Long time, no blog!

Okay, if people actually read this, they'd be bored of how every blog says "sorry it's been so long since I've blogged".

So here is what I've been doing in 2013!

I am learning to knit, here is a scarf which has taken forever and a teeny red and white ball which took a couple of hours:

  

I want to make some more similar (but neater) balls and thread them with ribbon to make christmas baulbauls!

The ball is knit out of cotton and the scarf is 80% cotton 20% acrylic. I am now moving onto a cotton patchwork blanket, because I love blankets. :)



FUDGE! Chocolate vegan fudge, it's delicious and I used this recipe: http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/really-nice-dairy-free-fudge/ This one had peanut butter, but I made another batch for mothers day without peanut butter. Without the PB you can really taste the coconut... yum!

Tiramisu birthday cupcakes! Okay my birthday was ages ago, and I had an exam in the morning and the prospect of 4 more exams in the next 10 days so it would have taken something remarkable to cheer me up... something like THESE. They were delicious and baked by my wonderful Fiance :) The recipe is from VCTOTW, if you haven't bought it, you must!

 Sewing: I have made a couple of skirts from jersey fabric. The skirts cost less than £5 each to make and took just a couple of hours each :) I used this tutorial: http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2011/03/womens-skirt-with-yoga-style-waist-band.html

Okay, there's been loads more but I can't find the photos.

So that's your lot. 

Orange and peach jam

The recipe was for marmalade but since I left the peel out... this is more of a jam!

I am very relived it all worked out, having sliced halfway down my nail while peeling the peaches (which I got for a pound a punnet - pretty frugal!). I also thought I had burnt the jam only to find out it was just turning darker due to caramelising - I nearly threw it out! I'm glad I didn't because it's scrummy. 

It's set - phew! I made it in two pans as I don't have one big one, and one I think will set thicker than the other... I learnt a lot about jam making and was lucky enough to have a successful finished product - mostly due to my mums advice about testing if it was set and persevering if it isn't. It took about four times the time the recipe suggested! 

I am also impressed to see that the sealing of the jars has worked, as the jam cooled a vacuum was formed, pulling the lid downwards. To be honest I wasn't expecting it to actually work, brilliant! 

Next time I'll cut up the peaches a little bit smaller, well, a lot smaller! But I am quite impressed - may my jamming continue! 

Mangolicious chutney!

I have finally made my first preserve, and where better to start than with the one I eat the most - mango chutney! I used a recipe from a WI preserves cook book, but actually I changed it quite a lot - adding in lots of whole spices, ginger and some extra garlic and chilli to give it the punch I wanted. 

I used these cute christmas-y labels from my mum, and some christmasy fabric and ribbons to finish them off since they wont be ready to eat until November - besides I love everything christmas, even in August!

Bits n bobs

 

BOOKMARK made of fabric, I love this fabric and I have loads of it so it's getting made into everything. I made a book mark for my mum, I figured she needed an update since her current one I made for her when I was a very small child, and it's VERY dog eared by now. Actually so is my dad for that matter!

 A basic purse, I just wanted to practise with this zip I found for 10p in a charity shop, brand new! I sewed on some cute lace but it's a bit wonky... I think I really need to practise sewing properly to neaten up, but I'm too lazy! I suppose I have the time now so I should though.

Okay so I've finally found out how to make these! http://sewing.about.com/od/embellishment/ss/basicyoyo.htm I have a necklace I bought at a craft fayer made from them and it's so cute, these ones are pretty patchy because I was just messing about, I sewed some onto elastic to wear as hair bands and some onto saftey pins for broaches. Now I need to replicate my pretty necklace! 

A beach bag! This was simple to make, I used this tutorial http://fabricblissdenver.com/blog/?p=282 but missed out the pocket because I didn't have enough fabric. I kind of wish I had made it smaller now, it's too big to know what to do with, I might sew up the sides to make it narrower but then it's wasting the fabric really. But I love the design, it's really simple but sturdy. Sewing so much oil cloth was difficult, but worth it in the end :) 

Okay so THAT is what I have been doing for the past couple of free days I have had. I might make water bottles out of old jumpers soon, since it's autumn soon! Also I am going to be making some preserves soon so watch this space!

Pencil case, muffins and brownies.

Hello, I have managed to drag myself away from a book (I'm getting through four a week, it's starting to disrupt my life, I think that means it's an addiction now) to update a few of the things I have been doing this summer.


This pencil case was really easy, and dead cheap. I found some half price oil cloth that I bought to make a book bag, but in the mean time I made a new pencil case so I could practice zips (which is why it's a bit wonky, it's my first!). Oilcloth is my new favourite thing because you don't need to hem the edges, making sewing twice as fast. I added some cute buttons I was given too. 


