Spring Sewing for Me

Today I have made  start on a new shirt for myself, I have had the fabric for a few months but had no desire to start it until now as it is light summery cotton. Also the dark months seemed to rob me of all get up and go this last season so I am only now getting back to wanting to get lots done, make plans, have ideas and so on.  Has anyone else felt like that?

Despite the fact that have been plodding on getting bits of alterations done for others and of course the caravan seating project there hasn't really been any sewing for myself.  It is also a delicate balance in that I don't buy fabric very often, I try to mainly recycle and not get sucked into the mindset of needing more.  With all this in mind I will be taking care with item as it is new fabric, and hopefully it will look good on when complete. 

This is the fabric, the little elephants caught my eye.

As everyone who sews will know sometimes you love a fabric and a design but once it is complete it just does nothing for you and unlike a bought item you can't return it.   Fortunately this doesn't happen that often and I do try to have gratitude for all the projects that turn out well and accept that some were just not meant to be.

On a thrifty note I didn't need to buy any notions when I bought the fabric as it is white so I already have the cotton in plentiful supply.  I also keep any small buttons off shirts when my husband has finished with them so there are plenty of those around and  there is just enough facing in my sewing box for the front and collar.

I am using a blouse that I own already as I like the fact that it is small and neat,  the collar only comes to the sides as the neck forms a sort of v.  I just lay it down and work around it.

I have cut these pieces slightly longer as this blouse is quite short in the body.

I'm going to mark these onto paper so I don't have to mess about with the blouse again a different day.

This is where I'm up to, I am not going to rush to finish it today as there are lots of other things I also need to get done and I want to enjoy the process not just rush to the finish.  That is me sometimes with sewing, hurrying to get it all done in one sitting.

Recently it does appear that I have posted more about food, since I turned vegan from vegetarian I have been much more aware of what I am eating and this will be reflected in my posts as food and cooking are on my mind.  I always tried to eat healthy as a vegetarian but I feel that now I am more aware of making sure I eat a good balance. It does mean that I sometimes think people may land on a page and think isn't this a sewing blog?  While that was my intention when I started it and the majority of my posts are about sewing I feel that these days it reflects the interests of a  crafter/maker. I hope that doesn't disappoint.  There are also I find pockets of sewing activity in my life where I seem to do lots over a couple of weeks and then more of a dry spell as in recent months. 

Broccoli, Apple and Cashew Soup (Vegan/Gluten free)

I often make myself a nice soup for Friday lunch as I don't work on Fridays and it is nice to not be in a rush and have something home made and healthy.  I have made this soup a couple of times now but I'm only now getting around to posting it.  It is my own recipe and I like it quite thick so the quantity here for me is only 2 servings but very thick and filling.  It would definitely serve 4 as a starter just add more water.

Broccoli, Apple and Cashew Soup

350g Broccoli

60g cashew nuts

1 apple

1 veg stock cube (GF)

300ml water (boiled)

1 red onion

1 level desert spoon vegan cheese sauce powder (optional)

black pepper

Soya single cream (I use Alpro)

Steam the broccoli until tender, for the last few minutes add the chopped apple to the steamer to soften.

  Fry the onion in  a little olive oil until soft, sprinkle the stock cube into the frying pan and add the boiled water, you can also stir in the cheese sauce powder at this point if you are using it.

Pop your cashew nuts in the blender and blitz, if your blender is hand held you can put the nuts in a bag and beat them with a rolling pin, just take care the bag doesn't split. 

Add all ingredients to the blender except the cream and blend, then return to the pan. Continue  heating gently and at this point add a swirl of soya cream and a little black pepper to taste.

There is now a portion in the fridge for me to have tomorrow for supper, I always fancy something on a Saturday evening because we usually eat our dinner earlier so that is one problem solved.  Oldest son tried this last week and it got his approval and that is hard to come by when it comes to food he is fussy.

You can see how thick it is, add as much liquid as you need to your desired consistency.

Consume Less

There seems to be a lot of talk recently about how we are all going to notice rising prices etc. while at the same time airing shows that seem to promote over consumption.  I try and stick to buying things that mainly are a  need with a few wants here and there.  I certainly don't shop weekly for recreation as many people do as I don't see the point and it just creates a lot of waste which our planet certainly doesn't need any more of.

