Orange Food Tastes Good!

(Apologies to Anne Burrell.)

Thanksgiving is next week!  When did that happen? We're going up to Jeff's parents' for dinner, and bringing pumpkin pies.  When Jeff was a teen, an entire pie was reserved just for him, but he's more moderate now. I'll make a traditional pie and whipped cream to go with it, but it's nice to have something in the healthier arena as well.

I made Chocolate Covered Katie's Crustless Pumpkin Pie last night. It was very easy and everyone really liked it. Not having to make a crust saved a ton of time and effort.  Since we're not vegan, I added an egg, but left the oil out.  Less than 100 calories per slice!  I also added a little ginger, because I love that bit of kick. Next week, I'll make the traditional version, but I'll be making Katie's version regularly this winter.

I also made Roasted Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Pilau last night, to go next to pork chops/fish.  The girls thought it was ok, but Jeff really liked it. Like, said three times how much he liked it.  I didn't have pumpkin, but I got a kuri squash last week, and they're pretty close, so I used that. I don't like how sweet potatoes sometimes get black spots when you roast them in the oven (no, they weren't burned), but they're still tasty. I used vegetable broth instead of chicken, and added some diced dried apricots because I had them and it sounded good.  I'm going to mix the leftovers with either diced chicken or ham for lunches this week.  This is another one I'll be making pretty steadily. 

The Calculus Dress

I've made a lot of things over the past ten years or so with my sewing machine. I've made Halloween costumes, Christmas dresses, Easter dresses, sundresses, pajamas, skirts, tote bags, lunch bags, quilts, and hats. I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting.

But most of those things have been for kids, either my own or others. Last summer, I decided to start making a few things for myself. A lot of this was due to a seriously depleted wardrobe. I'm not much of a clothes horse to begin with, and losing weight left me with a lot of space in my closet. This is certainly a good problem to have, but it's still a problem.

I made a couple skirts for myself, nothing too difficult, and learned a little about what works for me and what doesn't.  But I wanted something a little more challenging.  I found Simplicity 2217 and really liked the wrap style of the bodice. I found a couple yards of a nice heavy fabric in the basement. It's a peacock teal, with a subtle woven effect on the right side, and I thought it would be just right.

Once I got the pattern, I knew I'd have to make a muslin first. I didn't want to cut into my fabric before I was sure what I had was correct. I first measured the pattern pieces, then myself, and realized that the bodice pieces would have to be lengthened. I've actually done that before, so I wasn't too worried. But then I looked at the bodice front pieces, at the jagged line along the bottom (to accommodate the pleats).

Enter the "deer in the headlights" look.  Um.  Well, that's different. I'd never seen a pattern piece like that. A Skype to my mom was in order.  She was trying to explain to me what I needed to do, but it just didn't translate to me, even though I could see her. Without being able to manipulate the fabric, we weren't getting anywhere. The realization hit us both at the same time. I needed to go to Florida so we could sew together!  When my Dad found out about the idea, he insisted on paying for my plane ticket, as a birthday & Christmas present for me. Is he great or what?

I packed with happy anticipation.  I was really looking forward to learning some new skills & tricks and advancing my knowledge.  I realized that sewing is kind of like math. Sarah & Lauren can use the machine to do basics--addition & subtraction, if you will.  I know lots of people that can do "multiplication & division" sewing.  I know a few people who are doing "pre-algebra, exponents, maybe a little scientific notation" sewing.  I'm confident in my "algebra & geometry" sewing.  I was expecting the dress to take me to "trigonometry" levels.  It would be a stretch, but not insurmountable. 

Nope.  Once I got down there and my mom started working on it, I realized that this was a "calculus" dress.  Hell, "ADVANCED calculus." Luckily, my mom has done "NASA-level astro physics" sewing.  I realized that fitting and tailoring are well beyond what I can do, and more than I could learn in the course of a weekend in Florida.  That level of work really needs more of an apprentice like program.

So my mom ended up doing all the heavy lifting on this dress--she determined where the pattern pieces needed to be altered, did all the darts and pleats, put in the zipper, and made sure every seam she worked on was perfect.  I learned how to ease a seam, and how to stitch a facing so it would lay flat--both "trig" tricks if I ever saw them.  I also set in the sleeves and hemmed it.

