Sunflower Wedding: The Cake

  As you may know if you've been following me on Instagram, I was pretty busy last week preparing for my beautiful sister-in-love's wedding. I made quite a few things, but the biggest was the cake.

   I used the Chocolate Cake recipe from my Betty Crocker cookbook for this cake, swapping out half of the butter for shortening so I'd have enough butter for the frosting. This was the amount of dry ingredients I started with... I ended up adding another 2 batches of the recipe to finish!

Photo from Instagram

  It took a lot mixing to get those dry ingredients combined! Once mixed, I weighed out 2 batches of dry ingredients and beat 2 batches of wet ingredients into that with a hand mixer, and repeated for every cake or set of cakes. I was really nervous about the outer edges over-baking, so I tried pinning some wet towels around the cake, but I couldn't get them tight enough that they stayed on. In the end I baked the larger cakes at 310 degrees Fahrenheit instead of 350. It did help, though the outside was still a bit more dry than the inside.

  I also have had trouble in the past with cakes sticking in the pans and breaking, so I greased the pans, added parchment circles to the bottom, greased the parchment, then floured the whole pan. It worked like a charm! I forgot the flour on one pan and it was hard to get out, but the rest literally fell out of the pans when I turned them upside down!

Photo from Instagram

  Including the time that the cakes were in the oven and I was just waiting for them, they took 12 hours to mix and bake. Including hands on time only, it was more like 6 hours.

  Once the cakes were baked and cooled, I made a batch of extra-thick frosting and piped a dam around the edges of each layer (I considered torting the layers, but my knife skills are pitiful and I didn't want to ruin it) then filled it with homemade chocolate mousse. I used a triple batch of this recipe, because I only had cocoa powder, but used less gelatin (because I only had 4 teaspoons) and added a miniscule amount of guar gum and xanthan gum.... less than 1/8 tsp each. It held up really well... there was a bit leftover and it was still fluffy and stable in the fridge for 6 days, at which point it was eaten. It was richer than I would have liked though.

Photo from Instagram

  Next I stacked the second layer of each tier on top of the frosting and mousse, then covered them and put them in the fridge overnight. Check out the size of this one! It's 14" in diameter. =)

Photo from Instagram

  The next morning I made some more frosting, thinner this time, and did a crumb coat on all of the cakes.

Photo from Instagram

  And finally I frosted them all. My sis-in-love wanted it to look rustic, so the frosting went pretty fast. Most of the time frosting was spent mixing up new batches of it! I used frosting recipe from the back of a bag of C&H powdered sugar, but added 1/2 teaspoon almond extract to each batch.

Photo from Instagram

  Here are all the cakes, after 16 hours of work, ready to transport. I decided against stacking them first, because cakes are a pain to transport as it is, and stacked is even harder. I do want to try this method out sometime though.

Photo from Instagram

  The transportation was where everything went wrong. We have a 4-door car with 3 carseats in it, black with no air conditioning. We live in Arizona, and it was about 90 degrees outside, which translates to over 100 in the car even with the windows open. It's a 40 minute drive from our house to the church the wedding was at... you can figure it out. The frosting melted right off the sides of the cake on the drive! I was SO UPSET. I feel bad for the bride, who was trying to comfort me on the eve of her wedding. I just wanted that cake to be perfect for her and it looked like it was going to be a disaster. I finally, at the suggestion of several relatives, scraped as much melted frosting off the sides as I could without getting crumbs, and popped the cakes in the fridge at the church. The refrigerator there didn't work very well, so it took about 3 hours for the frosting to firm up again... I even stuck it in the freezer for an hour! After the rehearsal dinner, I took the cakes out one at a time and re-frosted them as well as I could. They didn't end up quite as pretty as the first time I frosted them, but it did work. That was a horrible situation! I wish I'd thought to borrow someone's air-conditioned vehicle for transporting the cake! I'm just really glad I brought it the day before the wedding instead of the day of, since I wouldn't have had time to fix it on the wedding day.

  After the wedding ceremony I brought the cakes out side to the reception area and stacked them, added a bit more frosting to cover the small cracks between layers, and tied on some raffia. We were originally going to add sunflowers and roses to the cake but there was some miscommunication. I bought gumpaste to make the flowers, and it turned out that the bride wanted real flowers on the cake. Then we found out that the flowers were not organically grown, so we needed tiny vases to keep them from touching the cake... but we couldn't find them in time for the wedding, and by the time I realized that I didn't have time to make gumpaste ones. I ended up just setting vases of flowers on the table. The topper is a Willow Tree figurine (affiliate link).

