maggiebsmocks

How to Insert a Pleater Needle

You know the old saying, a picture says a thousand words. If you have more questions, just ask!

For reference, the pictures in this post are using a Super Amanda Jane Smocking Pleater. The pleater is mounted on a unique pleater box that carries the threads on spools, please disregard the box.

First PLEATER NEEDLES look odd.  They are bent to allow shaping around the pleater rollers.

I store my extra pleater needles in a small zip top bag. It is OK to leave extra needles in the pleater when not in use. I take mine out because I pleat so many different things.

To prevent the needles from falling out of the pleater when you remove the holding roller, place a small object under the front of the pleater.   

I like to use a spare spool of thread.

Remove the holding pin at each end of the holding bar. The Amanda Jane pleaters have a pin that removes easily. Other pleaters have a small screw that needs to be turned to remove a tiny plate holding the roller in place.

      

Remove the pins from both ends of the holding roller.

Gently lift the holding roller from the pleater. The needles should stay in place with the spool of thread tilting the body back.

Insert the shaped needle around the pleater roller.

Move the needles as required then replace the holding roller and pins or screws.

Carrot cake

Carrot cake...mmmm yumyumyum

A couple years ago I was on a quest to find the best carrot cake recipe. I pulled a few cook books and started to read. Being familiar with scratch cake recipes, I picked three options.

I baked all three recipes...one right after the other. I numbered the cakes and recipes and made people vote. I took one-quarter of each cake to each of two neighbors, one-quarter of each to my favorite mechanic and the last group was for us. This was voted the Best Carrot Cake recipe. It is moist and cake-like, not dense like a fruit cake as some carrot cakes tend to be.

The most important ingredient of carrot cake is of course, freshly grated carrots. Be sure to buy the full sized carrots, not those little nubs of carrots that are just buzzed down versions of the big guys.   I know, grating carrots is messy. Trust me, I know! So I buy the five pound bag and grate a whole bunch at one time. Peel the entire bag and cut off the top and bottom ends.

My trusty old, as in twenty-five year old JCPenny food processor, is perfect for making quick work of grating 5 pounds of carrots. 

And why on earth do I shred five pounds of carrots at once? Because it is messy and I want to clean up messes as little as possible. And grated carrots freeze well!   I put them in two cup containers by Ziplock and toss them in the freezer. Now I have grated carrots anytime I need to whip up a cake to take to someone.

Now on to the baking! Gather all of your ingredients before you start to bake.

NOTE: there is a missing ingredient in this photo!

Cinnamon is missing. 

Be sure to choose a pan too! 

HINT: I spray my pan with flour/baking spray before adding the batter.

I have a fun collection of Bundt pans for baking. I have found the rose one shown here is good for a generous portion of cream cheese frosting. Some people think they should skip the cake and just have the frosting. Who am I to disagree?

Finally! On to THE BEST CARROT CAKE RECIPE!

Add ingredients in this order:

1 1/3 Cups vegetable oil

4 Large eggs

2 Cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 1/2 Cups flour (divided) add half

1 Cup (1 8oz can) crush pineapple with liquid

add the second half of the flour after the pineapple has been added

Stir these two in by hand:

3/4-1 Cup chopped walnuts

2 Cups shredded carrots

Bake at 340 - 350 degrees until a toothpick comes out clean. Baking times will vary greatly by oven and pan style. HINT: never open the oven door until you smell the cake. It isn't going to be even close until the scent is in the air.

Remove the cake from the baking pan 10 minutes after removing from the oven to prevent sticking to the pan.

Allow the cake to cool, but not all the way. The frosting is going to set better on a slightly warm cake. I know this isn't what your home ec teacher told you. But it works, trust me.

At last! The CREAM CHEESE FROSTING!

Again, gather your ingredients ahead of time. I pull my cold items from the 'fridge when the cakes come out of the oven to give them time to soften.

Hint: real vanilla extract tastes so much better than imitation. Spend the extra for the good stuff.

Blend these in the mixer:

4 oz cream cheese, slightly softened

1/4 Cup butter 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 pound Confectioner's sugar

milk, enough to smooth the frosting, usually 1-2 tablespoons 

Enjoy!

Recipe variations: as you may have noticed, there is a lot of oil in this recipe. I have found that substituting one individual serving of applesauce (3.9 oz container) is ok. It does not change the flavor nor texture of the cake. If you substitute all the oil with applesauce, the texture changes too much to be a traditional carrot cake.

mmmmcarrotkeck!

maggieb!

More Finally Finished Projects!

Remember Strawberry Jam? 

 

Well, it was not finished for the original little one, but MissEm is claiming this one for the Hope Chest. This is one of my most favorite strawberry prints and I have never met a strawberry print that I didn't like. 

Aren't angel sleeves perfect for summertime? Note the mixed strands of green to coordinate with the leaves perfectly.

Also just finished!

Someone described rickrack flowers as 'fiddly'. Yes, fiddly they are. Perhaps it is the unfinished ends of the tape that I am not fond of? Maybe it is the clunkiness? Is that a word?

Rickrack flowers used to be all the rage. I have an old Simplicity pattern with lots of designs. I'm not so sure I'll be making too many more.

See, that is the nice thing about taking a class...you have a little taste of a technique. You can figure out fairly quickly if you are going to love the art or let it go.

Originally this was to be an eyeglass case. I opted to fold down the top edge to use this as a scissor keep. The big ball flower is a bit much, don't you think?

Here is a close up of the flowers: