The Icing on the Cake

This weekend I celebrated my ongoing October birthday with an (apropos) Oktoberfest party at my parent's house. The weather was perfect for brewing beer with my dad in the yard during the afternoon, and then in the evening many of my favorite people dropped by for the party. I think everyone had a great time - I sure did! One (slightly unorthodox) feature of the birthday party was that I demanded to make my own cake this year. I'm sure there is some kind of bad luck associated with this, but oh-well, I think it was worth it. I made my old reliable yellow cake from KAF, which is buttery and delicious, and frosted it with a simple yet luxurious chocolate ganache icing.

Yellow cake with Chocolate Ganache Frosting

 Easiest Chocolate Frosting Ever

16 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
16 oz (1 c) heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
Bring cream to a boil in a small pot. Pour over chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth and add vanilla. Pop in fridge until somewhat set (about an hour). Beat with a hand-held or stand mixer until fluffy (2min). Ice  cake.  

This is another very simple recipe that basically relies on the quality of the chocolate for success. So, use what you love. It makes enough to very generously ice a layer cake or 24 cupcakes. Honestly, even if you make a cake from a box, this will significantly up your game.
 

I had lots of help blowing out the candles.

The rest of the weekend was also lovely - more apple picking, 2 great runs and some sewing. Actually, sewing was rather frustrating, but I will get to that tomorrow.

More Musings About Muslins: Unmentionable KS Cami

The other muslin that I have in the works, as you know, is for my KS Cami, which I decided last week needed an FBA (Full Bust Alteration/Adjustment).

Rather than a dart, Kwik Sew adds room to get over the bust by having you gather up some of the fabric at each front side seam and ease it into the back side seam (ie: the front piece is longer than the back until you gather it up, distributing fullness over the bust). I would love to keep this pattern dart-less, and, in theory, I should be able to. If I just add some room to the front where you are supposed to gather, I should be able to ease he fullness into the seam the same way as the unaltered pattern, without adding a dart.

Gather the front up between the notches and then ease it in between the back notches.

I consulted the Kwik Sew website, where I learned 2 important facts from their on-line Fit Guide. (Seriously, KS really is tops for user friendliness.) First, the cup sizing of their patterns varies according to pattern size (XS and S are sized for a B cup, M is a C cup, L and XL are D cup). Second, they add 3/8 of an inch to the length for each cup size. SO, since I am going down to a size small, and therefore will have to up-size by 2 cup sizes, I should add 6/8" of length.

My altered pattern

The other  piece of the equation, is of course having enough room across the front. Looking at a similar RTW cami that I own, I noticed that the straps on the KS cami are set closer to the center than the RTW one. So, I've added one inch to the center of the KS pattern so that there is more room between the straps. Anyway, I hope this will add enough room in the right places for the cami to curve around the bust in an attractive way that doesn't lead to gaping arm pits.

I'm sewing up the second version of this muslin over the weekend. Fingers crossed.

Lady Grey Muslin 2.0

Over the weekend, I stitched up my second muslin for the Lady Grey Coat, this time in a size 8, with just 1 inch of extra length between the bust and waist. It definietly needs some fitting work. Obviously I want it to still have a good amount of ease so that it still fits once it is interfaced and lined, and I am wearing a sweater under it. But here is my initial assessment.

Front: There is too much room in the lapels and through the bust. The lapels gape forward away from my body, or they collapse to the side. So, I need to do the same alteration that sew-along leader, Gertie, did. (It's great that I have the same fitting issues as her, so that she can post the solutions for me, don't you think?)

Back: Funky things are happening across the back. There is still extra room between the shoulders. This photo is with a little bit pinned out from the center seam, but not enough. Although, now that I am looking at this photo, I am wondering if I need to let it out a bit at the waist. That might allow it to drape better across the waist and hip, taking care of those wrinkles across the princess seams. It is so difficult to fit the back of a garment on yourself.  Diagnosing fitting problems from a photo is not all that straightforward.  

Side: Actually, you can see the problems best in the side photo. See the gaping front and back? Yeah.  Also, I'm not sure what is happening with that crease along the sleeve from the shoulder to elbow. I have to investigate further. Looking at this, I am wondering if I actually needed the extra length that I added. I normally do need it, but perhaps that is what is causing some of the problems. Hmmm. That would be a ridiculously easy solution. Hmmm.

Anyway, I think this is much better than the original size 10 muslin, but it still needs work. I am going to play with it a bit and see how it goes and will get back to you, hopefully soon, with a finished muslin, or at least a new and improved version. 

My Birthday: An Ode to October

 

Pumpkin and apple picking with nephews and Calliope

I know that I am not alone in thinking that October is the best month of the year, particularly in the Northeast. Some people love October because of apple and pumpkin picking, hay rides and changing leaves. Others because of Halloween, jack-o-lanterns and trick-or-treating. And still others because October is football weather, or because the holidays draw near. And I do love October for all of those reasons.

Orpheus on the hay ride

But I've always felt that my love for the month runs deeper. It isn't that October is "my month", it is more that October is where I belong, where I am at home, where I am meant to be. As she nears - and my birthday, too - I start to feel invigorated and alive. I start to think about the year to come. Among the falling leaves and the cooling temperatures, I feel my place in life and I feel excited for what is next. October is all change to me. And some time between my birthday on the 3rd and Halloween, I look at the person I am and set my sights on the person I want to become. October is full of possibility for me.
 
