Revised Flower

Popping back with the stripey shirt, just to show you how the revised flower turned out. I made a larger one, then layered the small one on top. This made a nice, full bloom! I also turned some of the layers wrong-side up, thinking it might add a little to it. Not sure it really shows up, but I know it's there!

A'thrifting I Have Been

Oh no. I think maybe my purchase of that $7.99 pair of pants opened the floodgates on my profligate ways.

I paid $6.50 for grandpa gnome. I just wanted him. He's from Gorham and dated 1979, so I figured he might at least have some vintage cred, but there doesn't seem to be much interest in old gnomes on ebay. That's okay. He's happy here.

THRIFTING TIP!
In case you're wondering, the price tag is still on there because I want to hit it with the hairdryer to soften up the adhesive before peeling it off. That's a good way to ensure you don't peel up paint along with the sticker. It works well on paper too.





A couple of years ago, Cath Kidston was selling a colorful, granny square blanket. Bloggers the world over started whipping up their own versions. Like this one and this one and this one. Here's the original:

I love all the different versions, and I would love to make one of my own, but you all remember how well last month's attempt at learning to crochet went. I've resigned myself to looking for them at thrift shops. I found this throw at the thrift shop for only $2.25. While it's not as elaborate as all those examples, I think it has its own charm. Every yarn item I bring into this house ends up as a cat bed anyway!

THRIFTING TIP! This blanket is acrylic, but I've successfully washed wool blankets in the washing machine using either Woolite or baby shampoo and the delicate cycle. Dry flat or set your dryer to fluff. I try to avoid dry cleaning because of both the cost and the chemicals.

Another of my recent finds is this thing, whatever it's supposed to be! I suppose it's a trivet or hot pad of some sort, but I'm planning to use it in a little arrangement somewhere, to add height and pattern.

THRIFTING TIP! This one's pretty obvious, but consider alternative uses for things. I didn't need another trivet, but I really liked this thing, so I'll find a way to use it!

Stripey Top

Don't you think it's about time I sewed something to wear? Me too! Now that it's all behind me, I will confess that the reason I haven't been sewing much lately is because I was scared I might lose my job. Budget cuts hit Pennsylvania libraries hard, and in the midst of all the anxiety and depression, I just couldn't get excited about sewing...or much of anything, to be honest. Now that things are getting sorted, and I still have a job (!), it's time to get back to it!

I was tempted to get back in the swing of things by making a skirt, but a faithful reader, Mags, gently reminded me that I can do skirts in my sleep, so maybe it was time for something new. With that in mind, I decided to tackle the striped knit I got at Jomar Fabrics last month.

You all know how fond I am of sewing knits. --ahem-- Originally, I intended to make the Built by Wendy pattern, Simplicity 3692. Taking a closer look at it...oh, yikes. It has that yoke, and it's not my usual silhouette, and I'm a huge wimp who doesn't like to take chances. So I turned to Butterick 6084. Ah, that's more like it! A simple boatneck top.

So how did this happen?

Well, that Butterick pattern is O-L-D and I guess I never looked at it very closely, because it's not my size. [If anyone would like to have it, let me know. It fits sizes 8, 10, or 12, and if you click on the link for it, you can see the corresponding measurements.]

So it was Built by Wendy, be default. The shirt was not that hard to make after all. It's maybe a little more voluminous than I'd like (and that was going down a size), but I'm pleased with it. The only thing I changed was the hem. The pattern has slightly rounded hem, and that looked terrible with the stripes, so I picked apart the first hem and redid it.

I also thought it needed a flower, but I didn't feel like winging it, so I did a quick search for a tutorial. (The CraftStylish blog is pretty cool, by the way. I don't think I've ever been there before.)


Notice how the flower looks bigger in the third picture? That's how it started out, and I cut it down. Now I wish I'd left it bigger, so I'm going to redo it. Geesh.

Speaking of geesh. Taking pictures of yourself with a timer can sure be entertaining.

Um, why didn't I put the shoulder with the flower towards the camera?

Okay, better, but I think I'd prefer it straight on.

Too low.

Still too low.

Timer? What timer?

