Showing posts with label DIY. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DIY. Show all posts

April 23, 2010

Fabric Flower Garlands

My beautiful little sister Leandra is getting married here in June so there's been a lot of gardening, crafting, building, and cement pouring happening these last few weeks. We had a little party for her over the weekend; all the girls got together to help her get a start on some of the decorations. It was really just an excuse to try out potential "signature cocktails" but we also got a little (easy!) crafting done. I wanted to feature one of the projects here: these little fabric flower garlands. They're super simple to make, require almost no sewing and (just like my sweet sister) are so pretty and joyful. So grab a bit of fabric, some ribbon, and a needle and thread and let's get started.



First: cut a strip of fabric as wide as you want your flowers to be. Fold it up, lay something round on top (a jar lid or drinking glass works great) and trace a circle.

tracing circles

Cut 8 to 12 circles out, don't worry about being precise here.

cutting circles

Grab one circle and fold it into quarters so that it makes a little point.

folding circles

Run your threaded needle through the point of the folded circle. Don't worry if you don't have matching thread, it won't really show.

sewing circles

Keep adding folded circles, just like stringing beads on a necklace, until you've got 10 or 12 circles together.

stringing circles

Tie off your string, fluff up the circles, and like magic you've got a flower! Now make a couple more flowers in lots of beautiful colors.

finished flowers

Attach the flowers to ribbon with a little "x" of two stitches.

attaching flowers

Now hang it up and get ready to party!

flower garland

Stay tuned for a recipe for the chosen cocktail...

January 3, 2010

Christmas Wrap-Up

So it turns out I was a bit over ambitious in my Christmas plans. Apparently I was too busy sunbathing in Baja to knit much. Who knew that working with wool while covered with sunblock, sand and baby slobber would be rather unappealing and tricky? I did get a few projects done, however, and now that we've finished up our third and final gift-giving session, I'm finally at liberty to divulge what ended up getting made.

Among the little knit projects that made it onto (and off!) my needles (Toasty, Thermis, Turn a Square, Star Crossed Slouchy Beret, Fetching, Plum Blossom Mittens, and a seed stitch eternity scarf of my own devising) there was one stand-out pattern. A pattern so quick, simple, and fun that I ended up making seven (!) pairs, two of them finished Christmas morning.  And only one pair was for me. They're the felted slippers from French Press Knits, and they are a little bit of magic.

They start with a few pieces of oddly-shaped knit work
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Which, after a little seaming, become grossly over-sized slipper-shaped oddities
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Which, after felting
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and finishing become adorable house slippers!
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From start to finish, I can make a pair of these in under two hours, including seaming (and there is a lot of seaming but it's of the "just sew those two pieces together any which way" variety that can be done while your baby is chewing the other end of your work.)  So after making my own pair, I whipped up six more pairs for gift giving.  I gave them out pre-felted with the idea that we'd have a felting party after opening presents on Christmas morning.  

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Another lovely feature of this pattern is that they travel well.  They were made in Mexico, finished in California and I'm now wearing them in my sister-in-law's house in Pau, in the southwest of France. They pack well and stand up to getting shoved into a suitcase. And they look great with my new skinny jeans which is handy because, despite being told that all the cool kids are wearing skinny jeans, I've yet to be brave enough to wear them out of the house.

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January 1, 2010

Champagne Truffles

Happy 2010!

We rang in the New Years in Pau, in the southwest of France, visiting Arnoud's little sister and her boyfriend, and I have a couple of recommendations for you if you ever come to Pau: eat all the cheese and chocolate you can get your hands on and make sure you're breastfeeding because you are going to need that additional caloric allowance.

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Marianne and Seb, our hosts, like to cook even more than we do and made us a spectacular New Years Eve feast of Jerusalem artichoke and arugula soup followed by spinach and roasted tomato cannelloni with homemade (swoon!) noodles. The finish was these beautifully simple chocolate and champagne truffles with a heavy dusting of cocoa. The recipes are from Ottolenghi: The Cookbook and I'm having some serious cookbook envy for this one.

