Made by Marjorie

July flowers

2010-07-19T10:43:00.003-04:00

Here's a handful of flowers from my yard. I don't have much time for gardening these days, but thanks to my mom and mother-in-law - who have shared cuttings from their own gorgeous gardens and in most cases, even planted them for me - I have some really stunning plants that are bursting into bloom now. I really like my garden to be filled with plants in shades of pink, white and green and this bouquet showcases some favourites: hydrangea, hosta, ivy, lily, and some foliage from my bleeding heart bush that blooms in spring, and whose flowers have now faded. Beautiful!

Mom's birthday: White Chocolate Cloud Cake

2010-07-05T14:50:00.004-04:00

Sometimes we want a classic chocolate cake for a birthday celebration, but sometimes it's nice to go with something a little lighter. Last week we celebrated my mom's birthday and she asked for something with strawberries. So of course I went on a hunt for the Perfect Cake.

This White Chocolate Cloud Cake turned out fabulous. It's from one of my favourite dessert cookbooks, Another Cup of Sugar by Anna Olsen. I swear I have never been disappointed by this book. Every recipe turns out great. The Lemon Ice Cream from that book is TO DIE FOR if you are a diehard lemon gelato lover, as I am. I made it to go with this fluffy cake and they were both delicious. The cake is flourless and is made of mostly egg whites and melted white chocolate, which causes it to rise dramatically(kind of like a souffle) and then fall down, leaving a nice hollow which is then filled with vanilla whipped cream, fresh strawberries, and white chocolate curls. It was light and sweet - just right for a hot summer day.

Happy Birthday, Mom! Let's definitely keep this recipe on hand with our other favourites.

Whose craft is this, anyway?

2010-06-19T16:37:00.003-04:00

I pulled out my sewing machine the other day to sew some pillow covers for our patio furniture. Ronan was busily playing on the same table with his cars and crayons (the pictures on the table are ones he has drawn of cars on race tracks). Pretty soon, the scene looked like this:

Note the green truck parked between the sewing machine and the pincushion.

Apparently, my cutting mat makes a great race track...

Before I had a little boy, I had no idea you could combine crafts and toy cars!

Beach bound bag

2010-03-19T21:13:00.004-04:00

It seems like everyone I know is going someplace warm and sunny, or just coming back from someplace warm and sunny. Cuba...Dominican Republic...Mexico...Florida. You get the picture. At eight months pregnant (and counting down the weeks!) I am definitely not going anywhere. But all the tanned, happy people around me are radiating sunshine these days, and I'm just enjoying the relaxed vibe.

My cousin and his girlfriend are heading south for a week's vacation, and she needed a new beach bag. So my mom obliged by making this pretty pink striped bag.

It folds flat for easy packing, but has plenty of room for towels, sunscreen and all the trashy novels and magazines a girl can read in a week. Plus, a handy pouch for small essentials like lip gloss and sunglasses. Maybe next year I will need a beach bag before I jet off to some sunny resort...

Handmade Christmas

2009-12-22T18:16:00.005-05:00

Just a few things that will soon be wrapped and put away until Dec. 25...

:: nearly finished earflap hat for a certain little cutie (pattern from Last Minute Knitted Gifts).

:: my famous brown sugar shortbread

:: Eleventh Hour Scarf

:: Cowgirl Cookies from Bakerella

And a few more small projects that will be ready just in the nick of time. Happy holiday crafting!

Mom's Garden: Before and After

2009-11-15T22:20:00.005-05:00

Last year my parents sold their house, which was located on about one acre of property. The maintenance of their yard and gardens was becoming a lot of work and they wanted something more manageable where they could relax and enjoy their retirement.

For my mom, the new house presented a blank slate for new flower gardens. Nothing had been planted or maintained, other than a few tired-looking perennials that were ready for the compost pile. The existing flowerbeds in the front and back yards were overgrown with weeds. Mom started by digging up the few scraggly perennials that were still struggling out of the unkempt beds bordering the backyard and planted new beds. The "before" photo...
After she cleared out the old plants and weeds, she dug new beds and enriched them with better soil and compost:

Next came planning. Many lists were made. Much time was spent observing the light and shade of the new garden. Then she started planting. There were many, many trips to garden centres to get healthy new plants. Here's how it looks one year later:

Gorgeous. Lush, green, colourful, and thriving. She's got the greenest thumb I ever saw. Here's another before/after, looking at a back corner of the yard:

And this is only the BACK yard. Next post will show the front yard - plus the new potting shed. Great job, Mom!

Knitting for babies

2009-11-14T12:08:00.004-05:00

A few new projects on the needles: a baby blanket, using colours that we'll be using for the baby's room (I think). The pattern is from Debbie Bliss's new book, "Blankets, Bears and Booties" and the yarn is Baby Cashmerino. It's the first time I've used this popular yarn, and I have to say that it's the softest, coziest yarn I've ever knit with. I love it. I can see that I'll be using it for more projects in future.

Here's a peek at the blanket from the book. Look at that cute little mouse in matching stripes! I am a sucker for stripes on kids. I'm modifying the blanket pattern slightly to make it bigger. I started knitting it as per the pattern directions, but soon realized that the finished blanket would only be about the size of a dish towel. So I cast on about double the number of stitches, and I think it will be the right size for tucking around a little one in the stroller or carseat.

Here's another sweet pattern that I'll be making up (in different colours) for my goddaughter. The adorable photos in this book are enough to make me want to knit everything in it. There are booties, sweaters, toys and even a beanbag chair that looks like a big bird - all modelled by the most beautiful babies you ever saw. Definitely recommended.

My So-Called Scarf

2009-11-03T22:06:00.005-05:00

I made the popular "So-called Scarf" as a little gift for a friend of mine who appreciates a nice, handknit wool accessory.

I like the herringbone pattern and once I got going, I found it to be an easy knit. I followed a tip from someone on Ravelry who found a YouTube clip showing a slightly easier way to knit it and get the same result. It took two skeins of Manos del Uruguay to make a scarf long enough to wrap twice around the neck (shown here wrapped just once around the neck of my ever so patient husband).

