Ribbon Tie Wallet Pattern

My latest stint in the sewing room has turned out to be fairly productive. After a flurry of sewing and photoshopping, I've finally done something I've wanted to do for a while - design and write a pattern to sell in my Etsy shop.

It all started with an order from the website Spoonflower. I learned about Spoonflower a year ago while working at the Urban Craft Center. If you haven't heard about it, you absolutely need to check it out. As in, go there IMMEDIATELY after you read this post. On Spoonflower you can order fabric printed with your own design - all you have to do is upload an image, then use the website's special tools to set the size and repeat pattern. The best part about it is that there's no minimum order. For just five bucks you can order as little as an 8" square test swatch in fabrics ranging from regular cotton to cotton twill to sateen to lawn. If you're not the designing type, you can also shop designs that others have uploaded. There's a lot of really amazing stuff on there.

If you're at all observant, you've probably noticed that the owls on the wallet are actually Hootie the Owl from my banner. I was so excited when I ripped open the envelope and yanked my custom fabric out, I just had to make something out of it right away. [P.S. - you can now shop for Hootie the Owl fabric online here.]

I ended up sewing this cute little bifold wallet that [serendipitously] was the perfect size for my iPhone. I didn't want to mess around with buttonholes or snaps so I attached a ribbon to tie it all shut. I made a pdf with paper pieces to print and cut and illustrated directions. If there are any beginner sewers out there, or anyone that's rusty and looking to get back into sewing, this would be a great thing to try.

Check it out here!

Featured Blogger + Dark Chocolate Strawberry Tart

I'm very excited to announce that today Miss Make is the featured blog over at Salsa Pie. Salsa Pie is a wonderful blog run by the very creative Caroline. I've been dying to try her Skillet Pineapple Upside Down Cake [a cast iron skillet is pretty high up on my wish list] and her Retro Chocolate Crock Pot Cake. Can you tell that I like dessert? Caroline also posts a lot of adorable crafts that are simple and fun, especially if you have small kids to entertain.

For anyone who's visiting for the first time, I started this blog when I was lucky enough to work at an awesomely modern craft studio in Santa Monica called The Urban Craft Center. I was learning so much and looking for a way to share it, so here we are. I mostly post about my sewing endeavors [I love to quilt] and baking [did I mention my love for dessert?] but you never know when another random project is going to pop into the mix [like a knitted microphone, for instance.].

Since I've been posting a lot about sewing lately, minus those deep fried pickles, I thought I'd share a recipe. This Dark Chocolate Strawberry Tart has a decadent secret hidden under those luscious berries - a layer of rich dark chocolate.


This isn't a make-it-right-before-the-party kind of dessert, because there's a good amount of waiting between all the steps. But that doesn't mean it's hard. In fact, it looks much more elegant than it is difficult to make. And when you combine strawberries with dark chocolate, really, how can you go wrong?

Dark Chocolate Strawberry Tart

Ingredients
For the crust:
1.5 cups finely crushed graham cracker crumbs
[that's one sleeve of 9 crackers]
1/3 cup sugar
6 tbsp butter, melted
1 cup dark chocolate chips
[I used Ghirardelli's 60% chips]

For the filling:
2 lbs strawberries
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch
juice of 1/2 a lemon

whipped cream for serving

1. Thoroughly stir together graham crackers, sugar, and butter. Press mixture into the bottom and sides of a 9" tart pan or a pie plate. Bake at 375 F for 7 minutes. Remove and let cool.

2. Put chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each, until chocolate is smooth and melted. Pour chocolate into crust and spread around evenly. Use the back of a spoon to 'paint' chocolate up the sides of the crust. Chill until chocolate is set, about 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, wash and stem the strawberries. Mash enough of them to make 1 cup of pulp. In a saucepan, combine pulp, water, sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils. Continue cooking an additional 2 minutes until sauce becomes translucent and thickens. Remove from heat and cool.

4. Reserve about 10 strawberries to slice for top design. Cut the rest into small and medium sized chunks. When glaze is cool, combine it with strawberry chunks in a bowl. Carefully spoon filling into crust, making top as flat as possible.

5. Very thinly slice reserved strawberries lengthwise. Arrange slices on top of tart as shown, starting from the outside and working to the center. Cover tart with foil and chill overnight in refrigerator.

6. Slice tart and serve with fresh whipped cream.

Sleepy Unicorn

When I first learned to quilt it was by making the coin stacked pattern. The following weekend, for some reason, I went a little cutting crazy because I was so excited about my new hobby. I took all the fabric that I had and cut it up into 2.5" x 5" 'coins,' envisioning dozens of finished baby quilts shooting out of my machine.

Well, that proved to be rather foolish. I now have this shopping bag stuffed with probably hundreds of these coins [I'm telling you, I cut all weekend], all hacked down to a size that is fairly limiting. It is true that I will have to make dozens of these coin stacked quilts before I use them all up.

It is nice, though, to be able to reach into the bag for some coins and just start sewing without making a single cut. And I'm sure there are other patterns I can make with the pieces if I get a little creative...does anyone have any ideas?

This girly unicorn quilt (Sleepy Unicorn Baby Quilt No. 36) is the latest addition to my etsy shop. Check it out here!

Deep Fried Pickles

Am I an insane person?

If by insane, you mean that I suddenly had the urge to try making deep friend pickles at one in the morning, that I just so happened to have all the ingredients I needed on hand, and that I actually went through with it, then yes, I am an insane person.

They were delicious.

