Me Musing . . . January 18, 2011 . . .

I decided since my 64th birth year is fast approaching, I would reorganize and create some space in my little 'Creative Space' . . .
not an easy task as I love having my special treasures near me!

I began by clearing the design wall of photos and quotes and making sure the work tables were clean.

A few years ago I made up a fabric notebook, with little samples of the fabric, along with notes of where I got it, price and fabric content. Well, it took me awhile to find where I had stored that notebook!

I decided just having them better organized in the big closet would be just as easy. I could open the door and look and see what was there.

Soooooo, I pulled out all the fabrics I had and they immediately covered the two worktables!!!!!!!!

As I layed them on the tables, I put them into categories: heavy knit for pants, lighter knit for tops, silk, wool, old kimono fabric, specialty fabric.

Eb stuck his head into the room and said, "You do have a lot of fabric"! I told him I had no idea I had all that fabric! It must be in my genes, as Mother loved fabric also. And when one doesn't live really close
to a 'real' fabric store, it is good to have stock on hand!

Well, since the worktables were full, I had no room for doing anything, so I put the reorganized fabrics back onto the closet shelves.

And it was amazing how little fabric it then looked like I have . . . they must puff up with air when moved around!

I have tired of wearing jeans, even thought this is 'cowboy country', so I dug out my old Stretch and Sew patterns from the late 70's and found one that had a pattern for leggings. I used some of the knit and made myself a pair, along with trying out a new top pattern. They actually fit good and the colours went perfectly with the gold painted burlap vest I made a few months back . . .

I decided I would make another pair, but not as tight as the leggings. Those fit so well I used more of the knit I had in my stash and made two more pair! They are so comfortable for daytime wear and work well with other tops/vests/jackets I have made.

I couldn't help but move around a few of my favorite rocks in a fabulous serving platter I found at our local hardware last month.

My version of the timeless 'kimono' shape. There is just something about that shape I adore and want to work more with that design this new year of my sewing life.

We had a hearty soup and olive bread early-dinner last night for Eb's birthday. That bread turned out so well that I decided to try a new recipe I had found. Years ago when I was making sourdough bread, I worked and worked to try and get the crust really crusty, but to no avail. One of the suggestions was a pan of water on the bottom rack, which didn't work back then; however, I decided to try it again with this 'Crusty Hearth Bread' . . . (in this photo, you can barely see the dark pan of water below the just into the oven bread)

I can now report that this time . . . it worked . . . maybe the higher altitude here makes a difference???

A perfectly crusted bread with great hearty taste since I used whole wheat flour along with the bread flour.

Yum! Here is the recipe in case you want a winter treat that not only tastes good, but fills the house with that homey, fabulous aroma . . .

'Bistro 304' Crusty Hearth Bread

1 -1/2 tablespoon (1-1/2 packets) active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups warm water (not over 110°F)

Mix together the yeast, sugar and water. Let proof for 5 to 10 minutes.

1 T. olive oil
1-1/2 c. whole wheat flour
4 + cups Better for Bread flour
1 tsp. + salt (to taste)

Add the salt and oil, then gradually add flour and mix thoroughly (by hand) until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes.

Let the dough rest while you scrape out the bowl, then oil the mixing bowl.
Knead the dough again for 2 to 3 minutes.

Return the dough to the bowl and turn it over once to grease the top.

Cover with a damp cloth and keep warm until the dough doubles in size, about an hour.
(I placed it on the hearth in front of woodstove. You could also let it rise in the oven with the light on.)

Return the dough to the floured surface, divide the dough in half and shape into two French-style loaves.

Place the loaves in a double baguette bread pan which has been oiled and cornmeal sprinkled over the oil. Or you can use a cookie sheet generously sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover with the damp cloth again and let the loaves rise for 45 minutes in warm place.

Set oven to 500°F and place a roasting pan with water on bottom rack for at least 15 minutes before you begin baking the bread. (Leave the hot pan of water on the lower rack while baking the bread!)

Once the loaves have risen, lightly slash the tops of the loaves 3 or more times diagonally and brush them with cold water. Place in the 500°F oven and bake for 10 minutes.

Lower the temperature to 400°F and bake for 10 more minutes or until the crust is golden brown and sounds hollow to the touch.

Until soon,

Che'usa

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