I took the pattern off of a favorite dress.

The back of the dress has ties so you can
loosen or tighten it at the waistline.

Have a great weekend, everyone! God Bless!

The fabric store was having a big sale, and I am in desperate need of some new woolen jumpers/dresses for this coming fall and winter. I managed to find two pretty woolens, and last night and this morning proceeded to chop one of the fabrics into rather small pieces. (One bonus of being short is that you can get more out of a piece of fabric!) I had three yards of each piece of wool, and I managed to get a nice fitted dress and the following skirt cut out of one 3 yard cut. Hooray!

This is more of a skirt than a jumper, but it turned out cute!

A close-up of the front. The material is 100% wool,
and when you look at it up close, it’s actually a black and tan plaid.
In the pictures it looks like a wide stripe.

Anyhow, I thought y’all would like to see the newest addition to my fall and winter wardrobe. I’m off to work on the other dress/jumper out of the same material, and I will be sure to post pictures as soon as it’s done! God Bless, and have a wonderful week!

This weekend was also my birthday, and my best friend gave me a complete surprise! We have been out antiquing together several times and I had seen a couple nice sets of vintage spice jars… so guess what he gave me as one of my presents?

My very own lovely set of spice containers.
With red lids and a red shelf!

So, part of my day was spent cleaning out the spice jars, all the while making sure I don’t get them wet on the outside and have the paper labels fall off. Aren’t they just lovely? Oh, the grand kitchen messes I will make using these treasures…

My best friend’s parents also gave me a delightful (and FUN) surprise! I got an adorable vintage toaster that actually works! I tried it out almost as soon as I got it! You have to flip the toast over half-way through the toasting process, though. Otherwise it will only brown on one side! It has a little bell on the underside, that “dings” as it heats up. I have discovered that three “dings” per side makes the perfect piece of toast.

Toast, anyone?

And for fun…

“There was an Old Man of the Coast,
Who placidly sat on a post;
But when it was cold,
he reliquished his hold,
And called for some hot buttered toast.

~Edward Lear~

Yesterday should be called “The Great Clearing Out Day,” because of all I got done! Many thanks to my Mom and Nana, because they were very helpful in the clearing out process.

You see, my Nana scheduled a yard sale for this weekend! Amusingly enough, on the day of my birthday! Now personally, I can’t think of a much cooler birthday party than a yard sale! A whole mess of people are coming and setting up, and I’m going to be selling all kinds of stuff I’ve had stored up for years.

After going through 5 or 6 BIG plastic tubs, a trunk, a cupboard, and some closets, here is the finished product!

Two-plus tubs of STUFF!

Well, there are things to be done today… so I will head out for now. God Bless!

” One of the advantages of being disorderly is that
one is constantly making exciting discoveries.”
~A.A. Milne~

Yesterday, in honor of the dreary weather we had, I threw a chicken pot-pie in the oven. I tend to be the type that doesn’t use recipes when cooking food of that nature, so once the pie crust was chilling on the fridge, I just started throwing veggies in a pot. On a wing and a prayer, I finally threw the pie in the oven and turned on the timer. (I also can’t cook without a timer!)

Though I say it myself, this pie was most definitely yummy! I used fresh-ground flour in the crust because we’re out of white. Even though it makes the crust a little grainy, it blended well with the chicken and veggie filling. I just had to take a picture before we cut into it…

Yum!

We had leftover chicken from one of those roast chickens you can buy in the deli section at the grocery store. I used potatoes, fresh baby carrots, fresh celery, a small onion, and added some garlic powder, salt and pepper while I let them boil together for about 15-20 minutes. I thawed some frozen chicken stock in a pot, and worked on rolling out the crust. Right before the veggies were done, I added some frozen peas and let them cook about 5 minutes. I added salt to the chicken stock, and thickened it with cornstarch. Once that was all done, I cut up the chicken and added it to the veggies (remember to drain out the water in the veggies!). Then I just poured it all into a deep-dish pie pan, and topped it with another crust! Bake it at 350 degrees for about an hour. (Until it’s bubbling.)

