Vintage Thingies Thursday- May 15th

Today I have more vintage style sewing for VTT! The pattern I used is a vintage Advance 5942 that my wonderful sister loaned me. I loved it- it sewed up very easily. It is an unprinted pattern, which seems to frighten some sewers off. Don’t let it! The patterns use notches and holes for all markings, but the pattern pieces are already cut out, internets- already cut out!!!!
(sorry for the image quality, dh’s scanner wasn’t working and I have the caffeine shakes after a few cups of coffee)

Here’s a picture of the back

Here’s Kali in her jumper, I think I need to do some more tweaking to get the bodice to fit a bit better- lengthening both the front and back bodices, for starters.

My favorite part- the super-wide bow in back!

The main fabric was $1 mystery fabric from Wal-Mart, it’s a bit too heavy for this application. The dress would have better drape with a cotton or cotton/blend. The contrast I used for bias binding came from JoAnn’s. I think this style could very easily be adapted from a modern pattern with simple lines.

Burda 9702

New Look 6613

There is even a modern Butterick, #5019, that is extremely similar.

For more vintage goodness, visit Confessions of an Apron Queen!

And the winner is…

Patty! Congratulations!! I’ll email you for your addy

and then pop it into the mail!

Thanks for playing everyone and thanks so much for the birthday wishes for my sister and me. Missy writes about our shared birthday experiences at her blog- shared cake, matching outfits and identical presents- and no, we’re not twins! She was born the day before my second birthday and has been my best friend ever since- love you sissy!!

Here’s a peek at some b’day goodies from my mom, does she know what I like, or what?! Vintage linens and Fiesta creamers- too too cute! Thanks, Mom!

WFMW- Kids in the Kitchen

It would be much easier to shoo the kids out of the kitchen while I’m working in there. All the chores seem to take 15 minutes longer when I have ‘help.’ But if I did, I would miss out on some of the best times we have together. My oldest is my sous-chef, she helps chop vegetables for side dishes and salads, keeps an eye on the boiling pots and makes simple dishes like grilled cheese and scrambled eggs. My youngest is my baking helper, he cracks the eggs, counts the cups of flour and shapes his own rolls and bread dough. My middle is my pasta maker, I make the dough and he rolls it through the pasta machine and lays out the sheets of dough. Last week, I showed him how to drop the noodles into the chicken broth and as he dropped the first noodle, he turned to me and exclaimed, ‘I’ve been promoted to Noodler!’ That works for me

Flattening Meat- Kitchen Tip Tuesday

I love to use tenderized meat in recipes like Chicken Piccata and Steak Diane. I used to use plastic wrap to cover the meat and then hammer on it. It was not successful- the plastic shredded and by the third piece into the process there were bits of flesh all over the cabinets, counters and me. It looked like a horror movie set gone bad! Then I discovered a new method- the Freezer Paper Method. Read on…

Supplies needed: Meat that is too thick, hard surface, freezer paper, meat hammer-thingie, any amount of suppressed emotion

It helps to use a hard surface, such as a durable counter top or sturdy cutting board. Cover the meat with a piece of freezer paper.

Whale on that baby like there’s no tomorrow! The freezer paper holds up wonderfully. This day, I pounded about 10 pieces of meat with a 12″ square of paper . I could’ve done 10 more, I think.

Ta-Da! The finished product: a perfect piece of skinny meat for your recipe. No spatter, little mess- my kind of cooking! Go to Tammy’s Recipes for more Kitchen Tips!

and don’t forget- there’s still 1 more day to enter my apron giveaway!

Menu Plan Monday

Don’t forget to check out my Apron Giveaway- Drawing will be held on Wednesday!

Monday- Macaroni and Cheese, steamed broccoli

Tuesday- Leftover Pizza, salad

Wednesday- Spaghetti, Garlic Bread, salad

Thursday- Beef Broccoli Stir Fry, rice, chinese cabbage slaw

Friday- Out to dinner!

Saturday- Meatballs, Mashed Potatoes, Corn, Jell-O salad

Apron Giveaway

In honor of National Wear Your Apron Day (and my birthday!),

one lucky commenter will receive this apron!

I’ll draw a winner on Wednesday at noon,

to give plenty of time

for people to enter the drawing!

