Pattern hack: ruffle sleeve blouse

New Look 6672

Sometimes a girl needs a little ruffle. Even we decidedly un-flouncy types can use a little ruffle when it’s cut with pinked edges from a newsy, pinstripe denim.

I started with this fairly dull pattern from New Look. I added a couple of cap sleeves and ruffles to the basic band-collar blouse pattern (style C). I skipped the extra band of fabric at the bottom of the blouse (the pattern was plenty long for me without it) and I opted out of the trim on the collar placket.

Here is how to hack it from there:

1. Follow the directions on the pattern, as is. BUT before stitching the blouse side seams and hem, make the sleeves.

2. Make cap sleeves by cutting out two triangles of fabric for each sleeve, and stitching them together. The triangle pieces should be sized so that when the sleeve is folded, as shown in (3), the length of the two bottom edges is equal to the perimeter of the armhole, plus an inch for seam allowances.

3. Fold the sleeve piece in half to make a large triangle.

4. Insert the triangle into the armhole of the blouse and stitch. Finish stitching together the blouse at the side seams and hem.

5. To make each ruffle, cut two rectangles of fabric that are each as long as the perimeter of the armhole of the blouse. Use pinking shears for a zig-zag edge. For a more tailored look, you would need to hem the long edges of the ruffle. Cut the edge of each rectangle at opposite corners to make a tapered point so that the ruffle will taper at the “pit” of each armhole.

6. With right sides together, stitch the two ruffle pieces together along the short side.

7. Using a long machine stitch or hand-stitching, baste along the center-line of each ruffle. Pull the thread to make the ruffle  the proper length to wrap around the cap sleeve. Machine-stitch the ruffle to to the sleeve along the center-line.

Floral marble and lace necklace

This bauble was inspired by a photo in a fashion magazine and a drawer full of floral marbles left from the floral marble magnet heyday.

With a simple bow-tie closure and nude-colored lace, it’s girly enough, but the chunky marbles keep it from straying into frilly. Best of all, this necklace took about 20 minutes and 10 cents to put together.

What You Need:

Lace strip (3 inches by 24 inches)

7 glass floral beads

grosgrain ribbon

sewing machine and thread

hand sewing needle

scissors

What To Do:

1. Fold the lace strip in half lengthwise. Stitch 1/4″ from the edge to form a tube.

2. Trim the seam to reduce bulk and turn the tube right-side-out so the stitching is on the inside.

3. Put a floral bead into the lace tube and allow it to fall down to the center. Tie knots on either side of the floral bead. Thread three more beads on each side of the center bead. Leave each end of the tube un-knotted after inserting the last bead.

4. Thread a 12″ length of grosgrain ribbon into the lace tube to meet the last floral bead.

5. Hand-stitch the ribbon to the lace to secure it in place. Tie the ribbon and lace tube in a knot against the last bead. Trim away the extra lace.

Pumpkin soup with chipotle and lime

Do you know that feeling after you’ve been kissed– after lips have parted and before you open your eyes, that smoldering sensation that starts at your head and moves down, fluttering in your chest and warming your belly? This soup has a similar lingering smolder.

I created it to use some canned chipotle peppers I had left from another recipe. Those suckers are ferocious, so this recipe only uses one pepper. The recipe serves four as a starter or two as a light main course.

What You Need:

1/4 cup vegetable oil

canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

1 medium onion

1 tsp. cumin

1/4  tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

1 large russet potato

1 15-oz. can of pumpkin

1 tsp. salt

1 lime

What To Do:

1. In a blender (using a small canister if your blender has one) or with a wand blender, blend together the vegetable oil and one chipotle pepper (they’re hot!) reserve the rest of the peppers for a later use. Peel the potato and chop into 1-inch pieces.

2. Add two tablespoons of the chili oil to a medium saucepan. Heat the oil. Add the onion, cumin, cinnamon and clove. Sauté the onion until soft.

3. Add the chopped potato to the onion mixture. Add two cups of water, salt and the can of pumpkin. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to allow the soup to simmer for 20 minutes (until the potato is tender).