  The bride and groom cut and served the cake to all of the guests, after eating some themselves. (Aren't they adorable?) =)

  I made 172 servings of cake, not including the top tier. I'm really glad I didn't put a 16" tier under that as I'd considered doing, since there was quite a bit leftover.

  Here are some cake stats, interspersed with photos of cake:
 In all I used:
Cake:
22 1/2 c flour
16 1/3 c sugar
6 1/3 c cocoa powder
12 1/2 tsp baking soda
10 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp baking powder

3 3/4 c butter (7.5 sticks)
3 3/4 c shortening
12 1/2 c water
10 tsp vanilla extract
20 eggs

Filling:
2 tsp gelatin
9 TBSP water
1 1/2 c sugar
1/4 c cocoa powder
3 c heavy cream
3 tsp vanilla extract
1/16 tsp guar gum
1/16 tsp xanthan gum

Frosting:
15 lbs powdered sugar
5 c butter (10 sticks)
3 1/4 c milk
5 TBSP vanilla extract
2 1/2 TBSP almond extract

  Surprisingly, the total cost of the ingredients was only $47.30. I did buy most of them at Costco. =)

  The cake was approximately 2 feet tall, not including the topper. It weighed... a lot. ;-)

  I spent 12 hours baking it, 4 hours frosting it, 2 hours re-frosting it, and 1.5 hours transporting and assembling it, for a total of 19.5 hours. If I were getting paid $15/hour, the total cost of the cake would still be less than $300... that does not, however, include the cost of re-useable tools.

  Some tools I used (affiliate links incoming!) are:
Cake lifter
14" cake pans
12" cake pans
10" cake pans
8" cake pans
Plastic cake supports
14" Cake Circle
12" Cake Circle
10" Cake Circle
8" Cake Circle
Offset spatula
Most of those were bought at Hobby Lobby... some by me, some by my mother-in-love. =)

   I made one other food item... modeling chocolate sunflowers to top cupcakes... my mother-in-love made the actual cupcakes, but I stayed up until 5am the morning of the wedding making the flowers. I wanted to make 150 of them, but ended up with 111 because I didn't buy enough candy melts. I used 4 packages and should have used 5 or 6. Rolling them thinner would have helped too. ;-)

  It worked out anyway, most of the cupcakes didn't get eaten. I started out making the sunflowers pretty complex, but by the end I was just using a daisy cutter to cut two layers, pressing the centers together with a ball tool, and adding a brown center... the center was just a ball that was pressed into a sieve for texture. The original version looked like this and took about 4 times as long. =)

Photo from Instagram

  That's about all I have to say about the edibles I made, but I did make some other things for this wedding. A few of them are in the photos above, but I'll post more about those another day. =)

Thanks for stopping by!

Little Projects

  You may have noticed that I haven't posted in nearly a month. Here's why: I'm trying to potty train my two-year old. She's smart enough that I just can't justify buying her diapers anymore, but stubborn enough that there has been bodily waste in multiple areas of the house 5-6 times per day. And it's just barely improving as time goes on. =( So I've been completely exhausted during the tiny amount of spare time that I have and haven't sewn much. A dress that should have taken me 3 days, maximum, is still only 1/4 of the way done. I have finished a few very small projects though!

  First, my storage buckets, which reside in my kitchen and which the girls like to move around and stand on. Since they are constantly moving, I had to open 4-5 buckets every time I wanted to get something- somehow the least-expected bucket is always the right one. That was a simple solution: I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut some vinyl labels and applied them. The cutting went beautifully... I was sure it would be too deep or too shallow a cut, but it was perfect!

  Applying the labels was pretty easy, though it took more time than I expected, especially weeding out the parts I wasn't using. The hardest letter was the capital 'W', so much so that I had to throw the first label with that letter away and re-cut it. I didn't really need a label for the bucket with the blue lid, but it looks pretty with them all matching. And yes, they are all a little crooked and it bugs me. That's because I put the labels on at night and the kitchen lighting is terrible. I also have some labels cut and weeded to give to my mother-in-love, who has the same kind of buckets. =)

 Next up, and this one is totally pointless but fun: I added washi tape to the closet doors in my sewing room. My washi tape collection has been slowly growing over 2.5 years, most of it from Pick Your Plum, and having it sitting in a bowl on my sewing table inspired me. =)

I mostly use little pieces of it on cards/gifts, so this is my biggest project with it so far.

  Another angle... cute, right? =)

 I basically rolled the tape along the edges of the insets and cut it with small scissors, then smoothed it down. Most of the edges peeled up, so I just stuck a tiny bit of washable glue under them and pushed them back down.

 
  I wish I'd used a different color on the green/aqua section, so I might swap that out, but I haven't decided yet.

  It also would have worked better to trim the tape with a craft knife instead of small scissors, so the corners would have been straighter, but I doubt most people will notice.

