Bakercourt - Knitting, Sewing, Crafting.

Yalla! And a minimalist wallet

Friday, March 12, 2021

Time is flying so quickly now that schools have gone back. I feel like you blink and the days just disappear! There's so much running around to do - wash school uniforms, make school lunches, fill waterbottles, drop kids off, tidy up, squeeze in work for a few hours, pick kids up, make food, repeat! I spend a lot of time telling the children to go! After being still for so long during lockdown with curfew restritions, it feels quite liberating.

I've been trying to make time every day for me in all of this craziness, even if it is just half an hour, so I've been getting through my backlog of unifinished projects and have even started a few new ones. I've really appreciated a slow and happy little bit of time to punctuate all the hurry, it is my happy place.

The Noodlehead Minimalist Wallet (Paid Pattern Here) has been on my to-do list forever; I really like the mini size wallet, it is perfect for grabbing on the way out the door (especially here, where you must carry your Emirates ID with you when you leave the house) without having to take a whole bag.

See how dinky it is? Perfect! It fits in a pocket or a tiny bag.

On the back, I added a bit of fun embroidery. Yalla is a wonderful word you hear a lot here in Abu Dhabi and no doubt across all the emirates. It means go and get a move on and let's go all at once. Yalla kids, school time! Yalla, we're going for a walk. Yalla, let's go to the beach. I especially love that yalla is a word of possibility. Yalla, it's time to go on an adventure.

The inside has a slip pouch in the front which fits a card or two very comfortably, a zip pouch in the middle for coins, and a pocket behind the zip pouch for notes or extra cards. That's it. It folds down, snaps close, and done. Yalla! The whole wallet took about an hour to put together, which included trying to make heads or tails of the instructions. In the end, I watched a youtube video of someone sewing it up and then it all suddenly clicked together and I made it easily. I used a combination of hot pink and dark denim, which is my go-to at the moment, and a tiny bit of cork for the flap. And I am so glad that I brought my KAM snap setter with me when we moved over! It seems to be getting a lot of use.

Overall, the pattern came together well and has been made so many times by so many people online that it wasn't hard to find ideas, inspiration and a bit of help when I needed it. I'd make it again, especially for gifts.

2021

Happy New Year! Gosh, it's 2021

Sunday, January 03, 2021

Happy New Year to you and yours! I'm so glad to see the end of 2020, as I'm sure you are too. It was a year unlike any other, and I still shudder when I think about our lockdown here in Abu Dhabi. As we are in an apartment 27 floors up, we didn't have access to a garden (oh how I longed to have our garden back in England! Or a balcony, at the least) and I think it's amazing that we were all still friends by the time we were allowed out for "socially distanced exercise". We miss our family and friends, not only in England but in South Africa as well - I don't think that the world has ever felt so big before, or so far away. We are all in this together, but apart.

Happy New Year from us and all the dinosaurs!

I spent a lot of time in the doctors' waiting rooms trying to get to the bottom of some medical issues, but we're on the right track now after being diagnosed with an auto-immune disease, two chronic conditions that require monthly monitoring, and several points on my frequent-flyer hospital card. That's not a real thing but it really should be because I'd be winning!

But not all was bad. I always try to see the positive in any situation - and while it was incredibly difficult to find the silver linings during lockdown! - I did find a few positives. I watched quite a lot of Roots & Refuge farm on Youtube (link here) which follows the journey of a big family as they turn a foreclosure home with an unruly garden in Central Arkansas into an incredible farm that feeds their whole family. Goals! Jess, the mom, regularly reminds everyone that if you can't be exactly where you want to be RIGHT NOW, then you've got to turn your WAITING ROOM into your CLASSROOM. So that's what we did. We made a list of everything we wanted to learn, do, and explore - and then we started.

Sunset at Al Wathba Lakes, Abu Dhabi

Graeme and I have both signed up to do a diploma in botany, focussing on home gardens. We also decided during lockdown that we're going to focus on having more adventures and seeing/doing more out of our routines and comfort zones once lockdown finally lifts. And we did. We have been posting pictures on our shared instagram account here. We've been camping, dune driving, 4x4ing, exploring landmarks and lakes, and we welcomed the new year in with a sunrise breakfast in the dunes. Graeme got his sailing license, and just today, passed his exam for his powerboating license.

Fairfield Button Up. Because all shirt cuffs should be embroidered, right?

