make our daily bread from scratch. I prefer to bake my own bread. Many of the commercially produced breads include dough conditioners and other strange ingredients to maintain their product's consistency. I like that I know what I'm putting into our bread. I feel that bread is one of those comforting gifts in life---true foodie alchemy. And when my bread machine dies, I'll probably continue on without it, but for now, I'm thankful...

Bread machines have a tendency to bake bread too fast resulting in a bread that lacks the yeasty depth of flavor that handmade ones do. They also tend to dry out readily. After experimenting with my machine based on my background in baking, I found a few tips that improve bread machine bread.

1) If you can control the timing of your bread machine's phases in some sort of custom setting, do it (this is why I love my Zojirushi). Bread increases in flavor and performance with time and if you can increase the time it ferments or rises, it will improve the flavor. Here is what I have my bread machine programmed for:  Knead for 20 minutes; First Rise is one hour and 11 minutes; Second rise is 45 minutes; Bake for one hour. I always use this custom setting. Remember, time is bread's bestfriend----time adds flavor among other good things.

2) Bread is a living thing and various conditions can change the way it acts. Things such as humidity, barometric pressure, and the flour you are using can change the way flour absorbs water changing the way the bread reacts even when you are using the same recipe repeatedly. For this reason, I check the dough in the bread machine when it is nearing the end of the kneading cycle to be sure the dough is the right consistency. You want your dough to be on the wet side---if you pinch it, you don't want the dough to cling to your fingers but you do want it a bit sticky (stick and release). Creating a dough that is too dry is a common mistake in baking bread. If the dough seems dry, add water to it by the tablespoon-full. If it is too wet, however, add a bit of flour.

Also, check to see where your dough is lying in the bread pan---you don't want it on one side or another (the Zo is really great about setting the dough up to rise in the correct position in the pan).

This is my daily bread recipe. It's based on a recipe from The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook (highly recommended---in fact, all of the cookbooks by Beth Hensperger are wonderful). This is a basic formula that I then add varying ingredients to depending on the grains I have on hand. My kids love it, too.

Crunchy Daily Bread

(Makes a 2 lb loaf)

1 1/2 C. water

1/4 C. honey

1/4 C. molasses

3 T. canola oil or butter at room temp.

3 C. bread flour

1 C. whole wheat flour

1/4 C. wheat germ

1/4 C. flax powder (we use the organic white flax powder from Costco---love it!)

2 T. vital wheat gluten

2 tsp. salt

2 1/2 tsp. SAF yeast (or 1 T. bread machine yeast)

Crunchy Add ins:

3 T. millet

3 T. sunflower seed

3 T. amaranth

Layer the ingredients into your bread machine pan according to the manufacturer's directions (my machine requires first the liquids and then the dry ingredients). Set the machine for your custom setting, or for a Basic Whole Wheat. Check in on your machine as it nears the end of its kneading cycle and add liquid or flour depending on the dough's consistency. Let the machine do its thing and remove your bread after it is finished baking. Cool just a bit and enjoy your nutritious bread!!

 

Irish Soda Bread Day.

We celebrate St. Patrick's Day with Irish Soda Bread. It's my son's all-time favorite bread.

There's the recipe...

Adding both all-purpose and whole wheat flour...

Stir up the dry ingredients first...

Cut in the butter and pour in the soured milk...

It all comes together into a big, rough mass...

Pat the dough into a big, round ball and cut a big 'X' across the top...

And an hour or so later, when the craggy mess comes out of the oven smelling of browned butter and sweet floury goodness, you may take one little slice to tide you over until waiting until St. Patrick's Day when the bread is at its best after sitting a spell and it's eaten with jam slathered on its side...

Happy St. Patrick's Day!! And don't forget to put a few crumbs under your pillow for the leprechaun!

***A note about this bread... This bread is like a very large biscuit and it is rather dense. It bakes for over an hour until it is almost hard on the outside. It is best if you can let it rest for a few hours before slicing----after resting, it is easier to slice. It's a great keeper and is even better the next day!

The gift of spice.

