Textiles and Tea, and mixed news

Yesterday's Textiles and Tea introduced Dawn Ahlert, a tapestry maker also interested in twining, and taking ideas from traditional Maori twining, an ancient art of the original people of New Zealand. She's into very saturated colors, as you'll see 

There were technical hitches with their transmission, maybe storm activity, so it was a bit hit or miss, however I did get these images to show you.

In other news, the lentils have begun to sprout, thanks to the idea from Apricots on the Nile

So they'll be an addition to the shakshuka I'm planning to make today

And, less happily, I got an email from my investment company to say that they won't honor a large check I wrote last week to pay my credit card. No explanation,  to find out more, call this number.. There's plenty of funds to cover it, and I've used their checks once in a while to cover large bills.  

I need to find out why, and I suspect that their changeovers last year making everyone move their accounts over, which I did pretty simply, might have voided the current checks.  They didn't mention this at the time. 

Anyway meanwhile I have to fix the issue. The good news is that I do have enough in my regular bank account to send a replacement payment, which I've done. Also there's time to get it credited without incurring a late payment charge. But I expect to be charged for the rd check all the same. 

 I feel aggrieved about this, innocent party, poor me. And I won't pursue using  investment checks from now on. I wonder if they still process them at all,  since  I now see the website section explaining them is dated 2021, before the switch. It also gave a non-working email address. I've dmd them on Twitter, not holding my breath about that.

Still pursuing the fridge.  I remember it took a couple of days last time around, to get started. This too shall arrive.

Anyway the puzzle answer is the noise I emitted when I got the email

SQUAWK!

And then there's the balancing pleasure of stitching and of picking a few flowers

Happy day everyone,  I hope metaphorical flowers balance your squawk experiences.

More history bounding, fruit pasties, lentils and future beans

Yesterday I hauled out the rest of the pastry from the freezer. This was for the fruit filling I've been thinking about.

I mixed chopped dried apricots, the very moist kind, dried cranberries, a grated gala apple, with nutmeg, cinnamon, sumac and lemon zest, wonderful smell as they blended.

This made, rather than the ten officially expected, two batches, one of small ones, one big.  This could, as it turns out, work for Christmas mince pies, very similar flavor and texture. Noted.

I also think I can use this pastry recipe for cheese straws, great idea that came as I was eating a breakfast pasty, from the cheese and onion batch I made with the first half of the dough.

This seems to be an all purpose recipe.

About food, another idea I got from Apricots on the Nile was to try sprouting lentils. 

These are organic, from Misfits, so we'll see. Damp paper towels. I haven't sprouted for years.

And when I order this afternoon from Misfits, I'm including cannellini beans, another all-purpose food. 

This time I'm planning akara, a Nigerian  kind of doughnut using these beans. Vegan! Gluten free! It's not an issue for me, but might be interesting for some readers. Watch this space.

More about the skirt, which I wore yesterday, very happily. One of Ash's tips was that if the hem is a bit off, adjust at the waist. Which I did.

 I found a small section that needed unpicking and restitching, and that brought the hem up all even. It's a drawing tip,  too -- when something looks wrong in your drawing, fix the part next to it, because that's usually the issue.

And about historical sewing and design, there's a whole community of sewing experts who make and wear period clothes all the time, not just for reenactment. They're fashion historians as well as great artisans, well worth a look in YouTube and other media. 

They're often friends, inviting each other to be guests on their channels, and here are some of them. 

Karolina Zebrowska is Polish,  with such fluent English you don't remember,  until she breaks into Polish history and you realize she's more talented than we can imagine. Her channel is well worth a visit. She's also brilliantly funny.

There are more, just mentioning my favorites. And yes, it's a world of hugely talented gay and trans people, generous enough to share and teach, like Ash. I  admire them and their grace and patience under pressure. 

So that's Boud today. I just read a piece about how stuffed animals aren't just for kids. They're comfort for sleepless adults, too. Noted in case I ever need sleeping help. Fred Bear and Ursula may find they're conscripted, as well as guarding my hand woven cloth.

Happy day everyone, enjoy who you are and whom (!) you love, the inner grammarian never sleeps, and what you're doing today.