And so I give you (drumroll, please) . . .
The Calculus Dress.

We're on our way to church now!

Breakfast

I am a carb junkie, no doubt. Bread pudding is one of my favorite things ever, my stepmom's Thanksgiving stuffing being a close second.

I made Skinny Apple Pie Bread Pudding for breakfast this morning.  It was really good, but I ended up eating way too much of it. Sarah also liked it, but Lauren just thought it was ok.  I don't have custard cups, so I used my square 8x8 baking pan and used an extra piece of bread.  It worked out well, but did I mention that I ate way too much of it?  I'm going to get some custard cups/ramekins soon, because that kind of portion control is really necessary for me.

I'd also like to try Pumpkin Baked French Toast, which is essentially the same thing but with pumpkin (also vegan). Dark Chocolate Chunk Bread Pudding looks ridiculously delicious, but it's no even remotely appropriate for breakfast.  That's another one that needs ramekins for portion control, so I have an excuse to wait on that one.

Sewing post coming SOON!

What's Cooking?

(a dressmaking post will be coming soon)

I made Apple Scones last week, and they turned out pretty good, but not as amazing as I'd hoped. I'm sure that's largely due to the fact that I've largely fallen off the healthy bandwagon, and am more used to cooking with a lot more fat & sugar than these called for.  I might make them again, but I'd rather go for some cinnamon rolls.

I took some BBQ chicken and put it into biscuit turnovers last week, to rave reviews from both kids. I'm trying to think of other things I can put inside a biscuit.  Sloppy joe meat looks the most promising based on kid reactions.

I'm also trying to decide what to do with the lone pound of ground beef in my freezer. One pound can go for burgers or chili or sloppy joes or meatballs or shepherd's pie or Hamburger Helper. It's not quite enough for pasties.

All of those are good things that will get eaten.  But I'd really like to try empanadas. They're similar to pasties, in that they have meat & vegetables and have a pastry crust, but the meat is cooked ahead of time, and of course the flavors are totally different. I really like trying new things, although they aren't always a hit with everyone else.

Fun Project

I'm teaching a basic sewing class at our co-op, and so far it's been crazy but fun. The first week we made t-shirt tote bags. Last class, we made water bottle totes out of old pairs of kids' jeans.  The class always whizzes by, and I'm really glad I have a helper who knows how to sew, because otherwise we would never get done.  

Our next project is a Trapper style hat,  based on http://www.fleecefun.com/trapper-hat.html

I made a practice hat last night, just so I could see if it would work out ok. I made the medium size, and it fits Sarah pretty well, but when I make one for myself, it’ll be a large.  I didn't bother with the optional front piece, because I wanted to keep it as simple as possible. 

I dug around in the basement for leftover pieces of polar fleece.  I knew Sarah would love the lime green, and I wanted the other piece to be purple, but there just wasn't enough, so I used some of the girly camo that I got years ago to make snow pants.

Assembling the pattern pieces and cutting out the fabric was really easy, as was sewing the front and back together.  When it came time to close up the V in a seam, I accidentally caught too much of the rest of the fabric in the seam. After I took it out, I carefully trimmed the seam so there wasn't as much bulk to get caught.

Then I made the tassels, but had a hard time knotting them at the bottom. I realized I should have just gotten another piece of thin fleece and tied it off with that. I'll carefully undo the knot and do that this afternoon. I tacked them to the flap pieces, keeping them turned up and out of the way. If I'd had safety pins, I might have actually pinned them, and I'm still considering that for the class.

Then it's just a matter or putting one hat inside the other (right sides together, of course) and pinning them. I always have my students pin parallel to the seam, so for this, the perpendicular pins indicate where to start and stop sewing.

.

 Once it's sewn together, turn it carefully right side out, then tuck one into the other--it doesn't matter which is which, because this is totally reversible. Make sure the tassels are pulled all the way out, and the seams are nice and even. Tuck the opening in on itself and carefully topstitch around the edge, about a quarter of an inch in. This is the most fiddly part--the stitching shows, and the part on the flaps with the tassels is thick, so it's slow going

The whole thing took less than an hour, even with taking all the pictures and ripping out that one seam, and calling Sarah down to hold the strips while I braided them. I tried it on myself and it was a little tight, but it fits Sarah well--she's been wearing it pretty much non stop.  Lauren already asked if she can have one, and I'll be making one for myself as well. I really hate cold ears in the winter, and when it's windy, I worry about earaches, so those long flaps will be great. In fact, I can see myself making LOTS of these hats in the next few months!

