Saturday 28 December 2013

Organizing & Pretties

Yesterday was one of those satisfying productive days. The kind you might not often get when you have a baby.

We have a fairly small home. This means I don't have my own sewing space. It consists of a desk next to Fin's crib. Aaand then there is fabric and other crafting notions in various places around. One of those places is the cupboard attached to my wardrobe.
I finally took the time to organize all my fabrics, which is a task I have a love/hate relationship with. I love organization, and I love to get reacquainted with all the pretties in there. I hate trying to get all the different cuts to stack up nicely. For some reason I have a difficult time with this, but I still managed to make it look neat and tidy!

Speaking of pretties, I got these in the mail just before Christmas.
 I am in love with the Enchant line by Natalie Lymer. It is just too cute! I got the pink fat quarter set and once I got it in my hands I regretted not getting the whole line with the Aqua and Greens.
 With that last order I also snatched up this super cute Honky Tonky fat quater set. I love the Mustaches! I've been wanting to make a big mustache quilt like this one, or this one, and they might have to go in it.
The bottom shelf still looks kinda messy....but it is organized by project. So each stack is a work in progress (or two). The back left side is a double hourglass quilt, and the fabric for the Mei Tai baby carrier I want to make. Back right has 2 quilts in progress: Alphabet Soup & Tree of Life. That front right stack I'm pretty excited to finish up! It's an anniversary quilt for Colin. Yes, it is Star Wars. Our anniversary was in August....but I sadly wasn't able to finish it in time. It's taking a long time since there's applique and embroidery on it..and I'm slow with those because I'm a perfectionist.

When it comes to sewing, it seems my eyes are bigger than my stomach. But make that saying apply to sewing....what would that be? ....Well I've thought long enough and can't think of a new saying, ha!

Did I mention that this was all done with a baby on my back?

Be back soon with more WIPs and finshes!

Eryn


Friday 27 December 2013

Holiday busy bee

Where have the days gone!? Everyday this week I told myself I'd post an update on what's been happening...then before I know it, the day is done and Fin is going down for the night and I'm collapsing on the bed.

I love Christmas time, but man does it ever take alot out of you! It's all worth is though. Especially when you have kids. Fin had lots of fun opening his gifts (and eating the wrapping paper too).


These last few days have been spent running around, finishing last minute sewing projects and spending lots of time with family. Oh, and some baking too!

I made these awesome peanut butter cookies for Santa! It's a family recipe that I adapted to be gluten and dairy free. Crispy melt in your mouth deliciousness .


Colin made sure to leave a note for Santa as well...

I made these Blueberry Maple Muffins for breakfast. Of course the usual modifications had to be made so Colin and I didn't explode after we ate them (i.e. make them Gluten & Dairy free).



They turned out amazing! Just the right amount of sweetness, moist, light, yet filling....Mmm. Colin declared that there must be muffins made for him at all times. So far i'm failing...we gobbled all these up over the last couple days! Here is the recipe after I got my hands on it:




Blueberry Maple Muffins
  
1 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp Gluten Free all-purpose flour*
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup ground Chia Seeds
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 cup full fat coconut milk
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tsp freshly grated orange zest  (I would have added, but didn't have oranges)
1 Tbsp orange juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
 1 Tbsp sugar (optional)


*Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 12 muffin cups with coconut oil, or use muffin cups
*In a medium bowl, mix together the coconut milk and lemon juice to make a "buttermilk". Set aside
*In a large bowl, add flour, baking powder, chia seed, cinnamon, baking soda and salt; whisk to blend,
*In a small bowl. whisk together eggs and maple syrup until smooth. Add buttermilk mixture, canola oil, orange zest, orange juice and vanilla; whisk until blended.
*Make a well in the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients with a rubber spatula just until moistened. *Fold in blueberries. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops with sugar if desired.
*Bake the muffins until the tops are golden brown and spring back when touched lightly, 15 to 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Loosen edges and turn muffins out onto a wire rack to cool slightly.



