A Pineapple. No, really, a pineapple!

I was at the grocery store earlier this week and while waiting for the produce clerk to cut a quarter of a watermelon for me, I looked around at what they had and saw some miniature pineapples. It piqued my intertest because this is my fave fruit juice:

It contains no added sugar:

The pineapples were soo cute that I went to take a closer look. They were on sale for 39 cents a pound. At that price, I definitely wanted to buy one. The only problem is that since I've never bought pineapples before, I didn't know how to pick one. I've eaten fresh pineapples, but I've never had to buy or clean one before.

When the clerk came back, I asked him about the pineapples. Whoa! He gave me a whole lesson on how to pick pineapples! I'm not kidding!

He taught me and now I'll teach you.

1. He had me smell two different ones so I would know how the good one smells. When you smell it, it should smell like a pineapple. If it doesn't have a smell, it's still too green.
2. And then he showed me how the pineapple should look--it should be the color of the pineapple in my pic. The pineapple should look like that all around. It shouldn't have any green spots. If it has green spots, you'll have to let it ripen a little after you get it home.
3. And after that, he told me to feel it. It should be firm. He told me to feel it all around and that if it's soft anywhere, don't buy it because it will be mushy inside.  
4. After that, I asked him how to clean it and he said to just pare it like an apple.

He was spot on on all points.

He picked my pineapple--it's the one he used to compare. And I have to say, it is perfect! It's sweet and it's also juicy! And it's not mushy at all. When I cleaned it, I did exactly what he said, and it turned out perfectly! That guy knows his stuff! I really appreciate when people know their stuff!

And here's the watermelon I bought. I seeded it and cut it:

It's Summer and all sorts of fruits are around right now. There's no need to stick to just run of the mill fruits like cherries, pears, apples and oranges. Branch out.

Buy your regular snacks, but also definitely buy fruits. When fruits require a lot of preparation, clean them and put them in containers as soon as you get them home so they'll be ready to eat whenever anyone's hungry and needs a snack. If you do this, who knows, you and your family might start eating healthier without even meaning to!

If you want to see similar posts, just search my blog for the word food.
Make this day a good one!
Em

Instructions for my Westwood inspired top

This is the Westwood original:





Here's a pic of my top:

And here's the pattern info for my inspired top:

I made this top using the bodice of a TNT wide square neck dress pattern. I rotated the front waist darts and front side darts to the neckline to make the cowl, extended the front shoulder section so they'd be short straps, removed the back shoulder section to accommodate the straps, removed the back waist darts, attached the front facing, twisted the front shoulder straps inwards once, pinned it to the back, attached the back facing and . . . whew! It was perfect.

I redesigned the way the front shoulder attaches to the back because I didn't like the way it looked on the inspiration top. It looks like an afterthought.





I have to say, though, that if my straps weren't as wide as they are, they would have twisted the back bodice. Because I made wider straps, they lay flat. I now understand why the original was constructed as it was.

This is the pattern I started with (bodice only)--Vintage Simplicity 3994. I picked it because of the wide shallow neckline.





These are the adjusted main pattern pieces:

Adjusted bodice front with darts moved and the center front cut on the fold:




Bodice back:




I also drafted front and back facings.

I used the OOP McCalls 5278 for the gathered peplum.

That's it!

Make this day a good one!
Em

Another Westwood inspired top

Of my July sewing projects so far, my piece de resistance is a Vivienne Westwood inspired top. I made a solid gray one last year and loved it. This time around, I made a plaid one!  Here is the Westwood original:

I wanted to make an exact knockoff this time, but I used fabric from my stash and didn't have enough yardage. I ended up making the top with a standard gathered peplum. I used the gathered peplum piece from OOP McCalls 5278.

Because I didn't have much yardage to work with, the plaid isn't perfectly matched. But the mismatching doesn't really bother me and I am happy as pie with this top! The peplum is rather plain compared to the original, but it works for me. I really like this top. Here it is, first on me:

Then flat:

This is a style that goes with everything--jeans, shorts, dress pants, skirts! Here it is with a skirt that I made earlier--the color of the top in this pic looks like the color IRL:

If you're interested in making this top for yourself, check back tomorrow. I'm going to repost the instructions then.

