Sewing Class

I went to a sewing class this past weekend!  The amazing Meg over at Meg The Grand taught a bunch of Chicagoans how to sew buttons! 

It reminded me of working in the costume shop in college when we had to teach all of the newcomers in the shop how to sew buttons, snaps, hooks and eyes, and basic hem stitches.  Luckily they found out pretty quickly in the shop that I already knew how to sew, so instead of having to teach the newbies the basics, I was stuck in a corner and given period dresses to build. 

Meg did the best thing possible and combined sewing and champagne.  I might need to make that a recurring way of sewing!  She patiently taught everyone how to sew on two hole, four hole, and shank buttons.  Then added in making covered buttons!  I hadn't made my own covered buttons before.  The next class will be on hems. 

PS- The best sewing of the day went to Rob for finding a way to sew a two hole potato chip to his sampler.  

SW Challenge- Buttonholes

This year I am going to try to sew as much as possible along with the Sew Weekly challenges.  This week’s challenge is to use buttonholes in your project.  I ended up having two projects this week that used buttonholes, but here is the one for me. 

I got a bunch of this plaid fabric from Meg and wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it.  I had separately wanted to make a circle skirt since I hadn’t made one in years.  Then it hit me!  I have a bunch of plaid fabric that I could make a big comfy skirt with!

I didn’t measure how much fabric I had originally, but I drafted up a pattern for a circle skirt with 8 panels.  The fabric was 22 inches wide so I had to make thinner panels instead of a couple big ones.  I lined it with its own fabric also.  To close it, I used some leather buttons I had sitting around.  So no zipper!  And buttonholes are really easy on my machine.  All you have to do is set it up and it does it all automatically. 

We went into the park to take some photos on the last nice day before we got a bunch of snow.  PS- I’m really excited for all this snow!  Chicago usually just gets dusts that don’t last more than a day.  But this one is sticking around!  Zoey and I got to play in the snow a bunch too!

You can check out my post over at Sew Weekly here!

And coming up soon is Zoey's new crate covering that has 36 buttonholes... I don't think I've ever had to make that many buttonholes!

Wedding Photos

There's not much crafting on this post, but I wanted to post some of my favorite photos from our wedding!

Our wedding locale.

We may have lost the ring...

My favorite of me and my gals!

Me and my MOH!!! She's just wonderful!

Don't we take such great photos!  Here's our chair guy...

I'm getting bustled by Meg!

Watch Your Step!

My roomie and I after she caught the garter!

Zoey was not a happy puppy when I tried to get photos with her...

Yellow Dress!

And the last one of my handmade gifts for the season!  This one was made for someone who is just like family to my husband and I.  She's had a pretty tough year, so we wanted to give her something in this holiday season to bring some cheer.  The yellow dress is a middleweight fabric so it is nice for many different seasons and it can be accessorized just like a little black dress!

Zoey always tries to help me when I'm sewing...

Gift Giving- Placemats

I found chalkboard fabric online a while back but I had never been able to figure out what to make with it.  Until I found the idea online to make chalkboard placemats!  The ones I had found online told you to paint a piece of wood with chalkboard paint and use that.  I immediately thought of the chalkboard fabric as a great material for this project.  I used the fabric and denim for the other side.  I also tried out some of the fun stitches on the sewing machine to make the edges.

Peppermint Sugar Cookies

Merry XMas Eve!!!

Another one of the traditional cookies I tried to update for this year are sugar cookies.  I found this recipe for sugar cookies with ground up candy canes in them to add some holiday flair.  Mine is missing the icing still since I'm going to add that when I get home!

Peppermint Sugar Cookies


2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup candy cane flour**
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
crushed peppermints, for garnish (about 1/2 cup)
6 ounces (3 squares) white chocolate flavored almond bark or candy coating

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
Whisk the flour, salt, baking powder and candy cane flour together.
Working with a stand mixer, preferably one fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed for a minute or so, until smooth. Beat in the sugar and continue to beat for about 2 minutes, until the mixture is light and pale. Add the egg and yolk and beat for another minute or two; beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and steadily add the flour mixture, mixing only until it has been incorporated. When mixed, the dough will be soft, creamy, and malleable.
Drop the dough onto the baking sheets by rounded spoonfuls.
Bake the cookies for 9 to 11 minutes, rotating the sheets at the midpoint. The cookies should feel firm, but they should not color much, if at all. Cool completely.
Heat the almond bark in the microwave in 30-second intervals until melted and creamy. Drizzle over the cooled cookies (I used a ziploc bag with the tip snipped off, but you could also just drizzle with a spoon), then sprinkle with the crushed peppermints.
Makes about 40 cookies.
**Like I noted above, “candy cane flour” is just finely crushed candy canes- you can make it with your food processor or just use a hammer (or rolling pin) and a ziploc bag (which is what I did).

Gift Giving- Chocolate Covered Cherries

I never liked chocolate covered cherries when I was younger.  They just didn't do it for me.  But I think I found the best version ever of them.  And I do mean ever.  They are covered in buttercream first and then in chocolate!

Here is the original recipe.

Chocolate-Covered Buttercream Cherries

60 maraschino cherries with stems (About  2 10-ounce jars)

2 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons butter, softened

3 tablespoons light corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

2 tablespoons shortening

Pat cherries dry with paper towels; set aside. In a small mixing bowl, combine the sugar, butter, corn syrup, and salt; mix well. Turn onto counter and knead until smooth. Don't worry if it seems crumbly at first; it'll come together after a few kneads. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Roll dough into 1/2 inch balls (about the size of a cherry); flatten each into a 2-inch circle with your hand. Wrap each circle around a cherry and lightly roll in hands to cover. Place cherries with stems up on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Cover loosely and refrigerate for 1 hour.

 In a microwave or heavy saucepan, melt chocolate chip and shortening; stir until smooth. Holding onto the stem, dip each cherry into the chocolate; set on waxed paper. Refrigerate until hardened. Store in a covered container and refrigerate for 1-2 weeks before serving.

Best if served at room temperature.