I rediscovered my love of sewing. While I've done little bits here and there before getting stuck in during lockdown, I really managed to "level up" and even got a new machine when we were finally allowed out again! I now have a beautiful Janome 9400 which I love completely and have used extensively. I've sewn five Made by Rae Trillium Dresses, two mini Made by Rae Geranium Dresses, one quilt, two christmas stockings, a red riding hood cape and a mermaid dress for halloween, a Twig & Tale dinosaur vest, several quilted zipper pouches, one Fairfield Button Up Shirt, and one small Thomas Shirt (see pic above for psychadelic traffic shirt!). Shirts! I have always wanted to make a man's shirt. It was ridiculously intimidating but was totally fine once I got stuck in. Slow and steady.

A rainbow of 1-inch English Paper Pieced hexagons

I have also been spending quite a lot of time hand stitching 1" english paper pieced hexagons. I've made 300 so far, and I'm doing a few each week and storing them for a project some time in the future. I worked out that I need around 4000 hexagons to make a bed-sized quilt so I'm fairly sure I'll end up using them for something much smaller when the inspiration finally strikes, but I really like the idea that I'm using up all of my fabric scraps from sewing projects and turning them into little hexagons of happy memories.

2021 for our family is going to be a year of doing just a little more, and putting in the effort. I've made a list of all of my "unfinished projects" that were abandoned during low moments in 2021 and I'm going to finish them. So far, I have two pairs of knitted socks that still need heels, one hat that is about half way knit, one bundle of fabric that I bought to turn into a shirt but didn't make it that far, and some lovely dark blue courdroy fabric that was destined to become a child-sized gilet. I also have a cupboard full of "shelf stable" foods for lockdown that never got used. I'm going to try pull out a random ingredient at least once a week to turn it into a meal and free up some cupboard space! I don't want to collect half-done projects or half-formed ideas anymore. With 2020 behind us, we have to make the most of every day going forward.

For 2021, I wish you love, health and happiness. I wish you happy memories, and amazing opportunities. But most of all, I wish you the freedom to enjoy the simple things and spend time with the people who matter the most.

craft

HUGE hula hoop dreamcatcher DIY

Tuesday, April 21, 2020

I posted this picture months ago on my instagram and I suddenly had loads and loads of people asking me if I'd be willing to sell dreamcatchers.

Hula Hoop Dreamcatchers In Progress

I really enjoyed making this one, so I made two more for the kids in bright rainbow colours. No, I don't sell these. Yes, I did make them - and you can too. They're so easy and fun to make, I thought I'd share the instructions so you could make your own dreamcatchers.

Here's a quick montage of the dreamcatchers I made:

To start, you'll need:

a hula hoop (ours were adult-sized but you can use whatever you have). As I was making a white dreamcatcher first, I covered up the rainbow colours on the hoop with some plain masking tape. This was a pain, I think it took longer than the crochet bit! But it did make a difference and stopped the colours from showing through. I didn't bother covering up the rainbow colours on the kids' dreamcatchers and that worked fine too.
your favourite yarn in either DK or Aran weight, with a corresponding crochet hook. My white dreamcatcher took about 80g of aran weight acrylic, while the rainbow ones took about 50g each of rainbow acrylic yarn in DK weight. This will depend on the size of your hoop and how much fringe you want to add.
t-shirt yarn to crochet around the hoop, with a huge crochet hook (somewhere between a 6mm and 10mm). You also use this to create the fringe. We used about half a ball of hoooked zphaghetti but this will depend on the size of your hoop.
bells, beads, fabric strips or yarn lengths for the fringe if you want to decorate

DIY Hula Hoop Dreamcatchers

The middle of the dreamcatcher is a crocheted mandala. There are loads of amazing patterns to choose from, but my favourite is the Attic24 Positivity Mandala. Click here for the full pattern and tutorial instructions. I stopped after round 8, Lucy's turquoise round, as this gave me the shape I wanted. Lucy's instructions are really easy to follow, and she has photos for each step. Round 8 also gives you a series of spaces that you'll use in the next step.

I added a row of crocheted loops to create my own row 9. I started by adding the yarn in the space created in the middle of the V stitch from round 8. Then, chain 9 stitches, and single crochet into the next chain space. Repeat all the way around, and then secure and cut the yarn. This creates a series of loops.

The next bit is to create a crochet chain that you will use to string through the loops to start stretching your mandala onto the hoop. The length you make will depend on the size of the hoop you have, but I start with about two metres of crochet chain and work from there. Don't fasten off - keep it on the hook and use the free end to thread through the hoops as below. * Note - you might want to use yarn or string here if you don't want the faff of crocheting-as-you-go! The same principle applies.

Add a stitch marker to the free end of the crochet chain, and then use that to thread through the loops, always going from front to back. You'll start off at the front, threading the chain through the loop, pulling it out the back, and pulling it back to the front of the next stitch to start again. Don't pull too tight - you'll want this comfortably loose so that you can lay the mandala flat and see how much more you need to add as you go. Depending on the size of your hoop, you might have to crochet a little more! This is totally fine, and you have the flexibility to adjust the size of your chain because you left the crochet hook in the working end.

