Pattern testing complete!

Three out of four, at least.  I don't know what happened to the fourth tester.  After an initial email, I didn't hear from her again. Oh well.

Here are the finished bags of the ladies who so kindly volunteered for the job (and finished it!).

From Jenny

From Mimi

From Susan

Aren't those lovely?

I've already done a number of patterns/eBooks and tutorials before but this was the very first time I've had my pattern tested by someone else.  What did I learn from this experience?

First of all, the comments and suggestions from these ladies were very helpful.  There were a few steps and photos that I wouldn't have thought of fixing up had they not told me to do so.  Overall, they did find the instructions clear and detailed and the photos very useful (which is a relief for me!).  If you've ever bought any of my patterns or tried any tutorial on this site, you would surely know that I do not skimp on photos!

What I would probably try do the next time around is have a pattern tested by people I actually know.  Like my friends here perhaps, or my sister in-law (who lives in the next suburb), or mums from my kids' schools. That way, as they sew, they can ask me and show me their work personally.  It would definitely be easier to explain things especially when something is unclear or when something goes wrong.  Sometimes, it is very hard to communicate via email alone and misunderstanding results from it.

Anyway, I am just about ready to release this eBook on "How to make a Cosmetic/Make-up Bag".  This 34-page eBook includes patterns for two bag sizes and aside from instructions on how to sew the bag, I've also added instructions on how to make your own bias binding tape.  It will be available shortly in my Etsy Shop and also on Simple Things.

Thank you once again to Jenny, Mimi and Susan.  Thank you for taking time out from your busy life to help me out.  Hope you learned something from me as I have from you.

Pattern testers please!

Yesterday was a really good day.

Firstly, after a couple of months of anxiously waiting, my eldest son has been offered a place in his preferred university and at the course he really wanted.  The news came as a great sigh of relief.   The university, apart from being a reputable one, is just a 30-minute train ride from our home, making commuting super convenient. I was truly happy for my son! He is turning 18 in a few days, a milestone in itself, and this blessing is certainly a huge icing on his cake.  Yay, we now have an Accountant in the making!

During the day too, I was in the mood to sew another cosmetic bag.  Since I rarely get the urge (and the time) to sew these days, I really had to take advantage of the opportunity.  I also had that strong feeling that I could "perfect" this pattern after a third attempt so I took out our camera and decided to take photos along the way.

And I was right!  The bag turned out beautifully.  The pattern seemed flawless.  I was so satisfied with my sewing...and that doesn't happen very often!

Anyway, you know what comes with a pattern...the instructions, of course! I fixed up all my photos, typed up everything, read, reread and edited, then finally printed the whole thing as a PDF.  Even I am surprised to have come up with a new eBook in such a short time. 

Before I release the eBook, however, I do want the pattern tested.  I had some difficulty constructing my sentences so I want to make sure my instructions are ultra clear.  

Do you want to be a pattern tester?

To be considered, you must have some experience in sewing, particularly in installing zippers, bias binding, and sewing around curves.  You must also commit to:

1.  Finish the bag within a week after I email the PDF to you. (It only takes a couple of hours to make this from start to finish!)

2.  Blog about the pattern if you have a blog then email me the link so I can post it here;  or if you don't have a blog, send me a write-up with photos of your bag so I can share it here too.

Please express your interest in the comments section below.  Do not forget to leave your name and email address.

I will choose up to three (3) pattern testers.  Hopefully, there are a lot of volunteers out there so I will actually have people to choose from!

Anyone???

UPDATE (21/1/12):  PATTERN TESTERS ALREADY CHOSEN. THANKS.

Just clowning around

I enjoy making gumpaste cake toppers immensely.  As a child,  I do not recall being into moulding clay or playdough, so I guess I am sort of feeling like a child again.  In the beginning, I relied very heavily on video tutorials and/or instructions from cake decorating books to make them.  Now, I am a little more confident just looking at pictures then I mostly figure out the process by myself.

My current favourite cake topper is the most recent I made.

The inspiration for this clown came from here.  The mom of the birthday boy wanted to match the cake with the theme of the playcentre where the party was to be held in.

A 12" vanilla chiffon filled with caramel custard and frosted with Swiss meringue buttercream.

