tiny happy

Some late-summer things…

Keira and I went blackberry-picking in the wilder parts of our neighbourhood. It was hot and the cicadas and bees were out in full force. A proper late summer Sunday morning. Blackberry plants are not a good addition to our neighbourhood – they spread their tangly branches over native seedlings and multiply easily in most conditions but especially along stream edges and wetlands. They're definitely an invasive species, so we have mixed feelings about enjoying the berries so much when they're ripe!

I added some of the berries to plum jam, and with the rest, I baked a galette, bolstering the berries with stonefruit slices.

Here's how I made it. Of course, you could replace the berries with any type and fruit with crisp apples if it's not summer where you are.

p.s. this is my all-time favourite pastry recipe. I use it for everything – savoury and sweet and it's the simplest thing ever!

Blackberry galette

5-6 peaches, plums, apricots (or other fruit)

a good handful of blackcurrants (or other berries)

75 grams cold butter, chopped into smallish pieces

1 1/2 cups plain flour

pinch of salt

1/2 cup cold milk

1 tablespoon white vinegar

First, make the pastry by placing the cold, cubed butter into a food processor with the flour and salt. Pulse until the butter is as small as breadcrumbs. Meanwhile, add the vinegar to the milk and let stand for a couple of minutes. Then slowly add the milk mixture to the flour and pulse until the pastry forms a ball. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead lightly. Set aside to rest for a minute. (If you don't have a food processor, you can do this by hand by rubbing in the butter with your fingers, and stirring through the soured milk).

Slice the stonefruit roughly. Roll the pastry out thinly so it will cover your baking tray with extra hanging over the edge. Sprinkle the tray with flour then place the sheet of thin pastry on top. Pile the stonefruit slices into the middle, scatter the berries on top then simply fold the excess pastry around the apples to form an open sort of pie. Brush the pastry folds with milk. Bake at 200 degrees Celcius for about 15-20 minutes or until golden.

Once baked, transfer onto a wooden board and cut into slices and serve with yoghurt, cream or icecream. My family likes to eat this cold for breakfast!

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Somewhat related (in colour, at least), I also made a late-summer dress from some drapey rayon crepe. The pattern is the famous McCalls #7969 and I worked some free-form embroidery down the front edges of the bodice. I really enjoyed making it! Haven't had many occasions to wear it yet, of course… but hopefully one day I will get the chance. I did wear it to a friend's birthday dinner and night out at the art gallery, soaking up the Hilma of Klint exhibition. Actually, that was a month ago, but I'm still thinking about those paintings.

And lastly, I've popped in a photo of a knitting project-in-progress. I've actually just now finished it, so will share in my next post. But wanted to show you the beautiful project bag I'm using – it was a gift from Elizabeth Barnett, featuring her gorgeous embroidery.

I hope you are doing very well, my friends. Thank you as always for visiting me here.

Melissa XX

We recently packed the kids into the car, jumped on the ferry and drove all the way down the South Island. Arlo's off to university! Before we left him there (cue excitement but also sobs from me) we explored his new city a bit: cafes, bars, parks, etc. So many great spots? The photo with the big lightshades was snapped at Morning Magpie, an excellent spot where we all had breakfast together on the last morning. The beautiful roses above were at Timaru Gardens, on the way home. And the stripy pair of handknit socks was a little goodbye gift to him from me.

I used a classic sock pattern and some self-striping yarn I've had for a long time – Stray Cat Socks yarn in the 'brass tacks' colourway. On the way home there was plenty of time for crochet. Still working on those granny squares for a dream blanket, maybe to be completed sometime in the next few years!

The car trip provided a good opportunity to listen to the kids' music but one album we can all agree to listen to with equal enthusiasm is the new Big Thief – Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You which is a beauty. 

The world beyond our own family feels complicated and heavy, even more so this past week. Sending love your way,

Melissa X

Kia ora! 

These February days are feeling decidedly "late-summer" in nature (current rainstorm notwithstanding) but looking at this week's photos, mid-summer is still shining through. 

Here are a few more projects and snaps to share with you and hopefully bring a warm breeze through the screen!

