belle epoque

I finished HMB’s Waldorf rag doll over a month ago, but then she was without wardrobe for another month, and now she is dressed but for shoes, so I’ll show her to you!

Her pinafore is reversible and serves as a summer top with her little pants

As HMB’s favorite state for herself and her dolls is “neekit! neekit!” I’m guessing this doll’s clothes won’t stay on for very long, but one day perhaps she will enjoy dressing as well as undressing her. I used Maricristin Sealy’s book Making Waldorf Dolls for this one, and there is a lot I am not happy about. Her head is not round enough (which is my fault, and I need more practice with doll heads), but the body proportions are also off– the arms much too short and the legs too long, which is the fault of the pattern. The clothing patterns were also very weird and sized funny, and I was only happy after I had tweaked them beyond recognition. While the book is a huge wealth of information on doll making of this kind, I’ve been frustrated/unsatisfied with a lot of what I’ve made from it. Another mom at one of our Waldorf classes recommended getting a pattern/kit from Joy’s Waldorf Dolls (which is sadly closing due to retirement), so I have one for a 16″ doll waiting in the wings for another time. I also got some of my supplies from Weir Dolls, and they are lovely–their wig-making pamphlet is terrific, and I might try one of their patterns or kits one day as well, assuming my girl(s) are interested in rag dolls for a few more years.

Since the days are getting colder and holiday gift season approaches, I also thought I would share my recipe for gourmet hot cocoa mix. I’m sort of a snob about hot chocolate and have been ever since I had my first sip of French hot chocolate at Payard in NYC–made with cream and melted chocolate, it forever severed my ties to watery Swiss Miss or even homemade Hershey’s. These days, my favorite place to spend non-toddler alone time in San Francisco is Bittersweet, a local chocolate cafe. Their hot chocolate is delicious and everything else about the place is just lovely. But there are days when I don’t feel like coffee in the morning, and afternoons when, if we make it out the door at all, it will be to go to the park with no stopping for a treat for mommy. For those days, I need a stash of good cocoa at home. I think ounce for ounce this recipe is a LOT cheaper than comparable cocoa mix from Vosages, which is my favorite of the gourmet varieties I’ve tried. Of course it is a lot more effort than microwaving some water and pouring in a packet, but the taste difference is incomparable.

Gourmet Cocoa
small (1/4 lb?) block of bittersweet or semi sweet chocolate (I get reasonable Ghirardelli from Trader Joe’s)
1/2 c good unsweetened cocoa powder- I like Droste. Do not use Hershey’s, it tastes awful.
1/2 c Sugar (superfine is best, but anything that isn’t fake will do)
A tin for storage
Chop 1/2 cup of the chocolate relatively fine (just pop the bits in your measuring cup as you go, and when you have 1/2 cup stop chopping and save the rest of the block for later)–a few chunks can be the size of chocolate chips, but you want most of it to be more like little slivers so it will melt easily. Pour the chocolate chunks, cocoa and sugar in the tin, shut the tin tightly and shake to combine.

Preparation
12 oz whole milk (it is fine with low fat or skim milk but if you really want to go gourmet, make it with whole milk, or add some 1/2&1/2 or cream to your lower fat milk)
1/4 cup cocoa mix
Frother if you have one
Pour your milk into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Keep an eye on it! The minute it begins to boil, throw in the cocoa, turn off the heat and whisk until you are sure most of the chocolate chunks have melted. If you have an aerolatte or frother, go ahead and whip it in the sauce pan to get a nice frothy chocolate top and ensure good chocolate meltage. It will be scorching hot, so if you have some vanilla ice cream or cold whipped cream to put on top, go for it, you’ll be able to drink it sooner without burning your tongue.

If you have a fancy jar or tin, you could make a batch for a cocoa-loving friend as a holiday or hostess gift, along with preparation instructions, a cute mug, and if you’re feeling extra-generous, a frother.

