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Monday, February 11, 2019

Monday Morning Inspiration/Dior

I was so fortunate to have the opportunity to see the Dior exhibit at the Denver Art Museum this past week. Getting there was a bit harrowing as I flew into Denver during a blizzard. As the plane was making its approach, I looked out the window and thought, "this is not going to be good." When the gear touched down, I could feel the plane swearing a bit from side to side. I closed my eyes and in the form of a prayer said to myself, "hold onto this horse boys." The pilot did an amazing job by allowing the plane to keep rolling until it naturally slowed. Thank goodness for the super long runways in Denver!

For those of us who sew, we've had it drilled into us how important a muslin is. And, for those of us who sew, we've all experienced the garment that we thought really didn't need a muslin, only to make it up and find that it's a mess and into the garbage it goes :/ 

I'm sure you've seen the picture below many times. What you may not realize is that it is not a wall of white garments. It's a wall of muslin garments. Although meant for a muslin fitting, many of the pieces could actually be worn out in public. The attention to detail is absolutely incredible.


I was able to get an up close picture of this piece. The boning, the pleating, perfection.


The exhibit is huge, so large that I found it a little overwhelming. It's one that you can see at least twice, if not more. I took tons of pictures, so I will share them over the upcoming weeks as I know that everyone can't possibly get there, so a few up close pictures is the next best thing :)

This week I'll concentrate on some of the dark pieces that I especially enjoyed.

The piece below is so sleek, but then has the unexpected twist of the puddle on the floor,


and the super cute bag attached at the hip. 


Now, if you've followed the blog for a while, you know I love an interesting sleeve. This pleated sleeve is actually not a sleeve. The jacket is sleeveless. 


The "sleeve" is actually a pleated panel that is attached at the shoulder and just gives the illusion of a sleeve. 


A fairly simple garment, but I loved how the satin was inserted to give movement and slims the body. 



A piece from the 1940s. From a distance it doesn't look like much.


But, this is what I loved...those teeny, tiny little pleats that were inserted into the princessline seam.


I would gladly wear both of the garments below. The piece on the left is especially intriguing to me. 


I LOVE the collar detail. I need to do a little research as it looks as though it could possibly be a hood as well.


This jacket hangs so beautifully. I would love to see how the jacket was structured. Look closely, very closely and you'll see how perfectly the welt on the pocket was matched to the jacket.


The last piece for today...
I love this little dress. It's simple, and yet exquisite. The design is perfectly balanced with the trim that goes around the neckline and down the front, as well as the trim around the bottom of the sleeves.


As I said, I took tons of pictures. The collection is really quite bright and exciting. I look forward to sharing more with you.

The video below is only a minute long, but it will give you the feeling of actually walking into the exhibit. As you'll see, the dark pieces I've shared today are just a very small portion of the exhibit. 

   

If you would like to see more pictures, and read more about the exhibit, you can find it all HERE on the Denver Art Museum's site. 

Have a wonderful week!

Rhonda



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Sunday, February 10, 2019

Sunday Night Reflections





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Sunday's Soup/True Vegetarian Vegan Chili

I've told this story before, so forgive me if you've heard it ;)

A number of years ago, I made a pot of traditional chili, with meat. Now I love a spicy dish, but if it's too hot for me, no one in my household will be able to eat it. This chili was REALLY hot, even for me! For the life of me, I don't know how I convinced myself that the spiciness of the dish was a matter of mind over matter. If I acted like it was fine, no one else would notice. I don't know, maybe the overly hot chili had given me a momentary lapse in saneness ;)

So, when dinner time rolled around, I served up the chili. I sat down and began to eat it as though there wasn't a pepper in it. After a few minutes, my exchange student, who was from the Canary Islands, and did not like spicy food, said, "I'm sorry Rhonda, but this is just too hot!" My husband then chimed in and said that he thought it was just him and then asked if I thought it was hot. I admitted that it was extremely hot, but I thought they wouldn't notice. He said, "Not notice!!! How can you not notice when your mouth is on fire???" I have yet to live that story down :)

I do love a bowl of chili, but, since I no longer eat meat, I want a truly vegetarian bowl, no fake meat, just vegetables. The recipe I'm sharing today has a couple of secret ingredients.

For this chili, you'll begin with a large chopped onion sauteed in oil, along with 1 tablespoon of minced ginger. The smell will be heavenly.


Add 2 cloves of minced garlic, and 2 chopped bell peppers. I used an orange and a yellow pepper, but green will do just fine.


Now, this is where it begins to turn into chili...
Add 3 teaspoons of good chili powder, 2 teaspoons of cumin, and 2 teaspoons of paprika. Allow to saute on low for about 5 minutes. 


At this point, add 2, 28 oz. cans of diced tomatoes(I like fire-roasted tomatoes), and 3, 14.5 oz cans of your favorite beans, drained and rinsed. I used garbanzo beans, pinto beans, and small northern beans. Besides the ginger, the other little secret ingredient is a chipotle pepper in adobo sauce which you will add at this point. 


Allow the mixture to simmer for at least 30 minutes. 


I like to make a pot of bulgar, which is cracked wheat to serve with my chili. Serve up a bowl of the chili and then add a mound of bulgar on top. Delicious! You could also make a pot of your favorite rice rather than the bulgar. I just really love bulgar :)

True Vegetarian Chili With a Twist

ingredients;
1 large onion chipped
1 tablespoon fresh ginger minced
2 bell peppers chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
2 28 oz. cans diced tomatoes
3 14.5 oz. cans of beans, pinto, garbanzo, and small northern beans drained and rinsed
3 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
2 tablespoons of the adobo sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and black pepper to taste 

directions;
Place oil in a large soup pot. Add onion and ginger. Saute over medium heat until onion is translucent. Add garlic and bell peppers. Saute another 5 minutes until peppers are tender. Add chili powder, cumin, and paprika. Stir well to combine. Saute for about 2 minutes to begin to release flavors.

Add dice tomatoes, the 3 cans of rinsed beans, the chipotle pepper, and the adobo sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer on a low fire for 30 minutes, or longer. Add salt and black pepper to taste.

To serve, ladle into bowls. A mound of cooked bulgar, or cooked rice of your choice makes a nice accompaniment. 
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As always, if you give the recipe a try, I hope you enjoy it. Don't leave out the fresh ginger! It really adds a lovely flavor. As for the adobo sauce, it can be a bit spicy, so put in a tablespoon of the sauce, and give it a try before you add the second.

Enjoy!
Rhonda



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Monday, February 4, 2019