plumkitchen

Holidays with Coni in the sun (yes, really!)

Hello again and hello 2025! I thought I’d begin the year with good intentions for my wee blog , I’m making a start with an absolute monster of a post, so please do pour yourself something delish and get comfy.

I’ve so far managed a trip to Sri Lanka and the Maldives AND two new dresses . Dear reader I may have peaked . Let’s start with a lovely new frock…

This is the Coni Tunic by Tessuti patterns, an absolute corker of a holiday dress (or sitting at home wishing you were on hols dress) . It’s a quick sew, with no tricky fastenings, super easy sleeves and can be made with or without pockets.

My first version is in a gorgeous Indian Block Cotton from Merchant & Mills , I brought this on hols in the UK last year intending to make PJ’s, but it seemed too pretty to hide away. Perfect and light for a summer dress. I didn’t have enough fabric to make binding so used a contrast linen scrap from my stash which I think works perfectly .

The side splits are a little higher than I realised so in the interests of modesty I actually wore this on hols over wide black linen pants, it looked really good, of course I forgot to take a photo (but it did, really!)

Version two is in a navy linen gingham from The Fabric Store (currently on sale) . This fabric is a delight to sew and wear, breezy but totally opaque , and perfect for any holiday spills (I wore a white tee shirt on my flight to Sri Lanka & two curries in was really questioning that particular life choice)*

My only mods were to lower the side split about 10 cm/4 inches, still easy to walk in but keeps my knees between me and my maker.

Did I mention I’ve been on hols? Mr D works with several lovely Sri Lankan collegues who have been encouraging us to travel there, so finally we (i.e. me) made it happen. Friends, its AMAZING. Beautiful countryside, friendly people, incredible wildlife, the FOOD!!! We actually did this Food Tour, which I highly recommend.

The food is varied, with lots of vegetables (I loved the varied vegetable curries especially) and not a small amount of spice!

A vege market in Dambulla I wish I could visit every week

The great thing about doing a specialist food tour was visiting peoples homes, to watch cooking demos and sometimes participate (yay!)

How they manage the heat on these stoves , amazing!

I know its a cliché to say “people were lovely” but honestly, they really were, in quite a laid back way (no hard selling, even the guy at the cave temples trying to sell me a necklace smiled and walked away when I said no thank you!) Not once did I feel threatened in anyway or unsafe. Ok except maybe crossing the road, I needed to hustle.

There is even have living proof my husband cooked…I suspect we may not see this replicated at home (our delightful Sri Lanka host in Kandy had a tad more patience than I…)

Was there Tea? Oh yes, All the Tea in Sri Lanka kids, its delicious, everywhere and comes in every variety from Builders to fancy Silver & Gold leaf, the nuances I must say were sadly lost on this philistine (yes I have mine milky with lotsa sugar…)

When not stuffing my face & quaffing the national beverage we were seeing some amazing countryside …

Some even more glorious wildlife…

And climbing things! We made an early morning visit to Sigiriya, Ok I didn’t actually climb Lion rock, (Mr Douglas did!) I went up part way, then was helped down by our lovely guide and enjoyed a coffee from his friends coffee cart while listening to birds and watching the local monkeys, honestly, one of the nicest ways to start the day .

After the delights of Sri Lanka, we had five days in the Maldives, basically replicating delighted sloths. Eating, drinking, reading and discussing the cocktail list. It was magnificent! Highly recommend Cora Cora Maldives

In between that busy schedule, I even managed a few swims (Sheila May swimwear for the win!) and a bike ride.

Reading was a top priority of course, first up a book I was delighted to find in our room on arrival

I really enjoy Felicity Cloaks’ How to Cook the Perfect column in the Guardian, so was thrilled to find this, a really enjoyable read following her around France on her trusty steed Eddy, sampling some delicious food and being far more stoic in the face of rain & breakdowns than I ever could.

I also enjoyed The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley, about a Wellness Retreat opening that goes HORRIBLY wrong, and The Fury by Alix Michaelides , set on a Greek Island full of glamour and bad life choices . I bet they regretted the white top too…

All in all it was a marvelous week, although lets just say leaving the resort was a tad bumpier then I may have liked (thanks GOODNESS for a glass of champagne at breakfast!!)

Hmmm….

I hope you’ve had a marvelous/gentle/not too crappy start to 2025, and remember, some days its a very good idea to have Champagne at breakfast, you never know what you could have to do before lunch…

Kristina

* Can recommend a good wash then hanging your garment in bright direct sunshine, works as treat on turmeric stains (yes, really) . Just don’t leave your Tee shirt unattended on a hotel balcony in Kandy, a monkey might just try and steal it (also, yes, really…)

New things, old things, shiny things…

Hello friends. Now I’m not going to pretend for a minute that I went to hospital just so I could get flowers. No , I went to hospital to get a shiny new hip (well, I’m not actually sure if it’s shiny, but it’s definitely new, and it’s definitely a hip). The flowers from my dear BFF are a nice added bonus!

I was born with a left hip deformity which has gradually got worse, to the point where I was more shuffling than walking (painfully). Happily I was referred for a full hip replacement in Feb of last year when I was still pretty mobile. The op was six weeks ago, and while I’m on crutches (and still shuffling) it is improving, whoop.