Next on the list of knitting WIPs: some baby knits, including a striped blanket and a few other wee goodies for the new little one who'll be arriving here in the spring!

Halloween fun, part 2

2009-11-03T21:48:00.004-05:00

Halloween came and went, leaving behind discarded pumpkins and leftover mini chocolate bars (which seem to get mini-er every year). There seems to be fewer and fewer kids trick-or-treating every year, too. I'm not sure why that is - maybe they have more Halloween parties and don't bother walking around to collect their treats?

Regardless, we decorated the house with bats and pumpkins made of black and orange construction paper. We also carved two pumpkins, "one with a scary face, and one with a scaredy face," per Ronan's request.

I also made two pumpkins which I can use year after year - these ones made out of wool roving and yarn, with twigs for the stems. I saw these in an old Martha Stewart magazine and have been wanting to make them for a while. They were quick and easy - just strips of yellow and orange roving wrapped around styrofoam balls, and fuzzy orange yarn wound around them to hold the roving in place. A dab of hot glue holds the stem to the top of the pumpkin.

I made one pumpkin according to the directions - with the fuzzy orange yarn wrapped around it to hold the roving in place. But I made the second one with just the roving and it didn't seem to need the yarn. I'm not sure which one I like better.

Actually, my most favourite little pumpkin is this one:

Happy Halloween!

Halloween fun

2009-10-25T18:41:00.006-04:00

Today was a really perfect fall day. Crisp and sunny and full of autumnal colour. I really do love fall, and this year, we seem to be getting a nice long season.

After a few hours out in the backyard, we came in to make some Halloween crafts. We found some great ideas on Martha Stewart's website (her Halloween ideas are the most creative I've ever seen on the 'Net).

These candles are fast and inexpensive to make with a few sheets of orange and yellow tissue paper wrapped around glass cylinder vases (mine were about 5x12 inches, $1 each at a dollar store). I used a utility knife to cut out the faces and then put a tealight in each one.

The Angry Chicken's recent post about Halloween crafts included a free download so we made some pumpkins with cut-and-paste faces. Also fun and easy.

I made a few other things, but will have to get some better pictures before I can post them. And of course we will have a shot of this year's Halloween costume later this week.

Chicken Potpie

2009-10-01T13:26:00.010-04:00

Hello! I'm fully aware that I've been neglecting this blog lately. That's because I haven't made anything in a long time. But I can feel the creative juices starting to flow again. Probably because it's fall and now I want to knit things and bake things and just basically do things that make me feel warm and cozy.

Since I haven't got any new crafts to show (yet), I'm offering a recipe for Chicken Potpie instead. I've given out this recipe a lot. Once people eat it at our house, they want to make it themselves. It's that good. I honestly don't think I've ever eaten a store-bought version of chicken potpie that tastes as good as this one. I often make this with leftover turkey after Thanksgiving or Christmas, so it seems like a good time to post here - I bet there will be a lot of turkey sandwiches in lunch bags this week!

Usually I make individual potpies in little aluminum pieplates, with a top and bottom crust. They freeze really well. I don't bake them before I freeze them. I just put the cooked filling into the piecrust-lined pans, add the top layer of piecrust, seal the edges, and put them into little Ziploc bags for the freezer. Then when we want them for dinner, I just take the frozen pies out of the plastic bags, put them on a foil-lined tray (to catch any drips) and bake.

The version shown above, made in a cute vintage Pyrex casserole dish, has only a top crust and it's just as good this way. And takes less time because you don't have to roll out circles of dough and press into individual pans. This is not a quick weeknight recipe, but more of a weekend dinner when you've got time to make pastry. And yes, you could buy frozen pastry but it won't taste the same. You've been warned.

Chicken Potpie
Serves 4

Filling:

1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 tbsp butter
1/3 cup flour
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp black pepper
1.5 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 cup carrots, thinly sliced
2 large potatoes, cut into small cubes
1 cup peas
2.5 cups chopped cooked chicken (or turkey)

Pastry:

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 cups cold butter, cubed
cold water

Make pastry first: In a food processor, blend together flour, salt, and baking powder. Add cubed butter. Pulse until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Slowly add cold water, a tablespoon at a time, and pulse repeatedly until mixture just holds together. It should not be wet but should stick together when you press it between your fingers. Turn out onto a large piece of plastic wrap and gently form dough into a flat (2-inch thick) oval. Wrap in plastic and put into fridge to chill while you make the filling.

To make filling, melt butter in a large pot. Add onion and mushrooms. Saute over medium heat until vegetables are tender. Sprinkle flour, poultry seasoning, thyme and black pepper over vegetables. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add chicken broth, milk, carrots, and potatoes. Cook and stir until sauce is thickened and bubbly, and carrots and potatoes are tender. Add chicken and peas and remove from heat.

If you're making this in a casserole dish with a single crust on top, just pour the filling into a 2 quart baking dish. Roll out enough pastry to cover the top of the pie (about half of the pastry - you can freeze the rest for next time). Turn edges of pastry under and cut a couple of slits in the top to allow steam to escape while baking. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet (to catch any drips) in centre of oven; bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until crust is golden and filling is hot and bubbly.

If you're making individual pies, roll out half the pastry. Cut four circles that will fit your pie pans (some are round, some are oval - just cut to fit your pans). Place dough in pie pans. Add filling. Roll out remaining dough and cut four more circles to fit the tops of the pies, remembering to cut these slightly larger as you will need a little extra to turn under the edges. Turn under the edges of the crust; press with a fork all the way around to seal the crusts. Cut a little slit in the top to allow steam to escape. Follow baking directions above OR slide unbaked pies into plastic Ziploc bags and freeze for later use.

**If baking from frozen, I recommend using a lower heat to avoid browning the crust too quickly before the filling is heated through. I bake frozen pies at 350 degrees for one hour.

