Sunday's Soup

I'm cheating a bit this week with the soup as it is not my own recipe. Panera Bread had sent me(not just me, anyone on their mailing list!!) a recipe for their tomato soup and I have been wanting to give it a try(I love tomato soup, homemade anyway). Today is a great day to make it as the recipe says that it only takes 25 minutes to cook and since I'm a little pressed for time, this sounded like a deal to me.

I'm happy to say that the soup tastes just as good as theirs. I did make just a couple of changes which I will make note of as I go through the recipe.

The ingredients;

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 5 large super-ripe tomatoes (about 4 pounds), coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon sugar
  4 leaves fresh basil + 1 tablespoon chopped
• ¾ teaspoon salt
  ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper*I added quite a bit more. 
• Pinch of ground cayenne (optional)*I added about 1/8 of a teaspoon as I wanted to at least taste the pepper.
• 1 teaspoon of celery seed(I added the celery seed, not part of the original recipe, because I like a richer celery taste)

DIRECTIONS

1. Warm the oil and butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and celery, and cook until soft but not browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
2. Add the tomatoes (with juices), sugar, basil leaves, salt, black pepper, and cayenne (if using). Increase the heat to high and bring the tomatoes to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes, skimming off and discarding any foam from the surface.
3. Puree the soup in a blender, in batches if necessary; then pass the puree through a medium-mesh strainer, pressing on and discarding the solids. Return the soup to the pot to keep it warm.(**I did not do this step with my soup. I used an immersible hand blender and blended my soup without straining it which you can see in the picture below)
4. Just before serving, stir in the chopped basil. Divide the soup among four bowls and serve it with the rolls.

I topped my soup off with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Here is a link to the Panera website, http://mypanera.panerabread.com/. You can find lots of nice and easy recipes. If you live here in America, you can also sign up for their rewards program. From time to time I get a free lunch and not much is free these days!!
Hope you're having a nice relaxing Sunday.
Rhodna

Me Made May 2013

 

May 9th. This is a catch up picture, not taken on the day the garment was worn. This is a wrap dress that is my pattern. I have not blogged about it. What I like about this pattern is that the front wrap stays closed, so no pins holding it closed over the bust area. We went to see a production of Oklahoma that Lyric Opera is doing this season. A nice comfortable dress for sitting and since it's knit, I can wear it all day long and not worry about wrinkles.

I posted May 10th's outfit here.  

May 11th. This was the day that I had such a bad headache and it was amazing that I got dressed at all, but what I wore was really comfortable and warm as it was rather cold that day as well. The pants are self drafted pants and the top is from this Sleeves on Saturdays post.
I posted May 12th here.
And I posted May 13th, 14th and 15th here.

May 16th. After a number of days of wearing black, I was determined to wear anything but black. The skirt is from this Fabulous Free Pattern Friday post, http://rhondabuss.blogspot.com/2011/09/fabulous-free-pattern-fridaysa-little.html. The top is also my pattern but I have not blogged about. It's an asymmetrical pattern. I like that when I wear the top and the skirt together, it looks like a dress.

May 17th. You just saw this dress on Friday's FFPF post. I made it on Friday and wore it on Friday. We had a banquet to attend, so why not?! Sorry for the poor picture. We just couldn't find decent lighting. I really enjoyed wearing the dress. 

May 18th. I met up with an American Sewing Guild group for a tour of a business called Lorna's Laces. We were able to tour the factory and treated to a demonstration on how she dyes the yarn. Very interesting. Of course we had an opportunity to do a little shopping and I bought yarn. Oh my, it was just all too pretty!!! So I dressed comfortably. The top is from this Sleeves On Saturday post.

May 19th. This skirt will be an upcoming post for Fabulous Free Pattern Friday. It's just a rectangle! The top is my pattern, just a basic cowl neck top. You really can't see the necklace, but I did make that as well.
Finally, all caught up!!! On to a new week :-)

Sleeves On Saturdays

Today's sleeve is a twist on a very traditional sleeve, the Petal Sleeve. Since it's a twist, I'm calling this sleeve

The Twisted Petal Sleeve

The idea for this sleeve, believe it or not came to me this past week when I laid down to meditate for a bit. Yes, I'm one of those people!! Actually, I find it really helps to keep me calm. Just as I closed my eyes, the idea for this sleeve popped into my head and I thought it was rather fun. You're only getting the sleeve today. You'll have to come back by on Tuesday to see the entire blouse and what collar I have done to go with it.
As you can see, the sleeve is exactly like a petal sleeve. All I have done is lengthen the underarm area so that it becomes a strap that will wrap around the arm.    