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In the first photos, you can see a silk dress I sewed up at the end of last year. We had a wedding to attend in the new year, and I knew it would probably be a hit day – so I made a really loose-fitting and airy dress from a self-drafted pattern. The fabric from The Fabric Store is a sheer crinkled silk – tricky to sew with but lovely and light. I wore it over a black silk slip I sewed last year. My kind sister-in-law sent through the photo of me at the wedding – cheers Gemma!

I've also included faded hydrangeas spotted on a recent walk around the neighbourhood – they're so beautiful at this time of year – papery and almost hand-dyed looking. And a pic of some chocolate brownies I made from a new cookbook I bought Tom for Christmas. It's Nigel Slater's A Cook's Book – a beautiful read if you can find it at your local bookshop or library. The brownies themselves are delicious, especially the next day – you can find his popular recipe here. 

Despite having more than a few projects on the go already, I've cast on for a new cardigan – I'm going to make the Sky Cardi by Carrie Bostick Hoge (Ravelry link here), a pattern in Making magazine issue #5. I'm using Zealana Kiwi yarn which is a combo of merino, possum and cotton and I'm hoping the result will be a lightweight cardigan that will be super useful for work over dresses.

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Are you reading or listening to anything interesting at the moment? I'm enjoying reading Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell and My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout currently.

Through the headphones, I've loved listening to the sweet and soulful voice of Emma Donovan this past week – especially this song. And in the evenings, Tom and I have been watching Succession – dark and funny!

I hope this finds you very well and keeping safe and healthy.

Melissa X

While I love the idea of a full-scale home bottling operation in the summer, like my Mum used to set up when I was a kid, city life here in Wellington doesn't really necessitate a store cupboard filled with endless jars of fruit and preserves. But I do love making a little jam and marmalade when I can, and giving the jars to friends and family. There's something so nice about the jewelled jars cooling on the windowsill.

Last week we scored a bag of plums from my parents' place, and there were more than we could eat fresh. I made a batch of plum + blackberry jam and another of spicy plum sauce. I was really happy with both so thought I'd share the recipes here. They're both cobbled together from a few other recipes, and adjusted to suit the ingredients we had in the cupboard.

Plum + blackberry jam

2 kilos plums
1 1/2 cups water
7 cups sugar
2 lemons
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup frozen or fresh blackberries (or other berries)

Wash and sterilise your jars (I used 7) and place them in a warm oven. Wash their lids and place in a small saucepan half filled with water. Halve the lemons and scrape out the pips with a knife. Wrap these in a piece of muslin and tie securely.

Halve and stone the plums and place with the water into a big pot. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until soft and pulpy. 

Add to this the wrapped pips, juice from the two lemons, cinnamon, berries and sugar and simmer slowly until the sugar has completely dissolved. Then bring jam to a rolling boil and keep stirring until it reaches setting point. This could take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes, but you can use the saucer test if you need to.

Heat the jar lids until the water boils then drain. Remove the warm jars from the oven and carefully fill them with jam using a small jug. Seal with the sterilised lids.

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Spicy plum sauce

I was surprised at the delicious flavour of this sauce, and by whizzing it with a hand-held blender I got the most beautiful ruby-red sauce you can imagine! It's great alongside meat and/or vegetarian dishes, such as zucchini fritters, or even a toasted cheese sandwich.

2.5 kilos of plums
4 onions
6 cloves of garlic
1 fresh chilli (or dried chilli powder)
2.5 cups of brown sugar
1 litre apple cider vinegar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground pepper
1 stick cinnamon
2 star anise
5 whole cloves
6 cardamom pods

Halve the cinnamon stick and place on a square of muslin or cheesecloth fabric with the star anise, cloves and cardamom pods. Tie into a bundle with some cooking string.

Wash and sterilise your bottles or jars (I used 5 small bottles) in a warm oven or in a pot of hot water.

Halve and stone the plums and place in a big pot, along with the chopped onions and garlic, chopped fresh chilli, brown sugar, cider vinegar, salt and pepper.

