Finishing the pile because this was one of the first dresses I made but I hated the way it was turning out so I never finished it. Some advice? Wait until you are more experienced sewer before you attempt boning a bodice. Also, make sure it FITS before boning over seams. I had started it and the bodice, as always, was too big. I did what I could, taking it in where I could without having to tear the entire thing apart, but the top still gaped a bit and the halter neck was about 6 inches too long. So, into a pile it went, 'finish at later date if ever' pile, we all have one ;)
Well, I've been going through some of this pile. Fixing a broken zipper, taking in the back of things because of my (apparently) freakishly small back, etc. So I decided to finish this one up.
I had previously shortened the halter strap by pushing it further into the bodice and then sewing it on. This was a problem because the strap flares out towards the bodice and looks bizarre when those ends are cut off. So, I sewed them to the bodice where they were supposed to go (thank god I hadn't cut them off!) and ripped apart the back and sewed it up to the almost right length and then threw in some elastic (thank god for elastic) in the back. It'll be covered by my hair :P This was probably the most difficult thing, sewing the damn straps back into a bodice with a lining that had already been stitched down and placing the straps right, etc.
Lo and behold, the front STILL gapes. So, I decided to scrunch it up and make a sweet heart neckline. Probably the best thing I did. Makes it slightly less obvious.
Then, I sewed in the hem. DONE.
Still not overly happy with it. The construction isn't up to par with what I do now, the brocade design doesn't match up, something I would have done if I had thought of it. And it looks like I don't have a waist when, in fact, I have a very defined waist. Instead of worrying about taking it in, I have the feeling it would look better with a belt anyway. So, To Do List: Make/Buy belt.
I don't know if I would make this pattern again. It was too much trouble and didn't really turn out. I doubt it would have turned out if I was making it now. I haven't had a good run with Vogue patterns at all.
Anyway, there we go. Off to work on another of my many projects.
~Nikki
Another of my sister's many amigurumi dudes. Quite possibly my favourite one
And then....take the jacket off ....and.....
Is that not the cutest!? Of course, I adore Superman, so I may be biased, but I think it is awesome. And check out the curl and everything :) Brilliant.
See her post and some construction notes here
It has been a long time since I've really cooked something interesting enough to post. But here we go, something :) I wanted a reason to use my new crockpot, so I made this in there, but it can just as easily be cooked on the stove top. I made a few changes to the recipe I found online which I think is essential to the gumbo! Namely, adding a roux. I'll give instructions for it. Really, it would have just been a veggie stew without it. And for some reason my camera wouldn't take clear pictures....but whatever
Vegetable
Gumbo
Adapted from IVU
Serving Size : 6
- 1 Onion, chopped
- 1/2 Green pepper, diced
- 2 Ribs Celery, diced
- 1 Garlic clove -- minced
- 1 lb Okra, sliced, fresh, frozen
- 1 lb Tomatoes, fresh, or canned
- 2 c Corn, fresh, frozen, canned (1 can)
- 1 t Vegetable Bouillon granules
- 1/2 c White Grape Juice
- 1/2 c Water
- 1/4 ts Tabasco sauce
- 1/4 ts Paprika
- 2 tb Fresh chopped parsley
- 1 tb Basil or Rosemary, minced
- Vegan sausage, chopped (optional)
- 1/2 c All Purpose Flour
- 1/2 c Veg oil
Add other ingredients, cook over low heat, stirring occasionally
to keep from sticking to bottom.
Cover and simmer gently until corn and okra are done.
(or simmer in crockpot 6-7 hours)
For making the roux: Combine equal parts flour and oil in a sauce pan. Heat on a medium-high setting stirring constantly (P.S. don't let it splash on you PAINFUL) until it becomes the colour of chocolate.
If using the crockpot, I stirred in the roux about 3 hours before it was done. Other recipes I found for stove top gumbo had the roux as the first step and adding everything else to the pot. I have the suspicion that it can be done at any time. The roux is what makes it gumbo, I wouldn't leave it out.
In any case, it was fantastic. I never had much gumbo in New Orleans because I was never a fan of meat, but it tasted just like I remember. And better because....well....no meat.
