Maccabags!

Home Again, Home Again

So you know how it is when you get back from a lovely holiday - sometimes you think - "ahhhh, my own bed" and "awww, I so missed you, cats times three". Well this time there was none of that; I was so not ready to get back! We'd had three weeks of lovely Atlantic Canada and New England Indian Summer, and when we arrived at Gatwick, the queue for non-Europeans was at minimum a mile long. Then out we went to - RAIN. Yuk. So.  Enough of that, because here is what I found when I got to my house:

• A book from Oge, which I was expecting, but there was also a surprise - a very lovely bag that she had made and tucked in with the book!
• A pattern from Juliana (see link below) which she had taken the time to write out in an e-mail for me so that I can practice crochet.
• An e-mail from Jo who had just returned from Japan, saying what jet-setting crafters we are; she knew that I was traveling too - on the opposite side of the planet. You can see some of the lovely things she brought back from her trip here.
• A lovely mention/link from Kyoko in her blog; Kyoko's knitting pins have struck again with a gorgeous baby vest and a tiny tomato red cable cardi. I can't even begin to decide which of her lovely baby knits would be my favorite.
• Nice comments on my pre-holiday Baby Bunny Ball tutorial from Tracy - she's got a Stash-tacular Giveaway going on right now, Hannah, Julie - congratulations on your award, Kathi D - read her blog for hilarious stories and pictures of her new puppies - together they redefine cuteness, Raina - check out THE most beautiful silk scarf that she has just knit, and Kyoko and Juliana (see Oge link above, and Juliana link below).

So - all in all, that definitely took the sting out of being back from holiday. To all of you - THANK-YOU!

Here's the bag that Oge sent - I have commented to her so many times that I love the fabric she chooses. And now I have a purse made out of some of it - YAY! 

And go here to see that pattern that Juliana sent. I am going to have a go at this once I get the holiday laundry done.

To Jo, I hope you are recovered from the jet lag - I was slurping at the lovely fabrics  you picked up. I was traveling with 3 non-crafters and although I found some nice buttons and a pack of turning doo-dahs (see below) - I did not buy a single bit of fabric while I was in the States - never really got the chance to take the time to do all the browsing/scrunching/feeling/imagining that goes along with picking out fabric. I was worried about baggage weight and also about the amount of fabric that is sitting in my house waiting to be used.

 

 

Buttons, zipper pulls and the turning doo-dah that I picked up. This, for me, is a very meager stash! Hopefully the turning gadget works as promised in the hype. If so, I will demo on a later post.

Oh - and I also found this in New Hampshire - it's by Chef'n, for cook'n (actually, for chop'n garlic); it works a charm and comes apart for wash'n. (Of course, immediately after I got back, I found it on Amazon UK - for almost twice what I paid for it. Hee hee. Of course, if you include my air fare ....).

The Garlic Zoom by Chef''n

This weekend I need to make some drapes for a friend - so blogging is going to be scarce. I think I will have to post some holiday shots, though!

 

Tutorial: Baby Bunny Ball

How to make this little guy:

What you will need

• 30 cm x 50 cm piece of fabric for bunny body and back of ears

• scrap of fabric for feet and ear lining

• 20 cm length of black embroidery floss

• 20 cm length of narrow, white string

• piece of letter sized paper for pattern

• small amount of toy stuffing

• flex curve (optional)

 

Part One -  Making the pattern

From the paper, draw and cut out a rectangle which measures 19 x 6.5 cm (7.5 x 2.5 inches).

Fold the paper in half lengthwise; then fold again widthwise. Place the folded edges on the right and bottom, then make a mark .5 cm (1/4 inch) from the left along the top. Starting from this mark, draw an arc to the bottom right corner. I used my flex curve to do this, but it can be done freehand as well.

Cut along the curved line and open out. (This is the pattern for the bunny body - we will call this Pattern A). This pattern piece already includes 1 cm (.5 inches) seam allowance.