Bring to the boil, stirring frequently. Boil steadily until mixture is pulpy. This might take about an hour.

Remove the spice bag and cool slightly before using a hand-held blender to puree the sauce directly in the pot. If you don't have a stick blender, you could push it through a sieve or blend in a food processor, or just go for a textured sauce!

Return the pot to the element and re-heat the sauce until boiling. Pour into bottles with the help of a funnel and seal.

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I've been back in the office for a couple of weeks now (or has it been three?) but I'm not ready to let go of the summer holiday memories just yet! Here are some more photos from our South Island wanderings earlier in the month. I should say, but didn't last time: we are so grateful that we were able to go away and move around freely, when the rest of the world is experiencing ongoing Covid-19 outbreaks and lockdowns. The Omicron variant has now made it to our shores so restrictions are much tighter now than over the new year. I look back on our summer photos now with amazement – we were so lucky to be able to relax and enjoy a break away from the city.

I hope you are doing very well, wherever you may be. These are still really strange times. I'm also grateful for my (our?) love of quiet pursuits and things that can be done at home! I'm also sharing a few recently-finished projects in this post.

I finished my summer knitting project: the Sol top, which is a design by Jacqueline Cieslak. For this, I used 4 balls of Sesia cotton yarn in a light grey shade. I'm really happy with the finished piece – the only thing I would change is to make it a little longer. It's knitted bottom-up, so I had to play it safe with the quantity of yarn I had. It works well with high-waisted skirts and pants though and I guess I could also layer it over a dress! Will need to experiment with some clothes I already have.

Here are a few more notes about the project, over on my Ravelry page.

Making this has sparked my interest in summer knitting more generally. I have a few linen and cotton yarns waiting for a new project so have been looking through Ravelry for t-shirt and top patterns. Please let me know if you have a favourite summer knit I should check out.

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I've also included photos of a fun crafty afternoon I spent with Keira recently. We hauled all the art supplies out of the cupboard and I stocked up my stationery supplies by making a bunch of gift tags, envelopes and postcards using pressed flowers from the spring and pictures from old gardening books. It's always a fun time, I recommend it on your next rainy afternoon!

I found a sheet of shiny blank labels and used them to make 'stickers' for my young nieces by painting little flowers and insects with watercolours. I'm looking forward to sending them a letter with stickers very soon.

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Inspired by a post I saw last year from the wonderful Public Library Quilts Instagram account, I took a piece of embroidery I completed in 2020, at the time of the Black Lives Matter protest in Wellington and attached it to a tote bag, together with a patchworked border from hand-dyed linen scraps. I wouldn't have normally thought of using embroidery on something utilitarian like a tote bag. But actually, I can wash it if it gets dirty and I love being able to look at and use this piece I did every day. Reminding me of the power of those marches and also that being anti-racist is a daily commitment. 

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I wish you all the very best for the week ahead. Love,

Melissa

Ah, summertime. This year's holiday felt longer, hotter and brighter than other summer breaks in recent memory – but it was a lovely one. We spent lots of time on and by the water, mostly with family but I also managed to see old friends, too. We didn't take any of it for granted – we know how lucky we are to live in a very safe and highly vaccinated country and are so grateful we could enjoy a summer trip as in other years.

I thought I'd share some of my summer snaps with you – though I have more projects and other things to tell you, of course! I'll save them for my next post. Everything in the South Island was so lush and green – the trees, sand, bush almost electric with life. 

I (very slowly) worked on a summer knitting project – a vest top in grey cotton yarn – Sol, by Jacqueline Cieslak. There's a link to my Ravelry project page here. It was a lovely activity for hot, quiet afternoons though there are more than a few mistakes in my version – I blame the heat, constant chatting and occasional glass of wine!

I also worked on a granny square crochet project I took with me, with the hope of using up assorted 4ply yarn scraps from the knitting year. I love how my squares are turning out, quite fine and light-weight, due to the fingering-weight yarn, although I do feel slightly daunted about crocheting them together once I'm ready for that stage! I'm thinking of joining the squares with another round of cluster stitches, in black yarn and creating a classic old-school sofa blanket (maybe a bit like this one – except with larger squares – I'm working 14 rounds for each one).

