domicile

Getting Into Crewel

A few weeks ago, while having tea at Martin's mom's place, she started bringing out several of her hand embroidered table cloths to show me. Most of them were made by her or her mother in years now best measured as decades, and I loved pouring over the little details of them. I've never been much of one for the fine needle crafts, focusing more on the big picture sewing end of things, but over the past few months I've found myself noticing cross stitch and embroidery more and more and thinking that it would be a nice meditative hobby to pick up.

My problem with it has always been -- and I know I'm not alone in this -- how lame most of the commercially available patterns are for cross stitch, embroidery and the like (Jenny's Sublime Stitching of course being the exception). Much of the work that Martin's mom has -- whether on pillows, napkins or table cloths -- has a much more modern feel to it, in the Danish Modern sense of the word. Simple patterns, lots of use of space and often monochromatic. After an evening of google searching and much bookmarking, I became a bit overwhelmed looking for a project that would suit my needs. It had to be simple enough that I could start and complete something without getting totally overwhelmed. I wanted something with a modern feel, and I wanted to start picking up some basic skills to that I could potentially start designing my own basic patterns to stitch.

While on a trip to Victoria recently, I decided to stop in on their very well stocked stitching craft store (on View Street/Trounce Alley) and see if they could set me up with something along the lines of what I was looking for. After evaluating many Scandanavian sampler packs -- the most compelling and beautiful of which were I think a bit over my head -- one of the women there asked if I would be willing to try out Crewel. "Crewel?" You ask, as I did. What the heck is that? From best I can tell Crewel is basically embroidery with wool instead of cotton or silk embroidery threads. It is the basic form of stitching from which many tapestries were made in days of yore, and generally it's much like embroidery with a finished product that has a slightly different texture due to the wool floss (a bit fuzzier). What sold me on it was the patterns available in the little kits from a company called Wool & Hoop (the photo up there is of the kit I chose). Many of them are monochromatic, they're all quite modern (though a bit more off-kilter than the designs I originally had in my head) and best of all, each pattern inspired me to think I could easily start drafting my own/answering to my own embroidery desires without too much trouble.

I was so sold with my wee kit and the idea of crewel that I actually went back and bought the Wool & Hoop book which has several patterns in it as well as ideas for ways to use crewel embroidery to embellish household stuff, clothing etc.

I'm about half way through my little project kit (it's about 3x3 inches) and so far am really enjoying it. As I suspected, it is very meditative, I can bring it along with me on the bus, etc. and my stitching is definitely improving quickly. My only complaint so far is threading the needle with the wool, as it isn't nearly as cooperative as embroidery thread. That said, I suspect most of these projects could be made with cotton embroidery thread to fine results, so I may try that next as an experiment.

Five Minutes? Really?

