house on hill road

My Sorbetto Top - a muslin

I stumbled across the Sorbetto Top over on Grosgrain and wanted it to make it right away. It's a freebie by Colette Patterns so I figured it was worth a try. I pulled this blue and green print out of the stash. I've had this piece of fabric for a number of years, but hadn't done anything with it. It was something like $2.00 a yard making it perfect for a muslin.  And as much as I would rather skip this step, I know I have to make the muslin. So I did.

The pattern is a pdf download (25 pages - you have been forewarned!) that you cut out and tape together.  Trust me on this: trace your pattern from the taped together one. This will allow you to trace another size if you need to without having to tape those pages together again. I'm so glad I did this because, as suspected, I will be making changes for fit. I went with the size 10 which seems to be the right size for me overall. The darts are too high and I need to add about 4" to the length, but otherwise it fits.  I think it would be more flattering on me if the neck line were a bit lower and more scooped. That should be easy enough to change, too.

The top came together super easily and really fast. The directions are very well written and I love the way the bias tape is applied and joined. I'll be using that trick again! I did use pre-made bias tape because I had it right there, but I think I will make my own bias tape on the next one. The pre-made I had on hand is too wide at 1/2" folded. 1/4" folded would be much better.

If I play my cards right, I might get another muslin finished this weekend. Gotta love a three day holiday! Hope you are enjoying yours.

Big batch margaritas

I'm pretty transparent and steadfast about the things I love. If you've been hanging around here for any length of time, you know that. I often spout about my love of the color green. And limes. And margaritas. And peonies. And champagne. And fabric. (OK - no fabric links...too many to chose from!) I could go on, but I won't.

For my 40th, I wanted food with Mexican flavors and margaritas. That's all. And because I'm picky (that may be an understatement) about my margaritas, I said I would make them. What I didn't know was how to translate my favorite recipe that yields one or two cocktails into the large volume a party requires without making them too booze-y or too sweet.

So, I hit Google. I typed in "big batch margaritas". I clicked on this recipe, looked at it and then adapted it to my tastes. I was planning on doing the same thing Jeffrey does: buy cheap bottled water by the gallon, use it to water the plants or cook pasta or whatever, and reuse the plastic gallon jug. There was some higher math involved as we extrapolated one recipe into five. But once they were made, with one taste, I knew it was close to my favorite recipe. Here's what I did:

Big Batch Margaritas, adapted from A Gallon of Margaritas by the Gallon by Jeffrey Morgenthaler

6 c silver tequila

2 1/2 c Cointreau

5 c freshly squeezed lime juice (10 - 12 limes generally yields about 2 c)

2 c simple syrup ( I used a 1 to 1 ratio of sugar to water)

Mix everything in a gallon container and then refrigerate. Serve on the rocks with salt and a lime garnish. (If you put it into an empty gallon water jug, you will need a funnel to avoid spillage.)

If you have leftovers (pshaw!), pour them into a freezable container and pop them into the freezer. Once frozen, you can have leftover margarita slushies as wanted. I know because we have 6 frozen quarts at the ready. Thank you to Alicia for that brilliant idea! I've got cocktails covered for most of the summer.

Happy weekending folks!

Now I am 40

I had a milestone birthday on Sunday. And as much as some people might not relish those larger, even numbers, I think this one is pretty dang great.  I'm still beaming from all the goodness and processing everything that happened this past weekend. Fatty threw me a lovely party and Rachel was in town for it. While I knew about the party, they (I'm including you, Caroline and Marcia!) managed to surprise me with some unexpected guests. It was wonderful to see Alicia and Heather again so soon after our weekend this past winter. And I think my eyes may have popped out of my head when Leslie walked through my door! It was such an unexpected treat to meet her after being friends for so many years. I'm humbled and flabbergasted that these ladies traveled so far to celebrate with me. It was the icing on the cake, so to speak, and my only regret is that we didn't get to spend more time together. Oh! And that I didn't take more pictures. Regardless, I am so grateful for their friendships and all of my other family and friends who made turning forty even sweeter than I could have imagined. I feel blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful people.

