Buttercream roses galore!

I used to really dread piping buttercream roses.  Simple reason - I couldn't do it, no matter how hard I tried.  No matter how many YouTube video tutorials I watched.  No matter what kind of buttercream I used.  The easy way out for me had always been to just mould the roses from gumpaste.

After several years of being disappointed at myself, however, I can finally and proudly say that I have conquered the buttercream rose!  So much so, that now, I look forward to every opportunity to make them.

All these roses were made using Swiss meringue buttercream (no shortening) which many even consider too soft for this purpose.  Well let me tell you, it can be done!

I find that freezing the roses before placing them on the cake really makes the process so much easier. What I always do now is make my buttercream first, then pipe my roses (which I set aside in the freezer right after), frost my cake, pipe my borders then arrange the roses last.  Less stress!

One more thing - I'll let you in on my secret?  I don't use the usual rose tip #104 anymore.  The larger tip #124 is so much better.  Don't know why.  Just is, for me.

Now my new goal is to learn how to write properly on the cake!  My writing is almost always off center or crooked, too big or too small. :(  Oh well, one thing at a time!

Have a good week.

LeSportsac Kasey Bag Knock-off

Sorry to all you cake lovers out there, but I have been in sewing mode for the last week or so.  I may have awakened the other part of me that has been dormant for a long time now.  And I am so glad I did!  Sometimes I really long to break away from the kitchen and all that baking.

I really didn't believe I could do it but I did finish a new project just before the school holidays ended. I made a LeSportsac Kasey bag knock-off!

The Kasey bag costs $42-$56 and it's only 7.75 x 9.5 inches in size.  I really like it but I don't think I can ever spend that much money on such a small bag.

I love how my bag turned out. The only thing I regret is using laminated fabric. (I laminated the fabric myself with iron-on vinyl.  That paisley fabric is the same one I used for the mini messenger bag in my last post.) It got all wrinkly when I turned the bag over to its right side.  Maybe next time I will just use cotton fabric or maybe I'll try ripstop nylon.

There is an existing tutorial for a triple zip pouch but I had one look at it and found it too confusing and it's not exactly the same as this bag.  I just did it my way and tried to stay true to how the Kasey bag is constructed. 

I paid attention to all the details and really fussed about the zip ends.  I wanted it to look neat and perfect.

I wasn't in the beginning but I'm really confident now that I can make a pattern out of this.  Fingers-crossed, I will be able to do so in the next week or so.

In the meantime, I can assure my caking friends that I have not taken baking for granted.  It is my youngest son's birthday this coming Sunday and I already have a NEW chiffon cake planned for the day.  So watch out for that!

Have a good week!

The Mini Messenger Bag Resurrected

Last night, I was going over some of my old blog posts (circa 2008).  One thing I clearly noticed was how different my writing style was back then.  It was much more interesting!  I think it's probably because I wrote about a variety of things - crafting, my kids, my family back in the Philippines, happy days, sad days, etc. These days, it's always about the cake recipes and nothing else.  Boring and repetitive.

The reason I was actually looking back was because I was planning to sew one of my most favourite creations ever - my mini messenger bag.  I had the sudden urge to make a bag because earlier in the day, I was browsing over the Lesportsac website and was drooling over gorgeous but ridiculously-priced bags!  At the same time, I had made a promise to myself to sew something this school holidays (apart from the USB flash drive case) but because life has been pretty chaotic around here (it's been a week now since my husband left to visit his family back home), I decided to just resurrect an old project rather than come up with a new one.

I cut all the fabric pieces before going to bed late last night then made the bag this morning while my younger kids were still asleep.  I was nearly done when they woke up. Before lunch, my bag was already finished!

I didn't buy a single item for this bag.  Everything came from my existing stash - fabric scraps, interfacing, magnetic snap, zippers, and the old strap that originally came from a Kathmandu satchel then later re-used in my other mini messenger bag.

My new bag has all the same great features of my previous bags...

The two front pockets -

The zip top closure - 

The zipper tab - 

Completely lined interior (using pre-quilted fabric here) - 

The adjustable straps -

With an all-new zippered back pocket!

I thought about this change at the last minute and I just love it! 

This bag is totally me.  I'm definitely the denim jeans kind of girl plus navy blue is my favourite colour.

Rarely do I give myself a pat on the back when I accomplish something beautiful but I think I deserve one right now.  Great job, me! :)))

(Just as I finished posting this, I received an email from Strandbags - they are having a sale on brand name bags.  No, thank you. I already have a bag!)


PS. My messenger bag tutorial is here.  Notes on mini messenger bag can be downloaded here.

TUTORIAL : How to make a (super adorable) USB Flash Drive case

Yes, you are in the right place.  And yes, this is not a recipe!  It's sewing-related!!!!

Remember this? Can't believe it's been more than two and a half years and still no tutorial.  I must really apologize for my lack of commitment to that promise.  To my readers who originally came here for the sewing, I am so sorry that you have found no sewing activity here for so long!

Since it's the school holidays, I made this plan to finally make the tutorial.  It seems I got too excited to sew, that yesterday, in between breakfast and lunch, I finished the whole thing!

Isn't that absolutely adorable?

This is in fact a one-sitting kind of project.  It's pretty easy.  However, I would still recommend it for people who have some sewing experience particularly in bias binding and sewing over multiple fabric layers and around curved seams.  I have had no practice in tutorial-making for sometime now so I might be making unclear instructions here and there that beginners will find hard to understand. Still, if you are new to sewing and are interested to make one of these cases, just consider it a challenge!

