Bloggers' Dinner Party

OK enough already! I am now officially retiring all the blue and white print from my stash! Two bags (Tear Drop and Key Keeper Coin Purse) and now placemats!!!

Set of 4

I decided that I wanted to do something different so tried my hand at a crazy log cabin quilt! Some of the fabric I used the wrong side out to change things up a bit. Also because the white print seemed a bit bright.

Close up view of the patchwork

Looking around the house I also remembered a coffee pot cosy that I had cross stitched and then finished with this blue fabric.

Coffee Cosy

Also these two little bags that I will put some of my home grown lavender in when it has dried.

Sachets for lavendar

Definitely time to work with some different fabric now!!

For a recipe, I thought I'd share another traditional South African recipe (as this fabric is from South Africa). Bobotie. A type of meat loaf that is regarded as South Africa's national dish by most people!

THE BOBOTIE FILLING

· 500g ground beef

· 2 eggs

· 2 slices  stale white bread, crusts removed

· 1 onion, thinly sliced

· 2 tbsp cooking oil

· 2 tbsp hot water

· 2 tbsp sugar

· 2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp smooth apricot jam

· 2 tsp curry powder

· ½ tsp ground cloves

· 1 tsp garlic, crushed

· 1 tsp turmeric

· ½ tsp salt

THE BOBOTIE TOPPING

· 1 egg, lightly beaten

· ½ cup milk

· Bay leaves or lemon leaves for garnishing

TO MAKE THE BOBOTIE FILLING

Pre-heat the oven to 175^o C.

Soak the bread in water for 10 minutes, squeeze out the excess and then crumble.


In a large frying pan, heat the oil and braise the onion until golden.

Break the two eggs into a large bowl and beat lightly. Mix in the ground beef

Add the onion mixture from the frying pan, the hot water, lemon juice, apricot jam, crumbled bread, turmeric and sugar to the mince, mixing well.

Spoon the mixture into a well-greased, oven-proof dish and bake for 40 minutes, or until golden brown and then remove from the oven.

TO MAKE THE BOBOTIE TOPPING


Combine the other egg with the milk and beat well. Pour the mixture over the bobotie and arrange the bay/lemon leaves as garnish. Return to the oven and bake at 175^o C for 10 minutes, or until the topping is set.



Serve the Bobotie with a large salad and yellow rice. 

Enjoy!!!!

Key Keeper Coin Purse

I finished my Key keeper Coin Purse last night. Bag 7 of Amy Butler's Style Stitches Book and the My Crafty Crap Sew-Along.

Very easy to sew. I made it in the same fabric as last month's Tear Drop bag, i.e denim and then a selection of fabrics that I brought with me from South Africa over 10 years ago. I am using up that stash!

All cut out and ready to go.....

I did put the inside pocket in, so basically it will function as a little divider in the purse. I can see me actually using this for my lipstick and other make-up usually rolling around at the bottom of my handbag!

Artistically arranged among my Hosta's

What a cute couple!

 I thought I might try and catch up on a few of the earlier bags I missed in this sew-along. Unfortunately didn't get much past the thinking stage with that! I did cut out an extra small and a small Origami bag. So hopefully next time that will be finished along with the Fringed Hobo bag.

When I grow up I want to be an Origami bag!

Sewing Update For July

Well it has been a long time since I've posted anything! I haven"t been that lazy, so thought I'd post a quick round-up of what I have been doing these last couple of weeks. I should have been doing a whole lot more I admit. Especially with the hot weather we have been having, you'd have thought I'd be sloping off to the cool basement, to my sewing area, every opportunity I got. But no.........

Last week Thursday was the hottest day of the year so far, almost a record high temperature in our area (38C feeling like 47C with the humidity) and I was out playing golf!!!!

Another hot day saw me trying something new, hypertufa. Very simply, it's mud pies for grown ups!! A mixture of Portland cement, peat moss and vermiculite and then this is molded into shapes. I did a couple of leaves and a planter moulded over a beer box. The curing time is about 28 days, so can't report on the success of this project yet!

Hypertufa moulded over leaves

Hypertufa moulded over a beer box

I also spent time making cake pops. After trying the Starbuck's version, I just had to try and make them myself. These are little balls of cakes with a candy coating on a popsicle stick. Very nice even if I say so myself!!!

Just need to work on getting the coating smoother!!

As to the sewing, I have cut out the Violet blouse from Colette patterns in a black and white check, all ready to sew.

My Lonsdale dress pattern (from Sewaholic Patterns) arrived in the mail last week and I have just the right fabric for this project. I picked up about 9m of pretty fabric for $10 from Value village a few weeks ago. So I am all ready for the Sew-Along, scheduled to start on August 1, lead by the very talented Tasia from Sewaholic patterns. having done both the Pendrell blouse and the Crescent Skirt, I am looking forward to this.

Then I have my Key Keeper Coin Purse, all cut out and interfaced, ready to sew. this is for the Amy Butler Style Stitches Sew-Along hosted by My Crafty Crap. No pics now, will post later in the week.

I have also made some patch work place mats for the Blogger's Dinner party this month (also no pics yet).

Finally I have cut out another Cosmo bag for a friend who admired mine the other weekend when I used it for a weekend away. Almost identical, but with a mauve lining whereas I did light green for mine.

The mess that is my cutting table. Second Cosmo bag all cut out and ready to sew

But then today at the beach (Turkey Point, on Lake Erie, Ontario) I saw two different rompers. I have to make a romper for myself  before summer is over. I blame Sunni from A Fashionable Stitch as I love, love, love the retro romper she recently sewed and posted on her blog. I need one!!! So I feel a pattern search coming on and a trip to my local fabric store!

The Teardrop Bag

Great excitement the other day when I noticed on the Crafty Crap blog that the deadline to submit pictures of your finished Teardrop bag had been extended to July 8. Just the push I needed to get going and make the bag in a week.

This will be the first bag that I have submitted for this challenge seeing as I am coming late to this party!!

True to my initial idea behind purchasing the Style Stitches book, I used fabric from my stash for this bag. Denim for the main part of the bag and then three different blue and white cotton prints for the rest of the bag. For the strap I actually used the wrong side of the print on the outside as it was too much white print on the blue.

I did the small size bag and this will be perfect to pop a few odds and end in before heading out.

Showing the inside lining and pocket

My second Amy Butler bag, I am impressed!! It was easy to sew, even though I am not sure I got the pleat right!

Now to make the Key keeper Coin Purse to match.