I also made matching cupcakes to give away to the kiddie guests.

Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream.

These are the kinds of cakes that give me the most satisfaction. It makes me smile just looking at them.

In between baking and frosting these cakes and cupcakes, I was able to squeeze in some sewing too.  Kind of a miracle because I never get to do these two things in the same day.

I made my second cosmetic bag, yippee!  It was much easier this time because I already knew exactly what to do.  I like the first one better though.

I can certainly see a third one coming soon.  Maybe I will take some step by step photos next time...

That's all for now.  Hope you had a fruitful week just like I did.  Have a great new week ahead!

Project #1: Cosmetic Bag

I have this old cosmetic bag which I bought just before we moved to Australia.  Been wanting to sew a replica for the longest time because it wasn't like the usual zippered pouch that everyone makes.  It's edges were finished with binding. But truth be told, me and binding are not friends so that explains why I have always resisted the idea of making one.

Yesterday, as I was rummaging through stuff in our garage, I stumbled upon my old bag.  I held it in my hands and it just felt like it was about time.

Love that owls fabric!

Dimensions: 5" (H) by 7" (W) by 2.5" (D)

Completely lined and interfaced with fusible fleece too.

Nice-looking side!

Filled with toiletries I took home from the apartment we rented when we went to Gold Coast last June!

I started with this around 9pm last night.  With some interruptions along the way, I finally completed it at 1am, binding and all.  Just couldn't wait till morning.  It was too darn cute to leave unfinished.

The bag is not perfect in some places but overall, I think it's great! Much better than the original even. I will attempt to do a few revisions to make it even better...so expect a new pouch here soon!

My 2011 Recap

Happy 2012!

I don't want to sound like a killjoy, but ever since we moved to Australia (11 years ago this month), new year's eve and day have been pretty much ordinary days to us.  We do not normally wait for 12 midnight on the 31st nor do we do anything extra special on the 1st (except go to mass).  Occasionally, we do get invited elsewhere.  Like today, we had lunch at a friend's house. I was requested to bring a mango cake.

The best cake for summer!

What do I look forward to or hope for this new year?  One thing is that my eldest son is starting his university studies soon.  Unlike in other countries, the kids here do not have to live on campus on their first year.  And also, they usually go to universities within the state.  The nearer to home, the better.  That saves me the anxiety of a child leaving home, at least for now.

I do know I will be baking more cakes. In 2011, I had over a hundred cake orders! Not a bad effort for a homebaker, if I may say so myself.  It wasn't something I ever expected to happen. I was also pleased to know that I've inspired a lot of stay at-home Filipino moms from all over the world to bake. Some of them have in fact started their own little homebaking businesses as well, making cakes using recipes I've shared on this blog.

Some of my favourite bakes in 2011.

Unfortunately, sewing was something I again ignored (though not completely) in 2011.  I managed to sew a few things during the first half of the year: baby stuff, the errand clutch, the prince charming suit, laptop sleeve, more baby stuff, toddler jacket, toddler coat, and a travel wallet. Around August though, baking totally ruled over my life.   So sorry to admit that I have abandoned making the travel wallet pattern for now.   Hopefully, I will get into the right frame of mind soon.  Within this year????  Let's just wait and see.

I did squeeze in some sewing just before 2011 ended.  Bought the hobo bag pattern from Sweet Pea Totes and made a bag in this matryoshka print for my daughter as part of her Christmas present.

And then, I quickly followed it up with another one in this sweet owls print for a young mom/friend.

I wanted to do more sewing but I think my overeagerness got the best of me, so some of my other attempts didn't go too well.  My confidence level in sewing seems to have completely gone down, having been away from it for a long time.  

Anyway, that's about it for my past year, crafting wise.  Personal life?  Well, it certainly wasn't as colourful or as varied. More than anything, it was challenging and confronting. There is some hard work ahead.

How did yours go?

Missing Christmas

A blessed Christmas to all.

It has been very difficult for me to get into the Christmas spirit this year. I went through the motion of buying presents for everyone just because.  A couple of weeks ago, I was entering this online competition and had to answer in 25 words or less the question, "What makes Christmas special to you and why?"  I stared at the computer screen for a long time, not knowing what to write.  Ended up with nothing.  How pathetic.

