Make Something Everyday #31 Conclusion

Inspired by a Globe and Mail review I tried o make Turkish pizza or pide as it is known.

I had a few things to overcome, it needed to be gluten free and I'm still earning to mix my own "flours".

And I lack authentic ingredients.

It looks kinda pretty doesn't it, even this shape brings new joy to eating the pizza.

 Inside: 

roasted chicken

sweet onions

fire roasted red peppers

kalamatas

green pepper

feta

I would have thrown on some oregano if I had been thinking.

I served it with a greens including mint and cilantro and tomatoes and blood orange balsamic vinegar soaked sweet onions. On the side we had garlicky tzatziki and hot sauce.

I think sme one was having a prank though because as i shook the hot sauce jar the lid flew off and I pretty much got that #### on everything.

Truly a hot mess!

 We also ate cucumber and red grapes along with the other things.

Good!

Later on after some restlessness and roaming around I sat down with my sketchbook and got scribbled ideas for my Day by Day Rug by trying out the three shapes I choose on a few backgrounds. We are to use these three shapes each day. The sky is the limit... as I typed this I realized one could use shape for sky parts another for land and the third shapes for foliage.

I also drew up 10 or 12  designs for clothes because I'm back to designing and sewing, but only for myself at this point.

As a special treat I spun up a batt I ordered from JazzTurtle!

 Esther, thank you! I gotta love a girl who sends chocolate and a bonus batt!

It really turned out well and softened up my hands beautifully.

 Tomorrow I'll ply it with something wonderful and thin.

This post concludes make a thing a day but I'm toying with the idea of doing this for year! I'm mad I tell you  stark raving.

Oh I've also begun a weekly practice of tweeting dyeing recipes.

Why not follow me so you can get the recipes on the fly?

My name is wandakerr there.

Why life is worth enjoying!

Make Something Everyday # 30

Gotta make two was my motto today. I'm so revved up and excited about how well the way the new subscription service works for the Mat. I know it will free up scads of time I can apply to creativity.

With my excess energy I decided to make corn tortillas from scratch.

I did not have a press but used my most handy tool. My body.

And two cutting boards. I stepped on them. I'm for hire.

 I was surprised how well they turned out because after dry frying them they were dopplegangers for cardboard.

 A little rest with a dampened towel as directed and as you can see they folded up like an origami masterpiece. And best of all, they were delicious.

Last night we watched The Beaver. I finished the sleeves, they should be called a hug because that's how it feels to wear them. I want to add a cuff so tonight I'm picking up the cuff stitches and knitting in the round.

On the Mat January is our Geometric month. We are celebrating with our Day by Day journal challenge.

 You can now join the Mat for one month if you wish for only $5. It would be great to have you join us in our challenge. We have so much fun and wonderful encouragement when we do these. Our criteria is very expansive but  interesting as well, no hooking necessary, only creating in any medium.

Our free pattern and lesson coming up is dry felting a snowman. It is so much fun to see the personalities coming out of these wooly creations.

Here's to creativity of all sorts, go out and get yourself some!

Make Something New Everyday! #29 pillow

Today I mastered my Imagine serger ( YIPEE!) and made this pillow. I love pillows shaped like this! They fit me just right! And I also really like seeing all the fabrics together, it's for the spare room ensemble but it looks and feels good on the couch too.

This pillow is highly overstuffed and there is nothing better than that is there?

 I think because I've got myself all done with my making and I'm ready for big changes on the Mat tomorrow... oh did you know we will be off line for part of the day? Don't fret I'll send you a note letting you know when we are all set to sign in again....

I think this seems like a good night for a walk to the movie store... I wonder what we'll watch? Well truthfully I might not "watch" much because I'll be spinning but I'll be listening!

 On  note about watching my serger came with a video which I watched while I sewed and now I'm convinced this machine will do everything, including walking the dog and making dinner! 

I can't wait to have it entirely under my control.

I just had a  thought pillow is a really stupid word... where did it come from?

 Here is what wiki says about pillows generally

I believe I might be on my way to assuming the shape of a pillow that has the hair of Paula Deen..... how are you doing? Press the speaker icon and hear how dumb it sounds, do it about 4 times...

pil·low  (pl) n. 1. A cloth case, stuffed with something soft, such as down, feathers, or foam rubber, used to cushion the head, especially during sleep. 2. A decorative cushion. 3. The pad on which bobbin lace is made. v. pil·lowed, pil·low·ing, pil·lows v.tr. 1. To rest (one's head) on or as if on a pillow. 2. To serve as a pillow for: Grass pillowed my head. v.intr. 1. To rest on or as if on a pillow. 2. To assume the shape of a pillow. [Middle English, from Old English pyle, from West Germanic *pulw, from Latin pulvnus.] pillow·y adj. Now that explains it!