Adventures in Dressmaking, Hiatus

When last we left our intrepid novice seamstress, she had a bodice that was too big for the accompanying midriff band.

OK, enough third person--too much work for today.

I Skyped my mom, who said, that NO, I shouldn't make the midriff band bigger, because it did actually fit.  I just needed to adjust those pleats some more. Unfortunately, I have no idea how to do that. I could use trial and error, but that's a recipe for wasted time & frustration. I was also concerned that the V of the neckline would be too deep--I want to be able to wear this to church, after all. My two solutions--a tank worn underneath or a stitch at the neck--were both vetoed in favor of actually doing it correctly.  Well, if you put it that way . . .

As I was pondering the limitations of Skype and thinking yet again that I wished we could actually be physically together, we both had the serendipitous realization that we SHOULD physically get together.  My birthday is coming up, and I thought that my flight down could be my birthday present, and my flight back home could be my Christmas present.  And it looks like that will hopefully work out, thanks to my Dad. There are many details to work out still, including my crazy schedule, but I think I'll be able to have a girls' weekend down south sometime next month. In addition to sewing, we're thinking about pedicures and sushi.  So there probably won't be too many sewing posts for a while, but once I'm back, I should have lots to share.

Adventures in Dressmaking, Part 2

I recut the front bodice piece this morning, and it went together much better. You can see the old piece in the background and the newly cut one in the foreground.

I realized there was another issue, though--the midriff band is suddenly about two inches too short on either side. I realized that since I'd extended the bodice, the band would have to be extended as well.  I didn't bother with doing that right now, because it's just the muslin and I'm trying to see how the overall fit is. The sides are still sewn together, so I can check how it fits.

Except I can't. I can't check on myself because I can't see myself and adjust on my own body.  It feels like there is a LOT of extra fabric in the back, far more than would be necessary to accommodate a zipper, but I can't tell for sure. My plan is to Skype my mom with it on and have Sarah pin the back for me, and do the best we can with that.

I did have some mental whining about wishing my mom was actually physically up here, but Skype is certainly better than doing this just over the phone. 

In zucchini news, I made the quiche, and it was good, but the caramelized onions were the best part. And nobody else had any of it. Next time (yes, there will be a next time), I'm going to skip the crust. The delicious, flaky crust is just extra work, extra fat, extra carbs, extra calories.  Yes, extra delicious, but that's not the point.  I'll also shred the zucchini & squeeze out the extra water--even though I sauteed the veg first, the center of the quiche was a little soggy.  I can do better, and I don't really need a recipe for it. 

Adventures in Dressmaking, Part 1

I never did get to the quiche, but I've got onions going in a big pot right now, and if I manage to run out and get some eggs, I might make it tonight.Then again, maybe not. I have to leave for work in just a few hours, and there's still a lot to do around here.

I've had my eye on Simplicity 2217 for months. I like the wrap style of the top especially. I found a couple yards of a pretty teal fabric in the basement, and since Simplicity patterns were on sale, I picked it up, along with some thread and a zipper. Man, matching teal is hard.  One color makes my fabric look very green, and the next makes it look more blue. I got the closest I could find.

I knew that getting the right fit on the bodice would be the most difficult part, so I decided to make a muslin, or test bodice. On my mom's recommendation, I also did a little pre-cutting measurement. The front bodice piece measures 16 inches from the top of the shoulder to the bottom. When I put the tape measure up to myself, that 16 inches went from the top of my shoulder to just under my bust. It would be just right, except for seam allowances.  I decided to add an extra inch and a half to the bottom of all the pieces.  This was fine for the back, and the bodice side. The bodice front, where the pleats are, was much harder because it's not a straight cut, but I thought I did ok.

The first step was to get those pleats in. I'm not good at pleats, but I managed to get them in. I attached the side bodice to the front, then realized I'd done it backwards. Notches are our friends; don't ignore them!  Basting stitches are better friends, though--I ended up using my seam ripper a lot already, and those big stitches made it so much easier.

