In Stitches

RECENTLy:

Dylan & Renee had a baby boy (Callum Keith Andrews) last Sunday so off to the sewing room I went..

Made them a little boy bib and Sensory Square ...

also

Late last week on etsy I saw this Uber cute sheep so I decided I would try to have a go at making one...
This is Shabbit --Not exactly like the pic but cute in an ugly reproduced way... ended up turning into a Rabbit because Kyle thought it looked more like a Rabbit ..
complete with fluffy tail and all, so now it is a cross between a sheep and a rabbit ( hence the Shabbit )
Still trying to find some nice felt scraps so I can finish off the eyes on my Giddy Up horse from Melly & Me but I'm so sick of waiting to blog about it I thought I would do it now..

Second last - I have the art of bib making down to 15 mins a bib. So I've been doing some MASS producing. (11 bibs in total) Surely one needs copious amounts of bibs?

I've been doing them in two sizes so that when he gets a bit bigger the bibs don't end up being too short.

and FINAlly (yes Collette this is the last thing, I know I'm boring you)

woke up this morning and thought I might try to make a pyramid (wasn't too hard) The exciting thing about this is that I filled it with half polyfil and half bean bag balls so it has a really different feel to it. Try it some time.. this has to be my favourite little boy toy so far :)

the end.

Mousse 101

Well, here it is 12:00am so it is now Monday and as promised

- the easiest peasiest yummiest moussiest mousse recipe..

YOU WILL NEED:

400 gm dairy milk chocolate

200 gm dark chocolate

1 litre cream

3 eggs, separated

(n.b : if you would like to make white chocolate mousse substitute above chocolate for 550gm of white chocolate -- If you want choc chip add fresh chocolate shavings at the very end before refrigeration)

(It is also important to note that there is a reason this recipe asks for 400gm dairy milk and 200g dark chocolate, although you can play with the colour by adding more dark chocolate I wouldn't go the other way and add more dairy milk or your mousse will look VERY pale and un-chocolate moussey - so don't skrimp!)

OK.

PREPARATION:

now you have all your ingredients pop the choccie in a pan and melt it.. I know some of you are thinking, HOLY HECK shouldn't she be doing that in a bowl over hot water?

I'll give you two reasons...

reason number one -- cadbury chocolate (or the stuff at the supermarket in the sweets section) is compound chocolate; this means it has a cream to cocoa ratio so high and so much vegetable oil (rather than cocoa butter) in it that there is no possible way you could burn it unless your VERY forgetful.

number two -- you'll need the handle on that pan later to help handle the chocolate when we get to the mousse "formula"

(sorry, where was I?) Oh yes, melt chocolate.

Now whisk your cream and set it aside in its own bowl.

Whisk your egg whites (till peaking) and set aside in its own bowl.

Pop your egg yolks in their own bowl.

THE FORMULA:

On paper (looks like so)

This is what the formula looks like in real life -- set your ingredients out in this order to make it easier for you to remember. Once you have done this make sure you will NOT be interrupted for the next 5 minutes ..
STEP 1:

Quickly mix the egg yolks in with the HOT melted chocolate -- do this calmly but quickly because if you leave your egg yolks in the hot chocolate for too long they will start to cook and you will end up with lumpy cooked mousse.

(this is the hardest bit, this is the reason you do not want to be interrupted and the reason you want a handle on your chocolate pan because (believe me) trying to manage a hot bowl with a tea towel slows you down. )

(I didn't take a picture of it mixed together for obvious reasons but just pretend the next pic looks like the chocolate has egg in it)

STEP 2

Then quickly fold your Chocolate and egg yolk mix into the whipped cream (cooling the chocolate and thus stopping the egg yolks from cooking further)

Take a breath because that was the HARDEST bit .. nothing to it right!?

STEP 3

mix your peaked egg whites into the cream, chocolate and egg yolk mix

Mixing mixing until everything has been mixed really well.. (this might take a while)

NOW here is your mousse.

Spoon into anything you like ( This mixture calls for a litre of cream so remember you are going to get ALOT of mousse.. it is SOOO yummy though you will need alot for it to stay in the fridge for more than one day but you can always halve the recipe.. or why not try marble mousse? Make a white chocolate batch and a chocolate batch then using a skewer combine them to make marble mousse.. mm yum)

Leave your mixed mousse in the fridge to set

p.s: I said it was easy-- I didn't say it was healthy

5 things they don't tell you

Okie doke, because it is 5:30am & I've been up since 2:18 --

5 things they don't tell you about pregnancy

THINg 1

Complete strangers will most definitely think it is ok to touch, poke, stare and talk at your belly even if they are complete strangers. *worst offenders: the women at the post office, the supermarket & the chemist. (avoid these places)

THINg 2

Conversation with acquaintances for the entire pregnancy will primarily consist of " How are you feeling/ Have you been sick?, Not long to go now, bet you cant wait -- do you know the sex?Oh a boy Isn't that nice -- oh well it will be a learning experience"

At which you will become very practiced at saying " Im well thank-you, no hasn't been too bad. Yes only (insert week) weeks. *nodding* yes, we're having a little boy .. *fake smile* awkward laugh. .. awkward pause (look for way out)"

{{When what you REALLY want to say is " I feel fat, I cant walk around for more than 10 minutes without getting sore ankles, I have insomnia, reflux, low iron and any other annoying condition you can think of which means I just don't sleep. I've been told not to eat practically everything nice & I've been told to eat practically everything gross. I've been forced to drink gross lime sugar mixture & swallow pills three times a day, I've been poked & prodded - tested and re-tested like I have a disease and I honestly couldn't even put my socks on this morning because the baby's bottom is now wedged permanently under my left rib. ... and how are you doing? "}}

wouldn't have it any other way would we?

