My Quilt Block For Olfa Creates 40th Anniversary Quilt

Last summer, Olfa put out a call, asking for blocks to be designed for their 40th anniversary quilt. I thought it would be fun, so I submitted my idea, and my design was accepted! 

Here's the finished quilt. My block is in the middle row, on the far right side.

Here's a close up of my block. 

Along the edge, I did 4 hourglasses that represent time as well as the 4 decades that Olfa is celebrating. Repeating the theme, there are 4 rows with 4 blocks, and then, the number 40 in the center. The colors that were chosen represent the fun, vibrant colors that Olfa chose for their Splash line of cutters and sewing mats. 

Each week, a different block is featured. My block represents week 23. You can read all about the project HERE. 

You can find the instructions for my block, along with a template HERE. 

Although I am not a huge quilter, but I do make a quilt from time to time. This was such a fun project. A big thanks to Olfa for giving me the opportunity!

Sunday Night Reflections

Sunday Brunch/Baked Apple Pancake

I love to make a special breakfast on Sunday mornings. Just seems like the perfect way to begin the day :)

I gave my husband a few choices for today's brunch/breakfast, and without a skipping a beat he said, "apple pancake!" 

I originally posted the recipe HERE, so this is a repeat. But, things get lost in a blog, so I thought reposting it, especially since I just made one this morning would be a nice reminder of something that's delicious, and easy to make.
   
This is a fabulous recipe when you have a number of mouths to feed. I like to double the recipe. When doubled, it will easily feed 6, and if you include a few other items on your brunch table, it will stretch to 8.

Baked APPLE PANCAKE
serves 4

Ingredients;

3 medium apples peeled and sliced, I used Fugi Apples
1/4 cup of raisins or dried cranberries
1/4 cup of chopped pecans or nut of choice
1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 milk (I use unsweetened Almond milk)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Peel and slice apples. Melt butter in a nonstick skillet. Add apples and saute until tender. Add raisins or cranberries. Add nuts of choice and cinnamon. Stir well. 

In a blender, blend eggs until frothy. Add milk and extract and continue to blend. Add flour 1/4 cup at a time and blend well. Pour batter mixture over apples.

Place skillet in preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes or until pancake begins to crack and is lightly browned.

Place large serving dish over the top of the skillet and invert pancake. Replace any apples that may have stayed behind in the pan.
Slice and serve with powdered sugar.

Be sure to print out the recipe. Once you make it, you'll make it over and over again! And too, you can slice it up and freeze the slices for later!

Happy Sunday!

 Rhonda

Sew Cargo Crazy/Let The Sewing Begin!

Remember me???

Once again, I have been sewing, but no blogging :/

Lots of interesting things happening in my life. In August, I will be taking a 4 day pilgrimage. I'm actually quite excited. It may be a little daunting, but in the end, I think it will be so very good for my soul. I most likely won't share the entire experience, but some for sure. Taking a little time to be quiet, to explore some things that have been pressing on my soul, so wonderful. Even more, I am so very grateful that it's something I will have the opportunity to do. Truly a time of exploration :)

The Mahogany Stylist and I are a day late with getting our cargo challenge posts up. We talked yesterday and decided that it wasn't worth rushing to get it out. We've decided to move our posts to Saturdays.

The pattern that we are using for our July Cargo Pants Challenge is an out of print pattern, but still available on Ebay. Sadly, I didn't find any on Etsy, but I'm sure more will pop up.

For my first pair, the trail pair, I used a stretch woven fabric that I found at a favorite resale shop. 

The pattern calls for a center back zipper. Depending on the style of the pant, I usually prefer a fly front zipper. As I'm cutting out the front, I include the extension for the fly zipper.    

What I end up making is a mock fly front opening as I usually don't include the facing. Works just fine. 

I decided to do 2 of the large patch pockets. I found them to be a little shallow, so in the future, I will extend the pattern by 2". The pattern has the option to add the tab with a d-ring. I thought it was rather fun and added to the whole cargo pant feeling.

The pattern includes a real cargo pant type pocket. I LOVE this pocket! It has darts along the bottom that give it volume. This is a pocket pattern that I will be using again and again.
 

Rather than put a buttonhole in the pocket flap, or add the d-ring closing, I used velcro. I like being able to quickly get into a pocket. As I said in my last post, I love wearing a pair of cargo pants when I am out running errands, grocery shopping, etc. I throw my phone, reading glasses(need those!), driver's license, and a credit card in my pockets and I'm hands free.   

All in all, I liked how the pants turned out. 

