A Collaboration

Can you believe that it's the last day of July?!!! 

One of the best things I did for myself this summer was to create the Summer Bucket list. It was not my original idea, but the idea of a precious teenager who sadly lost her list. But in doing so, gave me a wonderful gift. 

The pictures below document a few of the things I've done. While in Colorado, I did a 13 mile hike along the Fraser River. All alone, and I loved it. Took a hot air balloon ride. The bottom pictures are of me at Gene's Sausage Shop here in Chicago, eating at their lovely rooftop garden. BTW, I did not eat sausage! I had their potato pancakes. They are sinful, but so worth it!!! I have wanted to enjoy the rooftop garden at Gene's for years, but finally made it happen this summer :) The view is so lovely.   
   

Not exactly on my list, but I took a fun block printing class at the Jewish Museum Milwaukee. Finished up my leather sneakers, and have been enjoying my artwork.  

 
There are a number of things on my list that are fast approaching. One is Shakespeare in the Park. Should be a delightful evening.

Now for something new... 

A number of years ago, I decided to do the Passion For Fashion contest at the American Sewing Expo. Sadly, the expo no longer exists. The contest was set up to be a mini Project Runway competition. On Thursday night, we chose our models. Friday morning we were given out challenge, along with $100 to create our garments. We were given until 7 that evening to work, and then again on Saturday until 3. At 3, our models returned, and we had about 45 minutes to make any adjustments that needed to be made. We then went before the judges. All a bit of a whirlwind. We even had our own version of Tim Gunn, Becky Fulgoni. 

A few months ago, Becky sent me a note and asked if I would like to collaborate on a project with her. Of course I would!!! Becky is so very talented, and has the loveliest sense of style. What she proposed was a t-shirt collaboration.

We have finally worked out the particulars, and here's a little peek at what will be happening every Tuesday the month of August. 

We have decided to do woven t-shirts, and we will be using some non-traditional fabrics. With each post, we will also include a tea based recipe. It might be a drink, and it might be something to eat.

You can find Becky's blog, Trial Balloons HERE. Be sure to pop over and follow her blog so you can see what she creates. But, in case you forget, I will be posting links on my post to make it easy:)

When I think of summer, my mind always goes back to picking vegetables, afternoons swimming at the lake, a big glass of ice tea, and wearing cool, comfortable t-shirts. I'm excited about the collaboration/challenge. What a fun way to finish out the summer!

And the Winners Are...

You may have noticed that the title says winners, plural :)

Last Monday, I shared my new tea towel/fabric design I made from a watercolor piece that I did,

As I said last week, so may wonderful things have happened recently, and I always enjoy sharing a bit of joy, so I decided to give away 1 of my fat quarter/tea towels. Well...I was able to take advantage of a fabulous sale, and then Spoonflower gives me a discount since I am the designer of the piece, so all the more affordable. Rather than giving away 1 piece, I decided to give away 3! So yes, there are 3 lucky winners :)

And the winners are(since my handwriting is basically illegible!)...

Laura Tyre Phillips

Cynthiacc

And Sew Forth

Congratulations ladies!!!

Be sure to email me at sewbussted@yahoo.com with your mailing address so I can get the fabric out to you.  

Have a fabulous week!

Rhonda

P.S.

If anyone is interested, I will have the fabric ready to sell on the Spoonflower site later this week. I'll let you know when it is up and ready to go! 

Sunday Night Reflections

I Need A Break From Cable!