Best of luck!!

And a Happy Belated Birthday to my sister and BFF, Missy!

Pop over and give her some birthday love

Vintage Things Thursday

I love vintage patterns and materials- love ‘em, love ‘em, love ‘em! I decided to post 2 pictures of things I made with vintage patterns and new materials and 2 things I made with modern patterns and vintage materials. Okay, everybody confused? Great! On with the tour!

The first is an adorable 50’s suspender shorts for CJ for Easter 2 years ago-

Next is a, again 50’s era, pattern I made into a skirt set for Kali. I listed it 2 summers ago and she was so happy it didn’t sell. Even though she’s grown out of it she won’t let me give it away!

This is a pattern I designed to use vintage hankies as collars for nightgowns- creatively titled the ‘Hankie Nightie’.

I loved this peach dress I made for a guest launch (I think??). It is trimmed completely in vintage eyelet- a very large holed version for the skirt and sleeves and a smaller trim around the collar and tucks in the bodice.

I really enjoy incorporating vintage items in the design and creation of my handcrafts. It is so much better to use and enjoy them! I always feel sad when I see beautiful things packed away. Pull them out and use them as they were intended. Is it damaged in some way? Even better! Get out your vintage tablecloth with an old stain and make a pillow, or even better, an apron!

Blast from the past #2…

Billy Preston- Nothing from Nothing

for any other Billy Preston fans!

What DOESN’T Work for Me Wednesday

One word- couponing! When I read about all the lovely ladies who save oodles of the green stuff by CVS-ing, clipping coupons and doubling them and rake in regular cash with rebates….I think ‘God bless them!’ But I’m not one of them, and there’s a list of reasons why:

1. Too disorganized- I’ve bought the coupon carriers, added notes to my routine, like ‘cull old coupons’, dutifully toted said organizer to the store….but at checkout the coupon never seemed to match the item exactly (wrong size, etc) or was expired. Usually, it was the latter situation.

2. Not many coupons to be had- We live in a small, rural town where many (maybe even, most) people do not get the ‘big city’ newspaper. Our small Podunk Daily has a small insert of coupons on Fridays (no weekend edition), but not like we would get in a metro newspaper. For a long time, I would purchase a Sunday paper, call family and friends, find out if they had bought the Sunday paper and beg for their inserts, then clip coupons like a good wifey and get to the store to experience Situation #1.

3. Our diet changed- My dd, now 11, was diagnosed with a severe peanut allergy at 18 months. So many processed and packaged foods were now out the door, often because of cross-contamination issues. As I started to cook so many things from scratch, our palates changed and many off-shelf-convenience foods didn’t taste as good as homemade. I was finding that I rarely bought things that had a coupon offered through my limited coupon sources.

What does work for me and my grocery budget? Buying whole foods and preparing meals and snacks from scratch. Serving simple side dishes with simple entrees. A serving of white/brown rice is usually cheaper and definitely more nutritious than a Cheesy Dehydrated Potato Mix, not to mention, easier! Shopping at a discount store (Sav-A-Lot) and buying store brands at our local grocery and Big Box stores. The quality, on most items, is comparable and the price is the same, or even lower, than I would achieve with couponing. For more information on comparing prices of homemade items to those prepared with convenience foods see ‘The Complete Tightwad Gazette’ by Amy Dacyczyn (pronounced ‘decision’). Her explanation on page 396 on how to figure the cost and value of both really changed my perception of the dollar value of our food.

Brain flash! Coming soon- a mini-tutorial on how to make my favorite biscuit recipe and I’ll buy a ‘whack-em’ package of biscuits and do a cost-evaluation study. I love playing scientist in the kitchen

Menu Plan Monday

My first Menu Plan Monday!

Monday: Steak Diane, baked potatoes, broccoli

Tuesday: Pizza Baked Potato Bar, Spinach Salad

Wednesday: Breakfast for Dinner- Eggs, Side Pork, Homemade Biscuits, Berries

Thursday: Tacos, Buttery Rice and Peas, Salad

Friday: Beef Chop Suey, Rice, Orange Wedges

Saturday: Go out!

Sunday: Torellini Soup (Recipe to be posted later)

Printing this out to stick on my fridge, so I’ll stick to it!