There was one show on a week ago which I couldn't watch because it was about spending less but then began the show by having two people show off about their over spending. No doubt about it that was exactly what was happening, the wife explaining she couldn't wear an outfit more than once because she would die, look at the hundreds of pounds worth of clothes in the wardrobe still with tags on, fake shock on her face. Oh it was just dreadful, I had to turn off and the sad thing is rather than being spurred on to save I think there would be some watching who might just want all that stuff.

Those kinds of show often offer alternatives to expensive treatments that are just a bit cheaper, or slightly less expensive clothing stores and so on when really they should be saying just stop!  Are you mad?  You don't need all that crap, you won't die if you are seen in the same outfit more than once but they won't do that because really they want us to keep the wheels turning.

Another thing I saw advertised was about the hotel business and the most demanding clients, those being the super rich.  In the add it stated the hotel rooms need to be repainted every three weeks, what? Why can't they just be cleaned thoroughly? It is possible to clean marks off walls without repainting all the time, can you imagine the excess pollution that is creating.  Hotels are already really bad for waste due to the constant need for clean towels and bedding, that much decorating is criminal.  Would the super rich implode if they had to stay in a room that wasn't newly refurbished? 
I have to say I wasn't inspired to watch the whole of that programme either there just seems to be a lot of celebration around being wasteful and proud of it, very sad.

I know a lot of people will disagree with my little poster above but I hope more are starting to seek alternative ways to spend their free time.

It is often the case that as we find new hobbies we are bombarded with ideas about items we should acquire to perfect these hobbies.  In fact any new activity you take up has probably been done by someone you know,  there could be equipment lurking in a friends garage or loft, ebay and Gumtree also have lots of used items so don't be dazzled by the shiny and new.  You can find lots of free instructions and videos shared by fellow bloggers and of course the library always has lots of information on everything.

So of you decide to get out there and do something new rather than wandering around a shopping mall don't use it as an excuse to go and buy all the kit.  I think there is a funny idea in all of us that we will do better at something if we are fully equipped with all the tools.  Sad  truth is owning the stuff doesn't make you great at something and wonderful things have been created with limited resources so it's the time, desire and the effort that makes the difference.

I have noticed the hilarious contrast in that there is currently an add saying shop now down the side bar. Ha! so much for related content.

Vegan Gluten Free Carrot and Walnut Bread

I haven't done much baking for a while, I tend to go in phases with it I think mainly because due to working with the gluten free flours there are more fails than there used to be when I could just use the regular flour.  It can be a bit disheartening at times,  I enjoy cooking new vegan recipes but the baking minus egg and regular flour proves challenging.

Yesterday I had a go at these cookies here  Naturally Sassy cookies  they were supposed to be made using pecans but as I didn't have any I used walnuts they came out ok, quite chewy, not a soft cookie  once cooled but I am eating them so they work.

You don't roll them out you just shape them with your hands which was quite therapeutic.

This morning while I was up early with the dogs I made a carrot and walnut loaf.  This recipe was adapted from the book Keep it Vegan, I had to adapt it because the recipe is not gluten free and also I didn't have a courgette! 

Here is my recipe...

Carrot and Walnut loaf

200g gf plain flour

100g brown rice flour

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp bicarb soda

1 tsp oregano

1 carrot grated

4 pieces of chopped sun dried tomato (optional)

175ml soya milk

50g walnuts crushed (rolling pin)

1tbsp chia seeds soaked in a little water

pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 200c, mix dry ingredients in a bowl, add carrot and tomato pieces, make a well in the centre and pour in soya milk, stir through nuts and seeds.  This should all come together in a piece as you stir, flour your hands and turn it onto a baking sheet then shape into an oval loaf, score top.  Cook in the oven for about 30 minutes until it sounds hollow when tapped.

You only need a slice as it is filling, unlike regular bread which is just generally full of air.  It also has a lot of goodies in it again unlike regular bread which is often full of preservatives.

Caravan Seats and Odd Jobs

I was asked to make over the caravan interior upholstery for my husbands colleague last week. The curtains were complete last week but she didn't buy enough fabric for the seating so we have been waiting on that.

It was not an easy sew!  The fabric was woven so one side of the piece when you cut it kept unravelling in massive strips, it also got tangled around the needle a few times, oh awful stuff.  Anyway they are finished now, well I just have two scatter cushions to do tomorrow and they won't take long.

I also had some panels to sew inside some motorbike jeans this week, they are to hold the protective pads, that job was a first and also quite tricky to stitch through the padded denim. 

