A sweet pinafore for a birthday girl

We've been invited to a 1st birthday party this coming Saturday. The little birthday girl is the same one I made some baby washers for sometime ago. I am not particularly close to the parents of this baby but her mother appreciated my handmade gifts so much that I thought it would be nice to make another handmade present.

I sewed this one up on the weekend.

I did not have a clue on how to go about sewing a baby dress so I quickly did a search on the internet for ideas. I thought a pinafore would be simple enough for me. There were a few tutorials available but I found no pattern. I had to draft one myself using a children's clothes sizing guide to help me.

It was hard to part with the Japanese Matryoshka fabric but I did not have any other fabric on hand suitable for a child that was big enough. I used snaps at the shoulder straps for closure (instead of buttons) for safety reasons. The dress is completely lined and has no exposed seams.

Even though I wanted to keep it as simple as possible, I just couldn't resist adding the small pockets.

Now I just have to pray the pinafore fits!

Super-soft Coffee Cupcakes

Twenty-four cupcakes...gone in a flash. My kids and I did not even let them cool completely. So soft and light, I can eat tons of these in one sitting.


Enough said. Just take my word for it.


Super-soft Coffee Cupcakes


Ingredients:
1 cup less 2 tablespoons plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used canola)
2 teaspoons instant coffee, dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water
icing sugar for dusting


Procedure:
1. Preheat oven at 180C/350F. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with regular-sized paper cups.
2. Sift flour and baking powder together in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, combine egg whites and cream of tartar. Beat at high speed until foamy. Gradually add in the sugar while beating continuously.
4. Blend in vanilla, oil and coffee solution.
5. Add in egg yolks one by one, beating well after each addition.
6. Lastly, add in flour/baking powder mixture. Beat until well blended.
7. Pour batter into prepared muffin pans. Bake in oven for about 12 to 15 minutes.
8. Remove from pans and let cool slightly in a wire rack before dusting the tops with icing sugar.


Best eaten while still a bit warm. Serve with tea or ice cream!Why not bake it today? So easy...

Carry your Water Bottle in Style

Just a quick note to let you all know that my new sewing pattern is now available in my Etsy shop! This is a 17-page PDF containing detailed instructions on how to make a one-of-a-kind Water Bottle Carrier. It comes with 39 photos!





Isn't that cool?

With the instructions, you will be able to sew a water bottle carrier that: 1) is insulated (to keep your water hot or cold); 2) has an adjustable strap; and 3) closes with a drawstring to keep your bottle from accidentally slipping out. Directions on how to customize your carrier to suit a bottle size of your choice are also provided.

This is great to take anywhere! Why not make one for your kids, for school or for presents even? Christmas is not too far away...

I worked tirelessly on this one yesterday and am mighty proud of the resulting eBook. Hope you'll give it a go! You won't be disappointed...

The makings of an eBook

In my previous post, I mentioned about creating a new eBook. The truth is, I've been laboring on it for months now. My pattern has gone from one revision to another as I have been trying to find the easiest sewing process as well as the simplest explanation to go with it. It's been a challenge...

Personally, I prefer including loads of photos to go with my instructions because I like my readers to be able to figure out what to do just by looking at them. Taking photos can be a real pain for me though. Natural lighting is the best, but the weird Melbourne weather is just too difficult to work with! Yesterday, I was all set to go on with my project but the weather kept changing from sunny to cloudy and I just could not take decent shots from inside the house.

So today, when I woke up to what seemed to be a beautiful, sunny day, I had the awesome idea of transferring my crafting outside...to our backyard. Not only was it great because it was bright, but also because I had a huge space all to myself! Why didn't I think of this before?

I started real early, was very hopeful I was going to accomplish something and that I would have all the good photos I needed...

And yey, I did it!

The weather turned cloudy just after I was done and I was so thankful I had finished what I had set out to do. Now all I need to do is organize my photos, write up the instructions and complete the PDF. Sounds easy but I still have a long way to go...

Here's just a sneak peek into my soon to come out 'How To'. It's actually something you've already seen here before though just a little bit different...

Hope you all would look forward to that!

Kitchen (Mis)adventures

I have been away from blogging for a while, haven't I? For the past week or so, I have been quite preoccupied with a lot of experimenting, mostly in the kitchen. I was hoping I could share some great discovery in here...unfortunately, a lot of my experiments were unsuccessful.

My particular focus was finding the right recipe for steamed rice cakes, a popular Filipino food more commonly known as puto. Traditional puto is made from rice soaked in water then grinded and allowed to ferment before the actual steaming. The whole process is quite long and tedious. Commercially produced puto nowadays make use of wheat flour. Although delicious as well, it is just not the same in texture and flavour as the real thing.

I've tried a variety of puto recipes over the years. To this day, I remain unsatisfied. I am not really after doing it the traditional way. All I want is something that at least will come close.

So what happened with my experiments? Well, I do not really wish to bore you by documenting all of my failed attempts. Let me just say that out of my four tries over the past two weeks, only one batch was worth sharing with the rest of the family and was photograph-worthy as well...

This particular puto was nice and soft and very tasty too. However, after eating one piece after another, the baking powder aftertaste became so overpowering. It's a pity because it looked so good...sigh

For now, I've decided to set aside my search for the perfect puto recipe. Today, I just wanted to try something else...something my family could actually eat and enjoy...

I thought of making this other Filipino favourite as my daughter has been requesting for it anyway. It is called Cassava Cake (Cassava Bibingka)...considered a cake, but not really what we usually imagine as one. I like this version because it is not too rich and the recipe yields just the right firmness and sweetness unlike others I've tasted. I made use of packed grated cassava and canned coconut cream, ingredients which are readily available in Asian groceries.

