Snow White Puppet Show Dress

Dear Monica,

Natalie very much likes to dress up, especially as a princess.  We are going to Disney World soon and I knew that she would want to dress up at the park.  But you can really only wear one of those cheapy dress up gowns for so long before they get annoying.  A while ago on Pinterest I saw how Jan had turned the Puppet Show dress by Oliver + S into Snow White's dress, so I made one for Natalie.

I followed Jan's tutorial to make the pleated sleeves.  I just wish that I had serged the edges of each sleeve pieces before I sewed them together, as they will ravel a bit.  But she loves it so much that she I couldn't even iron it before she put it on and kept taking it and trying it on as I was making it,  just to be sure it fit.  

As I was making the dress, I was contemplating what I would do for buttons.  I originally thought I would use two blue buttons and 5 yellow buttons so they wouldn't be too noticeable but that just seemed predictable and boring.  And I kept thinking there are 7 dwarfs and the dress needs 7 buttons.  Again, I turned to Pinterest and used this tutorial to make my own buttons out of Shrinky Dinks.

I absolutely love how they turned out and they really make the dress.  I didn't have the circle punch, so I just traced a spool of thread and I used a Sharpie instead of the Zig markers the tutorial suggests.

Here is a before and after of the buttons.  I used a circle that was about 1.5" in diameter and the button shrunk to about a half inch in diameter.  

And I added Snow White to the sleeves.

And now, she has something that she can wear all day at Disney and not be uncomfortable in.  She is one happy little girl.  

XOXO

Emily

Raspberry Kisses, Gluten Free Meringues!

Dear Emily,

It really has been a long time! I love your skirt. I looked at that book,  Gertie's New Book For Better Sewing, and it looks like a great source. I am interested to see what else you make.

Remember these? Raspberry Kisses. So easy to make but way too delicious so I don't make them often.We had company for dinner, one of whom happens to eat gluten free. These meringues were a perfect ending to dinner tonight.

All you need is this

 eggs, cream of tartar, sugar, raspberry gelatin, vinegar, and chocolate chips

(the complete recipe is at the end)

 Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until the whites are foamy. I beat them a little more than necessary, they are nearly to the "soft white peak" stage.

 Next, beat in the sugar and gelatin. Beat until the sugar is disolved and the mixture forms stiff peaks.

 Stir in the chocolate chips.

 Well, more like fold in the chips.

 I used a cookie scoop and placed the blobs four to a row on my baking pan. They do not rise or spread out so there is no need to space them any farther apart.

Bake at 250 for 30-35 minutes.

Raspberry Kisses
3 egg whites
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons raspberry gelatin
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 cup chocolate chips

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Mix the sugar and gelatin and gradually add to egg whites, beating until sugar is disolved and stiff peaks form. (I have never been able to get the sugar to disolve completely and they always turn out fine) Beat in the vinegar and fold in the chips.

Drop by teaspoons onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, such as a Silpat. They will not rise or spread out so they do not have to be spaced too far apart.

Bake at 250 for 30-35 minutes. They will be a little moist on the inside, if you prefer them drier, leave them in the oven a little longer but watch that they do not start to turn brown. Store in an airtight container.

We have always wondered how they would taste with other flavors of gelatin...orange? Orange and chocolate are great together. Strawberry? Great with chocolate, too. Grape? No. Lime? Yuck. Lemon? That might be good.

XOXO,

Monica

Pin Tuck Skirt

Dear Monica,

Wow!  We haven't posted anything since Thanksgiving.  I have been absolutely busy and I know you have too.  I spent so much of December as one of Santa's little elves and then most of January was spent getting the house back in order after all the hustle and bustle of the holidays and settling back into a routine.

Now that things are settling down, I have had some time to sew.  And I am going to sew for myself!

A while ago, I bought myself a copy of Gertie's New Book For Better Sewing.