On my last day of work for the year, I was waiting for the bus when I spotted a small pop-up design store, and I couldn't resist buying myself this stripy dress made from cotton jersey. I think it's designed especially for new mums – either as maternity wear or for ease of breastfeeding – and I am a very long way out of that stage, but decided I'd wear it anyway. I found it to be the most comfortable and pleasing thing to wear over the summer! The brand is Kauri & Sons.

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Did you get a chance to do some reading over the Christmas/New Year period? I read Small Bodies of Water by Nina Mingya Powles, which was a Christmas gift from my boss and such a perfectly-chosen one, too. I really loved it. It's a collection of linked essays about cold-water swimming, nature, place and memory. I know I will dip back in and out of its page throughout the year.

Music through the headphones and stereo speakers this summer: I've loved A Beginner's Mind by Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine and Ada Lea's one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden as well as Cleo Sol's Mother as well as everything Sault but especially this album. I also discovered the music of Mdou Moctar – have a listen to Tala Tannam if you haven't already.

For very this-place vibes (by that I mean Aotearoa, particularly this-time), I recommend L.A.B and everything by Troy Kingi, but especially this song.

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I hope this finds you very well, friends! See you again soon.

Melissa

Wishing you health and happiness here on the longest (or shortest?) day of the year.

I hope you have a lovely festive season, however you celebrate it. Looking forward to seeing you again in a few weeks.

Stay safe and well,

Melissa

p.s. a recipe + links for some sweet treats are below…

I love making small sweet treats at this time of year, to package up and give to neighbours + friends, or even just to surreptitiously snack on to keep the energy up as days get busier and busier.

This year, I tried making chocolate 'salami' again. I had tried it a few years ago and suspect I ate too much at the time and abandoned the recipe for a while! But it's super easy to make and you can tailor the additions to suit your taste (or what you have already in the pantry). Once you've mixed all the ingredients together, you form a roll, wrap it in paper and refrigerate until firm. Then you only need to slice it very thinly to serve. This recipe makes two medium-sized rolls.

You could also make it vegan, I think, by using dairy-free chocolate and coconut cream, though I haven't tried that yet.

Here is my recipe:

Chocolate salami

200 grams chocolate with a good percentage of cocoa solids (I used Whittaker's Dark)

1/2 cup cream

50 grams butter

Place these three ingredients in a double boiler (or microwave-safe jug) and melt together slowly. Then stir until completely melted and smooth.

Now, add your choice of treats. I used:

200 grams dried cranberries (lightly chopped)

1 small box of rose-flavoured Turkish Delight, cut into thin slices

1/2 packet of plain biscuits (I used Milk Arrowroot), cut into small pieces

1 cup of mixed nuts, roughly chopped – I used pistachios, hazelnuts and cashews

A good splash of rosewater 

Stir these additions into the chocolate mixture and mix together well. Place two pieces of waxed paper on a flat surface, wash your hands, then divide the mixture so you have half on each piece of paper. Use your hands to shape into a log, then roll up in the paper and twist the ends to secure.

Place chocolate logs in the fridge for at least a few hours or longer. When set, remove and roll in sieved icing sugar. Cut into thin slices and package for gifts, or serve up with a cup of black coffee. 

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Other recipes for Christmas treats you might like:

Lucy Corry's caramelised oat fudge (vegan or dairy option)

Apricot balls (vegan)

Pepperkake (gingerbread biscuits)

Shortbread squares

Fruit chutney

Lemon-barley syrup

Russian fudge

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We're nearing the end of December. How can that be? I hope you are doing well, despite what is probably a busy time of year, wherever you are. 

I've found myself making some Christmas gifts this year – something I don't always do. Somehow planning and making these gifts has brought me a lot of joy and I've even had Keira join me for some projects, which is a rare thing these days.

Anyway, I've included above some photos of things I've been making (along with a pic of a peach poppy from the garden, just because):

+ + Some crochet squares using leftover 4ply yarns from other projects. I have gathered a stack of these now, and one day (probably far in the future) I'll make them into a blanket.

