histoire de Pommes cross stitch embroidery

I started this "delicious" embroidery at the beginning of the stay-at-home order,thinking it was the perfect time to workon such a large project:

It was and it is, but I have been back at work for months,so it is slow going.....I am not sure I am going to be done in timefor apple season!
The pattern is from Madame la fee,a French designer,whose cross stitch grid can be purchased online,but it is not like Etsy and other placeswhere you get immediate download,it can take a couple days.

Here are all the pretty colors necessary for the embroidery,

originally I was planning on doing it on linen,

but after a few hours....

I hated the look and the irregularity of the stitches!

So I grabbed some white even-weave and tea dyed it,

so it would be less white, without being yellow,

and restarted the embroidery:

much happier!

I kept on stitching, keeping busy...

Mon Cheri describes it as my form of meditation,

which is pretty accurate!

The embroidery grew bigger and bigger,

from the middle to the outer edges,

the opposite way of a puzzle!

It took quite a while to reach that size,

it is a great activity when it is too hot to move outside!

Then I realized that in order to stitch all the white parts,

I needed stronger glasses!

And it totally helped!

See that little lace behind the tarte aux pommes?

so delicate!

I still need to stitch the donut, the cider glass, a pot of jelly and finish the flower....

Now I dream of finishing this embroidery

and eating apple goodies like this "chausson aux pommes",

literally apple slipper!

Happy day!

simple panini with homemade focaccia

A couple of weeks ago, I shared my latest guilty pleasure:

homemade focaccia,

great for appetizer with a little olive oil for dipping.

It also make great panini:

so tasty with fresh pesto 

(I make my own: basil, roasted pine nuts, Parmesan, olive oil, salt and pepper),

tomato, mozzarella, (ham if you are into meat...)

Just slice the focaccia, spray some pesto,

and layer tomato and cheese.

It tastes good like that but to take it to the next level,

warm it up in a panini press:

the same one we use to make Croque Monsieur and toasted quesadilla....

And then it is truly ready to be eaten....

The fresh mozzarella doesn't melt,

so Miss C. and Brick Master like to use shredded mozzarella for the gooiness

But Mon Cheri and I enjoy it that way,

maybe slightly more authentic....

These panini make great sandwiches,

upping our lunches,

keeping us daydreaming to next summer or the summer after....

Happy day!

sewing another classic lunch carrier or two...

While nobody is going back to school this year,I still sewed 2 new lunch carriers for my friends:

 Last year, I sewed a fall lunch carrier

and a sunny lunch one,

so I felt I had to keep going on the tradition!

(main body and handle is Tilda Cottage fabric)

Now my friends and I can all virtually meet up for lunch with a similar lunch carrier!

What's not to love?

For both of them, I used a mix of quilting prints,

iron-on fleece for interfacing and some water resistant lining:

just like for mine!

(main body print is from Minki Kim collection)

The pattern is my favorite pattern from Pink Penguin!

I think I actually made 6 or 7 of these lunch carriers,

does anybody need one?

Happy sewing!

a little homemade focaccia

While we had to postpone our Italian vacations this summer,

we have been enjoying some traditional food 

like taralli, drinking espresso in the front yard, lots of homemade pizza

 and some classic movies: Roman Holidays, la Dolce Vita,

a Room with a View (visiting the sites from our couch!)

and now homemade Focaccia:

Baking bread is a great cool weather activity as it warms up the house,

but right now it is the last thing I want! (hello 30 days in a row above 90!)

Since I have found out that I can use our outdoor pizza oven (propane),

I have been making at least weekly.

With this recipe from Gimme some Oven,

it is ready in less than 2h from dissolving yeast to slicing the warm bread!

Isn't it gorgeous, just out of the oven?

We serve it quite simply with a little olive oil, some herbs and

 maybe some shredded Parmesan, delicious!

The perfect appetizer to a glass of vermouth for aperitif!

Happy day!

Front yard overall, part two

We left off last time just after the masons have finished all the stone work:

looking very nice, ready for the carpenters!

We were looking for a simple front porch, very square, like the house. Because of the timing, we were not sure it would get finished as our state started to shut down. Our contractor decided to keep working as all the work was outside.

With the columns, it really started to take shape.

But then there was a long time waiting for the inspector,

and finally the under roof was installed!

And the magic of paint finished it all off:

As the grass started to grow, we made a new house number, brought in a rocking chair from the back yard...

and started planting some plants and flowers

in the new bed between the driveway and the walkway.

We put more plants and added gravel, perfect for lavender.

We purchased a set of new chairs for the porch,

perfect for 2 people, and just the right size for the space.

So are we done?

Well almost, the driveway needs to be redone,

(actually just finished!)

and I would like to get new light for the porch,

more specifically get another light on the other side,

which requires an electrician to enter the house,

and I am not ready for that.

Happy Day!