Ty--Thanks for the compliment and for your support! I let that garbage affect me for too long. No more.

Well, that's it for today!

Make this day a good one!
Em

Fruit Snacks

A few months back on the Dr. Oz show, he shared an invaluable snacking tip!!! From that tip, I learned how to set things up in the kitchen so there would be less snacking on chips, cookies and ice cream, and more snacking on fruits. It is too valuable to keep to myself, so I'm passing it on.

It is soo simple that you will probably wonder why you didn't do this earlier.

When you're at the supermarket, buy more fruits. Ok, that's a no brainer. But wait, there's more!

To save time and to get you and your family to eat the fruits, buy them already cut and ready to eat.  Yes, you will pay a little more for cut up fruits, but it'll be worth it. I mean, come on, eating chips, cookies or ice cream is so easy that it's no wonder so many of us snack on them. There's no preparation required.

Fruits, on the other hand, require preparation. Eliminate the preparation requirement and they're on the same footing as the fatty snacks.

Buying fruits already cut is worth it.

If you have time and the inclination, you can buy the fruits and prepare them yourself. I love watermelon and always buy a quarter cut. It's more expensive than a whole watermelon, but it works out because a whole watermelon would be too much. A lot of it would go to waste here.

As soon as I get home from the market, I cut the watermelon in slices. Then I separate the fruit from the rind. I cut it in chunks, seed it and put it in a container. I drain the water and stick it in the fridge. And that puts the watermelon on an equal footing with the junk food snacks when it comes to convenience. It's just as easy to eat the watermelon as it is to eat the fatty stuff. Note, drain the watermelon container whenever you take it out of the fridge because if you don't, it might get slimy and spoil ahead of its time. When you drain it, you are left with delicious crisp watermelon chunks. YUM!!! And because you seeded it when you cut it into chunks, you don't even have to worry about the seeds when you pop them into your mouth!

I prepare strawberries, avocados and other fruits like that, too. Having ready to eat fruits around makes it much easier to eat healthy.

A note about strawberries. I bought a tub of strawberries recently and learned something. See the bright yellow and green things on the skin of the strawberries in the pic below?

Here's a clearer pic:

Well, those bright green and yellow things change the taste of strawberries. Strawberries with those things on them taste different--they taste awful to me! Eeuuww!!! I don't like it, so I started skinning the strawberries. They taste like strawberries without those things on them.

I usually don't prepare fruits like apples or oranges ahead of time.

Peeling an orange is no big deal, so having to peel them just before you eat them isn't off putting.

I don't prepare apples ahead of time because they would oxidize and turn brown when saved. Coating the slices with a little lemon juice or vinegar would keep them from turning brown, but it's just as easy to eat the apple on the spot. So, for me, preparing them ahead of time would require too much unnecessary work.

If you really are serious about adding more fruits to your diet, keep 100% fruit juices around so you won't drink sugar. I'm not kidding and I'm not getting wise. Sodas and other sweetened drinks are mostly sugar. When you drink them, you are essentially drinking sugar. One hundred percent fruit juice is much healthier!

Don't overdo on the fruit juice, though. It's healthy, but it does pack a lot of calories. Too much and you'll put on some unnecessary poundage.

Hope this helps you to eat healthier this Summer!

Make this day a good one!
Em

How to Cut an Avocado

I know this is random, but some people think it's really had to cut an avocado, so I had to share the knowledge.  :-)

First, cut it in half and cleanly remove the seed.  Then score it like this--be sure to cut from the top all the way down to the skin of the fruit, but don't cut through the skin:

After you've cut it, push up at the center from the bottom.  What will happen is that the pear will start to separate from the skin:

Keep pushing and you will get this:

And you're done.  See, that wasn't so hard!
 

Em

Burda 7691 Hoodless Anorak - Done!

The first of my seven UFOs is done and I finally have the Burda 7691 anorak in my wardrobe! I know what I'll be wearing to walk the bossy little fur baby tomorrow morning.  :-)

Here it is:

Edited to add - I had time to take pics of it on me--here it is with a ruffled top:

And here it is all zipped up over another top:

I love these pics--they show you what you might miss when you're looking at it IRL.  In the pic, the belt tab on the left looks lower than the other one.  You know what, I just went to measure it, and it is.  I originally marked the placement for the tabs, but the markings brushed off, so I winged it.  Oh well.  But now that I know the belt tabs are misaligned, it bothers me.  I wouldn't buy RTW with misaligned belt tabs, and what I sew should be better than RTW, so I'm fixing that tab before the day is over.



