The Wednesday Showcase

Happy Wednesday!!!
This morning I read a blog post that sent me back to some rather sweet memories. ElleGeeMakes  posted a cute little corduroy shirt dress that she recently completed.

With the cooler temperatures, my mind went directly back to my favorite childhood outfit. I had a little cashmere sweater and a pair of orange corduroy pants that I literally lived in throughout the fall and winter. It was a daily fight with my mother as that was all I ever wanted to wear. The pants were so soft, as was the sweater. I felt like I was wearing a hug. The outfit was worn until the pants were thread bare and the sweater was full of holes. What a sad, sad day it was when my beloved outfit was thrown in the garbage.   
Now that I think about it, I have a lovely piece of soft orange corduroy that just might have to become a new pair of pants!!

Enough with the reminiscing, let's get onto The Wednesday Showcase!
First up is Angela of www.frayedbanana.wordpress.com. She lives in Bath, UK and she has only been blogging and, believe it or not, sewing for just a very short time. But, she's addicted!!! She is a true inspiration. Just check out her matched plaids!!

I love this top. What a great top for gardening. It's Simplicity 1080. 

You must scroll through her blog and check out her bags. Lots of bag inspiration and she's even made a bag for her knitting.

And finally, Angela has a  wonderful sense of humor and I thought that many of you would relate to this picture. It's all about the woes of using a tripod to take pictures. Check out those matched stripes!!! 

If this is what happens in a year, I can't wait to see what Angela does in the future!!! 

Next up is Rebecca of www.sewpomona.com/ . What a lovely and talented lady. Not only is she a seamstress, she's a designer and a natural dye artisan. She has a wonderful link on her blog that will direct you to lots of information on natural dying and you can find it HERE. 
Rebecca made this beautiful top and inserted the Rouleau stitching. Be sure to scroll through her blog and take a closer look. She was inspired by an article in Threads and I think she did an amazing job.

She designed this swim top based on one that she loved. Since the fabric has a busy pattern, it's a little difficult to see the design lines, but look closely and you'll see it's a great design. I want one!!!

Now this is a great idea, shorts from recycled tee shirts.   

Rebecca also has a few freebies on her blog, like the adorable little swimsuit below for little girls.

And she didn't forget the big girls.There are 2 super fun coloring pages that she offers as a free download.  

What a lot of  great inspiration! Aren't Wednesdays wonderful? :)

Preparing For The Upline Jacket Sew Along

The sew along for the Sew News Sewn Square One Upline Jacket will begin on October 26, just a little less than 2 weeks away. The initial post is always about fabric selection and pattern preparation, but there are a few aspects that I wanted to go over just to help you prepare in case you will be joining the sew along. And, if you aren't it's good information.
I am going to be making the longer version of the coat for the sew along, but rather than the buttons that are shown on the pattern, I am going to insert a center front zipper just as I did for the jacket that's in the magazine. A couple of things to consider regarding the zipper; 
1. In order to extend from the top of the collar to about mid-thigh, it will be a rather long zipper and possibly longer than you can find at your local fabric store. 
2. For sitting purposes, the zipper should be a 2-way zipper. In  other words, you need to be able to unzip it from the bottom as well as the top.
You may need to order your zipper. Janet Pray of Islander Patterns recommends Pacific Trimming. She especially likes Riri Zippers. The zippers can be customized to fit the length of your garment. Just click on the links to find a zipper for your project.

In the next couple of pictures, you can see the inside of my jacket. It's fully lined.

The pattern instructs you to underline the fashion fabric, so the seams will be showing on the inside of the jacket. I like for my garments to look just as finished on the inside as they are on the outside, so I did a full lining. I have a couple of tricks for linings that we will go over, so be sure to plan on lining your jacket. 
The lining that I used for my jacket is actually a warm lining.  

