blog

First, I made a cover for my e-reader! It's something I've been wanting to do for a really long time. It's one of those projects you can surely do in an afternoon but spending longer than that feels silly, so it's better to set aside a chunk of time and do it all at once.

I got the fabric at this year's cherry blossom festival.

Just as an aside, even for Novala Takemoto, Emily is...very strange.

I originally planned on using velcro instead of straps just because there's really not much space for them, but they actually hold the e-reader just fine! It doesn't slip around at alll, and it's perfectly secure when the cover is closed. The only downside is that it doesn't automatically turn the screen “off” when it's closed like the official covers do. But I'm not sure where the sensor is, or even what kind of sensor it is. I didn't think about it much when designing the cover, but it did make me curious. I haven't done any further testing though!

My second project was the one that made me start quilting squares to begin with, a larger shoulder bag than the last one I made. Well, I got really into the ribbon theme and I wanted the shoulder strap to also be a ribbon, and after considering some other details here and there, I decided I better just make my own pattern and start over.

It is indeed slightly bigger, so...mission accomplished!

Two front pockets, one inner pocket with three sections! FIVE POCKETS! I can hold my entire life!!

I was inspired by an old PINK HOUSE backpack design! It ended up being kind of complicated, but I took good notes this time, I think I'll want to revisit it. I think using heavier fabric for the outside and inside and batting made it too thick all over, especially for some of the details I wanted to do. The pleated pockets on the front, for example, are not very elegant! And some of the seams are honestly a little sloppy but after working on it on-and-off for like a month and a half, it is time to just be done. I decided not to top stitch the opening for the time being, because I might have to invert it again to secure the shoulder strap a little better. Though I'm a little tempted to just stitch it on again through the lining. We'll see how it holds up for now. But I'm quite happy with the design. The BIG RIBBON is terribly goofy, it was a good idea.

Lastly, one of my friends and I both have a copy of the official Stardew Valley cookbook. So after we got together to do a few of the recipes together a few weeks ago, we've decided that we're both going to try to do every recipe in the book. It's quite a task since pretty much every recipe I've tried so far is quite lengthy, some with multiple “let it rest” steps. Even excluding cake decorating, I think the hardest and most time consuming so far is Pink Cake.

My mom liked it too much so I'm not allowed to make it again.

Earlier today I tried Bread and Bruschetta. The bread took forever, and by the time I got to the last couple of paragraphs about steam and cans my eyes were glazing over. I ignored these steps. But what my baguettes lacked in shape and physique were accounted for in taste. It's a solid bread recipe!

I also freestyled the bruschetta part.

My friend says the Strange Bun recipe is also quite good, but lobster is a bit more of an investment than I think I'm willing to try right now! The cookbook as a whole is pretty good, but the techniques are described a little inconsistently, and ironically, the more detail are provided, the more confusing it is. Companion videos would have been really helpful for some of the recipes since none of them are quick and easy. But it's pretty faithful to the game's ethos, and hard work and patience are rewarded.