Every year I'm looking for creative and thoughtful holiday gifts. Sure, my sewing, knitting, and baking provide many little gifts but I also wanted gifts that would travel far & wide to my friends and family. Enter Spice blends! Thanks to import stores like World Market, with their spice jars waiting to be filled, the cooks on my list will find a spicey surprise under the tree. I'm a connoisseur of spices and I like to purchase my spices in bulk from local natural foods stores, or better, order them from here or here. Once you have the spice bottles, you only need to order a little bulk bag each year to replenish them (plus, buying in bulk reduces the waste of throwing out old bottles).

Sometimes a certain spice blend will perk up the blandest of dishes and raise it to an all new scrumptious level (be sure to include recipes)!

Recently, Angelina over at Dustpan Alley listed some of her favorite blends (they sound wonderful). I also recommend this spice rub or this homemade garlic salt. With these basic formats, you can mix up garlic-parsley salt, or garlic-parsley salt with parmesan (great for garlic bread but must be refrigerated), or garlic rosemary salt--yum! Use your own tastes and a little imagination.

Little Bookmark How-to

These little bookmarks make wonderful gifts when combined with a fun book. Simple to make, the most difficult part is in choosing a small enough design for the size of the bookmark. (And please note, I got carried away with the size of the one in these pictures; it is larger than the mushroom one, for example).

Materials:

1. Some natural linen (my preference) or cotton---this is a great opportunity to use up scraps and thrifted shirts or fabric as the bookmark is very small.
2. 8" ribbon that matches your embroidery design, or seam binding
3. A button with large eyelits, or a wooden bead.
4. Embroidery thread and needle.

To begin, choose a small embroidery design (here are some ideas, above). It should be aproximately 3/4" to 1" across. The simpler the better---small flowers, initials, whimsical designs all work well here.

---Transfer your design to your fabric. I transfer my designs by drawing freehand but there are also handy transfer pencils available from craft stores that enable you to iron the design onto our fabric.

---Embroider your design onto your fabric.

---Cut out a circle aproximately 2" in diameter with the design placed smack in the middle. I use a glass so that each circle is uniform.

---Cut out another circle the same size. Make sure you allow at least a 1/2" around the design---in fact the more the better because you can always pull in the edges to fit snugly around your design.

---Now you will create a yo-yo. Aproximately 1/4" inside the raw edge of your circle, create a running stitch around the parameter, secured in the beginning by a good knot.

---Pull up the thread while simultaneously using a finger to work the the yoyo into a circular shape and evening out the thread.

Press the edges down and then iron the yoyo flat. Do the same with the second circle, trying to make this yoyo as close in size to the first yoyo. Iron it, too.

---Place the two yoyos wrong sides together. Manipulate the yoyos so that the circles match up---they don't have to be perfect...

----With a very small and discreet whip stitch, stitch the two yoyos together, like a yoyo sandwich...

----Begin your stitching at the 4 O'Clock position with the design verticle (shown in picture above----this allows a space to add the ribbon below the design). Stitch counter clockwise.

---Once you come to the 8 O'Clock position, insert your ribbon below the design and continue to stitch the two yoyos together. Stitch the ribbon inside the yoyo sandwich with a running stitch----be sure to sew it securely (especially if it's intended for a child)!

---For decoration, using embroidery thread, stitch a running stitch around the perimeter of the circle.

----To tie off the bottom of the ribbon, either thread the ribbon through the eyes of a button and tie a knot, or thread it through a large bead and create a knot large enough to hold the bead in place.

---To thread the ribbon through a button, coil the ribbon's end small enough to thread from the bottom up and back down through the button. If your ribbon is too large, just sew the button onto the end of the ribbon...

---I will share another bookmark idea with you in the coming days...

Choose a wonderful book to go with this bookmark-----here are a couple children's books on my kids' wishlists...

The Daring Book for Girls. My daughter was very displeased last year when there was The Dangerous Book for Boys but there was not a girls' equivalent... Until now!

Peter and the Secret of Rundoon. My son loves all of the books in this series.