Cream of Chicken With Thyme, In a Bread Bowl

With all this social isolation going on, I decided it was a good time to get my teens helping with dinner.  I've assigned everyone in the house one night of cooking per week.  They are learning how to cook and I get a bit of a break from deciding what to make and a lot of help with preparation work. This week my youngest decided she wanted soup in bread bowls.  She even made the bread dough all on her own without me.

The bread bowls can be any bread recipe you've got.  I don't recommend an enriched dough because it needs to have a good crust.  Your favorite loaf recipe is fine as long as it doesn't have eggs or a lot of fat.  It doesn't need to be a rustic bread to have enough crust.  We used this recipe because the youngest had used it before and felt comfortable with it.  It made 6 perfect bowls.  We used 9 oz of dough shaped into balls.  We let the balls rise for half an hour and then baked them at 350 degrees for about a half-hour or so.  Be sure to let them cool for 20 minutes before you cut the tops off so you don't get gummy middles.  Once you cut the tops off (about an inch down) pull out the bread inside.  Don't get overzealous here.  You want to leave a little layer along the bottom and sides to help protect against leaks.  It should come out pretty easily.  The bread you pull out can be served with the soup for dunking or you can save it and turn it into croutons.

The soup is simple and only takes 20 minutes.

Cream of Chicken With Thyme

3 T olive oil
1 small onion, diced fine
1/2 t salt
1 t garlic
3 T flour
6 cups chicken stock
3 potatoes, diced
two sprigs of thyme (1 T leaves, fresh)
2 cups shredded chicken*
1/4 c plain yogurt (buttermilk works too)
3/4 c heavy cream

1. Heat the oil in the bottom of a 4 qt pot and saute the onion and salt until the onion is translucent and soft.  Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
2. Add the flour and stir cooking for a few minutes to make a roux.
3. Stir in the chicken stock and dump in the potatoes. Drop in the thyme.
4. Let simmer for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
5. Add the chicken. Stir in the yogurt and heavy cream.  Salt and pepper to taste.
6. Serve.


I know the garlic seems like too little, but it's designed to not be a major flavor, just a background note.  You can also add celery with the onions if you like.

*Alternatively, in step 1 heat the oil and then add two chicken breasts to the pot.  Brown lightly on each side, approximately 2 minutes.  Remove and set aside. In step 3, when adding the stock to the pot, add the stock slowly and scrape the bottom of the pot to remove the fond and get it into the soup. Then add the chicken back into the soup.  Poach in the stock until done.  Remove from soup and let cool for a few minutes.  Shred or cube according to preference and add back to the soup.  Continue as written for the rest. 

Pattern Review: Love Notions North Star

I got to be a pattern tester for another Love Notions pattern.  This time I tested their very first men's pattern, the North Star.

Yup, it's the men's version of the half-zip pullover.  If you bought the Navigator and the Constellation, you can sew a matching set for the whole family now.  They coordinate very nicely and have very similar style lines from version to version.  

I sewed my husband the XXL.  It gives him layering room without the fit being too sloppy.  Check the finished measurements against the recommended size.  You may want more or less ease than the pattern recommends.  For example, I was using a sweater fleece that had a little more stretch than the pattern recommends and I like a little less ease.  I sewed his first one in the XXXL and he was drowning in it.  I had to take in the sides by quite a lot to get the fit right.  The second one I sized down and it was perfect.  

I tested both the hooded and collared version of the jacket.  The hood was a little big on my husband but it fits most pattern testers' models well.  If you're worried you can sew a drawstring channel into the hood.  The pattern recommends top stitching anyway.  Just top stitch 1/2" back and add a small buttonhole or grommet on each side at the bottom of the hood.  Then feed through a yard of twill tape and tie knots in the ends.

The directions are careful and cover all the basics.  There's even a video for the zipper installation if you're worried about that.  

I will say that they are a little over generous with the fabric recommendations.  I got both versions out of less than 2 yards of fabric each.  The pattern recommends 2 1/2 yards for the hooded version and 2 1/4 for the collared.   Just get 2 yards and you'll be fine.  I know it's hard to buy fractions from online retailers, so not having to buy that extra full yard is a big savings.   You will need more if you have to lengthen the pattern.  My layout only gives you about 3" of wiggle room. 

