Home Sweet Home Bake Along (55-60!)

How was it February since I last posted? Dear me, how time seems to run away. I have been baking, quietly, in the background, although I think I'm rather off kilter with Gill!

I have baked:

A very ugly Flourless Chocolate Cake cake. Like Gill I suffered a spring-form tin water ingress issues, despite wrapping the tin in foil. Soggy edges, but a rather pleasant middle.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Shortcakes - I changed the shape on these to a wedge (for ease) and added white chocolate chips for added excitement. These made a rather excellent Sunday night supper for The Fair Physiologist, The Pure Mathematician in Exile and me.

Chocolate Pie - this one is in fact not 57, but I accidentally made 57 here: Chess Pie when I skipped over Chocolate pie believing I had already made it (I think I had, but not during the bake through) - this is fab - chocolate biscuit crust, chocolate pastry cream/custard/pudding, whipped cream. Everything the doctor ordered.

Vanilla fudge - another somewhat dubious fudge attempt on my part - not sure if it is the sugar thermometer or me, but these needed reboiling. Jolly yummy once finished though! My squares were rather thin because I never seem to have the tins demanded by Home Sweet Home.

Cinder Toffee (Honeycomb) cupcakes. Yum. That is all.

Lemon cake. Stupidly tried to make cream cheese icing on the hottest day of the year so far. Very slide-y layers. Jam oozing. It was like the Princesstarta all over again... Still, a few butterfly sprinkles and all was well with the world again. It was well received, despite its ugliness.

Oh. Yes. I also made some espadrilles. The Kindred Spirit wonderfully bought me all the required items for production two birthdays ago. She visited this week, and I suddenly remembered that amid other projects I had forgotten to make them; so I did. And they were fun, and easy, and I have new summer shoes! Yay!

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A Top Secret Mission (2)

Now that the Ballerina and the Maharaja are married, I can show you the top secret mission, which was... bunting!

Sewing the binding to the flags,

clouds of bunting,

one string of bunting,

one suspended flag,

all the strings of bunting!

A Top Secret Mission

This week has been mostly about completing a mission. It involves bias binding.

And pins. Lots of pins.

And it's for the Ballerina and the Maharaja. More than that cannot yet be revealed.

Look what I got!

For which I am so very grateful and pleased.

The whole haul. That bright sunflower? From the Queen of Sheba.

Close up on the books - a wonderful collection of what my life is (and a bit of what I wish it only was) - God on top, some sewing, some cooking, some knitting and domestic organisation.

And this? This is an AMAZING halterneck apron, covered in Nasturtiums designed and made for me by the Kindred Spirit.

Dreams Of Silken Half-hours

Two and a half metres of red silk, shot with black

An old trusted McCall's pattern (M4460 for those who want to know)

Two weeks of joyous snatched hours and half hours.

Grey acetate lining, with hand understitching.

When I find someone who can capture the beauty of the finished object I'll show you all of it.

A Knitting Needle Case For Mama

Mummy wanted a knitting needle case for her birthday. After much browsing on Amazon, we both realised I could make one myself, and then she could have a greater choice of colours and fabrics.

So, I used one that I have to give me the outline for the design, but most of it was just a yard-stick and tailor's chalk.

A Skirt Is Made

My first proper foray into making my own clothes, on my own sewing machine, by myself.

No commercial pattern. Merely a little maths, some fabric from Ikea and a cotton lawn lining.

One down, five to go

Yes, the stitching could have been much neater. No, the corners aren't mitred properly. Yes, the ruffle is completely uneven. No, I don't care, because I made a big squooshy cover for a cushion, that is just how I imagined it.

Time to Sew

All ready to make a new cushion cover for the sofa. Once I have time to sew that is. My friend managed to pick out a perfectly matching shade of thread despite not having the fabric with us, after only seeing it once. The advantage of a contour fashion degree I suppose!