In a rare instance of life imitating art, my surgeon really is a “Mcdreamy”, I however, was not looking quite so glam on the ward…

Three nights in Mercy and I managed to read three books , yay! New hip, gorgeous and exceedingly competent surgeon, delightful nurses, good food (really, you ring anytime between 7am & 7pm and order off the menu, it’s like room service) and nothing to pay but parking, gotta love the Public health service 🙂

Back home, and in between naps, rehab exercises and swearing at my crutches I’ve had time to do some gentle stitching, which has been rather lovely.

First up was a wee kit my sister found in her storage unit, I’ve not done crewel work before so this was new. I of course didn’t read the instructions properly and ended up using too much of the dark green wool, the leaf on the right is actually done using embroidery thread mixed with the bit of the green wool I had left, I think it works pretty well? I do love the raspberries, French knots are my absolute fav stitch.

My next project was rather more involved. This sampler is from a kit by Rebecca at Textile Tours of Paris, isn’t it gorgeous. The kit is the Samplers of Seduction, and includes all the materials for stitching, and hours of video tutorials. Rebecca trained in Paris and has worked at some of the famous Haute Couture houses, she is also a wonderful teacher. I found the whole process incredibly relaxing but informative , giving me confidence for more stitching adventures!

Rebecca has a new embroidery course coming out this year which I will definitely be signing up to, in the meantime I just have to dream about getting back to Paris & doing a tour. Sign up for her newsletter for more great tips and dream of Paris too…

My next project (in between marathon Murder She Write & Midsummer Murder marathons obviously…) was a kit from Australia based Wattle and Loom . I first saw these on Instagram and was intrigued. The kit includes the pattern, backing fabric and lots of smaller pieces including pretty Liberty prints for cutting and stitching down. I have been keen to try this method using my own (vast!) collection of scraps but it was great to see how it was put together and the pattern created. I will frame this one for our bedroom.

So what else has been occurring at the Plum Towers Rehab Ward?

I actually made these before I went into Hospital, an experiment with some fabric scraps and hand and machine embroidery. I adore hydrangeas so it was fun to play around with inspiration from my garden , I hope to make more. The cute bud vase is by Deborah Sweeny from Sweet Acorns in Wellington (excellent speedy delivery and packaging too)

Speaking of flowers, this gorgeous bunch were from Julie and her amazing garden, check out her dahlias (and some excellent sewing too!) The vase , which my husband is not convinced about , is from Bolt of Cloth in Christchurch. I love it 🙂

Highly recommend this BEAUTIFUL book by New Zealand textile artist Fleur Woods, very inspiring . I’d love to do one of her workshops, but in the meantime the book is choc full of gorgeous images and inspiration, I’m obsessed with the pink and green/aqua on the cover. Go on, treat yourself .

Speaking of books, my hospital reading list :

A Death in the Parish by Rev Richard Coles, this is the second in the Daniel Clement mystery series, very gentle but absorbing read with a good mystery. I really enjoyed the first one Murder before Evensong

The Queen of Poisons by Robert Thorogood, I’m absolutely loving this series, from the man who brought us the fab Death in Paradise TV show no less. This is the third in the series, I have read & loved them all. I even visited Marlow on hols last year, and of course went to the bookshop mentioned in the book! Yes that is me grinning like an idiot…

The Maid by Nita Prose , this book is a delight, Molly is a clever determined young woman and I adored her. Read and enjoy

This is my post hospital treat, I have enjoyed so many of Bettany Hughes‘ TV shows I knew I would enjoy her writing. Its a treat, she is so knowledgeable but relaxed and entertaining at the same time. If you’ve ever been even vaguely interested in the Seven Wonders you will enjoy this one.

I think that’s it from me, it’s feeling very autumnal here in Auckland all of a sudden, the clocks change in a couple of weeks so I shall spend that time trying to remember how to change the clock on the oven, wish me luck…

Kristina x

Back from the fields (and towns & cities) with Fielder

Hello again. Back from hols , a long weekend here in Aotearoa and I made a dress. We arrived back from an amazing six weeks in the UK last weekend, after jet lag and approx. 400 loads of washing I’m finally back on track, so I thought I’d share the first make from the wee stash of fabric I brought back (yes the suitcase was a tad heavy…)

The fabric is Henri from Merchant & Mills, a gorgeous linen with a subtle green & brown check. I chose a Fielder dress , a pattern I have used before and really like. The rib knit is from Miss Maude , the bronze I used is out of stock but I think the tan would work well also. The bronze does have a slight sparkle which I really like with the more rustic linen.

I sized up with this one as I wanted quite a loose fit for Summer (in case we actually get one this year) , I’m usually an 18-20 in Merchant & Mills but this is a 22. I like the neat fit around the shoulders, often patterns that fits around a larger bust assumes you must have rugby player shoulders to match, reader I do not.

The only adjustment was adding 4cm/2 inches to the length, that’s quite enough lily white leg on show already (my friends Dad called them milk bottles…harsh.)

Annoyingly I stretched the rib unevenly at the front (why does I always make my mistakes at the front?) so it has pulled the linen slightly, honestly, I can live with it.

