Pattern Alteration: Simple box pleats and my first Giveaway!

I've said before that I like to alter patterns I already have to get a style I want.  This particular alteration is super simple to pull off.  Today we're adding two box pleats to the front of a basic A-line skirt.

This skirt is my 1st grader's.  She loves to wear it with wild patterned tights.   When I made it, I accidentally cut out two (you know how you are supposed to fold the fabric in half most of the time when you lay out a pattern?  yeah.  Not this one.) oh well.  My loss.  Your gain.   I'm going to sew my extra skirt up for one person who comments on this post.  One entry for commenting.  One extra entry for linking to my blog in your blog.  Let my know in the comments that you've linked.  I'll let my little girl draw a name out of a hat.  My teenage daughter likes hats.  We have several around here these days.

This skirt is a size 4-5 with a finished length of 12 1/4".  I can sew the waist to whatever measurement you wish. 

You need to start with a basic A-line skirt pattern. It's best if the front of the skirt is flat rather than gathered or with an elastic waist.  The back can have the elastic waist though.  This technique works with any sized skirt, for little girls or grown women.  First decide how deep you want the box pleat to be.  For a little girl, like this skirt, a 1" pleat is fine.  I did a box pleat skirt very similar to this for myself with a 3" pleat.

So, how deep is the pleat?  Quadruple that measurement and add that amount to the skirt front.  For this skirt I wanted  1" pleats, so I added 4 inches.  1x4=4.

If the front piece is laid on the fold you'll push the pattern piece back  from the fold half the added amount.  If you are adding 4" to the skirt front you want the pattern edge 2" from the fold.   Be sure to measure both at the top of the pattern piece and the bottom.

If your pattern has a full piece for the skirt front, you'll need to split the pattern down the center.   Evenly spread the pattern pieces apart the amount you want added to the skirt front.  In this case the pieces had a 4" gap between them.  Do be sure you keep the pattern piece lined up with the grain line in the fabric for both front pieces.

Now cut out the skirt front.

The box pleats should be centered over each leg, so you need to mark the fabric piece.   Measure in 5/8" from each edge and mark that with a pin.  Now fold the fabric in half and mark the center with a pin.   Do this at the top and bottom edge of the skirt.   Bring one side over toward the center, lining up the side pin with the center pin at the top and bottom.  Press flat.  Mark that fold with a pin at the top.  Measure down 4 5/8" from the top edge and mark that with a pin.  Do the same thing to the other side.

Sew from the waist to the pin the width of your box pleat.  I wanted a 1" pleat, so my seam here is 1" from the folded edge.  If you were sewing a 3" box pleat on an adult sized skirt you would sew 3" from the folded edge.   By the way, you can sew it down farther.  4" is about 1/3 of the finished length and that's about right for a sewn pleat.  If you were sewing a skirt that was 18" long you might want to sew the pleat 6 5/8" down. The 5/8" is to account for the seam allowance at the waist.  (Yes, if you win this skirt there will not be any white thread.  I plan to pull that out and redo it in the right color.  The white was just to make the seam easy to see.)

Press the pleat flat with the folded edge centered over the seam. 

Now you have a finished front with pleats.  Continue sewing the skirt using the directions that came with your pattern. 

Have fun and be sure to comment if you want a skirt like this one for your daughter/niece/granddaughter/alien  child/next year's Halloween jack o' lantern.  Leave an email or sign into a Google account so I can contact you if you win.  Thanks!

My favorite recipe books

Well this is not the post I intended today.  I was supposed to be posting a video I made with a short tutorial.  I'll see if I can get the bugs worked out and get it posted another day.

Instead, you get to see my must own recipe books.  Excited?  You will be when you see the recipes.

I think every home should have at least one America's Test Kitchen cookbook in it.   I'm going to recommend three of them.  I love ATK recipes.  I was a pretty good cook before I discovered them but they really helped me take my cooking to another level.  Besides helping me be a better cook, they also really focus on taste without completely busting the budget.   If they do recommend an expensive product, they also have some less expensive options that still will taste good.  The vast majority of the recipes have easy to find, not expensive ingredients.  I can cook healthy, fantastic meals for my family without feeling like I need to spend a bundle on food. 