And, to go with it...
Cornbread
found on Vegweb
--->I halved the recipe and put it in muffin cups
1 Cup Cornmeal
1 Cup AP Flour
1/2 to 3/4 Cup Sugar (I like mine really sweet so I use 3/4 Cup)
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon EnerG Egg Replacer Powder (DO NOT PREMIX WITH WATER)
1 1/2 Cups "Buttermilk" (Add one tablespoon of vinegar to a measuring cup and fill the rest of the way with soymilk)
1/3 Cup Oil
1/4 Cup Very Warm Water
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place skillet into the oven to heat up.
2) Sift together all dry ingredients.
3) Pour the oil, 1 cup of the "buttermilk", and the water into the dry ingredients and whisk to combine. The batter should be somewhat thin and puffy (i.e. the leavening agents should really be working), if not add the other 1/2 cup of "buttermilk". To be honest I always need all 1 1/2 cups.
4) Carefully remove skillet form the oven and spray, spray, spray that sucker because what stinks worse than going to all this trouble to only have it stick... Okay now you are ready to pour the batter into the skillet.
5) Lightly sprinkle sugar on top and bake for 25-35 minutes or until a inserted toothpick comes clean.
6) Let cool for a few minutes and then carefully flip the cornbread onto a plate.
7) Eat and Enjoy!!!
Serves: 8 Pieces
Preparation time: From start to finish about 45 minutes
I'm so sick of it. I may joke but NO, I DON'T HAVE A FREAKISHLY SMALL BACK. My back is NORMAL. Why then, are patterns SO far off? Like, not just loose, but the whole pattern may fit fine, but the back is nearly 6 inches too big. Not exaggerating. Why? Every single dress I make. I make adjustments, but it is never enough. It is driving me INSANE. I have so many mostly-finished-projects laying around because I get so frustrated at the back that I just throw it aside. Drive me insane.
That's all.
Book # 7
May 2
Book Title: Saints and Villains
Author: Denise Giardina
Genre: Historical Fiction
# of pages: 481
My rating of the book, F- [worst] to A
[best].: A
Short description/summary of the book:
[Amazon]
Sometimes the universe produces a man or woman whose life seems ready-made for fiction: Joan of Arc, for example, or Robert Falcon Scott; John Brown, Martin Luther King Jr., or Jesus of Nazareth. Fiction writers are attracted to larger-than-life personalities and each of the above-mentioned luminaries have indeed appeared in fictional works. Now German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer joins their ranks in Denise Giardina's novel Saints and Sinners. Bonhoeffer was born in 1906 in Breslau, Germany. As a young man, he found his vocation in the church, and his theological education took him to England, Spain, and eventually New York, where he spent a year in post-doctoral studies at Union Theological Seminary. He returned to Germany imbued with both the ideals of ecumenicalism and of the Church's responsibility to participate in social and political debate. These ideals, unfortunately, were hardly compatible with the rise of Nazism in the Germany of the '30s and '40s. Bonnhoeffer, true to his beliefs, spoke out against the Nazi regime, and participated in Germany's small Protestant resistance. He was eventually arrested for helping Jews escape to Switzerland and was hanged in the concentration camp in Flossenberg in the waning days of the war.
Denise Giardina knows the stuff of drama when she sees it, and in writing this fictionalized account of Bonhoeffer's life and death, she has drawn heavily on his own writings. Though she sticks to the facts where chronology is concerned, she does introduce three fictional characters into her protagonist's life as a means of illuminating his most private aspects. There is Elisabeth Hildebrant, Bonhoeffer's Jewish lover; Alois Bauer, his Nazi nemesis; and Fred Bishop, a black American seminarian Bonhoeffer meets during his year in New York who serves to politicize and radicalize the German theologian.
My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book (Why do I keep saying that? I enjoy all the books I read). I haven’t read many books about WWII, but I found it fascinating. This one was very interesting, the conspiracies, characters, spiritual dilemmas. All really interesting. It definitely does a good job to remind you that not all people are their government, does that make sense? Drives me crazy when people think that. I think the portrayal of the stormtrooper (doppelganger) was very humanizing as well, which made it more interesting since he was a little less predictable (but sometimes predictable in his unpredictableness).