When I was a child, there was always one night during the week that I looked forward to watching television. Living out in the country, we had 3 stations to choose from, and there was usually something interesting, except when the president decided to give a speech. Inevitably, he would be on ALL 3 channels!!! Couldn't they spare us just one?!! Those glorious days of finding something interesting to watch, at least for me, are sadly over. A few nights ago, I sat down, scrolled though over 100 channels, looked at my husband and said, "all these channels and there is nothing worth watching." One show that I do enjoy is Alone. It's a contest where 10 people are placed out in the middle of no where, and must build a shelter, hunt for their food, and they are not allowed to have a gun :/ The person who lasts out in the wilderness the longest wins some amount of money. My husband finds it interesting that I enjoy the program as I do not like to be dirty, and I don't like to camp. I had too many nights in a tent sleeping on a rock when I was a child. It seemed that wherever we camped, that same rock was always there waiting for me ;) 

A you have probably figured out by now, this post is not about watching too much television :)

Back in February, Purl Soho showcased the shawl below as a free pattern. I thought it was especially pretty, so I ordered the yarn. I thought it would be nice as a combo shawl/scarf.

Here's my almost finished piece. I began working on it in March. All those little cables, and always the same. I'm about to go cross eyed!!! Actually, I'm bored. But, I am almost there, about 60 more rows and I should be crossing the finish line. As I knit, I keep trying to tell myself that I am really going to enjoy this piece once it's finished. And I will :) If by chance you are interested, HERE'S a link to the free pattern.

I can have the attention span of a gnat at times, and that's how I get myself in trouble. Rather than just start one project and stick with it, I usually have a number of pieces going at one time. All I have to do is sew up this little summer sweater and I can enjoy it.

It has 2 lovely cables that run across the top. I knitted it with a strand of linen yarn and cotton yarn. It was from a Vogue Knitting Magazine pattern. Jean Kaori is the designer. HERE'S a link to the pattern on Ravelry.

  

One week ago yesterday, Mr. Berkley came home with us. He has been nothing but an absolute joy. I think he has completely forgotten his past life. He even likes to curl up in my knitting :)

My goal is to finish both of these projects this week. Can't wait!!!

Monday Morning Fun!

The best thing happened last week :)

I had surgery on my right eye last Tuesday. It seems that all went quite well. The best part is that the awful vertigo feeling that I had after the surgery was done on my left eye in May was immediately gone. So happy! But, that's not the best news...

Meet Berkley!!!

I took this picture as we drove home, me holding his little feet as he slept :) He's 24 pounds of pure love. His little tail is constantly wagging. Such a happy little guy. 

As I was supposed to be resting my eye :/, a thought came to me to just take a look and see if there were any Schipperke dogs up for adoption. It was the strangest thing, a rescue website came up that had nothing to do with Schipperke rescue, but there was a picture of Berkley. This has never happened before. But, for the first time since I lost Miss Little Bit 2 years ago, this little dog spoke to me. I ran upstairs and asked my husband what he thought. He said, "I think we should go for it!" I filled out the application and a questionnaire about what attracted me to the little dog. Friday morning the rescue called and said that they would hold him for me until we could get there on Saturday. My husband actually drove me all the way to Detroit to see this little guy. A 10 hour round trip adventure, but worth every minute :) Gracie isn't all that happy, but, she's doing better than I thought she would. All seems right in our home once again :) I have had a smile on my face since Saturday!

Remember my Summer Bucket list? You may remember that I had a piece of fabric made of my painting. I went back to the Spoonflower site, played around with the design, and did the mirror piece below. The true colors didn't come through in this picture, but I was SOOOO very happy with how the piece turned out.     

I've thought of all sorts of things to do with the yardage, but finally decided to just do a wrap skirt and keep the piece in tact. I keep pinching myself as I cannot believe that something I painted is actually printed on a piece of fabric, and that it looks so pretty, at least I think so ;)   

 Another happy little unexpected gift. 

Kathy of Running With Rockets posted this little vintage tool on her Instagram page. She loves to go to yard sales, resale shops, and find vintage sewing tools. She had said that if anyone was interested in this tool, she would be posting it on her Etsy site. I jumped on it as I had wanted one of these when I was a child. To my surprise, Kathy said that she would like to gift it to me!!! How nice :)  

The little tool makes these daisy shapes, and it came with an instruction page for this sweet top. I'm so excited!!! 