  The final small project I've worked on, which actually took rather a lot of time spread over small sections, was a sunflower crown for Booper, since she is going to be the flower girl in my sister-in-love's sunflower-themed wedding next week. I'll have some photos of that up hopefully soonish.

  I'm working on a coral satin-and-chiffon dress for her... and wow is chiffon a pain to work with! I cut circular flounces for the sleeves and they came out as ovals in spite of piles of pattern weights and using a rotary cutter. Next time I use chiffon I'm going to cut it between layers of tissue paper and see if that helps.

Thanks for stopping by!

Floral Tie-Front Top

  For a few months I was looking at clothing sites for inspiration way too much. I've stopped now, because I'm simply never going to get time to sew all of the things I like, but a relic of that time is a folder chock-full of inspiration. One idea that was saved in several iterations is a tee with a faux shrug tied in the front. I wasn't sure if it would accentuate things that are already big on me, so it's taken me a while, but I finally got the courage to try it!

 

  The verdict? Ehh. I like it enough to wear it but I don't love it. I'll probably make it again, but with a couple changes: I'll lengthen the top layer by about 2 inches, line the front of it so the ties don't curl, and make the ties go straight across the bottom, instead of curving up toward the center. I used this knit from Girl Charlee for the under-layer and this knit for the top.

  It can wrap to the back and tie there too! I like it better just tied, without a bow, but the only photo of that came out pretty blurry.

  About those photos... I didn't realize until I loaded them onto my computer (after dark, which meant I couldn't take more. Besides, Beckers puked on me soon after these photos.) that my camera was focusing on the rocks behind me in most of them. Oh well!

  I'm wearing my pleats and panels skirt with this shirt... it's one of the few skirts I can actually wear right now. I lost enough baby weight (finally!) that most of my skirts are sliding off, but not enough that I can comfortably wear my smaller size skirts. This particular one slides down, but not actually off. ;-) Guess I just need to lose some more!

  I did a rolled hem for the ties on this, and it was miserably hard. Rolled hems and the tight curves on the tie ends don't mix. I had to redo it three times and I still don't like the results. I used a twin needle to finish the sleeves, under-layer neckline, and hem. Everything else was just serged.

  I'm so happy I got a chance to sew in my new sewing room though! It's not set up at all, so the cutting was a lot harder than it should have been, but I love that I have that room! =)

  I'm linking this top up to Project Sewn, since it happens to be in a floral. =)

Thanks for stopping by,

2 Years: A Look Back

  Today I have officially been blogging for two years! I was hoping to have a handmade coin purse to give away with this post.... but I just moved. Instead, I'm going to barrage you with stats. =)

  I'm still a slow blogger, so I've posted an average of  1.365 posts a week here, for a total of 142 posts since I started blogging. There have been a total of 33,240 page views here!

  My most popular post is my crossover nursing dress tutorial, with over 1,500 views on each part.

  Second most popular? My very first post, with a refashion, that was featured on New Dress A Day.

   Also in the top 10 list are (from most viewed to least viewed)

Princess Seam Nursing Dress

Lace Watches

Circled Skirt

Butterfly Skort Outfits

The Original Crossover Nursing Dress

Leaf-Print Fall Dresses

Pleats and Panels Skirt

Gusseted Coin Purse Pattern


Post with the most comments? This one

Post I thought would be more popular? This one

My favorite sew? This one. I've worn it almost constantly since sewing it.

My favorite craft? The flowered phone case in this post. The resin didn't hold up and is sadly cracked and yellow now, but it sure was pretty, wasn't it? =) And the case also wasn't protective enough and my mother-in-love's iphone screen got cracked, which makes me feel terrible. I just love those pressed flowers though!

Least favorite sew? This one. Although I do like my hair here! =)

Least favorite craft? The earbuds in this post... they aren't bad, I just wasn't really happy with the outcome.

Okay, that's probably enough. I have to continue unpacking!

Thanks for stopping by,

I Moved! (Again)

 Last year when I moved, I upgraded from sewing on my dining-room table to having my own sewing table in the living room. This time, I have something I thought I wouldn't have for many more years... a sewing room!

  It's currently un-decorated (we moved last week, and I've been working hard on unpacking everything) but I'm truly excited, happy, and thankful to have it! It has natural light all day, and it even has a closet that fits ALL of my fabric. =) (This photo is half of it. )

  I'm hoping to eventually get some shelves for the fabric so it's easier to see what I have, but for now this is amazing! And I have room for a real ironing board and a cutting table!

  And not only do I now have a sewing room, I have a pretty yard! This is the front... the back is about the same size but without landscaping.

