{"id":66703,"date":"2018-08-31T09:10:38","date_gmt":"2018-08-31T13:10:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/?p=66703"},"modified":"2018-08-30T13:14:57","modified_gmt":"2018-08-30T17:14:57","slug":"weekend-links-erica-edition-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2018\/08\/weekend-links-erica-edition-2.html","title":{"rendered":"weekend links: erica edition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Liesl is taking this week off from writing her usual Friday Weekend Links post. But don\u2019t fear. Our Liesl + Co. Advisors Circle<\/a> member Erica<\/a> is here again to fill up your tank with some good reading material for the weekend.<\/em><\/p>\n

Hello, friends of Liesl. What a pleasure and honor to say hello to you again!<\/p>\n

As an American now living in Canada, I\u2019m still adjusting to a summer break for my children which is shorter than what I am used to from my own childhood in California. This year I set aside the fabric and had plans to make several summer outfits for my school-age children, but the nine weeks flew by too quickly. I only made School Bus<\/a> and Field Trip Raglan<\/a> t-shirts, a pair of Art Museum<\/a> shorts for my eldest son (when he needed a pair of golf shorts and I couldn\u2019t find one to purchase in his size), Girl on the Go<\/a> and Hopscotch<\/a> knit dresses for nieces, and I\u2019m still working on a first day of school outfit for my daughter\u2014only one more weekend left to finish it!<\/p>\n

Have you started to think about Halloween costumes, yet? We\u2019re not the most festive family on the block for this particular holiday, but I try to participate. It is always a compromise with my kids deciding between what can be homemade vs. store-bought vs. re-worn, or just plain foregone, as well as what would be practical for a potentially chilly and rainy night. To my disappointment, some of what I think have been my best ideas were not well received by my kids, so they never came to fruition. I still hold out hope that one year they might come around to a few previously vetoed ideas! The Building Block Dress Book<\/a> can be so useful for costume dresses, but this<\/a> is still the most memorable transformation I\u2019ve seen from an O + S pattern:<\/p>\n

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And, who can forget this impressive one<\/a>?<\/p>\n

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I\u2019m looking forward to sewing with wool and wool-blends in the coming months. I\u2019m planning to make an Extra-Sharp Pencil Skirt<\/a> in a lightweight wool coating, and either a Recital Shirt<\/a> or Gallery Tunic<\/a> (or both, I hope!) from my favorite wool-cotton blends. I find this type of shirting fabric is lovely to work with and even more enjoyable to wear.<\/p>\n

Pinterest Picks<\/strong><\/p>\n

Last fall I purchased half a cow with a neighbor from our local butcher. If only I could have as much success whittling down my fabric stash as I have my freezer stash of beef! We enjoyed the taste and quality of grass-fed beef all year long. But what should I do with a large bag of frozen suet fat? I\u2019ve started to research homemade soap recipes. Who was the genius who figured out that combining fat and lye into a solid bar can clean stuff? These bars of homemade soap would be wonderful gifts.<\/p>\n

\"soap\"<\/a>
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\nlink<\/a> and link<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

This photo of a shoe popped into my e-mail inbox recently. It made me wonder if I like shirring more than I thought, and my head started swirling with visions of solid-colored tulle, underlining, and Lisette for Butterick B6598<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\nlink<\/a> and link<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

My tween daughter, too, would probably enjoy some gathers in her wardrobe. This would be a quick modification to a long-sleeve Field Trip Raglan t-shirt and a great use for a remnant panel of cotton lawn.<\/p>\n

Weekend Reading<\/strong><\/p>\n