Thursday, October 28, 2010

All the Delights of the Season


Today is a grey, quiet sort of day. Perfect for puttering, reading, and baking. There's a batch of bread in the oven and a pumpkin carving party with friends to look forward to this evening.

I've been reveling in the beauty of my favorite season. And to my delight, we've had a month of some *perfect* Fall weather! This is my first Autumn in this particular nook of Florida, and I think the seasonal changes are more obvious here. For one thing, the wildflowers in our backyard have been absolutely gorgeous. And the adolescent maple in our front yard has been showing off its finest shades of amber.





Best of all, maple foliage makes for simple fall decorating.




Yesterday I started pulling out the Indian corn and the Sycamore achenes (some furry, some bumpy) and paired them with a candle for a centerpiece. Because candles just seem necessary for fall.





But these are not the only Delights of the Season -- not by a long shot.




Because there's Pumpkin Crisp, still warm and ready for the pumpkin carving party tonight. When I was deciding on a dessert, Pumpkin Crisp immediately popped into my mind -- but my mom had the recipe, and I knew they were leaving in less than 24 hours to go to New Zealand. Not the best time to ask her to dig it out for me...



But despite not remembering the name of the recipe, I was able to find it online.

Notes: I ended up only using half a cake mix for the topping, and half the amount of butter -- which is good, because two sticks of butter are good neither for the figure nor the grocery budget! I'd also recommend covering with foil for the last 20-30 minutes, to prevent excessive browning.


If my memories from the last few years are remotely accurate, this will definitely qualify as a seasonal delight.

Now to find a creative way to decorate the front door with Indian corn...

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Simplicity 3750 -- Maternity version

When I saw Simplicity 3750 on the "to-sew list" over on the Hooks-and-Needles blog (you can see "Elinor's" lovely completed version of it in this post), I knew at once that it would be a perfect maternity pattern! While I've been loving the peasant tops I've made, I wanted to branch out into something else -- sleeve options are rather limited with raglan sleeves, after all.

And here was the pattern I was looking for -- a pattern that I've seen in the Simplicity book for so long, but never purchased for some strange reason. The empire waist and the sleeve variety (I love that it has a "half cap" sleeve and a full set-in short sleeve; most patterns seem to have just one or the other) were perfect. And most importantly, it looked easy to alter for maternity. I was so impatient to get it that I came closer to paying full price for a "Big 4" pattern than I have in years! Fortunately, JoAnn's had a sale on Simplicity before I gave in to temptation. *wink*

Here's a picture with my lovely mum (now a very excited grandmother!):





All I had to do was add several inches to the front "skirt" piece, and there you are! I found the instructions a bit vague at times -- mostly because I prefer to *not* follow the instructions at all, and I did have to pay attention the first time around. The belt attachment is quite unique, in my opinion -- it's sewn between the bodice and skirt in the front, but is detached in the back to allow for fitting. Very nifty, and it also makes it easy to add fullness to the front skirt without losing the proper dimension of the waist. For this blouse, I made the waist ties considerably narrower than the pattern.

Now the bodice -- that was a different story! Just by holding up the pattern piece I could tell it would be far too immodest for my taste. So I added several inches, and ended up making some unique alterations to get the right fit. Even then I felt a bit uncomfortable, so I added a lace panel which did the trick nicely.

For the sleeves, I skipped the buttoned armband (I didn't need it, and didn't feel like going to the extra work!), and just gathered the sleeve into a regular sleeveband. Easy and effective. I love this sleeve -- it's feminine, but not enormously puffy!

**********

Here's my second top, from the same pattern --





I added even a bit more to the skirt front, and made a new bodice piece that raised the neckline enough. In the original pattern, the bodice has a main panel across the front, and a piece on either side that continues to the shoulder. Those side pieces I adjust to connect at the waistline. This improved the fit of the neckline, but it did something wonky to the armscye -- hence, a sleeveless shirt! *ahem*






I finished the edges a bit differently than the pattern, since I wanted to make use of the black contrast fabric I had for the sash.



I still want to fiddle with the bodice -- I'd love to get it to the point where I can just put the pattern together without fiddling about and making minor alterations. Other than that, this pattern is simply wonderful!







Another winner for the maternity closet, and a pattern I'd love to use for my "regular" wardrobe, as well!

Friday, October 15, 2010

Babyitis


It's hard to believe that just a year ago I was in the midst of wedding preparations, sorting my way through the materialistic swamp of the wedding industry.

Now that we have a little one on the way, I'm finding that the baby industry suffers from much of the same excess and materialism! Granted, I'm not really surprised by that -- every area of our culture, from fashion to technology, is inundated by the "need more, and need it stylish" philosophy. Manufacturers are in business to make money, and the way to do that is to convince people to buy their products.

