Bundle of Lime

I can't believe how much time has gone by since I last created an entry! I have been busy entertaining myself by learning more about fitting and how to use my sewing machine more effectively. My most recent venture is the Sewing with Knits class on Craftsy . Much of the class is stuff that I am somewhat familiar with, but going through the lessons is giving me more confidence as I trudge through the unfamiliar territory of stretchy fabrics. I always felt that even though I could sew stretch knits with my regular sewing machine, I really needed a Serger to do it nicely. I now know that this is totally not true and I'm really happy with my recent finished products. As a result of what I've learned, I recently got myself a double needle for stretch fabrics. Why did I not do this sooner?!? I love the polished look that a double needle adds to a garment. Another favorite new venture is the wide world of pdf patterns. This might be common place to most everyone else out there ...

I was inspired the other day by this post, the  stripe tee DIY tutorial , and decided I had to make my own. I scoured a local shop for some basic t-shirts that I liked and settled on a (rather bland when plain) oatmeal tee. Suzannah used gold spray paint for her tee but I already had some fabric paint on hand that I use for silk painting, so I opted to go with that instead. I decided too that the metallic copper would set off the oatmeal color nicely. Since I was going to stipple the paint on with a brush (rather than spray painting), I just blocked off the areas to paint with masking tape. I also placed a layer of craft paper inside the shirt to keep the paint from bleeding through to the back. I located the front middle of the shirt, marked it off with straight pins and then measured from there using a quilter's ruler that I happened to have laying around (honestly, any ruler will do though).     My stripes were 1.25" tall with a 1" s...

I feel like it's been forever since I was last inspired to post something. Earlier in December, I trekked to my mother's house 3 states over from the one that I currently live in, and before leaving for her house, I dug out a scarf that I started at her house over a year and a half ago. I always take a portable project when I travel. The last time I visited my mom, I stopped in Coralville, IA at Crazy Girl Yarn Shop (which sadly is now closed !) and bought some Dale of Norway: Dalegarn Helio in a burnt orange and deep plum colors. Once at my destination in Indiana, I decided to design my own scarf with it. And after almost 2 years in the making, viola! I seem to have this thing for a picot edge, and wanted to design a scarf to be knitted length-wise. I added the ribbing detail on the ends and three cables throughout the length of the scarf to hopefully keep it from curling up. I originally got through the purple section when I started the scarf way back when. Unfort...

Pumpkin contains vitamin A, vitamin C, fiber...so why not put it in cookies? A co-worker brought in the most delicious cookies the other day and I had to try one despite the fact that they were made from a traditional recipe (i.e., with wheat flour). They were delicate...scrumptious...the perfect balance of crunchy and chewy. I asked her what they were, and when she replied, "Pumpkin spice cookies," I knew that I had to try a gluten-free version. With a base recipe found  here  for inspiration, I came up with the following recipe: 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 cup coconut sugar 1/4 cup maple syrup 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 -15 oz can pumpkin 1 cup millet flour 1 cup oat flour 1 cup gf pancake mix (I recently discovered one from Costco that is turning out to be very multi-purpose) 1 1/3 cups old-fashioned oat meal 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons guar gum 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon ginger 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1 teaspoon salt 1...

Since I haven't had a chance to post lately and I am not quite ready to share my most recently-completed project, I've decided to share one of the recent finds that I am coveting. A friend sent a link to me not too long ago for a women's reversible smoking jacket . Drool! I have some dark purple and black brocade fabric that I've been sitting on for longer than I'd like to admit. The intention has always been to turn it into a jacket someday, but I think I may have to try my hand at making a reversible jacket. They also have a  men's reversible smoking jacket . The idea of Betabrand is rather unique (at least to me). Designers can submit their designs and if the design gets enough votes, it will be turned into a Betabrand product. Pretty cool! I love seeing what other designers come up with. It motivates me to be more creative myself. What inspires you to work on your creative projects?

For my first sewing project (to get me back into the swing of making clothing AND re-establish my confidence in this whole process), I decided to make something that would be very forgiving and useful that I could screw up on and no one would ever care...pajama pants. My old ones are shredded from being so worn, and new ones are hard to find for some odd reason. So when I was at Hancock Fabric late one evening, I picked up this pattern:     It is a basic and very inexpensive pattern. And, the pants turned out to be a lot of fun to make! For the fabric, I used a ridiculously soft 100% cotton plaid that I fell in love with and wanted to wrap myself in (also from Hancock Fabric). This picture doesn't do the finished product justice, but how much shape does  pair of pajama pants really have anyway?   I adjusted the length of the pants before cutting the pieces out. Another adjustment that I will make on future pants from this pattern is in the waistband...

This past Friday was my birthday. Plans were originally minimal but the festivities started early. On Tuesday, we had a flourless chocolate cake at work, baked by my boss's husband. Her husband's recipe is a particularly scrumptious one (and secretive - I have been trying to get the recipe from him for a couple of years now). It is also so rich that the total servings listed as 12 on the recipe are actually more like 30. Even after everyone at work had a sliver, I was still left with over half a cake for myself (the remains of which are now in my freezer for later). After several other food-centered (but non-birthday related) events at work between Tuesday and Thursday, Friday was the beginning of my long weekend and my actual birthday. I planned ahead to make this Flourless Chocolate Hazelnut Cake . After assembling but before trying any of it, I had an impromptu lunch with my friend Cindy at Olive Garden. Saturday consisted of yet another lunch with some other friends at my...