Once the pleats were in and the bodice & side bodice attached (I didn't bother with the facings since it's just a muslin), I overlapped the right & left sides of the bodice and basted them down.  And there was the big problem. I realized that when the pleats are in, the bottom edge of the fabric should still be straight. It wasn't. I decided when I started this that I was going to be as meticulous as possible in order for it to turn out right. So I took out all the pleats, which was disheartening--the very first steps of the project are off to a rough start.  I'm going to do them over either later this afternoon, tonight after work or tomorrow morning. I don't have any kind of deadline on the project, but I don't want it to languish in the basement forever, like so many other things have. 

She's Baaaack!

A friend I hadn't seen in a while said to my Friday, "you need to blog more!" I thought, "yeah, I've gotten out of the habit." But now I come here and look and holy cow! I didn't blog at all last month?  I have been pretty busy between work and the kids, but I haven't done lots of sewing or cooking.

That's about to change. I'm trying to do a lot with all the zucchini from my garden, including zucchini bread and pancakes, and tomorrow I'm going to do a zucchini & caramelized onion quiche.

And I was digging through my fabric in the basement (all 8,034,932 yards of it) and I found a couple yards of a teal linen-weight fabric that I really like, enough to finally do Simplicity 2217.  This is far and away the most complicated pattern I've ever gotten, and I'd really like to do a good job with it, so I'm going to take my time and be as meticulous as I can. That includes making a muslin for the bodice to make sure it'll fit properly. As I was reading through the instructions, there was a lot that looked unfamiliar, so I'm sure I'll be making lots of "Sewing 911" calls to my mom, probably with Skype. I'll also try to take lots of pictures to document how it goes.

Recipe Review: Peach Pie

I never seem to find good peaches. When I see them in the produce market, I pick them up and smell them, but they never smell very peachy, so I usually pass them by. But yesterday, I wanted to make a peach pie, and I figured that since I'd be cooking them, it would intensify the flavor, so I grabbed about ten.

I was using this recipe as a guide, but knew I wanted to do a crumb topping instead of lattice. I briefly considered skipping the crust altogether and just going for a crumble, but crust isn't hard, and I wanted that flaky texture along with the crunchy crumble and tender peaches. I made the crust and stashed it in the refrigerator, then got to work on blanching the peaches.

Blanching peaches just means plunging them into boiling water, leaving them there for a minute, then putting them in an ice water bath.  The peels should come right off. And they did--for the first peach. Maybe I didn't leave them in the water long enough, but almost all the peaches had to have the peels cut off, instead of peeling away from the flesh. This was the most time consuming, annoying part. Moral of the story?  Use frozen peaches!


After that, it was pretty easy.  Roll out the crust and put it in the pie pan, building it up a little higher on the sides. Mix the sliced peaches with white sugar, brown sugar, flour, cornstarch, cinnamon and ginger. Pour into the pie crust. Top with your standard flour/oatmeal/brown sugar/butter/more cinnamon & ginger crumble topping. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 and bake another 45 minutes or so. Let the pie sit in the cooling oven (there are two advantages here:  it thickens better, and doesn't take up valuable counter space).

I got some caramel praline crunch ice cream to dish on top--which really was gilding the lily--but vanilla would have been good, too.

The pie was good, but not bursting with that summery peachy goodness I'd been hoping for. Moral of the story? Use frozen peaches!!! 

Note that there are no nutritional statistics for this recipe. Between the flaky pie crust, sweet peach filling, crunchy topping, and ice cream, one serving had enough calories for a full meal. It was definitely a splurge, but well worth it.

Recipe Review: Honey Lemon Bars

I've been wanting to make the Skinny Honey Lemon Bars for ages.  First, I didn't make them because I didn't have the right size pan. Then, I was low on honey. Then, the friend that Sarah had over doesn't eat eggs (instead, they made sugar cookies that were so good, they're totally my new go-to recipe).

Finally, I made them on Saturday. And I followed the recipe exactly. I know--shocking, right?  But it seems pretty carefully calculated, and I didn't want it messed up. So no tweaking on this one. The result?  They're pretty good. Both girls love them. I just like them. For me, it isn't an A+ recipe for two reasons.  First, the honey taste kind of competes with the lemon. I like honey, but I think I'd like a different sweetener for this one. Also, the crust layer is thicker than the lemon layer. As far as I'm concerned, that's backwards.