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The truffles are rich and decadent but still have a delicate flavor from the addition of champagne. They have a soft center surrounded by a thin layer of chocolate that offers a slight crunch when you bite into them. If you have some leftover champagne from last night, whip these up today and relish the beginning of 2010.

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Champagne Truffles

adapted from Ottolenghi: The Cookbook
Feel free to use inexpensive champagne here but splurge on the chocolate, at least 60% cacao for the dark chocolate.


for the truffles
2 ounces milk chocolate, chopped into small pieces
7 ounces dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup plus 3 Tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup champagne
2 1/2 Tablespoons brandy

to finish

5 ounces dark chocolate, for coating
cocoa powder for dusting

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1. Cover an 8x8 inch square pan with plastic wrap.
2. Place first two ingredients into a heatproof bowl large enough to accommodate all ingredients. Warm the chocolate in a microwave or over a pan of simmering water, stirring periodically with a rubber spatula, until it is semi-melted. Be careful not to burn the chocolate.
3. Pour the champagne and brandy into a small saucepan and heat until hot but not boiling, about 175 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Add the champagne mixture to the chocolate and stir until it melts completely.
5. Stir in the butter in a few additions and continue stirring until the mixture is smooth.
6. Pour into the prepared pan and chill until it has set, at least 3 hours.

To finish
1. Melt the chocolate for coating in the microwave or over a pan of simmering water. Dump the cocoa onto a flat plate.
2. Turn the chilled chocolate out of the pan onto a sheet of parchment paper on your workspace, remove the plastic wrap. Cut the chocolate into squares (1 to 2 inches per side) using a sharp, long knife. Clean the knife in hot water after every cut.
3. Use a skewer or fork to pick up one chocolate square and dip it into the melted chocolate. Wipe off any excess on the edge of the bowl, quickly roll the square in the cocoa powder, and place on a clean tray. Repeat with remaining squares.
4. Allow the chocolates to set in the fridge but bring them to room temperature before serving.

October 5, 2009

DIY: Homemade Buttons

I have a fascination with making basic necessities that a normal person would just buy: deodorant, crackers, ketchup, paper, pickles, butter, lip balm, yogurt, soap... you get the idea. It makes me feel all Laura Ingalls Wilder-esque, like I could survive out on the prairie or through peak oil. So I thought I'd start highlighting some of these DIY projects for building a handmade life -- just in case you ever end up living on the prairie and then run out of crackers.

I'm interested to know what you think: What basic necessities are you making? What would you like to make but haven't tried yet?

How to: Make Wooden Buttons
Thanks to my man for being the hand model/saw operator and inspiration. Note to all the single ladies: do try to marry a man with calloused hands, it'll make your life so much easier and more interesting!

1. Gather your tools and supplies. You'll need: a drill, a saw (I used a skill saw but a hand saw would work at least as well), sandpaper (100 grit and 220 grit), a wooden block, and oil (I used sesame, but olive or mineral will work too.)



2. Choose a nice branch for your button. A few things to keep in mind:
  • The branch's diameter without bark will be the size of your button
  • Use a hardwood such as oak
  • Avoid rotten wood
  • Using downed branches that have already "cured" while they were lying on the forest floor will prevent your buttons from cracking and make it easier to remove the bark.


    3. Cut rounds from the end of the branch. They should be between 1/8 and 1/4 of an inch in width.


    4. Remove bark from the button rounds.


    5. Drill 2 or 4 holes in each button, using your wooden block to drill on so that you don't damage your work surface. It's not important to get the holes perfectly spaced as the buttons are meant to look rustic and homemade.


    6. Sand your buttons. Start out using 100 grit sandpaper and then finish with 220 grit.


    7. Rub the buttons with a little bit of oil and then polish with a clean cloth. All done!



    Now take some photos of those buttons in action.  Congratulations, you're one step closer to self-sufficiency and that homestead on the prairie!