To draft this sleeve, begin with the basic sleeve pattern. Remember, we are using Butterick 5678 as our base pattern, but any basic sleeve will work.

 Measure down 1" on the underarm seam and draw a horizontal line.

Notice on the sleeve head of this pattern that there are dots on either side of the center notch. We will use these dots as the starting point for the petal shape of the sleeve. Draw in the petal shape and have the lines intersect in the middle. Notice that my lines come down just below the line I drew in that is 1" below the armpit. The extra curve of the line is 3/8" below the 1" line.

 Extend the lines out from the armpit. In order to determine how long this area should be, measure around your arm from the armpit to the center of your arm at the bicep. Be sure to add for the button extension. I added 2" as I wanted to have 2 buttons on my band.

 Trace off the front and back of the sleeve.

The final patterns. I placed notches where the dots had been so I would know where the opposite edge of the petal should be placed. I have the original notches of the sleeve indicating the front and back. I also added a notch where the original underarm seam would have been. This way I will know where to clip the band when sewing.

It's a little difficult to see in the picture below, but the underarm notch is clipped and the underarm notches on both sides will just meet in the center of the underarm seam.

This treatment to the sleeve gives the look of a cuff without an actual cuff being added. It also gives a nice little peek-a-boo interest to the sleeve 

So, come back on Tuesday to see the entire blouse!
Hope you're having a lovely weekend.
Rhonda

Fabulous Free Pattern Friday

Today's little pattern is as easy as it gets, 2 rectangles, some trim and your done! I'm calling this dress
Channeling Wilma

Not exactly the same, thank goodness, but we both have the half the shoulder thing going on.

I chose to make the accent trim long enough to go around my neck and then tie in the back, but it could also tie in the front as well.

So here you see that the dress is nothing more than 2 rectangles with an angled cut.

You will need your hip measurement and your length measurement. Add 2" to the hip measurement for ease and so you can move in the dress. I made my dress out of a polyester fabric that has no stretch whatsoever.

To cut the angle, this will vary by your bust size, but measuring down 8" on the side seam and leaving 7" for the opposite shoulder seam will be a good starting point.

To sew the dress, sew the off the shoulder side seam and the opposite shoulder seam. Try the dress on to determine the amount you will leave open for the armhole then sew that side seam. Finish the armhole opening with bias tape. For the accent tie, cut a piece of fabric 3" wide plus seam allowance. The length should be 2 1/2 times the  shoulder opening. Sew the trim on. Determine your hem and your finished!  

I will be wearing this dress soon, so a better picture will follow.

Happy Friday!!
Rhonda

The Mary Bridge Pillowcase Project

It's just like Christmas here!! I walked into the kitchen last night and there on the table was a little package wrapped in brown paper. I can be such a child...."ooo a package!!!" What was inside? Beautiful pillowcases from Robin of http://alittlesewing.blogspot.com/.

Inside the package were five lovely pillowcases.

Robin put her own special stamp on them with her creativity. I love the piecing of this one and I also love how the morning shadows echo the lines. That was not planned, a photographer I am not!

 A view from the other side brings about a little surprise. Look at the one in the middle.

Just so lovely and truly my favorite.
Thank you Robin for donating your time, your skills, and especially your creativity to this project. A special thank you to all of you who have donated so far. This is just such an amazing gift. You have all been so generous.
As I was taking the pictures of the cases, I heard the geese making a fuss in the river.

The goose on the right has been in a snitty mood for the last few days and has been picking fights with all the other geese. You can see how he is charging towards the other goose.

 Then he rares up and flaps his wings,

and finally swims away.

Then, a couple of skulls row past. There are a number of schools that use the river for training. I just love watching them go by. Sometimes I feel like I live in paradise.

My little garden angel. Wishing you a peaceful and productive day.

