Finally! I made a vintage dress. It’s from an original 1952 Vogue pattern.
I took a few short cuts, but some of the instructions seemed silly and more complicated then needed.
I started it last night and finished it this morning. going to wear it to work with pearls (of course) and barrettes in my hair.
I’m one of those people who likes to hate plant foods just by looking at them. Usually I manage to avoid ever having to eat them at all, unless I find myself eating dinner in another person’s home in which case I take a “no thank-you portion”.
Really, I think most people should know by now that only lettuce should be served as a garnish for me, but thanks to those who don’t I’ve added 2 new veggies to my list of likes: Asparagus and Rhubarb. For those closest to me who are now peeling themselves off the floor, it is cause for celebration! Here’s a lovely low fat Rhubarb cake I got from cooking light magazine.
SOUR CREAM RHUBARB SNACK CAKE:
Streusel:
1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. To prepare cake, combine rhubarb and 2 tablespoons flour in a medium bowl; toss well to coat.
3. Place brown sugar and 5 tablespoons butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add sour cream, rind, and vanilla; beat until well combined.
4. Lightly spoon 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, baking soda, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and salt, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until combined. Fold in rhubarb mixture. Spread batter into a 9-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray.
5. To prepare streusel, combine turbinado sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in 2 tablespoons butter with a pastry blender or 2 forks until mixture is crumbly; stir in nuts. Sprinkle streusel evenly over batter. Bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Simplicity # 2886
I’m a lot happier with this dress than the last one.
The lines on the bodice are much better because it’s lined rather than having facings. I managed to use left over fabric from the dress for the lining and saved myself the expense of buying extra material.
I also preferred doing the pleats instead of gathering. It took longer to get it precise, and I still think I didn’t make them straight enough. The skirt kinda billows and I’m afraid that people might think it’s a maternity dress if I wear it. You know, women of a certain age wearing an empire waist is always a recipe for embarrassment.
Here is the finished product on “mini-me”. It’s tighter on the mini-me than on me so I need to rename the dress form to something more appropriate. All suggestions are welcome!
I know you all have been waiting with baited breath to see what I was able to pull off on a long weekend.
I’m actually very pleased with how this turned out. It’s not perfect of course, how could it be? I haven’t sewn a dress since 1989. It was really easy to get the fitting of the dress perfect, having the dress form that I made with mom last weekend. There was one small hitch; I had to add darts in the back after I had put on the neck facings, but since it was my first go that was nothing, and with the material being really cheap and the style cute, it’s still not going to be my favourite dress ever.
Because everything went really well and only took me a day and a bit to finish, I’m going to go for a vintage pattern for my next project. something with a fitted skirt and bodice. Very Jackie O. You will have to stay tuned.
Thanks to Lauren for lending me her sewing machine until I get my own.
Now all we need is a Fabricland in town. There are too many fabric stores in this area dedicated solely to quilting. Maybe I haven’t had a good enough look around yet, if you know of any good places to get fabrics for garments, let me know.
And in keeping with my type, I’ve been exploring other avenues for my creative outlet other than cooking…
Of late, I’ve been really interested in trying my hand at sewing. Obsessing over the idea really. I even went as far as ordering vintage dress patterns online (fortunately they are pretty cheap), and just this weekend got my mom to help me make this:
Ya, now you want a custom dress form too, I can tell (they are sooo flattering), but making one of these is not for the faint of heart, I started getting light headed as mom started wrapping me in the 2nd out of 3 layers of Duct Tape.
Here’s my first kick at the can:
I’m doing the one on the bottom right. Although the one in the middle looks super cute too so if all goes well I may add the sleeves and the do-dad on the front.
In all, I’m sure everything will turn out perfectly and I will be starting my new fabulous career as a vintage dress maker by the end of the summer. How do I know this? Because I took it as a sign when my hair stylist offered to give me his brand new sewing machine. Plus my personality type didn’t indicate a tendency to exaggerate or get way ahead of myself.
This is what happens when I see a sale and I have too much time on my hands. Or really, I’m looking for reasons to procrastinate.
So I was making lasagna for supper and needed to grab some cottage cheese from the grocery store, the closest being the Wholesale place. And there in the meat section at 50% off was a whole beef strip loin.
Yes, this is what $35 can buy…sometimes, and it is ungraded but whatever, we will just throw in a little more salt.
So 10-12oz steaks and 2-3lb roasts (one I turned into stew beef) later, my freezer is once again full and efficient, and we are ready for bbq season!
This is odd but I couldn’t find an appropriate song.
I just spent the morning at the Elmira Maple syrup Festival with friends. I think it’s one of the craziest food fests around. Boasting itself to be the world’s largest 1 day Maple Syrup Festival, the small town of about 7000 swells to 50k+
I was hoping to a better job of documenting the various food vendors, but the weather didn’t cooperate and we had to quickly make out way through the throngs of people and a wind-chill of –7. Here is a list of what I remember tempting our taste buds:
| Pancakes | Apple Fritters |
| French Toast | Maple Sugar |
| Funnel Cake | Deep Fried Mars Bars |
| Giant Dill Pickles | Turkey Drumsticks |
| Sausage in a Bun(Polish,Oktoberfest,Elk, Wild Boar) | Back Bacon in a Bun |
| Pea meal Bacon in a Bun | Pulled Pork in a Bun |
| Shredded Beef in a Bun | Souvlaki |
| Baklava | Spring Rolls |
| Fries | Corn on the Cob |
| Chicken Wings | Falafel |
| BBQ Chicken | Cinnamon Rolls |
| Fudge | Ice Cream |
| Maple Taffy | Kettle Corn |
| Maple Popcorn Balls | Cheese Curds |
| Apple Cider | roasted Yams |
| Various Pepperettes | roasted Nuts |
| Chilli | Pies |
We went to to the Antique tractor and car show, that consisted of 1 tractor and 3 cars. We didn’t care though because it was in out of the cold wind and we perused over the smaller antiques allowing our stomachs to settle for round 2 of eating.
Women’s Bank, Berlin
[between 1910 and 1915]
Scenario: “Jane Smyth” comes in, bankbook in hand to withdraw $60. She hands me her book and I proceed with the transaction after verifying her identity (normal bank procedure these days).
Jane: What are these charges in my account?
Me: I’ll have to take a look at your book there and find out for you…
(Jane continues flipping through her bankbook)
Jane: I think you gave me the wrong bankbook, this isn’t my account.
Me: I gave you back the book that you gave me to take the $60 out of. When I punched in your account number, it came up in your name.
Jane: No, this isn’t my book, the teller must have given me the wrong one when I was in last.
Me:The account number that is on the book is the same one that is listed under you name on our system.
(I print this out out for her to see)
Jane: But I didn’t do any of these transactions. I always deposit and then take out some cash.
Me: When did you last come in to the bank to make a deposit?
Jane: On the 7th, I think I deposited around $70
Me: There is a deposit here in your book on that day for $68.39, do you think that was your deposit?
Jane: yes, but why would the teller give me someone else’s book?
Me: I don’t know.
by Thomas Tallis
I wonder if this isn’t as difficult to sing as it sounds?
How bad can 40 part harmony be?