She's Alive!!! You haven't seen much of me lately :)

BTW, the t-shirt I am wearing is from Pattern Union, the Molly Tee. I've made a pile! Obviously, I love this pattern :)

I just purchased the new cargo pant pattern from Iconic Patterns. You can find it HERE. I haven't given it a try yet, but I really like how the pattern is styled. 

For next week's addition of Sew Cargo Crazy, Cennetta and I will be using the same fabric, just in different colors. Her first pair of cargo's are up on her blog. Be sure to pop over and check them out. You can see her post HERE. 

And remember...

If you would like to join us, we will be posting at #sewcargocrazy and #sewcargo on Instagram. Hope to see you there!  

Sew Cargo Crazy

Compliments.
How do you feel about compliments? It seems that some are quite taken back when given a compliment, feeling as though it's not given in sincerity. Yes, that can be true, but I think for the most part, we know when a compliment is attached with an expectation, or just isn't sincere.

Last week, I received probably the loveliest compliment...ever. I had flown with a flight instructor whom I had never met. While we were out, it began to rain quite hard, the clouds began to sink, and the visibility was not the best. I've been in situations like this before, so I wasn't uncomfortable, and felt fine about us making it back to the airport without any problem. That night, the instructor sent me a note. Here's a portion of the note;

"Just wanted to reach out and thank you for our flight today. Your experience and professionalism helped me in expanding my personal minimums. You have a calm demeanor, and you fly the airplane like an expert."

What an amazing compliment! So kind, and so very generous. He has no idea of how much it meant to me. I did thank him, but still, he can't possibly understand the gift it was to me.

Last Monday, I did an inspiration post on cargo pants. A few weeks ago, I saw this picture in an email from Mood Fabrics;

  

I really love the pants, and I posted the picture on my Instragram page. My friend, Cennetta of The Mahogany Stylist saw the picture, and then proceeded to give me a call. She too loved the pants, and said that it reminded her of an out of print Simplicity pattern.

  

As we were talking, I looked up the pattern and saw that I could get 1 from an Etsy site. Then I had the idea that we could possibly do a challenge. Cennetta loved the idea, so off we went! 

Here's what we have planned for the month of July.

*Week One: Any view of the pants from Simplicity 5102 using      the pattern without any style changes.

*Week Two: Use any view, but add a personalized detail.

*Week Three: Once again, any view of Simplicity 5102, any view, but personalized to our own taste and style.  

*Week Four: Make a cargo skirt using Simplicity 5102. 

For the first week, I have chosen a very typical cargo pant like fabric. It's a gray/green fabric that has a little stretch. Love that stretch!! 

I think it's going to be a fun challenge, and even better, I'll get at least 3 new pairs of pants out of the deal :) You can see Cennetta's post and fabric choice HERE. 

If you would like to join us, we would love to have you! Post your makes on Instagram using #sewcargocrazy and/or #sewcargo. Be sure to pop over to Cennetta's instagram page and check out the discount that Mood Fabrics is offering. You can find Cennetta HERE on Instagram.  

For the most part, we never know how we touch other lives, what a compliment, or just a simple smile can mean. Be free with your compliments. You never know if that will be the thing that may turn a life around.

Happy Sewing!

 Rhonda

Sewing, But No Blogging/Towels, Tops and Trousers

Happy Saturday Everyone!!! 

It's a glorious start to the day here in Chicago, the sun is shining, but...not for long :( A few nights ago, my husband and I went out for our evening walk with the dogs. When I opened the door, I saw that it was raining, yet again. We have had sooo much rain. But, I'm very careful about verbalizing what I feel in my heart as I know that times without rain are not something we want. In all things be grateful...at least try :)

So yes, I have been sewing, but just not blogging. This morning I was determined to make myself sit down and write a note. I know that it's just a matter of getting back in the habit, and as we all know, habits are easily broken and difficult to create.

I've made a number of easy summer outfits that I can just throw on and go. The pants I'm wearing below I also did in THIS post. A super simple gathered leg that makes the pants look special. The top is the Helen's Closet Elliot Sweater and Tee pattern. I made a long sleeve version of the top before I broke my arm this past winter. Loved it. Super easy to make, and just as easy to wear. It's difficult to see in the picture, but I had a piece of embossed knit that matched the pants, so I decided to give the pattern a try as a summer top. At the rate I am going, it will only last 1 summer as it will be worn out!!!

I was intrigued by an email I received from fabrics-store.com They actually have linen toweling that is 19" wide. They had a little tutorial on making linen kitchen towels using a 1 yard length of the fabric. I love linen towels, so I decided to give it a try.  