Keep your mandala flat as you weave your crochet chain or yarn through the outer loops

Once you've gone all the way around, it's time to join the ends. Do this temporarily as you'll have to make loads of adjustments to get it just right. You will almost definitely be adding more. I use a stitch marker to join my ends to create a loop, but you could use a clip, a peg, or even a loose bow. You want a nice big, loose loop around the edges of your mandala that weaves in and out of round 9.

By weaving in and out, you've created a series of new loops. You're going to pull these loops up a little, starting on opposite ends. It helps to tie them temporarily to the hula hoop using long strips of yarn. Start with the top and bottom loops, tieing them loosely on to the hoop. Then do the left and right loops. Work your way around the hula hoop, securing all the loops up and in place. Chain a little more if you need it.

Keep the tension on your mandala nice and tight when attaching to the hula hoop

Now you can choose: either tie the ends of the chained loop together, firmly securing in place, and start a new chain to go around the outer edge. This chain will be used to wind around the hula hoop. OR you can tie your chain together, leaving a tail of about 15cm. You'll use this tail as the end bit of the next chain, hiding the join under the hula hoop cover and leaving it looking all a bit neater. This method takes a little more patience but it looks great!

You're going to tie the mandala on to the hula hoop now. Crochet a new length of chain (or use what you have left if you went with the second method), and start weaving the mandala around the hula hoop in an "in and out" method, weaving your chain or thread in this pattern:

- through the front of a mandala loop

- over the top of the hula hoop

- down the back of the hula hoop

Easy peasy! If you're still not sure, have a look at the first pic right up at the top of the blog post where I'm doing exactly this.

Make sure that everything is where you want it. This might require some wiggling. Then make a loop with the leftover chain (or chain a little to make a loop) at the top of your hoop to hang the dreamcatcher, tie your yarn off, and join the ends of the chain to secure the mandala in place.

Now you're going to use your t-shirt yarn and a huge crochet hook. Starting at the top, work your way around the edge of the hula hoop, crocheting a simple single crochet stitch around the hula hoop frame in between the chain that loops around the hula hoop. Once you reach the end, slip stitch to join and weave in the ends of your yarn.

It's fringe time! This is the best bit. You can add fringe however you want. I alternate bundles of yarn with t-shirt yarn to create the fringe, and add in bits of whatever I have - I used fake suede and kraft twine on mine, and glitter cotton on the kids' fringe with added bells tied on at random intervals. Find the bottom of your hoop, and cut lengths of yarn that are double the length of your preferred fringe length. Double them over, and thread the looped bit through the bottom-most of the t-shirt yarn crochet sttiches on the hoop. Pull the ends through the loop, pull to tighten, and admire your work.

Working outwards, fill in the fringe with what you have. I braid some of the fringe, and leave some of it loose. It is up to you! Trim the ends if you'd like a particular shape (like a triangular arrowhead) or leave it rough

That's it. I did each step separately, so all in all, it took about a week to make two of these but you could probably squeeze this into a day - or an afternoon if you use bigger yarn. We've hung ours up above our beds on those fancy command hooks that stick temproarily to the wall, and they hold the weight just far. The weight limit on our hooks is 1.3kg and they've been hanging quite happily for quite a while. My one has been on the wall since November, and the hook shows no signs of letting go! I'd love to see if you make one of these! If you need help, message me on instagram here.

crafting

Quarantine Crafting

Monday, April 13, 2020

We've spent five whole weeks indoors as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc. It feels like a lifetime ago that we were playing on the swings at the park and building sandcastles at the beach! Still, we've managed to fill our time incredibly well with crochet, crafts, soapmaking, reading, painting, cooking, canning and baking.

I'm trying to stay busy and stay positive, but being indoors for this long is really taking its toll. Still, we've made a point of dancing along to GoNoodle, we have worked hard at assembling lego sculptures of awesomness, and have fingerpainted a gallery of magnificent artwork that we've stuck to every available door/wall/surface. It's pretty awful to be stuck indoors for this long, but I think if I'm going to be stuck anywhere, I'm pretty sure that I'd want to be stuck with this crazy bunch of humans.

A few weeks ago I started crocheting a small blanket for the couch to keep myself busy and productive. I pulled together some really nice colours from the Scheepjes Stone Washed range, and made up a bunch of African Flower Hexagons. I used this pattern tutorial: here - it was quick and easy to work up a bunch of these in random colour combinations. I really like the colours I had on hand, they're tonal and have a lot of rustic charm with their tweedy colour blending.