4. Pureé the soup in a blender and return to the pot. Juice 1/2 of the lime (if your lime is juicy or all of the lime if it’s kind of sad) and add to the soup. Garnish with dots of chili oil, if you like.

Serves four as a starter.

Tick-tock, it’s a recycled can clock!

The first guy to figure out that you could preserve food in a can (well, a glass bottle in those times) won 12,000 Francs from the very impressed French government.  You had to be quite wealthy to keep a stock of canned food through most of the 19th Century, and the snobby elite felt that it kept a comfortable distance between themselves and the farmers who actually touched (ew!) dirt and animals.

Of course, Andy Warhol made the humble can a pop culture icon, and currently there is a backlash against the farm-to-table movement that, once again, puts processed ingredients on the plates of fine diners.

Regardless of whether that midnight can of Spagetti-Os makes us smug with Victorian-era superiority, trendily anti-foodie (Spam t-shirt, anyone?) or just miserable with belly-gurgling regret, canned food happens.

This DIY clock project uses empty cans to create an open, lattice-like design. You can hang it in your kitchen and happily announce, “Hey! It’s pork-and-bean-thirty! Time for lunch. ” Or, “Look! It’s albacore-o’clock! Let’s have a snack!”

I can’t get enough of happy, bright citrus colors at the moment , so I painted my clock sunny yellow. You could use this basic technique to make a virtual honeycomb of cans– an entire lattice wall! If you have the time and appetite.

What You Need:

1 wide, shallow can (a can of water chestnuts works well)

8 narrower, shallow cans* (I used cans of diced green chiles)

can opener

permanent marker

drill

clock kit (including the clock mechanism and hands) made for a clock face 6 mm thick

E6000 glue

painters tape

spray paint

*Choose cans that have a defined ridge on both the top and bottom (some cans have rounded bottoms that can’t be removed with a regular can opener).

What To Do:

1. Open the wider can (removing the top only). Use or save the contents. Remove the label, wash and dry the can.

2. Mark the center of the can with a permanent marker. Using a bit the same diameter as the clock mechanism shaft, drill a hole through the center of the can.

3. Following the directions on the clock kit, disassemble all of the pieces screwed onto the clock shaft. Insert the clock through the can.

4. Re-assemble the washers and nuts (leaving the hands off for the moment). I kept the smallest “minute hand nut” on the shaft of the clock so I wouldn’t lose it (small, gold nut pictured here).

5. Open each of the narrower cans at both ends. Use or save the contents of the cans. Remove the labels, wash and dry.

6. You will create eight rings.

7. Arrange six of the rings around the top and bottom of the larger can, as pictured, to get an idea of the placement.

8. Apply a line of E6000 glue to one of the smaller cans and adhere to the larger can. If the can has writing on it or a bit of label stubbornly clinging to the metal, arrange the can so that the imperfect section will be towards the center can and not visible.

9. Glue a second can in two places: to meet the larger middle can and the first can.

10. Continue gluing six cans around the circumference of the larger can so that each is glued to the larger can and its neighboring smaller can(s). Allow this arrangement to dry.

11. After the glue has set, glue the last two cans so they look like the arrangement pictured.

12. Cover the exposed clock mechanism with a bit of painters tape. Working outside, paint the can arrangement with spray paint. Allow to dry and apply another coat. Paint the clock hands a different color.

13. Assemble the clock hands onto the clock shaft according to the clock kit instructions.

14. Insert a battery and hang on the wall.

Boo-berry costume (or any other round fruit you fancy)

There are a multitude of reasons for embarking on the great journey of motherhood, not the least of them being the tears-running-down-the-face hoots of laughter that come with dressing our little squirts in ridiculous costumes– especially those involving headpieces. I estimate that I have one more Halloween before J. starts to resist, but this year he is happily oblivious that he will be dressed as a piece of fruit.

Blueberries are J.’s favorite food. Hands down. We keep a warehouse-sized supply in the freezer, and it’s not too much of a stretch to imagine that he is destined to turn into a blueberry like the poor girl in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (“Violet! You’re turning violet!”)

This basic costume template could be used to make your little fruitarians into apples, oranges, peaches or even the ubiquitous pumpkins.