I agree with a review that I read on Amazon, Bonhoeffer doesn’t really embody a hero. He seems almost weak and pathetic and really, though maybe he has the convictions to do what he wants, doesn’t really seem to play a big role in the whole ordeal of attempting to assassinate Hitler. I personally thinks it makes for an interesting story though. Sometimes it is better to read about real people, their thoughts, doubts, motivations, shortcomings, than supernatural heroes.Book # 8
May 11
Book Title: The Lovely Bones
Author: Alice Sebold
Genre: Sci-Fiction
# of pages: 328
My rating of the book, F- [worst] to A [best].: A
Short description/summary of the book: [Amazon]
When we first meet Susie Salmon, she is already in heaven. As she looks down from this strange new place, she tells us, in the fresh and spirited voice of a fourteen-year-old girl, a tale that is both haunting and full of hope. In the weeks following her death, Susie watches life on Earth continuing without her-her school friends trading rumors about her disappearance, her family holding out hope that she'll be found, her killer trying to cover his tracks. As months pass without leads, Susie sees her parents' marriage being contorted by loss, her sister hardening herself in an effort to stay strong, and her little brother trying to grasp the meaning of the word gone. And she explores the place called heaven. It looks a lot like her school playground, with the good kind of swing sets. There are counselors to help newcomers adjust and friends to room with. Everything she ever wanted appears as soon as she thinks of it-except the thing she most wants: to be back with the people she loved on Earth. With compassion, longing, and a growing understanding, Susie sees her loved ones pass through grief and begin to mend. Her father embarks on a risky quest to ensnare her killer. Her sister undertakes a feat of remarkable daring. And the boy Susie cared for moves on, only to find himself at the center of a miraculous event. The Lovely Bones is luminous and astonishing, a novel that builds out of grief the most hopeful of stories. In the hands of a brilliant new writer, this story of the worst thing a family can face is transformed into a suspenseful and even funny novel about love, memory, joy, heaven, and healing.
My Thoughts:
This was really interesting! Definitely reminded me of ‘Saving Fish from Drowning’, but only because of the perspective of a dead person watching the living. I thought this book was really interesting! It was interesting to see the different ways people coped with death, people who it affected more than you thought it would (someone she barely knew in life becoming one of her main connections to the ‘world of the living’). And the version of heaven that Sebold came up with was really interesting. I tried to explain it to someone, but it is sort of impossible to explain.
Of course, now that I read it, I really don’t have
the vaguest idea how it is going to be turned into a movie.
Currently reading :
Love in the Time of Cholera
Took a little trip with my family on Mother's Day as sort of a joint Mother's Day/my graduation thing. We went to Chandor Gardens, which, even though it was in Texas, was very pretty. I would love to have a garden like that to zen out in. It would be wonderful.
Not too many pictures. My camera batteries were completely dying, and along with that, the exposure was weirdly off...
A lot of Chinese influence in the garden. A lot of things that reminded me of China, made me sad. I want to go back. Life is too short for having a job :P
~Nikki
I have to say, I love the D
onna Karan spring/summer collection. So, I've been seeing this dress in all my magazines and had to make one similar since I KNEW I had a pattern with those pockets :)
Well, this is a melding of two patterns, this vogue pattern and the vintage pattern I used for this dress. Next time, I'm going to use a different bodice (the vogue pattern). It just didn't work out. I love the style, but the way the back was made was just....not working. I had to rig up this complicated thing to attach it to a strapless bra so the back doesn't just drape. It doesn't stay up on its own. Now, this could be a pattern problem or....again....my freakishly small back !?
Annoying all the same. Well. I finally put the hem up today since I am done with school. It needs a few more buttons :P I'll get around to that. I love it :) It looks better on my mannequin than on me, but I'll blame that on the fact that I didn't do my hair or anything. I had myself a little photoshoot all the same. Hat and belt and all. Be warned.
Inspiration:
Realization:
