Interlaced

Posted on February 23, 2014 by -N- — Leave a comment

Interlaced

While post-processing some pictures from yesterday’s walk, I was struck with how lovely it is to have friends with whom I can spend time. Some friends we see frequently, others less so, but all of our time together reminds me of connections and the affection we feel for one another. Like family, friends are easy to take for granted; in reality, all require effort and reaching out and giving and receiving. Yesterday I went on a photoshoot along my favorite local trail with a friend I had not seen socially for ages because she has been so busy. Last night, we had friends over for dinner, and it was so nice just to chat and dine, drink wine, and watch a movie. This morning, the puppies came running in for their morning pets from Josh, and how much all of them, as a family, are my friends. And then my morning walk with another friend. And friends elsewhere not seen today, near and far. Such blessings in life are to be savored, treasured, and nutured, because these are the things that, for me, count the most in life. Without them, a void would exist which could never be filled by anything else.

Tagged with: friends
Posted in Blitherings

A Bag for the Lady

Posted on February 17, 2014 by -N- — Leave a comment

I got a new-to-me sewing machine the other day, a Kenmore 158.19802, but that is a story for another day. However, it needed to be used, and I needed something fun to do that wouldn’t make me nuts. My sewing student likes to make stuff, like pillow cases and stuffed felt tomatoes, and me, I have never done anything with my sewing except make clothes. Because her thinking patterns aren’t mine, I decided to think outside of my box, and looked for something free, and useful. Voila! The Pleated Tote by Artsy Crafty Babe.

This is a free pattern, and it is really well-designed. It looks good, has great directions, and with sale material, didn’t cost me more than $10.00 and some time. And, I got to see how the new-to-me-machine works (very nicely!). The pattern is all in the PDF file, ready to be cut out!

What I did differently from the original pattern is to double the length of the straps – I like long ones, so I can wear the bag diagonally if necessary, or knot up the straps if I want shorter handles.

A few other things I did was to interface the material and the lining with fusible lightweight pellon, clip the corners and curves, and made sure the darts of the lining and the outside of the bag were sewn to lay in opposite directions to keep the thickness of the material as minimal as possible. Nice details, such as inside pockets, a button loop, and gentle curves, make this bag a winner.

Construction directions were clear – and if I had not read them I would not have done it right. You sew the lining and body together, right sides together, and get this.

Through an opening left in the lining, you pull the bag right side out!

The material itself is a bit heavier than calico-weight cotton, sort of a lightweight upholstery, but not a duck. It is 100% cotton, and although dry cleaning is recommended, I washed the material in hot water and dried it on hot – I like to shrink anything I know is going to go into the washing machine. (I don’t know anyone who would dry clean a purse!) I needed about 2 yards of material, and the stuff I used was 60 inches wide. The body of the purse and the lining match, as do the pockets. Because I wanted a bit of body to the overall purse, I decided on the interfacing for the lining and external part of the purse, and am glad I did – lightweight, but not shapeless.

Tagged with: Artsy Crafty Babe, bag, free, Kenmore, pattern, Pleated Tote, Sewing, sewing machine
Posted in Blitherings

On a Winter Day

Posted on February 3, 2014 by -N- — Leave a comment

Allium

The past few weekends have made me feel so cramped and crazy, mostly because the puppies are growing, and needing a lot of attention. Sometimes it makes me wonder if I was nuts to get two, but when they are all cute and cuddly, the answer is always a loud “Yes!” Luckily, the other half is superlative at caring for them, but he abandoned me for the Super Bowl. As the puppies are crate trained, I made good my escape for a couple of hours to the local botanical garden.

Where I live, endless blue skies are endlessly blue and cloudless. We are in the middle of a drought. The state does not plan to release reservoirs, and I don’t blame them. Weather is weird, extremes showing up which seem abnormal. Global warming? I think so, but this is not a political / ecological foray, so we will leave it at that. Back to the skies: we had rain clouds! And some light rain! I went out to shoot landscapes with a long lens, 70-300mm, but could not produce any I liked – I expect my view-point was wrong.

Sage

Instead, tripod in hand, I also focused on flowers. Always, flowers. Leaves, rocks, trees, branches. I love the shapes of nature, and ultimately these seem to be the ones I love the most. Long lenses are great for blurring the background, and with flowers it is no exception. On this trip, I took my time, crawled around, and looked through the camera to frame my shot. At times, I used live view because I was down so low (luckily, no mud), and my battery was draining faster than normal.

Small patches of bright color are always welcome on a dreary day. The smell of sage and earth and decaying leaves are wonderful. I took my time to enjoy the garden, and even though it started to rain – and my camera gear was sadly unprotected – it was such a pleasure to be outdoors (sans puppies pulling on a leash) to enjoy the beauties of nature.

Allysum

Tagged with: botanical garden, peace, photography, winter
Posted in Blitherings, Photography

A Good Day to Dye

Posted on January 26, 2014 by -N- — Leave a comment

I have been feeling really all over the map of late – partly because the puppies do require a lot of work, such as walking, training, feeding, kissing, disciplining. They are coming along fine. Me, I am in need of sleep. And a change of pace.

Today is overcast along the California central coast. We even got a few drops of rain. I nearly fainted. The puppies, too, were shocked, because I don’t think they knew what it was. And because it was dreary, what better way to pass some time than dyeing some yarn?

I have powdered dyes which I use; however, I need more colors in my palette as all are toward violets and teals. There is a black and a lime green and a red, but really, not enough for a bigger variety of color choice. I think I will order some new colors soon.

Anyway, I dug out my supplies – a couple of boxes of stuff dedicated to dyeing. Nothing that is eaten out of is used in the process. Pots, wooden spoons, steamers, pitchers, whatever. I had some Bare Hare, an angora-merino blend from KnitPicks, along with their merino-silk blend. I also had two balls of Lion’s “Sockease,” which is 75% wool and 25% nylon.

The process of dyeing this yarn was quite simple. In little plastic bowls, some dye powder, add boiling water, stir, and use a 60cc syringe to deliver the colors in stripes. I poured some hot water between the stripes and patted the yarn to blend the colors, wearing, of course, my stylish blue nitrile gloves.

I wrapped the skeins up in plastic wrap, placed them on vegetable steamers in the boiling pots of water (water is just above the level of the steamer), and let them go to town for 30 minutes. Then, dump onto a towel, take apart the plastic wrap, and dump the yarns into a water-vinegar rinse to cool and set the dye. Lots of dumping.

Once that is done, put them into cool, soapy water, wash, and rinse. You can spin them out in your washing machine, but place the skeins in lingerie bags.

The picture below is really bad. All the colors are actually fairly nice. And mostly violets and turquoises . . .

Tagged with: dyeing, yarn
Posted in Blitherings, Knitting

Puppies!

Posted on January 6, 2014 by -N- — Leave a comment

Let me introduce you to two new family members: Inky and Smudge, labrador-Aussie mix. Mellow, fuzzy, cute. 10 weeks old. From St. Martin’s Animal Rescue. Cutest little things (we think!). Smudge is bigger (at 13 lbs.) and a dark grey, and Inky is smaller (at 11 lbs.) and blacker.

Inky

Smudge

Tagged with: Inky, puppies, Smudge
Posted in Blitherings

The Heinisch Project, i

Posted on January 5, 2014 by -N- — Leave a comment

R. Heinisch Shears, Size 3 1/2

I’ve begun sewing again, and in the midst of it all, started looking at scissors and shears. There is quite a bit of history! In the U.S., two names seem to come up most often when it comes to the older manufacturers, J. Wiss, and R. Heinisch.

