Sharing my thoughts on sewing, crafting, recycling and life as someone who makes stuff (mostly messy stuff).
This past week was little ones first ever ballet performance, she rocked the house for about 5 minutes of a 2 hour long performance. My dad (aka Papa Ho Ho to my girls) came down in his gig outfit and cause a bit of a ruckus.
Craftland Show is an annual holiday sale in downtown Providence, RI that celebrates all kinds of sparkly handmade objects and the people who make them.
DATES: December 4 - 31
HOURS: Seven days a week 10am - 6pm
Open late: Thursdays and Saturdays 10am - 8pmLOCATION: 235 Westminster St Providence RI 02903
CONTACT: 401.272.4285 or info@craftlandshow.comCheck out their blog for our exciting news, artist interviews, updates and more!
Are you familiar with the amazing quilts done in Gee's Bend Alabama? My students and I studied the work of these creative and industrious women; discussing their motivation, their utilitarian quilts, and their fame, ultimately the quilts ended up in museums across the county.
Most of the kids had never sewed. I decided we would create a string pieced log cabin styled block on a muslin foundation. Pretty easy and if their stitches got a bit too big the foundation would sturdy it all up.
Start with a center block and a second piece that is the same length as one side.
Flip open the first seam and press, then add the third piece , which should be long enough to catch the raw edges of the first two pieces. (Notice my students used the selvage, I told them to remove it but most missed that part).
Add a fourth and continue around the block until you reach the edge of the foundation piece.
1. Slice up Apples or other fruit, add 1/2 cup water and place in a large pot. *
2. Usa a pot with a tight lid. *
3. Set you stove to LOW. *
4. Cook until soft, use a fork to check tenderness and to aid in mashing the fruit. *
5. Keep cooking until fruit disintergrates. *
6. Set up your food mill. If you don't have food mill you will need to do more prep work, peeling and seeding fruit. *
7. Most food mills need a bowl to catch the peelings and the seeds and a bowl to catch the puree. *
8. Slowly spoon the hot fruit into the hooper of the food mill. *
9. Return puree to your pot (add the seeds and peelings to your compose pile). Add about 1/2 -1 cup of sweetener (personal choice but even a little sugar will vastly sweeten the fruit leather). I was working with about 8 cups of puree. Cook on LOW for another half hour. *
10. Allow the fruit puree to cool slightly. Cover your dehydrator tray with plastic wrap, parchment paper or a teflon sheet. *
11. Spoon fruit puree onto the covered sheet. *
12. Smooth the fruit puree out until it is approx 1/8 inch thick. I drop the pan lightly to help smooth out the puree. *
13. Put the puree into your dehydrator, start checking after 4 hours. If you don't have a dehydratoy you can use your oven (plastic wrap will melt, protect the pan with teflon or parchment) on the lowest heat or if you have a gas oven you might just be able to leave it in the oven overnight. *
14. Fruit leather is done when the top is firm but slightly tacky. Use a pizza cutter or clean scissors to make strips. Roll the strips up so you can slide them more easily into snack containers. Store in an airtight container. *
This tutorial is a bit late in the making. This fruit leather has been eaten and more has been made since.
* Image Details.
These crazy little guys are snittens, I started making them last year from mittens.
Back Cap
Pretty covered button.
The Call
VSA arts of Georgia seeks artists with and without disabilities to participate in our 2009 Holiday Art Sale. The sale is an opportunity to sell your work in a prime retail location in Downtown Atlanta at the height of the shopping year. The sale is one of two annual fundraising events for the organization; our mission is to provide access to the arts for Georgians with disabilities and with low income.