I’m calling this my Toast dress. We stayed in delightful Marlow for a couple of days (if you want an absolute treat & fancy splashing out I can’t recommend the Gastronomic Escape here highly enough, worth turning 50 for! )

The Toast in Marlow is a lovely store, my sisters & I spent a fabulous hour or so trying on lovely clothes, I may or may not have brought fabulous cords and a denim dress. Toast has a certain “look” which I wanted to channel in my dress, gorgeous fabric , a simple shape with a twist .

Speaking of fabulous, how lucky was I to visit the mothership? Merchant & Mills have their store in Rye on the south coast of England, in the County of Kent. Rye is a gorgeous town, “proper historic” as my husband said. I mean seriously, just look at those streets.

Admittedly a tad hard on the ankles, worth it nonetheless

But the most exciting part?

Show me the linen baby! Yes I do sound a bit excitable, but I’ve loved the Merchant & Mills aesthetic for a long time, the Trapeze was actually one of the first patterns I brought and made.

There is also a microbrewery next door, which was of great interest to my husband and Brother in Law…

The shop itself is a joy. Gorgeous fabric and notions, knowledgeable friendly staff, even the shop dog is a cutie

We stayed at the delightful Fig on the High Street in Rye, the rooms are lovely and the plant based breakfast is a delightful change from the usual full English (which I love, but need a break from now and again)

I can’t resist one last holiday pic (bare with!), the divine Hever Castle, Anne Boleyn’s childhood home. I’ve wanted to go here forever, and it was absolutely worth it. I shall bore you with more pics another time but for now…

I ask you, could a castle be more castle-ly?

There’s even a moat 🙂

Hope you are having a fab week!

Kristina x

An artist and her Paint…top

Hello friends, please excuse my absence, I’ve been moored in the snot filled world that is Sinusitis for the last 8 weeks or so and can I just say, DO NOT RECOMMEND.

Apologies for using the S word, but honestly, it’s been a ride. I managed my first fifty rotations of the sun with nothing more than the odd cold (touch wood, I’ve never even had Flu), then suddenly I’m waking up every morning feeling like I’d been punched in the face eating a freezing cold ice cream while my wisdom teeth come through. Miserable much. Especially when you cant even taste anything delicious to cheer yourself up, gah!

Anyhoo, I’m on my third round of antibiotics & while I don’t want to think about the state of my gut by now, at least I can smell and TASTE again, yeow! In between generally feeling rather sorry for myself I’ve not done as much sewing as I would like, BUT I have managed to finish something. Something I actually really love, so double win.

The Paint is a new pattern from The Fabric Store and friends, it’s a corker. So much on brand when I wore my new top into work a colleague immediately asked where my easel was? I’m an artist with spreadsheets kid…

I really love this top. It’s comfortable to wear, swishes in a pleasing manner, does not care if I’ve had a rather indulgent lunch, it just swings on down! I went down one size which I’m happy with, next time I would gather the neckline a wee bit more so it sits slightly higher too

The Fabric Store linen is Military Green , the rib knit I added ’cause I’m a crazy cat who doesn’t follow rules* is from Miss Maude , I loved the way the colours echoed the beautiful Walker & Bing scarf my bestie gave me for my birthday .

So in between wafting around channeling Monet and blowing my nose, what’s been occurring ?

I made a couple of cushions. Apparently Tuppence isn’t wildly impressed…

I’m quite pleased, the linen backing is offcuts from a dress, the buttons from a worn out blazer of Mr D’s. I do love nice cushions, but I’m also aware anything on our couch is subjected to extreme claw action from three cats, in which case spending $100 plus on a cushion feels rather silly…

Moving on from sewing, I’ve really enjoyed this book. Maybe it’s the sinus meds but I haven’t had my usual attention span lately, so when I spied this short story collection at the library I was tempted. I don’t normally read anything vaguely horror or short stories, so trust me when I say I love this book and was deeply surprised by that! I really enjoyed her novel The Drift too.

Hope your week is fab, perhaps lean into it like this little cutie…

Miss Lemon does not like being woken unnecessarily…

Have a good one, I’m just off to find another box of tissues

Kristina

* I think we all know I’m pretty much a rule follower…sigh

Silky Liberty…

Hello again, and a happy belated Easter if you celebrate. It’s actually a public holiday here in NZ for ANZAC day , so I thought it would be fun to sit down and catch up. Oh and stand around the garden smiling at hedges, obviously.

I would normally start with a sewing catch up, but in honour of the holiday I will first share my ANZAC biscuits. Oats, coconut, golden syrup , of course they taste good.

Mr D and I engaged in our annual “fruit no fruit” ~~argument~~ discussion. He is pro adding currents (the most boring of dried fruit surely?) and sultanas, I am against. If it has fruit it isn’t an Anzac biscuit babe!

This year I relented and added currents & dried apricot to half the mixture. As predicted the fruit burned but he insists that just “adds to the flavour”. Indeed. The recipe below, from my well thumbed Edmonds cookbook. My edition is pre fan-bake ovens, so I would reduce the temp to 160C if cooking on fan. So easy and so very tasty.