It is full of lovely vintage inspired patterns and wonderful tips and techniques to sew yourself some very beautiful clothing.  Gertie also gives you some ideas for how to modify the patterns to put your own style into each design.  I started off my new wardrobe with a skirt.  I followed Gertie's directions for modifying a pencil skirt and adding pin tucks.

I love how it came together and I really enjoyed getting to try out some different things.    Like boning!  I sewed Rigilene boning to some hair canvas so that the waistband would stay put.  I wish I had a dress form to put it on so that I could take some detailed pictures for you.  I lined it with some blue polyester lining and used blue hem tape for an added bit of fun.  I got the pin tuck foot set for my Janome and sewed 7 rows of pin tucks at the hem.  It fits perfectly!  Gertie gives wonderful directions and advice for fitting patterns and tailoring to get the perfect fit.  I think I have been avoiding making things for myself because they never really fit.  But not anymore.  I have purchased some lovely fabrics for myself with the plans to make a few dresses and other pieces for my new wardrobe.

XOXO

Emily

Green Jello Salad Recipe - A Family Favorite?

Hello Ladies,



Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families!!!



Can one of you please let me know how Grandma used to make that lime Jell-O with olives carrots etc.?



Thank you!

Nettie

Dear Nettie,

When you sent that email to our mom and our aunts today requesting the green jello salad Grandma used to make, we were in the middle of gathering the ingredients to make one for our Thanksgiving dinner. Mom was delighted someone was asking for the recipe and called you immediatly. The following emails arrived this evening and provided a bit of entertainment. (As if we were not already being entertained with a houseful of kids - seven kids ages seven and under.)

Aunt Kathleen oughta know. Her kids are quite crazy about it, and I think she worked many years perfecting it. I believe that's all they have at Thanksgiving. She sometimes stuffs the turkey with it.

Aunt Elaine

Elaine, you are impossible! Monica asked if she should make it this year and I said no, no one likes it. But she said we had to have it and some of them actually finally like it. But the best thing is that it's going into the new generation. Liam asked on the way here if Grandma was going to have the green jello salad. He said, " I told my teacher about it. I said it has carrots and green olives and pecans. " He did ask not to put celery in it.

Margie

Nettie, I like it enough to eat it all by myself, so have never worried about whether anyone else liked it. It's best with black, not English walnuts.





I don't know whether my mom or grandma made it first, but we never had a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner without it. I think the thing my kids found most disgusting (yes, that's the right word; Philip once took it outside to throw at his cousins) about it was that some of us even put a dollop of mayonnaise on top.

Enjoy!



Love,

Aunt K



Ha Ha! Margie called me so I am good to go.





Sorry Aunt Kathy! I just figured you would know, no idea it was the bane of your Thanksgiving dinner. I told Margie, either you liked it as a child or you didn’t. I have always liked it but haven’t had it in so long and thought it would be a nice addition to the table tomorrow.

I know you will all have wonderfully made dinners either by you or your well instructed off-spring. Enjoy and I love you all!Nettie

So, now that the table and jello are both set, we have a minute to send you the recipe.

Mix jello with 2 cups of hot water and be sure to disolve all of the gelatin. Add 1 cup of cold water. Place in fridge until it starts to set, about 10 minutes, maybe more, stirring occasionally.

Add the rest of the ingredients. 4 cups of whatever. Green olives, apples, carrots, pecans or black walnuts, celery, grapes. You do not have to add everything and if you can think of other things that might taste good, knock yourself out.

Pour into a jello mold, or in our case a bundt pan, refridgerate until set and ready to eat.

When ready to serve, invert the salad on a serving plate and add a dollop of mayonaise to the middle of the mold. We filled the hole in the salad up with mayo. Too bad Aunt Kathy isn't here.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Monica and Emily

Quilted Jacket and Jumper

Dear Emily,

Two more days and we will all be home! "Home" being Mom and Dad's. I love the saying "Home is where your mother is." So true.

I am bringing a bunch of clothes for Natalie and Mikey, including this dress and jacket.

