Sewbussted's Material Witness, A Very Special Episode

I have enjoyed each and every person that I have had the opportunity to interview, but this one has deeply touched my heart. Rather than giving away the story, I will just ask that you watch. It is truly a story of how when you think you have hit rock bottom, there is still hope, and dreams can come true. 

  

Be sure to check out Motif Sneakers on Instagram.
If by chance you are in Chicago, and plan to attend the One of a Kind Show at the Merchandise Mart, December 6-9, 2018, go by booth 7117 and say to hello to Yohannes. I know he will love meeting you!  

The Black Friday and Cyber Monday Pattern Train Disaster!

Winter has arrived!, and it brought with it a whole big bunch of snow. I wondered how Berkley would take to it. Little guy walks out as if it's not even there. And what's amazing is that he doesn't seem to be affected by the cold. But, he really doesn't have an undercoat, so I think that once it gets super cold, he will need a coat. Maybe I just need an excuse to sew a little something for him ;) Gracie, with her super thick coat would burn up if I made a coat for her, so it's nice to have a little dog to sew for once again.  

I have loved patterns from the time I can remember. My favorite was when the new Vogue pattern catalog would come out. The Claude Montana patterns, oh my, I wanted them all!

Of course, this past weekend was Black Friday, followed by Cyber Monday. Yep, I was tempted and yes, I went a little crazy :/

First up, I bought 3 patterns from Helen's Closet. I have and have made her Winslow Culottes pattern and I really liked it. The fit was spot on to the measurements. I also loved that it had side pockets. So with that in mind, I decided to take advantage of her sale and purchase 3 more patterns. From left to right;

The Blackwood Cardigan

Avery Leggings

Elliot Sweater and Tee

I will have a week with Helen coming up:)

When I was doing the sew alongs for Sew News, there were 2 pattern companies that stood above the rest, Waffle Patterns and Closet Case Patterns. They were so well drafted, the instructions were fabulous, and downloading them was a breeze since they both offered a copy shop version. Once again, with that in mind, I took advantage of the Closet Case pattern sale and went a little crazy.

From left to right;
Charlie Caftan
Kalle Shirt and Shirtdress
Ebony T-Shirt and Dress

Carolyn Pajamas
Amy Jumpsuit
Nettie Dress and Bodysuit

I bought the Bombshell Swimsuit pattern some time ago and loved it. It's pictured on the left below. I am going to take a water aerobics class this winter and would like to have a collection of swimsuits to wear. I love the underwire aspect of the Sophie Swimsuit, so that also went into my pile of patterns.
 

I did purchase 1 other pattern from Closet Case, but I'll share it once I get it made. My favorite, favorite Closet Case pattern is the Ginger Jeans pattern. I will never buy another pair of ready made jeans! 

The pattern purchasing train did not make its final stop at Closet Case, it went on and made a stop at Sew House 7. I purchased the Nehalem Pant and Skirt pattern. Won't this be cute with the Nettie Bodysuit from Closet Case and the Blackwood Cardigan from Helen's Closet? Hey, I have to justify all of my purchases somehow ;)

I don't have a lot of Christmas sewing to do, a couple of shirts for my husband, and a knitted project. Neither will take a lot of time. And even better, I have a fairly open December, so lots of sewing for me!!! So stay tuned, there will be fashion shows :)

Sunday Night Reflections

Something Sweet on Sunday/Pumpkin Torte with Cookie Crust

For those who celebrate Thanksgiving, most will have pumpkin pie for dessert. Truth be told, I am not the biggest fan of pumpkin pie. So, this year, I decided to try a little something different, and it was a hit! In fact, my husband loved what I did so much that he asked me to make it again for his birthday, which is today :) 

My husband loves Pecan Sandies made by Keebler. He had brought home a bag that was rather crumbled. As I looked at the crumbs the thought came to me that they might make a great crust. 

So, I began with an entire bag of cookies that I crumbled.

The cookie crumbs were mixed with 5 tablespoons of melted butter and 5 tablespoons of flour. All were mixed and pressed into the bottom of a spring form pan. the crust was baked at 375 degrees for 12 minutes. 

While the crust baked, I mixed up the filling, 
2 eggs
1 can of pumpkin,
1 can of evaporated milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Once the crust had baked, I poured the filling over the cookie crust. The filling was baked at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.

While the filling baked, I made a batch of candied pecans. You can find the recipe HERE. 

