The Bazaar

I had dinner at The Bazaar last Saturday.  It was a great dinner despite the fact that I had some weird stomach issues going on.  But after waiting for 1.5 months for a reservation at a reasonable time, I was not going to let a little stomach bug keep me away.  You can enjoy just the visuals of our dinner selection or click any of the pictures to find out more details on flickr.

However to fully understand the experience, I have linked to an excellent YouTube video that explains the wonders of The Bazaar.

Good…wasn’t it?

Thread Count

Inspired by all the talk of thread over on Sew Mama Sew, I decided it was high time for me to catalog my thread.

This is something I have been wanting to do for a while because I am a stickler for thread color matching for projects,  I hate purchasing duplicate thread colors when it can be avoided, and would like to take advantage of the 50% off thread sales that happen at JoAnn’s now and again without the fear of coming home to find 3 spools of 2900 Maroon already waiting for me.

So I printed out the Coats and Clark Master Color Chart and the Color Conversion Chart, since their numbering scheme changed, and proceeded to adhere snippets of the thread colors I have to the master color chart.

I then slipped in into plastic sleeves that I can write on with a dry erase or wet erase marker to keep track of what colors I need and if I have duplicates somewhere.  I can also bring to JoAnn’s when the 50% sale happens, just in case I want to restock or expand my thread collection.

In other sewing news, I have quite a few almost finished projects.  My kingdom for a hemmer and someone else to do it for me

I also decided that I am not very good with creating wardrobes in the RTW or the DIY world but I think I might be able to pull off Themes…LOL!!! Hmmm…what should I call this theme?  Maybe I should call it the Manimal Collection because there sure are a lot of animal prints going on in there !

My Baby Came Today!

A day EARLY!!!! She is 4.8 oz, 4.5 inches.  I was absolutely amazed that FEDEX the stork would leave her at my doorstep unattended .  But she is safe now and I have 5 minutes to wait before I wake her from  initial charge her nap.  I am still thinking of baby names but I am so happy to have my new addition to the family.

The Trench Sew Along

I am not very good with “Along” participation.  Be it sewing or knitting, I am either before or way after but very rarely “Along”.  However, since the timeline on this one is pretty lax and the commitment level isn’t nearly as militant as some alongs  I thought I would give an this one a try.

• Trench Sew Along Schedule

  May 24 — June 24: Pick out pattern, trench coat research, fabric/notions gathering
  June 25 — August 25: Work on trench coat, commiserate, learn and don’t give up
  August 26 or whenever you finish: Wear trench coat bursting with pride and maybe a little disbelief at how awesome it is

My Trench Sew Along pick it The Tikva Trench from BurdaStyle.

I have some gorgeous medium weight stretch satin fabric that will look perfect with this.  I also want to get a fabulously colorful lining for the peekaboo effect.  Given I should probably be making a more practical trench but this one has been on my list since it first came out.  So Step 1 done.  However, since I am a procrastinator extraordinaire with a two month window to work with  don’t expect to hear much about step two for a little while to come

“New to Me” Blogs

With 300+ blogs on my Google Reader I thought I had all the good ones under surveillance.  But I guess that would be the equivalent of believing you could sail to the end of the world.  Little do you know you are just going in an endless loop discovering new things along the way.  Well, I thought I would share with you my “New To Me” blog discoveries.  Have Fun!

• Pattern Scissors Cloth -  Don’t know how I found here but she has great section in her sidebar called “Sewing ~ Tricks of the Trade”
• Petite Republic – I believe she is a newish blogger that was recognized for her awesome sewing via Burdastyle.
• Sown Brooklyn – This blog find was funny because I follow nettie on flickr and just happened to stumble on her blog via random linkage.
• The Cupcake Goddess – Once again I don’t remember how I found her blog but the buttonholes here and the dress here certainly kept me coming back for more.
• Jazz Couture – Since I am a huge international pattern magazine fan, Jazz Couture is right up my alley with creations from Burda and La Mia Boutique.
• Catherine Daze’s Blog -  This is the newest addition to my blog roll.  She has some great outfits but I absolutely LOVE this one.  Simple and yet perfect.