Happy African Flower Hexies

I joined the African Flower hexagons together with the crochet-as-you-go method and added a final border when I ran out of yarn. I've still got some ends to sew in, but I'll get there. Eventually. I am especially pleased with the way it makes me smile whenever I see the finished blanket draped over the back of the couch.

Of course, when the children saw my blanket they wanted one each too - and I thought it was a good idea to let them come up with their own designs. Rookie mistake. Isla's design is a smorgasbord of unicorn glitter, with granny squares, flowers, hearts and a unicorn hood. Honestly, I have no idea what I'm doing with this one but I hope it works out.

Unicorn Granny Squares, with Added Glitter

The design also includes a hood, a horn, ears and a spiral mane. Of course.

Finnlay chose some really strong primary colours and a vehicles theme. It more or less matches absolutely everything in his room. He has chosen a few pictures out of his most favourite book (A 101 Vehicles) and I'm attempting to copy them and make them out of yarn. Wish me luck.

"But mom, this grey stripe should be a road." Obviously.

I have a feeling that we're going to be in lockdown for a lot longer than the four days that are left. I've still got a long list of fun (messy) things to attempt with the kids to keep them busy, thank goodness, but I am starting to wonder how on earth we're ever going to get all of these crafty makes back home with us when we make our trek back to the UK! We will have to get a container full just for the artistic masterpieces (finger paintings and scribbles) alone - nevermind the leftover yarn!

abu dhabi

Time for Tea (Cake)

Sunday, March 22, 2020

One of the most amazing things about living in the UAE is the sheer amount of little luxuries. I'm not talking about fancy cars or opulent architecture - although there is plenty of that - but rather about the small luxuries that make up everyday life.

For example, this week we arranged to have some suits dry-cleaned. With two presses of a button on an app, we had scheduled a collection on the same day. You then fold up your garments into a pre-provided bag and leave them outside for collection. Two days later they're returned to you at a specified time, completely dry-cleaned, pressed and neatly left outside your door. All of this happens without even having to talk to anyone else.

Another luxury is the incredible availability of things. I've been able to get Dutch yarn delivered to me from a yarn shop in Dubai. I've bought amazing American bakeware in a local hardware store. I found a Kiwi-made youghurt Maker from a vegetable shop in Abu Dhabi. I've also managed to find Yorkshire Tea in some local stores on the main island, which is only a short drive away. Before I moved here, I worried about how easy it would be to find things that I was used to - things like toiletries, groceries and even fresh fruit. I needn't have worried; the UAE is like an oversized global marketplace if you just know where to look.

When we moved into our flat, we got an enormous gas-burning oven - another luxury that is considered the standard size here, where catering could be considered something of a national pastime. It's double-width, and I've discovered that it takes two very generously-sized baking trays side-by-side. I can bake an enormous birthday cake with four layers in just one oven session. Or, 48 cupcakes. It is truly a thing of beauty. And I've been using it. A lot. I've baked across the globe this past year, trying all sorts of recipes every week and making Southern biscuits for dinner (it's a bit like a savoury scone, rather than the sweet snack you'd have with tea), Australian lamingtons for tea, South African snowballs as a treat, and most recently an Irish tea cake - because, well, it reminds me a bit of home.

Granny's Irish Tea Cake

This was my husband's late grandmother's recipe. She had an enormous collection of amazing recipes - both indulgent, and war-time. This one was one of her regular makes, and a firm favourite in our house. I'm incredibly grateful that I managed to write down a number of her recipes which we now use quite regularly. Making fresh tea cake for (well) tea has been a little luxury for us too, in this time of Covid-19 isolation. It is proper comfort food.

Elice's Irish Tea Cake (our family recipe)

1 teacup of cold tea

1 teacup of brown sugar

2 teacups of self-raising flour

1lb of raisins (450g)

1 egg, beaten

1. Put the sugar and the raisins into a bowl, add the tea, and soak overnight.
2. The next day, add flour and a well-beaten egg, and mix well.
3. Pour mixture into a well-greased small tin and bake on the middle shelf of an oven at 150'C for 1 1/4 hour - 1 3/4 hours (or until brown and baked through). Mine took about 2 hours.

Yorkshire Tea in Abu Dhabi

I thought you might like to see that while things are certainly available here, they sometimes look a little different. I think you have to be open to accidentally trying new things as you go to make sure you find what you're looking for!

Yalla! And a minimalist wallet

Happy New Year! Gosh, it's 2021

HUGE hula hoop dreamcatcher DIY

Quarantine Crafting

Time for Tea (Cake)

Why, Hello There

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Get Stitching!

You're My Significant Otter: Embroidery Pattern

Spring Sampler

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