The cake turned out beautifully, and it was delicious! It was moist and smooth and creamy. Going along with the beach theme, the cake topper is a groom carrying his bride over the sand.
More than two years ago my sister asked me if I would make her wedding cake. At the time, Goen wasn't even an idea, and I enthusiastically said "yes." Although I was involved in the planning of the cake, I was unable to help out with its creation as much as I had intended. Circumstances being what they are, I spent those five days as a single parent. My sisters Annie and Kristin did all of the mixing, baking, frosting, and chocolate drizzling. I did help by finding this delicious recipe, shopping for the ingredients, giving input, dipping strawberries in melted chocolate, trimming the layers to flatten them, and assembling some of the cake before it was brought out. It sounds like a lot, but, compared to everything that needed to be done, it was very little. Here, Kristin is mixing up the batter for one of the batches of red velvet cake. Since she wanted three layers, 6 inches, 8 inches, and 10 inches, and the recipe only made two 9 inch cakes, we had to triple it in order to have enough. Of course, we didn't need all of the third batch so we made red velvet cupcakes, which we (mostly I) ate as we (mostly they) made the cake. Instead of red food coloring, we used red velvet emulsion (like the professionals use). The recipe includes a filling/frosting made with cream cheese and mascarpone cheese. It is a whipped-like frosting that is light and not too sweet. Just watch out that you do not beat the frosting too much or the heavy whipping cream will separate and you will get butter (not that we did that...). Annie rehydrates during a grueling baking session. She helped out a lot. She watches Cake Boss, so she was whipping up the cake like a pro. Annie managed the whole baking operation and made sure that Kristin and I were doing what needed to get done. Fresh California strawberries straight from the fields of Oxnard. Yum! We selected a bunch of these to go on and around the cakes, but first we dipped them in chocolate. Kristin is washing and prepping the strawberries for dipping them in chocolate. I helped with the dipping so there are no pictures of that, but you can see the results in the final pictures. We used Wilton's melting chocolate pieces, but we added a bit of crisco (as recommended by this tutorial). Make sure the strawberries are dry before dipping them or you will end up with clumpy chocolate (not that this happened to us...). I didn't get any pictures of frosting the cake, but we basically followed this tutorial showing how to do a crumb coat before doing the rest of the frosting. I also missed out on the chocolate drizzle because of a nap, but this tutorial does a good job of explaining and showing how to do a nice and neat drizzle. My sister preferred something a little less "perfect" so she opted for drizzling with a spoon. The cake turned out beautifully, and it was delicious! It was moist and smooth and creamy. Going along with the beach theme, the cake topper is a groom carrying his bride over the sand. Wedding Week is officially half over. I hope you have enjoyed it so far. But there is still lots more to come. Tomorrow's post is all about the bouquet.
0 Comments
I am very excited about this second installment of the Wedding Week series. I created my own way to embroider with thick yarn, and it turned out great! Keep reading to find out how to do some of your own. My sister and her husband already had many of the things that are usually given to couples when they marry, so I had to get creative for their wedding gift. After thinking and searching for the perfect idea, I chanced upon a picture of a pillow from Pottery Barn that I thought they would like. I wasn't sure how it was made, but I set about recreating it and putting my own stamp on it. Today I will share a tutorial on what I came up with. Yarn-Embroidered Applique Tutorial: I made two pillow covers and two starfish appliques. I learned a lot from the first starfish that I was able to use to make the second one better and easier to make. The tutorial below includes pictures from both, which may cause the images to appear out of sync with the directions. When this happens, follow the direction rather than the image. Supplies: Roc-Lon unbleached Osnaburg fabric Quilting/embroidery hoop bigger than design Wool-ease thick 'n' quick yarn Sugar 'n' cream yarn Crochet thread Tapestry needle Small disc beads (about 5-6 mm) Sewing needle and thread Put the base/utility fabric in the hoop so it is taut but not tight. Lay the stencil on the fabric and trace around it with chalk or other removable or disappearing drawing implement (if all goes well, you shouldn't be able to see your outline at the end so pencil is fine if that's all you have). Create a stencil either by freehand or by tracing an image the size you want the finished applique to be. One way to do this is to find an image online that has the shape you want, copy it into a photo editor, resize it if desired, and trace it onto thin paper laid over the computer screen (note: the maximum size of your design is limited by screen size, unless you want to scroll around and try to match up lines). Thread your tapestry needle with a length of sugar 'n' cream yarn. You can knot the end or leave a tail and stitch it down later. Place the tip of your needle about equidistant from the point of one arm and its two sides. Once you have found this spot, move your needle a little bit closer to the tip (about 1/4" or less). Spread the threads of the fabric with the needle to mark it. Bring the needle up from the back of the fabric at this spot. Do an oyster stitch towards the center. I did six stitches for mine, but the number of stitches depends on the stitch length. The last stitch should be about