Barbie goes camping

2009-07-04T20:44:00.007-04:00

Barbie dolls were definitely my favourite toys for a number of years. I can't remember how old I was when I got my first one, or how old I was when I stopped playing with them, but I do remember that I had a lot of cool Barbie stuff and it was endlessly entertaining. Among the awesome accessories I owned: Barbie's horse (it was named Dallas - does anyone else remember that??); the motor home (which was bright yellow and huge - at least 2 or 3 feet long); a hot tub that could be filled with water and produced bubbles; a pink Jeep that came with camping gear; and of course, a dozen different Barbie dolls. All of whom ended up with their hair cut off. I always regretted those haircuts later. (Which weirdly foreshadowed the relationship I now have my own hair - cut it short, let it grow, cut it shorter, let it grow...)

My mom made a lot of Barbie clothes for my dolls, including a complete wedding ensemble with a veil and a bouquet that had a tiny elastic strap to hook over Barbie's wrist. Mom, how did you have the patience or time to make that stuff? I also remember hand-sewn quilts and pillows for Barbie's canopy bed (pink, natch), and other assorted furnishings for the Barbie condo. But the best thing she ever made for Barbie was undoubtedly the tent.

Mine was the perfect shade of Barbie pink with two sleeping bags, fully lined with flannel and quilted to make them look like the real thing. There were even little pillows stitched into the sleeping bags. As if Barbie would sleep in a tent without a pillow - seriously, now.
No detail was overlooked. The tent featured a rear window with a mesh panel to keep out mosquitoes, and flaps on the window and front opening that could be rolled up and secured with a button, or left down when Barbie wanted a little privacy.
A wooden dowel propped up the tent when in use and when it was removed, the whole tent folded down, nice and flat. It made it easy to shove under the bed when it wasn't being used.
Look - the sleeping bags, folded up and tucked a certain way, can be converted to chairs! Awesome!

Even my younger brother had a tent. His was dark brown with plaid-flannel lining in the sleeping bags. Very masculine. His was inhabited by assorted action figures including G.I. Joe, a Spiderman doll, and a Wayne Gretzky doll (who sometimes visited Barbie for a "sleepover"). (Sorry, Kev, you may not have been aware of Barbie's relationship with Wayne.)
Recently my mom busted out the Barbie tent pattern again. However, the fabric she uses is a bit tricky to find these days. It's a stretchy type of polyester that used to come in a rainbow of colours and it was perfect for the tents. I suspect it was also popular for women's pants with elastic waistbands...but let's not think too hard about that.

DIY yarn swift

2009-05-28T22:23:00.004-04:00

Last Christmas, John bought me a ball winder for yarn, which I love, but at the time, neither of us realized that I would also need a yarn swift to actually use it for winding balls of yarn. The winder cost about $25 but an umbrella-style swift is approximately $80 - $100. I guess it's not terrible, considering you'd probably only buy one of these things in your lifetime...but still, $100? I haven't been able to convince myself that I need one THAT badly. Not when I can still wind yarn into balls the old-fashioned way - by hanging the skein of yarn on the back of a kitchen chair, or sometimes by persuading people (like John) to hold the yarn on their hands while I wind it up.

But then...finally! I saw an idea for making your own swift out of Tinker Toys. Seriously! I thought, well, why not? And this was the result:

Ronan was almost as excited about it as me. Almost. He was the one who added the decorative stack of cylinders to the centre post.

Note: Swifts like the one I made (albeit made of wood and not Tinker Toys) are available on ebay for half the cost of the umbrella style.

Bags for spring

2009-04-12T21:18:00.009-04:00

Spring is coming...slowly but surely. The signs are everywhere. Tulips and crocuses are peeking out of flowerbeds. People are outside more and smiling more - walking their dogs, washing their cars, cleaning their yards. Yard sale season is starting. Stores of full of garden tools, lawn chairs, and pastel T-shirts.

This is the time of year that my mom pulls out all her gardening books and begins to plan, in earnest, the flower and vegetable gardens. It's still too early to plant. But never too early to plan.

While she waits to dig into the gardens, she sews. Lately, a flurry of floral totes have been flying off the machine. Each one is different, but all very springlike, don't you think?

Did you notice the new addition to the bags? We finally have custom labels to sew into them. Here's a closer look:

After much experimentation and hunting for the right materials and instructions, I finally found a great tutorial at sewtakeahike. So cool.

Pleated Beauty Bag

2009-01-28T15:02:00.009-05:00

My mom made me a new bag using the pattern from Amy Karol's book, Bend-the-Rules Sewing. It's very cute, no? She used very fine wale corduroy for the body and a paisley cotton for the lining inside the bag and the pleats. Hence the name, Pleated Beauty Bag. Here's a closer look at the pleated part:

And here's the "beauty" part:

I really like that paisley lining. A lot. The icing on the cake is this wallet she made to go with the bag:

She is the best mom EVER.

Cable love

2009-01-22T21:28:00.005-05:00

I love knitting cables. I try to knit other things, but I keep coming back to cables. Love those serpentine patterns with those alternating twists and turns; love the many variations that look so complex but really aren't; and most especially I love the finished fabric with all its texture and weight. Even a fine, delicate yarn can be made into a thick, warm hat or scarf if you knit it up into cables. I would love to make a cable-knit sweater one of these days. I really like this pattern. Or maybe this one. And I'm also pretty excited about this. You get the picture.

I haven't knitted many things for my mom. This is partly due to the fact that she can't wear wool ("It itches!!") and partly due to the lack of great cotton yarns at my local yarn shop. (Yes, I know yarn can be found online, but I like to choose yarn from an actual store where I can see and touch the yarn. Call me crazy.) And then I found this great organic cotton yarn at a LYS here in St. Catharines. They didn't have a lot of colours in the store, but this raspberry red caught my eye. A single skein went on and on and on...it only took a couple to make this scarf and hat.

The patterns aren't particularly complicated. The scarf is from One Skein: 30 Quick Projects to Knit or Crochet by Leigh Radford. However, I will say that I took some liberties with the pattern so it's not exactly the same. The hat is from Stitch 'n Bitch Nation by Debbie Stoller (again, liberties were taken). This is the third cabled hat I've knitted...it might be time to take the leap and make a sweater.

We're here!