Getting it all under two yards just takes laying out the fabric correctly.  Don't fold selvage ends together like you do for most patterns.  Fold both selvage ends toward the center.  Make sure you fold over the same amount on each side by measuring from the edge of the selvage to the fold.  The amount should measure the same the full length of the fabric.  You fold just enough to fit the pattern pieces, leaving a gap between the selvages.  Measure your pattern pieces and then fold over that amount plus an inch or two.  When doing the hooded version your center hood piece can be cut out of the fabric in the center between the other pattern pieces you've laid on the fold.  It all looks like this:  

That's the back piece, front top, pocket, and pocket lining all lined up on the left.  On the right fold, I have both sleeves and the side hood.  (By the way, if you like having all the pieces laid out completely before you start cutting, you can print an extra sleeve.  You just need two copies of pages 22, 23, 27, 28, 34, and 35.)  You only need to cut one of the center hood piece.  You'll notice mine is up at the top in the middle.   This isn't the only way to lay out the pattern; this method just worked well for me and fit the way the company designed the pieces.  

Overall impressions:

Fit:  loose and boxy.  Made for layering.  I found the sizing to be a little overgenerous in the upper sizes.   It could have been my fabric, but I'll be watching it in the future.  

Difficulty:  Rated as "confident beginner" and it's pretty accurate.  It sews up easily with the zipper and the bias trim being the only things that might make a beginner hesitate.  There's a video for the zipper installation and no one will see if your topstitching on the bias isn't perfect.  Promise. 

Price:  $10.  Fair and in line with most online PDF patterns.  

Will I make it again?  Yup.  I already have the fabric to make my son one as a Christmas present.  He's looking forward to getting it.  

Pocket hack for Vogue 7937

I love Vogue 7937.  It's practically the perfect pencil skirt.  Great lines, well designed, with several options so you can make more than one and still have variety in your wardrobe.

My first V7937 was View b, with the double kick pleat in back and the tab detail at the waist.  I loved the fit and look of it.  It was just missing one thing:  pockets.   So when it came time to make view D (and how could you not have view D in your wardrobe?) I knew I needed to hack some pockets.  Since V7937 is a paneled skirt, it's easy to add an angled pocket.  You can use this method to add a pocket to any paneled front skirt.

I was working with black fabric, so I hope you can see the pictures clearly.

You're going to make four new pattern pieces to create a banded edge, angled pocket like mine.

To start, lay pattern tracing fabric over the front side piece (piece 2 on this pattern.)  Trace your size onto the pattern tracing fabric.

Now do some measuring.  How far down do you want the pocket to start?  How deep do you want the pocket?  For me, I wanted the pocket to start about 5 inches from the waist and to be deep enough to hold my cell phone, about 6.5".

In order to figure out how far down you will start the pocket, subtract 1" from the distance you want the pocket from your waist.  This takes into account the seam allowance at the waist and the top of the pocket, plus the width of the pocket band.  Mark approximately in the center of the pattern piece.

To create the angle, I just held the measuring tape against the pattern until I liked the angle.  The center of the angle is the mark I just made.  

You can make this angle as shallow or as deep as you like.  draw the line on the pattern, but know you won't be cutting here.  Use a dashed line if you wish to show it's not a cut line.

Next add the pocket depth+3/8" to the distance you measured down from the waist.  Measure that from the waist and mark that in a straight line across the pattern.  This is the bottom of your pocket.    You'll cut this piece at that point and keep the top section.  This is your pocket facing piece.

Next trace the original pattern piece again, making sure to trace the full length of the pattern.  Transfer your pocket angle to the new piece. The easiest way to do this is to lay your new piece over the first piece and trace the line. Cut at this line, keeping the bottom of the skirt this time.  This is your skirt piece.

Now lay the two pattern pieces you just created over the top of each other making sure to line up pattern markings (because you were careful to transfer the pattern markings, right?)  Trace the shape of the overlapped sections.  This is your pocket lining.  Don't worry about seam allowances because they are already included.


You should now have three new pattern pieces:  the skirt, the pocket facing, and the pocket lining.  At this point, it's a good idea to line them all up and make sure all the pattern markings line up and your pocket is the depth you wanted it to be.  If anything is off, now is the best time to correct it.

For the last pattern piece,  cut a piece of pattern tracing fabric the width of your pocket angle by 2 1/4" wide.  Make it a generous length.  Mine was a couple of inches longer than it needed to be.  This is good because I needed that to shape the piece to the pattern.   This piece will make your pocket band 3/4" wide.  If you would like yours wider or narrower, adjust your pattern piece accordingly.

Keep in mind, the band is folded in half on the finished skirt so any adjustment you want to make should be multiplied by 2.  For example, say you want a 1/2" band.  This is 1/4" narrower than mine so you would need to make your band piece 1/2" narrower or 1 3/4" to accommodate the change.

