Sewing II

When I posted last night I had said that I could hem and make simple skirts. I was thinking and realized that I’ve done a lot more sewing than that.

When my sister went away to college I made her a duvet cover. It wasn’t super complicated, but it was a fairly big project.

I also made my sister’s Chihuahua a  bed with curtains, canopy and bed pillow. I should have lined the curtains, but it was a dog bed so I didn’t bother.

I really want to sew clothes now. My next project is a pair of flannel “yoga pants.”

Sewing

I decided recently that I would like to start sewing. I had sewed a bit in the past, but I want to start again and learn to do more difficult projects. Basically I could hem and put together a simple skirt before, but I want to learn make more clothes.

I started today by sewing a small tote bag. I’m really pretty proud of how it turned it for being my first project. I made it from remnants that I bought at the fabric store. The outside it a heavy upholstery-type of fabric and the lining is a natural colored soft cotton.

(Ignore the corner on the bottom left. It was folded funny and I didn’t notice until after I had taken the picture. It matches the right corner.)

The project was from the Sew Everything Workshop book. It is the main book that I’m using to teach myself to sew. I really love the book and hope to be making many items with it.

Cheeze / Not Cheese

I love cheese. I really do. It’s not really the healthiest thing to eat, and I think I might have a dairy allergy. Every time I eat a large amount of dairy I get very bloated and my ankles swell. It’s just not a good thing for me to eat. I won’t even get into the ethical questions of mass produced dairy products.

I love Joanne Stepaniak’s faux cheese recipes. I’ve used her cookbooks for over 12 years. She has some recipes for “block uncheez” as she calls it. I’ve tried a few of these. They are good, but I wasn’t thrilled with any of them. I was inspired to try to make my own version. The basic idea of using an agar formula comes from Joanne Stepaniak. Without her originals I probably never would have  created mine.

Basic Block “Cheeze”

• 1 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons agar powder (not flakes)
• 1/2 cup cashew butter
• 1/2 of a roasted red pepper
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons white miso
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder

Oil a 3-cup bowl or container, set aside. Put water and agar powder in saucepan and let sit. Combine remaining ingredients in food processer and blend thoroughly. (If necessary, add water 1 teaspoon at a time to enable processing. Only add if needed.)

Boil agar and water mixture until agar is dissolved and mixture if syrupy. Immediately pour into food processor with blended ingredients and process until well mixed. Immediately pour into oiled bowl. The mixture starts to set very quickly.

Now, let the “cheeze” cool before covering and refrigerating. The next day simply turn the bowl over to unmold. You’ll have wonderfully sliceable “cheeze”.

It makes to die for, melty grilled cheese sandwiches. Seriously the best. Yum. That’s what we are having for dinner tonight. I think tomorrow we’ll use some on our burritos.

Henna Update

After oxidation my henna looks like this!

 

I am so in love with my hair.

Henna

The results from the “Dark of the Moon” henna. Total love. It’s very rich. It also has less of an orange glow, but I never minded that either.