2009-01-21T00:29:00.002-05:00

Happy 2009! I know, I know...it's almost February. February, people! I have no good excuse for not posting any new stuff. No good excuse whatsoever. Life happened and...let's just leave it at that.

Even though I haven't been posting about it, there has been a flurry of crafting going on behind the scenes. New felted wool projects, including a rug (!), and some cozy pillows; knitted goodies; and--our favourite--new handbags. Including one for me, made by my mom (naturally).

Stay tuned...photos of all this good stuff is coming soon. I promise.

Crafts in the woods

2008-10-26T18:33:00.010-04:00

I found some pictures that I took a while ago, and realized I never actually published a post about our day at the Ball's Falls Craft Show. Back in October, my mom and I went to this show, which takes place every year on Thanksgiving weekend. We've lived in the Niagara region for 10+ years and never have we gone. Well. Now we know what we've been missing all this time. Vendors and artisans of all kinds, showcasing a huge variety of handmade items. Most of the booths are set up outside under tents, and some are inside an old barn. We were lucky to have warm and sunny weather that day, and so we took our time and strolled around for close to five hours. Highlights of the day:

The booth selling fresh apple cider and apple fritters...yum
The pipe band wearing full Scottish dress who performed throughout the day
The Elora Soap Company booth, where I stocked up on organic soap and shampoo
Bags of stone-ground flour in cotton feedsacks for $3 per bag from the old mill at Ball's Falls

One thing that I noticed was the absence of a booth with knitted crafts, or handspun yarn. I would have liked to see that. But maybe I should be looking elsewhere for this? Like the Sheep and Wool Festival, in Rhinebeck, NY. The Yarn Harlot talked about it recently on her blog (link in the sidebar).

We looked at every single table of jewellery, artwork, candles, woodcrafts, etc., etc. We got all crafted out. When we left, we still had plenty of time before we had to go home, so we decided to hit a few antique shops. My mom and I both like to just drive around and find out-of-the-way shops...no plan, no map, and no hurry. Totally random. It's the best when you're driving along and you spot a place that looks good and just pull over to check it out. We always find the best stuff that way. You can't do that when husbands are in the car. They never want to stop and look. They keep driving while you're saying, "Hey, that looks like a good place..." and then they say "What place?" and by then it's too late, and you just KNOW you missed out on something good. That's why husbands aren't invited to all-day craft shows.

We both scored some unique stuff, including some vintage Pyrex and an antique train case (which ladies used to put their cosmetics in when travelling). But the best buy of the day was a set of barkcloth curtains, which my mom picked up at the first place we stopped. These were in great condition and a steal for under $20.

Close up of the fabric:

They're now freshly washed and pressed, and tailored to fit my mom's kitchen window overlooking her backyard. Pretty!

Felted wool and the Baby Surprise Jacket

2008-10-13T10:23:00.010-04:00

Look, it's a pile of wool sweaters! Summer is over, fall is here...it's sweater time. Some of them are for wearing, of course. But some of them I have felted in hot water on purpose, to be used in craft projects. That striped one would make cute felted mittens. The light blue-gray ones are earmarked for pillow covers for the master bedroom. The green one is supersoft cashmere. I am thinking of covering a smaller pillow for Ronan's bed with that one.

Fall also means more knitting. I finished my first Baby Surprise Jacket (with modifications). This was really a fun pattern. For those who don't knit, this pattern is unusual in that it is knit all in one piece. There are only two seams on the shoulders to sew up, as opposed to most sweater patterns that are knit flat. They usually have seams on the sides and under the arms. After knitting it, it looked like this:

It looks nothing like a sweater. So then you fold it...

...and now it's a sweater! I didn't make any stripes in this one (as is done in the original pattern). It looked a little unfinished, so I added a hood and crocheted the edges to make it look more finished. Also, the sleeves seemed way too short in relation to the body, so I picked up stitches around the wrists and added some ribbed cuffs. (These pictures are a bit more accurate, colourwise - the yarn is an aran weight called Anniversary Twist, by Briggs & Little. It's indigo blue twisted with navy.)

This pattern is a lot like potato chips: it just makes you want more. I'm already making another one in a slightly smaller size, with softer yarn, for a certain little one who will be coming into the world this December.

Goodbye, house

2008-09-02T22:42:00.006-04:00

Goodbye garden...

Goodbye flowers climbing fences

Goodbye pretty dahlias

Goodbye springtime flowers

Goodbye summertime flowers

Goodbye funny tree!

Starting over...looking forward...planting new seeds.

Artsy Clutch

2008-09-01T10:10:00.006-04:00

I made this little bag from the Bend The Rules sewing book by Amy Karol (aka The Angry Chicken), but forgot to post it here. I was fooling around on Flickr and forgot about it. I am probably the last person on earth to use Flickr to organize photos. I seem to be good about organizing other things, but not photos. Up until a few months ago I had almost 3 years worth of Ronan's baby pictures sitting around in piles and shoved into boxes and drawers. I hear some people even make scrapbooks with their kids' photos, with cute paper cutouts and stamps and scalloped scissors...clearly that's not going to happen, but the least I could do is be a good mom and stick them in a photo album.

But I digress. So - this little clutch. It's too cute. The fabric is vintage from ebay. You probably can't tell from the picture, but the lining has tiny little ducks on it. How cute is that? The button is from my mom's stash of vintage buttons. I love going through that jar. Sorting the buttons and playing with them is endlessly fascinating. Yup...I am easily entertained.

Now I want to take this pattern a step further--by making a bigger one and using it for a laptop sleeve. I wonder if a single button would be enough to keep it closed?

Three little piggies went to market...

2008-08-23T14:29:00.014-04:00

...and look what they came back with. For me, having access to so much fresh fruit and veg is one of the best things about living in the Niagara Region.

There was a basket of peaches, too. Beautiful, sweet, ripe Niagara peaches. But they were quickly peeled and turned into this:

And while I am usually disappointed with the results when making pie (i.e. soggy crust, burned edges, filling too runny/too undercooked/too sweet/not sweet enough), this time it was amazing. *pats self on back*

Maybe I like making pie, after all. My husband will be thrilled.