World of Geekcraft Winner

I chose the number 40 so the winner of World of Geekcraft by Susan Beal is Mandy!

Congrats! Mandy, email me your contact info and I'll mail this off to you right away.

Random bits for Tuesday

The peonies in my yard are blooming. Yippee!

Kids Clothing Week Challenge, days 6 and 7 = FAIL. I kind of thought that might happen. Our weekend was planned out to the max - dinners out Friday and Saturday, 4 soccer games and a piano recital. Not a stitch was sewn, nor any fabric cut. So be it. I'm pretty happy that I managed 2 nightgowns and something else for each of the girls. And for those of you that asked, I will try my best to do a skirt tutorial in the next week or so. It's really easy to make. I just need a little time to make another and write it all up.

With the help of my college-aged neighbor and babysitter, I've been whipping the sewing room and the adjoining playroom into shape. We are *so* close to getting it trashed out. It's amazing how much junk I have in there. I have officially run out of shelf space (again) so I am going to have to get some projects finished or let some fabric go....

Did you see Blair's stump tables? My neighbor took down two huge trees yesterday and today and I'm kicking myself for missing the opportunity to snag one or two of my own.

Geekcraft winner will be announced in a separate post - probably tomorrow.

Hope Tuesday is treating you well.

KCWC - days 4 and 5

Day 4 was a total bust. Nothing happened sewing-wise. Nada. That's just the way it goes sometimes.

Day 5 was more successful. I used the scraps leftover from Jane's summer skirt to make Kate a summer halter top. I had just enough fabric to make this work. Seriously. There is nothing left.

I used a top that fits Kate well and traced it for a pattern. The bottom is hemmed, but all the other raw edges are covered using bias binding I made out of unbleached muslin. You can't tell very well in the photo, but the center front is slightly gathered.  In the back, I used the binding as a casing for 1/4" elastic so it fits snuggly.  Just like Jane's skirt, it fits well now, but we won't get more than one season out of it. I really should have bought 1.5 yards of the patchwork fabric instead of one. Live and learn.

The best part? Jane wore her skirt to school yesterday and Kate wore her top to dinner last night. Nothing could make me happier.

World of Geekcraft - Book Review and Giveaway

I'm today's stop on the blog tour for Susan Beal's newest book, World of Geekcraft, Step-by-step Instructions for 25 Super-Cool Craft Projects.  I'm going to begin by saying that Susan Beal is a crafting superstar. Truly! I am in awe of all this woman does.  She's the author of Modern Log Cabin Quilting, Bead Simple, Button It Up and writes for many publications including Craft and Stitch. All of her books take a fresh approach to crafting and World of Geekcraft is no different.

This book is a ton of fun. I don't really consider myself all that geeky - I never played D&D and I wasn't a big Star Trek buff. But when I got my hands on World of Geekcraft, I realized that there must be a little bit of geek in me because these projects spoke to me.  The book takes all your favorite geeky loves and gives you a craft to make for them.  The projects are done in different media - cross stitch, sewing, cake decorating, painting, beading and more. They also cover the widest range of geeky games, books and shows - everything from old school favorites like Star Wars, Mario and Dungeons and Dragons to more recent geek loves like Harry Potter and Lost. There is really a project for you, or someone you know, in this book.

My favorites include:

The Coraline sewing kit - I know one 11 year old that would LOVE to have this.

The Choose-Your-Own Geekery Coffee Sleeves - you could make one of these for any geek affiliation you have.

The Harry Potter Baby and Toddler Costume - So cute and really adorable for Halloween or any toddler's dress up box.

And how about the Pow! Zap! Magnets for your refrigerator?

Susan and Chronicle Books have graciously offered a copy of the World of Geekcraft to one of my readers. If you are interested in winning, leave a comment on this post by Sunday night at 5:00 p.m. EST. I'll use the random number generator to pick a winner.

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I'm still plugging away at the Kids Clothing Week Challenge and my other to-do list. I'll be back with a report on that over the weekend.  See you then.

KCWC - day 3

Chambray and madras and patchwork? Yes, please.