I miss Christmases of my childhood so much.  Sometimes I just cry reminiscing about them.

We always got to wear brand new clothes and shoes for Christmas eve mass.  And the "feast" we had afterwards...it was the only time of the year we got to eat lots of ham, apples, walnuts, special cheese....

We had special, battery-operated toys that my parents only brought out during the Christmas season.  As soon as the season was over, the toys got packed up and stored until the next Christmas.  We never got tired of those toys.  The mere sight of my mom opening a fresh pack of batteries excited us.

We were a big family so there were definitely lots of presents too.  I didn't mind getting clothes instead of toys.

Christmas day lunch was spent at my aunties' house.  They had a huge house and they always cooked the best food and baked the greatest cakes and pastries. After lunch, we always played Black Jack.  We had great fun. Of course, more presents followed from my grandparents and aunties.  They always handed newly printed money, fresh from the bank!

Here is a photo of my big family, taken Christmas day of 1982. (I am 4th from the right, back row.) Since then, 6 of those in the photo have already passed away.  I miss them all very much.

These days, Christmas is totally different.  The anticipation, the excitement, the time spent with our extended family, relatives and friends are just not the same.  The kids today do not seem to have that same spirit that we had. I wish I could give my own children a better Christmas experience...one they can look back to and smile about when they're older. I just don't know how.

I am just tired, I guess.  I've been baking nonstop...I've had no time to pause and reflect.  I do long to experience real Christmas joy.

Before I go, here's the cake I made for our celebration today.  I opted for a safe flavour, chocolate.  Made the gumpaste decorations a week ago as I did not want to stress out at the last minute.  Yesterday, my husband accidentally sat on my poinsettia centerpiece and three of the petals broke.  I nearly died.  Repaired them with edible glue and covered up the cracks with petal dust.  Not too happy but it will do.

Again, have a blessed Christmas!  Peace, joy, love, and hope to all.

Coconut (Buko) Pandan Chiffon Cake

I know it's nearly Christmas...

...because I just made my very first Christmas-themed cake and cupcakes for the year!

This gumpaste Nativity centerpiece was inspired by a cake in Karen Davies'  A Cake for Christmas Part 2.   Isn't it lovely?  I just wanted the figures and not the fondant-covered cake.

My sister in-law wanted a big cake and some matching cupcakes, preferably in red and/or green colours. I suggested pandan chiffon for the cake and she decided on red velvet for the cupcakes.

The coconut pandan chiffon cake recipe I use is basically the same old chiffon recipe you see here over and over, only a different flavour.  Here it is, as you might want to try it out for your own Christmas cakes!   Frost it your way - either in buttercream (as in the cake above) or in whipped cream.  Then fill the cake with young coconut strips or with macapuno for added coconut goodness!

PANDAN CHIFFON CAKE  (recipe suitable for two 9" by 2 1/2" round pans, or one 10" by 3" round pan)

{A}
2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup white sugar

{B}
1/2 cup corn/canola oil
7 egg yolks, from large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup water, coconut juice or coconut milk (your choice)
1 teaspoon pandan paste **

{C}
7 eggwhites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

{D}
3/4 cup white sugar

**You can replace this with 1 teaspoon clear pandan extract plus 1/2 teaspoon green gel paste

Procedure:
1.  Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius.  Line bottom of baking pan/s with parchment paper.  Do not grease.
2.  In a large bowl, combine {A} well.  Add in {B}. Beat with electric mixer or by hand until smooth and well blended.
3.  In a separate bowl, beat {C} on high speed until frothy.  Gradually add in the sugar in {D} and beat until stiff peaks are formed.  Gradually and gently fold in egg whites into egg yolk mixture.  Pour batter into baking pan.  If using two 9" pans, divide the batter equally.
4.  Bake for about 55 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched.  Invert pan into wire rack immediately and cool completely.
5. To release cake from, carefully run a think knife around sides of pan, then invert.  For easier handling, wrap your cake very well in cling film, then refrigerate overnight before frosting.

Happy Christmas baking!


PS.  Here's a buko pandan cake I frosted with my usual whipped cream frosting and decorated very similarly to the ube macapuno cake.  Tastes just like the buko pandan salad Filipinos love!