 The ATK Family Cookbook is a great compendium of recipes that just work the first time and every single time.  Their biscuit recipe is fabulous and I feel like I could hold my own at any Southern pot luck now.  Light fluffy and flavorful.  There are so many wonderful recipes that are usually easy to make and a lot of them don't take a lot of time.  It is not as comprehensive as the Better Homes and Gardens or Joy of Cooking, but it's still an essential book to have in the kitchen.  I reach for this one first and only go looking in another book if this one doesn't have the recipe I need.

If you've been trying to cook more healthy foods for your family you can try The ATK Healthy Family Cookbook.  I do not own this one but it is on my wish list.  I am almost positive it's as good as the other ATK books.

If you watch the America's Test Kitchen TV show on PBS, you'll be excited to know that they released a cookbook last year that has every recipe from their first 10 years on TV.  The Complete ATK TV Show Cookbook lives up to it's name. I love this book.  You would not believe the number of 30 minute dinner recipes in this one.  Most of them only use a single skillet.  By the way, they don't depend on convenience foods to manage the 30 minute time limit.  Great tasting, whole foods ingredients, and easy clean up.  What could be better?   We love the chicken and rice skillet meal.

Creamy Mint Risotto

Today's recipe is adapted from Pioneer Woman and America's Test Kitchen.  I combined both their recipes with a few changes of my own.  I'm very happy how this one came out.  We adore risotto in our home even though it doesn't really fit my "dinner must cost less than $5 total" approach to cooking.  I just go really cheap on another night and remember not to serve this one too often.  It's a great treat once in a while though. 

Creamy Mint Risotto

2 c Arborio rice

2 T butter

1/2 sweet onion, like Walla Walla or Vidalia, chopped fine
5 c chicken broth 

3 T finely chopped mint leaves
1/4 c Romano cheese
1/2 c sour cream

Melt the butter over medium heat. Add onion and sprinkle with a dash of salt. Cook until onion is soft. Add rice and cook stirring until edges of rice turn translucent. Begin adding chicken broth. Start with 1 c. and stir until the broth is absorbed into the rice. Add rest of chicken broth 1/2 cup at a time, cooking until broth is absorbed between each addition. Cook until all broth is absorbed and the rice is soft and creamy. Reduce heat to low. Stir in mint and cheese then add sour cream.  Serve.

Risotto can be heavy and rich, but the mint lightens the dish as a background note. It was very good. garnished mine with a mint sprig because I've got plenty, and served it with pork chops. I think it would also be good with chicken flavored with a mild marinade.  It's great with lamb, of course, but you did see the whole $5 dinner part, right?  Lamb does not fit into a $5 dinner.  Ever.

Let me know if you try it and like it.

Ruffle Bag V2.0: The Fat Quarter Bag

Remember the ruffle bag I posted a couple of months ago?   I was challenged by the local fabric store to come up with a version that uses fat quarters.   I succeeded in the challenge and the pattern uses almost every inch of three fat quarters.  The fun thing about a purse like this is the mix of fabrics.  You can choose three fabrics from the same line or you can get really funky and just choose three you love the look of together.  (ETA:  my dd made her own fat quarter ruffle bag.  You can see her fun zebra and purple creation here.)

To make the pattern, start by drawing a 10x10 square.   You're going to draw the curve next along the top edge.  Measure in 1 1/2" from each side and mark that spot.  This is the beginning of the curve.   Next measure 5" from the side and 2 1/2" from the top and mark.  This is the deepest point of your curve.  Now carefully draw in the curve.  Remember this is an oval, not a circle so be sure to not get your ends pointy and keep the sides smooth and even.  This is a good time to pull out your flexible ruler to help you get the curve you want.    Now draw four straight lines across the pattern.  1 1/2" from the bottom and 1 1/4" apart.  These are your ruffle guides.  This is the only pattern piece you need for this purse.  Everything else is just rectangles.