Will I make them again?  Maybe, but I think I'm likely to look for a variation that has a different lemon layer.

Greek Yogurt Love

The Aldi near me has recently started carrying Fage 0% fat Greek yogurt, which means that that's one less thing I have to trek to Meijer to get. I've started getting two containers a week, because I go through so much of it.

What do I do with it?  Well, there's the standard yogurt & fruit snack, smoothie, or popsicle.  Sometimes I make a classic Swiss Birchermüesli (soak some oatmeal in milk for about half an hour, then add yogurt, grated apple, and as much fresh, in season fruit as you can stand--lovely dinner when it's too hot to cook). Last week, I started making yogurt pancakes. I saw the original idea on one of the MyFitnessPal message boards, and tweaked it a little.

Here's how I do it: mix 6 ounces Greek yogurt with an egg and a half a teaspoon of vanilla. Mix in 1/3 cup whole wheat flour and a teaspoon of baking soda. Cook as with regular pancakes. Makes 5 or 6, depending on size. Nutrition:  302 calories, 36 carbs, 6 grams fat, 29 grams of protein, 4 grams fiber.  That's for the whole batch!!!  I generally don't bother with syrup or butter. The real beauty of this recipe is that there is so much protein and it's relatively low carb. I feel like I'm always "chasing" protein, and unless I have eggs, it's hard for me to get at breakfast.

In contrast, the pancakes I make for the kids have about 25% more calories, 30% more carbs, half the protein, and half the fiber. I might have to start making yogurt pancakes for them, too. In that case, I'm going to need a lot more yogurt, and should probably start making my own, but that's another post.

Expectations

Will post basement results soon.

Since my mom is in town, I've been thinking a lot about sewing. The other day, I took a bunch of fabric over to her and we played, "What should this be?"  I got some great ideas and it was a lot of fun. Yesterday, she came over for a few hours so she could help me with some more concrete things, like taking in some shirts and making some skirts.

I tried on the last skirt I made, the blue six-gored. She immediately said, "It's too big." and we discussed how to make it better. It'll mean taking the waistband off, but I should do that anyway since I did a pretty sloppy job of it. I'll take the gores in at the top, but leave the bottom as is. I'll also make the elastic smaller.

I have this really pretty, batik-y looking rayon in blues & white. Very summery, very drapey. I was thinking circle skirt. My mom said the for a circle skirt to really look right, it needed a proper waistband and a zipper. I've been putting off working with this fabric since I got it weeks ago, because the thought of a circle skirt was intimidating to me. I didn't want to deal with all that bias finishing. She suggested a slightly gathered skirt. I could get it cut out of one piece (selvedge to selvedge), with one seam, an elastic waist, hem, and done. I've made skirts like that a bazillion times before and knew I could whip it out in my sleep, so I got started.

I made it, and tried it on.  It looked nice, but not the full, drapey, flowy, girly skirt I'd had in my mind. And therein lay the problem. I had an expectation of what this fabric should be, and this wasn't it. It's not bad; it just isn't what I want for this fabric.

So my time with the seam ripper is going to be longer than I thought. I don't really mind taking it apart. I have enough left over to add to it to make another six-gored skirt, which I know will be flowy and drapey and girly the way I want. I'll even be able to use the measurements from the one I already made once I get it fixed. This also gives me time to bite the bullet and get the Serger fixed.

The ironic thing is that I have a plaid seersucker that I love (used it to make golf shorts for the girls a couple years ago) that will be perfect for a simple gathered skirt. I will easily have three new skirts next weekend.

Of course, I have no idea what I'm going to wear to church this morning.

Home Stretch

The kids will be back on Sunday afternoon. I'm not working again until Monday. That means I have today, tomorrow, and Saturday to get the basement as done as I can.

This week's Purple Heart pickup:

 This week's garbage pickup:

This week's progress:

Most of the stuff that had to go out has gone out. There will still be extra garbage next week, and another Purple Heart pickup sometime in July. But most of what is still down there stays down there, and that's the really hard work--figuring out what to do with all the stuff that stays. Finding room for it, keeping it tidy & organized.

Today is mostly about clothes & fabric.  I have laundry to do, clothes to sort, and fabric to fold. It's a good thing it's cooler down there!

