Sew You by Erica Sue: Lady Skater #1 – Black Chevron on Emerald Green Heather

When I saw Sara from Sew Sweetness post about her Lady Skater, I knew I had to make one.  I’d had green and black chevron in my stash, from when I pinned this dress from Make It Funky.  I live in Florida, and all I’ve been wearing this summer are dresses.  I’ve also been really into knits.  I particularly like sewing with knits because I find them very forgiving, and they don’t require a zipper.  I don’t have issues with putting in the zipper, but when I have to rip things out to fit with the zipper (which I usually do), knits are just easier.

 

I purchased the pattern from Kitschy Coo, and after assembling my pdf pieces, I made some changes right away.  Based on the other dresses I’d seen, I shortened the bodice by about an inch using the shortening line.  I also shortened the skirt.  I had to shorten it more than I’d intended because I only had a yard of fabric. I also made the armholes slimmer so it would look more like a tank than a sleeveless dress.  During assembly, my knit needle and stretch stitches were behaving rather funky, so I just sewed the whole dress with a regular needle and straight stitch, and since there's plenty of ease, I'm not worried about straining the seams.

After I had it all assembled, I had to do some fitting.  I added bust darts around the armpits, which is actually an ideal spot for them because it fits great, and they’re barely noticeable in the finished dress.  I also took it in at the shoulders by about an inch, and had to do a MAJOR sway back adjustment.  I usually don’t do FBAs, but I have done several sway backs.  I actually didn’t know this adjustment had a name until this project.  I read about it on Amanda’s site, where she gives lots of helpful hints for fitting the pattern.  I got more info about this adjustment here.  The photo below shows the piece I removed from the back bodice, folded in half, and where I’ve removed the same piece from my paper pattern for future editions of this dress (and reading what I’ve handwritten will give you a clue as to what’s coming in Lady Skater #2). 

Because I only had a yard of fabric, the dress came out a bit too short.  I had to order another 1/2 yard of fabric.  Girl Charlee, my primary source for knits, was sold out, and Etsy came to the rescue.  I used the 1/2 yard to create a hem band.  I cut 4 strips of the fabric 4.5 inches wide, pieced two together for the front and two for the back, ironed in half, and sewed it to the bottom of my skirt, right sides together, with a 3/8” seam allowance.  The length correction is a happy accident, because I really love the visual interest the opposite directional chevron creates.  I also added a back pocket so I would have a place for my lens cap and could wear this dress to photo shoots!  For the back pocket, I cut two pieces 5” x 6” and sewed them right sides together with a 1/4” seam allowance.

 

Molly With Four Generations of Family

I grew up with Molly’s mommy, Lauren, so whenever she’s in town, I always try to visit.  This visit was my second time meeting Molly, and she’s just as cute as the first time, if not more so!  It was very hard to put my camera down.  It was also very special to be able to capture some 4-generation photos of Molly, her mom, grandma, and great grandma!

 

         

Gluten Free Challah

While I was prepared with our family photo card for an early Rosh Hashanah last week, I just didn’t have it in me to bake challah.  Preparing for Yom Kippur and Shabbat tonight though, I was inspired to bake.  I sent hubby out for some missing ingredients last night, measured everything, and baked this morning.  I had everything mixing while we were getting ready, the dough rose while I took the kids to school, and baked when I came home to finish getting ready for work. 

You may wonder why I don’t just go to Publix and buy a challah.  For many years I suffered from severe migraine headaches, and after having my kids, finally determined that gluten is my trigger.  I had just abstained from challah for a very long time, until I visited a college buddy of mine Labor Day weekend last year, who is also gluten free, and tasted her amazing gluten free challah.  It’s such a symbolic food, and also one that brings forth fond memories of sharing this food with family, over a lifetime.  I was thrilled to be able to partake of this tradition once again, and made it for our family’s Rosh Hashanah last year.  It was also thrilling to use the Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer that we HAD to have when we got married (b/c everyone else gets one when they get married), but we hadn’t used up until now.

Without further adieu, here’s the recipe, and some photos of the process.  Instead of copying out the recipe here, I’ve included it as a photo, exactly as I got it from my friend, with some of my handwritten notes (as always, click on any of the photos, including this one, to enlarge).  Last year I killed the yeast, so this year there’s a photo of the frothy yeast (if it just looks like brown water with no foamy bubbles, you may have burned your yeast in too hot water too).  Last year I used coconut milk, which is thick and gives it a nice sweet taste.  This year it’s made with unsweetened vanilla almond milk, b/c that’s what we regularly have in the house.  Also, I use potato starch, b/c it’s what I have on hand.  The recipe is very forgiving.  You can't braid it because it's too sticky, but they do make challah shaped pans.

Starting at the top left, going left to right for each row, we have: 1. Ingredients 2. Recipe 3. Big one checking himself out in the mixing bowl and frothy yeasty honey water 4. Little one pouring in the milk 5. Boys ready to go to school after watching the challah mix vigorously on the dough hook 6. Back from school drop off, dough has risen (we made one large round, 2 small rounds, and 8 mini loafs) 7. Challahs going into the oven 8. Peeking on the challah with the oven light on, watching it rise 9. All done!

           

First Visit to Wynwood Walls

After hanging out with Jayden last weekend, we were in the area where I knew the Wynwood Walls to be.  Having never been there, I looked it up, and my iPhone took us where we needed to go.  The boys had a great time and were awed by the art, and enjoyed being able to freely explore.  I enjoyed capturing their exploration!

   

As you can see, my little one LOVED this colorful rock.

       

We were there at the same time as another non-local family.  I gave them my camera, and they took this great shot of me and my big one, and I returned the favor to capture this family shot of them.  Thank you, whoever you are!

   

Wishing you a Super New Year

Since the boys were less than cooperative for our family photos last year, this year I took matters into my own hands.  I divided our shoot into two days to take the pressure off.  I got the shot of the boys together one day, and then they put on the same outfits, and dad and I joined for the family shot, which I set up on my tripod.  I think the beeps and light, indicating when the shutter would fire was fun for them, and helped them know for how long they had to look and smile.  Our family shares our holiday greetings for the Jewish New Year, which was today, and our family and friends enjoyed receiving this card, both as a 4 x 6 print, and digitally on Facebook.  When you’re ready to celebrate your holidays, let me know!  I would love to capture your family, too.