I feel very affectionate in October. She is a snuggly month, and I am full of love and appreciation for the people in my life. At 35, my friends are getting married and starting families, my family is growing and my nephews and nieces are becoming beautiful and funny little people. I see new smile lines and crows feet forming, and I'm aware that these are joyful days. I'm lucky to have reasons to smile so much. I'm not sure yet what the first few grey hairs say, but I have time to figure that out while the leaves also change colors. It all adds character to the landscape at my feet and the face in the mirror.     

Oh, and it also doesn't hurt that in October I can finally get back into the kitchen and bake! So, here is what I baked on Friday/Saturday to get my birthday month off to a good start. By the way, I do plan on celebrating all month long.

 Legacy Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting

Legacy Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting**

2 1/2 Cups (10oz) white whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground allspice, or 2 tsp apple pie spice
1 cup (2sticks, 8 oz) unsalted butter
1 cup (7.5oz) packed light or dark brown sugar
1 cup (7oz) granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1/4 cup (2oz) boiled cider or apple juice concentrate
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups peeled, chopped apples (about 3 large apples, 1 lb)
1 cup (4oz) walnuts, chopped

Regular cake procedure: Mix and set aside dry ingredients. Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs one-by-one. Add the rest of the wet ingredients. Then the dry. Stir in apples and nuts. Turn into greased layer cake tins or 13x9 pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes until set. 

Brown Sugar Frosting:

5 T (2.5 oz) unsalted butter
1/2 cup (3.75 oz) firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3 T (1.5 oz) milk
1.5 Cups (6 oz) confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Melt butter and sugar over medium heat untill sugar is disolved. Add milk and bring to a boil. Cool 10 min, then beat in sugar and vanilla. Spread while warm. 

This cake came out moist and delicious, and was even better the second day, I think. Saturday is my actual birthday party, so expect to see more cake!

** From the King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking book. 

Mentioning the Unmentionables: Cami Muslin

One of the sewing tasks I did this week was to work on the muslin for my Kwik Sew Cami. And boy-oh-boy am I glad I'm into muslin at the moment!! I would have been so sad if I had used my pretty silks for this!

OK, I admit it: it doesn't look too bad in the above photo - it just looks like it needs some tapering from beneath the bust to the waist. However, a closer look at the armpit is revealing:

There is a lot of gaping - the fabric stands several inches away from my body. However, when I tried to take it in at the side seam, somehow it seemed to pull and not fit right across the bust. I also tried creating some darts with the extra fabric, but this also didn't really work at all. This has led me to a conclusion that I have been avoiding for some time: I need an FBA. (Non-sewing friends, this is a "Full Bust Alteration". Sounds rather drastic, doesn't it?) It fills me with dread.

Why dread?  Well, first, it seems somewhat complicated, involving cutting up, shifting and re-assembling the pattern. Second, I have a feeling that once I do it to one pattern, there will be no going back. I will have to make a series of alterations to every pattern I sew. Yes, before you say it, this is something I should have been doing all along. However, I seem to have been wily enough to choose patterns that have a forgiving fit across the bust. And I was acting under the assumption that my bust would be smaller post-weight loss and I wouldn't need to learn how to do an FBA at all. Alas, no.

But my craving for lingerie must be satisfied. So, FBA  here I come. Stay tuned. And if anyone has any thoughts on doing an FBA for a bias cut cami that has no darts, without messing up the grain, please do share!

PS - My panties, post-alteration, have been worn and are perfect! More of these to come! 

Lady Grey Fabric!

Hooray!

What you are looking at is a red-orange boucles for the outer shell (it's a bit more orange in person) and a black, white and turquoise print silk charmeuse for the lining. Being a New Yorker, I definitely get stuck in a rut of always opting for black. It's practical, slimming and goes with everything. But I really want this coat to be a statement piece, and what color could be more perfect for autumn in the Northeast than orange? And the turquoise in the lining really makes the colors pop. Both are from Mood.

Lady Grey Muslin 1.0

I always think I'm going to get so much more done on the weekend than I actually do. However, I did finish cutting my Lady Grey muslin pieces and I basted most of them together for a preliminary idea of the fit. You'll notice that I didn't bother attaching the second sleeve or the collar before donning a sweater and trying on... or pressing very well... or doing a particularly good job setting in the sleeve (the one inch allowance made it such a problem)... You get the point, this is a very rough draft.

Front

I think adding 2 inches of length above the waist was probably too much, even with shoulder pads. I am going to edit out 1/2-3/4 inch.   

 Side

Even with an enormous cowl neck sweater, the front lapels gape.There is just too much fabric above the waist.

Back

Just too big across the back, even with a chunky sweater. There is plenty of room in the bottom half, too, although I think it currently doesn't look so bad.   

Obviously, I want the muslin to have enough ease that the jacket will fit once a lining is added and I am wearing winter clothing. However, I am pretty convinced that the size 10 is too big. And since it is big everywhere, I think it makes sense to try the size 8 rather than trying to take in each and every seam. Seriously, sewing 4 princess seams with a one inch seam allowance was near impossible. I am NOT taking these seams in. 

Next steps: So, the plan is to make muslin 2.0 in a size 8, and last night I cut the pattern pieces.  I'm not much of a week night sewista, but I hope that tonight I will get to making the length alterations on the pattern pieces and start to cut a new muslin. I am not planning on re-doing the tedious method of drawing in the seam lines and enlarging the seam allowances. I just don't think I will need the extra room. OH! And I will be buying my fabric in the next day I hope.

Stay tuned...