Although I no longer run around outside without my shoes, one of my sweetest childhood memories is coming home after my last day of school, kicking off my shoes and running out into the yard. The lush grass felt so wonderful between my toes! There were 2 things my mother saved for that glorious last day of school, going outside barefoot, and wearing shorts. Bare legs and bare feet, what a wonderful sense of freedom!
My next sew along with Sew News is coming up quickly, just a few days away actually, Monday, June 29th. Just in time for summer, we will be making a pair of shorts. Now, you may be asking, how difficult is it to make a pair of shorts? They really aren't that difficult, but we chose a pattern that offers a few possible techniques that you may not have tried, the Dixie DIY Movies in the Park Shorts.
Take note that the shorts have a bias tape bound edge, buttons, a waist yoke and pockets.
Here's the pair that I made.
I made a number of changes to the pattern, The pattern is actually the same, I just made some design changes. There's a custom bias edging, the pockets as well as the waist yoke have a piped edge. Also note that I did not run the buttons all the way to the bottom edge of the shorts.
In the sew along, I will discuss lengthening the shorts as there may be some who would rather a longer leg. This is a great sew along for anyone who is new to sewing, especially teenagers who have not done a lot of sewing, but would like to make something fun for the summer. Along the way, I think they'll learn techniques that will translate to lots of other projects.
The pattern is a downloadable pattern. I found it especially easy to put together, and as I've said in the past, downloadable patterns are instant gratification, buy it and have it immediately and you never have to leave your home!! If you would like to go ahead and purchase the pattern, you can find it HERE. To kick off the sew along, Dixie is very graciously offering a free pattern and I also have a free issue of the current Sew News magazine to give away.I always love a giveaway!!!
The pattern will go to one lucky winner and the magazine to another.
If you would like a chance at winning either of the prizes;
1. Leave a message on this post
2. You must be a follower of this blog in order to win.
3. In your comment, please let me know how you follow, email, Bloglovin, Feedly, etc.
I will announce the winners on Monday, June 29, 2015
A bright and cheery HELLO!!! from Chicago. After some rather ugly weather yesterday, we are having a very glorious day today. Sadly, some areas south of Chicago were devastated by tornadoes. Thankfully, it looks like no one was killed.
So I thought I would just do a quick check-in. I had planned to do a Monday Morning Inspiration post yesterday, but my day was a little too full, so I decided to just hold on to it until next week.
A few weeks ago I shared that I had put together my own little reading list for the summer. I started with a delightful book, The Gospel According To Chanel. I really enjoyed the book. The book is about Chanel and her life, how she became the icon that we all know her to be, but the author also talks about her own personal quest for a Chanel jacket. Not a Lagerfeld Chanel jacket, but a real Chanel jacket. I really don't think I am spoiling the story by telling you that she ends up buying real Chanel fabric and making a jacket. My only disappointment was that I wished she had talked a little more about the process of making her jacket. But all in all, the book is delightful, easy to read, and if you are at all interested in Chanel, I think it's worth the time spent.
The next book I read was recommended by a friend. She told me about the book a few years ago, I listened, but made no attempt to read the book. She again told me about the book this past January and wrote down the title. So when I was putting together the books that I thought I might like to read over the summer, I decided to look and see if our public library had it in their collection. They did, and oh my goodness. she was right, it's a wonderful book. I began reading it one afternoon, picked it up the next afternoon and finished it! It was that good and I just had to know the entire story! The book is entitled, Same Kind of Different As Me.
It's a true story. There's so much more to the story than what you see on the cover. You will not look at a homeless person in the same manner once you read the book. The story is about struggle, faith and compassion. I HIGHLY recommend the book.
There are 5 more books on my reading list. As I said a few weeks ago, it's a rather motley group of books, but they all appealed to me.
First up, The Dressmaker. A fictional story about a seamstress who boards the Titanic. Now it's no secret about the fact that the Titanic sank, so I'm anxious to find out if she was one of the lucky few who made it off of the ship and if so, what happened to her life. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up has been a huge success for the author. I'll let you know what I think once I get through it. I have been doing quite a bit of cleaning and clearing out, so I think that's one of the reasons that the book appealed to me. True confessions, I actually donated 2 large bags of shoes!!! I should probably be a little embarrassed, I'm not :), but I am very happy to have taken such a step. Wild, From Lost To Found on the Pacific Coast Trail was recently made into a movie. I did see the movie and yes there are some rather explicit scenes. I felt that the story could have been told without the scenes being so explicit, but the story did intrigue me, so much so that I wanted to read the book. I think that the book will be a richer experience than the movie was. So we'll see.