Make Something Everyday #28

Just in the nick of time!

I've finally caught up with myself. Posting on the day I make!

Tonight I made this with my Serenade.

And then I tried out my Imagine serger for the first time, OY.

I had some thinking to do.

The serger requires no tension dials, nor threading of loopers or even threading the needles either in the conventional sense.

I feel like I've gone from a Model T to the Starship Enterprise!

 

Sad little example isn't it?

I console myself with the fact that I'll have plenty of labels for my clothes where I'm going to spend the rest of my twilight years.

Here you can see my nuno felted scarf getting fancied up, a little Serenade, a little Embellisher (what a relief it was to operate this old friend!)... these 2 new Babylock things make me feel like whining a little and sucking my thumb. Time to go to bed and stop trying to figure out new inventions.

Make Something Everyday #26 and 27

Whew holidays and company sure throw a spanner into "make something everyday". I do make but can't always post.

 On the 26th I kitted out this dry felted snowman as a cowboy.

 In January on The Welcome Mat we will be making dry felted snowman, it is our part of our monthly pattern and plus a bonus comprehensive , start to finish construction video lesson!

We will also be starting our January Journals, this year titled Day by Day. if you are not a member it is a great month to join, not to mention our yearly free class coming in February.

And the 27th I continued to knit on my gift for Erin, a set of Sleeves... so you can read at night in bed and not freeze your shoulders and arms off.

Wood heating women of the world unite!

Make Something Everyday # 24 & 25

I spent the day making tons of food and serving it all to my family. So nothing was really made to be shown here. But I was the master of ceremonies at an archery contest

 There is a movie I made of this but it is being released on HBO in February.

Owen won the contest. Improving the gene pool in every way! We welcome that.

Today I made a rocket out of a pop bottle and a half and some sand, cardboard and duct tape.

We all did!

 I loaded it on a rocket launcher

I pumped 

I pumped

And finally I pumped enough.

I raised my foot and stomped the release

 Lift off and a shower all at once!

Landing spot?  Wokingham!

 That's some stomp!

Make Something Everyday #23 Stove porn alert

Today I made the parts of a Scottish Breakfast my family loves on a special occasion. We will be have a nice Christmas breakfast tomorrow. They would love it daily but I'm no fool and because I don't live near a Scottish Bakery so I have to make the parts myself.

 On show here are the potato scones. They are not really scones but that's what they are called. All you do is add about 1 and a 1/2 cups of flour to two pounds of  boiled and mashed potatoes.

Traditionally they are triangular in shape and dry fried, no fat. But I like to make patties and fry them in butter one side.

The other thing I made tonight for this feast was square sausages, not sausages at all but made of mince or hamburger as we call it. With coriander and nutmeg, water and bread crumbs added, they are a delightful treat with a really nice flavour. And I don't make them square but also round for expediency.

Going to wrap some gifts now!
 I wish you all happiness and joy with your loved ones.

Make Something Everyday! #22

Today Santa Came EARLY!!!
 I used my virgin brand new Serenade sewing machine and made triangles that turned into rosettes to decorate my very plain curtain, I'm so in love with grey just now I can't see enough of it!

Make Something Everyday #21

I made a dress up skirt for my little table. It has the tree on it and it looked pitiful!

 I had the bullioned overskirt so I just made the flowing on the floor under garment. I think they might call me to work in Stratford in the costume dept. any second.

It especially looks ridiculous because my tree and my house just don't suit the fancy but you know what? I'm gonna glam it up!

 If you look carefully to the left top corner you can see Rabbit and he is wearing his Christmas turban.

Although it is rude to lift up someone's skirt I had to show you how Birdee has taken up residence under the table. She is giving me quite a look, she thought no one knew.

OH OH #2

As I was dyeing last week I had a mishap, the first of its kind.

Lovely turquoise dye all strewn abou the floor.

That's what I/64 tsp looks like when it gets tapped into the measuring cup but jumps like a pole vaulter right over the edge of the cup to land some distance away on the floor.