Get the fabric for the outside of the purse ready by laying the selvage edge so it faces you right side of the fabric down.  Now bring the opposite cut edge to the selvage edge folding the fabric in half.   Lay your pattern piece so the little straight sections of the curved top edge are directly on the fold.  Make sure you have the left side as close to the cut edge as you can get it because you will use all but an inch or so of this fabric.

Cut around the pattern.  Be careful with the curve because that's your purse bottom.   (Yeah, I know.  I felt pretty clever.)  When it's cut out, set the oval aside and cut your front and back pieces apart at the fold.   You should now have three purse pieces and a rectangle.

Out of the rectangle, cut two strips 2 1/2" wide and one 1 1/2" wide.  The 2 1/2" strips are a ruffle and the 1 1/2" strip is your strap.   The last piece is scrap.

Now cut the lining out the same way you cut out the outside.

With your contrast piece, fold it the same way you folded the other two pieces.   Now cut four strips 2 1/2" wide. These are two ruffles.  Out of what's left cut two pieces 5 1/4"x10".  These are your interior pockets. 

Take your pocket pieces and hem one long edge with 1/4" handkerchief hem.   Place your pockets over your lining pieces and pin down.  Mark where you want the pockets to be divided and sew a straight seam from the top of the pocket to the bottom.  I like to start that with a little bit of tight zig zag to reinforce that edge.  I also like to be sure I add in a couple of pencil pockets so my pens are easy to find.  Those are usually about 1" wide. 

Now sew up the side seam.   Next sew a basting stitch all the way around the the edge of the bottom.

Fold and mark your bottom and sides.  Like this:

Line up your marks and sew the bottom to the purse.   You may need to ease the bottom piece using the basting stitch.  It depends on the curve you drew on your pattern.  Clip the seam.  If you are going to add a magnetic clasp, now is a good time to attach that to the lining.

Sew the ends of your ruffle strips so you have four loops.   Finish each edge with a 1/4" handkerchief hem.   Sew a basting stitch around the top of each ruffle. (Or you can couch over fishing line to gather the ruffles.)  Mark your quarters and then mark eighths with pins on both the ruffle and the bag.   Gather matching the pins and attach to the bag by sewing along the ruffle guide lines.   Sew on the bottom.  (Ok, this looks a little deceptive.  The four ruffles will be the longest part of this whole project.  They are a pain but worth it.  If you want just a basic bucket bag, you can skip the ruffles and then this purse will only take a little over an hour.  With the ruffles it's a three hour bag.  Just so you know.)

If you want your bag to be a little stiffer, cut out a lining from canvas or denim.  You will need to cut a front/back/bottom piece and one strip 1 1/2"x21.   Sew the sides together and then attach the bottom.

You will now have three complete pieces to put together.  Set the canvas piece on a table and shove the lining in with the right side facing toward the center.  Mush it around until it's lined up pretty well, especially at the side seams.  Now shove in the outside of the bag turned so the right side faces the right side of the lining.  Like this:

Make sure your side seams and top edge all line up nice and pretty.  See how the outside and the lining face each other?  Do that.  Pin the top edge and sew just the curved sections  leaving a 4" space to turn the bag right side out on one side. Do not sew the little flat tabs on the ends.

Lay out the strap pieces so the canvas is on the bottom, then the printed lining face up, then the outside face down.  Sew the long sides together.   Turn right side out and press.  So it looks like this:

See how the straight ends of the top of the bag aren't sewn but the curve is? 

fold the top edge down 1/4".  Fit the end of the strap into that opening.  Pin and sew across.   Do on both sides.

And you're done.   Have fun and if you make one be sure to leave me a link to a picture in the comments section.  I'd love to see it. :)

I promised my girls quilts to go with their doll beds they got for Christmas and I got one of them done this weekend. 

As you can see, this one matches the quilt I made my daughter about three Christmases ago.   She loves that her little doll has a matching blanket.  