The last 2 books were gifts. My husband bought the book The Wright Brothers for me. It has received great reviews and I am quite anxious to read it as I know that it will appeal to my other great passion, flying. The last book, The Gentle Art of Blessing, was given to me by a friend. It just appeared in the mail one day. She sent me a note and said that she thought I would enjoy the book because she feels that I am a blessing to so many. Could one ever receive a lovelier compliment?!!!
I've include links to Amazon for all of the books just in case you might like to read a little more about any of the books, or order one for yourself. If you have a public library near you, try them first. You never know what you might find there!
About 5 years ago, I attended a wonderful retreat called a Knitting and Yoga Adventure. The retreat is held on a very small island off the coast of Maine called Monhegan Island. The island is very remote and very enchanting. On September 13th, I'll board a plane for Portland, Maine and be on my way once again. I can't wait!!! If you would like a little glimpse into what the retreat is like, I've included a video below. Each day there is a morning hike, followed by a morning yoga session. In the afternoon there is a knitting session followed by a restorative yoga session. A massage therapist is along on the trip and everyone gets at least 1 massage during the week. The inn where we stay is so comfortable and the chef is incredible. The evenings are spent doing as you please. Many gather in the sitting room to knit and talk. It's a very stress free experience, participate in what you would like, and do whatever you would like.
Since I know I will be doing a good bit of hiking on the trip, I need to get a few things ready. I really need some cargo pants, so I started looking for a pattern and found Simplicity 3880. The pattern was for sale on Ebay, so I'll have to wait for it to arrive, but I have plenty of time.
I really need a good jacket with a hood for hiking, so I'm going to make the Minoru Jacket from Sewaholic. Should be perfect for damp Maine mornings.
Before I go, I would just like to thank a number of you who have sent emails and notes telling me how much you enjoy the blog. I so appreciate you kindness as well as your concern. Sometimes things break us for a reason. But breaks heal and the time spent healing can give us an insight into something new and exciting. As I wrote in this week's Sunday Night Reflections, here's to always refilling the glass!
Rhonda
There are those who live with the idea that the glass is half empty, and those who believe that the glass is half full. Try believing that the glass can be refilled. Why live half a life?
It seems that the less I write, at least on the blog, the easier it is to not write. But in recent days, I have missed checking in, so maybe that's a good sign :)
This past week, I made a fun dish that I thought I would share. My husband loved them and I also thought they were especially good. Rather than using ground meat or ground chicken, I substituted quinoa for my lettuce wraps. You could actually make a regular salad and just top it with the quinoa mixture, but using a lettuce leaf as a wrap is fun!!! And I might add...a lot healthier too.
Quinoa Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
1 cup quinoa uncooked
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
3/4 cup chopped water chestnuts
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
1 bunch green onions chopped
1 carrot shredded
bib lettuce, or lettuce of choice for wrapping
1 avocado sliced
Cook quinoa according to package instructions.
While quinoa is cooking, saute onion in olive oil until tender. Add garlic and saute for just about a minute longer. Add ginger and set aside until quinoa is completely cooked. Once quinoa is cooked, add to onion mixture. Add water chestnuts, soy sauce and hoisin sauce. Stir well and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes to combine flavors. Before serving, add peanuts and chopped green onions.
Arrange lettuce leaves on serving platter. Place about 1 heaping tablespoon of the quinoa mixture into the center of each leaf. You may be able to add more, just be careful to not over fill the lettuce leaves or they will be a little difficult to form into wraps. Top with shredded carrot and a slice of avocado.
Serve and enjoy!
I think these would pack well for lunches as they do not need to be served warm. If you are packing them for your lunch, pack the lettuce and quinoa separately so that your lettuce will remain crisp.
And as I said earlier, you can always make a regular salad and just top it with the quinoa for a little something different.
Good Morning Everyone!! I'm back from a wonderful weekend in Nashville, Tennessee. You may remember that Helen Haughey asked me to help teach a weekend workshop on making the perfect sheath dress. Along with the class, we were treated to a private tour of the new exhibit at the Frist Museum, "Italian Style Since 1945." I'll share a little more about the exhibit in an upcoming post as it was such a treat and of course, I came home with the book!!
Last week I came across a number of collar examples that I thought were especially interesting, so I thought I would share them today. We've had other collar inspiration posts in the past. It seems that when it comes to collars, the possibilities are endless!
Here's a mandarin collar with what looks to be a detachable convertible collar.
I think I've shared this collar in a previous post, but I think it's worth a second look. A shaped mandarin collar with a cut out detail and the added accent of the tie. Beautiful!