I Spy

I spy something with my little eye...

...which I am going to copy for my Christmas tree!
These cuties are from Cath Kidston.

I also hit another milestone recently, so I'm going to have a giveaway soon!

Can you guess what the milestone might be?

Bob's Your Uncle*

Cousin Mary's Apple Cake

This is our cousin Mary in Ireland.

We love Mary, and we love her apple cake.

We've been trying, but ours never comes out like hers.

This is our third and, so far, best attempt.


This recipe will make four loaves of apple cake, which is a lot of apple cake even if you love it. If you wish, you can change that to two loaves of apple cake and 24 cupcakes or any combination you like. Or you can just make all four loaves and share!

Preheat your oven to 320 degrees F. Ready your loaf pans (buttered) and/or cupcake tins (use liners or butter). Cream together 12 oz castor sugar and 12 oz softened butter. In another bowl, measure out 18 oz self-rising flour. Crack six large eggs into a measuring cup and add milk to make 12 oz. Beat together.

With mixer on low, alternate adding the flour and the egg mixture into the creamed sugar and butter. Increase the mixer speed and keep scraping the sides until well mixed. The mixture will be rather thick.

---Edited to add: If you're doing the cupcakes, fill up those tins now, before you add apples! They will bake at 395 degrees for 12-15 minutes.---

Now you're going to peel your cooking apples. If you're doing just two loaves, you'll need about 6 to 8 small apples. We did all four loaves, and we used 12 apples. Cut them up, but leave them fairly chunky or, as Mary says, it won't look like apple cake. Mix the apples into the batter. Next, add about four tablespoons of cinnamon to the mixture. (You can use whatever spices you like, really--some nutmeg, some mixed spice, etc.)

Divide batter into pans and sprinkle a little brown sugar and cinnamon on top. Bake for about an hour, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

And Bob's your uncle!* This try didn't turn out too badly. Still not on a par with Mary's, but we're getting closer.

*If you're thinking, "What the heck does that mean?" click here for an explanation!

B-O-O-K-S

I wonder if it's a coincidence that the two spookier books were my favorites this month?



Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger- This is the new book from the author of The Time Traveler's Wife. I have to admit, I liked this better. It's spooky and strange, but not nearly as complicated as TTW. I thought it was very atmospheric.






Where You Once Belonged and The Tie that Binds by Kent Haruf- Haruf's books Plainsong and Eventide are two of my favorites, so it was high time I read some of his other work. Of the two, I preferred the latter, but both were good. Simple and quiet, but strong books.

Confessions of a Master Baker by Gesine Bullock-Prado- Nothing new, really. This is Sandra Bullock's sister, she opened a bakery, etc.

Sleeping Naked is Green: How an Eco-Cynic Unplugged her Fridge, Sold her Car, and Found Love in 366 Days by Vanessa Farquharson- It's gimmicky, yes. She decides to make one change per day towards a more eco-friendly lifestyle. I'd skip the book and read the blog.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie- (young adult) A friend at work raved about this book (and heck it won a National Book Award) so I gave it a try. It's good. I still prefer John Green for YA novels. I should probably ask my friend what she liked so much about it. Taryn?


The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry- Also recommended by a work friend. Loved this one! Perfect read leading up to Halloween, too, as it's set in Salem.








The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown- Yep, I read it. And guess what...I actually enjoyed it. I wonder, though, if that's because I so rarely read stuff like this.

101 Things to Do Before You Diet: Because Looking Great Isn't Just About Losing Weight by Mimi Spencer- I love the concept--dressing to flatter, having confidence, etc. I was dismayed, however, to find that there was also quite a bit about, you guessed it, losing weight.

The Carousel by Belva Plain- Yeah it's melodramatic and dated and trashy, but it's still fun to read! This is one of those books you're a little embarrassed by, but we all need to read one of them once in a while!

Boo!

A few thrift shop finds. I was suddenly drawn to all the Fall and Halloween stuff I'd ignored for weeks.

Why? 75% off will do that to a girl.

The wondrous specimen of flocked goodness set me back 31 cents.

















And this rakish pumpkin head...






















...thirteen cents.