July 2007

There is quite a lot of talk about huckleberries here in the Pacific Northwest. I have lived here most of my life…and had never eaten them. How this is possible is a bit beyond me (except that they are on the expensive side and I am frugal about most things; fabric being the notable exception). We bought some at the farmer’s market and they were surprisingly delicious. Now I feel a bit dim for not having had them sooner.

There was a timely article about them in MasterGardener (they send it to me because I took a gardening class…I’m betting they’ll cancel my subscription when they find out I am a container gardener).

I made a crisp (and forgot to put in the cornstarch; I’m not used to such fresh fruit, I usually have to use frozen). I added about two tablespoons of sugar to the fruit, but I like tart better than sweet.

When you’ve mixed your fruit (berries, peaches, apples, cherries, pears, whatever you’ve got) and sugar/cornstarch together, toss it in a baking dish (remember that your topping will take up a bit of room, so be cautious as to how close to the top of the sides of the dish your filling sits).

The topping recipe is one that I can usually get to work:

3/4 cup walnuts or pecans
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup butter (I used unsalted)
3/4 cup oatmeal
3/4 cup brown sugar (Huckleberry’s Natural Market carries this brand)
1 or 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Smush everything together. I use my hands. I bought a nifty tool but it doesn’t work as well as I hoped.

Sprinkle the topping over your fruit filling and bake for about 35-40 minutes (give it a look at 35 minutes, it might be ready) at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, or your favorite equivalent.

We also got some lovely local honey, which is currently drizzled over this morning’s yogurt.

We use canvas grocery bags. I dressed them up with some home-made patches. They are well-used, well-washed, and well-loved. I have seen some cute ideas (one, two, three) lately with making grocery bags entirely from scratch. It’s a good idea for if/when these wear out.

I sold something on Etsy! Granted, it wasn’t something I made (it was a crepe paper kit). But it still feels good.

I think I might put some hand-made things in the shop. However, I’m not sure that my stuff is all *that* distinct. I would like to believe that there is someone out there for whom something I made would be a perfect match…

That’s a drawback about the Internet: I would love it if buyers could interact with the products before they buy. Texture and “feeling” is such a big part of crafting, I wish that people could hold and smell and sort of dialogue a bit with whatever they’re considering. I wish that people could see/feel/hold my hand-made things before they commit. Something for me to ponder…

I made another pouch. This fabric is a favorite. See, here is another time when I would love it if you were all my neighbors and you could pop in and feel the weight of this lovely stuff. It’s like a lightweight linen, almost.

Side one

Side two

I’m also excited about making some labels/stickers. For the moment I’m using Office Depot do-it-yourself stickers (no image on their site), but I have used others and had good luck as well. For now, they’re just going to be dressed-up address labels for Etsy buyers, but they have all kinds of potential.

And another shot of the red geraniums, just because I love them.

Nasturtium and geraniums blooming, clothes drying.

I made *another* pouch. The inside of my bag looks like I sell hacky-sacks: there’s a pouch for kleenex, one for coins, one for pens…

Side one

Side two

I’m not sure that I really *need* another bag. But this fabric is just too exciting to let it stand still.

Lined with basic muslin. Straps are twill tape.

We’re heading to a wedding this month, and we bought some items for the couple from their registry. Dilemma: Neither of us could find our roll of tree-friendly recycled wrapping paper. And that’s where the issue temporarily settled.

We had to go to Joann for a few zippers (hooray for pouches!) and spotted some very wedding-y fabric (opportunity). You see where I’m going, right? Oh yes, some sort of *fabric* “wrapping.”

I ended up doing a large-ish pouch (about 20 inches on each side) to hold all the stuff we got them. (Secret: it’s all kitchen stuff. The bride went to culinary school…and I’m pretty sure she doesn’t know about this blog.) I used a VersaCraft stamp pad for the label, so they can machine-wash the pouch.

Project drawback: We’ll have to carry it like a pizza box, rather than upright, or all the stuff will fall down. The shape is pretty organic, without the clean lines of a box.

The lining (with gifts already inside)

The outside

I made myself an apron (fabric is from Superbuzzy). For a “pattern” I placed my favorite apron on the fabric and cut out around it, basically. I hemmed only part of it. The edging struck me as artful, so I left it.

The strawberries I planted have fruited (that doesn’t sound right). I got the plants from Seeds of Change.

Here’s B examining them (nice slippers, eh?).

I tried some embroidery (might end up as pouches, we’ll see). I was inspired by some Paper Source rubber stamps. There are some variations, obviously. Some are intentional, and some were…surprises.

The name of each one is a link to the Paper Source rubber stamp that inspired it.

Peony

Dandelion

Branch

Wateroak

Flower