This anorak has some great design elements--a pair of vertical zippered pockets in the front, a wonderful wing collar, an exposed front zip, stylishly dropped armholes, wide belt tabs, a buckled belt, and wide cuffs.

This style is great for the hourglass, especially because of the vertical zipped pockets, which won't add width to the hip area. Almost forgot to add a pic of the pockets--here they are:

The pattern called for 6" zippers for the pockets, but none of the stores in my area sells that size, and I didn't want to buy the zips online, so I made my own.  I cut 9" black nylon zips down to fit.  It's easy to do--if you ever need to do this, just follow the instructions that come with the zipper.  It basically says to sew several stitches around the entire coil at the length you need.  The stitches will act as the zipper stop.  It always works perfectly!  

Also, the sleeve is made up of 3 pieces:

According to the pattern, you're supposed to topstitch the sleeve seams, and also all around the armhole.  Topstitching adds stiffness, and I didn't want that, so I skipped it.


And in the back of the anorak, a simple overlay funnels into a belt tab!

Hmm--in the pic, the overlay looks a little uneven, but that's just due to the way the pic was taken.  IRL, it's even.

The overlay is supposed to be finished with a hem, but I preferred to line it.  It turned out fine.

And I originally cut the overlay a little too short, which placed the belt tab at empire length.  I didn't have enough fabric to cut another overlay, so I decided to only cut an extension for the tab.  The extension worked beautifully and brought the tab down to waist length.  Thank goodness!

I've had this pattern for a while and am glad that it's in my stash. But to think, I almost passed on it because it didn't have a hood.  Yikes!!!

Speaking of the pattern, it was wonderful to work with.  It's drafted well--all the pieces fit together.  The details took some time to complete, but overall, this was not difficult to sew.  And sewing the details was definitely worth it. 

I love the sporty look of anoraks.  This is going to be a very versatile piece for me and I'm glad that I have it in my wardrobe!

One UFO down, six to go.  The napkins are next.

Hi Tyna--Thanks for stopping by, and thanks for the compliment!  I do sew quickly, but the anorak was easy to sew.  I think anyone at the intermediate level or above could zip through this, too.  :-)

Make this day a good one!
Em

Vogue 2080 - Betzina Sweetheart/Bolero Top - Done!

I didn't do much sewing today and only finished the Vogue 2080 Betzina sweetheart/bolero top:

It's super simple and took me less than an hour.  Here it is:

I used an emerald green knit with micro black stripes that aren't showing up in the pic.  The knit is not as soft as the knits that I've used to sew this top before, so it doesn't feel as comfy.  It fits, but just isn't as soft.

I sewed it with petite and hourglass adjustments.  The pattern comes with 3/4 length sleeves, but I wanted long sleeves, so I used my OOP Butterick 3344 TNT fitted sleeve pattern--it worked perfectly.  I usually raise the armholes on everything, but left it as is on this and it fits.

Looking at this top on me, I should have lengthened it at the hem a little, like I always do when I make this top.  I didn't this time around, but it could stand to be a little longer, so I'll go back to making that adjustment the next time I sew this.

The shorter length and the fact that the fabric is not as soft as I would like are deal breakers--I wore it for the past hour and it is uncomfortable.  I keep pulling it down at the hem to make it longer and then the neckline gets too low.  And because the fabric isn't soft, it's uncomfortable at the underarm seam.  There are 5 layers at that seam . . . FIVE!!!  With soft knits, it's alright.  But with a knit that isn't as soft as most knits, it is uncomfortable.  I can usually live with construction or stitching mistakes.  But when it comes to the way my clothes fit and feel, I'm very VERY finicky.  I love the way it looks and I love the color, but I'm donating it.

The mistakes were totally mine, not the pattern's.  Oh well.  No one's perfect.  :-)


I'm finally going back to my navy blue colorway and will sew my gray-blue jacket on Sunday. Thank goodness that fabric is perfect for that style! 

Make a nice living space for yourself and make this day a good one!
Em