A random project indeed, and my first applique! I will be sewing more appliques, for sure. More owl pillows? maybe...
Showing posts with label summer 2013. Show all posts
Showing posts with label summer 2013. Show all posts
Tuesday, 20 August 2013
Monday, 19 August 2013
Some friends from church had a lot of leftover crabapples from their tree(s) this year, so they offered us a box to take home. Crabapples smell a-mazing, and as we don't grow them ourselves we were excited to try something new.
The first time I had heard of crabapples was in the Trixie Belden girl detective series, one of my favorites growing up. Trixie's home was called "Crabapple Farm." :) Though crabapples have fallen out of fashion, there are still various recipes floating around on the web, from crabapple vodka to pickled crabapples. We decided to make apple sauce, basically following this YouTube recipe. Cinnamon, vanilla, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Vanilla is key!
The color is a nice rosy red, and the taste is similar (better, maybe) to our transparent apple tree apples. It would be good over vanilla ice cream, but it's great by itself, too!
The first time I had heard of crabapples was in the Trixie Belden girl detective series, one of my favorites growing up. Trixie's home was called "Crabapple Farm." :) Though crabapples have fallen out of fashion, there are still various recipes floating around on the web, from crabapple vodka to pickled crabapples. We decided to make apple sauce, basically following this YouTube recipe. Cinnamon, vanilla, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Vanilla is key!
The color is a nice rosy red, and the taste is similar (better, maybe) to our transparent apple tree apples. It would be good over vanilla ice cream, but it's great by itself, too!
Saturday, 10 August 2013
Friday, 9 August 2013
If you're looking for an elastic/drawstring-waist skirt pattern, you couldn't go wrong with this one.
"Easy" is a bit of an overstatement - I'd give this a low-intermediate difficulty rating. This is the fourth time I've used this pattern, however, and the results have been satisfactory every time! The plain skirt (view A/B) is certainly easy, while the ruffle skirt (view C/D) is a good choice if you want a little extra detail. It's super versatile; I've made it with an elastic waist, used it to make a dress, and simply stuck with the drawstring idea, as pictured here. Highly recommended.
Thursday, 8 August 2013
This is an old project I finally got around to finishing. After watching Emma (2009) and admiring its many lovely Regency costumes, I thought it would be cool to sew this empire-waist tunic top pattern:
Overall, I was left uninspired and unimpressed. Granted, this top looks better worn with a sash, but then you still have a lot of fabric bunched up in the back. I'm also not a huge fan of how the gathered front is designed; you can get the same look, only more flattering, with their Regency gown pattern (#4055 view B).
What I do like about this pattern is the array of sleeve options. The one I chose is not very exciting, but there are three additional designs, very handy if you're into mixing & matching patterns. That's enough reason to keep this one.
Overall, I was left uninspired and unimpressed. Granted, this top looks better worn with a sash, but then you still have a lot of fabric bunched up in the back. I'm also not a huge fan of how the gathered front is designed; you can get the same look, only more flattering, with their Regency gown pattern (#4055 view B).
What I do like about this pattern is the array of sleeve options. The one I chose is not very exciting, but there are three additional designs, very handy if you're into mixing & matching patterns. That's enough reason to keep this one.
Wednesday, 7 August 2013
If you follow me on Pinterest, you might have seen this dress before. I love a lot of ModCloth dresses, but the "Avian Maven" is my current fave. The patterned sleeves are what pulled me in. Light colors - let alone prints - are not my first choice for apparel, so putting it on the sleeves looked like a genius idea.
Having more fabric in the box than $$ to spend on a casual dress, it seemed like the obvious thing to do was to try sewing it. Mom had a piece of bird fabric she let me use. It was a tad too bright, so I used the reverse side for a more shabby chic look.
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I happened to have a periwinkle blue skirt partially cut-out already (Simplicity #2366, great pattern). Combining that with another pattern for the bodice, there was the dress! I sewed the bodice over spring break (?) and just yesterday added the skirt (yes, I'm one of those procrastinating seamstresses). The beauty of the Avian Maven design is the relaxed, slightly "homespun" look, easy to replicate at home. The bodice turned out a little on the large side, but super comfy (and pullover, unlike the Avian, which has a big slit down the back). The boat neck was an unintended change for the best; it's more flattering on me than scoop neck.
