mussels...

the other night A made me a special dinner, bringing home a bag of mussels. there is a restaurant nearby that makes a delicious bowl of mussels in a white wine broth, served alongside matchstick fries and aioli that i dream about, but he thought he'd try and make some mussel at home instead. i think it was an excellent idea. he steamed them in a simple sauce of coconut milk with red chilis, ginger and garlic, and it was delicious. i'll definitely be asking him to make that again.



i already had mussels on the brain earlier this past week anyway, when i started constructing this mussel shell. i've stitched some mussels before, but i wanted to make a half shell that had the hollow shape of an actual washed up shell, without stuffing it. i think i've found a technique that works now, so i'm looking forward to playing with a bit more and making complete shells with two halves, not just mussels but clams and the like. this one came out pretty well though, a long california mussel just like the ones i find strewn across the sand on the west coast. this one is only 7" long, although california mussel shells can grow to about 10" (a lot bigger than those ones we were eating above!)



the other benefit of a shell half like this is showing the insides of the shell, which are often as or more pretty than the outside, shiny and smooth. this one is mainly stitched with a pale blue cotton that has the perfect amount of shimmer.

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i'm liking this morning:
eva's new timekeepers
valentina's wood veneer pendant lamp