Dance bag!

 My daughter just started dance classes on Tuesday at a studio in our town.  I was thinking about how our week would go, what we'd need to have ready each day, and made a note that we'd have to find a bag to bring her tap and ballet shoes to class.

I was going to throw them in a tote bag we have, but then started thinking about how it would be nice if there were room for her street clothes to fit while she was in class.  And parents don't stick around during class, so I wanted something she'd notice as her own so that she'd find her stuff.  Of course, as I thought about how she's a first grader now, doing stuff on her own, I wanted it to be cute and have room to grow.  It didn't take long for me to pull down my Sew What! Bags book!

I used the City Satchel pattern and the measurements listed in the book.  The whole bag was made from fabric scraps.  The dark blue fabric is heavy and cut from a curtain we had used in an apartment a few years ago.  The dragonfly material was scavenged from an apron I'd been meaning to finish for about 4 years.  The pocket on the flap was really the apron pocket!  The lining of the bag was cut from a twin sheet my mom gave me for sewing projects.  I did purchase a zipper and some fusible interfacing.

I like having this bag book as a reference on my shelf and have used in in quite a few projects now.  It gives me just enough guidance to quickly create the bag I need, but it also gives a lot of room for creative touches. 

I spent a really long time figuring out this water bottle pocket with elastic. Too long, probably, but I did not want to let it go.

I created the bag with an adult length shoulder strap, but then tacked it down to size.  I hope she enjoys the bag enough that in a few years I can lengthen and re-tack as needed.

The bag pattern suggested pockets on the back of the bag and on the bag front under the flap.  I put a row of 3 pockets on the inside instead.  I also added a zipper pocket inside for any really important things.  Making little interior zipper pockets is a small bit of sewing magic.  (I used two links for guidance, zipper1 and zipper2.)

I am always excited to use this dot fabric.  The dots are spaced in rows that are an inch apart.  Cutting and sewing is a breeze when you can just pick a row of dots to follow! 

Artisan Bread in Five

image from http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/

I've been meaning to write up a post about Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day for months.  But, really, using the methods in this book it is quicker to make fresh bread for supper than it is to find 10 minutes to type my thoughts.

Some friends of mine raved about this book for months before I tried it.  I assumed there was some catch and I know how to make traditional homemade bread.  If I wanted fresh bread couldn't I just make it? 

I ended up buying the book and some start-up supplies for my husband for his birthday.  I quickly caught on - of course I know how to make fresh bread - but with a busy schedule I never got around to doing it.

The concept is simple - mix up a big batch of dough and then use it to make 4 (or more if you multiply the recipe) loaves of bread over the next two weeks. On baking day just pull out the appropriate amount of dough, let it rise (40 minutes for the basic loaf) and bake (30 minutes for a small loaf.)

Ready to bake!

I love that I can use literally a minute here and a minute there to have fresh bread at supper and that beautiful fresh baked bread smell all afternoon.

Yum!

We also appreciate the huge variety of dough recipes and baking techniques.  We started with just the basic white bread and a free form loaf.  Our favorite now is called European Peasant Bread and has some whole wheat and rye flours.  We've also tried the Broa (Portuguese corn bread) and while it is good, it wasn't "corny" enough to have a huge taste difference.

Pita Bread

We have tried several baking techniques, all with the same dough.  The kids gobble up homemade pita bread and we also like the stove-top cooked Naan.  Neither of these methods require rising time and they are very fast cooking - great for last minute baking!  The dough makes a great homemade pizza or cheesy bread and the book has a delicious sausage Stromboli recipe.  We tried a modification of the pork bun recipe in the book and found it a great way to use up leftover roast.

image from http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/

The authors have a 2nd book filled with whole grain recipes, doughs with veggies added, and gluten free dough.  I'm planning to order it soon.  I did try the whole wheat main recipe from that book and we do like the flavor.  I attempted to make sandwich bread using that dough.  While it was the best homemade sandwich bread I've made, we didn't eat it fast enough.

There are a lot more varieties and recipes that I'd like to try from both books.  It's great to make a big batch of dough on Sunday and then just go to it during the week for a quick pita for lunch or for a guaranteed favorite with supper. 

I purchased our bins, dough scraper, and pizza peel from Amazon.  We don't use a baking stone.  You can learn a whole lot more about this on the authors' website: Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.  (I wasn't compensated for this post, I just think this is an awesome idea for busy people who enjoy things that taste good!)

