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Monday, July 25, 2011

Bibs

I've been sewing these baby bibs for a few years now...I found a great pattern online, from Nicole Mallalieu. She sells bag making supplies, and other pattens too, but this pattern was free to use.
These 3 pink ones are for my new niece, and I have to say I love the un-baby-ish-ness of them.  My sis picked out the materials she wanted (good quality cotton), all in coordinating colours, so I could use one material for the bias tape. I used good quality terry cloth on the back, which makes for a thick and sturdy bib. They feel so nice!


These are older ones I made 3 years ago, which are cute, but I can see how I have now changed to a simpler look; less cluttered, more streamlined. I also have changed the pattern to suit a less crafty-looking bib too - I use less bias tape, depending on the materials' patterns, and I also do the arm holes differently, depending on how much sewing I want to do.





Then I have a few others I made late last year to sell at some markets. I also really like these designs as well. I keep making more than enough, so I can one day put all my stuff on etsy, but for some reason, I just never do it! And in the meantime, everyone just keeps having babies, so I just keep giving more away...5 more (not including my sister) to give away over July/August, not to mention a few earlier this year already.




The black ones below have a pattern of little grey skulls all over them:


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Monday, July 18, 2011

Some Sewing...Gift Bags

I've been very busy with work, but have been managing to have a day to myself every few weeks, for the most part, to get some sewing projects done. Feels nice to sew for me. Well, for me - for others in this post...but I am working on a dress, and also a new retro-style blouse, which I will share here too. 


The following projects I finished a few months ago, and gave them away in April. I had planned to sew these for stocking stuffers for my sisters, and mom, but it didn't happen on time! I also normally give the exchange students my in-laws take in a gift before they go home, but I also didn't get that done before Christmas either! So, everything was sent late. I made these little pencil cases / make-up bags from some scraps I bought ages ago. For the students I bought cute stationary supplies and some little toiletries, and for my family some soap and candles. 


 

The bags are made from a simple pattern I quickly drew out myself with skills learned from a super cool book called "The Bag Making Bible" by Lisa Lam. I also used this tutorial as a base to work from. I have many of her free tutorials (all on her blog), and have followed her blog for years. This book has so many patterns, and teaches so many skills. I altered her tutorial slightly to get a cleaner look at the zipper ends, and I also added a layer of clear vinyl to make the bags a little more substantial, and suitable for make-up.



I bought a silicon foot for my sewing machine to sew over the vinyl, and then realized I needed a silicon ZIPPER foot, which I didn't have, so I placed tissue paper over the vinyl, and sewed that, tearing away the tissue paper after the stitch was done. Not simple, but still worked well. Otherwise, your foot will stick to the vinyl, and your work will not slide through the machine.

Here are a few I have made so far:

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Thursday, July 7, 2011

Mexican Pizza

I have to admit, this idea didn't sound all that great to me, but now I am convinced you can add anything to a pizza and be happy. I think the sour cream makes it.

Here's what I did...

Ingredients:
Ground Beef, browned
Onion, diced
Red Pepper (Capsicum), diced
Garlic, diced
Taco Seasoning
Tomato, thinly sliced
Green Onion, diced
Olives, sliced
Cheese
Pizza Sauce (or make your own with tomato paste, garlic, pepper, salt, onion powder, rosemary & Italian herbs)
Pizza bases*
Sour Cream

* not the best photo, but food photos are hard to take here, as it's always dark by dinner time
Method:
1. Brown beef, onion, red pepper, and garlic in a pan until cooked through. Add taco seasoning and cook as per instructions on package (or make your own, add some water, and let the mixture simmer until reduced).
2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C (and pre-heat pizza stone if you have one).
3. Cut up all other toppings.
4. Prepare pizza base with tomato pizza sauce (we also used a BBQ Tomato sauce, and it worked nicely)
5. Top pizza with some ground beef, and then add the other veggies, and then the cheese.
6. Bake for anywhere from 10 - 20 minutes, until cheese is beginning to brown.
7. Remove from oven, and top with small dollops of sour cream, and serve immediately. Only add sour cream to the pieces you will eat now...not too sure how left overs would look tomorrow...

*I used a thin-crust store-bought pizza crust base. It wasn't too bad. We wanted to try a thin crust, as my usual recipe is hard to get nice and thin. But, if you want a homemade taste, go for the handmade base. It's simple, and quick. Here is the recipe I always use.

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