I'd like to tell you the safest and most effect way to clean this up.

First vacuum the area about a foot around the area, working your way toward the epicenter.

Suck it up last.

You will be left with a smear of dye that is still dry.

Get several damp cloths, I use paper towels.

 Again work from about two feet out and go towards the center, change your cloth frequently.

 You will be shocked out far out dye particles are and can't be seen.

Do one last wiping.

Don't try to recover the dye.

 It isn't worth it.

Even if it is part of a jar, it  is just too easy to aspirate.

Making Something Everyday #20

Today it's a little secret that looks like this:

I got lots done with the help of the TV, I somewhat ashamed to admit.

It is very very soft Suri.

Lovely and warm and alpaca... and yes Mary had a few problems like laying right on the ball and gathering up the rest of the yarn to tuck under her chest.

No harm was done to the knitting.

Mary is in contact with her sponsor.

Make Something Everyday #19

Today it was spinning day!

 I was feeling way to scattered to start winding something up so I settled for embellishing my pre-felts for my nuno scarf. I'll be adding them to the bottom edges in random patterns.

I was gilding the lilies.

Going way over the top, but I love it!

I can't wait to get it done and start wearing it.

Make Something Everyday #18 - What you can't see?!!

Ok, I don't quite know how this happened but I did about a kajillion things today and I have nothing to show for it, except I did make some colourful things and I also made two dyeing videos for the Welcome Mat subscribers, one about dyeing 3 colour dip dyes and the other about over dyeing grays tans and reds, these are not on view for public consumption...

 I also made an info sheet including maps, a calendar and contact info for the Springmount Spinsters.

 I can't show you that either!

 I also dyed some colourful fluff. Fluff is for all.

And the results of one of the videos!

Pretty aren't they?

Make Something Everyday 15,16,17 - Coming out of the Closet

Maybe I should have named this post coming and going in the closet.

Be cause the traffic in the closets of this house has been unprecedented in the last two days.

BTW

If you use wood from a wall in your house to light the fire in your houses' furnace are you causing your house to be a cannibal?

Causing it to eat itself? What is that even called?

This is keeping me up some nights...

Not that I did it but what it is called when you are caused to eat a part of yourself.

OK

Today I made this lovely curtain.

It is lovely because behind it is 

ALL MY DYE EQUIPMENT !!!!

And some stuff I dye, like panty hose and yarns waiting to be coloured.

This shit used to take up a whole room! I feel so happy, between the Isalas and this closet, this house looks normal, well as normal as it can seeing as I live here. 

Here you see the making work of yesterday.

I cleaned out this closet after selling my loom to my friend Brenda.

It made us both excited and happy to make this transaction.

And now I can also store my fleeces and spinning materials out of site.

To the left you can see my giant sheet of foam I use to cut into squares to dry felt on and distribute to my felters. The sunlight discoloured it before I caught on and stored it in the dark.

And last but not least on Dec.1 I planted my crop of cat grass.

It has to remain in a dark closet until germination. It is now out of the closet and being mowed down each day. The seeds were a little old and are not all springing forth at the same rate.

I promise not to take you on any more tours of any of my closets,

 this year.

Make Something Everyday #14 Dry Felting Class

Close Up of Three Snow persons from class!

And the video I made of today's felters.

Make something Everyday #13

I decorated my wire sculpture with glass balls and some rough felt hearts with my hand dyed silk ribbon, they are rough because I didn't use roving but curly looks that were dyed. I also used a cookie cutter to form them, something I've never tried before.

Tomorrow we are having another dry felting class here at the studio, I can't wait!

Make a Something Every Day # 12 Wire Sculpture

A high crown of wirey goodness, this is what I made today, fencing wire becomes swirly and twirly and fun!

Maybe this will be our tree because we don't have room for one.

We are swoll up with Daughter #1's couch and three too many cabinets and unfinished closet renos.

 I'm whittling 'er down though, day by day.

One thing I got rid of was a big rug I'm not ever gonna do and it felt so good to make this decision. I've moved beyond what and who I was when I started and and I cannot turn back time!

To put the wool for it back on the shelf for other uses was simply wonderful!

Make Something Everyday #11

Some cheery yarn to brighten our day, it was Monday spin in with the Springmount Spinsters and I loved watching this beauty appear through my fingers.

Oh Oh

Is my inner Paula rearing her head again?

OH My! You can tell me the honest truth.