Most Americans in my age group are familiar with Wiss. They were the most popular scissor, as they have been made for many years, and were owned by the same family until, I think, the mid-1970s. Historically, J. Wiss came to the U.S. in the 1800s, and began to work for R. Heinisch making scissors and medical instruments. Eventually Heinisch’s enterprise failed, and Wiss, having been laid off by Heinisch and starting his own business, bought out Heinisch around 1917. Wiss is a household name, but I had never heard of Heinisch until my curiosity was piqued by seeing some very old vintage shears that were beautifully refurbished and still in use by tailors.

So, off to eBay, and a high bid brought these into my life. Sadly, they won’t cut fabric at all, and will need to be restored to sharpness. Thus, a project, with some elbow grease and some research. First of all, these shears are about 12 inches long – about 30 cm. They have a wonderful balance to them, and are easy to manipulate despite their size. The bolt is in good shape, as, it appears, are the blades. The japanning on the handles is gone. The first step to renovating these shears is to clean them up with steel wool. I will clean up the blades and handles with 00 and 0000 steel wool, being very careful not to work at all on the cutting edges of the blades.

I took a lot of photos of the shears, as they are now, and will, over time, post more. If you have any knowledge of restoration of old shears, please get in touch with me!

Tagged with: Heinisch, repair, Sewing, shears
Posted in Blitherings, The Heinisch Project

Shortbread with a Story

Posted on December 7, 2013 by -N- — Leave a comment

Shortbread Cookies

Driving home from work the other night, NPR was on the car radio. The story? A Tale of Two Shortbreads. Take the time to listen to the story – it is so much better than reading it! And then make some for yourself – it really is a great shortbread recipe. So, thanks to the Brass sisters for this!

The Brass Sisters’ Favorite Holiday Shortbread

Makes 32 1-inch by 2-inch pieces

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

1/2 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 cups flour

Grated zest of 1 orange

1 teaspoon orange extract or 1/2 teaspoon orange oil

Set oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch by 9-inch by 2-inch pan with foil. Grease the foil with butter or coat with vegetable spray.

Add flour and salt to a mixing bowl, whisk to combine, and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add orange zest. Add orange extract or orange oil and combine. Add dry ingredients, 1/2 cup at a time, beating until completely absorbed and dough comes together. Do not overbeat or shortbread will be tough.

Gently pat dough into prepared pan. (Press down the edges with tines of fork.) Prick top of dough evenly about 20 to 25 times.

Bake shortbread 35 minutes. Cool on rack for about 20-25 minutes, or until slightly warm. Score shortbread with a knife into 1-inch by 2-inch pieces, but do not cut through entirely. When completely cool, cut into pieces along scored lines. The texture should be sandy and crumbly. Store orange shortbread in a covered tin between sheets of wax paper, at room temperature.

Shortbread will firm up as it cools. Placing shortbread in the refrigerator will help it firm up. If the shortbread is pale, continue baking another 5 minutes, watching carefully to be sure it is not browning too quickly.

Well, mine were done a bit differently. I’ve got a cold, and my stuffed up nose seems to be limiting the oxygen my old brain is getting. I dumped all the ingredients in a mixing bowl, and went to town until all was crumbly, but I only used the grated orange rind, and added a teaspoon of mace. I lined a 9×9 pan with parchment paper. Everything got patted nicely into the pan and put into the oven. Oxygen deprivation stepped in again, and the shortbread wasn’t pricked, which is usually recommended to keep the cookies from bowing in the baking pan. Still, they came out okay, without any bowing. And the results are still delicious and wonderfully crumbly – but best of all, not overly sweet.

Tagged with: Brass Sisters, cookies, crumbly shortbread, NPR, recipe, shortbread
Posted in Blitherings, Recipes

Interlaced

A Bag for the Lady

On a Winter Day

A Good Day to Dye

Puppies!

The Heinisch Project, i

Shortbread with a Story

The Brass Sisters’ Favorite Holiday Shortbread

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