Channeling the Amish

My sewing skills recently took on a new challenge...make something that I would be willing to wear...in public.  I know there are plenty of people in our world who sew adult clothes regularly and wear them proudly.  Yet, I have visions of the bubble suits I wore as I child that proclaimed without words they were homemade (truth be told - mine didn't have the collar but I was still old enough to know better).  Fashion these homemade clothes were not.

I have seen though where fashion and sewing skills can intersect.  Made by Rae showcased a darling dress this summer and my old workmate, Katie, showed off her mad sewing skills with a spring skirt over on her DIY Del Ray blog.  Earlier this spring, I had gotten inspired by a Boden catalog and had a moment of semi-irrational "I can make that" attitude.  A cute tunic - that looked too simple for what they were charging - prompted a purchase of 3 yards of fabric.  I eventually came to my senses but I was 3 yards richer.

Along came the milkmaid skirt on Pinterest.  It's a tutorial - no pattern needed, just measuring and a few easy steps.  I was sold.  It was easy.  And it turned out good enough - good enough that I had fabric left over so made one for my sister.  I figured we could be twinsies since we live almost 1,000 miles away - except for when we are posing for pictures of said matching skirts at the beach.

Have I worn it in public?  Yes.  A little sheepishly, I'll admit - wondering if anyone notices that it's homemade??  Or even worse that there will be loose threads hanging that will reveal my secret.  With my skills, that is probably more likely.

Any other crafty friends ventured into sewing for themselves?

Homemade to Share

School is back and it doesn't return quietly.  Between reading "Mostly Harmless Econometrics" and organizational behavior books dating back to 1937 (it's about as exciting as it reads here), I found some time last week to engage in a little food hospitality.  My southern upbringing dictates that when someone you care about has a baby or an illness, you show up laden with home cooked goodness.  It's just what we do.  Maybe you don't have to be southern to partake in this ritual but it sure doesn't hurt and it might just dictate the menu.

My simple menu consisted of soup and salad, some muffins and my go-to Toffee Bars.  A little bit healthy, a little bit not.  All made with love to help my first DC friend, Abbie as she welcomed her new baby girl (Welcome to the World, baby Emma!)

Here's the good word on what I made:
Tomato, Basil and Cheddar Soup:  Tastes like summer in a bowl.  It doesn't call for fresh tomatoes, but could be an easy substitute.  With low fat cheddar and fat free yogurt, I will even declare it healthy.  I didn't have fresh basil and couldn't find it at the grocery, so substituted some fresh pesto I had made earlier in the summer and froze.

Newk's Favorite Salad:  This has become a favorite of mine - discovered it on a trip to my sister's hometown in MS and have been making it ever since.  I retroactively pinned it on Pinterest but if you go to Newk's website you can basically make your own mixed salad using any balance of the ingredients you desire.  I typically leave out the croutons, substitute feta and make mine with chicken I have marinated in Italian dressing and cooked in a grill pan.  Easy enough and I have been keeping a bottle of this good dressing in my fridge to top it off.

Lemon Zucchini Bread:  I saw this in my mom's Southern Living and since I was looking for the shredded zucchini in my freezer, it was perfect to try and even better to eat.  Next time I am going to try and substitute apple sauce for some of the butter.

And the Toffee Bars I blogged about here and have made repeatedly this summer - they're that good.

The beauty of food hospitality that if you make a bit extra, you get to enjoy the goodness too.  Yum.  Now back to school reading.....