Black Circle Skirt

Hey look, another black jersey item...how exciting! 

Yes fine, it's not the most challenging make, but I'd argue that a good circle skirt is a pretty essential part of a wardrobe. Especially when that wardrobe has to fit into a rucksack and spend the next two weeks travelling by rail and bus through Poland, Germany and France. 

It was for that very reason that I chose this black, textured double-knit jersey from my gigantic eBay haul of a couple of years ago. The fabric's weight gave the skirt a nice drape, while the all-over crinkly texture helped disguise most packing wrinkles. I was able to shake it out of the bag and put it on without fussing with an iron. Best of all, it helped me look and feel slightly more elegant - even when I was just wearing a t-shirt - then the pair of shorts and crumpled trousers I'd brought along. 

The lovely team at By Hand London brought out a circle skirt app several months ago - if you haven't tried it yet, what the hell are you waiting for? It's helped simplify things so much, and was what I used to make this skirt. I've used it before to make another circle skirt - a navy and white striped piece that has yet to be blogged. And now I keep wanting to make more skirts! I'm currently restraining myself from making 20 different circle skirts, but it's hard to do when the app makes it so easy and the results are so comfortable. 

There's not much else to say about this skirt really - other than I really LOVE IT and have worn it A LOT. So much, in fact, that I have to make a conscious effort not to wear it every week so the people I work with don't think I only have one set of clothes. I really should make one or two more circle skirts in other fabrics to change things up a bit. 

What else? It's got a lapped zipper, and a waistband made of the same fabric, which unfortunately stretched a bit but is really useful for when I've eaten too much. Oh, it's also got big, deep pockets, lined in big pink fabric. For keeping my hands in, either on cold days or when I'm feeling awkward and have no idea what to do with them.

 Sunglasses - Shotgun Wedding at the Tea Rooms, T-shirt - op-shop, Skirt - self-made, Bag - op-shop, plimsolls - John Lewis

After The Rain

A colony of mushrooms sprung up after a rainy weekend in Stalowa Wola, Poland. 

Polish It Off

Manbacon and I spent the first few days of October in Poland, ostensibly for his cousin's wedding, but in reality we were getting fed until we were fit to burst. Not that I'm complaining. 

We drank lots of kompot, which is basically fruit (in this case, apples) boiled in plenty of water, and sweetened with sugar. 

Lots of cured meat products, including sausages, bacon and plenty of ham - for breakfast, lunch, dinner and in-between snacks. 

Manbacon caught a cold which he then thoughtfully transferred to me. His parents made us this rather interesting concoction of milk, butter, garlic and honey to drink before bedtime. I know it sounds disgusting, but it was honestly rather pleasant. 

Delicious homemade golabki (go-womp-kee), served with a sort of cabbage and meat stew in the second picture. 

These two pictures above are just a couple of dishes we were served at the wedding. However, after all that delicious homecooked food, the food here paled in comparison. The pork was dry and chewy, and most of the other dishes were just uninspiring. 

More photos to come in the next few posts!

Melody Makers

Manbacon's father is a pretty damned awesome accordion player. We, unfortunately, are all filler and no killer. 

Eating Europe Part 4 - Poland

Ate soooo much in Poland - this is just from the first couple of days. 

Manbacon's mother presented us with this wonderful meal as soon as we arrived home in Stalowa Wola - freshly made breaded pork and warm, buttered new potatoes with dill, as well as the obligatory plate of pickles. The perfect meal for two tired travelers on a rainy afternoon.

I got hungry during a walk around the neighbourhood, so we headed in to Ekspres Bistro for a pick-me-up meal of pierogi, served with a garnish of crispy fried lard.

Delicious homebaked goodies (again, made by Manbacon's mum) - raspberry cake with a jelly layer on top, as well as Polish-style apple cake-pie.

Oh, and bread from a street stall in Krakow - it was so deliciously chewy I forgot to document it until very nearly the last bite. You'll see little old ladies selling these behind blue metal and glass carts all over Krakow. Did I mention I went to Krakow too? Well, I did.

More to come soon...

Summer Safari Dress

The fabric for this dress started life as a duvet cover, before I chanced on it in the op-shop. Imagine that, someone had a zebra print duvet cover! I want to meet that person and talk to them about our mutual love for animal print furnishing fabrics! They probably didn't love it that much though, since they gave it away. 

 I was going for a simple 1960s-inspired shift dress look, and decided to draft the pattern myself. It's a simple sleeveless bodice, with two slanted pockets on an A-line skirt. The whole thing closes at the back with a vintage metal-toothed zipper. I'd also drafted a Peter Pan collar for the bodice, but decided to forgo it due to the print's busyness. 

 

Dress - selfmade, Scarf - market stall in Krakow, Black tights - random, Shoes - market stall in Stalowa Wola

In A Pickle

What do you do on holiday? Well, sometimes you get pulled into the kitchen for a good pickle-making session. Making these sour little Polish pickles is a relatively fussfree process - gather your containers and ingredients, assemble them in the jars and then pour some hot, salty brine over it. Put the caps on, leave the jars aside for a few weeks, and you've got a stash of tasty gherkins to accompany every meal (maybe not breakfast).

Dill umbels in clean jars. 

Garlic and fresh horseradish for a tasty pickle. 

Most important ingredient - fresh, washed gherkins. 

No vinegar is added to the brine at all, just lots of salt and water. The sourness comes from the alchemical combination of salt, water and bacteria...yummy!

Whistle Stop Tour

Where have I been? Well, the last couple of weeks have been spent whirling through 4 cities in 3 countries, on planes, trains, automobiles and even a ship! Here are some highlights (in no particular order):

- a visit to a salt mine,

- lots of food,

- impressive buildings,

- and a wedding cake with bells on.

More to come!