This is the tutorial I used: http://www.momtastic.com/home-and-living/features/126139-diy-oilcloth-zippered-pencil-case 

 Muffins muffins muffins! Usually I have a firm policy against the disappointment that is low fat baking... but this recipe breaks all the rules because it tastes great, and only has 2.2g of fat per muffin and 140 calories! That means you can eat them legitimately for breakfast. 


Recipe (veganised from cook vegetarian):


250g SR flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
55g vegan margarine 
85g caster sugar
1 punnet of raspberries (I've also used strawberries, or any other berry really)
1 large banana
230ml almond milk
teaspoon of cider vinegar


oven: 180c 


- sift flour and baking powder
- add the margarine and rub into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs
- stir in sugar
- separately mash banana, milk and cider vinegar until frothy , and let stand until bubbles form 
- add to dry mixture, and mix until combined (and no longer)
- fold in the fruit
- dollop into muffin cases and bake for 20-25min


It might work without the vinegar, as the bananas might be acidic enough to react with the bicarb... but I haven't tried it without just in case. I also found they sank a little, so I'd probably just use 1tsp of baking powder next time. 


Muffins! 


These were made with a recipe from vegan cookies invade your cookie jar, and they are excellent. :) Enough said. 

Baking - jam tarts, orange biscuits and banana and peanut butter icecream!

So, as well as sewing to keep me sane, there has been some sanity baking too! These have all been made from whatever was left in the cupboard in moments where there were no snacks and I had a desperate need for something sweet and tasty! 

JAM TARTS 

Easy peasy, I had left over shortcrust pastry from making pies the day before, which I rolled out, cut out circles, lined a cupcake tin with, and plonked some jam in the middle (well, cherry and apricot preserve) and made some stars with the final dregs of pastry....! Takes five miniutes, 10-15 mins in the oven on 180 degrees: 

ICECREAM 

My icecream machine arrived from amazon the very day the sun came out,  this ice cream is from http://veganicecream.blogspot.co.uk/2006/09/peanut-butter-banana-ice-cream.html here. 

Really easy, REALLY scrummy, and my ice-cream disliking omni boyfriend loved it! Gotta be a good sign.

  

Orange iced shortbread 

Another what-is-left-in-the-cupboards masterpeice. I used a normal shortbread recipe, replaced butter with soya margerine and added in lemon zest, orange zest and the juice of 1 orange. I had ready-made icing in the cupboard left over from my christmas cake, which I mixed orange peel (and orange food colour!) into it, rolled it out, cut it and put o top. Sweet, zingy and tasty.

Sewing projects - table mats and a denim bag (and a metal cushion)!

Hello! Okay  I've been super busy with exams, but in spare moments I have been doing some sewing and baking and cooking - I just haven't updated this blog for a while! So here are my quick sewing projects that have been keeping me sane during exam season...

 FABRIC TABLE MATS:

This was really a project of nessesity, my table mats are looking grubby and I had visitors, luckily I had just enough flowery tough fabric to wizz up four table mats - using a linin tablecloth my mum picked up reduced for about £2 to back them! 

Now I SHOULD have measured them out, but for some reason, absent minded dash-happy me didn't. You should though! Or they'll come out different sizes like mine did. 

I then just sewed them back to back with right-sides together, leaving a gap to turn them the right way out and then sew around the edge to give them a nice finish. 

They look pretty busy on my tablecloth, but you get the idea! The best thing is I can just wash them in the machine when they get dirty which is really easy.

SHOPPING BAG - made from old jeans.

 So I had an old pair of jeans, and I wanted a MASSIVE shopping bag that would hold heavy things like books for when I am scouring charity shops for a good read. 

I basically cut off a leg of the jeans (they were baggy style jeans so there was lots of material, but since the bag is pretty big, you could easily make a smaller one with normal jeans) and split it down the inside leg. I then bent it over, so that the fold was down the bottom of the bag, to make a square. You can then just make handles (I cheat and fold fabric in half, tuck the edges inside, and just sew around the edge), sew over the top and along the sides and voila! 

What I did was cut out two strips of fabric to edge the top, and also give it a bit more height so the shape wasn't too wide. I tucked over the edges and just sewed it along eachs ide, albiet a bit wonkily! I really love this fabric - my mum picked 16 meters up REALLY cheap and it's brilliant quality, and she gave me two so I have plenty left. I also think this gives it a neater edge around the top. I tried to take a picture (right) of it on me to give it some side, so sorry about the dodgy mirror picture!

Finally... a really quick project... a children of bodom cushion for my boyfriend. He had an old top, and I just cut off the front and back (so that the pictures were complete) and cut one in half to make a flap, sewed along the edges, added a popper, sewed the fabric together, and it was done. I had to resist the urge to decorate it with buttons and ribbon...