I made a skirt!
If you follow my Instagram, you may know that I started a new project a few weekends ago – I decided to make the Rosaline skirt, which is a free pattern from Peppermint Magazine.
I love that you can download and print digital patterns at home by just clicking a few buttons, and start sewing (almost) right away.
If you download and print the PDF pattern as I did, make sure you have enough ink in your printer and paper in the house. You should also have some glue. I used one of the many glue sticks I still have at home from when the kids were little. (I’m amazed they haven’t all dried out by now!). You’ll also need enough room to lay all the sheets of paper down after they’re glued, before you can start cutting the actual pattern pieces. (I opted for the floor.)
It took me about one and a half hours to print, cut, and glue all the sheets, and then cut out each piece of the pattern. After that, I called it a day.
The next afternoon I was ready to cut the fabric. I had the exact amount needed to make the skirt — it was all that was left of the bolt at the store, so I got a great discount. This also meant there was no room for mistakes, so I took my time with this step.
sewing the skirt
The pattern instructions were fairly easy to follow. I had to read over some parts more than once, mainly because some techniques were new to me. The stitch-in-the-ditch technique, for example (a cool way to conceal your stitches), and learning to add pockets.
I watched a video that my Costa Rican friend recommended (thanks, Deborah!). This was a great reference for understanding how to attach the flounce.
I really like the overall design and length of this skirt, but I think a lighter fabric could be a good idea; I used cotton for mine.
modifications to consider…
The designer of this pattern (Johanna from Forget-me-knot Patterns) made some modifications to her Rosaline skirt that I think turned out great.
She eliminated all the extra fabric on the back and added darts and a zipper. If you are interested, you can read more about her process and find more of her patterns here.
decisions to make…
After finishing the skirt and trying it on yesterday, I think I must have chosen the wrong size. I feel like there’s a lot of fabric around my hips, which is making me feel like I’m swimming in the skirt.
So, I’m debating whether to fix it or not. I think I could remove the waistband and rip the edge seams (saving the pockets), trim 1-2 inches from each side, and sew it back together. I might even get away with not having to redo the flounce, but it’s a bit much to think about right now. On the positive side, it’s all a learning experience, and the fabric was not expensive at all.
Sunday night: rhubarb crisp
In other news, I finally tried Mark Bittman’s rhubarb crisp recipe last night.
The recipe is ridiculously easy to make and also very good! I loved the topping so much, I think I want to make it again with some apples we have in the fridge. Mmm!
Mark Bittman’s Rhubarb Crisp
Ingredients
3-6 stalks of rhubarb, not too thick, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces.
note: the recipe calls for 5-6 cups of fruit, but I only had 3 big stalks and we liked the result.
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
Note to self: Memorize this crisp topping! (and add a little orange zest)
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for greasing the pan
note: after cutting the butter into small dice, I let it sit on the counter so it would be easy to mix together with the other ingredients without needing to pull out the food processor. Fewer dishes to wash.
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
½+ teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup pecans
note: I didn’t have any pecans in the house. I read later some people doubled the rolled oats amount to replace the nuts. I might do that next time, but I think you could also use almonds.
Method
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a baking or gratin dish with a little butter. Toss rhubarb with white sugar, orange juice, and zest, and spread in a baking dish.
Put the butter in a bowl along with the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt, and mix using your fingers, until it looks like small peas and just begins to clump together. Add oats (and pecans, if using) and mix to combine.
Crumble the topping over the rhubarb and bake until golden and beginning to brown, 45 minutes.
Serve with vanilla ice cream. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
on my mind: Wes Anderson films
Are you a Wes Anderson fan? I watched The Grand Budapest Hotel last Friday, which is one of his films. Even though we’ve owned the DVD of this movie for many years, I had never watched the entire film.
Years ago, my sister recommended this movie to us, and for some reason, after talking to her about it over the phone, I assumed that the film was family-friendly or at least friendly–ish. Her son was the same age as our daughter, and I was under the impression that they had all watched it together. (Never mind that it clearly says the movie is rated R on the DVD sleeve!).
So, when one day Patrick arrived home with the DVD in hand, we decided to have a movie-watching afternoon with the kids. Then, all I remember is that shortly after we turned on the movie (this happened about ten years ago, when our kids were quite young), we both looked at each other with an “oops!” look on our face, and swiftly turned the TV off.
And that was it! We never finished watching the movie.
Last week, I found the DVD in the TV room while I was organizing some books and decided to watch it “again.”
I didn’t remember a thing about the movie, so it felt brand-new to me. What was funny was I couldn’t figure out what scene could have made us decide to turn off the TV so quickly all those years ago.
Oh, and I loved it so much! I cannot believe it took me this long.
Asteroid City
So… on my list this month is to make sure I go see Asteroid City, which is the latest Wes Anderson film. It premiers in some theaters this weekend.
Are you excited to see it?
before I go… cauliflower shawarma
This cauliflower shawarma recipe from Milk Street looks pretty easy and perfect for a quick lunch. Both Sarah and I love roasted cauliflower and I already have cauliflower in the fridge. I think I can get Nick to try it. I’ll let you know if we make it!
Let me know what you’re up to.
Enjoy your weeks!
