Friday's Five Favs [bread edition]

We love bread around here.  And one of my goals for the year is to bake all of our own bread.  I think I'm at about 95% there.  I've only grabbed bread from a store twice, I think.  Here's 5 of our favorite breads that make a regular appearance in our house.

1. American Sandwich Bread by Americas Test Kitchen:  Such a great sandwich loaf that is light and yummy.  I usually make it with half wheat flour and half white.  It also freezes well, so often we will just freeze half a loaf or make 2 loaves at once.

2. Cheddar Cheese Bread by America's Test Kitchen:  A new favorite that I discovered one afternoon when I realized I had forgotten to start making bread that morning.  So so yummy, especially the next day.  Worth following the directions to let it cool for an hour.

3. Homemade Soft Pretzels by Alton Brown:  It's a good thing these are a bit time consuming because otherwise I would make them everyday.  Perfect with a bowl of cheese soup.

4. Hearty Country Bread by America's Test Kitchen:  This is the first hearty loaf that I've made that's turned out.  I've tried french bread and ciabatta and it never works, but this one was delicious.

5. Pizza Dough by Mark Bittman:  Mike is the pizza maker in the house and this is his go-to dough.  I love how it turns out and I'm pretty picky about pizza dough.

 

KCW so far

This is my first year sewing stuff for the kiddos for the Kids Clothing Week.  It's been a great motivator to actually get some things done.

Monday: cut and sewed up jammies for Hudson.  He has only 2 pairs of jammies for the summer, so that was one of the big things I wanted to get done.  After a trial pair (and epic failure on my part) these came together quickly.  I used the Peek-a-Boo Pattern Winter PJs pattern.  Since Hudson's bedroom is in the basement, it stays pretty cool down there and he doesn't usually sleep with blankets on so these will be great for the summer.  I'm hoping to get a few more pairs done this week.

Tuesday: nothing done because Miles threw up 5 times.  On me.  While nursing.  Lots of laundry today.

Wednesday: T-shirt day!!! I cut out another pair of pjs and then lots of t-shirts for Hudson.  I just used some old shirts that I had and a cute men's xxl I got from the Target clearance rack.  I used the Basic-T from Made for my pattern since it is the size Hudson is wearing.  I started sewing up a few of these shirts.  I then realized that I forgot to add a hem allouance on the sleeves so the sleeves may be a bit short for Hudson but oh well.

double layer t from a thrifted men's shirt

hello awkward neckline.  still getting a hang of the rib knit

this one might see some freezer paper stenciling

Thursday: finished up the t-shirts.  I just love love the white, gray and blue shirts from the men's shirt.  They're so so soft.

used the existing buttons from the men's shirt

Friday's Five Favs [knit fabric edition]

Here are some of the knit fabrics I've been eyeing up lately.  I haven't bought these yet, but I oh so want to.  Well, except the $27/yard one from Spoonflower.  I will never be buying that one, but I love it.


1. Anchors Away Poppy Red from Girl Charlee


2.  Orange White Small Stripe of Turquoise from Girl Charlee


3. Heather Red and Black Stripe from Girl Charlee


4. Silver Pin Dot on Charcoal Gray from Girl Charlee


5. Arrows-Scattered on Navy from Spoonflower

 

What's caught your eye lately?  Does anyone else spend more time looking at fabric online than actually sewing?

sewing for me [simplicity 2255]

Another fun top for myself.  This one was certainly more of a challenge.  I've never sewn button holes before so this pattern forced me to learn.  After a few tries, I figured it out with my machine.  The fabric is from JoAnns and is a soft cotton with a little bit of stretch. 

I used Simplicity pattern 2255.  The directions were nice and clear and I loved learning how to make a button down shirt.











According to the measurements, I cut a size 18.  If I make one again (which I probably will in the fall), I would cut a size smaller in the sleeves and top area and then angle it out to an 18 at the hips.

