Cupcake frenzy!

Three lots in two weeks. I like to make them in colours that suit the person they are for and this first lot were for a friend at work who loves red and white:

Great photo isn't it! I work with a guy called Rowan who is an ace photographer and he commandeered the camera. I love this angle! And I've learnt something too.

 Having not seen at this point the photos Rowan took, I was still taking bad ones. These were for a 6 year old's birthday party. Pink is my friend!! So is glitter! :)

Ready to be delivered. This is a tray from the cupcake carrier-it has inset spots for the cakes and it stops them falling over in transit - very handy!

 And finally, one giant, gluten free cupcake birthday cake. A tip for anyone who tries this - make sure the buttercream icing is really firm - my first try it all slid off!

Here is a better idea of it size. My two favouritest little blondies - Zoe who was turning 9 and Peter her little brother. (my niece and nephew). :) 

Another Hat tutorial

This hat is very similar in construction to the red hat  I made in February, but I think it has come out as a very different hat and shows how a simple construction technique can be very versatile.

Amy and Rebecca in an excerpt from The Boston Marriage, in Edwardian costumes borrowed from a local amdram and given a quick do-over by moi. I wanted to give Amy a big wide brimmed Edwardian picture hat, but in theatre such hats cast shadows on the face, so I went with the style above instead. I altered Amy's rose madder jacket that had a peter pan collar by folding back the fronts and adding a Karrickmacross antique lace collar I was given. Naturally it came off straight after the show and went back in my stash!

 I used a silk jacquard chosen for its colour match to the suit and also its yumminess. It only took about .6m. Same as the red hat, I used heavy vilene and visofix to stick the fabric to both sides of the brim. Brim is wider at the back, another theatre thing.

 The brim, trimmed.

 I cut a long strip for the crown and played with it until I liked the size and shape. This one is toooo high.

Trimmed down to the right height. This is only about 3 inches deep. a little crown can go a long way. Stitched together with big rough tacking stitches.

I joined some offcuts to make a long, straight cut strip

 Wrapping the strip around the crown, I then slipstitched it in place. Make it fairly taut so it stays in place by itself.

 Next is the lid - a bit of math needed to work out the circumference as it needs so be oval not round. I used the visofix to stick the fabric to the vilene again...

 And then press under the cut edges. One 'lid,' done.

 Rim bound as was the red hat (I didn't take photos this time as I had to sew it on in reverse, this was the beginning of the end of my poor sewing machine!) Also as per red hat, I snipped the brim and folded the tabs up into the crown. Lid is slipstiched to the crown, brim is stitched to crown with tacking (basting stitches) that catch the tabs, then sewn again by hand for strength. For a project with a longer shelf life I would now line the brim to hide all the workings but not worth it for this.

 The untrimmed hat. As you can see it is a bit 'literal' - all straight ups and downs. This is why the next bit is so important to give it character.

I cut a wide strip on the bias longer than the crown and pinned a folded edge of it to the bottom of the crown as shown. Looks a bit odd!

Working around, I then pinned the other folded edge to the top edge of the crown.

Fiddling around with it I got soft ruching underway, pinning them into place the sewing them down, by hand of course, roughly, down the back. This is a fiddly job but a good DVD and good company made it fun!

 Drawing the loose end across, I folded it under, ruched it up and overcast it also. The top and bottom edges of this added fabric I tacked into place with big stitches. nothing needs fine stitching, in fact it doesn't really work.

To hide the stitching and to spruce it up, I added a flourish of lace. I was only using what I had - with more time and budget it would have got flowers as well!
So there you go. One hat, passably Edwardian. What else is possible from a simple straight up and down brimmed fabric hat? :)

Cookies, the kind you eat

Why are those little tags of data websites leave in our computers called cookies? Can't eat them!
Anyway I just pulled a tray of dark and white chocolate and apricot cookies out of the oven, the apartment smells heavenly, and they are so easy to make I want to share the recipe. I adapted it from another one and process it very differently.