+ + A little knitted set for a new baby in our friend-circle. For this, I used some lovely lightweight cotton-merino yarn in an undyed colourway. The vest pattern is a free one on Ravelry, and is called the Louise Vest. The little slippers are from a Debbie Bliss book I own. More details on both patterns can be found here on my Ravelry project page.

+ + Like all the other makers in the world, I've been sewing up lots of masks. I've tried out a few patterns now but also revert to the good old seam-down-the-middle plain design. I've made a few from vintage embroidered linen too, just because.

+ + Handmade perfume, lip balm and eye pillows! Keira has been helping me with the homemade cosmetics and it's been fun to try our hand at these! I've published posts with tutorials for each project here on the blog:

d-i-y lavender eye pillows

homemade perfume, two ways

rose + geranium lip balm

I've also updated the links list to the left of this post, with lots of past projects, patterns and tutorials. Most of them are of the older variety, but I hope you find them useful!

I feel I could write another whole post about music, books and other things I've been enjoying lately. I'll try and do that before logging off for a few weeks over summer. Take very good care of yourself!

Lots of love,
Melissa

It's been a really hard year. I decided to make some small luxuries as end-of-year gifts and I think all my friends deserve (at the very least) a lovely relaxing eye pillow to encourage them to lie down more often! If I could, I would send them all copious amounts of chocolate, magazines and wine too.

I have been making these for a few years now but I've only just started sewing up separate covers for them. These new eye pillows have two parts – an interior case that holds dried flowers and grains for weight – and an outer cover that is easily removable for washing or re-using with a new insert once the original one loses its scent.

I thought I'd share how I make them, in case you'd like to make some for your friends too. They're super easy and you might already have the materials to hand!

Lavender eye pillows

You'll need:

Linen and cotton fabric – this can be recycled from old clothing or simply leftovers from your other projects. You can anything, but I think natural fibres that are smooth and cool to the touch work best: linen, cotton, silk, fine wool, etc. I used some fine cotton for my interior case and sturdier linen for the exterior.

Dried lavender buds (I bought mine from a market in Nelson but you should be able to find some online if not locally).

Some sort of dried grain or pulse that will add some weight and structure to your pillow. I used pearl barley but you could also use small lentils, mung beans, rice, linseed… or anything else you might have in the pantry.

Sewing machine and thread, ruler, scissors, embroidery thread (if you fancy a bit of decorative stitching)

Optional: Other scents, such as chamomile flowers to mix in with the lavender, or essential oil to add extra perfume

Method:

Note: all seams allowances are 1/4'.

Make the interior case for the dried lavender and grains: Cut a piece of fabric 7.5" X 9.5". With the right sides together, fold in half lengthwise and sew down the long edge and across one of the shorter edges. Clip the corners, press stitching then turn right-side out. Fold down the opening edges by 1/4" and press inside the pouch. 

Fill this case with dried flowers and grains – about five spoonfuls of each, or more if you like. You don't want to over-fill it though, because it's nice for the eye pillow to be somewhat light and flexible. Once you're happy, securely sew the case closed where you pressed the folds.

Next, make the exterior case. Cut 1 piece of fabric 4.5" X 10" and another so it measures 4.5" X 11.5".

Take one of these pieces and fold one of the shorter edges back by 1/4", right sides together, and press. Fold by another 1/4" and press again. Stitch this fold in place. Repeat with the longer piece of fabric.

Now is your time to add embroidery to these pieces or just one of them, if you fancy it. 

With right sides together, place the longer hemmed piece on a flat surface and then put the shorter piece on top, with the unhemmed short edges lined up together. Fold back the extension of the longer piece so that the two rectangles match. The hemmed edge of the shorter piece should be parallel to the folded edge of the longer piece. Pin along the three other sides and stitch together, leaving the folded edge. Clip corners, zig-zag or overlock edges if you like, then turn right side out and press.

Place the interior case inside the outer case, tucking its edge under the folded flap. 

These can be popped in the freezer for half an hour or so for extra-sore eyes, or in the microwave to warm them up. Hope you enjoy!