Which raises several important questions for expectant parents who want to be frugal:

1. What is actually necessary?

2. If it's necessary, does it need to be new or fancy -- and do you need more than one?


There are certainly valid needs -- clothing, for instance! Blankets, car seats, diapers, food of some sort -- there are certain things that just go along with babies. There are many things that really aren't necessary (which doesn't make them wrong, of course!). And different families will have different needs. Those who co-sleep don't need a crib, those who don't nurse will need formula, etc.

Figuring out what is neccesary has been a challenge for me, since this is our first child. You can't exactly predict what you will or won't use when you haven't had a baby before! I'm thankful that some other frugal blogging moms have shared what they've found helpful or necessary -- especially since the typical retailer's list of "needed items" includes over-priced and unneeded baby gear. When it comes to "how much," the answer again varies depending on the item (are we talking strollers or socks?) and the family.

What really shocks me is just how expensive some baby gear is! Do people seriously pay over $1,000 for a stroller? Do infants need $150 cashmere sweaters that they'll outgrow in a few months? These are extremes, of course -- but there really is such a huge selection of baby paraphernalia on the Internet and in stores, and most of it is horribly overpriced.

After evaluating what I think our particular family will need, I've started figuring out how best to find those things. So far, that's been Craigslist (for car seat, pac-n-play -- which is also our "crib", stroller, and rocking chair), and a local thrift store (for the handful of baby clothes I've purchased). This Saturday I'm determined to go yard-saling, as well!

So once again we're wading through the mire of a gigantic industry, seeking to glorify God and do what's best for the child He's given us. With the help of Swagbucks, 50% off JoAnn's coupons, and my sewing machine, I think we'll be able to emerge relatively unscathed. *wink* As much as I'm truly enjoying preparing for our little one, I'm very grateful that should God bless us with any more children, we'll already have most of this figured out!

I'd love any frugal suggestions from more experienced moms!

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Maternity Skirt Pattern -- Simplicity 2655



I purchased Simplicity 2655 a few months before the wedding, and was just thinking about trying it out this Spring when I found out I was pregnant. So I put it back in my pattern stash, knowing that I'd only get a month or two of wear out of it before packing it away for the rest of the pregnancy.

But as I started making/modifying clothes for maternity, I realized that this pattern would probably work very well, due to the yoke at the waistline. Sure enough, by just omitting the yoke pieces and replacing them with one of my "camisole maternity bands," it's perfect for maternity.

I was in desperate need of a khaki skirt, so I used view D and omitted the yoke and sash pieces. The pattern goes together very easily (though it uses a lot of fabric!), and I was quite pleased with it.

(These pictures were taken about a month ago, so I've "expanded a bit" since then!)





The knit I used is not super-stretchy, so I ended up adding clear swimwear elastic to the skirt/knit seam, and a casing at the top.

I really wanted to try the adorable pocket from this pattern, but thought it might be too much on the flounced version. So I pulled out some black Tencel that I bought at JoAnn's for $2.50 a yard and made another skirt in view A. This skirt was even easier than the last, since it didn't have flounces.




I used a thrifted black exercise top with plenty of Lycra for the band, and it works beautifully! The hem of the shirt is actually the top of my band (not necessary, since knit doesn't ravel, but it does look nice). The pocket construction is a bit unusual, but not overly complicated. I just love the ties on the pocket! Though I think I might put a few stitches in my knot, since they tend to come undone over time.





I'm officially of fan of this pattern, and hope to use it more in the future -- in both my regular and maternity wardrobes!

Saturday, October 09, 2010

A Real Tearjerker


So beautiful, it makes me sniffle and brings tears to my eyes:



Well, maybe it's not its *beauty* that renders a handkerchief necessary. But the cheery yellow ragweed in our area really has been lovely this Fall!

Tuesday, October 05, 2010

An Unexpected Guest


Recently, as I was busy preparing dinner, I indulged in my klutzy tendencies by dropping a knife between the cabinet and the stove. Yes, I am talented!

I pulled out the bottom drawer of our stove, hoping that there might be some way to extract the knife without having to pull out the whole range. And then I saw it.

It was small.

It was furry.

It had a tail.

Whatever it was, it certainly was not alive -- it looked a bit... well, flattened! You see, in the hustle and bustle of moving in, we had failed to clean under the stove. I called for Pablo and explained the situation. He produced a shovel, I found a cardboard box for disposal of the *thing,* and we tentatively approached the stove. Neither of us could figure out why the *thing* hadn't been smelling up the house.

After a prod or two, Pablo suggested that perhaps it was a stuffed animal. And only then did I remember that we had found proof of a former dog occupant on several occasions!

We pulled it out, only to discover that this was our mysterious *thing*:



Isn't it terrifying? Honestly, it looked much more sinister in the dark shadows under the stove!

We ended up pulling out the stove and cleaning behind it, a process that produced an ancient piece of dog kibble -- and a spoon I had dropped and forgotten about. Oops. *wink*

Ah, the little adventures of life!