I made this summer skirt for Jane. I got her approval on the fabric before I started cutting. It's a super simple skirt. And super preppy, which I love. I wanted something for her that wasn't heavily gathered or twirly because, at age 11, she prefers clothing that isn't too fussy. I drafted it this morning, cut and sewed it this afternoon. The skirt came together very quickly and it's so easy that I'll probably make a few more. It's a smidge a-line with a faux-drawstring in the front middle.  The waist is actually an elastic casing with the ribbon sewn to the elastic so it'll never fall out. Gotta love that.

I took some time to line up the seams and didn't have enough fabric to get the exact length I was hoping for. That bit about allowing extra to match plaids? Yep. I forgot about that. Anyhow, the length will be fine for this summer, but on the next go round, I'll definitely make it an inch or two longer.

The next two days are going to be busy, but I'm determined to keep up with my one hour of sewing a day. I'm also checking things of the to-do list. How's it going for you all?

KCWC - days 1 and 2 - nightgowns

Nightgowns!

I never got around to the Kids Clothing Week Challenge yesterday. I spent a lot more time dealing with the family room bookcases and didn't even finish those. I went to bed exhausted, but with a plan. I'd make up for day 1 by doubling my sewing effort on day 2. Check and check.

The nightgowns are exactly like the ones I made earlier this spring with the exception of the ruffled hem. I decided to skip that on this round. Please ignore the rumply look happening in the photo above. I was too lazy to find a place to hang them where there is decent light and, more obviously, couldn't be bothered with laying them out properly.  Anyhow, this time Kate is getting the dot and Jane is getting the floral. I started cutting at about 10:30 this morning and finished both of them by 12:20. Quick and relatively painless - I did have to recut my binding strips for the green one and mess around with the serger a little. Without those setbacks, I could have finished these in about 1.25 hours.

I still have to finish the bookcases and then check another item off of my other list - clean out the car, maybe?  I would love to squeeze in some more sewing later today as I have a good idea for a skirt for Jane. I'd better get chopping.

This is the week I get things done

Last week was crazy busy in the best way. We celebrated my dad's birthday and Mother's Day with some horse racing smashed between. All good, but exhausting. I woke up this morning to the realization that this is the beginning of the last three weeks of school. 14 full days and 1 half day left. It's going to fly by with the field trips and special events.  There is so much I want to accomplish before my days are filled with swimming and sunblock and time is running out. I made a list of chores that need doing and have committed to crossing at least one off every day. I started last night by going through Jane's drawers. All winter clothes are stored, outgrown clothes are in the hand-me-down pile. Check. I also started cleaning and organizing the family room bookshelves and will finish those today. Some of the items on this list can be accomplished rather quickly and others will take a big time commitment (the sewing room, ahem). I figure if I can attack one of these items every day, this house will be in great shape within a week or two.

It is also the beginning of Kids Clothing Week Challenge and I'm in. I don't have any specific plans beyond another set of nightgowns. My kids are pretty well kitted out for the summer - the only holes in their wardrobes are dresses and skirts. I have one Japanese craft book that has clothing in larger sizes (130, 140, 145, 150) that I am going to use as a starting point. The silhouettes are very simple and look like they will come together pretty fast. And when I'm finished sewing for the girls, it's back to my dress.

So yeah, it's the week I get things done. How about you? What are you up to?

Meet Gumbo

Gumbo is Jane's newest stuffed animal. She made Gumbo yesterday all on her own, using the sewing machine that the girls received for Christmas. I helped thread the machine, taught her how to pivot the fabric with the needle down and was at hand for little issues.  The rest Jane did on her own. She was super pleased with her creation and I think she should be. It's a big accomplishment to set out to design a project, make it and see it through to the end, mistakes and all. I'm very proud of her.

I was in the middle of sewing my dress when Jane decided to start this project. The timing wasn't optimal for me - I can't tell you how many times I had to put down my sewing to help with hers - but I am glad that I was present to help Jane make Gumbo. Watching her create this was a joy and as we were working, I was happy to set aside what I wanted to do right then and join her. These moments don't come often and when they do, I'm going to grab them.

And the dress? Well, that's entirely different story.