About Me

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Los Olivos, California, United States
You can reach me at fool4fabric (at) gmail (dot) com

Saturday, November 23, 2013

BITS 'N PIECES...CATCH UP!

My best friend, Joan, had a birthday right in the middle of all the wedding activities, so we put off celebrating it till I could get my act together. That finally happened this last week. First, the food...



(I know I've shown this before, but I LOVE those colors!!!)



We had Lamb Shanks with Gremolata and Baked Polenta and Warm Kale Salad with Maple Roasted Acorn Squash...a perfect meal for our cold rainy night!

For her birthday cake, I made a Clementine and Almond Syrup Cake (AGAIN!)
from my TNT cookbook, Jerusalem...
 

The other part of the celebration was a Travel Vest for Joan; she travels as much or more than I do and had wanted one. I had her try on mine (here and here) and showed her the colors available from the vendor I use. We're almost the same size, so I didn't have to make many changes...she did want a reversible vest, so that was new for me with this pattern.

She close black for one side, with black twill tape and tiny "evil eye" beads I got in the fabulous Ashkabad Market in Turkmenistan. (I astounded the old lady in the market when I bought her entire stock.) The opposite side is the cranberry stretch taffeta I've used before...


I used some printed bias tape for the pocket trim. I had to find a place for my label that wasn't on the neckline...so I hid it behind the zippered pocket!
One change I made was to use elastic in the back waist channel; it works better than trying to make the tape tie gather evenly.


Here are some pictures of the vest on Joan, at her beautiful home on the Alisal Ranch...


N.B. The warrior in the background is from Xian, China, as is my horse who
has lately appeared in the blog...



My jacket is a RTW ponte moto jacket trimmed with (faux) leather by NYDJ, as are the jeans...and my beloved red western boots!

As for my next sewing project, I am working on a Super Secret knockoff of a jacket by one of my favorite designers...I do have a couple of non-sewing posts
to share, so stand by...

Till later!

Sunday, November 3, 2013

BLACK AND SILVER!

I've been having a little trouble getting back in the swing of things... I made this in a carmine/black knit from Marcy Tilton, but it seemed dark and murky to me and the style was kinda dumpy...so it's already gone to a new home! I have a new pair of silver jeans, and some spectacular silver boots, so it was clear I needed a top to go with them!





Pattern is V8699, OOP, and I used a black light-ish weight ponte from who-knows-where, and a gray with silver dots knit from Girl Charlee. The necklace is a silver chatelaine which I found in Uzbekistan.

The silver jeans are from Chicos and the shoes are black and gray spectator wedges from Sesto Meucci.....

The gorgeous silver boots are "Groove" Distressed Leather Boot in Pewter...Charles by Charles David, which I got from Bluefly...



I'm making it under the wire for Style Crone's Hat Attack, wearing my very old, very beloved Patricia Underwood hat, which is  soft and worn...




'

and also for Patti at Not Dead Yet Style's Visible Monday.

Cooking? Oh, yes...this
and this


both, of course, from Plenty and Jerusalem, by Ottolenghi and Tamimi.

Today, I made two soups for a party my friend Joan and I are giving tomorrow...

Cannellini and Kale soup, and



Winter Squash Soup with Curry and Coconut Milk...YUMM!