I’ve been hearing about a lot of neat stuff happening here in/around San Francisco that I wanted to share with my fellow Bay Area crafters.

First of all, did you know that Stitches West is coming up this weekend? Yep– from Friday to Sunday at The Santa Clara Convention Center. Urban Fauna Studio will be there! If you live around here and like yarn and fiber, Santa Clara is the place to be this weekend.

And secondly: not sure where I’ve been, but it turns out that CCA offers fantastic extended education courses. When HMB is in school (I know, it is a few years away but you gotta plan ahead), I would love to take a bunch of their classes. There are so many artsy, crafty things I’d love to learn and CCA is one of those places I always fantasized about going– I went to a few shows there when a good friend was in the MFA program and I liked pretending I was one of the students. Anyway, they have a few courses coming up that might be of interest specifically for crafters:
Glass on Metal: Basic Enameling March 14 &15 from 9:30am-4:30pm.

Selling & Marketing Your Crafts workshop, on Saturday April 4th, from 10am-4om. I’ve dabbled, as some of you may remember, in selling my crafty wares and I really had no idea what I was doing. I wish I’d attended something like this first!

Sorry for the text-heavy post! I’ll be back with some pictures soon…

Whoo! We had a surprise broken bone and some surgery chez belleepoque in the past ten days. Thank goodness the invalid is pretty much fine now, but it sure put a wrench in the delicate works of keeping up with NaNoWriMo, crafting, blogging and a ridiculously mobile almost-9-month-old (man, that kid is into EVERYTHING). Anyhow, I’m not here to complain. I’m here to tell you about TWO EXCITING THINGS
1. I am participating in the Cotton Spice Last Minute Gift Countdown again this year, so on the 23rd look for a pattern and tutorial for this guy posted here and over there

2. I am also honored to participate in the San Francisco Bazaar Bizarre again this year! On November 30 at 3:00 pmI’ll be teaching a demo on making this guy

If you are in the Bay Area and want to come, please head over to the site to find registration information. The demo costs $7 but includes a kit with everything you need to make two penguins, and even turn them into tree ornaments if you like! If there are leftover kits I will put them in my etsy shop for those of you who aren’t local but want to make one anyway.

I can’t believe it is almost December. Where the heck did 2008 go?! Ok, back to catching up on my NaNo wordcount while HMB is taking a nap. This kid doesn’t like to sleep so I have to make the most of every second!

You guys know all about The Toy Society right? A totally fun and brilliant idea, and when I read about it on Jodie’s blog I knew I had to get involved. So, I wrote an e-mail asking if it was an invitation-only sort of thing or if someone like me could just ask and be accepted. I got a sweet reply inviting me to go ahead and jump in!

One of the UFOs in my pile was a a Wee Bunny, all cut out and ready to be sewn and stuffed. HMB is lucky enough to have a fabulous Wee Bunny given to her by Bethany, so this one was sadly without a recipient. Perfect for my first Toy Society drop! I put extra love in all the stitching since it was going out into the world alone to find a home

And this morning, a truly beautiful San Francisco morning, HMB and I went to our favorite park to drop it off- I hope it brings a smile to whoever finds it

Dropped: Alta Plaza Park, San Francisco, California, USA
Number of Toys: 1
Made by: Nancy, using a pattern by Hillary
When: October 8
Dropped by: Me- Nancy

I want to do this again and again! It is so fun. I have another UFO softie of my own design in that pile that I think is destined to go to another San Francisco park. Maybe HMB and I can do a little tour de parc around the city, dropping toys as we go!