The Perfect Find

Today I ventured to Downtown LA to pick up some knit fabric.  After loading up with 12.5 LBS of fabric for $2.00/lbs at the Michael Levine Annex, I headed over to the main store to browse.  While there I stumbled upon the PERFECT fabric!

Have you ever seen a fabric and have your heart skip a beat?  Then you clutch the fabric close to your bosom and look around ready to snarl at anyone who dares challenge your find?  Then you hold it out to take another look to make sure it as perfect as you thought and then do a little happy dance in the head because it absolutely IS!

Well, that was me with this knit fabric.

I MUST find the perfect pattern for this print.   I have 4.5 yards to play with.  I want it to be kinda boho, long to play up the print, and maybe a creative butterfly sleeve treatment.  Does anyone have any suggestions on patterns? I am leaning to BWOF since it just seems to fit me without unnecessary fiddling but I am open.

Thanks,

The hoarder

Finished Object: Vogue 1086

This dress was another wadder that turned FO.  I started this one back in July 2009 during the great dress making fest and just petered out when it came to the hem and the need for some franken fixing in the bust area.  However, after the euphoria of finishing my white top I finally had the momentum to get this one done too. Yay Me!

Pattern: Vogue 1086

Pattern Description: Slightly flared dress, mid-knee, has princess seams, very loose-fitting bodice with yokes, forming cap sleeves, above waist midriff and left side zipper closure.

Pattern Sizing: B5(8-10-12-14-16)  Increased from a 16 to18  in hips

Fabric Used: Asian Print Stretch Cotton

Notions Used: 12″/14″ Invisible Zipper, Hooks and Eyes.

Pattern Alterations: Increased from a 16 to18  in hips. I made adjustments ala Erica B.’s suggestions – I also raised the neckline by almost 2 inches. I also raised the armscye.

The Good:

• That I waited until someone else had done this project…LOL!!   I made quite a few adjustments based on others experience, especially Erica B’s.  Without these changes I would have been mighty disappointed. I raised the neckline, which still gives some va va va voom action and raised the armscye which was quite necessary.
• I finally got to use this rather busy but pretty cotton print.  The material has a bit of stretch which was unnecessary for this project and actually caused me a bit of heart ache that I might have avoided had I had a non-stretch fabric

• I love the pretty gathers.  LOVE.THEM.

The Bad:

• My waistband fabric was not sturdy enough for this patterns so it shows the seam allowance after ironing.  I should have added some interfacing to give it some weight. However, the Catch22 of that hypothesis is the waistband fabric near the invisible zipper is pretty bulky or maybe I sewed it too close but zipping it up is quite a task.  It just seems to get hemmed up at the bottom of the band so I have to work it beyond the beginning of the band then then it keeps going just fine.  I guess it is only a matter of time before praying it doesn’t break isn’t enough and the poor thing gives way
• Originally this dress was going to be a muslin for a much more fabulous fabric, but alas I am unimpressed so this pattern will probably not be made again anytime soon.
• After decreasing the armscye I probably should have added back fabric to under the bust as it seems to be right underneath the girls.

The Ugly:

• After making all the alterations, my neckline still gave me trouble.  Some was due to the stretch fabric and the fact that I did not stabilize the neckline.  Ooops Ah well, it didn’t destroy it but did make it a little wonky…you live and you learn.  The other part was the pattern, in that the bust was still floating away from my body a bit as you can see in the pattern itself.  I had to do some Frankenstein fixing on the inside.  Amanda, with her amazing finishing skills, would have shuttered at the fix but better to wear than to wear not.
• I wish I had discovered tricot lining before finishing up this dress.  It needs some tailored details to hang better on the body due to the cotton.  Since I am going all Jguyver on this dress maybe I will do an after thought slip with some handstitching and hem tape to hide the madness.  Or do like a sane person would and make a slip

Conclusion?  It was okay, but I can’t say I love it so it won’t be made again anytime soon.