I've never deep fried anything before. I'm somewhat embarrassed by the sheer level of pride I felt at successfully doing it on my first attempt. I've always been kind of scared by the idea of all that hot oil, but it really wasn't bad at all.


My spice cupboard was fairly bare, but I did have something called 'seafood seasoning.' The ingredient list was basically pepper, onion, garlic, dill and lemon. I thought that sounded pretty perfect for a deep fried pickle. If you don't have something like that on hand, make your own spice blend with powdered garlic or onion and anything else that sounds good.

This recipe made a generous single portion that could probably be split between two more reasonable people. If for some reason you need copious amounts of deep fried pickles, just double or triple the recipe as needed.

Deep Fried Pickles
Ingredients:
3 dill pickle spears
1 egg, beaten
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup flour
2 tsp seafood seasoning or similar spice blend
1/2 tsp paprika
oil (I used canola oil)

1. Cut pickle spears into bite sized chunks. Pat off all the excess brine with a paper towel.

2. Mix together all the dry ingredients. Dredge each pickle chunk in the egg, then the bread crumbs. The crumbs won't want to stick to the slick side of the pickle, so really press them on.

3. Heat two inches of oil in a saucepan to 365 F [be careful, that's hot!]. Using a slotted spoon to get them in and out, fry the pickle chunks in batches until they're golden brown, being sure not to overcrowd the pot. Each batch will only take about two minutes.

4. When they look done [you know what fried food looks like], remove them from the oil and drain on paper towels. Continue frying in batches until all the pickles are done.

5. Salt lightly if desired. Pickles are pretty salty themselves, so I would taste them first before you salt them, you might not even want any. Enjoy!

Tutorial: Easy Peasy Ironing Board Cover

I don't know why, but lately I can't seem to get enough of yellow and white stripes. Every time I look at them I see preppy beach umbrellas, billowing circus tents, and striped candy, all things that make me very happy.

This ironing board cover is part of a little stripe binge makeover in my sewing room. Making an ironing board cover might sound a little boring at first, but it's actually a fun way to use a big, bold panel of your favorite fabric. That makes ironing - which I find awful and tedious outside of sewing - a little more enjoyable. If you have an ironing board then you already have a pattern, and you can be pretty inexact and still be successful.

To figure out how much fabric you'll need, measure your ironing board end to end and add 10 inches. For most standard ironing boards you'll need 1.5 - 2 yards. It's always better to err on the side of too much than not enough.

Because you need a long, skinny piece of fabric you'll have a lot left over. Use it to make something to match - like coordinating pillow covers with my earlier tutorial [complete with yellow and white striped illustrations...I'm telling you, I can't get enough!].

Easy Peasy Ironing Board Cover

You need:

1.5 - 2 yards quilting weight or home decor weight cotton fabric

matching thread

cotton string (not stretchy)

existing ironing board cover

1. Take the cover off your ironing board and spread it out so that there are no gathers in it. Lay it down on top of your fabric, right side up, with a few inches of clearance around it on all sides. Pin it down.

2. Cut through the fabric around the cover, adding two inches around all the edges. If your fabric is still folded take care not to cut through both layers so that you have a large intact piece left over [you only need one cut-out ironing board].

3. Fold the edge of the fabric over a half inch and iron. [You'll have to put your old ironing board cover back on for a little while.] Do it all the way around. Then fold the edge over another half inch and iron again, all the way around.

NOTE: When you iron around the curves, there will be a lot of extra fabric. They will be very, very ugly. You could take the time to cut a bunch of little notches in the fabric, or you could just mash it down. I recommend mashing. You're not going to see it because it's going to be on the inside of the bottom of the cover. Just let it be ugly.

4. Starting a few inches off center on the wider end, backstitch and stitch all the way around on the edge you just created to make a casing. Stop before you get back to the beginning so that there is a two inch gap in the seam. Backstitch.

5. Thread the cotton string through the casing you made. I tied the string to a wire coat hanger that I bent slightly into a curve. You'll need something flexible to get around all the corners.

6. Put your new cover on your ironing board and pull the strings as tight as you can. Adjust the gathers so they're distributed evenly around the board. Tie into a bow.

Voila! Enjoy your new ironing board cover. Here's how mine looked in my sewing room. If you have pictures of your sewing space share it with me by posting a comment!

Happy Honey Baby Quilt No. 35

I just finished listing my latest baby quilt in my etsy shop. It's the one that my cat was helping me with the other day...now it's ready for a loving home!

Cat + Quilt on Floor = Happy Cat

My cat Fox was "helping" me pin-baste my latest baby quilt today. Why must cats immediately lay down in the middle of anything you try to do on the floor? [That being said, he was much too cute to chase away.]

Cars & Critters Baby Quilt

Just wanted to put up a show and tell picture post. This is the latest baby quilt I've made, a gift for a little guy named Billy [how cute!]. I wanted to make something that was definitely for a boy, but not all pastel blue. I like how this combination of fabrics is bright and punchy and cheery. It just makes me think of long play sessions with matchbox cars and play-doh.

After I assembled the wide stripes, the yellow and white animals seemed a little empty, so I appliqued an outline of the hot rod in a red polka dot fabric [this was actually a suggestion from the boyfriend...must give credit where it's due]. The car silhouette is such a great one from the Echino screen printed fabric I used at the very bottom. All I did was copy the fabric at 250% then use the image as a stencil. I did a similar thing on the Hot Rod Baby Quilt that's currently for sale in my Etsy store.