I began with a 1 yard length, and just hemmed the bottom and top edges, leaving the selvedge edge along the sides. I then put them in the washing machine and dryer. As you can see below they came out a crumpled heap. The above picture is after ironing. The natural linen has the most wonderful smell, and the texture is also quite lovely. I bought enough for 3 sets of towels, 1 to keep, and 2 to give. I'm so pleased that I think I will order enough for a few more sets as they will make wonderful gifts. You can find the fabric HERE.   

As I said, I have been making a number of throw on and go pieces. The top below is the free Zoe Top pattern from Tessuti. I am so very pleased with how it turned out. I had this lovely bordered fabric, and thought it might work well. 

The neckline is quite wide, and a little wider than I wanted for this top. So, I decided to cut a piece of the border and fill in the neckline. 

The pattern features a dolman sleeve. Rather than leave the sleeve plain, I cut some of the border and appliqued it to the bottom of the sleeve. In the end, I felt that it all came together quite nicely.

A picture of me in the top will follow shortly. I'm making a pair of white Barb pants from Style Arc patterns. I blogged about that free pattern HERE. Another easy to make, easy to wear pattern. 

Berkley and I will be going to camp! Actually, I signed Berkley up for an agility class. I think he is going to love it! And...me too :) It won't begin until the 3rd week of July. Can't wait!

Have a lovely weekend!
Rhonda

Monday Morning Inspiration/Silver Screen to Mainstream

After so many months of not blogging as I would like, it has been difficult for me to get back in the groove :( Great intentions, but... 
Let's see what this week holds, fingers crossed :)

This past week I did something completely new for me, I took a weaving class! A few weeks ago, I taught 2 classes at the Michigan League of Handweavers Conference. I had a blast. I taught an all day class on seam finishes and stabilizing fabric. I also taught a class on working with rectangles to create lovely garments. Handweaving is something I've known about, but had not really been exposed to. The more I talked to the ladies, the more intrigued I became. The thought of being able to create my own fabric, wow!!!, the possibilities!!!

When I got home, I googled weaving guilds in the Chicago area and I was pleasantly surprised when the The Chicago Weaving School popped up. The school is only about 2 miles from my house. I knew it was there, but had completely forgotten about it. As I looked through the list of classes, I saw that there was a 2 hour introductory class. That sounded like a great way to get a taste, and decide if I would like to pursue it further. Last Wednesday evening I attended the class, and here's what I made!

I just love it! The woven portion is just a little over 24"long. Not long enough for a scarf, I could make it into a bag, but I have decided to just use it on my dining room table. That way I get to look at it everyday :)

So, guess what?!! I signed up for the 4 week class. The class meets once a week on Monday's from 10-2, so 4 hours. I can't wait to see what I do over the 4 week period!!! If that goes well, there is an 8 week class :/ 

This past week, I also went with a friend to the Chicago History Museum to see their current exhibit, Silver Screen to Mainstream: American Fashion in the 1930s and 40s. What a lovely exhibit! It's rather small, especially in comparison to the Dior exhibit. What I loved is that I really absorbed what I saw since it wasn't so overwhelming. The exhibit will be up until January 21, 2020, so if by chance you are going to be in Chicago over the holidays, by all means, see the exhibit! And by the way, the museum is free on Tuesdays!!!   

I always love sharing what I have enjoyed, so I thought I would share a few of the pieces that I especially found interesting.

I loved this gown! 

Such a lovely back. While I was viewing the exhibit, there was a group of ladies who were talking about prom dresses of today, and how the young women could take a little inspiration from these lovely pieces. My prom dress actually looked a lot like this this gown.

The belt is just amazing!

Another gorgeous piece.

The rhinestone pins at the neckline are just the perfect touch.

Such a simple and yet, intricate piece. 

So beautifully embroidered.

This gown made me think of the Dior gown that was designed for Nicole Kidman. I wonder if this is where the inspiration came from??? 

Simply elegant.

The cut and construction of this whimsical dress is beautiful.

And I loved how they copied the print with the pins on the belt!

Love the pleating on the sleeves.

There was a section of "house dresses." I loved how they took a pattern, made it up, and then turned it inside out.  

Here's the pattern that was used.

This gown was by far my favorite of the entire collection.

So simple, and yet intricate.

The back.

You can see in the picture below how the front was sewn to the opposite side of the dress. I would love to do this!!!

I'm off to my studio. I am going to spend an hour cleaning before I allow myself to dig into a new project. Sadly, I let my goal of cleaning my studio slip by. But, I am coming back to it, and that's a good thing :)

Have a wonderfully productive week!

Rhonda