Carpenter dress

When I am traveling, especially driving, I have been wearing overalls lately.  Part of that is that Koda Bear and I match.  The other part is that most of my dresses do not have pockets and the pockets in the overalls make life just a little bit easier.  It was suggested to me that maybe I should put the pockets I like on one of my dresses.

I mostly like the pockets that are lower on the leg best.  Not the bib pocket.  And I do not need two butt pockets.  I find the lower leg ones are perfect for my phone and possibly a key.  I do not sit on things in those pockets and they are easily to hand.

I took out my Carhartts and used them as a go by for both position and size.  I still needed to fit a phone.  I played with a piece of fabric that I really liked but also was not so expensive that I would worry about screwing it up.  It is a mid to heavy weight cotton.

Can I say I was pleased?  First, I did take the dress in a tatch.  It might look a bit tight in some of these pictures but it is not tight at all.  I put short sleeves on it instead of three quarter length sleeves.  I kept the neckline high and added two inches to the hem.  The dress itself is a better version of the sheaths I have been wearing.  I still do not need to put a zipper in it because it can go over my head and that still helps my shoulders.  I have days.

But the pockets!  The pockets!  This is going to be one of those dresses that gets washed and it is one of the first that I put back on.  Which also means it will wear out faster.  It is a difficult catch 22 but this dress is a winner.  I was thinking I might start looking for a light twill to make some more in.  A fabric just a little bit heavier so it my last longer with the washing.

I am pleased!

yeasted pasta

Talking to a Chef awhile back, I was told that there is a very traditional pasta from one region of Italy that is yeasted.  This was a Chef that told me that my hand kneaded pasta was better then his because I am a baker.  I knead bread so often that I was not surprised.  Last week, bread was made at least four times and I am not counting this pasta!

I did a bit of research and found out that this pasta was actually made on baking day.  That way you did not have two doughs going.  I read the recipe for this pasta a year ago and decided that I did not wish to go through the process of getting the book from the library and using it as a go by.  I

know how to make bread.  I know how to make pasta.  I know how pasta dough should feel.  My Beloved asked for sourdough pasta so why not!

The taste of this is similar to a non-yeasted pasta. There is more flavor.  It rolled easier.  Which is a plus.  And if I am making a simple bread, I would put a bit of dough aside to make into pasta.  It just need tweaking.

yeasted pasta dough

Note:  I started this from scratch.  If you have a French dough, Italian dough, or a baguette dough, just knead in flour until you have a VERY stiff dough and go from the resting point of these directions.

sourdough starter

100 grams water

100 grams white whole wheat flour

2 eggs

a pinch of salt

1 1/2 to 2 cups flour

Eight to fourteen hours before, refresh your starter with 100 grams of water and 100 grams of flour.  Cover and let it get bubbly.  I have been finding that cling wrap works very well for this step but I want to make some of the coated linen to try.  

When the starter is bubbly, remove a bit for next time.  A bit is a couple tablespoons.

Mix in two eggs.

Mix in the flour.  Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead.  You want a very stiff dough.  Wrap and let sit.  I would have liked it to sit for more then the couple hours it did but I kept forgetting what I was doing on Saturday.  That was because I was mostly sleeping.

Unwrap the dough.  It will be a bit puffy.  Divide in half and roll out into a thin sheet.

Cut and place on a floured baking sheet.  Dust with more flour as more pasta is sliced.

Put the pasta into salted boiling water.  Cook for about three minutes.  A few more if you did not roll the dough very thin.

Serve with any sauce you wish.  One of the reasons I wanted eggs in the pasta was I knew I was going to serve it with a vegetarian sauce.  It was a day of sleep and looking for calories.  In another words, a weekend of healing and not traveling.  Guess what I wanted it be doing!

I will be making more of this.  It makes my life easy because I just have to knead extra flour into a bread dough and I have pasta for dinner.  Talk about frugality!

sent to a small boy

I have been spending a lot of time in my new space creating things for my shop.  Nothing much new but I am feeling more productive.  It is a lovely thing to have my own space.

I finished this quilt when we got back from traveling.  Instead of putting it in my shop here or Etsy, I mailed it off to a new small boy.  I just felt like it.

I though it was pretty and boyish.  I find making quilts is a good place for my head.

If I chose to send one off occasionally, that is a good thing.

Right now, that small boy is not doing much but sleeping and eating.  Maybe he will get a chance to play on this later in his life.

a better creative space

I spent most of the weekend pricing storage.  Pondering.  Making decisions.  Twice to IKEA.  But in the end, I have a much better creative space.  I no longer sew in front of the air conditioning so I am hoping that I will get a chance to feel like my lungs heal.

I feel like I have a space of my own even though it is Koda Bear's room when he is here.

I have two bookshelves full of fabric and projects.  I have a lot of fabric though I did not get rid of as much as I expected.  And some of the dresses that were ready to be cut up ended up in the wash so I can wear them again.  It is interesting what time does.

I even got my worktable cleaned off.  I still need to take everything out from the shelves underneath it but I have space on top.  I come from a long line of pilers.  Flat surfaces and piles will be made.  The dining room table has been cleaned off for a week!  It helps to have less stuff but even then I can create piles.  But now I have a place to cut out fabric again.

With a little bit different light.  A little bit different angle.  A place for myself.   I need two lamps.  Some day that will happen but I got to the point yesterday where that is enough.  And it was.

This makes me happy.

frozenish yogurt

I am not a big frozen yogurt fan.  I like what I make.  I like one brand out.  I do not like stuff on my yogurt.  Or ice cream.  Whether that is stuff on top or mixed in.  It is who I am.  But today I was craving some frozen yogurt.  It is just hot out.  Records may be broken today.  

I like citrusy tangy frozen yogurts.  So I go for a frozen Greek yogurt most of the time.  Lime is a big favorite.  Where I normally go for frozen yogurt was much to far out of my way today for me to get there.  I decided to create something at home.

I used 5 ounces of an Icelandic key lime yogurt, about 2 ounces of ginger syrup, and a quarter cup each of mango, strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries.  Into the blender it went.  Full power for a three minutes or so.

Into the bowl.  I could have put it into the freezer for about thirty to sixty minutes to firm it up some more but I could not wait.  It was frozen enough for me.  Cold when it is hot.  One of the best ways for me to get the fruit into me because I am still poor at eating fruit.  It comes from I think it is a good idea but I do not do it.  I would rather eat a dish of roasted veg.  But this worked for me.  Much better then going way out of my way to buy something.  Actually better then buying frozen yogurt out.  I will probably do more of this while it is so hot.  

Hopefully, records are not broken today!