Not so lardy cake

I made this sweet bread a few years ago and decided to make it again. It is similar to a raisin bread. It was really easy to make vegan by replacing the "lard" with Earth Balance shortening. I think last time I made it I used Earth Balance margarine and dubbed it the "Margy Cake" so now it is the "Shorty Cake". The recipe is from Bread - the breads of the world and how to bake them at home by Christine Ingram and Jennie Shapter. The description in the book says it is a special rich fruit bread that was made in England for celebrating the harvest. Happy harvest!

Fleece vest to sleep sac

I am definitely getting into recycling mode. I have to say it is really satisfying to find something at a thrift store and give it a new twist. I found a medium size fleece vest with a full zipper and thought it would perfect for a sleep sac. I used the same pattern as the hemp sleep sac. I removed the pockets and cut through the zipper to make room for the neckline. I cut one inch binding strips and finished the neck and arm holes. I have to say the best part was not having to sew in the zipper. Though it is not difficult to do, I find it a bit cumbersome and having it already done was great. I think the whole project only took about a half an hour and cost about $4, so very nice.

Fruity baby sweater

My adorable little niece is turning one this weekend. Very exciting! We are planning a road trip to see her this weekend and celebrate. Little guy is going to love hanging out with his cousin. I made a sweater for her birthday. The pattern is from Natural Knits for Babies and Moms by Louisa Harding. I made the Kai sweater. The yarn is recycled from a white sweater I found at the local thrift store. I took apart the sweater and dyed the yarn in tangerine, cherry and lemon. I am really getting into the recycled yarn and fabric. I found a cool website called Wardrobe Refashion where everything is made from recycled fabric or yarn. I hope to make the pledge soon myself and commit to using only recycled goods. Check out the blog if you haven't seen it before. There are some really great projects posted.

Toddler cheezy crackers

I made these crackers a while back and loved them. I am now making them for the little guy and he loves them also. The only change I made was to cut back on the salt. I am trying to keep him from turning into a salt lover like his mama. I used 1/2 teaspoon of salt instead of 1 teaspoon. He loves the soft texture of the crackers and they are the perfect size for his little hands. I was surprised how easy it is to make your own crackers so if you haven't tried it then definitely give it a go. Though be warned that you may only want to eat homemade crackers. My next batch is going to be homemade graham crackers. Here is the cracker recipe at Have cake, will travel.

Calzones with sunflower seed pesto

I am a bit behind with posting. We spent a glorious end of summer week at the beach and I was without internet access so that is one of my excuses. It was nice to unplug for a while and feel a bit refreshed on coming back. I also ran my first four miler a few weeks ago though I am also a bit behind now with my running. I need to remind myself how hard it was to get going in the first place and not let my time off period extend too long. The good news is I have lots to post.

I used the sunflower seed pesto from the last post to make calzones. I brought them with me to eat after the four miler and they were quite yummy. The little guy also really liked them a lot. I used a basic pizza dough recipe and also marinara that I made a while back and froze. Here is the recipe.

Sunflower seed pesto calzones

1 cup sunflower seed pesto
1 cup marinara
1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives
2 tablespoons capers
pizza dough

Mix together the filling. Roll out the dough, fill and bake for 25 minutes at 375 F. Brush the tops with olive oil after they come out of the oven. Enjoy.

Sunflower seed pesto

Here is my version of a toddler friendly pesto that is made with sunflower seeds instead of pine nuts. I am waiting until he is around 18 months to introduce tree nuts so decided to try a variation that he can also enjoy on his pasta. He seems to really like basil. I made a summer tomato salad with a thai basil dressing that he liked also. I was surprised since the thai basil has a strong flavor. Maybe he will take after his mama and love basil. I am a big basil fan and cannot get enough of it in the summer time. Here is the recipe.

Sunflower seed pesto

3 cups of basil leaves (I used a mix of thai, globe and purple)
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 cup of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Add all of the ingredients except the olive olive oil to a food processor and chop well. Add enough olive oil to form a paste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy.

Recycled fleece pocket diaper

I started making the recycled fleece pocket diapers. I make them out of recycled soda pop bottle fleece that I purchased online at Malden Mills. I use lady bug red microfleece for the diaper lining and black heather 200 weight fleece for the outer fabric. I changed the diaper pattern a bit and added external velcro tabs to allow for growth. They should fit for a while and fit very securely with the external tabs. The all fleece diapers are super soft and work great. I use them mainly for sleep time now, but plan on using them more during the day as the weather gets cooler. I use the same quick dry soaker pad made of hemp jersey as for the other pocket diapers and no leaks or accidents. The new diapers are very easy to wash and dry quickly so another bonus. He is also very comfy in the stay dry lining so they are working out well.

