I wrote a couple of days ago that I was making a dress and I’d share pictures.  You might have noticed that that dress was blue.  This one is orange.  Well, I made another one.

Simplicity 1577 is addictively easy  to make, especially with the changes I made.  It also [...]]]>

My favorite one yet

I wrote a couple of days ago that I was making a dress and I’d share pictures.  You might have noticed that that dress was blue.  This one is orange.  Well, I made another one.

Simplicity 1577 is addictively easy  to make, especially with the changes I made.  It also takes just under three yards of fabric, which is pretty darn good for a dress with a full skirt.

It takes only about 5 hours total, from cutting out to finishing the hand sewing.  And that includes making bias binding and pre-ironing the fabric.  I can make one of these over the course of a couple evenings, or whip one out on a Saturday.

A little hand sewing never hurt anyone.

Next, I’ve got to make this in a rather not-me-but-I-love-it silver-with-gold-sequin fabric for a wedding I’m going to in a few weeks.  Then, I’m going to make myself another fun one!

You can read my complete review of this pattern (including what changes I made to it) at PatternReview.

This is actually my second wearable muslin.  Before I cut in to the fabulous fabric I bought, I wanted to make sure that I [...]]]> It’s been a while since I sewed anything for myself, but I have a wedding to attend in a couple weeks, and I wanted to make a new dress for it.

This is actually my second wearable muslin.  Before I cut in to the fabulous fabric I bought, I wanted to make sure that I had the pattern tweaked to my satisfaction.

I’m starting with vintage pattern Simplicity 1577 (discovered from the always-wonderful Dress A Day blog), and removing the collar, lowering the neckline, and flattening out the pockets. I also needed to grade the waist up a smidge, so I took out one of the waist darts on the front.

My first try was very close, and just needed a few more tweaks. Here it is, all cut and ready to be sewn, in a fabric I had one hand.

Why is it that no matter how much I iron the fabric, it always looks as if I've never touched it?

 I’ll get a picture when I’m done!

Daffodils. In January.

This is not right.

Chickens don’t normally lay eggs in winter and this one is small and a little misshapen, but it’s an egg!

It’s probably from Noodle, since only she and Fricassee lay brown eggs, and Frickin’ Chicken didn’t lay an egg most of last year. We installed a heat lamp and [...]]]> We got an egg!

Chickens don’t normally lay eggs in winter and this one is small and a little misshapen, but it’s an egg!

It’s probably from Noodle, since only she and Fricassee lay brown eggs, and Frickin’ Chicken didn’t lay an egg most of last year. We installed a heat lamp and I think that might have precipitated this.

I’m going to have it for breakfast.

He’s so fierce!

(He’s a feather [...]]]> Since Spike is about the same size as my camera and the big scary thing freaks him out, I don’t often get pictures of him.  But, I had my phone out taking a picture of the girls, so I decided to freak him out by getting some video.

He’s so fierce!

(He’s a feather plucker, which is why he looks so raggedy.  Don’t judge.)

What are you looking at?

Kale in winter, a little droopy, but just fine!

We actually have some other kale that [...]]]> Wile we’ve had a mild winter so far this year (today, it’s 50 degrees and raining, which is what it’s normally like in November here, not January), this is pretty typical for kale in winter in central Ohio.

Kale in winter, a little droopy, but just fine!

We actually have some other kale that has happily lived through about three winters now.  It doesn’t always look the greatest, but it sure tastes good!  Today, I’ll be harvesting some of this to add to some sweet potato white bean soup that’s cooking in the slow cooker.

Kale is easy to grow and thrives on benign neglect.  Give it a shot in your garden this spring!

The main thing I did last spring was to start using Green Bean Delivery, from whence I get a big bin of vegetables delivered straight to my house every week. Besides making shopping [...]]]> One of the things I’ve been trying to do lately is to make it easier and cheaper to cook good, healthy food.

The main thing I did last spring was to start using Green Bean Delivery, from whence I get a big bin of vegetables delivered straight to my house every week. Besides making shopping easier, I find I feel guilty if I don’t eat everything in the bin every week, so I eat more veggies.

If I can’t use everything I’m trying to make a real effort to freeze or otherwise preserve it.  I’ve chopped and frozen peppers, sweet potatoes, broccoli, spring onions, garlic, cilantro, squash … not only does that reduce my waste, but it makes it a lot easier for me to get meals together quickly since things are chopped and ready to go. My mom got me a foodsaver which makes sure that freezer burn isn’t an issue.

I also make and freeze beans. I’ve been doing that for a while now, but with the foodsaver, I make a pound at a time, which takes the same amount of time as making a smaller amount.  Now I usually have black beans, chickpeas, and another random bean in the freezer.

Making my own bread is another way I’m making my cooking life easier and cheaper. Since I’m using the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day method, I’ve always got dough ready for a quick pizza or stromboli.

Here’s what I made for dinner last night:

That’s a Thai pizza with homemade crust, frozen peppers, broccoli (the rest got blanched and frozen), frozen spring onions, faux chicken, on a sauce of roasted peanuts, frozen cilantro, frozen garlic, frozen ginger, soy sauce, and crushed red pepper. One of the best pizzas I’ve ever made.

Not bad for a spur of the moment idea just using stuff I had around the house!

Gone to the Canfield Fair.

By the cow barns, I believe

Gone to an OSU game (though I’m done with college sports, especially football).

I can't remember who OSU played

Spent many days with our elderly [...]]]> Yes, it’s been a while, but since August, I have …

Gone to the Canfield Fair.

By the cow barns, I believe

Gone to an OSU game (though I’m done with college sports, especially football).

I can't remember who OSU played

Spent many days with our elderly pups.

If you look in the back, you can see Cordy hiding in the shade

Had a lovely holiday and 12-day vacation.

Pink stars! Yay!

Happily lazed around for those 12 days with the family.

A lazy day at home

(sorry for the lack of picture before.  apparently wordpress for android is being testy.)

It’s really that time of the year now! Yesterday, I canned four things: crushed tomatoes, pickles, tomatillo jam, and strawberry-blackberry jam.

For the crushed tomatoes I got to use my new food mill strained thingy and it’s fantastic! I crushed tons of tomatoes in minutes!

So this is it. A 45 gallon plastic tub with cups for food and water attached to the sides and holes cut to slide a perch through.

Not exactly the Hilton, but pretty comfortable for a recovering chicken.

Noodle seems to be a bit better today. She showed some spunk when I gave [...]]]>

So this is it. A 45 gallon plastic tub with cups for food and water attached to the sides and holes cut to slide a perch through.

Not exactly the Hilton, but pretty comfortable for a recovering chicken.

Noodle seems to be a bit better today. She showed some spunk when I gave her medicine and ate some scratch grains. She’s still a bit dehydrated (her comb isn’t nice and firm), but she is drinking water.

Time will tell if she beats whatever infection it is that she has

She has her own deluxe infirmary in the basement, and she is feeling [...]]]> So shortly after losing our little Dumpling, another one of our hens, Noodle, is ill. The vet isn’t sure what exactly is wrong with her, but knows she has an infection. She’s home with is now with two antibiotics and a painkiller.

She has her own deluxe infirmary in the basement, and she is feeling better than she did yesterday.  Here’s a picture of her new digs. I’ll try to get a better one tomorrow.

Today I made “Sundried Tomato Chutney” and “Barbecue Relish” from Small-Batch Preserving and “Feisty Red Pepper Ketchup” from Well Preserved.  All promise to be quite tasty!