1/4" x 2 = 1/2"      2 1/4" - 1/2" = 1 3/4"

Speaking of folding in half, now it's time to shape the ends of your pocket band piece.   Fold it in half lengthwise and lay the folded edge toward the waist, lining up the seam lines on the pocket band and the edge of the pocket on the skirt piece.   You can draw dotted lines for your seam lines if you wish, but this doesn't have to be too exact.  Just try to get the angle on the band piece as close as you can to the pocket angle.

Trace the edge of the skirt onto the pocket band piece as shown in the picture.

Now cut the band piece along those lines while it's still folded.   You should have a piece that looks like this:







Cut the skirt out with your new pieces substituting in for the side front skirt piece included in the pattern.  You need two of each piece.

To construct your new side front, fold the pocket band in half and press.  Baste it to the top of the pocket right sides together with a 3/8" seam allowance.  Make sure the pocket binding will line up correctly when pressed up by lining it up like this:

Notice how the corners hang off the skirt on each end?  you want that.  Line up the edge of the side front with the pocket band about 3/8" down from the cut edge.  The folded edge should be facing the bottom of the skirt.








Now lay the pocket lining over the side front right sides together.   Sew with a 3/8" seam allowance.  Notice how the edge of the pocket lining lines up perfectly with the side front piece.  If yours doesn't, you're probably using the wrong pocket lining piece or have sewn the band to the wrong side of the side front.

Fold the pocket lining to the back and press with the pocket band standing nicely up from the skirt.   I also added a top stitch to help things lay smoothly.

Now lay the side front over the pocket facing and pin it together.  Carefully flip the pieces over so you are looking at the back side of the pieces.  Match the bottom of the pocket facing to the bottom of the pocket lining and sew together.  You should be sewing right sides together.



You now have a fully constructed side front piece.  The back will look like this:
















And the front looks like this:

















Now construct your skirt following the pattern directions.

This is my finished product and I'm very happy with it.  I love having pockets on my skirt and view D is as fabulous as it looks on the pattern envelope.

Good luck with your projects and feel free to ask questions if any part of the process isn't clear.

Pattern Review: Love Notions Constellation Pullover

I had the privilege this last month to be able to pattern test the new Constellation pullover from Love Notions Patterns.  I don't sew for myself very often but I have been wanting to do more.  When the call for testers went out, I jumped on the opportunity.  

The Constellation is the women's version of the Navigator kids pattern.  It hits all the same style lines, with a soft, somewhat boxy shape and a half zip with huge kangaroo pocket across the front.  It's built to be layered so it's sized to be roomy, but not overly baggy.   

I made two, but only did pictures of the second one.  I chose a reversible athletic knit from JoAnn (I keep lusting over the fabric shops online but I never manage to pull the trigger.  I like touching and playing with the fabric before I buy.  Someday I'll actually do it just for the better quality fabric.)  The knit I chose barely fits the 25% stretch recommendation but it worked just fine.  The contrast color added some great style notes to the pattern.  For this one, I did the curved hem with a bound edge.  I also chose to add thumb holes in the cuffs.  Sleeves are always long on me so I left the sleeve length alone and just added the slits in the seam on the cuff so I have the length I need in the sleeve without having to add length to the cuff.  (There's a thumb hole cuff hack on the Love Notions blog.  I used the technique but not the pattern piece.  I don't like my sleeves twisting, so I also lined up the thumb hole with my actual thumb instead of the sleeve seam.  About 1/4 of the way around the sleeve from the seam works pretty well.)  

 I made both the hooded and the collared versions of the pattern.  The collar is a nice length for me and the hood is cozy and well fitted with a pieced shape.  I saw several pattern testers color blocking the hood and using that center piece to add more interest to the jacket.  There are quite a few ways to play with the look through color blocking or changing the details.  I stayed pretty conservative with this one.

Overall impression:

Fit:  loose and boxy.  The sizing is pretty accurate. and there is a full bust adjustment piece already designed if you need it. I made an XL but should have graded up at the hip.  It's still comfortable and I've been wearing it a lot since finished it.

Difficulty:  the company rates it at "confident beginner" and I'd say that's probably on target.  If the zipper scares you, there's a great video tutorial link in the pattern instructions.  For experienced sewers, it's a quick sew with mostly standard construction techniques.

Price:  $10.  Very much in line with other online, independent pattern companies. 

Will I make it again:   Yup.  Already bought the pattern to sew one for a Christmas present.  I'm also looking forward to the men's pattern that should be released before Christmas.

