The Wednesday Showcase

Old Man Winter has decided to let us know that he isn't finished with us yet. We're expecting anywhere from 3" to 15" of snow today. Hey, I love snow, but 15"!!!!, all in one day...OMG!!! At least I have a cozy day planned, although, if we do get the amount of snow they are forecasting, my husband and I will be doing a LOT of shoveling this evening. I guess I had better enjoy the quiet while I can :)

I'm going to do a little different take on The Wednesday Showcase today. I received a comment from VintageThrifter51. When someone new comments, I always try and see if they have a blog, and check out what they do. Her link took me to an interesting blog called Refashion Co-op. It's quite an interesting group. They came together with a passion for recycled and upclycled clothing. What I especially liked as I went through the blog is that this isn't about make it in a minute clothing. They are really doing some very interesting things. 
Here are a few examples;
Such a cute top.

This jean jacket is now over the top cute. Appeals to the cowgirl in me :)

Love how she saved the dress and made it into something so chic. 

Such a simple, but great idea.

And it's not just about sewing, a few do some wonderful jewelry makeovers. Who would have thought that those earrings would be the inspiration for that beautiful necklace?

There are 100 authors who share their ideas, so the site is always fresh and new. I think it's a great place to find some wonderful inspiration. Check it out... http://refashionco-op.blogspot.com/  

Up next is a fairly new website, well at least new to me, Miss Always Late To The Party :) I decided to include it today, just in case some of you are like me and have missed it.
The site is called The Foldline. It seems that it is a little Pattern Review and a little Artisan's Square combined. 



What can I do on The Fold Line?

• Chat in the forum, ask questions about sewing, make friends, share your projects and organise local meet-ups
• Search a growing database of over 3000 sewing patterns (independent designers and big companies)
• Read sewing pattern reviews
• Add sewing patterns you want to make to a wishlist
• Add sewing patterns you own to a library
• Record your pattern reviews
• Add and search fabric shops all over the world
• Discover pattern designers and bloggers and follow their activity
• Keep up to date with sewing events, fairs and meet ups with our Social Calendar
• Win prizes with regular competitions on our blog
• Sign up to our weekly newsletter and Sew Reporter

What is the Community?

It’s FREE and always will be! Joining the community means you get your own profile with a user name, log in details and a news feed. Don’t forget you also get free PDF patternswhen you sign up too!

You can make friends with other sewing enthusiasts, follow your favourite pattern designers and bloggers, keeping up to date with all their news!

You can also talk in the forum about your favorite fabric shop or ask for help with a sewing technique.

Check it out. Pattern Review and Artisan's Square may be all you need, and then again, maybe an added forum would be fun too.

So that's it for today. May your day be filled with lots of inspiration and no snow shoveling!!! I'm afraid that's wishful thinking on my part ;)
Rhonda

Master Sewing and Design Certification/Making a Triangle Shaped Bound Buttonhole

For the Master Sewing and Design Certification Program, you must demonstrate that you know how to make a bound buttonhole. Rather than walk you through making a typical bound buttonhole, I decided to make it a little more fun and show you how to make a triangular shaped bound buttonhole. They are fun to make, and surprisingly easy. Once you master making the buttonhole, there are lots of design possibilities.

I did a video tutorial for you on how to make a triangle shaped bound buttonhole. I hope that it explains the process and that you have great success in making your own. If you would like for me to demonstrate a typical bound buttonhole, I'll be happy to do so. Just let me know in the comment section. They really aren't as scary as we've been lead to believe.
Enjoy the video!


For those of you who may be wondering about the Master Sewing and Design Certification Program, you can read about it HERE.

Dream To Seam/An Interview with Ralph Rucci

"When I wasn't making a dollar, I was still a designer, it's the essence of who I am."

I found this video after I posted this morning's inspiration piece. It's long, but it's something you can put on and just listen to as you do other things. I think you'll enjoy it.

Dream To Seam - Ralph Rucci from modaCYCLE on Vimeo.

Monday Morning Inspiration/Chado Ralph Rucci

Today's post was inspired by our same friend who brought us the info on the free Metropolitan Museum books that I posted last week. So a quick, Thanks Miss P!!!, before we get started.

Chado Ralph Rucci has debuted a new collection, and I could not be more excited! It's museum ready and it has yet to hit the stores. I pulled out a few of the pieces that I especially loved. The last dress posted below is absolutely incredible. It's a very black collection, so be sure to look closely to see the details. If you would like to see more, take a look HERE. 