Now, if you've gotten this far in the post, I have a nice little surprise :) I've had so many lovely things happen to me lately, and I would like to share a little happiness with someone. 

This is the tea towel that I made from my painting. Because I don't know how to stretch the design to the entire length of the fat quarter, there's a repeat that will need to be cut off at the bottom. But, there's enough for a tea towel, bag, or even a skirt panel. I've started a skirt with a panel that I'll be sharing soon.  

So, if you would like a chance to win one of my tea towel panels, just leave a message on this post. Let me know what you think you might do with it. Don't worry, I won't hold you to it ;)

I will post the winner next Monday, July 30, 2018.

Good Luck!

And may you have a happy, happy week!

Rhonda

A Challenge With Prizes!

In 2013, 5 years ago, amazing!, I took on a challenge. I had auditioned for a contest that Sew News sponsored for their Sew It All television show. The finalist had to go to the Puyallup Sewing Expo for the audition. While I was there, I was introduced to the Mary Bridge Children's Hospital and the drive that they had for pillowcases. Each child who is admitted receives a pillowcase. Maybe they should really be called comfort cases :)

As I flew home from the expo, I thought about the cases and how many I felt I could do. The number that came to mind was 900. Now, I knew that I couldn't do 900 on my own, so I decided to put it out to all who drop by the blog. The response was amazing, 1000 pillowcases were donated to the project!

During the course of the project, I documented the first 100, then 450, and finally the final hang of 1000 pillowcases which you see below.

The video below documents the first 100. If you would like to take a look at the other videos I did, you can see them HERE.



This is not just a trip down memory lane, but an opportunity. Olfa is sponsoring a summer challenge, pillowcases for the American Patchwork & Quilting 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge...

AND THERE ARE PRIZES!!!! 

The challenge is to create as many pillowcases as you would like. Each pillowcase will be donated to either the Ronald McDonald House, or Ryan's Case For Smiles. 

The pillowcases must be made from 100% cotton, and you must use the guidelines posted HERE.

Nine winners will be chosen randomly. The grand prize winner will be the one who submits the most pillowcases. Crank up those sewing machines!!!

All entries must be postmarked by August 31, 2018 to be entered in the drawing. You can find all of the information HERE on the Olfa blog.

What a fun and lovely way to use up some of your cotton scraps :)

Good Luck!

I hope you win!!! But then, we always win when we reach out to others.

 Rhonda

Sunday Night Reflections

Sunday's Salad/Ancient Grain Power Salad

It has been an interesting week, and I have missed checking in with you :(

You'll never guess what I will be doing bright and early tomorrow morning...I'm taking a hot air balloon ride!!!!!! I'm so excited :)))) 
Since this is the summer of the bucket list, the opportunity came up and I decided not to let it pass me by. I will take lots and lots of pictures, and share them on Tuesday.   

I was once asked what my favorite meal of the day is. Hands down, my favorite meal is lunch. When I was in school, I always ate breakfast before leaving home, but by 10:30 in the morning, my stomach would start to growl. Lunch could not come soon enough. Sometimes I was lucky enough to have a thermos of hot soup and a piece of cornbread in my lunchbox. That first bite was always just the best! All these years later, I still begin to get hungry around 10:30 in the morning, and the first bite of my lunch is still...just the best!

Along with soup, I love sandwiches and salads. At some point, I'll share some of my sandwich concoctions. They're pretty good if I say so myself ;) But today, I want to share a wonderful salad I made this past week. The grain is quinoa, love quinoa! The other ingredients consist of garbanzo beans, feta cheese, radishes, and arugula.   

Here's what really makes it special, the dressing. Fresh lemon juice is mixed with olive oil, oregano, and chopped kalamata olives. All of the ingredients are blended resulting in a lovely, earthy red dressing.

I placed a big scoop of the quinoa mixture on a bed of mixed greens.