*Photo Credit:  Murphy Brown.  (My youngest kid.  She's awesome.)

A trench coat for my son

There are hundreds of patterns out there to sew for girls, and not that many to sew for boys.   My younger son has sometimes felt left out when I sewed for his sisters and not for him, so when he started asking for a trench coat I decided that was something I could do for him.

Trench coats are quite hard to find in pre-teen and teen sizes.  It's the sort of thing that is easy to find for men, but not so much for your boys.   I suppose if I wanted to spend the funds I could have bought him a Ralph Lauren one.   That seemed a little over the top even knowing how much he would wear it.

I was excited to find a pattern on Burda Style.  It's BurdaStyle #147.     The pattern was drafted well.  It fits beautifully and looks quite sharp.  I like the front and back flaps, the epaulets, the sleeve straps and the true welted pocket.  The details work together to create a classic trench look.  

That said, I'm not sure I would recommend this pattern to anyone.  Yes, it looks good, but it was a monster to sew.   I consider myself near expert level with my sewing.  I have spent thousands of hours sewing and have sewn more than one formal gown.   Hey, if you can sew a wedding dress, you've learned a few things, right?    The instructions for this pattern left a lot to be desired.  I don't need everything spelled out for me, but it seems I need more than this pattern is willing to give.  The pocket instructions were especially confusing.   I had to just put the pieces together and sort of backwards engineer my technique based on what I wanted it to look like when I was done.  I'm happy with how it turned out, but frustrated with how little help the pattern was.   I basically stopped bothering to read them after the pockets and just sort of went my own way after that, only stopping to check every once in awhile to be sure I was doing things in the right order.  Even that screwed me up because it wanted me to sew on the front facing before I attached the collar.   I should have known better than to trust the pattern and I ended up having to rip a few seams to get things laid out correctly.    Don't even bother trying to use it to install the lining.  

I used existing garments to decide on lining technique.  I should have done it a little bit more than I did; there's a few things I should have done differently.   

I used easy to find materials for this with a basic bottom weight cotton for the exterior and yarn dyed flannel for the lining to add extra warmth.   The lining is purple plaid and he loves it since purple is currently his favorite color.   The buttons are basic LaMode wood buttons.   The buckles I ordered off Amazon.  They are leather trench coat buckles in exactly the right sizes for the coat.  I was excited to find them.  

All in all, it was a good project that tested my skills.   You really only learn when you stretch yourself, so it makes this trench coat an excellent learning tool.  I've been wanting to be a better seamstress lately.  I guess I should be careful what I wish for, huh?  

Family Charging Station

Everybody has that one drawer in the kitchen.  You know the one I'm talking about.  It's a mess and useless because of the mess.   I had two.   A couple of years ago I tamed the other drawer with some plastic drawer organizers and decided what belonged in that drawer and what didn't.   It was such a success that my other drawer has really frustrated me.  Sometimes I even had difficulty opening it around all the stuff we didn't know what to do with.   

At the same time, my family developed a charging problem.  We went from a two device home to a six (or seven) device home.   Which meant, since there were children involved, that charger cord stealing had become a serious, and yet frequent, crime.  My husband and I could only ever keep one cord between us, a serious issue with three devices to charge. 

So how do you fix both issues at once?  Like this: 

 

I love it.   It's functional.  It holds exactly what I need it to.   And I always have a charger for my phone (and everyone else's besides.)   Isn't it pretty?   It was also very easy to build.  It only took a saw, a drill, some sandpaper, less than 6' of 1x3, and some planning.  

The planning is very important.  You need to decide exactly what needs to be stored in the drawer and how big those storage places need to be.  I knew I needed a section for phone charging, a section for bills and coupons, and a section for important papers (like the ones from school that I need to sign but always get lost.)   The rest of the space I knew would fill up with whatever fit and needed a home.  I planned a six inch wide section the full depth of the drawer for the charging station, a slightly larger than 8.5"x11 for the papers, and an 11x whatever was left for the bills.   If you have a family tablet, or larger phones, you will want a larger section for the charging station.  Six inches is a bit tight even for what we have.  

Next, you need to measure your drawer.   Get this measurement exactly.   I mean down to the 1/32 of an inch.   The better this measurement, the tighter your divider will fit.  Mine is so tight it doesn't slip at all.  This way we didn't have to nail or glue it in so it's easily removable if we ever need to change things.  