As it turns out, when Ralph left his label in 2014, he had no intention of returning, but he said that people were begging him to do so. I'm glad the right people begged :) We can only hope that Vogue Patterns will also be successful in having him return to the pattern market. 
Happy Monday All!
Rhonda

Sunday Night Reflections

You don't have to win

to be a champion.

In 1988, a young man went to Calgary, Canada with no funding, substandard equipment, finished last, and became a hero.

Micheal Edwards dreamed of going to the Olympics, the impossible dream for most. But, he made the impossible happen. What's interesting is that few remember who won the medals, but we remember the man who finished last. We remember "Eddie The Eagle," the heroic failure. 

Sunday's Supper/Mushroom, Kale and Wild Rice Casserole

I love going through Pinterest and finding dishes that look so good that I can almost taste them right through the screen. In fact, if I'm hungry, I'll pin recipe after recipe. Sometimes I look back and wonder what I was thinking ;) 

When I saw the recipe that I'm sharing today, I was hungry, but I didn't have time to make it at that point. Well, my wait was rewarded as this is a delicious meal. It's a little rich, as it includes butter, cream, and cheese. Oh well, a little butter, cream, and cheese is a good thing, every once in a  while :)

The picture below is from The Kitchen Paper website. Doesn't this look good?!!

And here's mine.

Full of mushrooms and kale!

I made just a few small changes. 
The recipe says to cut your onions into thin rings. I chopped my onions. 
I used a smoked Gruyere cheese. I really like the smoked flavor. If by chance you can't get Gruyere, mozzarella would be a fine substitute.
The recipe calls for fresh oregano. I forgot to buy fresh oregano, and I didn't have any dried oregano, so I substituted Herbs de Provence.  I think I might like the flavor better.
The recipe is fairly large, so rather than putting the entire amount into 1 large casserole dish, I divided into 2 and put 1 in the freezer for another time. I love cooking once and having multiple meals :)  

This is a dish you can make as a main course, or a side dish. If you are having someone come for dinner who is a vegetarian, this dish coupled with a salad will make them quite happy. And then serve it to the rest of your guests as a side dish. 

You can find a printable version of the recipe HERE. 

Hope you enjoy it!

Rhonda

Thrifty Thursday/Tites Mains Japanese Inspired Twisted T-Shirt

Yep, it's Saturday, and yep, I'm behind, but I wanted to share a new pattern that's super easy to make and lots of fun to wear.

A while back, I introduced you to Tites Mains, a talented young woman who lives in France. She posted a brand new pattern this week. I love asymmetrical tops that drape, so I decided to download the free pattern and give it a try.

Here's a picture of her in her top. 

Other than the fact that I like draped, asymmetrical tops, I also liked the fact that it was designed to be made out of a woven fabric. The top goes together in a snap as there are only 3 seams. 

Below is the taped together PDF pattern. 

I made a couple of changes to the pattern. If you'll notice, there's a V-neck, I rounded mine,

Also notice that there is a point at the top of the pattern. You can see a line running from the point to the hem. This is a fold line and becomes the side of the top once the piece is folded. 

The point will be under the arm once the arm has been put through the opening that will basically be the sleeve. The problem with the point is that it is difficult to turn and finish. 

I simply folded the fabric in half on the fold line and then trimmed the point away. Now the edge will be easy to finish. 

Here's the top folded on the fold line prior to be sewn together. You can see that there is only 1 side seam and 2 shoulder seams. One side has more of a traditional sleeve and the other side has notches that indicate where the stitching should stop for the arm opening.  

Since the pattern was designed for a woven fabric, I decided to use a suede cloth. I wish there was touch-o-vision as this is the most wonderful to touch fabric. It can be steamed, but not pressed, so I topstitched the seams in place.  

The shoulder seam was topstitched and then I ran the stitching into the and around the armhole opening. 

 My finished top.

The back.

Rather than turn and stitch the neckline as she suggested, I did a bias binding. I think it makes a nicer finish.

And because we all like to look on the inside :)

The pattern is labeled as a medium to large. I feel that it is more of a small to medium. If you make it out of a knit fabric, then it could fit a large. So PLEASE measure the pattern prior to cutting to determine if the pattern as it is will fit you.
You can find the pattern for free HERE on the Craftsy website. I will be making more as it's super easy to make and easy to wear.