Raw Meat For Mom!

I commented to Andrea that her strawberry topping looked like raw meat. It was just that color and appearance. 
 I apologized immediately, of course!! 

The 70s and the Peasant Look

These are from "Fashionable Clothing From The Sears Catalogs", mid 70s and late 70s. 

         

Freezing Eggs in Ice Cube Trays

Today's chicken / kitchen tip, for those who might have too many homegrown eggs... and then too few  :-) 
It's convenient to freeze them by cracking them into ice cube trays.  Drop the white into one compartment and the yolk into another.  Once frozen, pop the egg-cubes out into a freezer bag for longer term storage.  And when you want to use one, you just have to take out one yolk cube and one white cube to thaw for a whole egg. 

The Question Was, "Will I Clean the Fish"

Andrea says, "You know how Daddy always talks about catching fish?  How the boys are going to catch fish, and then they'll bring it to us girls, and we're going to do something with it?" 

I said, "Yeah.  I'm waiting for that moment, when I have to face the ultimate question." 

Andrea said, "I'm waiting for that moment when they have to face the ultimate downer."

New Spiral Skirt Finished

Finished, she said? It's not hemmed yet. I serged around the edges and wore it to town like that. 

I wanted a really ruffly skirt this time. Phooey on convention, I want ruffles. So I used five gores of skirt 4B, the 6" width (which I don't think is on the site yet but I'll put it up soon, I'm redoing the whole thing)

This was really, really the end on some of those fabrics. For instance, here's how one of the blue gore pieces went together... in slivers! 

Five gores of skirt 4B produced this. Very much what I had in mind! Super ruffly! But too short for me, only 24" long. 

It would be great for a little girl. For a while I put it away, pondering whether I should finish it and list it on ebay for some lucky little girl, or try to pick out the whole thing. 

Secret weapon! Mikey to the rescue. I paid Mike $5 to pick out all those gores for me. I only had him pick the actual seams, then used the rotary cutter to trim the zigzagging off the edges. 

Then I made six more gore sections from Skirt 3, which is a gentler curve, attached those above the others, and sewed the whole thing together again. 
I didn't have enough of some of the fabrics, so I used something just close. It's not too obvious, is it? 

 

And there we are, all done. I like it! 

New Barbie Pattern: One-Shoulder Dress

A lady wrote to request an off-the-shoulder pattern.  I only glanced at the email and got a great idea how to do that!  And produced this! 
No, no, she said "off the shoulder"  :-) 

I guess it was time for me to make Barbie a One-Shoulder Dress, that's all. 

Pattern coming soon to the website! 

This is one of my favorite Barbie dolls.  I found her in the FREE box at the thrift shop.  What, nobody wanted her just because she's purple and sparkly??  And that makes me love her!  I love things that are different and flawed, yet uniquely beautiful  :-) 

She should have had wings, but they're gone.  Poor wounded fairy!  The least I can do is make her a pretty dress. 

I changed the white balance so this picture wouldn't come out all yellow (from the desk lamp) and inadvertently made her look pink.  She's really very purple. 

There, I just took her to several different locations in my house and outside, and my poor little cam couldn't get a decent shot of her.   So I swiped a couple photos from ebay auctions...

THIS is how purple she is. 

Retail Therapy

$40 for happiness from Shopko.  I bought something totally unnecessary, and what do you know, it did cheer me up! 
Gold plated over silver, earrings and necklace made in Italy, and that neat four-square white design (that looks medieval to me) made in USA, of all things. 
Shopko is where I found the made in USA running shoes last time.