  I'm rather in awe of this house, and amazed that it is OURS... not a rental!

  And that is why I currently have no sewing projects to share.... packing and un-packing is a lot of work, especially when you have way too much stuff. Only about 1/4 of the house left to go though. =)

  One more thing! I've added a couple pages to the top bar...if you want to learn more about me and my family, check out my "About Me" page, and if you want to learn more about the tools I use, check out the page titled "My Machines".

Thanks for stopping by,

Perfect Peplum Pullover

 This is my new favorite shirt.

   I drafted this using my basic tee block, but adding some at the bustline so it isn't as tight as my last shirt. I was actually hoping to use the same style as that for this shirt, but I was a half-yard short on fabric, so I went with a half-circle peplum instead. This shirt fits perfectly... not tight, but not saggy either. It looks quite a bit more form-fitting in the photos than it actually is.

  The fabric is this Prussian Blue knit from Girl Charlee, and it is hands-down the best knit I've ever worked with. It's thick, soft, super-stretchy, and also my absolute favorite color. =)

  I love this knit so much that after I finished this shirt I went back and ordered 6 more yards of it. The only difficulty I had was that it's a jersey knit, and rolls a little, but even that was negligible compared to other jerseys I've worked with, and easily remedied with starch.

  I love the sleeves too... I should have cut the sleeve 1 inch shorter before adding the flounce, but that flounce makes me happy. It makes me want to throw my arms around in all kinds of weird directions.

  I wore this once before finishing the hems, since I didn't have matching thread, but those flounces really needed to be finished! They rolled up in all directions and looked like I was wearing tricorn hats on my arms. I lettuce-edged them as well as the hem of the peplum. The thread I used doesn't quite match, as it's more of a true navy, but it's not noticeable.

  I like this one even better than my first peplum shirt (which has sadly been reduced to household-only status due to the myriad of tiny holes that appeared in it).

I'm excited to make more things from this knit! =) Although I also really don't want to use it up because it's so perfect.

Thanks for stopping by!

Primary Puzzle Ball

I started this puzzle ball a few days before Christmas... I was hoping to finish it by Christmas for my nephews, but it just didn't happen.

  I'm happy to have it finished now!

  My sister-in-law's baby girl was born about 2 weeks ago, and I'm planning on bringing this for the little older brothers when I go to meet her... they don't live far, but I've had a yucky cold for a couple weeks that I really don't want to bring over there.

  I used the same tutorial as the first time, but used a dinner plate for my initial trace so it's quite a bit bigger... about 7" in diameter.

  I accidentally overstuffed the pieces this time... I'm still relatively new to this whole stuffing business! From some angles the ball looks kind of squished.

  I used a tablecloth someone gave me for the red, parts of a half-finished dress that the same sister-in-law gave me for the yellow, and leftover yardage from a dress I made Booper when she was 1 for the blue. I would love to see how it looks with all of the primary colors on the triangles and grey or white on the ends.

  Except for the blue corduroy, the fabrics were on the thinner side and felt like they would fray right out of the seams, so I interfaced everything before sewing it... it's pretty sturdy now! I hope the little guys like it! =)

Thanks for stopping by,

Fuschia Dotted Knit Tee

  Before I made that little knit dress for Beckers, I made a shirt for myself from the same fabric.

  I used the same pattern as the grey shirt I made a few months ago, but slimmed down the waist so I didn't have to gather the front. I also did a circle for the hemline instead of a square.

  In the pattern, there are still a couple things that need fixing... I need to widen the pattern a bit at the bustline, since I accidentally took that in when I took the waist in, and I need to lower the neckline so the neckband doesn't come up so high on the neck, especially in the back.

  As for the fabric...it may be cute for a baby dress but it just doesn't work on me. The chances of me ever wearing this shirt (other than for photos, obviously) are about zero. I DON'T wear bright colors, and I don't do patterns, particularly not dots. I don't know what I was thinking when I made this! To my credit, I thought this was a much deeper color when I bought it, and my sewing area is way too dark at night, which is when I made this.

  Anyway, since I'm not likely to ever wear it, I'd like to know if anyone who reads this is around my size and would want it? If not it's probably going to end up at the thrift store. Bust is 42", waist is 34", but it would work better on a bust 1-3 inches smaller. All you gotta do is ask! =)

 I think this pattern would work really well as a maternity top, too. (No, I'm not pregnant.)

  I'm glad I made it just for the pattern-adjusting I was able to do, even if I don't like the results in this particular fabric.

  And this knit, even though the pattern is too much for me, is seriously nice... so soft and stretchy!

  I made another shirt after this one that I like MUCH better. I still need to finish the hems, but I need some matching thread first. I'll share it after it's done. =)

Thanks for stopping by,