The fabric that I will be using for my sew along jacket is a lovely piece of wool. I will be underlining the fabric, but not as instructed in the pattern. A little note on the fabric. The fabric was actually a gift from Becki of http://beccabeckstuff.blogspot.com/. She emailed me and said that she had a little something that she wanted to give me. To my delight, the beautiful wool pictured below was in the box when it arrived. She said that as much as she loved it, it was just too heavy for Houston, TX. Wow, was I ever thrilled! The lining fabric I had. In fact, I had intended to use the fabric with the Spearmint coat from Lolita Patterns, but it was such a perfect match, so my plans changed.  

You may remember that I underlined the skirt I did for the Decades of Style Arches Skirt. Just click on the Sew News Sew Along tab at the top of the page and you'll find all the links to the sew along. 

If you would like to underline your coat, be sure to purchase cotton batiste, and the finest quality that you can find. Please do not use quilting cotton or muslin. Silk organza also makes a lovely underlining. Adding the underlining will give the garment body, make it warmer and it will also wear much better with an underlining. 

I have not finished the Spearmint coat. As I said above, plans changed on the lining. Fortunately, I had a wonderful piece of silk that matches the fabric.

It took a little searching, but I did find buttons. The only problem was that the buttons weren't exactly right for a coat. So, what to do? The thought occurred to me that  I might be able to add a pearl to the center. I found the pearls that you see laying beside the buttons, and..... 

 success!!! In about a week, I should have the coat finished.

If any of you have suggestions on links where zippers can be found, please leave a message and I will be glad to let everyone know.

Monday Morning Inspiration

A few weeks back, I posted the the Resort 2016 collection from Andrew GN. I thought it was absolutely gorgeous, many of you did not like the somber look on the model's face. I've learned to look past the model and just look at the clothes, but in all honesty, that can be a little difficult at times, especially when they are so emaciated. But that's a conversation for another day. 
Melwyk of Magpie Makery also liked the collection and sent me a link to the Spring 2016 collection. Thanks Melwyk!! Once again, I liked it enough to share it with all of you. Hope you are able to gleen a little inspiration from the collection.
The collection includes some great topstitiching,

wonderful prints, 

Lovely embroideries, 

This jacket was shown twice, once in a denim that I didn't care for, but I really like the white version.

There are some repeats from the Resort 2016 collection, like this coat, but I just love it!

This little jacket would make for a great leather project. 

I am in love with the zippered pockets on this dress. Be sure to blow up the picture and take a closer look.

This dress is so simple, but so very pretty. 

I especially liked the double sleeve.

This time around, I was able to find a video of the Spring fashion show. It's only about 10 minutes long, worth a little break.


If you would like to take a look at the rest of the collection, you can find it HERE on the WWD website. I think you'll find some ideas that will translate to projects for any time of the year.
Enjoy!
Rhonda

Sunday Night Reflections

While stuck in traffic yesterday, I looked up and saw the banner in the picture below. It meant something to me, and I thought it might mean something to you as well. 

What you do does matter.

Eating For Your Future/ Kale and Quinoa Pilaf with Pan-Roasted Squash

I so enjoyed the Kale and Quinoa Salad that I posted last week. It was so easy to just spoon into a bowl and enjoy for breakfast. But after eating it for 2 weeks in a row(I can really get in a rut!) , I was ready for a change. In my search, I came across THIS recipe from Epicurean Escapian. It's another kale and quinoa salad, but so very different from the recipe that I posted last week. It's savory, yet sweet and just all out YUM! I had planned to have it for breakfast, but it didn't quite make it. As I was putting it together, my husband came into the kitchen and said, That smells awfully good. Are we having that for dinner?" How could I disappoint him, so yes, it was for dinner. As usual, I made a few changes.

The recipe calls for only 1/2 cup of Butternut squash. I purchased a small squash which yielded 2 cups of diced squash. 1/2 cup seemed a little skimpy to me, so I decided to use the entire squash. I'm glad I did. If you do decide to use more squash, increase the spices in proportion to the amount of squash that you have. For 2 cups of squash, 2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons of oil would have been sufficient. So do not increase the oil in proportion to the amount of squash that you have. Use a little less.    