Finished Object: BWOF 01-2008-108

So here is my first FO of 2010!! It only took 2 years!!

Ah well, it has marked my on and off return to the sewing room so it deserves some kudos (instead of the stink eye) despite the ridiculous lag in completion time.

Pattern: BWOF 01-2008-108 Shirt

Pattern Description: Parisian chic presents a short, shaped blouse with a bib insert, tie- collar and puff sleeves! Team it with a beret, pencil skirt and ultra-long gloves for a trendy look.

Pattern Sizing: Burda sizes 34-42.  Increased to a 46 and again in hips to a 50.

Fabric Used: White on white striped stretch cotton shirting

Notions Used: 1/2″ Buttons

Pattern Alterations: Increased to a 46 and again in hips to a 50. Petite adjustments. 1/2″ swayback adjustment.  Increased sleeve band length

The Good:

• I love the results of my swayback adjustment!  This is my number one favorite feature of this FO.  I have to say it really did make the difference. Although I didn’t know it at the time, my swayback adjustment is exactly like the one done my The Slapdash Sewist so you can look there if you want to know which one of the many variants I used for this adjustment.
• The fact that this is my first white shirt and I actually feel like I will wear it.   I normally don’t wear white because it is such dirt prone color.  I mean is shows EVERYTHING.  This shirt is no exception, but I feel I will wear it because I made it.  One of the psychotic perks of sewing.
• That it is finally finished!! I believe I cut and began stitching this top back in 2008 for a PR wardrobe contest that I never finished.  After getting stuck on the button band with little to know time left to finish up, I had to throw in the towel on the contest which resigned this garment to two years in sewing purgatory.

• I love perfectly done topstitching and this garment pretty much has it.  I credit my patience and an adjustable blind hem foot.
• Thankfully I measured my bicep circumference before making the sleeve band. With my upsizing of the pattern, the total length of the sleeve band would have been 15 and I increased mine to 16.5 based on my measurements.

The Bad

• Because of the stretch in the fabric the bust point has some little wrinkles that make me sad.  But knowing all the work that went into all the topstitching and such I got over it quick

The Ugly

• Ok, so after reading the Burda direction two years later I was finally able to comprehend what the hell they were talking about in making the buttonband.  It was not that it was particularly hard, it was that is just didn’t seem to match up as I thought it should.  Later I found that although they state “no allowance at lengthwise edge of front band”  they did not mean eliminate BOTH seam allowances just the one that attaches to the shirt….at least I THINK that is what they meant.  Guess I will find out next time I make this top.

Overall, I really like this shirt and will make it again.  Next time I will probably use a different sleeve finish as a girl only needs so many puff sleeve blouses.

Pappardelle with Spiced Butter

With Pappardelle Noodles in the cabinet and a plethora of spices waiting to be used for a second time, 101 cookbooks recipe for pappardelle with spiced butter was calling my name. Well, nearly all of 101 cookbooks recipes call shout DEMAND to be made but I had the ingredients readily available for this one.  101 cookbooks is like finding the food or movie critic that you always agree with.  You know you can trust their taste even if you have you doubts or reservations.

This recipe was yet another win.  Super easy to make and uber delicious.  I love that this recipe used so many of the spices that I bought over time for particular recipes and have used very little of since – ground ginger, ground coriander, turmeric. Pine nuts are included, which I love, and think are essential for that yummy nutty flavor so don’t skimp.  Speaking of skimping, don’t skimp on the salt for the pasta either as I mistakenly did.  I think this recipe is great for an impromptu company visit as you all ingredients are easily stored or have frozen options readily available.