And for fun, a few of my favorite cooking quotes:

“What I say is that, if a man really likes potatoes,
he must be a pretty decent sort of fellow.”
~A.A. Milne~

“In the childhood memories of every good cook, there’s a large kitchen,
a warm stove, and simmering pot and a mom.”
~Barbara Costikyan~

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”
~A Room of One’s Own, Virginia Woolf~

~All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast.”
~John Gunther~

This has been a delightful weekend, spending it with my best friend, and getting to do lots of relaxing, movie-watching, talking, laughing, and lots of goofing off! And now it’s Monday. To me, Mondays are days to get back into the routine of the week, to relax, get some work done, and just generally start the new week off on the right foot. (I actually don’t dislike Mondays!)

I thought I would share with you a few treasures I’ve found over the past couple of weeks… a few new goodies to add to my rather large hopechest collection!

This was actually found a few months ago for $3,
while out yard-saling with my best friend!

This comfy treasure was found just the other day for $35.
It will eventually have a slip-cover on it,
I’m not too crazy about the blue flowers.

And last, but most certainly not least…

I have a new iron! Or rather, a new old iron. I currently use my great-
grandmother’s travel iron from the 1940’s, and it’s the best iron
I’ve ever used! I just found the exact same iron for $8 at an antique store,
and I am absolutely thrilled to have another.
At last, Mom and I no longer have to fight over the iron…

]]> http://daffodilhillstudio.com/2009/08/31/treasures/feed/ 1 Kate DSC_0006 DSC_0002 DSC_0004 http://daffodilhillstudio.com/2009/08/26/a-finished-product/ http://daffodilhillstudio.com/2009/08/26/a-finished-product/#comments Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:06:15 +0000 Kate http://daffodilhillstudio.com/?p=607 ]]> Hello friends!

It has been such a good summer. Sewing, spending time with my best friend, and generally enjoying the season have been on the top of my priority list! Unfortunately, this blog has suffered because of it.

In the beginning of summer, my good friend Em came home from college, and she and I decided to have a get-together over tea. Em and I have much in common, including a love for Jane Austen novels, Big Band music, and (of course) fashion! We chatted, laughed, and then began to discuss summer plans. Turns out she wanted to do some sewing, seeing as she hadn’t had time in quite a while. We discussed styles, looked at her fabric choices, and came up with a master plan. So over the past couple of months, we’ve gotten together almost every a week and worked on several projects.

Em designed the dress with very simple, tailored lines. A nice squared neckline, with a wide cream waistband and wider cream band along the hemline. The navy blue material is a cotton/linen blend, and the cream material is 100% linen. (I had to go and get some of the cream for myself!) She opted for a hidden side zipper, and closed in all her seams using a French seam, so that she won’t have to worry about fraying.

And yesterday *enter trumpet sounds here* she was able to wear the finished product! I know just how excited she was to FINALLY be wearing the dress that she took such pains with! We ended up going outside and doing a small photo-shoot, simply because we had to show off the dress.

Good job, Em!

Contemplating the wildflowers.

The flower designs on the hemline of the skirt were hand-appliqued.

Spinning in the hammock.

The dress is finished! Hooray!

“If we did all the things we are capable of doing,
we would literally astonish ourselves.”
~Thomas Edison~

Thimbles and Needles and Thread, OH MY!

This will be my “battle station” for the next few weeks… or months, depending on how fancy I get with quilting.

Today has been quite a full and busy one, and I’m tuckered out!

However, I had to share a picture with you, that puts a whole new meaning into the term “made by hand!” This evening I made an angel food cake (using a recipe from a King Arthur Flour cookbook) and of course, just a few minutes ago I had to cut the cake out of the pan and flip it onto the cake plate. What to do? This is always a dilemma for me, since the top of the cake is sticky and always tends to peel off that nice brown layer.

After staring at it blankly for a few minutes, I finally bit the bullet and just did it…

…

…

…

Made with love, by hand.

God bless, and I hope you all have a wonderful evening!

“In cooking, as in all the arts, simplicity is the sign of perfection.”
~Curnonsky~

I’m back yet again, having spent a wonderful weekend with friends and family! Over the weekend I also realized there was no possible way for me to wear all the clothes in my closet, and I also made a skirt that was a bit too small, so I’ve listed two things on Ebay for sale!

Click on the following links to check out the clothes!

1960-style pencil skirt

Baby-doll Peasant style dress

And here’s a cute tunic top I made this week…

it will be perfect this fall with a pair of blue jeans!

God Bless, and have a wonderful day!