Another reason to be happy about returning to San Francisco? Being here for the opening of Jamie’s new store and craft studio, Urban Fauna Studio. You can get a sneak peek at the glory and goodness that will be there by clicking the photo below

photo courtesy of Jamie
If you live in the Bay Area, it will be more than worth your while to be at the opening:
Urban Fauna Studio
Fiber Boutique & Craft Studio
Grand Opening: Saturday, August 30
1311 16th Avenue (between Irving and Judah)
San Francisco, CA 94122
Ph. 415-664-1267 Store Hours. Friday – Monday 10-6:30 PM and by appointment
And the goodies? Major:
Demos for Needle Felting, Weaving on Mini Looms, Spinning and Pom Pom Making.
Goodie bags filled with samples and treats for the first 75 customers who spend $10 or more–donors include: Interweave Press, Sublime Stitching, Vermont Organic Yarn Company, Monkey Sock Monkey, Red Sheep (an exclusive knit pattern written for UFS!), Fishcakes, Artgirlz, Girl On The Rocks and more!
A Gift Basket Raffle!
Free cupcakes and treats for our visitors!
Free 15% off coupon to all our mailing list subscribers.

I’ve been a big fan of Jamie’s since I met her before Maker Faire 2007. She is an incredibly talented person who caps it all off by being super productive as well! Not only does she make beautiful hand-dyed roving and divine yarns, she’s the mastermind behind Bizarre Bazaar San Francisco and Indie Craft Gossip, not to mention an incredibly nice person. I’m looking forward to supporting her creativity and incentive by shopping at Urban Fauna Studio, and I hope to see you there too!

I realise that in many places in the northern hemisphere, the air is crisp, cool and smelling of apples. Maybe it is raining and leaves are already changing colors. Here in San Francisco? We’re just starting to get some summery weather! I’ve been taking advantage of it by having my coffee and breakfast in the park nearby early in the morning. When I get there, the moon is still in the sky

but rosy sunlight is making its way across the city

and the fog is curling out of the bay to make way for a warm, sunny day

I sit on a little bench in the sunlight, sipping, munching, reading and visiting with all the dogs who wander by on their morning constitutionals. It gives me just the right boost to go home and wrap up dishes, plates and vases and pack them away in boxes for our move next week!

I did get a chance to start on my purl rabbit too! Because tiny seam allowances stress me out (I know, 1/4 inch isn’t tiny to most people, but it is to me!), I followed the advice in the purl frog instructions and traced the pieces, then stitched around them while they were still part of a larger piece of fabric and cut them out once stitched.

I’ve got the little legs all stuffed and hopefully will finish the rest of the rabbit sometime tomorrow!

I also wanted to say thank you for your nice comments on my Monday post– every single one made me smile.

We were at the beach for the beginning of the weekend, where I played with roving and felting needles, resulting in this little fellow

Still not sure if he’s felted together enough, but I find him so cute I can hardly stand it. I just want to put him in my pocket and take him everywhere, but I’m afraid I might start talking to him in public and become a crazy felt mouse lady. So he’ll just stay on my desk to keep me company.

The weather was rather grim at the beach so we headed home in time for me to go to the Capsule Design Festival today with Camilla, Brian and Meghan.  What an overwhelming amount of seriously cool and creative independent design! There was so much to take in that I was unable to concentrate on anything for more than a few seconds. A few highlights include Donna Lou’s feminine, flirty dresses and tops, Random Nicole’s whimsical screen-printed and appliqued tees and sweats, and Vivi Dot’s sweet button accessories. As an added bonus, I got the chance to chat with the always-charming Nicole of Queen Puff Puff, and meet Deborah of Chic Cosas!

See how cute they are? And can you tell how cold it is?

Meghan and I wandered our way up to Doe after the festival, and oohed and ahhed over all the pretty cleverness there, and now I’m home, making the Chicken Tikka Masala that Alicia talked about the other day. It is my favorite Indian Restaurant dish, so I’m super excited to have a recipe I can try at home! I’ll let you know how it goes…

San Francisco seems to be asserting that it is just as worthy of adulation as any other city (ahem, London) could possibly be.  Well-played, San Francisco (click if you want to see fan dancers and what is growing in Yerba Buena Garden)

I met the lovely Nancy for breakfast, where a total stranger sitting next to us interrupted our conversation to compliment my dress, and say, “I thought it was Diane von Furstenberg” when I told her I  made it. Yay for the little wrap dress that could!