At first I was not too sure about the bell skirt, but in the end, it added a nice feminine accent.
Sunday, 4 August 2013
- It has been quite a week for nostalgia. I'm reading Jules Verne's The Master of the World and enjoying it in spite of its simple plot. After my Vernian reading phase of five (?) years ago, I moved on to other authors, but this puts me in the mood for classic steampunk again.
- Talk about nostalgia...school supplies! This fall - fourth year of college already?!? - there's nothing I actually need. I would like to try those new "NoteBinders"/refillable notebooks, though, and use up all my extra paper from old notebooks.
- Right now, I'm listening to Yiruma's Best/10th anniversary album. Just gorgeous. My favorite track today is "Fotografia."
- Been thinking about the concept of the "capsule" wardrobe. I absolutely love minimalism, so the idea of having a few go-to pieces/outfits is especially appealing. The tricky part is planning around Pacific Northwest seasons, which is something like 50% spring/fall, 30% winter, and 20% summer, erring on the side of rain (except this summer, haha). If I take the capsule wardrobe and redistribute it with that ratio in mind, it should be about right.
- My immediate goal is to really get something artsy done this week. Sewing and reading, hopefully!
- Which is to say...lately I've been feeling extremely unmotivated. Not for lack of ideas, but lack of focus. The older I get, the shorter becomes my attention span, strangely enough. Anybody else experience this?
Wednesday, 3 July 2013
(Nothing to do with weddings, so forgive the title. I just love rhymes.)
Summer has been quiet, but I'm staying busy, in a small way, learning this, that, and the other. This has been a year of learning the obvious, and the obvious is not necessarily easy. Certainly, the right books at the right time are blessings, for which I'm continuously grateful!
What books are on your mind this summer?
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| Head over to Tanglewood for my review of Meditations |
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| My next philosophy read. This is a BRAND NEW edition and new library book to boot. I get way too excited about that. |
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| Good book, good movie - and Atticus! Enough said. |
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| Mom got me this notebook at Daiso (Japanese $1.50 store). Isn't it gorgeous? The sticky notes are also from Daiso, extremely reusable (ergo "green") and my favorite way to mark hard copies. |
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| Trying to read these two tomes side-by-side. Both extremely thought-provoking. |
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| Going to Portland is an event for us, and we are going soon. This is my revised list for Powell's...I have the budget for at most two of these, and I am definitely getting Evita if they'll still have it. |
Summer has been quiet, but I'm staying busy, in a small way, learning this, that, and the other. This has been a year of learning the obvious, and the obvious is not necessarily easy. Certainly, the right books at the right time are blessings, for which I'm continuously grateful!
What books are on your mind this summer?
Wednesday, 29 May 2013
There's no internship waiting for me at the end of this quarter. Another noisy note to the tune of be careful what you wish for, one of the many trends life keeps referring to, over which I ponder and remain confused. Summer Plans exist in a fizzled-out form, with cooking and coding at the geographic poles. They present a guide book to follow, which, coupled with movie theater Met encores, might steer me through summer sluggishness to the other (not greener) side that is autumn.
Inside, It keeps nagging. It leaves an absurd trail through months, and over years. Disconnected suggestions are easy to ignore until you see they all mean the same thing. It doesn't matter whether your closest friend or closest rival leaves the window down, since you are compelled to roll it up again. I notice the temperature every time. But when will I give up the easy answer? and is it worthwhile to find the other one?
I take it to heart, I really do. My personality is empathetic for a reason. And it is obvious to recognize obligation only accounts for so much.
Spring is the perpetual heartbreak, so it must be given up. Every year these months flirting between spring and summer borrow winter's classic, empty glare and wear it for my benefit, just me alone. 2011 I treasured it; last year we parted slowly, in some ways like 2010. A piece of it stays all year. The formula repeats itself, and you can go a long time in this way, stitching up enough decades to build a spring-struck life. I certainly will, unless I surrender spring.
Writing it is not doing it, writing is not even promising it. Writing simply acknowledges that spring permeates everything, all through the twelve months. Only It proposes to clear a path that will outsmart springs' wily, racing footsteps at my heels. It displays no guarantees, however.
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