CHICKPEA SEWING STUDIO

Crafty Crow Funny Food Contest

Just to look at the cool button above I want to make something edibly funny. Full rules here. Deadline June 22.

Father's day and more

Did you have a good Father's day? It was Thomas first and Finn gave him a nice stack of presents. Two daddy and baby books, this one and that one. Two framed portraits, a big one and a small one and finally a mixed CD from me ( a labor of love and iTunes).
I think that having portrait of the two together might be a brilliant father's day tradition ( not to flatter myself) and I intend to act on it every year to come.
All have have to do is take the month of July off from sewing and focus on learning Raw photography. I am currently reading The Art of Raw Conversion and understanding every one word out of five. But that word already teaches me so much! It's no walk in the park but I might as well learn to use my dSLR now that it's here.What did I say...Quit sewing in July! Madness... especially since dear Karin makes sure that I have the most enviable Japanese import collection of double gauze. I can't stop looking at them... What shall I make?

( I'll add a picture here of the fabric later today)

No Thank You! turn around and run...

This was to be my morning bad deed. I had it all planned out for days... What in the world is she talking about?

I am going to find a McDonald, pull in to the drive through and order a small hamburger with a small portion of fries, at 10:15 am. Here is why: Although I technically never eat meat, once every couple months I faulter and secretly head towards the Golden Arches. I'll take great care to pay cash and hide the wrapper when I am done. Not that anybody cares but I do...because here we don't eat our friends! For two weeks I have also been without dairy to see if it improves the baby's skin rashes. So I break down and park by the microphone. A women of Latin descent tries to take my order
Me: (shouting) ONE SMALL HAMBURGER.
The lady: wjhgcskfgkrfjhgl!
Me: (louder) ONE SMALL H.A.M.B.U.R.G.E.R!
The lady: rgfliregi;b'jrg'wb'rwh'!
Me: (feeling horrible) I am so sorry but I can't understand what you are saying. ( I have a French accent remember).
The lady: No hamburgers, only breakfast. Hamburgers in 15 minutes if you'd like to wait. Would you like breakfast?
Me : (after a stunned silence) No thank you, I think I'll go...

I drive away, bumping into the curb, feeling crushed by fate and the McDonald corporation...
As I get home I make myself a nice little sandwich with cold baked tofu, vegannaise, radishes and cilantro. Add in some potato chips and leave this disappointment behind (for now).

A new quilt

A new quilt is on his way, at last. It's most likely going to be a repeat of my Birthing quilt pattern, with a few minor changes  (possibly). The fabric is Wee Play (Moda), the stash I used to make the banner for the blog ( look up!). I added a few pieces from the line as I came across them while shopping elsewhere.
All the bands are cut and ready to go, I just need an hour or so of peace to get it going. We transitioned Finn from the bassinet to the crib last night and I couldn't help but feel a pinch in my heart. The baby on his end feels nothing and looks content as usual.

Back to yesterdays discussion about baby wraps... Thanks to everyone that left a comment. I have a few more questions if you'll indulge me. I ask them here this way everybody gets the answers.
1. When you say that the stretchy fabric is good only until they get heavy, how heavy do you mean? Finn is already over 13lbs.
2. Has anyone tried to use Kaffe Fassett shot cottons for this application, are they strong enough? They are really nice, and not made by slaves ( Made in India with fair trade practices).
3. If I go the woven route, can I make a seam in the middle, a French seam, and save money?

It's a wrap

Yes, it's a wrap, a Moby wrap, and it's not mine. The baby is. Finn absolutely HATES the one I made for him earlier ( a pouch sling). It looks so cute but he doesn't care. What he wants is to face the world with his legs dangering out although technically he's only three month and should not be able to hold his head straight... He doesn't see it this way and is perfectly content to hold his own if I support is torso a bit.

We both loved to visit our new friend Shauna. She let us give her Moby wrap a try. Success! the boy loved it.
After the visit I went to look for similar fabric only to realize that the only knit with this kind of texture and thickness is sold by the inch (!). It would cost me close to $100 with loads of waisted material left.
I saw that they can be made out of woven fabric too, but wouldn't they be harder to maneuver the baby in. The great advantage of this wrap is that the baby fits in quite effortlessly.
I might have to actually buy one and that bums me out. If things should come to that, I located a few mail-order companies that are actually local and run by moms, here and here.

We got mail!

Orangeflower lives! ...on Flickr, Etsy, in my heart and my mail box. How great is that?
Pretty great.indeed.

Day 8: Lime rice

My observations so far, after a week of edible pics:

1. We eat A LOT of tofu at this house.
2. I am not ready to face/quit my potato chips habit quite yet.
3. If I want to loose more baby weight I will have to either cut back on 2, or :
4. I need to exercise more than my spoon holding arm.

Day 7: Lunch at home

The French love to come home for lunch...so much so that when Thomas job moved building we sold our house and bought one about seven minutes away from the new location. Everyday week day I get a call asking when lunch will be served.Very 1950's....Except these days I don't wear an apron and can usually be found still in my pj's with a plump baby in tow.

Day 6: Fried

I actually took this photograph last Sunday. So pardon me and think of it as left-overs!
Those are Calamari rings. I like them battered much better than breaded but I can't seem to find any in the US. My dad makes them for me when I visit him and it's just the two of us. There is a strong sentimental attachment here.
 When I think of my mom in connection to food the first thing that comes to mind is dehydrated tofu! She made me eat it for years ( or so I remember ). Recently she told me that she hates it too... It quite unfair to think of her that way, as she also bakes clafoutis and is capable of making dust edible when the fridge and pantries are completely devoid of food.
As I breastfeed Finn everyday, and even more so in the beginning during the very painful phase, I pause to appreciate my mom and the milk she shared with me.
Good times!

Day 5: a bowl of weeds

 

Did you know you can eat young dandelions? You hear me, the weeds that colonize your lawn. If you're (un-)fortunate enough to have a good supply growing in your backyard, you can control weeds and gather lunch at the same time. It takes a while though to get a sufficient harvest to feed a family of four, but for a date you should have some time left to sauté the scallops perched on top.
Only the tiny young leaves are edible ( chickens will eat any parts). They have a slightly bitter taste which makes them a good choice to mix with other greens too. I think they come from the same plant family as chicory.
After harvesting, the leaves need to be washed very thoroughly as they have a tendency to hide little grains of dirt everywhere.
The dressing recipe is about 1Tbsp of Dijon mustard, 2Tbps of Balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup of olive oil, salt and pepper. As you add the ingredients in this order, mix them well together.
Enjoy!

Disclaimer: In case you are still wondering if I went odd during the night I would just like to add that this is considered a delicacy in France.