My job for tomorrow is to make some Mr Tumnus trousers to look like his furry legs.  I need to dress up at school next week, I will try and share  a picture but not sure if I'll do so while I'm wearing them.

So there hasn't been much in the way of garment making recently but lots of repairs for others and household style sewing.  Perhaps the brighter days will inspire me, I tend to stick to my same sets of layered clothes when it is cold.

It has been quite tricky to find something to get interested in on the TV recently, all the Scandinavian dramas I like appear to have finished and have not been replaced with anything to grab my attention.  Broad church is quite enjoyable and also The Replacement but really there is an awful lot of rubbish across the channels.  I came into the living room the other evening after doing some alterations and turned on the TV, across three channels these were the options; Britain on Benefits, Britain on the Fiddle and Britain After Brexit, I turned it straight off again!

Schar Gluten Free Pizza Base

Being gluten free I have to admit that I miss pizza, these days also being vegan that would be a
cheese free pizza but still I do miss it.   I have tried various things to satisfy this including many gluten free bread products, it is never the same. We visited Zizis the restaurant because I read they did an amazing GF vegan pizza, it wasn't, but it was wafer thin, overpriced with practically zero topping on it.  Did I mention how I hate to be ripped off and we don't even go out that often.

So when I saw these Schar pizza bases I was excited, I love the Schar bread and although it is expensive I will pay the extra for this as I am so limited in what I can have and their bread has quinoa, linseed goodness and tastes super.  We brought the bases home today and I piled on all my lovely toppings, fried red onions, cherry tomatoes, sauce, garlic mushrooms, Italian herbs and vegan cheese. 

Now these bases were two for three pounds so again not cheap for a bit of bread but I had high hopes.

When it came out of the oven I cut it up and sat down to tuck in.  Well, dry powdery bread just like every other  gluten free product I tend to try, I was disappointed to say the least.  The loaf I buy by this make is so good I expected too much I think.  You see I had resigned myself a while ago to the fact that bread based meals are a thing of the past.  On the occasion I have some it is beans or tomatoes on the Schar toast so this moistens the bread.  I would not recommend buying this product but their loaves are good if pricey.

The best and closest I have come to enjoying something resembling a pizza is when I used a wrap as a base and just topped that with lots of veg.   The reason that may have worked better is that a wrap is so thin so you don't experience the dry floury texture of a thicker dough.

If anyone has tried anything better I would love to hear about it.  I am usually pretty good at improvising with the GF, vegan foods but sometimes on a Saturday you just want to come home and have a pizza like everyone else!

Decluttering

Today I have had another bit of a clear out, I was looking for a particular top this morning and thought I needed a little sort through.  Many things have just been moved along and put together.  For example summer dresses that I want but don't need yet.  I know many people take all of their seasonal stuff out altogether and rotate but I am not going through that every season.  There is also the fact that some items can span seasons with a top under and thick tights.

There  was also a few items that needed a bit of care.  A dress with a belt loop hanging off, a nice next t-shirt that has always been too baggy, jeans that can turn into shorts and a levi jacket that has always bothered me because the shoulders hang over.  So this little pile has been brought down for action, first up was the levi jacket, I marked where the shoulder should sit by laying another little jacket on top that fits me well.  There was quite a lot of unpicking involved due to all the top stitching.

I have had it years but it is such a lovely soft cord, maybe it will get more wear in the summer now the shoulders are better fitting.

I removed thirteen items of clothing that have not been worn over the past year and that I can't see me wearing again. In truth some of them should have gone with the last lot that went to the charity shop but I don't find this easy as I am not quick to buy new.  There is a little bit of me thinking I might need that so I have to be ruthless with myself.

There were also two books on the pile, a shirt of my husbands (I had permission!) and a fleece one of the boys had outgrown. I have not been far in way of walking due to mad weather yesterday and todays business, just the usual places.   I have begun to do the reupholster job on some seating and curtains for a colleague of my husband, it is for a small caravan. The curtains are finished but she needs more fabric as by the look of it she just guessed and there was no where near enough for all the seating.  So more on that next week.

Quite a few people have gone on their travels, we have done this at February half term in the past but after cold weekends in Amsterdam, Paris, Lego land and Loch Lomond we decided to give this one a miss.  Unless you are following the year round sun it can be a bit chilly and with three dogs now our holidays involve a lot of being outside.

Whatever you have been up to this week I hope you have had a good time, I know a lot of you not working in education will have had a regular week but maybe you managed a day off with the children.