These are super easy to do and a great project if you're just getting into quilting.   It takes very little fabric and just a couple hours of time.    The finished quilt measures 18x24.  Each block is 2x2 inches and the sashing around the edge is 2 inches wide.  

To make it cut 70 blocks 2.5"x2.5"  and four sashing strips.  Two sashing strips measure 2.5"x18.5 and two measure 2.5"x24.5".   The quilt is 7 blocks across and 10 blocks down.  I did a mitered corner on the sashes and used a super simple binding technique.  I just put the right side of the front together with the right side of the back, laid the batting over it (my batting was a piece of flannel) and sewed around the edges with the standard 1/4" seam leaving 4" on one end open.  I then turned it right side out, pressed it and hand sewed it closed.   So far I've only quilted around the sashing seam.  With the size of the quilt and the fact that the batting is really fabric, I'm pretty sure that will be enough.

Now my girls are asking for pillows to match.  Good thing I have more fabric.

Ah Tuesday

Tuesday is my light day in the blogging world.  I intend to use it to link up cool blogs I've seen and great projects that other people are doing.  Also if I've done a project that someone else came up with, I'll most likely post it on a Tuesday and link you to their blog. 

Today, however, I'm going to talk about that annoying widget I've added to the right.  You can completely ignore it, but I thought I would explain what it is.   Basically Swagbucks is an advertising venue.  They make their money finding ways to put a little bit of content around the advertising.   Since such places seldom get the viewers all by themselves, they pay people to interact and see their advertising.  This company awards "swagbucks" for using their (paid advertising weighted) search engine and watching their "Swagbucks TV" among other things.   It's not all that annoying actually.  I can leave the "tv" window running while I clean house and do other things getting me lots of points.  I can choose not to do the annoying surveys that never let me finish them anyway.  And there's several more options for getting the swagbucks.  I know people who have earned several hundreds of dollars in Amazon gift cards in a year through this company.  

Anyway, that's what the widget is about.   My husband got a Kindle from his bosses this year for Christmas, simultaneously showing up both the gift he got for me and the gift I got for him.  Like anything he could get me would be as cool as a Kindle.   So I just "borrow" it a lot.  What does this have to do with whoring myself out to advertising companies?   I need Amazon Gift Cards to buy books.   If you don't mind playing their game to get some book money (or kitchen toy money, or clothes money, or food money, or . . . . Amazon sells everything these days)  there's a little "sign up" button on the widget.   Yes, I will get referral points when others sign up under me and earn points through using the search engine.   Which is totally the point of the widget.  I need books.   Lots and lots of books! 

Ignore the widget if you don't want to join.  If it bugs too many people I will take it down.  Let me know.

Chocolate Pudding Cake

 Have you ever made this before?  It's amazing stuff.  It's like a chocolate cobbler with a brownie like cake and fabulous chocolate sauce to serve with it.  It should always be served warm with vanilla ice cream or freshly whipped cream.

 In honor of my new January diet, this is a recipe I have made before so I didn't get step by step photos of the process.  I'm thinking you'll all be fine though.  It's super easy to make and unlike a lot of the recipes I've posted before does not require fancy kitchen equipment. 

Chocolate Pudding Cake
For the cake, in a medium bowl mix together:
2 cups Flour
1-½ cup Sugar
4 teaspoons Baking Powder
½ teaspoons Salt
¼ cups Cocoa Powder
1 cup Milk
¼ cups Vegetable Oil
2 cups Nuts, Your Choice (optional)

Pour the cake batter into a 9x13 pan and spread it evenly over the bottom.

For the sauce, in a small bowl mix together:
¼ cups Cocoa Powder
2 cups Brown Sugar

Spread evenly over the cake batter and then pour 3-½ cups Hot Water over the whole thing.   Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 40-45 minutes.  When it's done the cake will have risen to the top with a dry surface and a fully cooked but moist interior and the sauce will be bubbling at the edges.   This dish does have a sometimes boil over the edge of the pan.  It's a good idea to place the 9x13 pan on a rimmed cookie sheet to bake so it doesn't make too big of a mess in your oven.

Enjoy!