So, that was the winning some. The losing some? Two frustratingly not-quite-right articles of clothing. One of which I knew wasn’t right halfway through but I couldn’t stop myself finishing it

Cries out “Mrs. Roper,” no? It is from a very cute Built by You pattern that everyone seems to be making (my favorite so far is Linda’s with the super lemon pockets). But I didn’t have enough fabric for the version I wanted to do, so I did this one, in this fabric. And, meh. There is a lot to be said for only buying and using fabric that you love, because then things like this won’t happen, because even if the shape is wrong, at least you love the fabric, right?

In terms of loving the fabric and the shape being wrong, I experienced that today too (two for two!)

This was a muslin for a skirt pattern I was considering for the Liberty fabric. But I’ve consigned it to the bin (the pattern, not the skirt), because the shape is unflattering– I had to take numerous pictures and pose in all sorts of funny ways to get the one you see above (lest you think “but it looks fine!”). I do love the fabric though, and I learned a wonderful, new-to-me invisible zipper technique courtesy of Diva Els of The Sewing Divas that worked like a charm! No weird bubble at the bottom! I see many more invisible zips in my future…

And tomorrow is another day. I have the perfect fabric (and enough of it) to make the version of the dress that I originally intended, and some lightweight denim to attempt a pair of trousers from Sew U. While I have had some success with simple trouser patterns, I think I am ready to climb the mountain that is jeans-style trousers with proper pockets and a front fly. Onward!

Not much crafty going on around here the past few days!  I’ve been doing eminently productive but unphotogenic spring cleaning- lugging bags to the charity shop, and the trash.

But my wonderful husband got me a thrilling brand new camera that has all kinds of amazing features that are crying out to be used. Plus some of you, I know, are in places where spring is not behaving properly, so I went out on a walk and took pictures for you. Click on the picture below to pop over to the flickr set and browse around if you need a little dose of sunshine!

I plan to wear my tulip dress to a special dinner at Boulette’s Larder tonight. Inspired by Nancy’s news about the big bead expo, I broke out my jewelry supplies and made a pair of earrings to go with my outfit. And then made a few more…

Strawberries to go with dress, and oranges because oranges are great.

And some shell shoulder dusters, because once I got started I couldn’t stop. I definitely have more earrings than I wear, so the oranges and the shells will likely make their way up on to etsy sometime soon!

And because the macro feature on the new camera is so wonderful, a wee garden update. There are new colors of nasturtiums blooming every day:

bright yellow with a deep red center, and I’m waiting impatiently for this one, which looks like it will be a scarlet stunner:

Whew! That’s enough for now–I hoped to have time to make a little bag to go with my dress (it strikes me as a dress that can stand some matchy-matchy), but I may not get around to it…

And oh! I almost forgot– the amazing Emily of The Black Apple has started a new blog to track her outfits and clothing loves. I adore her mod-victorian-bohemian aesthetic, so I’ll be visiting as often as she updates! Do check it out.

Happy Weekend Friends!

On Friday Nancy and I had a lovely wandery day together eating, drinking and looking at pretty things. Our original mission was to visit the new Miette Confiserie in Hayes Valley. Nancy had read a glowing write-up and was determined to see it in person. It was as divine as promised. Outside? A stripey awning and a flowering cherry tree

Inside?

Sweet, sugary, pastel heaven! Nancy proclaimed the color scheme to be “Totally Nancy”- I know it is confusing, but she meant me, I think, not herself. The moldings on the walls were a perfect muted minty-green and the wallpaper?

Just this side of Art Nouveau and William Morris, perfect. And do you see the sweet illustration of dresses and skirts? Truly I could live at this candy store.

We also made our way over to the Mission where we met up with Camilla and shopped for jewelry bits and pieces at Beadissimo (you’ll see the result of that soon). Eventually we were all shopped out and stopped for refreshment and chatter at Que Tal

A perfect end to a happy spring afternnon!