I made these the first year we lived in London, but the British Tate & Lyle Golden syrup seemed a lot lighter than the Chelsea variety I use here in NZ, so my biscuits were much paler and had a more mild flavour. They were perfectly delicious but not the ANZAC biscuits I remembered, I do recall there were (homesick) tears!

Fast forward twenty odd years and I can bang out a batch of biscuits and sew a new top just like that, go me.

To be fair the Cashmerette Montrose is a pretty quick easy sew, even for me. Or at least it would be if I didn’t insist on using gorgeous but slippery Liberty silk, and driving my overlocker through the fabric causing a big ole’ tear. Yes dear reader, there were indeed tears.

After a restorative glass of Chard/moan to my husband I took stock and decided , given how gloriously busy the fabric is, I could possibly get away with some machine embroidery. I could also end up with a hot mess, but worth a try yes?

Interfacing to stabilise the mess.

Machine embroidery for the win! So good it’s almost invisible, or at least very difficult to see. I’m surprised it worked so well.

I’ve made the Montrose several times times before, one of those patterns that is deceptively “basic” but actually great, I’m not sure why I’ve not made one for a while.

The silk is from The Fabric Store, with the most glorious sheen I haven’t captured in pictures. I must have had something in mind when I brought 1.5 metres, but I know not what. I did however managed to squeeze the top out of this amount. I didn’t use the larger bicep piece, and as you can see the arm is quite snug, but it’s fine to wear & works well under a cardigan or jacket

A perfect top for work or play , vive la Liberty 🙂

In between baking, sewing and a stinking cold , I did manage to read a book this month, highly recommend Killers of A Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn. What a blast , four female assassins reach retirement age and think the “company” they work for has shouted them a retirement cruise. The Company has more permanent retirement ideas.

I just loved this, great characters, pacey plot & honestly, woman of a certain age absolutely kicking ar8e. If a bit of swearing and violence isn’t your bag then avoid, but if not, I highly recommend.

Probably timely reading for me, as I approach with speed my big five oh. Actually turning 50 is pretty ok for me. It’s exponentially better than NOT getting to turn 50, and I guess I was already on the “old?” spectrum when I stopped dying my hair. Its something I’m thinking about a lot though , wont lie.

I’ve been married for almost 25 years (I’m honestly checking those figures as we speak) , my approach to aging must be coloured by that? I haven’t been on the pull in nearly 30 years . What does that even feel like now?

My husband is seven years older than me so he is mid 5o’s, we talked about what it would be like to even think about meeting someone new now (its ok kids, were not planning to kill each other, this is hypothetical! )

Aging is a gift. I’m watching the ceremony from Melbourne , the NZ Warriors rugby league team (yay!) in the annual Anzac day game vs Melbourne. We are blessed .So many young men and and woman who had no choices.

Living it large friends! Enjoy your week

Kristina xxx

Mimi and the cool cats…

Once again it’s raining cats and dogs here in Tamaki Makarau, but I do promise to stop torturing animal idioms long enough to tell you about my latest sewing project which as you can see…is a bit catty!

I brought this fabric from The Fabric Store a while back, it’s a light shirting fabric with a really nice, slightly crisp finish, perfect for giving some drama to my sleeve. Who doesn’t love a bit of sleeve drama? Well me actually. Don’t get me wrong, I love those massive sleeves , and if I ever fell out of a plane some of them look like they would probably keep me airborne for hours. But in a predominately computer desk based desk job , acres of fabric flapping around will quickly get on my last nerve. Ditto chunky bangles and bracelets.

Just the right amount of draaaaama darlings

The pattern is the Style Arc Mimi top, which as you can see I have altered somewhat, mainly because I seem incapable of buying sensibly coloured shirring elastic , I currently have fire engine red and nothing else. No idea what I brought that for either.

I really like the relaxed dropped shoulder and the volume in the sleeve, so I played around with the sleeve head, adding approx. 8 cm extra width either side for gathering , and instead of shirring I gathered and bound the sleeve hem. For me anyway, this is the Goldilocks’ sleeve, not too little, not too much, just right.

The construction is super simple, no darts , a bound neckline and a keyhole back opening, which I don’t actually need to open to get over my head so you could probably omit if required. The hemline is gently curved which I think looks cute over slim pants.

Of course what could accessorise feline fabric better than a bird brooch?

So what else has been happening around here besides terrible cat puns?

Some new reading material! I’m quite enjoying this, as a long time Christie fan I love all the references to her books the authors have used, it’s a little “aha” when you pick up a name. I especially enjoyed meeting the Vicar and Griselda again, Murder at the Vicarage is one of my favs. The quality is probably a tiny bit uneven for me (I truly struggled with the idea of Miss Marple in Manhattan) but I think that is a personal thing , aren’t all books to a degree? My BFF & I share VERY different taste in books, so I’m always careful with my criticism. If you enjoy Golden Age mysteries, you will enjoy this.

A very early birthday treat to myself, some fabulous new pans. I love to cook , and I’m quite hard on my equipment. I like to buy stuff that is built to last (I still have the Chefs knife my parents brought me for catering college 30 years ago) , and I find cast iron, unlike non stick coatings, can put up with the treatment. Also a good arm workout for my bingo wings!