What You Need:

1/2 – 1 yard polar fleece

green felt

scissors

sewing machine and thread

2 feet of 1/2″ elastic

2 feet of 1″ elastic

What To Do:

1. Measure your kiddo’s shoulder width and the length from his or her shoulders to knees.

2. Make a quick paper pattern (or bravely draw a shape directly onto the fleece) that looks something like this, with a neckline 1.5 times as wide as the shoulder measurement, a total length as long as the shoulder to knee measurement and with armholes approximately 4″ long (measured top to bottom or 7″ along the curve).

3. With wrong sides together, stitch the shoulder seams and side seams.

4. Working on the underside of the costume, fold under a 1″ hem at the neckline and  armholes. Pin, then zig-zag stitch or serge. Leave a small area un-stitched where you will thread in the elastic. Fold under a 1 1/2″ hem at the bottom edge, pin then zig-zag stitch or serge. Leave a small area un-stitched where you will thread in the elastic.

5. Cut out 6-8 felt triangles that are approximately 7″ on their long edges for the leaves around the neckline and for the shoes. Cut out 3-4 triangles that are 3 1/2″ on the long edges for the leaves for the headpiece.

6. Working on the right side of the costume, overlap several large leaves around the edge of the hemmed neckline. Stitch in place at the very top of the neckline so that the neckline hem can still be used as a channel to thread through the elastic.

7. Fastening one end of the elastic to a safety pin, thread a length of 1/2″ wide elastic through the neckline (the elastic should be approximately 2x the shoulder measurement) and approximately 20-24 inches of 1″ wide of elastic for the bottom hem. Sew the ends of the elastic together to complete the loop and adjust the gathers.

8. To make the leaves for the shoes, fold over two large leaf pieces and stitch along the top edge. Unfold and attach to shoes with safety pins.

9. Sew three or four overlapping small, felt leaves to the center of a length of elastic for the headpiece. Sew the ends of the elastic together to make a loop.

Recipe Hack: Stuffed Bell Peppers

Last night’s dinner was inspired by this recipe. I hacked the recipe to add some extra spices and give it more of a Moorish-inspired Spanish flavor, I added some carrot for color (and nutrition!) and chopped dried apricot to provide some sweetness to balance the spice.

A couple of small bell peppers are much more fun to eat than one mammoth pepper, in my opinion, so I used six small peppers rather than four big’uns. I also discovered– hungrily tapping my foot by the oven– that the whole thing needed to be baked twice as long as recommended.

Other options: Use stock made for vegetarians– if you are one– instead of the chicken type. If you’re a carnivore, I think 1/2 lb. of browned ground meat of your choice would be an excellent addition. Anyhow, here’s my version of the recipe:

Ingredients:

6 small whole green bell peppers

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

3/4 cup long-grain rice

2 1/4 cups chicken broth

2 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted lightly

1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped

1/2 cup fresh or thawed frozen peas

2 carrots, peeled and diced

Halve the whole bell peppers lengthwise, leaving the stem ends intact, core and seed them, and in a large saucepan of boiling salted water blanch them for 3 minutes, or until they are just tender. Remove the peppers and invert them on paper towels to drain (they will soften while they stand.)

In a heavy skillet heat the oil and  sauté the onion, tomato, garlic, diced carrot and the spices over moderate heat, stirring, for 15 minutes.

Stir in the rice and cook the mixture, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the broth, bring the liquid to a boil, and simmer the mixture, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until the rice is barely tender.

Stir in the almonds, the peas,  and divide the mixture among the bell pepper shells.

Bake the stuffed peppers in an oiled baking dish, covered, in a preheated 325°F. oven for 30 minutes, or until the rice is tender.

Gifts for the Green Foodie: Mesh produce bags, a canvas tote and matching list notepad

It’s nearing halloween, and in the accelerated celebration that occurs in the world of retail, that means it’s time for Santa hats and red holiday ribbons. Eek.

I hate to grease the slippery slope hurtling towards the holiday season, but as a girl who makes most of her gifts, it’s time to get crackin’.

Each year, I try to come up with a few gifts that suit several people on my list. Then I can make them in quantity, personalize each, wrap, post and relax.

