Monday Morning Inspiration

It's a beautiful day here in Chicago. The cardinals are singing their little hearts out and that makes my heart happy too!

In the spirit of just having a little fun, I thought I would do something a little over the top and call this post, Fashion Overdone. Actually, when fashion, art, creativity in general is pushed, it can inspire the most wonderful ideas. So yes, most of us would never wear many of these things just as they are, but I hope you'll have fun taking a look and maybe they will spur a idea of your own.

 Although this is way too much for my taste, I would love to be able to see this jacket in person. Are the bows tacked on, or are they a part of the design lines?

 Big buttons and a big band. Rather fun!

 I see you!!! And from every angle :)

 Interesting cuff design

 Love the collar on this coat.

 Geometric shapes on a sheer ground. Interesting.

The hobo look. Great cuffs and I'm intrigued with the wrap. It looks as though it is a coat wrapped around the waist, but look at the huge pockets.

 Is it a bow, or is it a collar? Who cares, it's pretty!

Love the high low jacket.

  A different take on trim.

Lots of layers, but pretty.

 

 Look closely at the pants. They have a huge pleat that will give them the look of a skirt.

 I love a billowy sleeve.

A little more gingham. Not as pretty as some of the other pieces I've found, but I do like the mix of the sizes and the addition of the red.

Yes, I know this looks like an afghan, but to me it somehow works 

 Mixing prints and stripes.

I have to give this a try. It's just a piece of fabric draped around the body. The trick is figuring out how to do the drape so that it works!

 For all you biker jacket loving chicks out there. Fabulous trim.

I saw this scarf and I immediately thought of ripping some wool strips and zigzagging them together. Might be fun.

 A little graffiti like, but fun

And finally, a little too sheer, but wouldn't this be fun to wear to  a musical event!

So that's that my little dog and pony show for today!
Wishing you all a lovely week and I hope you find something to make your heart happy as well!
Rhonda

Sunday Night Reflections

Popularity is when people like you.

Happiness is when you like yourself.

Sunday's Soup

Happy Sunday Everyone, at least everywhere that it is still Sunday!

As I have shared in the past, I love beans, all sorts of beans. They are rich in nutrients and can help to add a little protein to your diet. I used the Scarlet Runner Bean in my soup that I made today. If you have never cooked with them, and you like beans, I highly recommend giving them a try. They grow on a lovely vine that blossoms with the most beautiful red flowers.     

The beans are a deep rich red, almost black and they are about the size of a large lima bean. They have a richer, more meaty taste though than the lima bean.

This is a soup that I like to make when I just want a feeling of home, nothing fancy, just hearty and good. I call this soup,
Comfort Soup At It's Best                 

The ingredients;

1 12 oz. package of Scarlet Runner Beans

1 bunch of kale, stem removed and greens chopped

1 poblano  pepper, seeded and chopped, or a green bell pepper if you prefer

3 small turnips chopped

1 8 oz. package of mushrooms sliced, white or portabella is fine

1 large purple onion chopped

1 cup of wild rice

2 cloves of garlic chopped

1 28 oz. can of fire roasted diced tomatoes and 2 cans of water

2 bay leaves

salt and black pepper to taste

 

Soak beans over night. Place all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook all day. Done!!!! How's that for easy instructions!

 

*If you would like a non vegetarian version, remove the skins on 1/2 pound of Italian sausage. Brown in a skillet and add to soup mixture. Allow sausage to cook along with all ingredients.    

I just love the colors! The blackness of the beans looks wonderful against all the vibrant colors of the vegetables. A soup that is good for the soul as well as the body!

A Quick Hello

Hi Everyone!
I just wanted to check in with a quick note this morning. Hope you are having a wonderful week! The project that I have been working on is coming to a close over the next couple of days and will require my complete attention. I'll be back on Sunday, March 30th with all my usual posts. See you in a few days!
Rhonda

Thrifty Thursday

Since I missed so many posts last week, I thought I would do a catch up with this one. It's the free panty pattern from Cloth Habit. Talk about a fun and easy project!! And what a great way to use up small bits of knit scraps. In short, I'm having a panty party!!
As you can see, I did not make mine out of a pretty lace, just scrap pieces of knit fabrics.

The panties are called boy shorts as they fit around the leg and rest on the hips. I especially like the coverage that they give over my round bum. BTW, I will not be modeling these in public!!! So don't ask for a fashion show. Not that you would want to see me in these anyway ;)

Rather than use a stretch lace for the hip band and the leg bands, I used a 1" wide fold over elastic. I found the elastic readily available at my local fabric chain store. Worked like a charm. All I did was fold it over the edge and zigzag in place. The elastic is especially soft against the skin.

 The back seam of the crotch panel is concealed.

