On "Mud Pies and Other Recipes": A Book Review

Another month of trying to get a book review for a Dumas book posted and once again deciding to go with something happier...

Title: Mud Pies and Other Recipes
Author: Marjorie Winslow
Genre: Children's, Cookbook

About the Book...
A collection of recipes for dolls with contents including Appetizers, Soups, Salads and Sandwiches; Main Dishes; Pasteries and Desserts; Beverages; and Suggested Menus. First published in 1961.

What I Think...
This is one of the nicest cookbooks for imaginary dishes I've ever come across! It's written as seriously as any real cookbook, never taking on a tone of being overly cutesy or talking down to the reader. Most of the dishes are very simplistic and perfect for the beginner doll chef allowing them to explore what might be available to them in their yard and around the house. I feel like Winslow presents the reader with an opportunity to use their imagination to build on the recipes as well, which in my opinion is always a plus when it comes to children's books. 

The illustrations by Eric Blegvad, whom I adore, are perfectly suited to the content and, from a contemporary perspective, add to the nostalgic charm of the book. 

And, for some reason, I am tickled pink that most of these are recipes that humans would avoid eating!

To Sum it All Up...
An utterly delightful trip into the imaginary world of cooking and happy days of holding parties for toys!

On a Miniature Eeyore to Join Piglet

I had intended to have Winnie-the-Pooh be the next Hundred Acre Woods' character to go with Piglet, but, having been in a distressed state of mind for the past few weeks, trying to make a selection between three different shades of mustard felt was proving challenging. So, I went with the simplistic gray Eeyore.

Eeyore was faster to make than Piglet. Or would have been, had I not been so tired and started by accidentally sewing the forehead/nose piece along the back rather than under and around the nose. The larger pieces did make him easier, though.

Oddly enough, his tail was the biggest issue for me. The book's instructions were to use a button for the nail in his tail, but I really wanted to go with something that looked like a nail. I don't use a lot of metal in my sewing and the only vintage rivets I had were too puffy, so I ended up using a tiny scrapbooking brad! 

"Eeyore frisked about the forest, waving his tail so happily..." 

To get it in, I poked a hole in the felt with a darning needle and then scraped up my fingers trying to get the prongs flat through the multiple layers of felt, which was not exactly fun, but it's on there and not about to come off!

One must, of course, celebrate Eeyore's birthday with a red balloon!

And to conclude, a sneak preview of whooo's next...

  ♥ ♥ ♥

On "Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions": A Book Review

Title: Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions

Author: Daniel Wallace

Genre: Fiction

About the Book...

William Bloom is trying to come to terms with the impending death of his father, Edward, a figure known to him more in terms of legend than in actuality. In reflection, William begins to put together the many tall tales he's heard over the years in a series of vignettes capturing the life of his father concluding with an understanding of mythic proportions.

This novella was made into a movie in 2003 staring Albert Finney and directed by Tim Burton.

What I Think...

This is actually a pretty subtle book, which I think lent itself really well to making the much more whimsical movie adaption. Wallace does a spectacular job of providing just enough detail to paint a clear picture, but that allows the imagination to still take off with it and, in some cases, speculate what qualities about Edward the particular story is trying to exemplify. It is charming and witty at parts, while still capturing the poignancy of what Edwards death means to his son.  

It's broken down into three sections that both show how Edward's life progresses, but which also effectively shows how William's understanding of him continues to grow through his acknowledgement of the stories and that alter the way he imagines his father's death (shared in four "takes" throughout the book). Most of the vignettes are no longer than five pages, so if you have very little focus (which is me right now) it makes this book really easy to pick up and read just a little of it without loosing track of what's going on overall. 

To Sum it All Up...

A sweet novella with an amusing and poignant message about the way we view others and the many stories that make up a life. ♥️

On a Dress for the 4th of July!

This started with the fabric I used for the bodice, which was given to me and as such creates the interesting challenge of trying to figure out what pattern matches the length I have rather than picking the fabric based on the pattern requirements. This fabric piece was fairly small and also had fading down the center to work around making it even more challenging.

Enter the 1946 version of Simplicity 1682, which has the advantage of three separate pieces and is very simplistic in terms of not having any tucks, darts, pockets, or really anything else you might need extra fabric for unless you do an overlay. 

My sole trip out of the house to a store since March was motivated by fabric for this dress and they were out of navy blue broadcloth. Being horribly stressed about being out to begin with, I was not going to try to find the right color elsewhere and after a quick browse through the fabrics, I came across a lighter weight and looser weave homespun fabric. I'm not sure that it's really appropriate for clothes, but it has a nice flow to it and it's soft, so at the moment I'm going to be happy with.

Some details about the construction...The silly inset (or rather of lack of inset) on Style 1 caused me some issues, since I was doing the solid inset from Style 2 and should have switched over to that part of the instructions at step 5. I attached the front piece and had top-stitched it to the bodice before realizing that both it and the facing were meant to be stitched at the same time (fortunately I hadn't attached it to the skirt yet). This meant either ripping out the seams and starting over with both or handstitching it in. I went with the later because I'm at the end of the blue thread I was using.

This was my first time making puff sleeves! I adore puff sleeves, but oddly enough I only have a few patterns that have them.

On the subject of sleeves, I also ended up making my own bias tape for this project to use on the sleeves and neckline, since what I had was a more orange-y shade. This was one of those patterns that the measurements were all over the place (3/4 inch seam allowance except for some seams that were 1/2 inch seam allowance, but only mentioned on the pattern pieces), so I think it actually should have been 1/4 inch, not a 1/2 inch in width. It does create a nice pop of color, though, when it's a little wider!

I'm going to be honest and admit the past couple of weeks have been hard on me and I wasn't really in the right mindset to be sewing this, so getting this done was a struggle. That being said, my V for Victory pin is just as much for getting the dress done, as it is to match the dress.

And to conclude this, a silly picture with the mop cap my friend's mom made me in 5th grade for our Walk Through the American Revolution day and the keys that hang beneath it.

Happy Independence Day to my US readers!

♥ ♥ ♥