reading nook



I've been doing some spring cleaning, including getting rid of stuff and making better use of the space in the apartment. I decided to make a little reading space in the unused area at the top of the stairs. I made a bookshelf out of a board and some bricks and stuck my favorite (Ikea) chair in there. Also, there is a skylight directly above, so I've planted a little herb garden in hopes that there is enough light. Only time will tell!

fish & chips

For St. Patrick's day. We had some lovely Great Lakes perch from Irv & Shelly's Fresh Picks. I dipped it in a basic beer batter, fried it, and scarfed it down with some chips, salt and vinegar, and beer. Greasy and delicious.
Beer batter: 1 c flour, 2 tbsp. garlic powder, 2 tbsp. paprika, 2 tsp. salt, fresh ground pepper, 1 egg, 1 bottle beer.

king cake

Hope you had a good Mardi Gras! I made a mini king cake with a pecan, brown sugar, and golden raisin filling. It is really more of a pastry than a cake. I think it will be lovely leftover with a cup of tea or coffee. The recipe was kind of huge, so I quartered it.

sencha blouse

Continuing my Colette addiction, I made the Sencha blouse. The only alteration I made was to take it in a bit at the waist. I wish these pictures were better, the fabric actually has a pale green in it that is hard to see here. This was a nice, simple pattern and I look forward to wearing the blouse. (When it's a bit warmer!)

nice breakfast

Goat cheese and gooseberry jam from last summer.

colette beignet skirt

I finally made another Colette pattern, this lovely high-waisted skirt called beignet. I had some sizing problems again, had to take it in a bit. Other than that, I really enjoyed making it. I took the pattern's suggestion to make bound buttonholes, with the help of this great tutorial. The fabric is Heather Ross for Kokka, I believe. It is a lightweight canvas, which is a little stiff but works ok for this pattern. The sweet vintage buttons I found at Soutache suit the skirt well, I think. Might make another in a smaller size and a lighter fabric a well.

finished triangle quilt

I finally finished my first full-size quilt, hooray! I made a whole bunch of bias-tape with the black fabric in order to bind the edges. It took forever, but I think it's worth it to have the fabric match. I'm going to do some more sewing, including another Colette pattern - this time the Beignet skirt. I love the high waist.