not enough quality time with my sewing machine

I get a little bit of time to sew everyday, normally.  The weekends the chunks can be bigger or sometimes not at all due to other commitments.  I ordered twenty plus yards of linen and I just do not feel like I have made the dent I wish to.

So far, I got a long chemise made but have two or three more of those to make.  I got a smock top/dress made, which I will share later.  I have two more of those to make, hopefully.  It will depend on yardage.  I got a skirt cut out and nine squares started for my best friend's linen quilt.  I do so like making nine squares and here quilt is starting to feel like the desert to me because of the colors in it.  But one of the things I was most excited about was a bit of extra fabric I had from cutting out the skirt.

I made a linen towel.  I really like Turkish towels.  I know they are not linen but cotton.  I really like not having the fluffy towel.  To buy linen towels, they are even more pricey then the Turkish towels or African kekois because of the fiber.  And here I go putting something together of a similar size out of a scrap.  I hemmed all sides and put a loop in it for hanging.  

It is going on the letterpress trip as my Beloved's towel.  Small Mister is coming with us and hopefully I will have much to share next week.  I have the feeling there will be very little time at the computer.  

for Jewel's

I finished the quilt for my friend Jewel's.  It is just a lap quilt but I know how helpful that can be.  She has different chronic health problems, like I do, but the symptoms are similar.  I find that I like to curl up under the quilt I made the Tall Short Person 27 years ago.  I though Jewel's might like something to curl up under when tireds or aches going on.  Especially if there is a cup of tea and a book involved.  Maybe one of her littles can curl up under it with her.

I had scraps of Liberty of London prints and Civil War Era reproductions that made this quilt.  There are a few other prints but it is mostly those.  I really like how it all came together.  Now to get it into the mail.  That is the problem I have been having lately, getting things into the post.  Maybe even leaving the house.  I can be such a hermit.  But I need to go to the libraries and hardware store today.  I should be able to stop at the post office.

mango salsa

I have been enjoying a mango salsa vinagrette that our local grocery store has.  My thought was, "I can make this."  It was really about making a mango salsa.  The salsa turned out well.  I really do not need to make it into a vinagrette but instead of a basic vinagrette, I am thinking about putting some honey and mustard into it.  Or maybe a few pinches of ancho and chipolte.  It just needs something.  But we have been eating the salsa on everything.

Our salads recently have been tostadas without the tortilla.  Lettuce, beans, salsa.  Sometimes cheese.  Sometimes a dressing.  They are actually very simple but this salsa add a nice complexity.  I really like fruit salsas.  The Tall Short Person does not.  My Beloved likes this when I mix a small teaspoon of ghost pepper salsa through it.  Talk about a kick!  The funny thing is I am going to have to make some more soon and the recipe will probably change just because!

mango salsa

two mangos, peeled, pitted, and sliced into small bits

two large tomatoes or four fist size, sliced into about the same size as the mango

one jalopeno pepper, seeded, cored, and diced

half onion, peeled, and chopped

half a head of garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

Mix everything together in a bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning.

I keep it in a quart jar in the refrigerator and use by very large tablespoons.

a bit of stitching

I finished the quilting and now am working on putting the binding on Miss J's quilt.  I hope to get it done before I HAVE to go to the post office.  I really need to send a batch of business cards off to my sister.  I am not happy with all of the them but they will be a stop gap until I print more.  I know I am going to learn a lot next week and I may decide to recycle all of these.

Once the quilting was done, I was able to start a dress.  I have decided to double seam everything like I used too.  I find that the thread I can buy seems to wear faster then it used to and break.  When I first started using this sewing machine, I double seamed everything.  I am doing it again.  A dress that would take me a hour and half to sew is going to take almost twice as long to stitch.  It is okay.  I would rather the fabric go then the seams.  

I hope to have some nightgowns made soon.  I have some old nightgowns that need to be cut into squares for the linen quilt I am making for Nirinjan.  A lot of her quilt is going to be worn out clothes.  I am excited about her quilt.  And new nightgowns.  A new top or two.  New skirts.  I did buy a lot of linen.

rye crisps

I have to laugh.  How many of my posts start out with dough in a bowl?  I bake a lot.  I found when we were traveling this last time that I really wanted some cracker type of thing to go with us.  We had sliced cheese and meats in the truck and crackers would have been nice.  I am of Norwegian heritage and I grew up in a city of strong Scandinavian influences.  We always had rye crisps in the cupboard.  I do admit that I liked them but never thought to buy them.

I checked out a Nordic baking book from the library, Home Baked.  I actually ordered it for my home library.  There is a nice recipe for a rye crisp in it.  A bit different from store bought but quite lovely.  I am going to have to bake a batch this weekend for our trip next week.

rye crisp

Note:  My main change is to use sourdough starter.  It always changes the flour amounts.

sourdough starter

3/4 cup water

150 grams whole wheat flour (a large cup flour

125 g sifted rye flour (yes, I really sifted it and weighed.  very slow process, especially with "help.")

125 g rye flour

10 grams salt

25 grams (1 large tablespoon) barley malt syrup

2 grams (2 teaspoons) ground caraway seeds

50 grams butter, room temperature

~65 grams water

The night or morning before, mix the starter, 3/4 cup water, and whole what flour in a large bowl.  Cover and let sit at least eight hours.  Take a couple of tablespoons out for next time.

Mix everything else into the starter in the bowl.  It will be a bit sticky.  You may need to use your hands.  Cover and let rise for about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Divde the dough into 75 gram pieces or roughly the size of a golf ball.  Dust a work surface with flour.  Roll the dough out thin (.08 inches).  Cut a hole in the middle and prick all over with a fork.

Place on baking sheets with silpats or parchment paper.  Bake for 6 minutes or until golden.

Lovely with a bit of cheese or meat.  Or just by themselves.