And, for the lover of cutting edge food design, Marije Vogelzang of Proef Amsterdam, will be putting on EAT LOVE dinners at her creative design studio in the Westerpark in highlighting some of her classic dishes/concepts featured in her book fo the same name. Although I have been to Proef Amsterdam for a birthday party, I've never had the opportunity to dine on one of Marije Vogelzang's designed dinners, and I'm looking forward to the experience! I've already booked my table for August, and if you're looking to get a reservation then I'd suggest calling or emailing, as their online reservation system seems to be a on the fritz at the moment.

I seem to have stich fever these days, and if last weekend was any indication, I'd say that I've got a new hobby!

Friday night saw the first official social meeting of the Stitch "n" Bitch crew! Emmy, Vera, and Martina, and I, met up at the Belgisch Bierproeflokaal De Zotte here in Amsterdam (a favorite spot of mine), for some Belgian biers (in my case at least one too many), and dinner served with frites, of course; to talk about sewing, our current projects, techniques, and everything else under the sun. Nothing beats discussing your new hobby with others who share your passion for it.

The weekly sewing course that I've been taking for the last four weeks, will have it's last class on Thursday, and Vera had suggested to me that it would be nice to work on our projects together, so we could support and nurture each other during the process. That got me thinking, and thus the Stitch "n" Bitch was born. A bi-weekly meeting of folks who are passionate about sewing, who want to brush up on their sewing skills, or who are learning to sew, and who would like to work alongside other like-minded people. Our first session will be on Tuesday, July 14th at my house, and I'm really excited to see how things will develop over time. If there are any Amsterdammers reading this, who would be interested in joining us, please drop me a mail!

In keeping with my stitch fever theme, I spent Sunday with five girlfriends in a beginner's sewing workshop at Modevakschool Jolijt & Co.  Although I'm pretty certain that everyone, myself included was cursing my name when the alarm went off early on Sunday morning. Time flew by over the course of the 7 hour long workshop (10am-5pm). I think it's safe to say that we all learned a ton; I know I most certainly had smoke coming out of my ears at the end of the day. My only regret was that I forgot my camera (early morning syndrome), and didn't get to snapshots of the day, or all the pretty skirts we made. The instructors at Jolijt & Co start you off using knit fabrics right off the back, so we all got to have a go on a serger, as well (something else for the wishlist...sigh).

So, I'll leave you with a peek at my utilitarian grey knit weekend shopping/house skirt. It could use taking in another centimeter or two, and next time I make it I'll most likely add an elasticated waist, and shorten the hem, but hey it's my very first piece of homemade clothing, and if it was perfect, what would be the point of all this? I'm already working on the Yard Sale Wrap Skirt from Weekend Sewing, but for now this is my number one, and I'm pretty darn proud of her.

There is nothing but fumes left in our household account, so it's all about creative use of what we've got on hand and budget grocery shopping until pay day, which should be happening any day now. E and I figured out that this meal propably cost about 10 euro for the two of us, including the green salad with shaved fennel, spring onions, and cherry tomatoes, we served on the side. Not bad really.

Anyways, I'm not here to talk finances, I'm here to talk about food...

So go on, dig out that forgotten packet of puff pastry languishing in your freezer for a rainy day, and preheat your oven to 200ºC/390ºF. Lay the puff pastry sheets out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Slice a 150g/5oz log of goat's cheese into 6-12 slices. Halve and thinly slice 2-3 onions, depending on their size. Sauté them in a tablespoon or so of olive oil, and don't forget a large pinch of salt. Cover them and let them fry gently for 10 minutes or so. Removing the lid every so often to give them a stir or a toss with the flick of the wrist, depending on your method. Take care they don't burn and remove from the heat once they are sufficiently golden brown and softend. Mark a border on your puff pastry sheets with a cookie cutter, knife, or whatever you find handiest. Whisk an egg with a bit of milk and brush on the border of the puff pastry sheets.  Top with carmelized onions, fresh thyme, and goat's cheese, and finish off with a grind of fresh pepper. Bake for 10 minutes, with the convection fan on for the last 5 minutes (if you have one). Serve immediately and pair with a green salad and wine.

Could serve six as an appetizer, but works best for two broke and somewhat greedy adults as a main meal.

I'm not one to post pictures of myself here, but these are the only images I snapped of the apron I made, so I have no choice. When I picked up the this "panel project' at JoAnn's in the US in May, it was primarily because the print was so cute (and it was on sale), but after having a little read, I decided it was just the thing to see if I'd really take to sewing or not. All the pieces of this reversible apron are fitted onto one panel with instructions, and you need only have, or have acess to, a sewing machine, iron, ruler, scissors, thread and basic sewing notions.  I didn't actually have a sewing machine when I bought it, but I got it anyway, and when I spontaneously signed up for a weekly sewing course two weeks back at my local buurthuis (community center), I  took it along as my first project. The packaging says, you can make it in a hour, but I didn't actually time how long it took me, as I spread it out over several evenings. All in all, it was a success, and proved the perfect way to refresh my memory of the sewing lessons I had from my mother as a child. If you know someone who is thinking about taking up sewing, but isn't sure, maybe one of these Cut, Sew & Go! panel projects is just the gift for them.

