Cat on a Warm Awning, Cutting for BBQ aprons and Tote (2 pics, Cat and Tote)

[feng_shui_house]

Opened the Simplicity pattern (from 1985 never used) cut out all the pieces roughly, then laid out the 4 pieces for the particular apron style I thought could be a barbecue apron. Put them on top of salvaged packaging paper and cut out, so I won't be trying to cut out fabric pinned to 40 year old tissue paper patterns-- omg omg... I just... yeah.

Have to iron the paper next- I'd rolled it up to get out some of the crumple, but now it wants to curl. I'm going to probably ignore most of the sewing instructions- I plan to line the apron, not put bias binding on the edges, and definitely not going to put lace on a BBQ apron. Plus I'm going to be trying to turn a cut and sew vest into an apron. Will be fun searching for compatible fabrics.

Comparing stuff to see what works together is the most fun part for me.

Rock polishing finished a load. Shiny. Started another. Some day I may figure out a use for them- use them as weights in a vase full of cut flowers (I have no cut flowers)... use them as tesserae to make a temporary mosaic to photograph as a possible design? Mmm... only if I'm really out of more productive ideas. It's not as if they're semi-precious fit for jewelry. They're just shiny rocks.

Ok, I fought Spoonflower to give hearts/favorites/likes to one design each from 3 people on the Spoonflower Flickr forum (on Saturday usually 3 or 4 of us link to one of our designs to share for fun- sometimes we comment or like, a lot depends on whether the site is cooperating).

Then I went to USPS and did the Click and Ship for the Tote going to a New Home (it will have an ADVENTURE) - when you do this on line, they do reduce the price slightly, and I can arrange a free pickup at my home (you choose the day up to a week away, and the mail carrier does it as part of their normal rounds.) Printed the label, now to put one label INSIDE the box, and the other outside (yes, I am over cautious. I have so little trust these days.)

Made me remember to flip the calendar. It's funny, I made the calendar from my own photos and I'm still surprised at the next month's photo. This one is a beautiful yellow striped warbler perched in a tree I no longer have. (I deliberately murdered the tree, because it had fallen TWICE during hurricanes, and then regrew to again cause damage- the second time it hit the roof and I didn't know it until the roof rotted there. It was a huge job, but I DID eventually overcome the tree's resilience.) I still have a huge dead part sticking up and another huge log laying down. I call it Wildlife Sanctuary. The birds and lizards like it.

Yesterday there was a buying boycott in the US which I only found out about half way through the day. I hadn't bought anything anyway, but if I had known it would have been deliberate.

Cut out all the pieces of 3 cut and sew vests... I'm considering how to make them into BBQ aprons- the vests are too short in front for a BBQ apron, and have a back which isn't needed for a BBQ apron, so maybe I can cut the back to piece to lengthen the vests after I sew the left/right fronts together? Repurposing takes some ingenuity.

Ran Max around the pool again- I'm pretty sure they don't expect you to do this every day. It's a lot of effort. But since the pool pump/filter etc etc are all broken this is the only way I can get up the silt. PROGRESS is being made. The water gets cloudy stirred up when Max goes in, but not as much. Now, if I can just get the energy to go for a swim.

So much to do, and only one me... my amaryllis in the front are thinking about blooming- I need to weed around them.

Going for 4pm. ...

It's after 5pm now- I did go for a swim- 5 doggie paddle laps. It took me less time to get all the way in than I expected. The pool is gradually becoming warmer. When it gets up to where I can jump straight in, it'll be a 'Fast' Pool. The same way old recipes called for a 'Fast Oven' or a 'Slow Oven'.

I THINK. I haven't been able to find what I recall- supposedly a fast oven was one where the heat was so much you had to pull your hand back immediately when you opened the oven door, and a slow oven was one where you could hold your hand in the heat from the oven for a few seconds.

Googled for more modern Fahrenheit interpretations of older recipes.

300°F to 325°F
Slow Oven, Warm Oven, Low Oven
350°F to 375°F
Moderate Oven, Medium Oven
375°F to 400°F
Moderately Hot Oven, Quick Oven, Moderately Fast Oven
400°F to 425°F
Hot Oven, Fast Oven

And then Google led me to this British Museum video- how to make 2000 year old bread. Excavating Herculaneum they found a loaf of bread when they opened an oven, and asked a chef to try to recreate it. He did an amazing job, figuring out what ingredients and methods they'd have used, and it turned out lovely.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYTuNXq1eBk

and this is SO COOL Cooking in the Archives: Updating Early Modern Recipes (1600-1800) in a Modern Kitchen is a public food history project. Cooking in the Archives sets out to find, cook, and discuss recipes from cookbooks produced between 1600 and 1800. Recipes are given in the original and also in updated versions.

https://rarecooking.com

This is just the recipes in the archives
https://rarecooking.com/our-archives/

Oh, this is making me hungry- This donut recipe comes from a handwritten recipe book kept by Christian Barclay from 1697-1723

https://rarecooking.com/2021/09/01/how-to-make-donuts/

Next door has hurricane awnings over the windows- put up DECADES ago and never taken down. Sometimes the neighborhood cats leap and nap on them, just below the tile roof. I can just see them over the fence if I get far enough back.


I only am showing one side of this Halloween Tote, because the other side is as close to identical as I could make it.



Now it's going for 6pm... maybe I'll make some GF pasta.