house potatoes

Eggs galore. The buff and the araucana both laid eggs yesterday (consecutive days for the araucana). With a couple of eggs in hand, decided to try making mayonnaise. Turns out, mayo is really simple to make. Next time, have to go a little easier on the granulated garlic (1/4 tsp this time) and the salt (1 tsp table salt) and a little heavier on the acid (1 tbsp lemon + 1/4 tsp vinegar) and the sugar (1/2 tsp).

Since I would’ve added granulated garlic and salt anyway, made a tuna fish salad sandwich. Yum. Going to use what’s left on fries.

This post is picture heavy, but I think it’s worth it.

Last week, the buff orpington and the araucana (easter egger) started running up to me and flattening out like so:

While they’re squatting in this position, they let me scratch their backs and ruffle their feathers pretty much however I want. It’s fun (they’re super soft), and it’s also a sign that they’re ready to start laying eggs soon.

Sure enough, was treated to this sight last Friday! (courtesy of the buff – not pictured)

It’s tiny, but nicely shaped.

We decided to hard boil it. Fresh eggs are always really hard to peel. Delicious…

The buff gave us another egg on Sunday.

Fried over-medium this time with some sungold tomatoes from the garden. Mmm…

Monday, the araucana gave us her first egg! She decided to lay it in a pile of poop… Need to build them a nest box soon.

Wikstenmade is one of my favorite design/fashion blogs, and her recent collection included some beautiful simple ikat pieces.  So when I made a rare visit to Berkeley and stopped by Stone Mountain Daughter, I noticed a blue ikat cotton knit remnant for sale and picked it up.  I think I would like to make something in a very basic shape that shows off the print.

My first ever pair of pants.  Top stitched and everything.

And … in action:

It’s rather difficult to figure out a way to photograph pant waists and fit without 1. removing your top or 2. having your shirt tucked in all frumpy.  I went for the bank-robber-victim pose.

I went through a spool and a half of topstitching thread. The waist does not gape at all when sitting down, which is exactly the reason I sewed these pants. Yay! There are many mistakes, but normal people probably won’t be able to tell.  Gory sewing details below.

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For anyone sewing the Anita jean pattern:

• I recommend creating a fly shield, even though the pattern comes without one.  With the close fit in women’s jeans, you don’t really want to have to watch out for a metal zipper each time.
• There is a mistake? in the pocket step.
  Sew, don’t baste, the pocket opening fabrics together.  I have no idea why it tells you to baste the thing — it implies you’re supposed to pick it apart (don’t) and I used crappy colorful thread, which showed later on.
• There is a mistake? in the front pant pattern on the front fly stitching line (looks like a backward J).
  It showed the stitching line for the smallest 2 sizes, which has the crotch seam end / zipper start at a different point from all the other sizes.  It’s missing the stitching line for all the other sizes: the end of the J is supposed to be under the end of the zipper.  I didn’t know that and ran into trouble.

I ran into weird issues with a baggy back thigh area after I practically put the whole thing together. I was so annoyed.  The lovely experts at Pattern Review helped me figure out how to fix it.  It’s known as a Flat Seat Adjustment.  You have to take out just the fabric in middle of the back thigh because your butt is not as round as the pattern maker thinks it is.  Useful links:

• Pattern review thread where I got help, along with many pictures of my backside
• Excellent video explaining how to fix this in muslin in the first 20 min, by Silhouette Patterns (also goes over sewing jeans in general)
• Flat pattern fix, with a great set of photos in flickr