I sewed last week! I really did! I even took a few photos! But I haven’t found time to transfer them from the camera card to the desktop computer. I will…eventually. In the mean time…
Happy sewing!
KCWC Day 2: Fabric
Today’s hour came in 5-10 minute snatches throughout the day. A whole hour to sit down and do something I want without interruption sounds divine! I didn’t make as much progress as I’d hoped, but I did manage to:
- add seam allowances to the patterns I traced yesterday,
- pick out suitable fabric, and
- launder the fabric.
The floral flannel and orange stretch terry are for Miss M’s swimming cover-up and the plaid flannel and red stretch terry are for the Little Mister (with some tan flannel thrown in for good measure). The flannels are from Black Friday at JoAnn a couple years ago and the terry cloths were in a box of knits I got at an estate sale last year. It’s nice to use up some of my stash!
KCWC Day 1: Tracing
One hour? Not exactly. More like 40 minutes. Forty very interrupted minutes! Still, I managed to trace the popular Hilda-Tilda pattern from Ottobre 6/2007 (#27) in two sizes! I didn’t get to add the seam allowances yet.
Neither of my kids need much in the way of clothes. They could each use a pair of shorts, but they’re set in the t-shirt and jeans department. So I decided to start with swimming cover-ups. His and hers. Pretty much exactly like LiEr at Ikatbag just did (great timing!) only I’ll be using Ottobre pattern pieces. And making a few changes a la LiEr since I like how she did the lined hood and the neck slit in front.
I don’t have fabric picked out yet. I have plenty of options for Miss M, but I’m limited on my choices for Little Guy. I guess I’ll have to decide tomorrow!
It’d be nice if the postman would deliver the new issue of Ottobre tomorrow so I can trace this pair of shorts:
Or maybe this one:
What are you making your kids this week?
Dyeing Easter Eggs with Food Coloring
Last week was a crazy week. We drove a total of 18 hours and almost 1500 miles in just 4 days (with a 2-day break in the middle). None of which was planned in advance!
An effect of our out-of-whack week was that I was completely unprepared for Easter! (Thank goodness I wasn’t planning to sew Easter clothes this year! Or do Easter baskets either.) So even though I had planned to color eggs with the kids, we didn’t actually get around to it until the Monday after Easter.
I didn’t expect it to be so much fun! The last few times I colored eggs, my stepmom hosted and I think she used the egg dyeing kits. I didn’t remember the colors being so vibrant. I didn’t pick up anything special, so I figured I’d just use regular old food coloring. I simply followed the instructions on the back of the food coloring package: Mix together 1/2 cup HOT water (it said boiling, but I just used very hot tap water), 1 tsp. vinegar, and half a bottle of food coloring. I had two open packages of food coloring…both so old that I can’t remember when/where they came from! I figured it was about time to use them up!
The dye was very strong! It didn’t take long at all to get a rich, vivid color. I put Little Guy’s eggs in a wire whisk and let Miss M use a spoon — and some careful supervision! Don’t you love Little Guy’s funny expression? That’s the face he made when he took his first bite of hard boiled egg! (Needless to say, I finished his egg for him).
I hope you had a wonderful time celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord!
“[A]nd if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.
But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:17-22).
Martina cap-sleeve top
I went shopping at Kohl’s for a few spring/summer tops since several of mine from previous years are growing threadbare and pathetically worn. I tried on at least 10 tops and only 1 fit decently enough to consider buying! (I bought it in 2 colorways). It was, of course, a raglan style! My wide shoulders (and small bust!) make me a hard fit in ready-to-wear clothes. Since the kids need so little this season (three cheers for hand-me-downs!) I decided I’d better make myself a few nice tops and dresses!! This was my first go…a cap-sleeve top that was quick and simple! I cut it out and sewed it all in one day, despite 561 interruptions. I really should tally the interruptions some time…only I’m afraid if I did I’d truly never get anything done!
Do I really look this pissed off all the time? I rarely am, you know. I’m typically quite happy-go-lucky inside! Better smile next time! Ah, better…
It’s Ottobre 2/2012 #10 in a size 38. If I make it again, I may go up to a size 40 and widen the shoulders because it seems a big snug to me. It definitely doesn’t drape as nicely as it does on the model in the magazine! That was a bit disappointing, but it’s growing on me nonetheless. It’s made of a medium-weight jersey of unknown content, but definitely not all cotton. I suspect it may have some wool in it; then again, it may be all man-made. It’s from the estate sale I went to last year. There was only about a yard of it, but I have more in a yellow and gray combination. I made a pair of shorts for Miss M from the scraps.