Hemp pocket diaper with microfleece liner

Here is a quick dry version of my hemp fitted diaper. I really like the hemp material, but it does take a while to dry. I used my own diaper pattern (download at nvdiaper01 and nvdiaper02) and made it same way as in the diaper tutorial except I omitted the soaker pad and left the top open to form a pocket diaper. I made a quick dry hemp insert for the soaker pad. I also left off the fleece liner and made a separate stay dry liner in an hour glass shape. I am going to make a few more to add to the diaper pile. They dry really quick and are super absorbant. I also like the separate fleece liner. It is a snap to take out when things get a little messy. The only trade off is that it tends to shift a bit after he wears the diaper for a while, so there is potential for the rest of the diaper to get a bit messy also. Great diaper though and definitely quick drying.

Green shorties

I made another pair of the baby shorties using two skeins of Lily Sugar & Creme Stripes cotton yarn. I decided to switch things up a bit and did the three needle bind off to the outside of the back of the shorts to form a ridge. I have been getting lots of nice comments about the shorties and boy bloomers so if I can get things going I may try to make them to sell. I can order natural organic cotton and bamboo yarn at Dharma Trading to dye in all sorts of fun colors. Well, something to think about for next summer. I just realized it is August already and the little guy really needs clothes for the Fall. I am still getting used to the idea that if I make something for him that he an only wear it for a limited time. Sort of funny actually. Well, time to get busy on the Fall wardrobe.

Ruffled hemp skirt

I finally made a skirt this summer. I love wearing skirts. They are so comfortable when it gets hot outside. I made this one out of hemp material that I dyed with a Procion dye in wedgewood blue. I didn't use a pattern. I used my own formula to come up with the pattern pieces. I basically wanted an a-line skirt with a ruffle so pretty simple to construct. I actually made the skirt first and then dyed it after. I also threw in a few white t-shirts along with a few old towels that I used to make the reusable facial puffs in the previous post. I forgot how fun it is to dye and a great way to spruce up old towels. I am already planning my next dye adventure.

Ruffle skirt formula

Round measurements to the nearest half inch.

Hip measurement at the widest point + 2 inches divided by 2 = A
Length of skirt desired minus ruffle + 2 inches = B
Length of ruffle + 1 inch = C

Cut two trapezoids that measure A on the top, (A*1/3 + A) on the bottom and B height.
Cut two rectangles that are C height and 2*(A*1/3 + A) length.

Zig zag the edges of all of the pieces. Sew the sides of the skirt together. Make a casing on the top that is 1.5 inches and add elastic for your waist. Sew the sides of the ruffle together and gather to fit the bottom of the skirt. Attach the ruffle to the skirt. Sew the hem.

Reusable facial puffs

I typically use a wash cloth for cleaning my face, but thought it would be very nice to have something smaller that was also washable. When I was a graduate student I made my own facial puffs out of old towels and scraps of polar fleece. I was making recycled fleece hats at the time and had a lot of fleece scraps. I was also in the mode of being frugal and reusing as much as possible so from that came the idea for making reusuable cotton balls. I currently have a lot of little scraps of micro fleece left over from making the diapers so perfect for making the puffs. I like using the polar fleece for the inside of the puffs since it doesn't absorb the water and stays fluffy when wet. I dyed an old bath towel using a Procion dye in wedgewood blue. I also dyed a few shirts for the little guy a and a cute little hemp skirt that I will post about soon. I didn't need to dye the towel, but I was doing a dye batch anyway and thought it would be fun to have nicely colored puffs. I use the puffs the same way as I would cotton balls. After I use one, I put it in a bag and then throw them all in the regular laundry load.

Reusable facial puffs

Materials: Scraps of polar fleece and cotton terry cloth. The puffs can be any size or shape. I make mine circular with a 3 inch diameter.

1. Cut two circular pieces of terry cloth. Cut two pieces of micro fleece or one piece of 200 or higher weight polar fleece.


2. Sandwich the layers together with the terry cloth on the outside and the micro fleece on the inside. Sew the layers together using a zig zag or decorative stitch.