Then drizzled the dressing over the salad. Delicious!!!

The quinoa salad mixture will last for a few days in the refrigerator, so great for repeated lunches.

Ancient Grain Power Salad
downloadable recipe

Ingredients

For the salad;
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups canned garbanzo beans rinsed
1 cup slightly chopped arugala
1/2 cup chopped red radishes
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Mixed greens of your choice for serving

For the salad dressing;
6 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
6 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons chopped kalamata olives(pits removed of course)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
salt and black pepper to taste

For the salad;
Cook quinoa according to package directions. Allow to cool. Add the remainder of the ingredients, except for the mixed greens. Mix well and set aside.

For the salad dressing;
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Adjust salt a black pepper to taste. 

To serve;
Place mixed greens on a plate. Place a large scoop of the quinoa mixture in the middle of the greens. Drizzle dressing over the quinoa and greens. Serve and enjoy! 

 The salad dressing will keep for at least a week in the refrigerator, so it can be enjoyed on other salads of your choice.

Wishing you many happy lunches!

Rhonda

Monday Morning Inspiration/Perspective

A little something different this Monday morning, a sweet video that beautifully depicts a change of heart. It also shows how when we give, we will never be without. Four small minutes that may be the perfect beginning to your week :)

Sunday Night Reflections

Sunday's Soup/Summer Roasted Corn Chowder

What says summer more than roasted corn on the grill?!! Well, there are a lot of things, but I really do enjoy roasting fresh corn on the grill. Add some roasted corn to soup, and I am all in :)

Now, I also enjoy a bit of spice. I especially enjoy poblano peppers as they have a bit of spice without actually being hot.

To begin, I take 2 poblano peppers, and 6 ears of corn. Roast the peppers until the outside skin is charred. Place in a plastic bag and allow to steam for about 15 minutes. Remove the charred skin as well as the stem and seeds. Set aside.

Roast the corn until it is toasty brown, being careful not to let it burn. 

Once the corn has browned, allow it to cool, and then cut the kernels from the husk. Divide the corn in half. Place half in a food processor along with the poblano peppers. Puree the mixture. Set aside.

In a large soup pot, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Saute 1 medium red onion with 2 stalks of chopped celery until tender. 

Add 2 medium chopped white potatoes, reserved corn, and 2 cups of vegetable broth to the onion/celery mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender.

Add pureed corn/pepper mixture, and 2 cups of buttermilk. Heat until hot, but not boiling. Add more buttermilk to obtain the consistency of soup that you would like.  
  

Ladle into bowls. Top with grated Parmesan cheese, and fresh snipped chives. Serve with some freshly made cornbread, and you will have a feast!

Roasted Corn Chowder
serves 6
downloadable recipe

ingredients
6 ears of fresh corn on the cob
2 poblano peppers
1 medium red onion chopped
2 stalks celery chopped
2 medium white potatoes chopped
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and black pepper to taste
fresh grated Parmesan and snipped chives for serving

Roast poblano peppers and corn on the grill. Roast peppers until skin is charred. Place charred peppers in a plastic bag and allow to stem for approximately 15 minutes. Remove charred skin, stems, and seeds. set aside.

Roast corn until browned on all sides. Allow to cool, and then cut corn from husks. Place half of the corn, along with the peppers in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Set aside.

Heat butter and olive oil i  a large soup pot. Add red onions and celery. Saute until tender. Add potatoes, unprocessed corn, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender. Add pureed corn mixture and buttermilk. Heat until warmed through. Do not allow the soup to boil. Add more buttermilk if soup is a little too thick.

Add salt and black pepper to taste.

Ladle into bowls. Top with shredded Parmesan cheese and snipped fresh chives.  

If by chance you are having a cookout, plan to cook a little extra corn and the peppers. They will last a couple of days in the refrigerator until you are ready to make the soup.
Enjoy!
Rhonda