a half inch from the center of the starfish. Thread your tapestry needle with a length of wool-ease yarn. Knot the end or leave a tail to stitch down later. Make a single straight stitch between every bead along the arms. Rethreading your needle as necessary, do a line of straight stitches right beside the lines of beads. To do this, start half a stitch length below (towards the center) the first line of stitches between the beads. Refer to the next image for clarification. Bring the needle up and then reinsert it next to the halfway point of the nearest stitch. Bring the needle back up a short distance away along the stitch line so that there are one or two fabric threads between the stitches. Continue this pattern. Each stitch should go from the center of one stitch to the center of the next stitch all around the arms. Once there are two solid lines of straight stitches, fill in the crook of each arm using a variation of the fishbone stitch. For mine, I started at the smallest point and went wider, but the slight overlap of close stitches is the same. Resume straight stitches until you reach the outline for your design. Once you have completed the straight stitches, it is time to fill in the center. I left it open so I could add a more textural element, but you could just as easily continue the straight stitches into the center. Using sugar 'n' cream yarn, make straight stitches from the tip of each arm of the empty space to a point just short of the center. Make the stitches close together so that they overlap each other and create a raised design. Repeat for the rest of the open space. Here is what a finished starfish should look like. If you are using a large quilting hoop, you may want to do the second design (if you are planning more than one) before cutting out the starfish in order to waste less fabric. Cut out around each shape leaving about 1/2" fabric border. Clip the base fabric in two places (as shown) for each of the curved spaces between arms. The clips should allow the fabric to be turned under without reshaping the piece. Aim the scissors for a place between stitches rather than where the yarn goes into the fabric. Fold the border fabric under completely and stitch it down using a running stitch, backstitch, or other tacking stitch. The backing should be completely invisible from the front when you are done (see below). Here is a finished starfish as seen from the right side. Almost none of the base fabric is visible. With a pillow form in a finished pillow cover (I followed this tutorial for my simple envelope back pillow cover), place the applique where you want it. Carefully pin it through only the pillow cover layer. Alternatively, you can just position the design in the center and not worry about having the pillow in the cover. Once you have the applique where you want it, take the pillow form out and stitch down the applique using a running stitch, backstitch, or other tacking stitch. Go for the matching look and make a second pillow or go for a more eclectic look and just have one. Either way, you will get "ooohs" and "ahhhs" from everyone who sees your handiwork. If you use this tutorial to make something of your own, please share it in the comments. And don't hesitate to ask for clarification or advice. Happy stitching!
The first installment of the Wedding Week posts is all about the card. I thought about making a traditional card, but decided on something more interesting, more enduring, and more useful. This card is essentially a booklet of blank pages that can be used for different purposes. It can be used as a journal of the couple's first married months, a mini scrapbook, or a place to write love notes. Since I was unable to take many pictures of the process, I have included some links to other helpful tutorials. Booklet Card Tutorial: 1. Decide on the size you want the finished card to be. Double the width and add 1/4" for the spine. Measure and cut a piece of cardstock using these dimensions. 2. On the inside of the spine, mark lightly with pencil where the spine will be and fold. Use a ruler if necessary. Erase the pencil marks. 3. Cut (or tear using a straight edge) sheets of blank paper to the same size as the cardstock minus a quarter inch. Put the lengths of paper into groups of five and fold them in half. Make three of these. 4. Create a template for punching holes in the pages and spine by cutting a strip of paper to the same height as the cardstock. Put a mark 1/2" from the top and bottom. Put two more marks spaced evenly between these. 5. Put the template near the crease of the top page of the first stack of pages. Use a pointed tool to poke holes in the fold at each point marked on the template. Repeat for the other two stacks of pages. 6. Line the template up with the center of the spine on the cardstock. Punch the holes as before. Place the template halfway between this line of holes and one crease in the spine. Punch the holes. Repeat on the other side of the first line of holes. 7. Use this tutorial that uses three holes or this tutorial that uses five holes as a guide for stitching the pages to the spine. You can even add beads while stitching to give it a little more color and texture. 8. Embellish the front with felt hearts, paper punches/cutouts, or some other decoration. I used sticky tack so they can be removed and replaced with a title of the couple's choosing. 9. On the inside cover, add a page for good wishes for the couple. This can be a poem, song, personal note, or picture. Use blank paper for the words/image and a matching or complementary paper for behind it. Again, I used sticky tack so they could make the booklet their own. If you make this project, or something similar, feel free to link to it in the comments. I enjoy seeing other interpretations of the same idea. And don't forget to stop by tomorrow for a look at the gift.