Now you need to plan your cuts.   I have two pieces the full length of the drawer and two the width of the two divided sections, so two 19.5", one aprox. 6" and one aprox. 8.5".   This allowed me to keep the pieces down to only four, so it was easy to put together and will be stronger.  In order to figure out my lengths, I made a sketch:  

Everything is perfectly to scale in that because I used an architectural triangle ruler.   I learned how to use one in high school.  It's so easy that even though I haven't used one in ages, I still knew what I was doing.  It's a pretty handy device.  If you would like to learn to use one, this video explains it well.   Because I drew my plan to scale, it made it very easy to figure out how long each piece of wood should be.  Then I double checked my measurements with math.   Once I had cut the wood, I also did a dry fit in the drawer.  Getting things cut perfectly even when you have the right lengths is very difficult.  A dry fit allows you to recut or sand until you get things right.  

Because I was using a clear polyurethane finish on the divider, I wanted it to have invisible fasteners.  Using doweling meant that I was able to fasten the boards together without anything showing.  To make things as easy as possible, I bought a doweling kit from Home Depot.  (You may have to ask to find these. They aren't in the fastener aisle or near the full length dowels at my Home Depot.  They were inexplicably back by the doors.)  The kit comes with exactly the right size drill bit, a drill bit collar, and two marking pegs, along with about ten ridged dowels.    It's pretty easy to use.  The collar sets your bit depth and the pegs are used to mark where to make the dowel holes on the second piece of wood without having to measure.   

So I used dowels, glued it up and then gave it two coats with a semi-gloss poly to match my drawers.

I then cut a piece of no-slip drawer liner to fit the charging station.  I had some of this around already, so it was free for me.   You can pick up drawer liner for pretty inexpensively in any kitchen department.   

The charger is an Anker brand charging port.    I liked that it could charge six devices at once, didn't overcharge, and I could charge both Apple and other brands from the same charger.   I bought six micro USB 1 ft charging cables to go with it.  They're white so they match, of course.    I did some research before I bought these to be sure they were sturdy and would do the job I needed.   The Anker charging station came with a piece of double stick tape so it was easy to attach to the side of the drawer.

The cord is secured with a wire fastener.  The drawer back was low enough that the wire goes over the back with plenty of clearance.

We used one designed for household wiring but you could use any type of cable clip as long as it's a low enough profile.    You'll also want to be sure to check the clearance of your drawer.  If there isn't enough room, you may have to cut into the drawer.   Most modern cabinetry should allow space for the cord, though.

We chose this particular drawer in our kitchen because there is an outlet in the side right here.   My husband was able to put a second outlet right next to it facing into the cabinet so the charger could always stay plugged in. It's also already on a GFCI circuit so it gives us a bit more peace of mind.    That's easy to do if you have electricity close by and have electrical experience.  Otherwise, hire a professional for that part.

All I had to after that, was start using the drawer.

I love it!  It's been so great to have and I know it will be a lot easier to keep organized.   

Chocolate Peanut Butter Thumbprints

What combination is more classic than chocolate and peanut butter.   I'm always up for any cookie that combines my two favorite things.   Tonight I was up for something new, so I decided to take the classic jam thumbprint cookie and make it better.    The cookie has a bit of cream cheese to keep them moist and give them a lovely tang.   The filling is soft and gooey.   They are, in fact, perfect.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Thumbprints

2  cups + 2 T all purpose flour
1/4 c cocoa powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t baking powder
3/4 c butter
2/3 c brown sugar
3 ounces cream cheese
1 large egg
1 1/2 t vanilla

Sift the dry ingredients together and set aside.   Cream the butter, sugar, and cream cheese together in a large mixing bowl.   Stir in the egg and vanilla.    Mix in the dry ingredients until just combined.   This will give you a smooth, soft dough that holds it's shape.   Using a #60 food scoop, drop balls of dough onto a cookie sheet about 2" apart.  If you don't have the scoop, you will need to make 1.5" balls of dough.  It helps to keep your hands damp so the dough doesn't stick to them.  Once you have a full pan of cookie balls out, use a wet thumb to make a depression in each cookie.    Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.   While the cookies are baking, make the filling.

Filling:
2/3 c peanut butter
2/3 c powdered sugar
4 T butter

Beat the three ingredients until thoroughly combined.   Put the filling in a pastry bag with a large round decorator tip.   Alternatively, you could use a plastic bag and cut the corner off.  Remove from oven and redo the depressions by pressing a round metal teaspoon into the center of each cookie.   Immediately, squeeze about a teaspoon of filling into the center of each cookie.  Return the cookies to the oven and bake for an additional five minutes.   Remove from pan and let cool.

Don't let them cool too much before eating because they are fantastic warm.