*I make my own Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour mix! Whisk together I cup each Sorghum flour, Millet flour, Arrowroot flour.



Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

Eryn

Saturday 21 December 2013

In the works

Since I spent the last post introducing myself, I thought today I'd show you a few of the many, many projects I currently have in the works.To give you an idea of how many 'many' is, I keep a list in my sewing space to help me keep track and not forget any!

The list on the right are projects I've started, the left are ones I want to star (but won't let myself until I whittle down the started pile).

So right now the projects I'm focusing on getting finished are some Christmas presents for my sister: a travel change pad and some suck pads for her soft structure baby carrier.

This is the start of the change pad. It's actually almost done...well would have been. As you can see, the minky is working against me with this project. I didn't pin it enough before sewing so it stretched as I sewed and now the corners curl up. So tonight will be spent ripping out the stitches and fixing it. Grr. I'll make sure to post some pictures of it once it's finished!

My sister asked me to make these sucks pads for the straps of her Ergo (a baby carrier). They are so close to done! All that's left is to stitch on the snaps on. I've made these for myself before, but this time I added the ribbon tabs for attaching toys or pacifiers (or just for baby play). I love how these turned out, and they're so easy to make!
 I haven't thought of a clever name for this quilt yet, so lets call is the Pink & Green quilt. I started this quilt before Fin was born....so sometime in April or May! I made a lot of progress really quick, then started quilting it...and the bobbin ran out...and I never re-loaded it. How's that for lazy! But I'd really like to use this as a lap quilt during the cold winter months (this year), so I've gotta get crackin'! I'm using yellow thread for the back quilting, and coral/green quilting on the front. So far I've got most of the pink quilting done.

And last but not least, I do have one finish that I was able to do yesterday, and just in time!

Colin (the husband) and I made each others stockings our first Christmas together 6 years ago. So naturally I continued the tradition and made Fin his first Christmas stocking!


I'm mostly pleased with how it turned out, considering it was my first quilted stocking (the others are really basic and hand stitched). If I were to do it again I'll work harder to make the corners more rounded and make the cuff wider. The backing is a red velvet, the front various fabrics (off the top of my head Gnome for the Holidays and In From the Cold) and finished with a cuddly dimple dot minky in vanilla.

I can't wait so stuff it full of goodies for our little guy on his first Christmas!


Eryn

Thursday 19 December 2013

A new beginning

Welcome to Bringing Back Handmade! I'm Eryn, and this is my new blog; a place where I can share my adventures in my crazy obsession with having to do everything myself. I find something I like and always think to myself "...I can totally make that!". It could be one of the things my husband loves or hates about me (I'm sure it flips flops, but mostly leans towards loves).
  So lets get to know me a bit better..

I live in Canada's great capital city, Ottawa. Born and raised. I am now....26 years old (sad that I already am losing track and have to think about it!). I have a wonderfully supportive and loving husband, with whom I just started a family. We now have a 6.5 month old, cute as a button, son. I am a Registered Holistic Nutritionist (RHN), and passionate about all things health and nutrition. As I started to tell you already, I love to make things. Just about anything really. I love cooking, baking, fermenting, quilting, sewing, crafting, drawing, painting, etc, etc, etc. I love the outdoors and nature, hiking, snowboarding, biking...

This blog has been a long time coming! I've put off starting it for about 4 years now, saying "Nah...I don't know what to write about, no one will read it, I don't know how to summarize everything I do". Oh the excuses. I do that too often. I want this blog to be a chronicle of my creativity and life adventures. A place to share my creations, my thoughts, my brainstorming sessions...and have them in writing so I'll actually remember to go back and do that great thing I wanted to do that time.

I hope you'll follow with me, and gain great inspiration yourself.

This is Bringing Back Handmade: Quilting, cooking, crafting and everything in between.


Eryn