holiday apron

It is cold outside,

there is snow everywhere,

time to make cookies!

Miss C. decided to make Christmas cookies for Santa....

I do not know for how you feel about 2 weeks old cookies,

but this Santa likes them fresh!

So we will be eating cookies for dinner,

you will not hear me complain!

To go with all the baking,

Miss C. needed a new apron,

an apron that said Christmas baking.

I used McCall pattern 5720

with 2 cute quilting fabric.

Since the pattern is a Mom and me pattern,

I thought I would make one for myself too,

but I realized fairly fast that no matter how cute

she was with her apron,

I would look silly!

Now what am I going to make with all that green cookie fabric?

Happy sewing!

more mug rugs

I have been busy sewing,

making cute mug rugs for my girlfriends,

I think they will be a great Christmas gift.

They are all different but in the same color and fabric than

my previous ones.

I see a lot of hexagons quilt,

and always want to make one,

but some many little pieces, so little time!

So I just pieced 7 hexagons together (by machine)

and turned under the raw edges all around (with starch)

and appliqued it to the background with a zigzag stitch (invisible thread)

For the next 3, I just played with half triangles

and forced myself to not center them,

it is a stretch for me!

I also tried more quilting

and different patterns,

thanks to their size it is a great way to experience!

I really like all the half triangles together,

forming a nice band.

Now I have to decide who get what,

may be I will keep one for myself,

or I just will have to play some more!



Happy sewing!





wannabe baguette

May be it is a French thing,

but I have been trying to make baguette

for quite some time now,

and the closest I have been are those here:

the wannabe baguettes!

I like the recipe from "Essentials of baking"

from Williams-Sonoma.

There are lots of pictures,

and clear directions,

none the less my bread does not look like the pictures!

The dough is beautiful,

it takes about all day to make

(lots of waiting time!)

It is essentially yeast, water and bread flour,

and of course salt.

 

The good news: it is delicious,

and we eat it like cakes!

Have you tried to make baguette?

Any suggestions?

Well we will continue to enjoy our version,

just bring the cheese and the wine!

Happy day!



old fashion toy ornament

When my son was a wee boy,

many winters ago,

I was concerned, as most moms of young children,

of the danger of Christmas ornaments.

And my solution, like many other moms,

was to make soft, unbreakable ornaments.

We do not need them anymore,

so we usually used them in a wreath:

These 6 ornaments are paper pieced little patchworks

of old fashion boy toys:

a topper                     a sail boat

a horse                      a train

an airplane                      a boat

These ornaments were the first paper piecing I did,

and as you have seen before not the last!

see some more here, here, here and here

I know, I just think it makes everything easier!

The pattern is "toy box ornaments" from Sweet peas, Inc.

by Kim Halvorson.

I looked around for some web address or info

but this company seems to be gone.

 The pattern was publised in 1998.

Happy sewing!



a href=”http://sewnso.blogspot.com">img src=”http://www.southern-stitches.com/Blog/cmaslinky.jpg”>
also linked to: spirit of christmas past
at SewN so

dress finished....just in time!

Last week, I was working hard on finishing
the kids outfits....
 Thanksgiving was great and perfect,
but no sewing time!

I did manage to finish Miss C. dress.

The pattern is Pascale from Sew Beautiful,
it was fairly simple, and perfect heirloom dress for older girls
(no puffy sleeves!)

I choose to use piping, and no collar or sash in the back.
I wanted a simpler, modern look.

And I am pleased to report that she likes it!
Not a small detail,
as I have spent many hours on dresses before to hear
"I just do not love it Mommy!"
which means there is no way she will wear it,
we are a strong minded family!

She had a great visit with Santa,
probably her last Christmas picture
with the Jolly man.

Happy sewing!

a not so perfect doll bed

Last year, I made Miss C. a bunk bed

for her dolls as a Christmas present.

She was very happy with it,

but I was not very pleased with my handy work!

I made it up, and just built it,

with some 1 x 2 and 1/4 inch plywood.

It was late in the season (so very cold in the garage)

so I worked fast and not so well!

But this year, I found a great tutorial

at Ana White.

So I got some wood,

cut it all up,

following the great directions

and built it!

Yes I did it!

It took me longer than her (no surprise here!)

but I am happy with it.

I still need to fill in all the holes,

prim it and paint it,

and of course make some bedding,

which will have to wait, remember

I am busy sewing Christmas clothes!

Happy crafting!

PS if building a bed is too much,

IKEA sells again their doll wood bed,

it is unfinished wood and not great bedding

but with some help (paint and fabric),

it can be very special,

ours is already 2 years old.



a lot of chemistry

Today it is my twelfth year anniversary!

You probably heard it before:

"there is a lot of chemistry between you two..."

well it is especially true for us,

as Mon Cheri and I were both graduate students 

in chemistry at the time of our marriage!

 (with our typical French cake, made by a German baker!)

Oh happy day!

 

busy sewing!

I have been busy sewing the kids'Christmas clothes,

in a matching, but hopefully not cheesy outfits!

I am making a vest and bow tie for Brick Master

and a dress and shrug for Miss C..

I am using a dark blue featherwale corduroy from Spechler-Vogel,

not navy, more like shingle,

a matching pima cotton tartan also from Spechler-Vogel

(same blue, darker blue and white)

and a white cotton velveteen.

I purchased all of them at the heirloom store,

so much better quality and feel

than the regular fabric store.

We will be taking some pictures next week

so I need to finish them in the next few days,

better get back to it!

Happy sewing!

beaujolais nouveau

le Beaujolais nouveau est arrive!

Today it is officially the first day we can drink Beaujolais nouveau,

this year's wine!

and yes it is a big deal!

Probably a very French thing,

a great celebration on a Thursday night.

Usually on this day, you can go to all the wine stores

and try the new wine with some snacks

like bread and pate.

Since I am a vegetarian, I made my own version

with baguette and goat cheese,

sprinkled with some herbes de provence

and lightly toasted, so good.

Enjoy!

PS: moderation is key here,
as too much will bring a huge head heck!
Remember it is a very young wine!