Knitting update!

I've been working on a shrug for my daughter all summer and it is slow going. I took a break over the weekend to finish up a winter hat that I started back in May while waiting for the yarn for the shrug to arrive.

This is the Slouchy Copy Cat Hat. It was knit with Plymouth Encore left over from the first Wallaby I made. It was a nice easy pattern and the mock cable was fun. I'm looking forward to cooler Fall weather and trying it out!
A friend recently shared links to a few projects from Susan B. Anderson's itty-bitty toys book. I checked it out from the library and my gifts to knit list just grew in huge amounts. If you are on Ravelry I suggest you check out the book's link there to see some of the many cute projects. The author also has a blog that I found today and will be following.

I'm planning on making the Sisters reversible toy for sure. The author suggested trying one of the basic projects first to try out the various skills. I tried a little squishy ball and am hooked!
I'll be updating my gift ideas list on the side bar and blogging about finished projects as we get closer to the holiday season. I hope to make an item of clothing and a toy for each of my kids, plus I always find ideas for others on my gift list as well.

Preschool cookbooks

We bought two cookbooks for R this Christmas and we've been having fun testing them out.

Pretend Soup, by Mollie Katzen

Mollie Katzen wrote the Moosewood cookbooks. We thought this would be a fun set of healthy recipes for foods R could help cook for us all to enjoy at dinner.

Yesterday we tried making pink fruit dip with frozen raspberries, cream cheese, and yogurt. It was a good dip, but the yogurt flavor was a little overpowering. She ate some of it and I think we could modify it to be more to our tastes.

Tonight we were counting the minutes until Papa would come home and R found the salad bar recipe in the book. We found some good salad toppings in the kitchen (carrot, mushroom, olives, cheese, croutons) and spent the rest of our time prepping them. I cut everything and she put it into small cups. Both kids were excited about making things a little fancier and I think she ate more veggies tonight because they were "hers." Also, it was a good reminder that spending a little time doing something like cutting up olives for salad can be an afternoon saver.


Cooking It in a Cup!
We picked out this book because we thought R would enjoy the novelty of the cups. Also, it has a wide variety of basic foods that will be good for snacks and lunch.

We plan to make some baked rice cups later this week and the roasted broccoli I think, but this morning both kids suddenly wanted scrambled eggs so we tried the "easy eggs."

It doesn't get much easier - scramble an egg with a fork, pour into one of the cups, microwave for 30 seconds, let cool for 2 minutes. The kids really enjoyed watching the eggs grow and almost overflow in the microwave. R and I thought they were a little plain (we'll add cheese next time), but J ate all of his egg and then stole the majority of mine. He's been eating up a storm since his 2nd birthday, so this will be a great easy snack for him.


Both of these cookbooks were recommended for kids age 4 - 8. There are a lot of cookbooks for older kids who have more skill around the stove, but I was glad to find these with the abilities of a 5 year old in mind.

Bags!

I've been procrastinating a bit in packing for my upcoming move by finishing up little sewing projects I have sitting around. I've also found excuses to create a few new projects as well.

I created these bags in recent weeks. All three were created using guidelines from the SewWhat! Bags book. The thing I really enjoy about this book is that it outlines directions for 18 bags which form a starting point for any number of projects.

The first bag is a small clutch that I will use as a purse, although right now it is working well as a bag for my sewing tools. I made this as a demonstration piece for some friends who had planned to get together for a sewing night.

That fell through, but I had already cut out my fabric for a 2nd bag that I would have made during sewing night. It's bigger - close to 14 inches square I think. I plan for to be a shopping bag or to hold odds and ends when I travel. It's canvas on the outside and polka-dot cotton on the inside.

Finally, I attended a baby shower last night and we were all asked to bring a frozen meal for the mom. I brought muffins and bread and wanted to put a personal spin on the gift. I was able to quickly put together this sling bag. The book mentions that it was originally designed to hold your clothes pins while you are hanging out clothes and it is also featured on the book cover. I had a hard time giving it away. It has a drawstring and 3 pockets in the denim fabric along the bottom. I can see myself making a few more of these down the line!
All of these bags were made from fabrics I had just sitting around. I just purchased the two zippers. They were all one-night projects that were very easy to put together.