A Blizzard of Baking

I live just a few miles north of Boston and am hunkering down during the blizzard that is hitting New England as I type this. Yesterday, before Blizzard Nemo (as they're calling it) made it's way into the area, I was chatting with some co-workers about what everyone does to prepare to cope with up to 30" of snowfall.  The most common theme I heard was that everyone wanted to do some sort of baking or make some kind of cold weather comfort food.

I don't know what it is about horrendous weather that traps you inside that makes one want to bake cookies or make soup.  Perhaps it's because the weather prevents you from going anywhere and you have a lot of time on your hands.  Or maybe it's because you have the time, you allow yourself to reconnect to simpler activities that are free from outside distraction.  I can only speak for myself, but I love a snow day. I'm a homebody at heart and when I have a chance to bake something, I'm all over it.

So today's baking is brought to you by Blizzard Nemo...

This wins top marks with the Instigator. 
Guess what he'll be having with coffee tomorrow morning.

I tore into this lovely after it barely had time to cool. 
I'll be having it all to myself as the Instigator is not too keen on banana bread.



Playing nice together...

 To all my fellow New Englanders riding out the blizzard, take shelter and stay safe - maybe even bake something.

~Patty

This Really Needs to Be A “Dress”ed…

In my young adult life I never really wore a lot of dresses.  That required the use of pantyhose which was just too much trouble to squirm into.  I’m still not crazy about pantyhose to this day, but I really love the choices of tights on the market.  They make wearing a dress a little less bothersome in the cooler months.  In the warm months it's bare legs (hopefully shaven) and a pair of amazing sandals, wedges, or whatnot.

It was with this in mind that I started sewing dresses – mostly of the knit variety (can’t beat them for wash and wear and no ironing!)  Here’s a few that I’ve sewn in the past couple of years.  I wear most of these on a regular basis and I’m working on more to add to the rotation.  Hope you like them!

 

New Look 6823
I get lots of compliments whenever I wear this.



Simplicity 3622
I sometimes wear this with turquoise tights and black knee boots.

New Look 6830
I used the sleeve pattern from New Look 6731

Butterick B5130
A fun dress in a fun color. 
I actually went to the extent to buy brown suede boots like on the pattern envelope!

Simplicity 3773
I made this dress to take on a trip to France in Summer 2009.



Simplicity 3673
This is my latest completion. It has a bright tropical flower lining.
I was inspired by a dress Lauren Bacall wore in "How To Marry a Millionaire".
I'm working a eggplant colored mock turtleneck to wear with it. 
I love the color combination with the mustard color of the dress.

Thanks for stopping in an taking a look around! I'll have more pics of some of my other creations in the coming posts.  Any when I figure out an easy way to do self photos, I'll add them if they're not too scary!

 ~Patty









 









The Virgin Post

The Virgin Post?  That's sounds like a newspaper for the chaste - On sale now at newstands?!

My original idea was for this to be another sewing blog in the sea of sewing blogs (with the encouragement of The Instigator - more on that later). But since I consider myself a "slow sewist", there would probably be a long stretch between posts and I'd more than likely give up the whole endeavor.

Soo.... (or should I say sewwww...) this will be my attempt at an ever evolving lifestyle blog that will include sewing, knitting, some baking, a few deep philosophical thoughts and lots of laughs.

Hope you'll put out your thumb and hitch a ride. I'm taking the scenic route on the information highway if anyone's interested.

~ Patty