US Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving folks.

May your belly be full and your company be pleasant.

Waste Not Want Not Wednesday: Pink Trim Jeans Skirt

The decluttering of the attic continues.

In my latest find I came across a pair of jeans I once loved but which were put away when I hit size 28. They're tagged as a size 20, but the waist measures 17.5" across the back, making them a 35" waist. No before photo, sorry. I forgot. The jeans were that bleached, nearly-white denim from the 90's, with a strip of light pink braided fabric down the sides.

I snipped the legs off, partially picked out the front and back seams, then resewed them with a light pink thread that matches the side accents. I also sewed along the bottom so it will only fray up a little bit, then picked the tag off the back pocket. It was black and red - definitely didn't work with the pink.





Once it was completed I loved everything about it! Then I put it on.

Is size 20 a 35" waist? I wear 14/16 and they usually have a little give in the waist. Regardless, as you can see from the photos, the skirt I so lovingly remade from a well loved pair of jeans that were stored away for years makes me look like a walrus. :( It's a stretch denim & the jeans were clearly made to stretch attractively across the body of someone who has feminine hips, which I, sadly, do not. When they were jeans I wore them with a long shirt over them - the one I made the pink pillow from a few days ago - and clearly never noticed how bad they must have looked on me.

So - my bad luck is your good luck. Someone out there with a 35" waist and a beautiful feminine figure is going to receive this skirt to enjoy. I'll run this giveaway until 8pm Eastern US time, Thanksgiving Day (for those outside the US that's Thursday November 26th, when I'll have one of the guests at my family gathering pick a number from all the entries received.

To enter please comment below with your blog URL. If you don't have a blog of your own show me the URL of a blog you enjoy reading.

Choice of shipping method reserved. I am not a professional seamstress, skirt may or may not fit you, stand up to the durability of your laundry appliances (it has been washed twice on heavy duty with no problem), YMMV, etc. Risk of use of this item is with the winner, I shall not be liable for any damages, real or perceived, as a result of winning my friendly little drawing.

Enjoy folks!

Tasty Thursday: Risottoria

If you're in NYC and looking for something vegetarian, gluten-free or both, Risottoria is worth a look. But don't bring a large group without calling! There is limited seating.

At Risottoria you can choose from tasty salads, piping hot risotto and crispy pizzas, both gluten-free and regular. You'll even be brought gluten-free breadsticks to start off your meal.

One caveat - the pizza dough contains gelatin so if you're not an eater of animal products you're out of luck on the pizza and the breadsticks. I found that a huge disappointment when I first visited, having gone there expecting to have myself some gluten-free pizza. I'd tried emailing for information beforehand, but didn't get a response in time. I'd suggest if you're looking for info before visiting that you call or email at least a few days in advance to give them time to respond.

Take out and gluten-free products you can prepare at home are available.

Despite the pizza being out of the running for vegetarians this place is still very much worth a visit.



Risottoria
Open 7 days / Noon - 11pm
270 Bleecker, Between 6th & 7th

212.924.6664

Waste Not Want Not Wednesday: More Pillows

Another project from the old pillows I pulled out of storage. I loved the shirt, but it was a 3X and no matter how I could picture modifying it to fit me now there was no option that would cut away the stain that was right on the front. Making a pillow cover did the trick. And of course there are the obligatory guinea pig pillows made from the sleeves and stuffed with scraps from other projects.


These took all of twenty minutes to put together. And for all my 'get rid of it now if you can't use it' I'm kind of glad I found this stashed in the attic. The colors are pretty and it makes me smile to look at the shirt. Finding a good use for it will let me smile at it some more.

Halloween Costume Accessories From Too Big Linen Outfit

I love dressing like a Pirate Wench whenever the opportunity arises. I've been trying to stick to period when I make new pieces and had been wanting to replace the stretch velvet accessories I had with some linen ones. While going through the attic I found an old Lord & Taylor linen outfit in size 26. I thought I might refashion it into a smaller size of the same outfit, but then the elastic let go when I picked it up and I decided to just rip into it and scavenge the fabric. Here it is before:


From that nice amount of fabric I made a head wrap, a belt that wraps around me three times generously with leftover still hanging to my knees, a pouch from the linen side of the pockets and the jacket drawstring, some long strips to secure my fake weapons and scope to my belt with, and a nice, long strip to wrap around my antiqued 'rum' bottle. Here they are folded up on my ironing board:



And here they are in action:


I had a great time wearing this, especially at work!

The Zen of Floorwashing

Did you read that title twice? Not something you expect to see, is it? But it's true, and I'm as surprised as you are about it.

I enjoy washing my floors.

There, I said it. I enjoy washing my floors. I find it so peaceful in fact, that I look forward to it and feel like I'm missing something if I don't get a chance to do it on my days off.

I was never a big fan of floorwashing but having pets, it is something very necessary. This was a task that often fell to my spouse who did it, adequately, but not always the way I would have. And you know how that goes.

I think that the key to this turnaround for me has been finding the right tools. After many years of trying different products, mops & buckets I've finally found the right combination. Here's mine:

Mrs. Meyers All Purpose Cleaner works great, but best of all leaves the house smelling so nice no matter what scent I choose.

The Libman wonder mop is really, really easy on my back and does a good job cleaning most spills and kitty 'accidents'. Yes, I know they're not accidents, that's why I put it that way. ;) The mop head is sponge strips not strings. It slides across the floor like a dream, gets good coverage, does not leave behind puddles and dries out completely in just a short time after use.

The last ingredient in this happy recipe is what I think is a Rubbermaid brand bucket. It has a wringer insert that works perfectly with the Libman so I don't have to bend to use the self-wringer on the mop pole. Can you ask for more than that?

What tools do you have that make once-dreaded chores easier?

Waste Not Want Not Wednesday: Pillows

I had some stuffing I cut out of a couple pillows that had lost their shape. Here it is with some fabric remnants from my stash:




Put them together, and well, here's the obvious:




Some cute little kid sized pillows that are now headed for my charity.