I love all the fun details of this shirt.

 

 

Friday's Five Favs [sewing edition]

in an effort to blog more often, i'm going to start blogging 5 of my favorite things in different categories each friday.  i'd love it if you'd join me.

 Sewing Edition

Here are 5 of my current favorite sewing items

1. Seam Ripper


When I would mess up before having a good seam ripper, that was the end of a project.  Now, I just rip it out and start over.  I've broken a cheap seam ripper before so it's definitely worth investing in a little bit nicer one.

2. Serger

Oh serger.  Probably my favorite purchase of all time.  Completely worth it and has totally opened up the world of sewing with knits for me.  Yes, you can do it on your regular machine, but I love love how quick it is and professional looking garments turn out.

3. Fiskars Rotary Cutting Set 
 
 These 3 things are the only reason my camera cases get made.  It makes cutting a bunch a fabric such a quick task. 

4. Scissor Sharpener

Sarah turned me on to these.  I find that my scissors get dull pretty quick when I've been cutting a bunch of flannel for cases.  Sharp scissors are a must, especially for cutting out knits.

5. Iron


I hate to iron.  None of our clothes that we wear on a regular basis get ironed, but ironing is a must when sewing.  Sometimes I try to skip this step and I almost always regret it.

What are your 5 favorite sewing items?

10 on 10 [april]

Our Day

finding rhythm

free coffee is always good

angry feet.  longest tantrum ever.

yum yum

1000 pieces may have been a bit ambitious

being administrative. love.

afternoon snuggles

Forgot to take a few pictures.  They would be exciting things like eating dinner in 5 minutes, sitting through a meeting and putting the boys to bed. 

coach's wife

3 years later

June 2010

April 2013

sewing for me [casual lady top]

When Andrea from The Train to Crazy released the Casual Lady Shirt pattern earlier this week, I wasn't sure I was going to buy it.  I'm super cheap and $12 just seemed like a lot for a pattern considering that I usually buy them for $1 when they're on sale at Joanns.

But then, as I thought about it more (at 4 in the morning) I realized that it was just 3 drinks from Starbucks and the money was going to fund a Sewing Collective in India for single moms who are escaping the sex trade industry.  So really it was like I was donating $12 to that and getting a pattern as a bonus. 

I was blown away by how professional the pattern is with little diagrams and everything.  And the language was not sewing language but normal, easy to understand English.  It was such a quick sew and I know I'll be making more for the summer.

 

 I only had 1 yard of fabric (gray chevron from Girl Charlee) so I didn't do the full neck facing, but just did a small facing around the neck and then top stitched it down.  I love how flattering it is.  I cut out an XL and it is a perfect fit.  I'm not a big fan of crew necks, so I love the more round neck that is still very modest.  I also am not a big tank top fan so I like the little sleeves but it will still be cool enough for summer.

sewing for me [butterick B5637]

I love picking up patterns for $1 when Joanns has them on sale.  I picked up Butterick B5637 and was just waiting for some great fabric.

I found this fabric at girlcharlee.com and thought it would be perfect.



The pattern was pretty straight forward and pretty easy to sew.  I like the neckline, although I didn't like that I had to hand sew it with a slip stitch to finish it.

The big problem with it was that the top section turned out way too big.  I cut out an extra large in the d-cup.  If I make it again, I will still cut a d-cup but probably make a medium.  It was so huge and I had to take a bunch in on the sides, but I couldn't tell that it was too big until it was already pieced together.  The sides turned out a bit weird and bulky.

I also don't know if it's the most flattering fit for me as it seems to make me look extra wide.  I think that's why I'm more of a skirt person and not really a dress person.  Or maybe I just need to find a good belt to go with the outfit.

The fabric was great to work with, easy to cut out and easy to sew.  It ruffled nicely and is so so comfy.

Here's the finished product.  Yes, it's a sleeveless dress, but the interwebs do not need to see my bare arms. 

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