Saturday Morning Breakfast

Inspired by recipes here and here I made Baked Eggs for breakfast today

My version was a bit Jguyver-ish in that I did not have what the recipe called for or the proper baking vessels.  But in true Jguyver style I made do.

My baked eggs consisted of a multigrain sandwich thin (instead of bread bowl), two eggs, 2 strips of bacon, dollop of fat free milk (substitute for cream), frozen trader joe’s asparagus (substitute veggie for spinach and tomato), scallions, truffle salt, pepper, herbes de provence, Parmesan asiago cheese, topped with a little tarragon.  All this was baked in a mini loaf pan (substitute for ramekins or bread bowl).

I baked the entire concoction for 20 minutes @350F.

For my first try it was good, but because of the pan I should have had a much shorter cook time to just cook the whites and leave the yolks creamy and runny – between 10-15 minutes.

Needless to say,  I ate it all and it was good.

Indulgences

Ok Peeps, I know I owe you all a few FO posts but I have decided to go with whatever feeling hits me at the moment and ride the wave.  At the moment it is all about starting project and leaving the nasty bits (hems, slip stitches, fixing problem area) for another time.  However, the pics for the FO are taken so it should only be a matter of time before the tide turns back to blogging.

In the meantime, I wanted to share with you some new decisions and points of indecision.

Recently I had a bit of good financial luck and decided to spend it quite willy nilly instead of my normal financial rededication.    My very easy decision was buying a new camera bag.  I had originally had my heart set on a Lola bag, but since they were out of stock I broadened my search and found Kelly Moore bags.  I can’t say I was in love with their original design, but when I saw the B-Hobo in YELLOW I knew I had found what I was looking for.

Isn’t she gorgeous?!  And I found a $25 coupon code so I also saved a bit of moolah.  Sadly she will not be shipped until mid June, but I am sure she will be worth the wait

Now my point of indecision is because I have also decided to add a news lens to the lineup.  I am currently contemplating a 28mm, F2.8 (EF-S = 44mm) or a 35mm, F2.0 (EF-S = 56mm).

OR

I absolutely love my $99 dollar 50mm (EF-S = 80mm) but I just needed something a little more wide but equally sharp and able to take close-up pictures in low light.  I plan to try them both out this week and make my next splurge purchase but also wanted to find out if any of you had used either type and if you had a preference.  Either way I will share my finding with you once I have them both in hand.

Lastly, I plan on going to Napa with my BFF because I got a kickass deal on airline fares from Jet Blue.  Cost me $40.00 bucks for a roundtrip flight…WooHoo!!  We plan on eating at AdHoc by Thomas Keller so it should be a gastronomic splurge.

So anyhoo, I will get back to you on the sewing FO’s .  I hope you can bear with my new hedonistic attitude.

On a Roll

I was on a roll this weekend and after finishing my first unfinished project I dived right into another. With some Jguyer alterations and a quick hem I finished my second FO for 2010. Sadly my body didn’t like all the progress and is protesting so pics will have to wait for the weekend. However, knitting doesn’t take as much energy so there might be a finished Citron shawl in the near future.

Hmmm…I used to dread not finishing what I started but maybe this unfinished project stuff isn’t so bad afterall :0)

Check Out My New Ride

Look what followed me home yesterday from Big 5! Today I took them for a whirl and learned quite a few things about myself.

1. I am getting to that age where the fear of breaking things is pretty high.

2. Skating is NOT like riding a bike. It take much longer to get back in the swing of things.

3. Skating IS like getting back on the horse. You are scared, falling is highly probable, and you have to commit to the challenge by going full speed ahead.

4. Skating slow is like cutting with a dull knife. Although it may seem safer, you are much more likely to hurt yourself with a dull knife than a sharp one…same with skating speed.

After only 30 minutes my butt burned and I was pooped. Can’t wait to do it again next weekend!

Finishing Touches

So close to finishing my first finished object, sewn garment, craft ANYTHING for 2010!

Into the Wee Hours