Easy yummy cookies
100g (3.5oz) butter
1 cup sugar (I use brown or white, both fine)
1 tablespoon golden syrup (not sure what this is elsewhere)
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour
About 1 generous cup of any combination of: dark, milk or white chocolate drops, chips, chopped melts etc, nuts (I love almonds the best) and fruits like dried Californian cherries (not glace) chopped apricots, peel etc.
Vanilla, almond or any essence, grated orange or lemon rind optional

Put the chopped butter and golden syrup into a decent sized microwave bowl or pot, and melt together. Don't get it too hot. Stir in the sugar and soda. Add the egg, beating furiously with a fork so the egg doesn't poach in the hot mixture. Fork is definitely the best tool for this! The mix will be a bit fizzy. Add the flour and essences or rinds if used, mix thoroughly, and dump onto the kitchen bench. Pat the dough out into a rough disc and leave it to cool off. If it is too hot and you add chocolate, it will just melt! When it is cool enough to handle, dump the chocolates and/or nuts on top. Start to fold the mixture over the filling. Note I haven't said put flour on the bench - it is so buttery it's unlikely to stick much and if it does, just scrape it up with a spatula. Only use flour if it seems wet and glistening in places. Work the dough and the fillings together until the dough has caught them all up into its spell. Now you could do all this in a bowl instead but it's so easy doing it on the bench and very cathartic. 
Form the dough into a rough log. Cut a length of silicone baking paper long enough to fit in your fridge, about 15 inches, and dump the log onto it. Roll the log in the paper until it is kind of smooth and even, the roll the paper round it. Lift the whole thing into the fridge and let to get cold and solid. Then just carve off slices about 1cm thick (scant 1/2 inch), arrange on a silicone paper covered baking tray and bake at 180C or 350F for about 10 minutes. I save the baking paper and reuse several times.
Another cool presentation I discovered by accident when I was being impatient. I cut the log when it was still soft and the slices flattened into leaf shapes, so I popped them onto the tray and gently bent the two ends together like a fortune cookie. You can also do what the original unadapted recipe advised, which is to take spoonfuls of dough and press them with a fork but doing it that way requires too much patience!

These cookies also work fine without added extras except a spoon or two of spice.
I love recipes that allow one to be creative. :) And now I am taking a noodle box of them out to the Embroidenator to pick up the Bernina 1230 I just bought second hand, that was delivered to her place. A nice excuse to see her. Happy baking everyone!

Silence isn't always golden!

I haven't posted for ages. Blame the stairs. And the husband. I really need to go upstairs to the big computer, not the teency laptop I am working on now, and download the bizillion fabbo photos off my camera to turn into posts about interesting projects. But, when I am home, the husband is so often on the big computer, or...OK, distracting me, I haven't gotten around to it.
Tragic excuses, I admit it.
BUT, I have given up a big job that was taking up more head space then I had to spare. As of last Saturday, I am no longer president of my quilting guild. A little sad, but it had to happen as I have too much else going on. I am hoping I'll get more quilting done now!
So, this long weekend, I will get some photos happening and post a thing or two.
In the meantime, if you are in NZ, have a lovely long weekend. If you are not, have a lovely weekend!

1950's Hollywood 'does' Mediaeval

Prompted by our lovely Dreamstress in response to my Katy gown, I thought I would research what The New Look was doing to mediaeval costumes in the 1940s and 50s in Hollywood. Tricky. I've been scouring IMDB for movies then googling images. Slim pickings so far - if you have any favourites please comment and I will follow up and add them. I know that there was a bit of a trend for brides to be influenced by mediaevalism, no doubt as a result of some of the movies and TV programmes below, but I am more interested in the costumes themselves, not the derivatives.

 Angela Lansbury looking deliciously pouty while eating a burger with Basil Rathbone. I can't pin down what movie she was in but it may have been The Court Jester, although the photo is attributed to the 1940's (The Three Musketeers? Surely even Hollywood isn't that deranged about period costuming!).  Anyway, I love how even in this limited photo you can see the unmistakable impact of modern underpinnings, the sculpted bodice and off the shoulder line are so of their time. Adore the sleeves with the V on the hand. Gorgeous! She holds her burger like her character would have held a quail's egg.

Lousy images of Leslie Caron playing Elle in my second favourite Cinderella movie, The Glass Slipper. Actually I suspet this is set in that mythical 18th C Hollywood aesthete. Adorable anyway. Elle/Caron has pixie short hair and turns up at the ball with this hair and a tiara. Priceless! (my favourite is Ever After, my third favourite is The Slipper and the Rose)

Yetch that pink could take your eye out. Lansbury on left, showing off her exquisite shoulders, Glynis Johns on the right showing off hers. While the big skirt is missing, the 1955 silhouette is apparent for sure.

Serious stuff - Laurence Olivier as Richard III sweeping Claire Bloom off her feet. Hard to find a better image of Bloom. The costumes in this are trying harder, but provenance is still apparent. Again the gorgeous sleevesm covered buttons, off the shoulder.

