Beautiful Belle Handbag Week 3

There was a little glitch on the Sew News blog site this week, so the post wasn't really up until Tuesday afternoon. I had intended to link to the video yesterday and then I got busy and sadly forgot. So if you have been following along, here's a link to the blog post, http://www.sewnews.com/blogs/sewing/2014/02/18/6161/ and the video is below. This is a rather long one, 25 minutes in total, so you may want to watch it in sections.



I've received some very nice compliments about the videos. I appreciate it so much. You can't imagine how nervous I was about how I would look, how I would sound, and how well I did in general. Doing the videos was a great experience, draining, but a great experience. Thanks again for being so supportive of my endeavors :)
Rhonda
p.s. Check out the Flickr page, http://www.flickr.com/groups/sn_sewalong1/pool/with/12626536705/#photo_12626536705, where you can see some of the finished bags. They are wonderful!!

The Wednesday Showcase

Well, it's happening, we're melting and melting fast. We've dealt with a crazy amount of snow and now it's a crazy amount of water. I have one dog who is like a typical little boy and will walk through any and all puddles(of course coming home and needing a bath after her walk, fun...not!) and another who does her utmost best to avoid water at all costs. What a treat it is to walk them!! Oh well, this too shall pass.

As always, I have two sensational and very talented ladies to introduce you to today.

First up is Mary of http://inspiredsewing.wordpress.com/. She says, " I lived in Ireland for the first half of my life and Philadelphia for the second half--so far! I have always loved Sewing and all things creative . I am starting an inspired sewing and design Blog to connect with like minded friends." Mary is brand new to the blog world, she just started blogging this past November, so please welcome her with open arms.

Mary's work is simply, as her blog title states, inspired. Above is an incredible jacket that she made. She was inspired by the colors and the terrain of Ireland. 

I encourage you to read the post for yourself as I think you will enjoy reading about what brought her to be inspired to make this jacket. You can find the post here, http://inspiredsewing.wordpress.com/2013/12/17/picking-up-the-pieces/ Oh my goodness, I love this jacket!

 Bead work that she added to a bag creation.

Fabulous work Mary. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your creations!

Next up is Graca of http://sewessentiallysew.blogspot.com/ Here's a little about her, "I'm a Canadian prairie gal who lives far from any respectable fashion districts but who loves to sew. I've been sewing off and on for many years. Any day sewing is a happy day. Yes, even if I have to put down the sewing needle and pick up a seam ripper. I love the creative process of starting a project from shopping for the fabric to hand stitching the final details."

Graca is on Pattern Review and you can find her reviews here,  http://sewing.patternreview.com/cgi-bin/search.pl?search=1&ProfileID=265247. She has also taken the No Ready To Wear Challenge that so many of you have joined. I knew better than to make the commitment and it's a good thing I didn't as I just went out and bought a brand new ski outfit. I applaud all of you who have taken the challenge and are happily making all of your clothes this year. Graca has also been working on the Stash Busting Challenge. She's doing a fabulous job as she made over 30 new pieces last year for herself, family and her home.

Here are some lovely examples of her work.

The above piece is the  Liz Misono Angel top. Love the print.

What a beautiful jacket! When she posted the coat, she talked about the fact that Tim Gunn says that we all need a trench coat in our wardrobe. Hey, who says it has to be boring?!!

I don't post a lot about quilting, but I do love to quilt believe it or not and there is nothing I love more than a true scrap quilt. I see them as a window into the life of the person who made the quilt. So pretty.

One of her stash busting projects. This is one piece of fabric that needs to be out of the closet. Beautiful colors!

Graca has also been trying her hand at making lingerie. She highly recommends this Butterick pattern. She said the panties are sexy and have give great butt coverage. Now there's a combination you don't see too often ;)

As I said, two very talented and inspirational ladies. I know I'm very excited about getting to know them a little better through their blogs.

Have a wonderful day!

Rhonda

Shipping Day

Well, I'm just full of funny photos today :) and who better to laugh at than yourself?!! My husband snapped this shot of me at the UPS store this morning. Yes, those are tape measure pants. Crazy but fun.

I rather took over the store this morning. There are 8 boxes of pillowcases making their way to Puyallup, Washington. So very exciting! You wouldn't believe how heavy these things are!!

The next post I do about the pillowcases will be from the expo. What a joy it will be to officially hand them over. I've said it before, but thanks cannot be said enough, thank you for all so many of you did to make this happen. Each and everyone of you are angles in my book.