HOW TO MAKE A USB FLASH DRIVE CASE

Materials:

fabric scraps

small piece of fusible fleece

small piece of plastic

25" long two-inch wide bias tape**

one 2" long velcro

one key ring or swivel hook

**It is best to just make this yourself as you are only going to need a small length.  If you don't know how, learn from here.  You need to cut 2" wide strips.  Keep the tape open for now (no need to fold it).

Procedure:

1.  Download the pattern from here.  Print it out in Actual Size.

2.  Cut out the pattern pieces then use them to cut out your materials.

     A: Cut two pieces from outer fabric for the flaps .

     B: Cut one piece for the lining.

     C: Cut two pieces from fusible fleece.

     D: Cut two pieces from plastic.

     In addition, cut three 2"x 2" squares from outer fabric.

3.  Iron on fusible fleece to the back sides of the flap pieces.

4.  Take one of the 2" square pieces,  Fold it in half to create a crease then open again.  Fold two opposite sides towards the center crease then fold again to end up with a 1/2" wide strip. Iron.  Do this for the other two 2" squares.

5.  Take one of the strips and stitch along the two long sides, about 1/8" from the edges.  Insert your key ring (or swivel hook) then bring the raw edges together to make a loop.  Sew the raw edges together.

6.  Center your key ring loop on the straight side of one of your flap pieces.  Baste.

7.  With right sides facing (with key ring loop inside), sew the two flaps together.  Sew right where the end of the fusible fleece is.

8.  Open up your flaps, right side up.  The seams will naturally fold towards one side (in my case, downward), in the opposite direction of the key ring loop.  Topstitch very near the center stitching where the two flaps were sewn together, catching the seams at the back.

9.  Insert the remaining two 1/2" wide strips (from step 4) into the straight edges of your plastic pieces.  Topstitch close to the inside edges.

10.  With wrong sides facing, baste together your assembled flaps and lining.

11.  Position your two plastic pieces on the two ends then baste.  If you are having trouble with sewing over the plastic, stick a small piece of magic tape on the underside of your presser foot so it will move smoothly.

12.  Position your velcro 1" from the top of the curve on both ends. Stitch along the long sides of the velcro.  Cut off the excess velcro, following the shape of the curve.

13.  Fold one end of your open bias tape 1/4" in, then fold the whole length of the tape in half lengthwise and iron flat.

14.  Pin your bias tape to the plastic side of the case, aligning the raw edges.  Using a 1/4" allowance, sew the bias tape all around. (I did not find pinning necessary but I sewed very slowly.) When you reach the end, overlap the tape by about 1" then cut off the excess.

It doesn't really matter where you start sewing.  However, if you have a preferred front flap for your case, start sewing the bias tape on what would be the back flap.

15.  Turn the bias tape over to the other side.  If it seems too tight, trim a bit off the seam allowance.  Iron this if you need to but just remember there's plastic underneath!

16.  Slipstitch the bias tape by hand, making sure you are concealing the raw edges and any stitching.

Yay!  That's it!  Now put your flash drives into the plastic pockets. Secure with the velcro closure.

You can attach this to your bag, use it as a keychain or hang it somewhere near your computer.  Never misplace your flash drives again!

Hope you will have fun making this simple project!

Accident

When I was young, people always told me I had beautiful eyelashes.  They were long and curly, just like my mother's.

But now, those eyelashes are gone....(

Well, there's about 1/8" length left.

I burned them last Sunday.

Along with seven of my fingers and some of my hair.

The culprit?

I've done this before with success.  Refilling a gas lighter.  Unfortunately, it went terribly wrong this time.  Entirely my fault though.  The gas refill cannister specifically warned to "keep away from sources of ignition".  I pressed the trigger and there they were...a sudden burst of big flames right in my hands and in front of my face.

At first, I was more worried about my hair rather than my hands.  But after a while, my hands really began to hurt and I became more aware of what had actually happened to me.  I did the necessary first aid on myself, went to the doctor the next morning and got myself a haircut too.  Today, my fingers are quite sore because the blisters are starting to pop (sorry, I don't mean to sound gross!) and they now look really burnt, the skin being greyish and leathery.  But I am ok.  I do have a high threshold for pain. See, I can still type!

Thank God.  It could have really been a lot worst.  I am still alive and my hands are still working.  And yes, I know my hair and eyelashes will grow back soon.

Despite the injuries, I had to go on with my baking.  I had cupcakes to make for this nice, elderly lady from the retirement village.  It's her 76th birthday today.  I would never let her down, even with bandaged fingers.

It was a challenge and I worked slower than usual but I got it done.

I am also thankful this incident happened after the wedding I mentioned in my last post.  If not, it would have been a disaster.  I don't think I could have decorated a cake in my condition.

Three layered 6" red velvet cake with gumpaste bride and groom.

Red velvet cupcakes to match.  I loved how elegant these cupcakes looked!

Here are the cakes and cupcakes in the 5-tiered stand at the wedding reception.  I didn't do the arrangement but as pedantic as I am, I wished I had done it myself.

Please pray my hands will get better soon.  My world doesn't stop just because of this setback, you know.  I know you mothers out there understand what I mean. So many responsibilities and of course, more cakes to bake! 

Enjoy the rest of your week.  Stay safe!