Me Made May

I still have a couple of pictures to post from last week. I'll get to those tomorrow. One of the things that MMM is showing me is that I wear a lot of black, much more than I thought. Interesting.

On Monday I got my new kayak out for the first time and managed to burn up my back. I'm wearing a top that is rather interesting, but I am still tweaking the pattern. I did make my tights. They are a little wild I guess as they are kind of a faux leather. I rather like them, but I guess they are a little off the wall.

Here's a picture of the top laying flat. The sleeves are reaching for the sky. It makes the top have some wonderful drapes, but over all it needs a little more fit than it has now. So a pattern in progress.

Yesterday I helped out with a science fair at our zoo that is here in the city. Lincoln Park Zoo is one of the last free zoos left in the United States. The top I'm wearing is just a funnel neck knit top, not worth really talking about. The skirt is an eight-gore skirt with pockets and a raised waistline. I blogged about it here. The skirt was perfect for what I was doing as I was able to carry my phone in my pocket and not have to worry about my purse.

I spent a good portion of today working in my garden. I'm pooped! There is always so much to do. You would not have wanted to see what I looked like while I was working. Once I took a shower and got cleaned up, I threw on this top that I did for a Fabulous Free Pattern Friday post. You can see that post here. I did not make the tights.I think they say Champion on the ankle. Funny!

Like I said, there's a lot of black. I'll see what I can do about that tomorrow. Whatever I wear, it won't be black!!!

The Wednesday Showcase

Happy Wednesday Everyone! I hope this day finds you all happy and healthy. Spring has finally sprung and I am bursting with energy. Just wish there were more hours in the day!!
As always, I have two wonderful ladies to introduce you to.
First up is Miss Twotoast. Hmmm, I think we should have a special post about why we have chosen our given blog names!! Anyway...her blog is http://spottydogsocialclub.blogspot.com/ and here is a little about her.

"I knit, I sew and I love my dogs - two greyhounds and a collie. Hubby and I are originally from the UK and moved out to glorious Canada in 2004 - we love our new life :o)"

This is a woman with a wonderful sense of humor. She is participating in Me Made May 2013. This is a picture that she took for May 4th, "May the 4th be with you." I love it.

There is also a little wild woman hiding inside. Just take a look at this little pocket insert. You'll have to read the post to learn more about the ins and outs of this little "not really a pocket pocket."

 She participated in the one pattern many looks contest on Pattern Review.

 And she did this great grouping of pieces all inspired by the ikat print fabric.

This picture was taken a few years ago, but I thought it was so sweet, her wedding picture and she made the dress. So lovely. I'm such a sucker for a bride :-)

And I'm an even bigger sucker for a dog. Such a lovely picture.
I know you are going to love Miss Twotoast if you haven't discovered her already.

Next up is a wonderful lady who just happens to be a fellow Texan. You know us Texans, we stick together!!!! I think it has something to do with being from the biggest state. I know, I know, Alaska is bigger, we just choose not to recognize snow :-)
Linda blogs at http://seamswell.blogspot.com/. Here is her description.
"I'm a born and bred Texan that grew up in a sewing household. Mom sewed all our clothes when I was a child. I picked up the hobby early and made my first dress (with Mom's help) that I wore to school in the 4th grade. The rest is history with periods of down time when life and work got in the way. I retired in January 2007 and have been sewing steadily since then. My sewing room gives me peace."

A number of you have made this Butterick pattern and Linda threw her hat in the ring as well. Such a great piece for summer.

I love her rendition of this Katherine Tilton pattern. Linda, if we ever meet each other, this top is coming home with me!!!!

Linda has also been on the quest of I think everyone in the sewing world and that's conquering pants fitting. I think she's done it!

More bright fun pieces for summer.

 Her version of Sham's Tablecloth skirt. Reminds me, I need to get one made!!

And last but not least, I just had to post this picture. Linda made the t-shirt which is so cute, but look at the face on this dog. Too funny.

Both Linda and Miss Twotoast will be great additions to your blog roll I'm sure! Hey, when you have a couple of ladies that will do their rendition of Star Wars and dress up their dog...how can you miss?!!!!
Have a wonderful day and wishing you boundless energy!
Rhonda