Realization

So even though I've removed 12 metric tons of crap from my basement, it still looks like a garbage truck exploded.  But now I think I understand a little better why that is, and what to do about it.  Also:  a weight loss correlation.

Essentially, what I'm doing is sorting into two categories:  stay and go. The "go" can be either garbage or donations, but it gets out of the basement.  But all the "stay" stuff is still there.  Yes, I know:  duh. I've been so busy trying to just get through the masses of piles (Jeff called it a berm) and move forward, deeper into the basement, that I didn't do much with what's left behind. I didn't really have a plan for what to do with the stuff that stays. 

But I think that I've made as much forward progress as I'm going to for a while. I've gotten quite far back, all the way to the stuff that has been in boxes for years.  This kids can't be blamed for that stuff, but it's fairly neat and contained, and I'm willing to leave it for the time being.

Now it's time to go back. Back over the pile of shoes and start figuring out what will go where. Back to the books and toys that I do want to keep. And that's where I get stuck. I don't know what to do with it all. We have a couple shelf units (full) and bookshelves (fuller). There are some plastic storage bins, also largely full. So I'm not sure exactly what will happen to all the stuff we still have down there. That's my next big challenge, and it's what I'll be working on this weekend.

The weight loss correlation:  I've been working through the basement by taking one area and just getting through it.  "When I'm done with this section of floor, I'm done for the day, and it will look so much better without that big pile."  But when I am done, I don't see the difference. All I can see is what isn't yet done.  There's a similarity to looking in the mirror. I know I've lost weight. I know my clothes are smaller. But when I look in the mirror, I don't really remember what I used to look like.  I see old pictures, and just feel perplexed.  I don't remember how that felt. The only difference is that I know I'm happier when I look in the mirror than I was a year ago.  I guess that'll have to do.

How is this possible?

While the kids are in Florida, I'm cleaning out the basement. This is a truly Herculean task--fully half the basement wasn't even accessible.

This is just the front part of the basement. It doesn't even begin to show the true measure of the worst part.
I've worked on it every day, sometimes only for an hour, sometimes longer. 

Purple Heart has come out once so far.

This is actually only about half of what they took today.  I managed to get a lot more toys and a few more bags of clothes out before the truck came.

A friend came out to pick up dozens of books for a book exchange she's having this weekend, saving me an extra trip.

(OK, turn your head to the side, because I can't get the picture to rotate.)

I've dragged countless bags of garbage up the stairs.

And the result?  The basement looks worse now than it did before.  Seriously!

Yes, I can see a lot more floor than before. Yes, I know that it's better.  But I'm so tired, and there is so much left to do. The clothes, the toys, the SHOES.  I have until the end of the month until the kids come back, and I'm determined to get it in really good shape before then.  I'll update again next week.

Recipe Review: Skinny Taste Snickerdoodles

We're going to a friend's today for a pool party. Yes, I'm aware that it's 55 degrees out. Luckily, the friend also has a hot tub. We're hoping this will be a recurring event, and when talking with the mom in charge, I suggested that (since we're all trying to be healthier lately) we make a point of bringing healthy foods and the recipes.

When I suggested this, I was thinking of things like Cold Sesame Noodles. Middle East Panzanella. Corn and Black Bean Salad. All delicious things on a hot summer day. Um. Did I mention the bipolar Michigan weather?  I decided to make cookies instead.

Specifically, Gina's Skinny Taste Snickerdoodles.  And yes, I did modify the recipe. I don't have cream of tartar (subbed baking powder for it & the baking soda) or agave syrup (subbed honey). Also, I think I let them cook a little too long. Once they're cool, they're pretty crunchy, and I strongly prefer a chewy cookie.

They're very tasty, though, and the kids really like them.  This is one that goes into the "make again" file.

More Sewing

Some good, some bad.

First, the good. I have a bunch of shirts that are 2X from last fall that are now too big & rather sloppy. I decided to see if taking in the side seams would help any.
Example #1:

I turned it inside out, and drew a new line, then cut and pinked the edge. I just eyeballed it to see how it would go. 

Example #2:

Pretty much the same thing, but with a knit/t-shirt instead of woven/button down style.