I chopped up about 1/2 cup.

I removed the torte from the oven and sprinkled it with the chopped, candied pecans. The torte was put back into the oven and baked at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. 

The ring was removed from the torte and allowed to cool. The result is a lighter than air, and if I may say so, a very delicious torte. 

Pumpkin Torte with Cookie Crust

Crust ingredients;
1 pkg. Pecan Sandies crumbled
5 tablespoons melted butter
5 tablespoons flour


Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Mix all ingredients together and press in the bottom of a spring form pan. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Filling ingredients;
1 15oz. can pure pumpkin
3/4 granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 12oz. can evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Mix all ingredients with an electric mixer. Pour over baked cookie crust. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of candied pecans. Reduce oven heat to 375 degrees and continue to bake for 40 minutes or until torte is set.

   
If you give the torte a try,I hope you like it as much as my husband did! :)
It really makes a lovely fall/winter dessert, and it can be made a day ahead of time, so all the better.

Enjoy!
Rhonda

Sewbussted's Material Witness/ Chicago School of Shoe Making and Leather Arts

This past summer, a friend of mine asked me if I would like to join her for a leather sneaker workshop. I'm not a huge sneaker wearing person, but this was rather special since the sneakers would be made out of leather, and then too, I've always wanted to make a pair of shoes. So, I said, "sure, count me in!" Well, I had the best time, and I absolutely love my sneakers. I've had quite a bit of experience with making leather garments, but never a pair of shoes. 

I recently had the opportunity to meet with Sara McIntosh, the owner of The Chicago School of Shoe Making and Leather Arts. She is absolutely lovely, and such an inspiration. I think you are going to truly enjoy this episode of Sewbussted's Material Witness.



Below are a few of the items that we showcased in the video. 

The boots are just amazing. 

There are so many classes that are offered at the school, everything from bags, to shoes, to clothing items. The school is truly a place to dream and then create. And too, I think Sara's story is an inspiration for anyone who would like to realize a creative dream.  

You can find the school HERE.

On Instagram HERE.

To my delight, and surprise, I had the opportunity to do another interview and video while I was visiting the school. That video will air next Tuesday. It is such a moving and inspirational story. It actually brought me to tears. So, be sure to tune in next week for this very special episode of Sewbussted's Material Witness. I think it will touch you as much as it did me. 

Sunday Night Reflections

Sunday's Soup/Bountiful Greens Soup

This past week I saw my retina specialist. I was a little apprehensive as I had been told by the surgeon who operated on my right eye this past summer that she saw the formation of a third mole on my retina. Oh my. But, the news was great! He said that yes he saw the third mole, and he felt that there was no sign of a malignancy. Whew!!! So relieved! In just a week's time, I found out that I am in great shape, colon wise, and my eyes are holding steady. The retina specialist told me to keep doing what I'm doing...and I will! 

With the holidays coming up, and the temptation to eat lots of rich food, I thought I would post a soup that I love to eat. It is chuck full of vitamins, and while it looks like a soup that will taste like grass, it's actually quite delicious.

This soup is a blend of asparagus, kale, spinach, carrots and fennel.

Begin by sauteing 1 large onion with 2 chopped carrots in olive oil until the onion is translucent.

Add the chopped fennel, asparagus, chopped and seeded jalapeno pepper, garlic and saute for another 10 minutes.

Add chopped kale, chopped spinach, and chopped parsley along with 8 cups of vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. 

Blend the soup with a handheld blender, or in a blender until smooth. Add 1/2 cup of tahini(sesame paste). The tahini adds a lovely smooth taste to the soup as well as a little protein. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Serve the soup with toasted nuts, I like toasted pumpkin seeds. 
It really is quite delicious and will ward off all sorts of winter bugs and make up for a little of the indulgences that we just can't resist this time of year :) 

Bountiful Greens Soup

ingredients;
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion chopped
2 large carrots chopped
1 jalapeno seeded and chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
3 cups chopped asparagus
1 fennel bulb chopped, use only the bulb
6 cups coarsely chopped spinach
1 bunch kale coarsely chopped, stems removed
1 cup coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup tahini(sesame paste)
8 cups vegetable broth
salt and black pepper to taste

directions;
Pour olive oil in large pot. Add onion and carrots. Saute until onion is translucent. Add jalapeno, garlic, fennel, and asparagus. Continue sauteing for another 10 minutes. 
Add kale, spinach, and parsley to the pot along with 8 cups of vegetable broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. 
Remove pot from heat. Use a blender, or handheld blender to puree soup.
Stir in tahini. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
Serve soup with toasted nuts of choice.