Last month while Lauren and I were down in Seattle at The Lab doing some book chatting, we took our regularly scheduled trip to Elliot Bay Books. Mmmm books. Because I had indulged in more than my share of spending the day before at Anthropologie (damn I'm a sucker for that place), I held back from picking up a copy of the ever-so compelling Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day in favour of taking it out of the library when I got home and giving it a good trial run before I made a purchase. I often do this with cookbooks, as one can only tell so much from reading recipes vs. actually cooking with them, and my cookbook collection would otherwise tend to grow a bit of out control. Plus, I was kind of unsure about the whole "artisan" in five minutes a day concept to be honest. I count myself amongst the snobbier of bread consumers and wasn't sure this would really measure up. I had to wait in a queue at the library and the book came up a week or so ago. I dove right in and tried out the basic recipe. Now, to be honest, after spending on evening flipping through the book, I actually didn't think that trying out the basic recipe was going to give me what it did. I thought the basic recipe, which has its own little section at the beginning of the book, was kind of like the sponge or base you'd begin with and that I'd be able to throw some whole wheat or (my favourite) rye flour in there to make a more interesting loaf. Turns out no. If you want to make rye bread, you use the rye dough, if you want multigrain, use the multigrain dough, etc. While this seems really obvious in the retelling, it didn't at the time. The book was structured to devote a whole intro chapter to this basic recipe and then the rest of the book is devoted to other breads. I guess I just made some faulty assumptions there, but I was kind of bummed when I went to bake a less "white" bread the next day and discovered that I was already locked into a specific recipe. So be warned. The bread itself? Well I suspect it's a lot like the no knead bread that made the internet rounds. That seems to be what they're getting at (they stress that you should not knead the dough) and while I never made the no knead bread, I did eat it somewhere and it was quite similar. I've so far only tried the one basic recipe (we went away so I abandoned my bread making for a bit there) and it was fine. Not nearly as good as the recipes coming out of Local Breads, but really much, much less time consuming. I adore my copy of Local Breads, (as I've said before I read it before bed and dream of bread making), but I don't often have the time to be home to engage with the bread during its various rising/proofing stages. I'm eager to try the other 5 minute bread recipes and see if they sell me a bit more on the book and concept. We're talking about following the path laid out in Babara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle in September and eating more locally. Not quite a 100 Mile Diet kind of a thing, but a definite local focus/local challenge. Like Kingsolver, we're going to have exceptions and one of ours may be flour so that I can make all our bread. We'll see though, we're still working it out as a family.

Friday Links

Things on the web I wish I had more time for:

• Megan's (Not Martha) interview with CraftBoom is up. I can't say enough about how generous, talented and lovely Megan is. Read her thoughts on running an online craft-based business and share in her awesomeness.
• Still on the business tip, you can hear Lauren and me talk about The Boss of You and the business of being in business from our Lab session at Velocity if you're so inclined. The Podcast is up here.
• Vickie's awesome blueberry died wool. Where does that gal find the time?
• Mighty Girl's 8 Books that Changed Me has got me thinking. I wish I had more time to compile my own list. Alas.
• Lemon Achiote Grilled Tofu. Yumm.

And on a somewhat random (but, hey you never know) tip: if you're a php/Drupal developer in Vancouver (or thinking of moving here really soon) looking for work, check out our job posting. The sooner we fill this job, the sooner I have time to breath.

Amy Butler's Little Stitches

To say that I wanted to love this book wouldn't really do things justice. Really, I just assumed I would love this book. Like, L-O-V-E love it. Afterall, I adore Amy Butler's fabrics. Regularly succumb to ordering her patterns online (which then too often sit languishing in my sewing room, but that doesn't mean I love them any less), and am a big fan of Amy Butler's In Stitches, as I've mentioned before. The format of Little Stitches is the same as In Stitches, meaning it's a combination of general sewing tips and know-how, gorgeous photos of sewing projects, and then a full set of patterns and instructions tucked into the back, but instead of focusing on general household/personal projects the theme is all babies. Specifically babies from newborn to 1 year old (for pattern sizing), nursery projects, stuffed toys, and things like diaper bags for mom.

So where was I? Oh yes. I was sure I'd love this book, so when my friend Annemarie asked if I wanted a review copy I jumped on it. I'll admit, my only hesitation stemmed from our ongoing struggles to conceive (still not happening), and the pages and pages of cute newborn projects I would be confronting myself with. But, I do love making gifts for friends and I've got no shortage of friends with new wee ones. Plus, any chance to make adorable things with Amy Butler fabric inspirations seemed like it would override any emotional tingles.