 To peel the squash, I use a vegetable peeler. Works great!

The recipe says to massage the oil, lemon and salt into the kale. Be sure to do this as the mixture will permeate the kale and give the most wonderful flavor. Just be sure to wash your hands first!!!  :)
I also used quite a bit more kale, about triple the amount that the recipe called for.

Once the quinoa has cooked, stir in the kale. To be honest, you could stop right here as the mixture is absolutely delicious. It would be great with some toasted pine nuts and a little grated Parmesan cheese. 

Finally, I chopped and toasted pecans, and sprinkled them over the top of the roasted squash. Great addition.

I will be making this dish again and making sure that I have some for breakfast. The butternut squash has a slightly sweet taste, but for breakfast the addition of little honey drizzled over the mixture would make for a nice breakfast treat. 
I hope you enjoy as much as I did if you give it a try :)
Rhonda

The Winner of The Sewn Square One Upline Jacket Pattern

Happy Saturday!! It's a lovely day here in Chicago. 

Last Saturday I announced the give away for the Sewn Square One Upline Jacket. A fun pattern with lots of possibilities. 

I made the short version which is featured in this month's issue of Sew News. I'll talk about my plans for the sew along in an upcoming post.

So no more waiting...

The winner of the Upline Jacket  Pattern is, 

Kathy Schrank!!!!!

Congratulations Kathy! Be sure to email me at sewbussted@yahoo.com ASAP with your mailing info so we can get the pattern out to you.

Have a wonderful weekend. Be sure to squeeze in something fun!

Rhonda

The Wednesday Showcase

It's Wednesday and surprise, surprise, I'm back with The Wednesday Showcase!!! My little break over the last few months was very much needed, but I'm rested and ready to start getting back to some of the things I truly enjoy. The Wednesday Showcase posts have always been a little way for me to meet fellow bloggers, make new friends, and say thank you for following my blog.

To kick off today's post, I would like for you to meet Jean of http://sewjeanmargaret.blogspot.co.za/ On her about page she says, "I love to sew!" Does she ever, and she sews so beautifully.
I absolutely love the top below. Jean commented on how important it is to take your time and match stripes. Whew, that has been echoed all over the internet by so many other sewists.  Scroll through her blog and find this top as you'll also be amazed by the beautiful stitching.

I thought this was such a pretty combination. The mix of the patterns and the splash of red is so lovely.

 You know me, I can't resist including a picture of a girl and her dog!!! 

This is Jean's rendition of Vogue 1250. She made a few fit changes to the pattern that resulted in more of an a-line skirt.  So flattering.

And finally, Jean got married last year, Congratulations!!! She did not make her gown, but I just had to include the picture as she is such a vision of beauty. Can you believe that she has 3 grandchildren?!!! 

Jean participated in Me Made May 2015 and she also is a member of Pattern Review. You can find her on Pattern Review HERE.

Next up is Neela of  http://www.sewfusion.co.uk/ To sum up her personality, just take a look at the picture below. I think it says it all. Fun, fun, fun!!!

 Neela says that she loves to sew for herself and her daughters. She also enjoys upcycling saris. 
Neela is not afraid to take on a challenge, as you'll see in the next few pictures. Check out the dress below. She copied a dress that she saw Angelica Huston wearing. I like Neela's better!  

Below is her daughter. Neela designed the gown for her. I think the smile on her daughter's face says it all, SUCCESS!!!

Below you see Neela on the set of The Great British Sewing Bee. Wow, what a dream come true. 

I think this has been a great return to The Wednesday Showcase, two beautiful ladies following their sewing dreams. Be sure to check out their blogs and get to know them.
Happy Wednesday!
Rhonda