The soup will freeze well.

Enjoy!
Rhonda    

Sewbussted's Material Witness/Helen Haughey, Couture Dressmaker

In today's world of fast fashion, it's refreshing to know that there are those who still seek out garments of the finest details.

Helen Haughey, like many of us, began sewing as a child. She especially loved hand sewing and using the finest of fabrics. That early appreciation stayed with her and ultimately brought her to build her own couture dressmaking business.

Her garments are breathtaking, with lovely details and exquisite fabrics.

Each and every garment embodies elegance and refinement.

She also enjoys playing with the patterns and weaves of fabrics to create eye catching details.

Helen was recently in Chicago and I had the opportunity to sit down with her. In the video you will hear where her career began and how it ultimately evolved into her passion. I so enjoyed our conversation, and I think you will find it inspiring. 



You can find Helen's website HERE.
You can also find her on Instagram. 
And if you are looking for fine needles, pins and other couture embellishments, you can find all of these in her Etsy store. 

Sunday Night Reflections

Sunday's Soup/Brussel Sprout Soup for the I Hate Brussel Sprouts Crowd!

I can't believe that it was actually 6 years ago that I initially posted THIS recipe for Cream of Brussel Sprout Soup. The recipe has now been revised as I am working on a cookbook and I want to be sure that all of the recipes are exactly as I want them to be. So when you make them, they will taste just the same as when I made them. I hope that's a good thing ;)

To make the soup, you'll begin with chopped onions, celery and a honey crisp apple, all sauteed together.

Brussel sprouts and cannellini beans are added along with vegetable broth.

The beans will add protein, and will also thicken the soup nicely. Once the brussel sprouts are tender, the soup will be pureed.  

While the soup is cooking, make the candied pecans. They add a wonderful crunch as well as a fabulous taste to the soup.

Once the pecans have caramelized, place them on a piece of wax paper. Working quickly, separate the pecans and then roughly chop with a sharp knife.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top with the candied pecans. Even the most dead set against brussel sprouts person will not believe they are actually eating brussel sprouts!

Brussel Sprout Soup for the 
I Hate Brussel Sprouts Crowd 

ingredients;
8 cups quartered brussel sprouts
1 large onion chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
1 honey crisp apple seeded and chopped
3 stalks celery chopped
1 25 oz. can Cannellini Beans drained and rinsed
8 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
salt and black pepper to taste

directions;
Place quartered brussel sprouts in cold water. Add 1/4 cup of course sea salt and mix well. Allow the brussel sprouts to sit in the salt water for a couple of hours to overnight. Drain and rinse well under cold water. Set aside

Add olive oil to a large, heavy soup pot. Add onion, apple, and celery. Saute over medium heat until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and saute another minute to release flavor, but not burn. Add brussel sprouts along with the cannellini beans. Pour in 8 cups of vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for approximately 30 minutes, or until brussel sprouts are tender. 
Use a hand held mixer, or place the vegetable mixture in a blender, and blend until smooth. 
Add nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. 

Candied Pecan Topping

ingredients;
1 cup pecans
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar

directions;
Place pecans, water and sugar in a medium sized pot. Constantly stirring, bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and continue stirring until liquid has been absorbed. This goes very quickly, so do not leave unattended.
Spoon pecans out onto a sheet of waxed paper and separate quickly. Allow to cool and then chop roughly with a sharp knife.

To serve, ladle soup into bowls and top with the chopped pecans. No one will believe they are eating brussel sprouts!

The soup can be frozen, so for those of you who are thinking about Thanksgiving, make the soup now and you'll have 1 less task on Thanksgiving day!

Enjoy!

Rhonda

Free For All, Free Patterns For You and Others!

We are getting our very first snow here in Chicago. Nothing to write home about, just a wet, rain like snow. But, what's in the air is so very pretty. Winter is definitely here!

A few days ago, one of the trees that is out in front of my house lost all of its leaves in what seemed like a few hours. Once the leaves were on the ground, the tree revealed a little secret it had been hiding, a lovely hornet's nest. Call me crazy, but I have always wanted a hornet's nest. To me, they are an amazing piece of artwork.