The Ironclad Pan Co is a local company who were hit pretty hard by the recent flooding here in Auckland. A colleague received a couple of pans for Christmas and was raving about them so I was already thinking over a purchase, making an order to help them with the rebuild seemed like a no brainer…when the universe talks, I spend money. Now , rare or medium rare?

When not hoofing around heavy cookware I decided, in a moment of I Don’t Even Know What that hand rolling the hem of a metre square scarf would be a grand idea for my Mum’s birthday. The silk is a Liberty print , isn’t it glorious, a bit Hermes I thought? The colours will go with so much in her wardrobe, and silk is light but warm, prefect for a spunky 87 year old.

But handrolloing a hem is …long. Even with wine. I used this tutorial and it is a bit of magic when the hems “rolls itself up” won’t lie. But it’s still long.

Its Feijoa season here in NZ, and look at that for a first haul. A rather unusual fruit, native to Brazil, I can’t even describe the flavour, tropical yet slightly musky? A friend from the UK trying them, for the first time described it as “disgusting, like eating perfume” so not to everyone’s taste, but I love them. Which is good as growing up, every garden I knew had at least one tree. We haven’t yet reached “you’re not allowed to leave until you take some Feijoas” part of the season yet.

I have to leave you with this , Tommy couldn’t bear not to be the star cat in the pic, so decided some gymnastics was in order. At least I think that’s what he was doing?

Tommy busting some moves, such a show off…

Have a fabulous week friends.

Kristina xxx

So, is it a Lamington or a Wellington?

It’s been a hectic few weeks here at Plum Towers and very little sewing has been done, so instead I thought a cheeky mid week post with a sweet treat might be in order. While I truly enjoy my sewing , my first love (besides The Bay City Rollers baby*…) is cooking and baking. So going forward don’t be surprised if a few shorter mid-week posts crop up, with what ever is currently popular at Plum Kitchen

We had a relaxing whanau lunch at the weekend, I made Chelsea Winter’s roast lamb which was hoovered up at pace, I was too busy stuffing my face with it and my body weight in roast potatoes to take a pic but I will next time I make it, promise (and yes, there will be a next time.)

My sister brought along her fabulous Lamingtons , which went down a treat. But is it a Lamington, or a Wellington?

According to this report in The Guardian, what I always thought of as an Australian treat, may in fact originate here in NZ. Who knew? To be honest, I have no wish to cause an international incident (my mother was actually born in Australia and I have plenty of family there for one thing) , and while Pavlova, Crowded House and possibly Russell Crowe are hills I’m prepared to die on, this one isn’t. Besides which the “Wellington” makes me think of Beef obviously…or gumboots.

Yes I think we can agree her’s are tidier…and bigger!

So for my non-Antipodean readers asking what the heck is a Lamington? A tender sponge cake, cut into squares, dipped in chocolate icing and rolled in coconut. If you want to guild the lily add whipped cream and jam (or in this case, a fresh raspberry coulis) Utterly delicious.

Found in home kitchens and cafes all over the country , a version can also be found with the sponge dipped in raspberry jelly and rolled in the coconut, I personally think this is an abomination but you do you…

Both my sister Lizzie and I use the recipe from the Edmonds cook book, I (bossily) suggest you do the same.

Sponge

1½ cups Plain flour

1 cup white sugar

3 eggs, room temp.

50g butter, melted

2 Tbsp whole milk

2 tsp Baking Powder (of course I use Edmonds)

Preheat the oven to 190ºC. Lightly butter two rectangle tins and line the bases with baking paper.
Put the flour and sugar into a large mixing bowl and combine well.
Break in the eggs, followed by the melted butter and milk.
Beat hard for 3 minutes until the mixture is pale and smooth. I use my Kitchen Aid but a hand mixer or some heavy arm work would do the trick Lastly fold in the baking powder.
Pour into the prepared tins and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the cakes spring back when lightly touched.
Leave in the tins for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.

You can use the sponge when cool, but it’s actually better for lamingtons to leave it for 24 hours , then cut into squares. I like mine slightly smaller , about 5cm sq. but its up to you. Dip into the chocolate icing below , then roll in coconut and leave to dry. Top with a blob of cream and some jam/coulis if you fancy.

Chocolate icing

2 Tbsp cocoa
6 Tbsp boiling water
25g butter, melted
2¼ cups icing sugar
¼ tsp vanilla essence

Dissolve the cocoa in the boiling water and mix in the butter. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and then pour in the cocoa mixture. Add vanilla and stir until well combined.

Yes your kitchen will be covered in coconut. No, I can’t help you with that. As you can see in the top pic we enjoyed our Lamingtons outside on the deck. This does make cleanup rather easier.

My Edmonds if the copy Mum sent over when I lived in the UK. Actually this is the replacement for the one I took with me which was ancient and had pages falling out.

I fully intend to meet my maker never having cooked Bacon Bananas, with or without salad, but the Dumplings, Scone, Pancake, Pastry and various biscuits recipes are on rotation, it’s a NZ kitchen classic.