 Along the centre fold, measure down 12.5 cm (7.5 inches) from the top and draw a line across the shape. (Later, we will fold along this line and ised the folded Pattern A for the ears). Also mark the positions for the eyes and whiskers. You can put them anywhere you want; I made the eyes on mine 7 cm (2.75 inches) from the top and about 5.cm (.25 inches) apart. The placement of the whiskers should be about 5 cm (.25 inches) below the eyes and centered between them. (I'm sure it is just my imagination, but I found that placing these too low down makes the bunny look cross!).

The pattern for the feet (Pattern B) needs to end up looking like the photo below. I used my flex curve and just played with it until I liked the shape. You could also do this by drawing a circle by tracing around a glass (about 6 cm or 2.5 inches in diameter) and then extending a line out from the middle of both sides. My bunny's feet are about 2.5 inches across ar the widest part, and they are 10 inches long from base to "toe".

In this photo below I have shown the steps for making the pattern (click to enlarge):

Part 2 - Cutting Out

You should make sure that your fabric is well pressed before you cut and sew, otherwise you are going to end up trying to iron a sphere and if you can do that, please let me know! (although I'm struggling to come up with a scenario in which that skill would come in handy?).

Using Pattern A, cut 6 from the body fabric. Separate these out and on each, make a mark 1 cm (0.5) inches from the narrow ends. On one of the pieces, transfer the markings for eyes and the whiskers placement. Using Pattern A again, fold along the line that you made earlier and use this folded piece for the ears : cut 2 of the body fabric and 2 of a contrasting fabric.

Using Pattern B to cut out the feet - cut 4 from the contrasting fabric. (Could also cut these out of the same fabric as used to make the body - or 2 of body fabric and 2 of contrasting fabric).

Part 3 - Sewing the Bunny Ball

(scroll down a little to see a photo of all of these instructions in progress)

Sew the ears first. Place an ear and a lining right sides together, and sew around the edges, using a .5 cm (.25 inch) seam and leaving the base open. Clip the seams on each side from about half way up the ear and clip the top very close to the seam being careful not to snip through the sewn thread. Turn right side out through the base, and press. Repeat with the other ear.

Now sew the feet - exactly as you sewed the ears - around the edges and leaving the base open. Turn right side out.

Press ears and feet. On the feet only, turn in a .5cm (.25inch) hem along the base of each foot and press into place. Nothing more to do with the feet for a moment, but the ears can be prepared in one of three ways:

1. At the base, fold the outsides in to the middle and pin so that ears will have fold in them. This is how I have done mine.

2. Take several hand stitches along the base of the ears,  using a strong thread - then pull up to gather the ear - machine stitch very close to the raw edge to hold the gathers in place

3. Leave flat (i.e. do nothing)

Separate the body pieces into 2 piles - pile one with pieces 1, 2 and 3 - pile two with pieces 4, 5 and 6. Look at the photo above to see the numbered pieces, and pin and sew pieces 1 and 3 to piece 2, stopping your stitching at the marks at the top,  and back stitching to secure the stitches. After you have pinned , double-check to make sure that the "face" is the middle piece of the 3. Clip the seams you have sewn at about .5 cm intervals (.25 inches). 

Repeat with pieces 4,5 and 6. You should now have 2 half-spheres.

.

 

1. Ear, sewn and clipped
2. Ear, turned right side out, pressed and folds basted in place
3. Foot,sewn and clipped
4. Foot, turned right side out, pressed and hemmed
5. Right side of sewn sphere, showing face in the middle
6. Wrong side of sewn sphere, showing stitching and clipping

Place one half of the sphere inside the other, right sides together. About 2 cm from the top, insert an ear between the right sides, making sure that the lining side is facing the "face". Repeat for the other ear. 

Begin sewing about 1.5 inches from the bottom of the spheres, back stitching securely when you start - and keep sewing all the way around to the other side, again stopping and back stitching about 1.5 inches from the base.This opening will enable you to turn the sphere (shall we call him a bunny now?) right side out, and will also allow you to insert the toy stuffing. Clip the curves edges as you did with the other seams. Turn the bunny right side out and admire the ears for a moment.