THINg 3

Your health care appointments will usually consist of a midwife trying to find something ...anything... wrong with you --

Their first question will be " How have you been doing?" but don't be fooled by the sweet exterior, anything you say will be written down and exaggerated.

If you tell them you don't eat red meat they will act like it is the end of the world & ask you to list all the foods you've eaten in the last week.

If you tell them your dairy intolerant they will act like it is the end of the world & ask you to list all the foods you've eaten in the last week.

If your husband tells them he has a history of diabetes in HIS family they will assume you have gestational diabetes...(go figure) and ask you to list all the foods you've eaten in the last week.

If you have low iron stores you suddenly have anemia & are asked to list all the foods you've eaten in the last week.

seriously... I should be dead. Im not.

THINg 4

You will not be able to breathe & it will get progressively worse *seriously no one told me this* Why did no one tell me it gets this hard to breathe?

THINg 5

When you move away from Tasmania (where they like to birth naturally) it will be implied that a natural birth will probably kill you & you will need to sign a million forms saying you choose not to be pumped with this drug & that drug unless it is an emergency situation; then when the deed is done the midwife will look down at you through her spectacles with her beedy black eyes as if to say

" your going to die a slow and painful death "

sigh..

back to bed, thanks for helping me waste time.

Inspired

So after reading Toni's blog on the cool stuff she has found on etsy - Clicking on the love Mae link and realising some of their products were on SPECIAL !! yay, I nipped down to a little shop called Goose where I knew they stocked them AND...

SO excited about setting up a Nursery with these on the wall.

(sorry the pics are dodgy)

Dear Dan.

Thank-you.

ROlling ROLLIe POLLIe

Here is the ROLLie POLlie, yay .. Its made for little people so its not as big as a normal bean bag and it is round so they can play with it too..

Also ABOVE, new little boy shoes and a new little boy bib.

32 weeks and counting.

this is a ZIP

ZIp:



this is a Zip...

Surprisingly I put this Zip in this bit of material...

Who'd of thought! I WAS under the assumption Zips were hard..

maybe its the amazing pattern which explained perfectly how to put the Zip in which gave me the gumption to Zippety Zip Zip.

(see the side bar, Under Favourites go to MADE and follow the links to patterns for a Rollie Pollie beanie baggie) THESE are the easiest to follow patterns, they are so good for beginner sewers who have NO idea even about Zips!

No Jargon, easy to follow pics and instructions.. yay

Picks to come soon of the Rollie Pollie...

Good ol'Granny

GRANNY SMITh:

Ok, So as I am prone to reflux on a regular daily basis you can imagine how much worse it is being pregnant... the problem is EVERYthing I eat seems to give me reflux acidic or not.

I don't usually eat red meat (its called being a chickenatarian) but the other day I had some lamb and I couldn't breathe sitting up it was that bad.

So obviously some foods make it worse than others... (Bread .. goodbye toast & vegemite for breakfast) I know, I know I shouldn't be eating things with wheat or dairy in them anyway blah blah blah.. what am I to eat lentils for the rest of my life?

I decided at around 4am the other night after a ZILLION drinks of water and a ZILLION trips to the toilet and having only eaten FRUIT all day that something needed to be done.

I keep looking for natural remedies on the internet and there are all these sites saying almond this and water that and apple this and diet that .. well I tell you I tried apples and they didn't seem to do anything much UNTIL --

One day I REALLY REALLY absolutely wanted an apple like REALLy badly and there were only cooking apples in the fruit bowl .. eyuck, but I was so desperate I just ate one anyway.

Good Old Granny Smith, cleared up my throat !! MIRACLE not only that it only took one slice for me to feel better & I had some lamb for tea and then just ate the Granny before I went to bed and ... NOTHING but sweet sweet slumber.

Now I've found a website that says putting a teaspoon of natural apple cider vinegar in your water may help too ( because honestly who wants to eat a WHOLE apple every time they get a little niggle in their throat ) So I may try that too, although I'm not sure about the taste.

YAY for Granny. Lets hope it lasts.

SensoRy SqUare

TODAy:

Obviously I do not have much to do during the day, in way on entertainment here is what I did today... I suppose at least I'm being constructive & doing things to do with the baby.

This is a sensoRy cuBe (got the idea from Toni's blog) all the sides have different textures or things sewn onto them. I tried to choose patterns that were bold and high in contrast because apparently thats what babies like best..

Put some bells on the inside so when it moves it makes ding-a-ling noises (I might regret that decision later) all in all pretty happy with the results. I hope the baby likes it & doesn't have sensoRy cubE overload.

I also managed to whip up some blankets/swaddles...

Its nice to spend time making things for baby boy - especially when you see the price of blankets etc in the shops.. Its nice to be able to pick the colours and textures as well, 30 weeks this week. Not long now.

Biased

QUILt:

Ok so my first attempt at a quilt/quilting is the following, actually what makes a quilt? or is it a blanket-- I dunno but Ive never made one and I never got a pattern and I just made it up---

my hand made biased binding is awesome..(thats what you call the trim around the outside) ok, so I am biased because it took me so long to make the biased binding (note binding = alot of ironing, but I didn't want to cheat and get all ready made stuff)

The blanket has three VERY thick layers, one flannel, one quilty wadding stuff (thanks Nettie) & one minkee so its warm and I like the colours and it may not have very straight stitching because it is so thick and I may not actually know how to attach bias binding or do corners but its mine :)

Kyley models the quilt.
mmm yummy, p.s if you think I have been using the spotty flannel alot your right but Ive run out now so flannel no more! (It was from Tassie)

Coming up soon "Giddy Up" hobby horse (pattern from Melly & Me)