The instructions say to leave the front piece of the crotch panel raw or serge it. I decided to turn it under about 1/8" and use a very small zigzag stitch to keep it in place. I like this a lot better than leaving it raw or even a serged edge.

If you think you would like to use up some scraps and have a panty party of your own, you can find the pattern here,  http://clothhabit.com/free-pattern-rosy-ladyshorts/. This is a very easy PDF pattern to download as it is only 2 sheets of paper. The pattern does include seam allowances, but you will need to trace off a portion of the pattern as the front and back or overlapped. You could also print 2 and save a little time.  
I have so enjoyed all the posts that I've seen by so many who are diving into the bra and panty making pool. Now that I've stuck my toes into the water, I'm diving in too!  Now that I've made my first couple of pair, I'm ready to make some in lace or whatever I can get my hands on. What's better than having a pair of panties that fit perfectly?!!! I'm sure you'll see a post in the very near future with a pile of brand new panties! Believe me, I need them :)

Sunday Night Reflections

Mistakes are not an ending, but an opportunity to learn, change and most important, improve.

We Can All Be A Bombshell!

This picture was posted on Facebook a few days ago and I thought I would share it. For me, it really is the truth. I started sewing because I needed clothes to wear. It would have been a very sad situation if I had not learned to sew. When I was in high school, you could take four years of sewing classes, but one year was mandatory. Really, mandatory!! Now it's rarely even offered as a class. So I've seen sewing go from being a mandatory class in high school, to completely falling out of favor, to being a sought after passion by so many young women today, and I am so very happy!!!     

One young woman that has a passion for sewing and making beautiful and fun things to wear is Heather Lou of www.closetcasefiles.com. Last year she released the Bombshell Swimsuit pattern.

I was rather intrigued by the pattern so I decided to get one for myself. It's another pattern that I call instant gratification since all I have to do is punch purchase and then punch print. I think I've become addicted to PDF patterns. I love them, really, I do. Think about it, I don't have to get in the car, go to the fabric store only to be disappointed because the pattern I want is not there.Nor do I have to wait for them to arrive in the mail. For me it's such a stress free process and that's always a good thing! Yes, I have to tape them together, but I can print the pattern and have it together in a lot less time than it takes to go to the store.
I bought the pattern because I really needed a new swimsuit and I didn't feel like shopping for one. From the reviews I read about the swimsuit, I felt that this would be a safe bet.
Since I've never made the suit before, I used a piece of spandex  that I've had for quite a while. I thought it would make a good wearable muslin, and it did!

 A view of the back.

One design detail that I especially liked was how the under stay attached to the front of the suit. Heather says in her instructions that the steps may be a little confusing, but as long as you follow each of her steps it really isn't.

 Here you can see what the under stay looks like. It's basically just a typical bathing suit style.

The only thing that I did not care for was how the strap was attached. It's zigzagged to the top of the bust cup area. Not a big deal by no means, just my personal taste. I will be making another in better fabric and I want to see about sandwiching the strap between the lining and the outer fabric. I would also like to have bra cups in my suit.

The bathing suit season is quickly approaching. If you need or just would like a new suit, I highly recommend the Bombshell Swimsuit pattern. It goes together very quickly and the pattern is well thought out. Once you get one made, you too can be bombshell!!! You can purchase your own pattern here, http://www.store.closetcasefiles.com/patterns/bombshell-swimsuit
Go get in the water and have some fun!!!

Monday Morning Inspiration

I've been in a black and white mood lately. It just seems so fresh and perfect for spring. So, I've done a little looking around and found a few things that I thought were rather fun. I thought you might enjoy seeing them and find them a little inspiring as well.

 It's a shame that the stripes don't match, but the pop of orange is wonderful.

 Lots of prints and it's all about the pop!

 Manipulating stripes.

 How about lining a sheer piece of black lace or tulle with white? Nice!

 Talk about bold!!!! Notice that once again there is the pop of orange on her lips.

This could be recreated with appliques and trim.

If you're in for a beading project, you can create your own design. What a sour look on that model's face!

Just a simple little dress that pops with the black piping. You may remember that I made up a very similar top for Thrifty Thursday using the free pattern from By Hand London. You can find the pattern here, http://byhandlondon.com/products/polly-top and recreate your own little black and white dress.

  Mix of gingham prints.

 Why not pair a gingham shirt with a sequin skirt!

 The lining of the drape is not white, but a very pretty idea nonetheless.

Although this a wedding gown and it is all white, I thought it was just so pretty and romantic.

 Beautiful applique.

And for something completely over the top!!!! 

One of the things that I am taking away from my little search is how fresh and great orange is with black and white. Very nice!
Hope your week is not only black and white but filled with colorful and enjoyable events!!
Rhonda