So, my husband helped me pull out a ladder, and I climbed up and snipped my little prize out of the tree. 

I think it is just amazing!

While I can be crazy, I'm not stupid(well, sometimes). I put the nest inside a plastic garbage bag, tied the top, and it is out in the garage awaiting our first hard freeze before I bring it indoors. Hopefully, all will be fine and I won't end up with a very angry hornet in my house ;)

Thanks so much to all of you who purchased my design from Spoonflower. I am so very honored:) I also purchased a few for gifts, and mine arrived yesterday. So excited!!! Something I never would have dreamed I would be able to do.

With the holidays coming up, I thought I would share a few of the free patterns that I've found that would be fun to wear, or would make great gifts.

I really love this caftan pattern from Sew Daily. It is a graded pattern, so a number of sizes are available. You will need to register on the site to download the pattern. You can find the pattern HERE. It can be made without the tie for a looser fit. 

If you are looking for something lovely to give to a sewing friend, or yourself :), this pattern for a sewing machine and serger cover from Closet Case Patterns is free and fabulous. You can download it HERE.

Jumpsuits are all the rage! While this is a sleeveless jumpsuit, it would pair so easily with a t-shirt, or turtleneck and move right on into winter. This free pattern from In The Folds can be found HERE. 

Pattern Union gives you all the directions you will need to draft out this super cute, and easy to make dress. It's free with the code MAISIE. You can find it HERE. To draft out the pattern, you will only need 2 measurements, hip and skirt length. So, this is a great opportunity to make something for an out of town friend or family member. The only hard part is getting them to give you their hip measurement!!!

Another fun and very versatile piece from Pattern Union is the Phoebe Jumpsuit. It's free with code PhoebeFreebie, and you can find the pattern HERE. Pop over to the Pattern Union Instagram site to see all the fun hacks they have done with the pattern. With 1 hack, rather than making it a halter, they cut 2 backs and did shoulder ties. Again, that hack takes it from summer to winter paired with a t-shirt or turtleneck.  

A little clutch always makes a lovely gift. The pleated clutch below is from I Think Sew's book, Bags-The Modern Classics. You can find the free, downloadable pattern HERE.   

And last but not least, I love this free turtleneck pattern from Tessuti Fabrics. You can find their Monroe Turtleneck pattern HERE. 

All of the patterns are quite easy to make, and should go together quickly. Now, if I could just give you a link for some free time!!! ;)) 

Rhonda

Fun With Tea Towels

Good Morning!!! I am a very happy girl this morning :) I had  a colonoscopy yesterday, and not a polyp was found...WOO HOO! The last time I had one, 4 years ago, a polyp was found, precancerous, so not an issue, but I was concerned going into this one...
There's a history of colon cancer in my family(my grandmother died with colon cancer), one has already been found, I'm older, and, the list goes on. 
No one likes to think, much less talk about getting a colonoscopy, but if you are hesitant about getting one, please, by all means don't put it off. Yes, it's 2 days out of your life, but the 2 days spent could mean that you have more rather than less days here on earth. 

I'm a little late in getting this out, but Spoonflower is having their annual 50% off fat quarter sale. You may remember that I took a stab at designing a piece of fabric this past summer. Here it is below as a fat quarter.

If you might like to have one of your own, HERE is a link to my page and the design. A fat quarter of this piece is just $7.00 during the sale. The piece makes a great tea towel as well as a bag, or an insertion on a jacket, or skirt. So, the sky is the limit!!!

You may remember the super cute woven t-shirt that Becky of Trial Balloons made with my design. We also devoted 1 segment of our summer challenge to tea towels. 

Spoonflower suggests their Linen Cotton Canvas fabric for tea towels.

The sale only runs through Thursday, November 8, 2018, so be sure to hop over quickly if you want to participate in the sale.

I ordered a  few tea towel lengths for myself as well as gifts...

I love just about anything with vegetables. This is the Farmer's Market Tea Towel and you can find it HERE. 

I ordered a pile of these to give to my sewing friends. You can find the sewing machine tea towel calendar HERE.

And finally, I thought this deer calendar would be such a lovely little gift. You can find it HERE.

We are supposed to get snow tomorrow for the first time this season. I can't wait!!! I have no idea as to whether Mr. Berkley has ever seen snow, but I'm sure he will enjoy it. He enjoys everything!!! :)

Have a wonderful day!

Rhonda