I hope you’re having a sweet week

Kristina xxx

*P.S I’m not kidding about the Bay City Rollers, I was in the fan club and everything, I have the badge to prove it! Somewhere…

Tea with Gabrielle…

Waiting. Waiting. Waiting some more. It’s been a weird old weekend, with Cyclone Gabrielle bearing down on Aotearoa. I felt like I was in holding mode, restless, and unable to concentrate. Like Covid lockdown but with more candles and crappier weather. Well, Gabby’s well & truly arrived, its raining, grey as heck & the wind is REALLY picking up. I normally love all the trees on my little street, not so much when you worry they might be coming to join you on the sofa. I try not to bang on too much about the weather, but suffice to say this summer has been pants!

A lot of the area is still getting over the flooding from a few weeks ago, so not best pleased about more rain, plus storm force winds to boot. We have moved all the outdoor furniture to safety , stocked up on food, candles, water and wine (priorities people!) , not much to do now but drink tea (then wine when the non existent sun makes it over the yard arm…) and wait.

So to divert my mind from the precarious state of my neighbours gazebo (which I very much hope does not end up in my garden later this evening) lets talk sewing, much less stressful.

This is The Assembly Line Cuff Top pattern . Now you may be noticing the lack of a cuff? Well yes, several choices there. One, I didn’t actually have any appropriate elastic (kind of a game changer on this one) but also, the width and structure of the fabric. I brought this beautiful Japanese linen cotton blend from Miss Maude without paying much attention to the width , a measly 109 cm. Hmmm, what could inattentive, and lets be honest not teeny tiny Kristina make using 1.6 m of not terribly wide fabric?

I have made the Cuff Top before, but obviously had to make a few adjustments for my lack of elastic/ability to measure fabric so we ditched about 10 cm of sleeve length and the cuff. As you can see, due to not having to encase the elastic the sleeves are still a totally acceptable length. I actually like the heft the linen cotton provides, giving more of a structural shape to the sleeve. A win in my book.

It’s also been a useful exercise in thinking a bit more laterally, I have some lovely vintage fabrics and silk in my stash that are quite narrow widths, I need to think about how I can use them with my existing patterns.

As you know I do love a good brooch, this is one I found in Melbourne back in 2009 , I remember because we were on hols for a long weekend and it was the day Michael Jackson died . Mr D had gone to watch the first half on an AFL game at the MCG* and I stayed behind in our hotel watching endless media coverage of Michaels death and remembering how much I loved the genius of Thriller and how sad his life had become. I’ve never had a TV in our bedroom so watching anything sitting in/on a bed is such a novelty! Yes, I should get out more 🙂

Anyway, at half time we had organised to meet at Greg Malouf’s fabulous Lebanese restaurant Momo for dinner. I remember being so pleased wearing my lovely new brooch, brought at a little antiques shop near the Hill of Content bookshop, where we spent a very happy hour browsing. I brought a book on French embroidery which I still have. I’m not a huge shopper, but I do love when I’m on hols buying something I know will last, and remind me of the place I’m in every time I use/look/smell it. Every time I wear my little Bakelite flower brooch I think of that lovely day, and the amazing meal we sheared. Ok and Michael Jackson. Can’t win them all.

Speaking of amazing meals (did you like that seamless segue?) , here is one I prepared earlier. Ok amazing is pushing it, but comfort food par excellence and healthy to boot .

This is a Rick Stein recipe, from his wonderful India cookbook. Obviously I can’t speak to authenticity, but it’s flippin tasty and just the ticket for my Mum and three sisters who all had Covid, boo! Lentils are a great source of protein, and I know if I’m feeling a bit rubbish, soup seems easier to manage than a full meal. A tarka is just a garnish that is fried at the last minute then topped/stirred into a dish, I stirred mine in as I was delivering this to eat at a later date.

200g yellow tur dal, soaked in cold water for 1 hour, then drained
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4 green chillies, slit lengthways (I used one as Mum isn’t a chilli fan)
2 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
small handful fresh curry leaves (or from the freezer…)
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground turmeric

For the tarka

2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
2 shallots, finely chopped (could also use a small red or white onion)
4 dried Kashmiri chillies, each broken into 3 pieces (or a good pinch of dried chilli flakes)
about 15 fresh curry leaves (again, from the freezer)
handful coriander leaves, roughly chopped, to garnish
Method

Put the dal into a large saucepan and add water to cover by about 4cm. Add all the remaining dal ingredients, bring to the boil, then lower the heat to medium and simmer for 45–60 minutes. The dal should be soft but still with a little bite. Use a potato masher to break up about half of the lentils, being sure to leave plenty of texture.

For the tarka, heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat, add the mustard seeds and fry for 30 seconds until they pop. Stir in the shallots, Kashmiri chillies and curry leaves and fry for 2–3 minutes until the shallots are softened and golden.

Spoon the tarka on top of the dal, sprinkle with fresh coriander leaves and serve.

I packed up the soup for the whanau, I had mine over rice with a boiled egg, a dollop of yogurt and some pickle for lunch, really tasty and sustaining. Vege soup and Butter Chicken completed the trio .