PiChuan's Cape Pattern

This morning, I did a quick tour of Facebook and I came across this picture, I thought it was hilarious. I've actually seen that very same look on my husband's face. Poor man ;) I thought I would share the photo in the off chance that you might miss it. Hey, starting the day out with a little something funny is always a good thing, especially after we had ANOTHER 6" of snow yesterday. At least the sun is out today. Thank you Lord!!!!

A number of you commented on the cape that PiChuan made and I posted on last week's Wednesday Showcase.

I asked her if she would post the pattern that she used, and as it turns out, it's one that she drafted herself. She was so kind to post the detailed drafting of the cape,

Here's a link to the expanded post, http://uranusjump.blogspot.tw/2013/12/blog-post_29.html. I think you'll find what she did to be very interesting.
Thanks so much PiChuan!!

Monday Morning Inspiration

Well, I can't believe it, 3 to 6 more inches of snow today. ARG!!! I like snow, I enjoy winter....but I am ready for a break!! 

I have a beautiful piece of fabric from Africa that I would like to make up for a spring/summer outfit, so over the weekend I did a little looking around for some inspiration. I enjoyed the pieces I found so much, so I thought I would share some of the pictures with you this morning. I especially enjoyed how the prints were manipulated to achieve interesting patterns. 

This first piece I thought was sensational. The skirt is a little too ruffly for my taste, but I especially like the mix of the print with the gingham trim.

What a beautiful piece of WOW!! and it is just a simple pencil skirt.

This little jacket would look lovely over a pair of jeans, a skirt, or a simple pair of black slacks and a t-shirt.

I really like this, but I would lengthen the shorts a bit....to my ankles!!!

Love the striped shirt with the print.

The gloves are sensational, as is the dress.

Maybe a bomber jacket. Nice idea.

A simple dress, but I love the use of the fabric.

If all these beautiful fabrics have made you long for a bright and special piece of fabric, I found this site on Etsy, https://www.etsy.com/shop/TessWorldDesigns?ref=listing-shop-header-item-count. She has some very beautiful pieces. Some time back, I posted this top as a Fabulous Free Pattern Friday piece.

Many asked about where they might find fabric like this, well, she has a number of beautiful pieces similar to this.Here's an example.

 And a skirt made out of a piece like this.

The top that I made is a great spring and summer piece, well, that's if it EVER gets warm again!!!

Have a wonderful day. Hope something bright and cheery comes into your life today :)

Rhonda

Sunday Night Reflections

The moment you're ready to quit is usually the moment right before the miracle happens.

Don't give up!!!!

Sunday's Soup

I simply love cauliflower, however it is cooked. Recently, I was scrolling through Pinterest and I came across a soup called
Roasted Cauliflower and Aged White Cheddar Soup

If you like cauliflower, I STRONGLY encourage you to give this soup a try. It is wonderful.
When I went to the site to check out the recipe, I found out that the creator of this recipe is a guy named Kevin Lynch. He says, "I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen." Well, this soup is a winner. You can check out his website and take a look at the array of cookbooks that he has written, as well as this recipe here, http://www.closetcooking.com/2012/02/roasted-cauliflower-and-aged-white.html
Here's the recipe. As you can see, it is quite easy to put together.

Ingredients

• 1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 2 tablespoons oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon thyme, chopped
• 3 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth or chicken stock *
• 1 1/2 cups aged white cheddar, shredded
• 1 cup milk or cream
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Toss the cauliflower florets in the oil along with the salt and pepper, arrange them in a single layer on a large baking sheet and roast in a preheated 400F oven until lightly golden brown, about 20-30 minutes.
2. Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat, add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and thyme and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
4. Add the broth, deglaze the pan, add the cauliflower, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
5. Puree the soup until it reaches your desired consistency with a stick blender.
6. Mix in the cheese, let it melt without bringing it to boil again.
7. Mix in the milk, season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.

*Be sure to roast the cauliflower and don't skip that step. The roasting gives the soup a wonderfully rich taste. When it comes out of the oven it will be beautifully browned.

By the way, I did not use cream and quite honestly, I used skim milk. I couldn't be happier about how it tastes. I did add about an extra 1/2 cup of milk to get the soup to the consistency that I wanted. I also used vegetable broth rather than the chicken broth. Other than adding a little more milk, I made no other changes to the recipe. To serve the soup, I sprinkled just a bit of Thyme on top. 

Once again, if you like cauliflower...and cheese :), be sure to print off the recipe and give this soup a try. I know you won't be disappointed.