Fun with felting

2008-08-17T17:21:00.004-04:00

Here's a photo of my first knitted and felted bag. Previously I have made a number of bags from felted wool sweaters and blankets (sadly I didn't take any pictures of those ones). My thinking was always, why bother knitting and then felting when you can just buy wool sweaters and skip right to the fun part (i.e. shrinking wool on purpose)?

However...this yarn was calling to me. This sweet little bag is made of 3 skeins of Noro Kureyon (I forget the colour # and I don't have the ball band anymore - whoops). It took about 3 trips through the washing machine with hot water to get it nicely felted. Feeling ambitious, I decided at the last minute that I wanted a lining, so I made one and added loops for the wooden handles. Incidentally, I think you can buy cute handles online and sometimes in craft shops, but I have a drawer full of handles I have cut off bags I find at thrift stores. I like repurposing them on new (cuter) bags. Also, they cost about $3 instead of $10 for new ones.

Collections

2008-08-09T22:30:00.014-04:00

Collecting stuff is fun. Half the fun is finding stuff, and the other half is when you get home and the new item takes it place among its "siblings" in the collection. When I find a new piece, I like to take out the whole collection and look at it. Rearrange the pieces. Think about what pieces I want to add, and whether I should weed out any (not often). Collections make me happy. I'm sure this is something I come by honestly. My mom's father was a packrat and he amassed huge collections...a shed full of antique metal milk cans...dozens of crates of old vinyl records...old tools...furniture...you name it, Papa had one (and likely two, or ten, or more).

Finding collectibles is SO FUN. Whenever I'm in a thrift store or antique shop, I keep an eye open for certain things. Some of my favourite vintage finds are: books (particularly children's books), pyrex (especially red, pink, or aqua pieces, and if they are lidded refrigerator dishes, even better), certain tableware, old fabric and sewing notions, and aprons. (I'm not sure why I love vintage aprons, and I have not for the life of me figured out how to display them, but I just can't help myself when I see them.) Sometimes the things I like are too expensive. I tend not to buy those things, as much as I would like to. I just don't see the point; it's not much fun to have a collection that consists of only two or three pricey items. And even worse, I wouldn't want to use them on a daily basis for fear of breaking or ruining them. I much prefer being able to scoop up new pieces whenever I want.

Milk glass is an excellent collectible. It's inexpensive, it's relatively easy to find, and it's pretty. It's also practical - I use it all the time. I like the curvaceous shapes and creamy colour. The hobnail pieces are like polka dots, but in a subtle, white-on-white way. Now that I think about it, they're kind of feminine.

The compote really looks girly with its slender stem and ruffled edge.

This weekend I found the squat little pitcher and the tall vase with the long neck and round bottom. I think I'll stick some flowers in them. See? Happiness, for only $4.50.

Starry Night

2008-07-29T22:33:00.007-04:00

Check it out: another FO (finished object) by Mom! This one is a queen-sized quilt made for her younger brother and his wife. This quilt traveled across Canada - from St. Catharines, ON to Airdrie, AB - to reach its new home. (Howdy, Ken and Shirleyan!)

This pattern is called "Starry Night" and it's a pattern with a few variations. The ones I have seen share the same basic characteristics: they are typically done in shades of blue, ranging from deep midnight to pale sky; they are pieced together as simple square blocks; the colour gradation changes from dark to light in a diagonal pattern across the quilt; and of course, the white stars are scattered across the top. In this quilt, my mom appliqued the stars on the quilt top after she pieced it all together. In the close-up detail (folded back here, to show the back of the quilt) you can see the quilted design is also a pattern of stars. This was done by machine at a local quilt and fabric shop.

I have a Starry Night quilt myself, and it is different from this one. Mine is also done in similar shades of blue, but the blocks are larger. The white stars are not appliqued, but are blocks pieced into the quilt top in a random pattern. And instead of the starry machine quilting, mine was handstitched in a swirly pattern. It reminds me a lot of the Van Gogh painting. Now I'm wondering if there are other quilt patterns named after famous artwork. Something to check on Google...

mama's little helper

2008-07-23T23:02:00.006-04:00

I remember having a little baking set when I was a kid - probably still have it somewhere, along with a bunch of Barbies with their hair "re-styled" (i.e. chopped off). The set included a kid-sized rolling pin, tiny cookie cutters, and a little tin cookie baking sheet, about the size of a recipe card. It was awesome.

Ronan shows a similar interest in baking. Not cooking - only baking. When he notices the big yellow baking bowl and metal measuring cups on the counter, he often pulls up his stepstool and asks to help me. So cute. The first few times, all was going well; we were mixing and measuring and making a lovely mess; until I said it was time to bake our creation (a cake, I think). He kind of freaked out when I put the pans in the oven. He didn't think much of having to wait for things to bake so we could eat them. Poor kid. Longest 30 minutes of his life.

He gets it now, though. We have even progressed to rolling out dough and cutting out shapes. Fun! Tonight we made biscuits. They are a huge favourite around here. No bowl of chili or homemade soup is consumed without them. They are easy as pie. No - they're easier than pie.

For some reason, he thought the bowl of flour was "tasty" and kept dipping his fingers in. Ugh.

Dry flour can't compare to hot, flaky buttered biscuits dipped in Daddy's homemade beef stew, though.

Oh, yeah.

Totally worth the wait.

The garden: Before and after

2008-07-18T21:16:00.011-04:00

We haven't been blogging much lately - too busy in the garden. The picture above is my mom's potting shed. My dad built if out of reclaimed barnboard and old wooden windows. It sits at the back edge of their property, surrounded by lush, bountiful flowerbeds as well as a large vegetable and herb garden. Pretty, eh?

Now, have a look at this:

This is the pitiful "flowerbed" that we inherited when we moved into our new house. I hesitate to call it flowerbed - more of a graveyard for plants. Look closely and you will see a few brownish lumps that appeared to be hostas in a former life. Those green clumps are ornamental grasses. They were the only things that didn't perish. Also, note the lamppost covered in rust sticking out like a sore thumb in the middle of the yard. Lovely. This is what you see from the sidewalk in front of the house.