My younger sister Kristin got married a couple weeks ago, so I have a special series of posts to share. Starting tomorrow, there will be a post every day this week, each one focusing on a handmade item included in the event. There were so many pieces of the wedding and reception that were handmade I could have done a whole month of daily posts. To keep myself sane, I rounded it down to the basics. Here is the lineup:
Day 1 - the card Day 2 - the gift Day 3 - the cake Day 4 - the bouquet Day 5 - the dress And on Saturday, to wrap it all up, I will share a few pictures of the whole event and how it all came together. It was a Southern California beach wedding, so there will be lots of pretty pictures. Join me as I celebrate the joining of two people in love. Update: Now that Wedding Week is over, I have included the link to each of the individual posts. Just click on the ones you want to see. Enjoy! I have really gotten excited about the Getting Stuffed series of posts, and it shows in my recent production of stuffed animals. I have several in the works right now, but here is one that I have already finished: a (mostly) hand-stitched felt bird. I got the pattern pieces out of this book I got from the library. Soft Animals A to Z by Carolyn Vosburg Hall is full of lifelike versions of stuffed animals. Some are the usual farm variety, but many are less common (including a xiphosura). It is definitely worth checking out if you like the realistic look for stuffed toys. Here is the book's version of the bird I decided to make. I didn't have the same colors of felt on hand so I used different colors. I had light blue and aqua that looked nice together and I used off-white just like in the picture. I made a few small changes for my bird which I will talk about below. Here is the body all stitched up according to the pattern instructions. There is my needle, hard at work. I didn't realize how long it would take to hand stitch. The thickness of the felt does not lend itself to the down, up, and pull through motion. Instead, I had to take my needle down, pull through, bring my needle up, pull through, and on and on. But, it was a nice easy rhythm for quiet nap time sewing. Here is a view from below. The wings and tail are the only parts that have machine stitching. The book called for a machine stitched embroidery design using a small zig zag stitch, and that is just what I did. I freehanded my design rather than tracing lines. The two wings look slightly different from each other, but the color of the thread matches so well that it is hardly noticeable. Not bad for "winging it." The tail feathers are machine stitched with simple straight lines using a short stitch length. As before, I didn't draw lines on the felt, preferring to just look at the design in the book and go for it. The pattern called for making wire legs. But, since this is meant as a toy for a toddler, I opted for felt feet. I put my finger on the bird where I wanted the feet to gauge the size to cut. Once I had a general idea, I cut the first felt foot freehand. When I had the shape I wanted, I used to first foot as a template to cut out the second. After I finished the bird's body and sewed on the wings, I placed the feet on the belly and stitched them on with embroidery floss. I used three strands of brown floss to match the feet. Starting at the back of the foot, I used a straight stitch to each of the three front toes and then one shorter one to the back toe. Using the same brown floss, I stitched the eye embroidery. Instead of plastic eyes, I satin stitched over a tiny circle of felt using black floss. Of course, once I made the bird, I realized that I needed to make him a perch. But that's a tutorial for another day...
Alone time is a rare and precious thing for me. Because of certain parenting choices I have made (such as co-sleeping and continued breastfeeding), I spend very little time away from Goen. At least once a week, though, his papa takes him on an outing to the grocery store, the park, or other errands. Since getting out of the house with a baby can be such a challenge, I generally stay at home or close by. So a trip to the store or the park can be an enticing proposition. I am often torn between getting myself out of the house, too, and staying home to get things done. But, as I said, being alone, even for a short time, is precious. So, I generally choose to stay at home. Then, a couple days ago, I had the most beautiful day. David walked into the kitchen while I was doing dishes and told me that he had made plans to visit his sister with Goen. His plan didn't include me. "That can change," he said. "You can come along if you want." I thought about it for a moment and decided that I would rather stay at home. My project board is quite full, as you know. It's a 20-minute drive each way, so I had a guaranteed hour, even if things went downhill fast. I can get a lot done in an hour. And so I stayed. And worked. And worked. Time passed. First one hour, then two. Somewhere around the third hour I started to get worried, but I had so much to keep me busy that I kept right on going, checking my phone every once in a while just in case. Finally, after four and a half hours, they returned. They had gone to David's sister's house, then to Trader Joe's (for a quick snack at the tasting counter and bit of half and half), and then to the park. Most times when I hear the garage door open (the signal of their return) I get really anxious about how little I accomplished and about cleaning everything up before little hands come in. But this time was different. They were gone so long that I felt satisfied with my progress on each project I worked on. And for the rest of the week I felt better able to handle the challenges and frustrations of being a mama to a toddler. It was a wonderful feeling. One I hope is repeated in the coming weeks, while long summer days are still plentiful.
|
Carley Biblin
Hi. My name is Carley. I love to sew, craft, and create. As a Jane-of all-crafts so to speak, I enjoy sewing, writing, cooking, drawing, photographing. But the constant thread (if you'll excuse the pun) throughout my weeks is needle arts. Archives
January 2017
Categories
All
|