I hope where ever you are its safe and dry, we shall ride out a bumpy night and see you on the other side friends x

Kristina x

P.S. AFL is Australian Rules Football, a descendant of Gaelic football, played on a huge field by impossibly fit blokes with impressive biceps (just an observation) . The MCG is the Melbourne Cricket Ground, one of the worlds great stadiums, highly recommend the tour.

A top for any Factory

Well its been quite the weekend here in Tamaki Makaurau, a summers worth of rain fell in approx. 15 hours on Friday, roads were flooded, houses inundated and my husband and sister still thought it would be a grand idea to attend the Elton John concert. Seriously.

I dropped them off as close as possible to Mt Smart stadium , complete with plastic ponchos* and already wet feet in rain I would describe as biblical. The three km ride home was hair raising to say the least , only to discover five minutes after walking in the door the concert was cancelled. Gah! In hindsight it was a blessing, walking home after several more hours of deluge would have been a disaster, and emergency services were already well pushed. Tragically four people have lost their lives, which rather puts things into perspective.

I’ll admit I moaned like a champ when we put the fence in down the side of the section and the volcanic rock our part of Auckland sits on meant a digger we booked for half a day took three (at eye watering expense) But what may be hard is also porous and we have been very lucky not to experience any flooding. So what to do when it just won’t stop raining? Sew of course.

I made the Factory dress a few years back, and have worn it to bits, so was very keen when Merchant & Mills released a digital addition to the pattern, a top version I knew would get plenty of wear.

Hurry up before it starts raining again…

It’s a simple shape, but Merchant & Mills patterns are all in the detail. The front split hem, rolled sleeves and lovely collar all make it feel a bit more special.

It’s a fairly simple sew, I only come a cropper slightly when I realised Lazy Kristina had not changed the thread on her overlocker and it was not a great look on the turned back sleeve!

So instead, I turned the hem inwards and then folded it back on itself, stiching around the cuff to secure.

I don’t think it looks quite as good as the original cuff, but does have the benefit of a) not unfolding, b) not requiring me to unpick overlocking, which is always a good thing for my blood pressure and marriage.

Can you tell from my hair its rather humid?

I’m really pleased with the finished top, I really like the utility look with pants and sneakers or jeans. The linen is Sea Green from The Fabric Store and yes I do look a tad crumpled. We went out for a family lunch to celebrate my sister & Mr PK’s birthdays, a long leisurely Sunday lunch is so much fun, and not something we tend to do at a restaurant, so this was a treat.

I also got to wear a Xmas pressy, a new brooch from Erstwilder !

This is an Ibis, part of the Egyptian revival range, resin with lovely gold detailing. Ibis were under the protection of the deity Thoth, responsible for among other things writing, mathematics, measurement and time. Rather appropriate for a sewist accountant who likes to blog yes? I love wearing brooches, and have a collection, including some fabulous Erstwilder numbers I shall post in coming weeks. Old skool, like watching an episode of your favorite show then wait a whole week for the next one. Does anyone remember that?

I have to share the most amazing cocktail I had at lunch today. We went to Oyster & Chop , after a Crayfish Bisque and some banging steak I was rather too full for pud (I don’t have much of a sweet tooth anyway) but on tasting my sisters Porn Star Martini (yes…) I had to have one. Vanilla Vodka, Passionfruit liquor, sugar syrup , lime and a little shot of sparkling wine, OMG seriously yummy. I shall be making these at home, although I will be changing the name…

I received a lovely Xmas gift from my sister in law, a subscription to Dish magazine. I’ve tried to limit my magazine purchasing in the last few years, they had built up and I realised I would never look through all of them , let along read/cook everything. But Dish is so beautifully photographed, and I never fail to find several, if not many recipes in every issue I want to make. The food is a good mix of quick and easy and more complicated dishes, plus drinks and places to visit. Its also bi monthly, so each issue feels like a real treat.

Helpfully the new issue has several yummy tomato recipes, look at that haul, not bad for one plant I put in myself (called Tommy Toe because how could I resist??) , and one which self seeded from last year.

I picked this up from the Library during the week, you know when a book just speaks to you. I’ve only just delved in but already it’s just glorious, wonderful writing and delicious recipes. Chicken Kiev oozing garlic butter, Creamy Mashed Potato ( I had a fairly frank exchange of views with a colleague on this one, unless vegan of course, why would you add olive oil to mash when you could add butter???) , Cacio e pepe with butter, heck yes please!

In other news I shall be starting back on my exercise routine next week. I promise.

I hope wherever you are it’s safe, warm and dry, take care friends

Kristina x

* My sister Dette & I were stuck in a mighty rainstorm in Venice, we swallowed our inner fashionista and brought plastic ponchos, which was great until Dette discovered hers had a hood…it was filled with water which she promptly tipped all over herself. I would have helped with the dry off but I was laughing to hard too stand upright..

New clothes for the new year

Well hello again, thought I’d start the new year with an actual honest to goodness no frills proper blog post. Apparently Instagram is dead, Twitter has sh*t itself & blogs are coming back.* While I’m not sure this is quite the case (although the Instagram algorithms are enough to make a girl drink) I do miss the more detailed form of a blog post. I’m long winded that way…

So what’s been occurring here at Plum Towers ? Rain. Lotta rain. Almost Biblical rain. I may or may not be sending the cats for swimming lessons. But since the weather is rather a tedious topic of conversation (have I mentioned it’s wet?) lets talk sewing instead .