Patricia Driscoll as Maid Marion in the British series of Robin Hood, 1955-1960 (she took the role over in 1957). What is not to love about this bodice! Pure 50's panto. That neckline, that silhouette, the sewn on pretend lacing, it's divine!

And this one, swoon! Dior does Deer hunting!!

Do share your fave examples of period costuming hijacked by the contemporary fashion!

A Dress for Kate

The Dreamstress is having a competition. Design a wedding dress for Queen in waiting Kate. I confess, it was my idea. I LOVE royal weddings. When Di married Charles, I made a replica of her dress (well, sort of) for my big doll, although it was out of crepe as that is what I had! And tea dyed laces. I liked my version anyway, and a local craft shop displayed it in their window. I never did like the original dress mind you.
Then when Fergie married Andrew, I really loved that dress, it was everything Di's wasn't - beautifully cut, tastefully and skilfully embellished, perfectly designed to set off her curves, and it looked sleek and uncrushed and caught the light and glowed in the cathedral. Unlike the big crushed pile of dull taffeta Di wore!
So, in designing my suggested dress for Kate, I considered what I have learnt are the design constraints for a royal wedding dress:
It must look good close up, and in long shots from all angles in the church, in the carriage, and in the museum afterwards.
It should glow and sparkle- matt fabrics don't work in this situation - they are for intimate events
It should be timeless - Di's and Anne's gowns are both examples of dresses that suffered from too much fashion and have dated badly as a result
And so here is my design:

Click on it for a close up.
It's inspired by the Hollywood historical costuming from the 40's and 50's, where historical clothing was run through the 'New Look' filter. I love that look! This is a medieval 1950's combo.
The big skirt and train, fitted off the shoulder bodice and overall styling of the New Look, but the sleeves, waist sash and underskirt of medieval fashion.
What I love about this look is the richness of the lace and the satin working together, and the very traditional style with just a few details that are unexpected. It isn't going to change the direction of fashion as we know it, but I like it :)
Go on, have a go yourself, check out the competition on The Dreamstress' blog!

Birthday treats

For my birthday I decided I wanted to be back in Lillingstone Lovell with Nicola and Bruce at the Gables. Nicola's was the very first B&B I booked as it is just outside Buckingham where I had to be for my Vanguard course, and we hit it off immediately. She is a delight! Her enormous kitchen is always full of baking as she does catering, and she is very funny and loves people and, well, she is just AMAZING! So, back we came and had two great outings to celebrate.
On the 1st we went to an Indian restaurant that has to be seen to be believed. The building used to be a Victorian Children's home and so no doubt the site of untold grief, but the building is a magnificent gothic pile and the restaurant is in the main hall, which is about 40 feet high.

Photo taken upward to capture the WOW factor of this amazing space.
The food was delicious too, and the company marvellous. It was a memorable evening and a fine way to celebrate my 46th year.
THEN on the 2nd, we went to Dalesford Organics. What an eye opener! Amazing Cotswold style buildings white washed everywhere with an organic farm shop, homewares shop, cafe, clothing shop, wine shop etc all around beautifully manicured gardens. The staff are all beautiful too. The people who go there I am told all work for Channel 4 and look like people out of a catalogue - Yummy Mummies in full makeup and designer clothes with perfect children. Gorgeous men with immaculate jerseys tied around their shoulders and perfect teeth. It has to be seen to be believed.
In the homewares shop, everything is plain. There are plain linen tablecloths that look like they are made out of old monk's habits in a range of porridgey organic colours, and of course the PRICES!!!
So, we had a great time and a delicious afternoon tea of lemon meringue, scones and rhubarb fool with good coffee, and welsh rarebit.

 The mezzanine of the farm shop where you can buy tablecloths made from monks habits and perfectly plain china for a king's ransom. Mind you, Nicole bought a gorgeous glass cake plate with a foot, big enough to take a giant pavlova!

 Love the golden cotswold stone, high ceilings and white beams.

 The farm shop. At this point I was asked/told not to take photos so that's all the interiors I can show you.

 Beautiful gardens. It was a bit nippy to sit outside but we had a lovely wander.

 The dog park! The canine in residence is made of thatch and wire, a bit like the birds and owls we see from time to time on a thatched roof :)
So, a lovely afternoon, and for dessert that night we had the gooseberry and elderflower icecream Nicola bought there, with strawberries. Heaven!