Finally, a successful kitchen adventure I can proudly share with you!

(the cake still in the pan) (the cross-section)

(ready to be served)And here's the recipe!

Cassava Cake (Cassava Bibingka)

about 10 -12 servings

Ingredients:
For the cake

500 gram pack frozen grated cassava, thawed

3 eggs

2/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 cups thin coconut milk ***

For the topping

300 ml can sweetened condensed milk, about 1 1/4 cups (I used skim)

2 eggs yolks

1 cup coconut cream ***

1/4 cup butter

*** Please see Step 1 below.

Take note that cooking times may vary depending on your oven. I'm using a crappy, old oven so it actually takes me longer!

Procedure:

1. From a 400 ml canned coconut cream, set aside 1 cup for the topping. Add just enough water to the remaining coconut cream to make 2 cups thin coconut milk (to be used in Step 3).

2. Preheat oven to 190C (350F). Prepare a 9" by 13" baking pan by lining it with non-stick baking paper. Brush the bottom with a little butter.

Cake:

3. Beat eggs until foamy, then add the sugar, salt, and melted butter. Mix in the grated cassava and the 2 cups thin coconut milk (from Step 1).

4. Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes or until cake is firm to the touch. Cook the topping while the cake is in the oven.

Topping:

5. In a double boiler, combine condensed milk, egg yolks, coconut cream (the 1 cup set aside from Step 1), and butter. Stir constantly while cooking until mixture is thick, about 15 minutes.

6. Take cassava out of the oven when ready, then spread the topping evenly over it. Put the pan back into the oven and bake until top is golden brown, about 10 - 15 minutes.

7. Cool cake completely in pan before cutting. Cake becomes firmer as it cools down.

8. Slice and serve with coffee or tea. Enjoy!

I am hoping to do some sewing over the next few days. I have a long overdue new eBook in the making. Fingers crossed, I will be able to finish it really soon!

Have a lovely weekend!

I ♥ Japanese fabric

I recently made a fabric journal cover (to go with a journal, of course) to give as a birthday present for my daughter's classmate. I took advantage of this opportunity to take photos and update my Fabric Journal Cover eBook listing on Etsy.

Adorable Japanese fabric does wonders to a simple project, doesn't it?

French animal faces fabric by Kokka

Close-up of heart button closure and pen loop

Something I made differently with this cover (which is not in the original pattern) is this ribbon page marker. A great addition, if I may say so myself.



The recipient was very happy and even thanked me personally. Why wouldn't she be? Handmade gifts are the best after all.

By the way, I am still looking for a swap partner. Head on over here, if interested (just scroll down to the bottom).

Re-igniting an Old Passion (plus some Swap Update)

My daughter will be receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation very soon. On special occasions such as this, I usually give my kids a small token to forever remind them of the TRUE gift they received on the day.

Missy, whose baptismal name is Marie, has chosen Anne to be her confirmed name. What an appropriate name, I believe, St. Anne, being the mother of Mary. I initially thought of making her a rosary bracelet with a St. Anne medal and so I went on searching on eBay for one. What I found instead was this...a small vintage brooch with a lovely image of St. Anne and the child Mary. I bought it without second thoughts.

I still went ahead and made a matching rosary bracelet. I had all the materials on hand anyway.

I used turquoise semi-precious gemstones for the prayer beads and have included a Benedictine crucifix and a Miraculous medal. This is something I hope Missy will treasure as she matures in her Catholic faith. Please remember her in your prayers.

Speaking of rosary bracelets...many of you who are new readers of this blog probably don't know that long before I started sewing and selling on Etsy, I was actively making rosaries and selling them on eBay. I did that for a couple of years and was actually doing quite well. I found great fulfillment in being able to encourage people to pray the rosary, even in my own little way. Three reasons why I decided to stop making and selling rosaries: one, the increasing eBay fees was just too much for me; two, I could no longer keep up with the big sellers; and three, having Carpal Tunnel Syndrome on both hands made it quite difficult for me to continually handcraft each rosary.

Anyway, making that bracelet for my daughter reminded me of how much I used to find joy in rosary-making. When I found out that, on Etsy, there is such a team as a Rosary Guild, I quickly requested to join in and am now slowly getting back to my rosary-making! If you click on my shop link on the sidebar, you will see what I have listed so far. Maybe Etsy's reach will not be as wide compared to eBay but I'm giving it a try... I'll just see how that goes...

NOW...on to some Swap news. It's been a week since I posted about the first Swap and apparently, no one is interested or has any use for the Kiddie Fat Quarters on offer. And so...sensing that a lot of you are waiting for a different swap, I've decided to scrap that first one and head on to the next.

Update (24/9/09): FOUND MY SWAP PARTNER! NO LONGER ACCEPTING OFFERS. TILL NEXT SWAP!

Would you like to own this City Backpack instead?

This bag is exactly the one in the tutorial I posted here. Again, if you are new to this blog, I encourage you to also read this. I love this bag but have not used it ever. Just so you know what to expect, this was the first backpack I made and I had a crappy sewing matching then, so you might find some minor faults in my sewing. Sounds like I'm just making excuses for my unpolished sewing skills...seriously, though, I'm sure you will love it as well.

Let me just repeat the mechanics of the Heart of Mary Swap:

1. If you are interested, please leave a comment here plus your contact information. Tell me what you would trade for this backpack. Try me! If you can email me photos of your item, the better.

2. I am willing to ship to anywhere around the world so anyone can join.

3. I will choose the best offer and commence the swap. Next swap round will begin as soon as my swap partner and I receive our respective items.

Everything clear? The trading floor is now open!