Here's the view from the front walk. As you can see, it's even worse than it looked from the street. Nothing but dead plants and concrete slabs.

But have a look at what we did:

John did the heavy lifting and my mom and I did the planting. We started by moving the walkway away from the house, out in front of the front step. That gave us room to build a flowerbed under the bay window. These photos don't show it, but we have planted more shrubs in that bed under the windows now, which should fill in the space in time. Then we re-shaped the flowerbed to make it bigger, which involved removing quite a bit of sod and mixing in new soil and compost (heavy work, done by John). A large flowerbed now curves around the (freshly sanded and re-painted) lamppost and is planted with mostly perennials (hydrangea, lilies, echinacea, and astilbe) and some boxwood and juniper shrubs, as well as hardy low-growing groundcovers (ivy, lamium and creeping jenny). We discovered peonies and hostas growing along the far side of the house (not visible here) and we relocated them to the front flowerbed, too. My parents were a huge help in getting this done. My dad brought loads of compost and soil in his trailer, and hauled away all the sod and dead plant material we dug up. And my mom brought over a fabulous assortment of perennials from her own garden, including a large spirea and burning bush. (Thanks Mom and Dad - Couldn't have done it without you!) My mother-in-law gave me several lovely plants as well, including half a dozen stargazer lilies - I am hoping some of them will be established and blooming in a few months. We're really happy with the the way it looks so far. Now I have to be patient and wait for it all to grow!

Bounty of bags

2008-05-31T15:59:00.012-04:00

My mom recently went on a sewing spree and made a whole bunch of bags for people - my grandma, aunts, cousins, and sister-in-law were all recipients of new bags. I hope everybody likes their bags. I doubt we will see much of my mom's sewing for a while, because, hello, it's gardening season, people. She is up to her eyebrows in mulch and bedding plants and seeds. She disappears into the garden sometime around dawn, and doesn't come back in the house until it's dark, and only then because the mosquitoes chase her in. She has the greenest thumb I have ever seen, with the possible exception of my grandfather (her dad). Her yard is quite large, with many flowerbeds and a very large vegetable garden and even a little potting shed.

Anyway, back to the bags. Want to see them??

More bags to come...including one for me, yay!

We're back

2008-04-01T22:03:00.010-04:00

Okaaaaayy...so that was a really long hiatus from crafting. I've been preoccupied with unpacking and painting at our new house (woo hoo!) and I could barely find a needle and thread to fix a missing button, never mind start a whole crafty project. But that's okay. I have a bigger space for setting up my craft corner now, and I have a pile of ideas and plans to make things - including lots of things for the house. Very excited about that.

In the meantime, my mom has been sewing all kinds of cool stuff: bags, vintage-style aprons, and even a few quilts. For example, how cute is this?

This vintage-inspired apron is made with McCall's pattern #3979, "American Hostess." Love it!

And this is just beautiful:

This quilt was made for my mother-in-law, Lynne. She had asked my mom about making a handmade quilt several months ago. She let my mom choose the pattern and colours. This turned out so pretty. The pattern is called Starry Night. The sun-and-sky colours are perfect for spring. Now we all want blue and yellow quilts, ha ha. Here's a detail of the pattern:

This quilt is completely hand-cut and pieced, and machine stitched. My mom had the final quilting done at a local quilt shop, where they put the quilt on a fancy machine that quilts a pattern. If you look closely at the detail, you can see that it's quilted in a star pattern. Isn't that beautiful?

Cozy, cozy, cozy

2007-12-31T16:41:00.001-05:00

Here it is--the newest addition to our quilt collection! My mom made this quilt for my son (who is moving from a crib to a "big boy" bed this week). I love the fabric and the colours she chose. Bright solids, stars and dots, and a really fun dragon print on a sky-blue background. The pattern is a variation of Nine-Patch with two wide borders in solid blue and red, and a narrow binding. And you see the back of the quilt, turned up on the lower left corner? It's pieced as well. Usually the top of the quilt is pieced and the back is a single piece of fabric. If it's a large quilt, sometimes the backing is made of two or three panels of the same fabric, sewn together to make one large piece. Mom cut long and narrow pieces of the same fabrics she used on the top, and pieced them together to make a modern patchwork on the back. The effect is beautiful and it means the quilt is reversible, too.

This wee man loves his new blankie, too. We spent lots of time over the holidays snuggling under it. Nothing is cuter than a little boy tucked under a quilt. Even better is when he keeps saying, "Look at the blanket, Mama! Cozy, cozy, cozy!"

Thank you, Grandma!

Decking halls, avoiding malls

2007-12-11T23:18:00.000-05:00

I realized that it's been a while since I posted here, which is kind of ironic. This is the time of year that I'm busiest making all sorts of things for Christmas. But I'm too busy making things to actually take pictures and blog about it. We're in serious Christmas mode around here. All the holiday preparation takes a lot of work and planning, but it's also fun. Last weekend we went to get our Christmas tree, and I spent a few solid hours decorating it. I also spent a day baking cookies. (Yup, a whole day of baking. More on that in another post.) Those two activities took almost the whole weekend. Wow. And I still need to finish making and buying gifts for at least half of the people on my list.

Something that I think about, nearly every year, is that it would be fun to have a handmade Christmas. I'm not talking about making every single thing, from food to gifts to decorations, by hand. Let's not get crazy, now. But I'd love it if everybody in my gifting circle of family and friends agreed to make gifts, rather than buying stuff from a mall. The gifts could be anything, as long as they were handmade. It could be something made of materials such as fabric, or wood, or ceramic, or beads, or paper, or paint-- anything the creator decided to use for materials. Or how about food that's made by someone who's a great cook? Or framed photos from someone who takes amazing pictures? I think there are endless possibilities for this. For me, this would achieve two things that are always on my mind at Christmastime: giving meaningful, well-made gifts that put the focus on quality rather than quantity; and avoiding shopping at the mall, which is the last place I want to go at this time of year. (Although I'm happy to go the rest of the year. I like a good sale as much as the next girl.) I don't like the crowds. I don't like finding a place to park. I don't like waiting in long lines. I always get hungry and thirsty, and then I have to deal with the food court. Let's not even get into how much I dislike the food court.

