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Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Ench By Sew-027: Festive Holiday Tees and Teas - Our best holiday episode ever!

Crafternoon at Marilyn's House
We promised not to clean house when we get together, but we never agreed not to get out the pretty dishes!
Hey! 
The latest Enchanted by Sewing Podcast has been published!

Socializing at this time of year, sharing a cup of tea and a light meal, admiring something a friend has made, engaging together with a sewing project, and getting advice on it, that’s the kind of thing that keeps me . . . enchanted by sewing.

Our best holiday episode ever!
Of course, every year it's better than the last :-)


Listening Option I) You can listen to the show right on the web (while sewing perhaps?:-) by clicking on this link
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~ OR ~
Listening Option II)  Click on this link to iTunes  to download this and other Enchanted by Sewing shows to your mobile device (iPhone, Android, etc.) free from iTunes 


The Enchanted by Sewing Podcast is, an extension of my regular sewing blog - Me Encanta Coser,  (http://www.meencantacoser.blogspot.com) which,  roughly translated means, Enchanted By Sewing 

My blog is written in English. The name celebrates the historical and modern use of the beautiful Spanish Language in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, where I live. 

This show is created, produced and brought to you by Laurel Shimer. 

This month’s show  is  *Festive Holiday Tees and Tea*

1) Holiday Tees and More 

* Crafternoon - Finishing my beaded cap, started in Vancouver

* Three Tees - Tee Shirts 
i. Rumpelstiltskin Cowl Neck Top (M6078 - tried and true pattern) http://www.meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2014/12/spinning-straw-into-gold-my.html
ii. Two versions of the Princess Laurel Tee V8323
FUTURE LINKS UNDER CONTSTRUCTION - When I blog them, I'll add them:-)

1. Floral velour (Test Garment - but I'm wearing it all the time!) http://www.meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2014/10/princess-seamed-tee-shirt-pattern-work.html
2. A plain Red version - still a little work to do finishing up the neckband. Perfect for Christmas and Valentines day, but it will see plenty of other use.


* Ivy –A new shirtdress from my tried-and-true M3623 pattern, Inspired by Mrs. Obama!

- Fabric from a favorite local and online store – Exotic Silks/Thai Silks http://www.exoticsilks.com
- Wrap-up posting about my first shirt dress project, "Peaches and Cream" http://www.meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2014/09/terminado-completing-peaches-and.html
* Julia Morgan – Arts and Crafts movement architect http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Morgan
YWCA Hostess House in Palo Alto, built in 1918 and later to become the site of the MacArthur Park Restaurant[17]
 
*Technicos – Green Sewing Gifts* Covered books and chou chous
Use up those beautiful remnants and scraps
FUTURE LINKS UNDER CONSTRUCTION - When I blog them, I'll add them:-)

I created a pattern for my fabric book cover from a paper bag first. 13 step tutorial http://www.wikihow.com/Create-a-Paper-Bag-Book-Cover


*Come on over for holiday tea and sewing* In the show, I share lighter holiday offerings, inspired by three sewing and tea parties I've gone to or been hostess at recently. I wish you could have come too!

a. To drink I'd offer Roibos tea with milk and  Easy Microwave No-Sugar Cocoa (you can have sugar if you want!) made with soy milk or non-fat milk 
  I like these cocoa powders (non-sweetened varieties) Cadbury, Schafen Bergen, Ghirardhelli, Trader Joes, Droste
b. Laurel's Holiday Lights Pumpkin Gingerbread 
c. Blueberry muffins (Whoops! Not the Mayo Clinic it's from the Harvard School of Public Health - chock full of blueberries!) 
I substitute white whole wheat flour for the all-purpose. Love the texture of the almond meal and the flavors of the orange zest and blueberry. Made them twice in short order. Very popular with my family.  

d. Persimmon oatmeal cookies - I didn't have the psyllium husks and substituted some applesauce for the persimmon when I ran short. They were great anyway!


e. Laurel's London Loaf - A very light schoosh-of-oatmeal and lemon peel bread http://simpleromantic.blogspot.com/2010/08/for-anna-london-loaf.html

f. Harry Potter's Bath Buns, like Hagrid never made
I have the The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook  this Bath Bun recipe came from  (someone else has typed up on this page) and I made these buns for supper one night, along with a nice meaty beef stew. I used golden raisins. Many recipes in the book are heavy on the butter, but this much less so. Delicious, very holiday tasting with the caraway seeds.

g. Laurel's Dried fruit truffles
Quick Recipe Recap, For more description, listen in to the later part of this month's podcast
Food processor -  Take out all pits! 
- 12 dried apricots, 6 medjdool dates, 6 dried plums/prunes
- 2 full graham crackers, 2 t almond meal (optional)
- zest of one orange or lemon 
Pulse the food processor till all broken up
- drizzle in enough honey to get mixture to hold together (maybe 1 teaspoon?)

- Press plain cocoa powder (no sugar or fat added) through a sieve so that it's all a fine powder
- Roll mixture into a lot of little balls
- Roll balls in cocoa
- Store in your cutest tin!

A local very tasty cocoa
Cadbury Cocoa is sold in London
Haven't found it closer to home

Friday, November 22, 2013

Aprons: The Red Headed Chicken Apron

I sewed my chicken apron up using a basic
butchers/chefs apron style.
It's not all sunshine and light when it comes to the wearing and production of aprons in my family.

This month the Enchanted by Sewing Podcast will be about sewing aprons, and my mother's attitudes towards them. 

I sewed my now well-worn chicken apron, in celebration of my neighbors flock. One of the chickens, who her young son named "Laurel Chicken" because we both had red hair (!),
used to make it through the fence between our houses and come to mine to spend the day and lay eggs. I once found a nest under a redwood tree in the back with ten eggs, eight of which were still in good shape and made a very nice pear soufflé.

Laurel Chicken has been gathered to her fore-mothers now, but the apron lives on. Every time I tie on my chicken apron, I think I can see a little flick of red tail feathers beneath the farthest back redwood tree. I wonder how a soufflé would go over on the Thanksgiving table :-)


Sewing garments that reflect on my life and my friends is the kind of thing that keeps me....

Enchanted by Sewing!
~ ~ ~
Check out the Enchanted by Sewing Podcast 
The apron episode will be published on November 26'th. You can signup for a reminder email when new monthly episodes are released, by visiting the show notes at http://enchantedbysewingpodcast.blogspot.com