A percentage of the list is composed of mildly to vehemently eco-conscious food enthusiasts. Let’s call them the green foodies. This set of green grocery accessories is for them.

We’ve all been toting canvas grocery sacks around for the last few years, but many of us still guiltily peel plastic bags for our perishables from the giant spools in the produce department. Why not quickly stitch together a set of light, washable mesh bags to cut your favorite green foodie’s plastic consumption and boost their green clout?

You can make four of them from a 24×36″ mesh utility bag found at the local $1 store. Team them with a new, spruced-up canvas bag and a fabric covered notepad, and you’ve got a gift set!

Here’s what you need:

1 24×36″ mesh utility bag (check the $1 stores)

4 yards of 1/4″ to 1/2″ grosgrain ribbon

small safety pin

scissors

sewing machine and thread

canvas bag (I love Dharma Trading Company’s line)

scrap cotton fabric

fusible hem tape (like Steam-A-Seam)

What To Do:

1. Remove the nylon drawstring and plastic toggle from the utility bag. Discard.

2. Cut the utility bag into quarters (to get four pieces, each 12×18″).

3. There will be two two sections from the original bag that have top hems with only one side seam and no bottom seam. Turn each of these two inside-out and stitch 1/2″ from the open side and bottom to create a bag with three stitched sides and an open, hemmed top.  You may need to slightly stretch the mesh as you sew so that it doesn’t bunch. Turn right-side-out.

4. There will be two sections from the original bag that have bottom seams, only one side seam and no top hem. Turn each of these two  inside-out and fold over a 1″ hem for the top. Stitch. Stitch the side seam 1/2″ inch from the edge. Turn right-side-out.

5. You will now have four bags, each with two side seams, a bottom seam and an open, hemmed top. Attach a small safety pin to the end of a length of grosgrain ribbon. Beginning at the center-front of the top hem, feed the pin and ribbon through the hem. Push the pin and ribbon through the hem for and inch or two and then back out. Repeat, lacing the ribbon through the top hem to form a drawstring.

6. Knot each ribbon end and snip any frayed ends.

7. For the canvas bag: Cut a border of scrap fabric the appropriate dimensions for the top of the canvas bag, including 1/2″ allowance on all sides. Press under all edges 1/2″.

8. Use iron-on hem tape to secure the fabric border to the canvas bag. Stitch around the fabric border 1/4″ from the edge.

9. Make the fabric-covered note pad with additional scrap fabric, following the instructions here.

An Upcycled Sweater Project: beverage sleeve and coasters

You’ve heard of the Java Jacket. Consider this project the Ceylon Sweater.

I have a pile of sweaters I’ve rescued from thrift stores. At the sweater rack in the local Goodwill, I am like a crazy cat-lady let loose at the Humane Society. I have to take some home. Then I have to figure out what to do with them.

This beverage sleeve and coaster set was upcycled from a men’s Izod sweater. I was going for a handsome, streamlined gift for a handsome, streamlined kind of guy. For a preppy type, try argyle. Or black and white stripes and a skull patch for your favorite pirate. Or pink polka-dots for a girl-y girl. Tons of different knits out there need good homes!

These projects require just beginner sewing skills, and they take less than an hour to make.

What You Need:

cardboard Java Jacket to use as a template

marker (disappearing ink, if you like)

old sweater

1/4 yard 100% wool felt– do NOT use synthetic craft felt for this project- it’s not as heat tolerant (or pretty) as wool

fusible webbing (like Wonder Under or Heat-n-Bond)

velcro

sewing machine & thread

scissors

What To Do:

1. Using the java jacket as a template, trace with the marker and cut out one wool felt and one sweater piece of the same size.

2. Lay the sweater piece over the wool felt and position the velcro so that the hook piece will meet the loop piece when the sweater sleeve is wrapped.

3. Stitch each velcro piece in place.

4. Press the fusible webbing (paper side up) to the wrong side of the wool felt, using the heat settings described on the package. The webbing will keep the sweater from stretching and warping while you are stitching the sleeve together.

5. Peel off the paper backing and press the sweater to the felt, wrong sides together (sides with velcro each facing out).