So far, I was pretty pleased. I had taken two shirts that I never wear and turned them into items that I could wear to work or church. My wardrobe is pretty limited, and my budget is very limited, so I was happy to get extra use out of these things.

Next, I wanted to re-purpose a particular skirt. It's a long, somewhat A-line, very light & floaty fabric, kind of an ethnic print. Very nice for summer, and would go well with that orange top above. I carefully pulled out the waistband, and took out the side seams, then took it in along the sides and reattached the now reduced waistband. I had considered just using the fabric itself to make a totally different skirt, but decided to keeping the original style was the most expedient thing. I was hoping to be able to wear it to work tonight.

I'm not wearing it to work tonight. The hem is a mess--very uneven--and the waistband is still too big. I Skyped my mom to get advice, and she said that the issue is that I still don't know how to properly fit things. I agree with that, but the real issue is that I wanted to get a skirt done today. I've put it aside and will try something with it when she's here in July.  This is a better alternative than chucking the whole thing in the garbage, which was the direction I was heading.

I do still have plans for other fabric, though. There's the new stuff I bought at JoAnn's, and I have an actual Liberty Print from Nassau. I think I'm going to make a circle skirt for myself out of that one. I also have some blue that looks vaguely like denim. Short/skirts are what I really need right now, because I only have three pairs of shorts, and two of them are a bit too big.

In the meantime, I need to go find something to wear to work tonight.

Sewing Day

(Note: I don't know why my pictures are all on their sides--I edited them so you don't have to turn your head, but blogger is ignoring that. Sorry!)

I really wanted be able to take all day yesterday for sewing, but distributing the mulch out front took all day Tuesday, and distributing the peat out back took all day Wednesday (also, the kids had Field Biology at U of M Dearborn). So no sewing until today.

First, I started with some cool fabric that Sarah's been in love with forever. I don't even remember where I got it. It reminds me a little of the Russian nesting doll design. It was very easy--a seam up the back, being sure to line up the border part of the print. Then I put in an elastic waist, and she was done. I didn't even need to hem it, because the print ran all the way to the selvedge edge, so I used it. She's very happy with it.

Then I started on Lauren's skirt with some fabric she found in the basement this morning. I don't know where I got that from, either (this is a continuing theme, apparently). I was talking with a friend the other day about circle skirts, so I decided to give one of those a try.

I've never actually made a circle skirt myself, but I understood the general principle, and my stepmom made a few for me when I was in college and I loved them. I looked up a couple youtube videos, and started cutting. After I cut the circle and shook it out to show Lauren, then refolded it , I noticed that there was some overlap, so it wasn't truly a perfect circle. I didn't want to start trimming and trimming, though, because I was afraid that before I knew it, I'd have a micro mini circle skirt, and that's really not what I was going for!

I cut out the waist circle, had her try it on, and then shaved a tiny bit more off because it was a skosh tight going on. I really wanted to avoid making it too big, though. I used bias tape to bind the waistband, then added elastic inside it. I used more bias tape to bind the edge. I thought about turning it under, but I kind of like the border look to it, and it went much fast that way. I had a bad moment where I was sure I wasn't going to have enough. Seriously, it had never occurred to me that a brand new package (3 yards!) of bias tape might not be enough to run around the hem of this little skirt! Luckily, I had just enough left over from the waistband to finish.

After she tried it on, I realized that it really is quite uneven. It isn't noticeable if she's got the longer part in the back, but if it's off to the side, she looks a little cockeyed.  If (oh, who am I kidding? WHEN) I made a skirt like this for myself, I'm going to be very careful to make sure my circle is absolutely perfect. But Lauren likes it, and it's a nice play skirt--very twirly! 

Oy

I am so tired. I woke up at three, and couldn't get back to sleep. I was on the computer for a while, then watched a little TV, then dozed on the couch until 7. I'm really dragging today. Also, my knees are very stiff, I'm sure due to all the salt & junk I ate at the party last night.

I still have a busy day planned--I need to get a (slow) walk in, and there is a lot of yard work and laundry to do, and of course school work. I'm also working tonight.

The plan for dinner is to grill up a bunch of stuff that we can then eat throughout the course of the week. I have some small steaks for us to eat tonight, but I also got brats and will make some hamburger patties. I might also marinate a couple chicken breasts, and slice some zucchini to put on as well.

Time to wake up!