PRINCESS T-SHIRT

Here's a sneak peak...

 

Here's a royale pink T-shirt for my doll, Aarotrika.

Why always complicate life?
Here are some ready to sew roses; and some pearls.

 Though things look random in life there is always profound logic to what's happening in and around you.
So mark the places where you want to sew the roses and pearls.

Vow it's ready!

Simple!
Sweet!
Gorgeous!

PARTY GAME-TAKE THE CHALLENGE

About India, they say;

"घाट घाट पर बदले पानी
चार कोस पर बानी "

"just the way that taste and property of water changes at every river bank'
spoken language changes at every four kos(a distance measuring unit; 1 kos is approximately 2miles)"

Absolutely true:
India has 22 declared official languages,
more than 50 native or local languages and many more dialects.

Let's see how much we know about India, our own state and around.
Bellow given are six images for you

1. identify the language
2. identify the state where it is spoken
3. say five sentences about this state 

Q1.

 Q2.

 Q3

 Q4

 Q5

Q6

Here I give you the name of the language and the state, find out more about each state on your own

A1. Bengali; West bengal

A2. Malayalam; Kerala

A3. Gujrati; Gujrat

A4. Telugu; Tamil Nadu

A5. Marathi; Maharashtra

A6. Punjabi/Gurbani; Punjab

(Some languages are spoken in more than one state)

I made and conducted this quiz for some ladies gathering, and we all had good fun and information. Do adopt this and also keep adding to this list.

EMBROIDERY

These beautiful works of embroidery are done by my hubby's maternal aunt(Chotomamima) Paromita . This time in summer break of my kids we all went out meeting all relations, and in on such visit, I requested Mamima to show some of her works. I love the neat work, tiny stitches placed neatly to make each piece. She is  very camera shy so could not take her pic , but she is as pretty as her beautiful creations bellow..

 

This piece is on an old linen bed sheet. Hope you can appreciate the fine stitches.

 

This is center work of the above bed sheet

 

Even the net in the flower is done with lot of sincerity

 

Love the dragonfly

 

Perfect spring time...

 

This is the pillow cover is with the above bed sheet

 

Flowers wishing sweet dreams from the corners of pillows

 

This is a lovely apple green pure silk saree with Gujrati/Sindhi kadahi or embroidery. Love the colours on the saree

 

This a woolen shawl with cross stitch embroidery

 

Blue shade Gujrati/Sindhi stitch work on dark fuschia pure silk saree and same embroidery on fuschia woolen shawl to complement the saree

Here is a close up of the circular motif used above

Each one of us, at our homes have some beautiful pieces of handwork done at leisure with lots of love and passion for the art form. Lets take them out and celebrate the passion behind them...

CAR RIDE ON MY T-SHIRT

Hey check this!

 

 This used to be my younger one's PT(physical training/sportday) weekly uniform last year in Kindergarten junior class . Well obviously he wore this dress for not more than 35 days last year and not more than 5 hours a day. Result the colour of T-shirt has not changed a shade, and not a thread astray, (just like new). I could not throw it away or pass it on to any body suitable, had to do something with it urgently before my kids could outgrow it.

This is the original T-shirt with logo of school in front. I need to hide this.

This is back of T-shirt with name of school. I need to hide this too.

 

My child wanted a car. So I sketched a car.

 Coloured it too..

 

Now I looked into my discarded lot of clothings which had something in them that could be reused or recycled. So I got cut outs from jersey material, knit material, and velvet; none of these loose threads at ends.
I used back stitches to fix the cutouts to T-shirt.
Is this looking bit too crude
Well there's a purpose

• fixing appliqué to T-shirt

• decorative purpose

 

  Is this not looking nice now with the button hole stitch on the back stitch?

 

Note as this is a kid's wear, I used contrast colours to give toonish look. Then embellish with whatever your like (buttons/ paint/ sequin/...)

 

 

On the front I used collar of a discarded baby sweater to make a flower finished with a button in center. I used my Aunt's crochet book to crochet a butterfly.

 

There my Aarotrika modeling this T-shirt on a recycled denim skirt.

 

Here is the car. Ride on it through the greens, flowers, butterflies....

PURAN PLEASURES !

SHUBH NAV VARSH!

शुभ नव वर्ष !

Shubh nav varsh! Happy new year to all!

In this new year I tried a new sweet dish inspired by Chef Vikas Khanna from his show in Fox Traveler. This dish originally is Puran poli of Maharashtra, BUT WITH A TASTY TWIST...
PURAN PLEASURES  just for you...

 

As you see the dish comprises of three cocktail sized samosa look alikes on a plate, hence, thus follows

The ingredients:

Maida(refined wheat flour): Calculate as 1 heaped teaspoon per samosa, so 3 heaped teaspoons per plate

Refined oil/ Ghee/ Clarified butter for moin and frying

Salt 1 pinch

Water

Channa dal(split dehusked black gram): Calculate as 1 teaspoon per samosa, so 3  teaspoons per plate  Soak for 4 hrs.

Gur/ Jaggery upto taste

Jaiphal grated 1 pinch

Green illaichi/cardamom: 2-3 crushed

Honey: to drizzle

Kheer

Method

1. First of all put the soaked dal in a Pressure cooker and cook to one whistle. The dal is cooked but retains its shape. Now remove all excess water. With the back of laddle mash the dal to a coarse mix. Add Jaiphal and illaichi. Add gur to taste. Mix and keep aside.

2. Take maida and one pinch salt. Add as much oil/ ghee/ butter so that on mixing the mixture resembles bread crumbs

 

3. In the picture bellow I took a fistful of the mixture and see it retains its form

 

4. Put as little as water as possible and make a dough. Make small balls of 1 inch diameter.

 

5. Using a roller pin flatten to a circle

 

6. With knife cut the circle into two halves

 

 

 

8. Pick one end fold, keeping the center of circle in mind, press at center to join

 

9. pick this shape up in your hand join the the two free ends(may use a drop of water as glue

 

10. See what I have here is a cone. Ensure joints are sealed well.

 

11. Hold the cone with open side up

 

12. Put the pooran or the dal mix made in first step

 

13. Press well and feeling should move till the very tip of cone. dip your finger in water and glide along the open edge of the cone

 

14. Now hold the joint and the opposite sides together

 

15. Seal the edges tightly

 

16. Make the "samosa" sit. Note that the joint line from the tip to the base frill is in middle, give a better look.

 

16. On a plate  align and sit three samosas together to make circle. This will give them shape.

 

17. Heat oil/ butter/ ghee in a deep kadai/ wok. Once the oil/ butter is hot, reduce the flame to minimum. Cook three or more samosas at a time, one side at a time on LOW FLAME till golden brown

 

18. Set them aside in sets of three

 

19. To Plate: On the plate pour some Kheer, place the set of three samosas, and dizzles a little honey

 

20 And its ready to serve...

 

Here is some alternatives

Pooran use your imaginations: Dry fruits pooran, pooran as in gujiyas...

Kheer: Might try condensed milk, sandesh with kheer

Honey: Sugar syrup 

or any combination , just ensure the combination of pooran + kheer + drizzle must have taste and flavours which enhance each other and NOT contradict. Flare your imagination say chocolate pooran+ vanilla custard + chocolate sauce/mapple syrup...

HAVE A SWEET NEW YEAR!