So, I set out to make at least two projects as a way to test the book's actual patterns as a part of my review. I chose the booties and the jumper dress as they seemed like great gifts, and were frankly easily made out of existing pieces of fabric I had lying around. (As a side note: I so love making things for little people when it comes to fabric usage. It's so satisfying to indulge in lovely fabrics but  not break the bank due to the small amounts required.) Both projects did not really turn out. The booties -- which I double checked pattern and measurement sizes on several times -- ended up with a leg hole far to small for chubby baby legs, and the jumper I ended up abandoning the instructions for half way through (there seemed to be a stray waistband that did not figure into the pattern in any way I could work out) and pieced together with my own plan/logic. The final product worked out, but seemed in the end to have required a far more steps/complication than really should have been necessary for such a simple garment. I have to admit, I'm wondering if I was suffering from some sort of sewing curse that weekend, as one of the things I've always loved about Amy Butler is the simplicity in her patterns. I'm quite tempted to try another pattern to see that was the case (and I hate to judge a book on two patterns alone) but honestly, the other patterns all look like their likely way more complicated. And here's where my other concern with the book comes in: the patterns are far too complicated/intricate for the moms of newborns that I know (and the sizing only goes up to 1 year). (And I know some really overachieving, driven, seamstressy kinda mommies). So I'm not totally sure who the audience is. It seems like it would be a super awesome thing to give to your talented mom/sister/mother in-law/grandma who has the time to make you a full set of crib bedding, but I'm not convinced the average pregnant/new baby gal has the chops to get into the level of projects in this book.

I'm curious though. Has anyone else picked this up? Sewn with it? Am I suffering from a sewing curse? Am I loosing what remains of my mind due to the emotional rollercoaster that is my own trauma with conception and pregnancy? Help me out here. And more specifically, if you made one of these patterns and it worked, which one? I'm happy to try again, because I really do want to love this book.

Summer Kitchen Inspiration

I'm not sure how it is that it has taken me so long to finally pick up a copy of Clotilde's cookbook Chocolate and Zucchini, but now that I have it is providing much in the way of inspiration for our summer cuisine. I think that part of my hesitation when it first came out was the inclusion of meat dishes -- I very rarely buy non-veggie cookbooks -- but while meat certainly is well represented, there is also an abundance of veggie recipes in here (and a really delightful dessert section). Overall, it is a cookbook that focuses on using a few carefully chosen, fresh ingredients and Clotilde's love for food and the joy of cooking comes through in her notes and instructions in such a way that it makes cooking along feel like the best kind of simple indulgence. I'll admit that I first picked it up at the library, as I wasn't sure there would be enough in it for the non-meat eater to make a purchase worthwhile, I have however since bought 3 copies (two as gifts). So what tipped me over?

• While I've spent years here and there eating a vegan diet, overall I'm a bit of a sucker for cheeses and egg dishes. Being raised by one vegetarian parent, and in a household influenced strongly by European cooking, I'm a big fan of quiches, savoury tarts and souffles. Clotilde has some great recipes along this line, including the Tomato Tart Tatin, which makes for a wonderful summer patio dinner with a big green salad (especially now that the local tomatoes are making an appearance). 
• Most of the recipes are simple - few ingredients - and actually achievable in short bursts of kitchen activity, making them great for weeknights or busy weekends (of which most of mine seem to be).
• As already mentioned, the dessert section is drool worthy. This should of course come as no surprise coming from a French gal. I'm currently cooking up (no pun intended) an occasion to make the chocolate raspberry cake.
• Wine pairings. I hadn't expected this at all. And while here in Canada we can't access many of the labels named in the book, the general ideas/varietals are most welcome as I find I can easily get stuck in a wine rut now that I'm not working in restaurants and being regularly exposed to new bottles.

Most of all what I really love about the book is Clotilde's attitude toward food and the stories she includes. "Write a cookbook" is fairly high on my list of life dreams, and I know that my own cookbook would include the same style of storytelling alongside the recipes. I love hearing what inspired someone to try a flavour combination, what a particular ingredient makes them think of and how a dish plays into their lives. Of course, it is this style that has made the Chocolate and Zucchini site so popular and it is very well reflected in the cookbook. The only drawback I can see to this cookbook is that it makes me wish that I could transport my kitchen to Paris, but alas a little taste of Paris at our Domicile will have to suffice for now.