I desperately wanted to post my first official finished sewing project today, but between my work and social schedule this week, I'm going to have to wait until the weekend. Instead I'll leave you with my favorite discovery of week, Kindred and their project called "Wallpapered Together," which promotes artwork and photography from independent artists by making them available for you to download to your desktop for you to enjoy!

I don't know about you, but I love pretty wallpapers for my desktop, and I'm always on the hunt for something new and fresh. I found their site via Bliss, the blog of Tracy French, whose photograph is spotlighted in Kindred's Summertime collection, and I'm so glad I did, because that means I could share it with you here today. With too many favorites in their Summertime collection and previous seasonal collections to name, I'll leave you with one that struck a definite chord with me. Wonder why?

Okay, so it's all about sewing around here at the moment. I've signed myself up for a weekly ongoing sewing class that will break for summer in two weeks time, and then continue into the fall; and I've corralled four of my girlfriends to take a one day beginner's sewing workshop at the end of the month. In the meantime, Bettie and I have been getting to know each other and are getting along swimmingly.

It goes without saying that you can't sew without fabric, so last weekend it was time for me to delve into the world of Amsterdam textiles! I recruited my friend Janine, who will also be taking the sewing workshop,  to come along with me. Janine lives in the neighborhood, De Pijp, home to the famous Albert Cuyp market, which has several fabric stores and stalls.

Let me first say, I was amazed at how many people were in fabric shops we visited. Not that I thought that I was the only person in Amsterdam sewing, which the variety and size of the fabric shops will attest to, but having not set foot in a fabric shop in Amsterdam other then to buy some corduroy to make Christmas stockings (don't ask) some years ago, it was a like a whole new world opened up for me! We hit a shop or two before wandering into De Boerenbonthal, which is where I found everything I needed and some stuff I didn't need too.

Don't be fooled by the small entranceway, De Boerenbonthal is two or three store-fronts wide, and pretty deep, pkus they have a stall on the market in front of the store. I didn't see half of what they had to offer, but I look forward to going back and perusing their walls of fabric properly. I was on a mission to get fabric for two projects, for the skirt that I'm going to make during the beginner's workshop at Jolijt & Co. on the 28th, and for the Fat Quarter Napkins (from Heather Ross' Weekend Sewing) which I'm in the process of making right now. The salesgirl who helped us was super friendly, helpful, and patient, especially considering that I have no sense of measurements and very little understanding of fabrics (I'll get there eventually).

I was doing a good job of controlling myself until I came across this beautiful floral print, and next thing I knew I was on the phone to E, asking for the measurements of our dining room table. E thinks this fabric would be better suited as a dress or skirt on me, and though I do agree with him, I don't see why I can't have a skirt from the same fabric as my tablecloth. What do you think?

Fabric shopping done and dusted, I was directed across the street to Jan de Grote Kleinvakman, a shop selling notions and all manner of other sewing and crafts necessities. If you ever wondered where to find a glue gun or embroidery ring, then Jan has it all. I picked up a few things for another project that I'm working on, and perused their shop making notes of future purchases, like said glue gun.

I know I've barely scratched the surface, but I'm looking forward to sharing all my finds here with you. I've already mapped out all the fabric shops I could find listed on the internet here in Amsterdam, and I think I'm going to be busy this summer! If there are any Netherlands based readers out there, with more tips on addresses, please leave a comment!

De Boerenbonthal stoffen

Albert Cuypstraat 186-190

1073 BL Amsterdam

020-671 0087

Open

Mon - Fri:  9:30-17:30

Sat:  9:30-17:00

Jan de grote kleinvakman

Albert Cuypstraat 203a

Amsterdam

020-673 8247

Open

Mon:  9:30 - 17:00

Tues - Sat: 9:00 - 17:00

My darling colleague Rika shared this Guardian article with me, featuring their pick of "the most stylish and, crucially, most wearable summer frocks." Of the twenty-three dresses featured, it was the the first one that I laid eyes on that I loved the most. This beautiful white and blue floral dress with a name to fit it's old fashioned sensibilities (Penelope), is of course sold out in every size. Guess I'll just have to find a similar pattern and make one of my own.

I don't know about you, but I am so done with this week. I have been burning the candle at both ends , combining late project filled nights with my full-time job, and I am in desperate need of about 12 hours straight of sleep and some down time.

So for now, I will leave you with this summery image of my favorite flower, which I took this week at a friend's house. I feel tranquility wash over me when I look at it, and hopefully it will impart the same feeling to you.

When I said that I'd had one cocktail too many on Satruday night, I want you to know that it wasn't any ol' cocktail, no siree! You see I was drinking the Barbie of Cosmopolitons, pink and sweet and tangy, all at the same time.

Sometimes you need to be pushed into a good idea, as is the case with the recipe for rhubarb syrup that popped up, not once but twice in the Featured Recipes section of Culinate's weekly newsletter, once paired with sparkling water to make Rhubarb Soda (as seen above) and once paired with vodka, as well as lemon and lime juices to create a Rhubarb Cosmopolitan. It was the latter that I could not resist and Saturday morning, rhubarb was at the top of my weekend shopping list. I was sure that a Rhubarb Cosmo would be the perfect way to kick off my summertime dinner party that evening, and oh how right I was!