Happy Halloween!
This is Caitlyn’s first jack-o-lantern. She sketched the design and participated in the carving, with Papa’s help. Save
Adding inches
It seems Caitlyn’s pants are always too short. Sometimes this condition coincides with wear and tear, and then we call the pants “grubby” and she wears them for things that involve dirt and mud (p-patch work parties, walking in the woods, puddle stomping, etc). And sometimes the pants are in perfectly serviceable shape. They are just too short. I don’t know why it’s never occurred to me before to just make the pants longer. I’ve had this blue floral fabric in the stash for ages. I’ve also got a red and white print that makes me think of red bandanas …
Candy Corn Restrospective
It was supposed to be quick and fun. Instead, it took more than an hour and inspired some… er… colorful language. So, should anyone else want to attempt making candy corn from the how-to provided by The Harvard Crimson Flyby, here’s what I learned: If you are using ingredients from the natural foods aisle (eg, not C&H powdered sugar), sift everything really well. I used powdered sugar from Wholesome Sweeteners and powdered milk from Organic Valley. Both of these clump up as a general rule but it’s never been a problem with other uses, although those usually involved a mixer. …
Nothing like Last Minute
About seven years ago, I picked up what I think was my first fat quarter bundle. I was at In The Beginning (which has since closed it’s retail store and is a fabric design house) and there was just something magical about these bundles of coordinated fabrics. I had no idea what I was going to do with the fabrics but I bought them anyway. I washed them and ironed them and put them away. They’ve come out a couple of times, most recently when I was thinking about a skirt for Caitlyn. When I visit fabric stores now, I …
Prewash for shrinkage
Despite my best intentions, it seems that as the seasons tip into fall, I start feeling generally dissatisfied with the contents of my closet. It’s not that there’s a shortage of clothes in there (although I’m wearing holes in nearly all my jeans). It’s not that I’ve grown out of anything (unlike Caitlyn). It’s not that I have new places to go or people to impress with an up-to-date wardrobe. It’s not like I need to be fabulous when I spend the day at home, banging away at the computer and stirring up messes in the kitchen. I mentioned this …
Next time, I’ll know better
If you can get your hands on 4 lbs of fresh peaches (a bit unlikely now that it’s October, but there’s always next year!), you want to make peach butter. I found the recipe over at Smitten Kitchen and was instantly obsessed. Like, I thought about it all the time and I hadn’t even tasted it yet. I got too excited and bought too many peaches, then had to borrow a scale from a neighbor to avoid mucking up everything. I even planned out when I was going to make the peach butter, at a reasonable time on a Saturday, …