And at Christmas, the mall seems to be filled with a lot of really cheap, crappy merchandise. It somehow causes otherwise smart, savvy people to buy things they would never otherwise buy. Like polyester penguins that sing and dance to the same Christmas carol, over and over again. Am I the only person who thinks these things are just beyond tacky? Am I the only one who envisions a landfill brimming with singing penguins and reindeer and Santas and snowmen?

I would never say that we should entirely give up exchanging gifts. Just that it would be nice if more gifts were chosen with care. And given with genuine thought and consideration for the recipient. For the past 3 or 4 years, I've made a lot more effort to buy from locally-owned and operated shops. I also go to craft shows whenever I can--there's almost one every week at this time of year. And I make good use of online shopping at places like Amazon and L.L. Bean. The shipping is free, I can shop in my pajamas, and I don't have to find a place to park. Perfect.

This year, a friend of mine asked if she could purchase a doll made by my mom. This sweet little doll is going to be donated to a toy drive in my friend's office:

I think this is a great idea - giving a handmade gift to a toy drive. Now, why didn't I think of that? Something to add to my list of anti-mall ideas next year. (Thank you, Sarah!)

fuzzy heads

2007-11-25T21:50:00.000-05:00

See, I wasn't kidding about the pre-Christmas crafting. So far, I've managed to finish this:

(I let him have this hat early, since he didn't get the one he was supposed to get last year.)

And this, which I love...but am definitely going to give away to the person I knit it for:

The pattern is called "First Hat" from Knit 2 Together which is co-authored by Tracey Ullman (yep, Tracey Ullman knits...who knew?). I am convinced that this hat is so cute, it will look good on anyone. I used Manos del Uruguay yarn in "Wildflowers" and I'm seriously considering making one for myself in the same yarn (but a different colour). And can I just say that I love, love, love the colourways of this yarn? I think I love them all equally. I stood there for a long time with about five different skeins laid out in front of me. I couldn't decide which one was the best. At one point, the thought crossed my mind that I ought to just buy them all. Surely I would find a way to use them. But the more I thought about the recipient of this hat, the more I liked Wildflowers (colour #113). My amateur photograph doesn't really do it justice. I think I need to block it a little and then it's ready to wrap up.

I have one more hat on the needles, and then I think I'm going to try a wee baby sweater for a friend who's expecting a baby in early January. I really want to try the Baby Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmermann. I first saw it on the Yarn Harlot's blog and then a friend of mine (who is a more experienced and fearless knitter than I) let me borrow her pattern. It seems fairly straightforward. I hope.

works in progress

2007-11-13T00:19:00.001-05:00

Let's start this post with a finished project: Sam's Sweater (which, in my own mind, this pattern will now and forever be called, regardless of future recipients of the same sweater). I really hope this sweater fits Sam; he lives a couple of hours away, and couldn't try it on for fit while I was knitting it. If it DOES fit, I'm hoping to wrangle a photo of him wearing it to post here. Of course, not having a photo that proves it fits isn't going to stop me from posting a picture of the very first adult-sized sweater I've made. Woo hoo!

The weather here has been cold and grey for a couple of days, which puts me in the mood for curling up on the couch with a hot drink, some new magazines, and a new knitting project. This one is a hat for my husband. Who has been patiently waiting for a new hat, and who watched me knit four hats last Christmas...none of which were for him. Actually that's not exactly true. I started knitting a hat for him last year, and then I gave it away to someone else. He has not let me forget this.

I found this beautiful merino wool at a new yarn shop that just opened nearby. It's Berroco "Jasper" and the colour is called "Black Galaxy." I had no idea when I bought it that it's a self-striping yarn. Happy surprise. It's a nice subtle stripe of black, charcoal, light grey, and a hint of green so dark it almost looks black. It's knitting up very fast and is really nice to knit with. (I keep saying to John, "Here, just touch it! Seriously, it's really soft...isn't that nice? Wow, I so love this yarn..." Yeah...he doesn't care quite as much as I do.) This yarn is so soft and cuddly that I might keep this hat for myself...ha ha. Just kidding. I don't think I could get away with that a second time. The pattern for the hat, by the way, is from The Yarn Girls' Guide to Simple Knits. It's easy and quick and it looks great on everyone.

My mom is also gearing up for Christmas, choosing fabrics for quilts (such as the ones above...more to come on that in a few days), and making up all sorts of plans for other sewing projects. When November hits, some people start making shopping lists and trips to the mall; my mom and I start buying craft supplies. The countdown has officially begun.

my l'il pumpkin

2007-10-30T22:18:00.001-04:00

I love Halloween. I love costumes, pumpkins, and candy, and I love it even more now that my son is a little older. He loves it, too. Carving the pumpkin is great fun. I usually get to pick the "face" and John does the carving.

Scooping out the seeds is lots of fun. I used to wash, dry, and roast the pumpkin seeds with salt and cumin (yeah, I know, it's a very Martha thing to do). But the fact is, no one really likes them. Not even me. Especially when there are much, much tastier things to eat at Halloween. Like, for instance, candy.

And at our house, there are always sugar cookies at Halloween.

My mom always makes rolled sugar cookies for holidays. She has been making these cookies and collecting cutters ever since I was a kid. She has a huge box of cookie cutters that she hauls out for each holiday. Halloween cookies are shaped like bats, ghosts, and pumpkins. I noticed a few new shapes in there this year: maple leaves, oak leaves, apples, and little hands.

These buttery cookies will melt in your mouth. The recipe is a closely guarded secret. They're so good, they don't even need frosting, although when I make them, I often drizzle some orange-tinted frosting and sprinkles on the pumpkin-shaped ones. Hey, if you're going to go for the sugar, go all the way, right?

Pretty soon it'll be time for cookies shaped like snowflakes, wreaths, and Santa. Can't wait!