  

  

It is so hard to part with but it really does not fit Caroline anymore. She wore it yesterday for the last time. Sniff, sniff. I had such a good time making it and she looks so cute in it. Natalie will look just as cute I am sure!

I used this pattern by The Scientific Seamstress for the jumper. It is a great multi-size pattern and I have used it a number of times.

The jacket was the Natty Jacket from Pink Fig Designs

 

It is a quilted jacket, with the arms and body quilted before sewing it together and before the lining is added. I added the bird applique on the back to match the bird applique on her jumper. 

 

I made Caroline another one when she was two or three that we passed on to Natalie already I think.

She had just had a donut after church and was a little less than cooperative in letting me take her picture.

There was a leaf pile in the middle of the yard that she was just dying to jump in.

 And she is gone...

  

One last decently posed picture...

It is just too enticing...

And we are done taking pictures...

XOXO

Monica

ID Bracelets

Dear Emily,

One of my biggest fears is loosing my children in a public place and I can imagine it is one of yours, too. I have seen the temporary tattoos that have a name and contact information that can be made for a big trip, such as to Disney World. Actually they would be great for any outing - the park, the mall, Wegmans. I have thought about making some. There is even tattoo paper for the Silhouette. 

This summer we took a trip to the zoo with a friend and her four kids. That is seven kids from ages 2 - 10. On a typical busy summer day at the National Zoo in DC. Crowded. We lost Anthony once. He had just wandered ahead but I panicked. My friend and I were talking about what to do if anyone was lost - would the child know what to do. We have been working on memorizing our home phone number. There are just too many numbers to learn these days! Home, mom's cell, dad's cell. She and I talked about the tattoo IDs but I am sure I would forget them. My friend had a brilliant idea...bracelets with a cell number on them! 

 I got some stretchy cord,

  

 colored beads,

and number beads. 

(I found these at Hobby Lobby, Michaels didn't have them. 

Love Hobby Lobby. It is like Michaels on steroids.)

I made a bracelet for each of the kids. I have enough number beads left over to make one for each with Paul's cell number.

Sorting and stringing beads was a nice activity to do with Caroline while Gabe was napping. And these trays from Kids Cuisine microwave meals are perfect for sorting. They make great paint trays, too.

xoxo

Monica

Burlap Table Runner

Dear Emily,

Burlap is all over the place in home decorating lately, have you noticed? I decided to make a burlap table runner. 

I used the cream burlap rather than the natural and a narrow ivory cotton lace. When I was shopping for the lace in Hobby Lobby, I found this:

Hobby Lobby

I knew immediately how I wanted to use it in the runner.

I cut two 6" x 52" pieces from the burlap. 

Usually I use a rotary cutter but because the burlap has such an open weave, I wanted to be sure my cut lines where perfectly straight along the grain. 

I stitched them together length-wise with the flowered ribbon between creating a lace insert.

 I sewed the ribbon and burlap right sides together (yeah, I do realize the burlap has no "right" side, but the ribbon did and I didn't want the raw edges showing). I used a straight stitch, carefully pressed the seams towards the ribbon. I tried to press the seams towards the burlap but that made the seam too bulky. 

I stitched over the raw edge with a zig-zag stitch. The burlap unravels easily so I wanted to be certain it was stitched securely. 

I used an ivory thread in my sewing machine so the stitching can't be seen, even on the front. Before sewing the cotton lace on the edge, I curved the corners of the runner using a dinner plate as a pattern for the curve. 

To stitch the lace trim on the edge, I sewed it on top of the right side edge with a straight stitch and went around again with a zig-zag to make sure burlap would not unravel.

I love how it turned out but have not a single place to use it in my house! It would look best on a dark table and mine is not. I took it to a friend's house to take these pictures. She has a fantastic kitchen table. Extra long with chairs and a bench. I am bringing it to our parents' for Thanksgiving. The runner, not my friend's table. Any ideas on how to decorate the table for Thanksgiving dinner? I was thinking of making these for place cards.

xoxo

Monica