Before and After: Pincushion makeover

I've been using the cheap felt pincushion on the left for almost ten years, when I bought it thinking it would hold me over until I could make something better.  Years and years later, I am so sick of using that thing!  I've been constantly reminded of how much I dislike it while doing lots of handwork for the Trip Around the World Challenge, and despite falling a bit behind on the challenge, I just had to whip out a new one before I could sew another stitch.

I'm quite pleased with the way the chevron pattern worked out, and hey! now I can use those colorful straight pins I had been saving for no good reason.  This weekend it's down to work!

My Trip Around the World Challenge

I was talking with my mom a few weeks ago when she told me about

Brigitte Giblin

's Trip Around the World Challenge Facebook group.  Although I do have a few projects in progress, I'm always keen to start something new and this challenge gives me enough external motivation to stick with it.  We hung up the phone and I was already pulling fabrics out of my stash.  Despite bringing quite a lot of fabric back from Japan, I have a lot of small quantities so it wasn't easy to decide what to use.  I spread out all of my favorites and played around with them for hours.  I was about to give up when I decided just to take the top fabrics off the pile.  

I wasn't convinced that I had picked the best fabrics but I am enjoying how they all come together.  The piece grew steadily at first and after finishing row 5, I was on a roll!  As I have gotten further through the rounds though, I've gotten busier and seem to have less and less time to dedicate to my project each evening.

I've got 8 rows down now and I'm just itching to pick out the fabrics for the next assignment, rows 10-18.  We have a bit less time to finish these first assignments than I was counting on, but I'm still optimistic. It's obviously called a challenge for a reason.

Happy White Day!

Today is White Day in Japan.  Traditionally, Japanese women give sweets and gifts to men on Valentine's Day, and then can expect something in return one month later on White Day.  This is extra incentive for anyone who likes to bake or make sweets to pass out heaps to co-workers on Valentine's Day and then wait for it to pay off come March 14.  

I was never one much for this tradition, which is a good thing, because if I were planning to reciprocate for the treats that arrived here on Valentine's Day, I'd be in trouble!  Can you guess what I found in the mailbox one month ago today?

If you guessed a box full of fabric "scraps," ironed and organized by size and shape, you'd be correct. As if this weren't good enough, a lot of the fabrics are familiar patterns from quilts, pillowcases and other gifts I've received through the years.  The possibilities are endless!  Thanks, Mum!

As my White Day gift to you, let me share the simple recipe for a tasty treat I have been enjoying off and on since Valentine's Day.  If you have the three ingredients on hand, it will come together in less than 5 minutes and makes a good addition to breakfast or a bedtime snack.  Freeze any leftover extra coconut milk in an ice cube tray to toss in smoothies on a rainy day.

Cherry coconut chia treat

(makes 4 servings) 

200 ml coconut milk, or about 3/4 cup

1/4 cup water

2 Tbsp black chia seeds

2 handfuls of dried cherries

Combine all of the ingredients in a mason jar, seal tightly and shake.  Alternatively, you could whisk together in a mixing bowl.  Leave in the fridge for about 4 hours, shaking (or re-whisking) from time to time, as you think of it.  After that, serve, and enjoy!  

There is no right way to make this.  You can increase or decrease any of the ingredients to your taste.  If you prefer something less rich, just fiddle with the coconut milk-to-water ratio until you find the consistency that works best for you.  Heart-shaped garnish, optional.