First up is an Assembly Line Cuff Dress. Since I made this Easter off the Cuff top I’ve wanted to make the longer dress version. The key is to use the correct elastic for the cuff (soft) and a firmer elastic for the waistband. I also made sure the elastic sat at the correct spot on my waist. I have a short waist, so I raised the bodice approx. 5 cm, which looks way less frumpy than having it lower down. Despite my measurements putting me in the XL range I actually made a Large (nothing to do with me being a tit & buying the wrong size pattern of course…) I’m actually really happy with the fit, comfortable without being ridiculously oversized.

The fabric is a soft yet slightly structured Japanese seersucker from Miss Maude, I love it and willfully made absolutely no attempt to pattern match the squares.

My next project is a combo of sale finds and reusing fabric from a doomed make. It pains me to discuss but suffice to say if you spend ages hand sewing the neck & sleeve binding of an (expensive) linen top, don’t then machine embroider the front and back together. Also don’t compound the issue by attempting to unpick it. Instead have a nice comforting swear, pour a bucket of Chardonnay and put the offending item in the corner. A few months later pull out said item & cut it up!

Ok it was starting to rain at this point…

This is the College Gather Top by the Matchy Matchy Sewing Club. Terrible name, great pattern. I’d seen some lovely versions on Dead Insta, and thought it a perfect pattern to use fabric leftovers (which I always seem to have) . The combo here is linen from The Fabric Store in Maple, Sea Green and from the Top of Doom mentioned above, Antique Cream, which I’m not sure they do anymore.

The pattern comes with a cute little drawing to use deciding which fabrics to place where (and individual cut out labels for each piece which is actually super helpful when dealing with different front and back pieces)

As you can see from above I also added length to the pattern, as I found the front quite short. Fair cop to Millennials but this Gen X gals crop top days have well sailed.

I did manage to spend a sunny (yes!) morning out on the deck planning my year. Well, drinking coffee & thinking about planning my year. Mostly just drinking coffee and reminding Mr D he needs to stain the outdoor furniture.

Sixth member of the Band, Organised Spice!

I like to spend at least one day of the Twilight Zone between Xmas & New Year organising my kitchen. Cleaning out the pantry, throwing out anything out of date, reorganising. It sounds terribly Rock n Roll (not!) , but I love heading into a new year with a tidy inspiring space. I can’t control much in life but hell yes I know where the Chai Masala is when I need it!

Speaking of inspiring, check out my Xmas book swag! We have a family tradition started by my English teacher sister of giving each other a book on Xmas Eve (some interesting info on the inspiration for this here ) But of course one is never enough, so I always have a book or five on my Xmas list also.

The Language of Food is right up my alley, history, food , recipes, ELIZA ACTON, what is not to love? Review to come.

I’m aiming to up my hand sewing skills this year , so Make Sew and Mend is the perfect choice to help with that.

I will admit I didn’t get into the Seven Sisters series, but Lucinda Riley’s first and only murder mystery, The Murder at Fleet House certainly has me intrigued. I’m a sucker for anything set in Norfolk, see also the wonderful Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffith.

Ottolenghi needs no introduction, this book is another corker, I’ve already cooked several recipes, and there will be more. Over the last six months or so we’ve slowly changed our eating habits to include a bit less meat and a bit more vege, having inspiring recipes really makes that easier. I just wish eating more beans and cauliflower were easier on the digestion, Wind from the South ain’t just for Mahjong kids…

Regula Ysewijn (aka Miss Foodwise) first came on my radar years ago when I was blogging about food, she takes wonderful photos and really enjoys talking all things food and history. Her book about British puddings , both sweet and savoury is a joy, I may well make every single one. Ok maybe not the kidney one but everything else…

Simple Fancy is the latest from The Two Raw Sisters, to be honest I think the name does them a slight disservice, this is a not a “raw” cookbook, but another lovely collection of delicious fresh recipes that are heavy on the plants. I have made loads from their earlier book Salad, so anticipate lots of lovely goodness from this one too.

A long way from a café in Paris but rather lovely just the same…

After all this talk of vege and salad virtuousness of course there must be cake. Or in this case sweet little madeleines. In the great Kitchen Clean of 2022 I went through all my baking drawers and rediscovered my darling madeleine tins. For a not very sweet tooth like me these are such a prefect delicate little treat. Brown butter and Sea Salt madeleines, perfect with a cup of tea in the afternoon or a dollop of cream and some berries after supper. Or contemplating life and memories in a Paris café obviously.

I hope wherever you are, 2023 is easing in with appropriate fabulousness. If not, I certainly hope things improve . Between work, personal stuff (for those of you approaching/in the trenches of Menopause I can’t recommend this book highly enough ) and just THE WORLD FFS I’ve found 2022 to be a bit of a slog at times, so here’s to an improved 2023. And lots more blog posts.

Kristina xxx

PS. Given I have four sisters and many misdemeanours against all I REALLY hope none of them are writing a book in 2023… 🙂

* I actually do hope blogs make a comeback. Long winded is good . Unless you’re a Prince maybe?