 

Here's what the bunny should look like now. (A little deflated ...).

 

Part 4 - filling and finishing 

Let's do the face: with the black embroidery floss, take a couple of closely spaced, small stitches at each of the eye markings.

And the whiskers: thread the string through a large-eye embroidery needle, insert about 2 mm (1/8th of an inch) on one side of the mark you made for the whiskers, and exiting the same distance on the other side of the mark. Remove the needle and pull the string until it is centred. Tie a square knot to cover the marking for the whiskers, then tie a small, tight knot in the string on each side, equi-distant  from the square knot, and cut the string as close to the knot as possible. See the photo at the beginning of the post to see the embroidery for the face.

Using toy filler, stuff the bunny until he (she?) is quite firm - trying to keep the body as round as possible. I am not very good at this, but find that I have more success if I put the filling in using little bits of filler at a time, and then using something like a chop stick every once in awhile to tamp the filler down . Hand sew the opening closed. I tried to be neat, but the feet will actually cover this stitching, so I didn't let myself stress! Position the feet however you like them, and blind stitch to the bottom of the ball.

 

 

 

All done - except for giving this bunny a name.

Reginald?

Phoebe?

Archibald?

Bob?

Good Things to do with Autumn Vegetables

 

Chantenay carrots

• mix chopped rosemary and orange zest into softened butter, chill and add to just-cooked carrots

• toss whole carrots in olive oil seasoned with sea salt, black pepper and thyme then roast until tender and just browned

• serve raw Chantenay carrots with a yogurt dip flavoured with mint and garlic

• cook until tender, then stir in harissa, olive oil, lemon juice and fresh coriander, then serve warm with grilled lamb

• add small Chantenay  carrots whole to a hearty beef casserole

 

Autumn Potatoes

• stir pesto into buttery mashed potatoes to serve with chicken; horseradish cream to go with juicy steak, or grainy mustard with sausages and pork

• layer thin slices of potato and pieces of salmon in a shallow, oven-proof dish -  season, pour over cream and finish with grated Parmesan, then bake until tender - serve with a crisp green salad

• saute cubed potatoes and chopped onion with mild curry paste, then add fresh chopped tomatoes and simmer until the potatoes are tender. - wilt spinach leaves on top just before serving

• toss parboiled potatoes in oil spiced with ground cumin, coriander and turmeric, and roast until crisp and golden

• stir-fry onions and shredded cabbage and mix into mashed potatoes, stir in grated cheddar cheese and bake until golden

Parsnips

• roast parboiled parsnips until almost tender, then add chunks of apple, sprinkle with nutmeg and finish roasting - delicious with grilled pork

• make a creamy parsnip soup and melt in mild blue cheese just before serving

• mash cooked parsnips with potato, butter and thyme, shape into cakes and fry until golden

• fry a little chili and cumin with the meat for a cottage pie, then top with parsnip and carrot mash

• toss parsnip "chips" in oil and a little curry paste, then roast until tender

Pumpkins and Squashes

• chop squash or pumpkin into chunks and roast with olive oil, cinnamon, paprika, cumin and chili

• make a hearty winter salad with cubes of cooked squash and feta cheese, tossed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and topped with toasted sunflower seeds

• halve small squashes and roast until tender, then scoop out the flash and mix with goat's cheese, chopped walnuts and a little honey. Pile back into the squashes, scatter a little cheese on top and bake

• toss chunks of squash or pumpkin with melted butter, maple syrup and thyme and roast with chicken thighs

• boil cubes of squash until tender, then mash with sauteed garlic, cream and butter

I saw these suggestions in the Free Waitrose Seasons booklet for Autumn 2008 and so many of them looked so good that I thought I would share them. I hope that Waitrose will not be cross with me or think that I have infringed any copyright rules  (I'm plugging you here, guys)!

Mmmm, yummers.  I'm hungry now.