A double peter pan collar. Take note of the top collaqr and how it tapers to nothing in the back.
A convertible collar with a seam. The added insert detail really sets off the collar.
Take a close look at this collar. The tips actually have origami type folds. So interesting. The picket is also quite interesting.
A simple convertible collar made a little more interesting with the staggering detail.
I may have shown this collar in the past, but again, worth another look as it is simply sensational.
The next 2 examples are from the same designer. The jacket has 2 collars and the blouse has 3.
Two collars with the illusion of a third. Such a beautiful use of lace.
The next 2 collars are from the Pattern Magic books. I think these books are well worth the investment.
Below is a collage of collars with decorative inspiration.
Take a great piece of fabric, make a collar and wear it with everything from a simple sweater to a dress, or under a jacket.
Here's another idea of detached collar using interesting details. So, the next time you pull out that pattern to make a blouse, shirt, or jacket, don't just make the boring collar that's shown, spice it up a bit with a little something unexpected!
From the time I learned to read, and throughout my teens, I always participated in a summer reading program. Summer was when I could read whatever I wanted just for the pure joy of reading. This summer, I have decided to create a summer reading list. The first book that I am reading at the moment is entitled, "The Gospel According To Coco Chanel."
There are no photographs, but each chapter is highlighted with a delightful sketch and a few words of Chanel wisdom as you may have read in my last Sunday Night Reflections post..
The book talks about Channel's early years and how she was shaped by the nuns who raised her and the environment of the orphanage where she grew up.
Beginning as a milliner. her story it seems was always one of being in the right place at the right time and never being afraid to take a chance. While other designers were still trying to dress women in heavy, corseted clothing, Chanel bought jersey and made simple skirts and jackets.
There are very few aspects about how we dress today that did not originate with Chanel.
Chanel created fashion, but more importantly, she created style, a style that is effortless and easy. Many of the pieces that she created are just as beautiful today as they were the day they were created, like the gown below. And remember, we have Chanel to thank for the little black dress!
I love this vintage picture. A simple white sweater paired with skinny black pants, a few pearls, and we immediately think Chanel.
So if you enjoy fashion, Chanel, or just reading about how someone became to be the icon that they were, "The Gospel According To Chanel" is an interesting book that I think you might enjoy. I found the book purely by accident while just skimming the shelves at my local library.
In an upcoming post, I'll share the other books I have chosen to read over the summer. It's quite a motley mix!!!!
Hope you are finding something delightful and special to do over the summer months.
Rhonda
Playing around with darts is something I have enjoyed from the first moment I began to learn anything about pattern drafting. I'm sure you've seen pictures like the one below, interesting, but intimidating for sure. The picture gives ideas, but no instruction about how to actually move the darts around. It also seems rather dated.
But, take a look at the picture below, a lovely vintage Vogue pattern, right out of the 1940's. The dress was lovely then and now.
Now take a look at this dress. Same idea as above, but with a very modern take.
Here's another idea on creating dart interest. Notice that the darts are actually sewn so that they show on the outside of the garment. The middle dart radiates to the bust point, but the other 2 are above and below the bust.
Here's another idea of creating interest with darts. Once again they are sewn to the outside of the garment, and extra interest was added by inserting leather.
To create the skirt below, the darts were incorporated into the princess seam lines. The darts along the outside panels offer nothing more than interest.
The dress below shows how the darts of the bodice were divided and then formed to radiate from the waistline over the bust. The design was repeated in the skirt where the skirt waist darts were rotated to the side seam and then flared out over the hips.
Here's another lovely example of radiating darts creating interest with this Decades of Style pattern.
With the dress below, all of the darts were rotated to the shoulder and developed into tuck of flange, which works beautifully with the draped back.
Below is a wonderful example of darts that create an illusion of fit. The top is a Marcy Tilton pattern. There is a slight amount of fit at the waistline, but the darts give the illusion of more fit than there actually is.
Here's the flat drawing of the blouse. Just a lovely use of dart manipulation. You can find the pattern HERE if you are interested. It's a style that would look great on just about every body type.
Here's another fabulous use of dart rotating. Darts were rotated to create the princess seam line and then moved into the neckline. A dress that at first looks very simple is really quite complicated. Great design! The dress is from the Reem Acra Spring 2013 collection.
The entire collection, although 2 years is old, is lovely wand well worth a look.
If you would like to give rotating darts a try, just google "dart manipulation" and you should be able to find how it is done. It's basically quite simple. Get a basic bodice, draw in a line where you would like a dart to be, cut on that line and then close up the existing dart. Like magic a new dart will open up!
Hope your week is off to a lovely start!
Rhonda
