Nicole

Well, if you’re only dreaming – dream big and go for Liberty!

I’m sewing up cozy hats in my fantasies but not in real life because of Outlander on Starz. I’m not even sorry.
My overlocker has come back though – but it turned out to be worn out and couldn’t be fixed. Not that it matters because I came away with a new machine which is both serger and coverlock.
It’s now sitting unused in my sewing room because…[Read more]

Ah, I left my heart in San Francisco, along with my former dress size …
Still plugging away at the blog post, but might have to interrupt as a Spoonflower order arrived. I couldn’t stop laughing. It came out twice as big as I’d intended.

Ah, others beat me to it, never mind!

Ah, others beat me to it, never mind!

When you say the front patterns don’t cross, is this when you’re trying the garment on? This pattern has more ease than a blouse, so if it’s so tight you have to force it when buttoning, I wonder whether sizing up would solve the problem.

When you say the front patterns don’t cross, is this when you’re trying the garment on? This pattern has more ease than a blouse, so if it’s so tight you have to force it when buttoning, I wonder whether sizing up would solve the problem.

Hi Maria,
Yes, the pattern is wider at the back than the front. Sounds strange, I know, but if gives a nice fit this way!

I have that book! I’ll have to go take a look now 🙂

I have that book! I’ll have to go take a look now 🙂

It’s the one in the Ball Blue Book (canning book) if that helps at all. I forgot to type it up before I put the cook book away tonight.

It’s the one in the Ball Blue Book (canning book) if that helps at all. I forgot to type it up before I put the cook book away tonight.

Oh my goodness, tomato jam and bacon grilled cheese sound amazing! Any chance you could share your recipe for the jam? Tomato season is at its peak right now in California so I have access to lots of amazing farmers market tomatoes!

Oh my goodness, tomato jam and bacon grilled cheese sound amazing! Any chance you could share your recipe for the jam? Tomato season is at its peak right now in California so I have access to lots of amazing farmers market tomatoes!

Not for dinner (at the moment), but cooking away on my stove right now is tomato jam. We like to add bacon to our grilled cheese and smear on the jam or dip in the jam after toasting the sandwiches.
It takes most of a day to make, but totally worth it!

I just made a lovely ham, broccoli and cauliflower casserole/pasta bake in the slow cooker!
Ingredients
750g Ham (1.5lb)
1kg (2lb) broccoli and cauliflower florets (I use frozen)
1 tin cream of celery soup
large handful of grated cheese
Method
1. Cut ham in 1cm (1/2″) cubes and put in the bottom of the slow cooker
2. mix (thawed) broccoli and…[Read more]

I have a big pot of this simmering on the stovetop:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/05/ryans-bolognese-sauce/
And as you can see here ( https://www.flickr.com/photos/110619443@N04/15054384036/ ), my mindset when cooking with wine is “some for the sauce, some for me. Some for the sauce, and a little more for me.” 😉 )
(Have I mentioned I…[Read more]

For the garden party, I sewed the shoulder straps to the skirt back instead of the yoke. It was a very what the heck moment. I even checked for errata! Haha.

I thought I would follow up on my original question on the length of the binding for the sleeveless version. On my second sleeveless dress, in the same 12 – 18 month size, again the binding seemed much shorter than the arm opening. I pinned it on each end and in the center of the binding to the center of the sleeve opening and stretched it to fit…[Read more]

Haha Katy, I love talking about food too! Homemade spaghetti sauce with ground beef in it tonight.
Anyone else a big Pioneer Woman fan? I’ve got two of her cookbooks and so many recipe printouts from her website that I had to create a tabbed binder just for her recipes! Ben loves her food bc it’s full of butter and cream and bacon. Which in…[Read more]