The Princess and the Pea
The Real Princess, more commonly known as The Princess and the Pea, is a fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen in which a prince’s sole criteria for marriage is that his bride must be a “real princess.” Her true princess-ness can be determined by her delicate constitution and sensitivity to the most minute discomfort.
While the Princess and her bad night of sleep may not be the most desirable role model for our daughters, it’s a story that captures the imagination nonetheless. And now one lucky little girl can play out the story over and over with her very own Princess and the Pea set!
She has 12 mattresses (Sorry, Hans…your 20 mattresses and 20 featherbeds were a bit much for me!), a tote bag, 3 peas, and a card printed with the original story. And she was a birthday present for a now-4-year-old little girl this past weekend.
The Princess and her mattresses were from the More Softies Only a Mother Could Love and the tote is my own design.
Kids Clothes Week Challenge
I always seem to hear about the Kids Clothes Week Challenge too late! But this time I caught wind of it well in advance, so I’m planning to join in! I’ll need to take inventory of my kids warm weather clothes — not sure Miss M needs much of anything! And then make my plan of attack. I’ll keep you apprised of the situation!
P.S. Pardon the dust as I slowly get my blog re-organized!
Homemade Chicken Nuggets
My kids are extremely picky eaters! Well, Miss M is anyway. Little Guy isn’t nearly as picky as she is, though he thinks it’s “cool” to be like her and say he doesn’t like things that he’ll typically eat.
I rarely buy chicken nuggets to eat at home. I’m too cheap. But I rarely take the time to make something elaborate for lunch either.
Today, however, the kids were antsy and I thought an engaging activity was in order! What better than an activity that also provides lunch?
What you need:
- 3-4 chicken tenders, thawed and cut into small pieces
- about 1/2 cup flour
- seasonings of choice
- 1 egg, beaten
- about 1/2 cup Ritz cracker crumbs
Miss M decided on our seasonings: salt, pepper, and garlic powder; I used about 1 t. each. I would have used a combo of cracker crumbs and crushed corn flakes if I’d had any! Next time I might add some corn meal in with the crackers, yum! (Incidentally, store brand “Ritz” crackers are *not* the same as the real thing! Just so ya know.)
Then I dared to let my 5- and 2-year-olds handle raw meat and eggs. Not something I typically do! You can bet I watched them like a hawk and squawked just as loud should a finger so much as move toward a mouth! Thankfully, neither of them were very “mouthy” as babies and there was no incident.
And yes, I use my round cake pan quite a lot for things other than cake! It makes phenomenal cinnamon rolls, but I digress… I threw our homemade nuggets in the oven at 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes with some French fries. Serve it up with some apple sauce and cottage cheese; and guess what! They ate it!
Even Miss M gave it two thumbs up!
Hamburger soup
A simple, satisfying soup for chilly weather!
1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
3 medium potatoes, cubed
4-6 cups water or beef broth
1 can of green beans
salt and pepper to taste
sour cream for garnish, optional
Add ground beef and onion to a stockpot and brown together, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. (If in doubt, use less than you think you’ll need. You can always add more later!) Add potatoes and saute with meat until slightly soft. Add water and green beans. Allow to simmer half an hour or more. Adjust seasonings. Garnish with sour cream.
Serve with Easy Peasy Breadsticks for the perfect comfort food!
12-gore denim skirt
The other evening I drafted a pattern for a 12-gore skirt following the instructions found here. The next day I cut gores from worn out pairs of jeans! Now I have a gorgeous denim gored skirt.
I used 1 1/2-inch wide elastic in the waist and designed it to sit on my hips rather than my true waist. I’m so short waisted that if I wore bottoms at my actual waist…well, it wouldn’t be pretty! I plan to reuse some of the original belt loops so I can wear a belt with it…let’s just say that a toddler and an elastic-waist skirt are a recipe for disaster!
You can see a few places where I removed pockets before cutting my gores – adds character, don’t you think? And a skirt without a pocket is simply ill-conceived, so I reused a pocket from one of Hubby’s pairs of jeans. Now I can carry my cell phone when I run errands!