End-of-summer soup

2007-10-13T16:11:00.001-04:00

Well, hello there!

These beautiful veggies are from my mom's garden. I love how they smell, fresh out of the ground.

These lovely leeks are also from Mom's garden. They almost look like spring onions, don't they? Gorgeous.

Chopped and ready for the pot. Along with some potatoes, garlic, and onion from the farmer's market...mmm!

A sunny, breezy October afternoon and a steaming bowl of soup. Now all I need is a pile of leaves to jump in.

Quilt love

2007-09-30T16:03:00.000-04:00

This is Sawtooth Star. Isn't she pretty? It's the first quilt my mom made for me, in 1992.

Quilting is my mom's all-time favourite craft. She's made quite a few, mostly for family. I myself have seven quilts from Mom, plus two quilted duvet covers and a stack of quilted pillows in various colours and patterns. No one will ever be cold in this house. We're well equipped for chilly weather (thanks, Mom!). They're all beautiful and unique and they showcase her excellent workmanship and eye for detail.

Double Wedding Ring is a traditional pattern, and my mom made this one for my husband and I as a wedding gift four years ago. I had a feeling she was going to make us a quilt, but it still made me cry when she gave it to us. She likes doing that--making people cry by giving them incredibly thoughtful and beautiful handmade gifts. Sadistic, isn't it?

Last year for Christmas, she surprised us with another quilt. This one is a version of Log Cabin. I love how the blocks are stitched together on a diagonal. It makes it look totally different from traditional Log Cabin patterns. Here's a closer look:

I think I'll post a pic and description of one quilt a week. Just to see how long it takes to go through all my Mom's quilts. She might have a year's worth!

cute skirt + cute dress = cute new handbag

2007-09-20T13:15:00.000-04:00

A while back I found a pattern to make a really cute handbag at this blog and I finally made it. I thought about making it out of silk, as the original pattern called for, but then I decided to recycle the fabric from a cute wool skirt instead. I loved this skirt when I bought it a few years ago. Too bad it doesn't fit over my post-baby hips any more. The blue linen dress is also one that I kept because I love it, even though it's too small. (Apparently I'm a wishful thinker...or maybe I'm just a packrat.) I really like the pale blue and dark brown together. And who doesn't like plaid in September?

The pattern was easy to follow. I made a few alterations to it, aside from substituting the wool fabric. I used lighter interfacing than the heavy interfacings given in the pattern instructions. I didn't want the bag to be too bulky. Even so, I ran into a few problems with too much bulk in the seams, which made it impossible to use my sewing machine to stitch down the flaps that hold the handles in place. I had to do that part by hand. Next time I would trim off the extra bulk in the seams to make the finished seams a little more smooth and stitch-able. But I'm still happy with the finished bag. Yay, a new bag for fall!

p.s. The wooden handles are also reclaimed. I got them from a thrifted bag that was incredibly ugly, but had great handles.

A sweater for Sam

2007-09-13T22:03:00.000-04:00

Knitting is the one craft that my mom doesn't do. She has taught me embroidery, sewing, quilting, rug-hooking, decoupage, needlepoint, dollmaking--just about every kind of craft you can imagine. But not knitting or crocheting. I've asked her why she never took up these crafts, and she just shrugs her shoulders. "Never liked them," she says.

Last summer I convinced my friend Lauran to teach me how to knit. Lauran knits and crochets beautifully, although she's quite modest and shy about showing off her creations. When I first approached her about knitting, she was a little skeptical. "People always want to learn, but they don't usually stick with it," she said as she handed me a set of needles and some yarn for practice. I had no doubt about that. I felt like I had ten thumbs as I tried to wind the yarn around the needles without letting it slip off. It was about as easy as trying to write with my left hand. But I refused to give up (if only to prove Lauran wrong) and eventually I knitted my first real project--a cotton dishcloth. It didn't resemble any dishcloth I had ever seen, and even Lauran couldn't figure out how something that should have been a simple knitted square had ended up with at least six corners and as many holes as a piece of Swiss cheese. "It's shaped like Texas," she said, turning it this way and that.

The dishcloth was Lauran's idea, and as I struggled along, I kept asking her why I didn't just start by knitting a scarf. Didn't everyone knit a scarf for their first project?? In the end, I realized why she had recommended the dishcloth pattern. It was simple garter stitch, but I also learned how to increase, decrease, and yarnover. Plus, it was quicker than a scarf. Instant gratification...sort of. I ended up knitting a second dishcloth that turned out much neater than the first, and with far fewer mistakes in it.

After the dishcloth I knitted a huge red scarf. Then I started knitting hats, mittens, baby blankets, and finally, a sweater. (I should mention that I knitted most of these things within six weeks of making the Texas-shaped dishcloth. Did I mention I tend to be a bit obsessive when learning something new?) The sweater was for my son, then 18 months old, made of a snuggly blue alpaca yarn. I couldn't have done it without Lauran's help. She is infinitely patient. She showed me how to fix my mistakes, how to do more complicated stitches, and how to read patterns and modify them. And she never once laughed at me or criticized me. I think that's why I enjoy it so much. She made knitting fun.

So now, I'm knitting a sweater for my friend Sam, and I'm really happy with the way it's coming along. He asked for a simple and classic design. I think this will fit the bill. The pattern is from "The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns" by Ann Budd. The yarn is "Atlantic," a pure wool from Briggs & Little, a Canadian mill in New Brunswick. I definitely want to finish it in time for fall weather. It's almost ready, Sam!

Favourite things

2007-09-08T18:05:00.000-04:00

Hello! This is the first post of this blog. I'll be doing most of the writing, but a big part of this blog will be devoted to the things made by Marjorie, my mom. (Hence, the name of the blog.) And I'll be making things and posting about them, too. To start things off, here's a pic of two of my current favourite things: suntea and zinnias. My backyard is overflowing with giant zinnia plants right now and I've got bunches of them sitting in vases everywhere. I love the orange, pink and red combination. It's so juicy. Hmm, could that possibly be inspiration for a future quilt? Stay tuned...