6. Use a few pins to keep the layers securely in place and stitch around the perimeter of the sleeve, 1/8-1/4″ from the edge. Trim the edges to make everything neat and pretty.

7. For each coaster, cut a 4×4″ square of felt and a 4×4″ square of sweater. Fuse with webbing and stitch the edges as you did for the sleeve.

Sambar Wrap

“Sambar” sounds like the infinitive of a verb meaning “to dance to seductive rhythms in far-away places.” It’s actually a legume dish characteristic of Southern India.

Close enough.

The defining feature of sambar is the sambar masala (spice mix). I skip the fenugreek and some of the other more exotic ingredients found in a traditional sambar masala and use what I usually have on hand: cumin, cardamom, ginger, turmeric, crushed red chili pepper, a little shredded coconut and lots of black pepper. Simmered with yellow split peas, it makes a hearty vegetarian filling for a sandwich or wrap. Add some veggies and a drizzle of yogurt dressing, you say? Even better!

Ingredients (for 6 wraps):

1 onion

1 clove garlic

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon tumeric

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4-1/2 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes

pinch ground ginger

pinch ground cardamom

2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut (optional)

1/2 tablespoon butter

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup yellow split peas

3 cups water

1 heart of romaine

2 carrots

6 whole wheat tortillas

For the yogurt dressing

3/4 cup plain yogurt (fat content of your choosing)

1 lemon

more salt and black pepper

Steps:

1. Finely chop the onion and mince the garlic. Heat butter and olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add onion, garlic and spices. Add coconut if you like. Sauté until the onion is soft.

2. Rinse and drain the yellow split peas. Add to the saucepan. Add 3 cups water.

3. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer 45-60 minutes until the peas are completely soft. Allow to cool. Refrigerate to cool completely.

4. Remove the center ribs from the romaine lettuce leaves. To chiffonade the lettuce, stack several leaves and starting at the top, roll them into a tube.

5. Thinly slice the roll of lettuce to get long chiffonade strips. Repeat with additional lettuce leaves.

6. Trim and peel carrots. Using a vegetable peeler, make wide carrot ribbons. Stack several carrot ribbons and run the tip of the knife down the stack of carrots to make thinner ribbons.

7. Make the yogurt dressing by mixing the yogurt, juice of one lemon, salt and ground pepper. Use a fork to blend.

8. To assemble, spoon 1/6 of the sambar mixture on the bottom third of a whole wheat tortilla. Add lettuce, carrots and 1-2 spoonfuls of yogurt dressing. (If the wrap is going in a packed lunch, skip the yogurt dressing for now and pack it in a separate container so the wrap doesn’t get soggy). Fold one side over towards the center. Leave the other side open. Roll the tortilla up. Repeat with the other five tortillas or refrigerate the ingredients for later. Enjoy!

Mod Woods Nursery Suite

I like to imagine that somewhere there is a forest made of lollipops. These mod woods would be inhabited by a frog with a smile so big it’s become unhinged, a sweet little bird with messy feathers and a hedgehog hiding in the flowers.

These fabric collages include elements from wall hangings I made while expecting little J.

The originals were virtual kaleidescopes of different shapes and fabrics, prompting one visitor to remark, “SO…. This must be what it looks like when pregnant ladies do acid.”

Hmmm.

Taking into consideration that the “Electric Kool-Aid” motif might not suit the tastes of everyone else, I toned it down a bit this time and made a whole menagerie of templates and tutorials (links at the bottom of this post).

I threw in some instructions and templates for a crib blanket and nursery chair pillow for baby shower gifts or your own little hedgehogs.

For experienced sewers, it will be a breeze– you probably just need the templates. For beginner sewers, you can learn how to appliqué , work with piping and make an overlap pillow cover!

You can now upload your photos of projects inspired by the blog into the new Tenth Muse Studios flickr group photo pool!

Links:

Mod Woods Nursery Suite Tutorial

Frog Template

Bird Template

Hedgehog Template

Branch & Butterfly Templates

Grass & Flower Templates

Trunk & Leaf Templates

Nursery Pillow Template