A Sweet Distraction

Don't these luscious chocolate dipped macaroons make you stop in your tracks? They certainly did around here! One of my dearest friends just celebrated her birthday and I made these for her birthday dessert. They are huge....about the size of an ice cream scoop and are surprisingly easy to make. I stumbled across the recipe somewhere online, as I am ashamed now to say I don't remember where! I highly recommend them if you are a fan of coconut and dark chocolate...think of them as the "ultimate Mounds bar", only far better!

So these were a little distraction from my work. We all got together on Monday and celebrated. It was sushi for lunch, then the movies (Julie & Julia, which was a very good movie, by the way), then on to the macaroons. It was a yummy day spent with great friends....now back to work!

I have been busy over here and you will see the fruit of that labor very soon. The fall designs are coming along quite nicely, and that is a good thing since printing deadlines will be looming before I know it. The funny thing is that market always has a way of sneaking up on everyone, and this year it is two weeks early, so it is being extra sneaky this year! Anyhow, I think I will be ready without a sweat....thank goodness.

Below is the recipe for these lovely macaroons. Once I figure out how to attach a pdf file for this thing, you will be able to click on it from the sidebar for easy download.

Tres Leches Coconut Macaroons

Recipe yields 24 large macaroons. (I actually got 30. It probably depends on the size of the scoop) Use an ice cream scoop to make the mounds.

Ingredients:
4 - 14 ounce bags sweetened coconut flakes
2 - 14 ounce cans sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup sour cream
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1 - 2 packages of high quality dark chocolate (I used Ghirardelli 72% dark chocolate)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Cover cookie sheets with parchment paper. Mix half of the recipe together at a time by placing a bag and a half of coconut in a mixer bowl, along with one half of the remaining ingredients. Mix slowly with a paddle attachment. Once all of the ingredients are well blended, add the remaining half bag of coconut. Mix in and empty the bowl into a very large bowl. Mix the other half of the ingredients in the same way. Add it to the already mixed portion. Use the ice cream scoop and lightly pack the ingredients together so that the macaroon holds together nicely during baking. Place onto the cookie sheets and bake. I was able to place two sheets into my oven on different shelves, so I changed their position halfway through baking to keep the browning even. The original recipe says to bake for a total of 10-12 minutes, but I found I needed longer. I baked for 10 minutes, then moved my pans, and set the timer again for 10 more minutes. You will know when they are done when the bottoms are nicely browned and the tops are lightly toasted. Remove them from the pans to cool on a rack. Once they are completely cooled, they can be dipped in chocolate.

Melt the chocolate in a medium bowl in the microwave, stirring after each minute until just melted. Dip the cooled macaroons halfway into the chocolate, then place back onto baking sheets covered with parchment and set in the refrigerator or freezer until the chocolate is set.

Now sit back and enjoy the wonderful combination of coconut and chocolate...and as for that diet, think like Scarlet O'Hara....I'll think about that tomorrow!

Don't Fear the (invisible) Zipper

Today I am going to talk about the dreaded zipper. I know there are many of you out there who despise them....really they are not to be feared! Honestly, I avoided learning how to install an invisible zipper for a long time because I thought there was some sort of magic that I didn't know, so I continued to put in conventional zippers until I designed the Sabrina Tunic. I decided then and there (this was just LAST SPRING, people!) that I had to learn how because I didn't want that tacky "take a look at where I put in my zipper" thing going on down the back of my new tunic! It isn't that I hadn't put an invisible zipper in before, but you have to think a little differently to get them in correctly, and I let that cloud my judgment....well, I am SO OVER that now, and I can't imagine putting in a regular zipper on any clothing garment anymore.

This was the inspiration for this post as well as a recent email conversation that I had with someone asking if my tunics required the installation of a zipper and that she really didn't get along with zippers too well. I encouraged her to master this technique, as it will open doors for you if you can think...."An invisible zipper? Ah, that is no sweat!"....So without further ado.....Don't Fear the Zipper!

You will notice in the following photos that I use a regular zipper foot. I HAVE an invisible zipper foot, but I prefer to use my regular one. Why? I learned the hard way that some zipper teeth get along with the grooves in my invisible zipper foot and some don't. What I found was that the length of the zipper teeth vary from one brand to another, making some brands grip too tightly in the foot grooves. For example, my foot works great with Coats and Clark zippers, but not so great with Unique by YKK. I found that no matter what I did (change the stitch length, pull the fabric/zipper combo through), my fabric would pucker...gasp! No amount of ironing made it smooth. This was enormously frustrating, so I taught myself how to use the regular zipper foot with any type of invisible zipper and I haven't look back since. I encourage you to try this if you have experienced this puckering before....or even if you haven't, since most of you have a regular zipper foot and are under the mistaken impression that you have to have a special foot for these things. Yes, it takes practice to get as close as the other foot automatically puts the needle, but you can do it!

It is also important to note that you can substitute an invisible zipper for a regular one in just about any article of clothing. Just remember NOT to sew the seam where the zipper will be placed. I also find that it is much easier to sew a zipper into something where not much construction has taken place yet, so for the back of a skirt, I would install the zipper before sewing the side seams, for example.

Here goes:

1. Finish the raw edges of the fabric to receive the zipper.


2. Unzip the zipper and place it face down on the ironing board. Open out the zipper teeth away from the zipper and press it flat.


3. Place the zipper along one side of the fabric, right sides together. I like to start with the piece that will be to the right of the zipper. It does not matter which side you start with. Place the zipper stop about 5/8" - 3/4" below the top edge of the fabric. The zipper tape may extend beyond the fabric edge depending on the brand of zipper. (some have more tape extending beyond the stop than others) Have the edge of the zipper tape even with the finished edge of fabric.

4. Move the machine needle to the FAR RIGHT position and have the needle in the "needle down" setting if you have that. Begin at the top of the zipper, getting as close as possible to the zipper teeth. Backstitch at the beginning and end. Stitch alongside the zipper teeth as far as possible, stopping when stitching becomes difficult next to the bottom of the zipper.

5. Zip the zipper closed and lay it flat against the wrong side of fabric that you just attached. If there are seams that you have passed in the process of stitching the zipper, use a removable marking pencil to place a mark where the seam is located on the unattached portion of the zipper tape. This is very important, as it helps you to line up the zipper to the other piece of fabric and have your seams meet nicely once the stitching is complete.

6. Open the zipper once more and turn all pieces to face right sides up. Line up the remaining piece of fabric to the side of the zipper. Turn under what will be the seam allowance and slip the remaining side of the zipper underneath. This will put the right side of the zipper against the right side of the fabric. Match up the marking with the seam and pin that spot in place. Check the top of the zipper and pin it in place exactly as the other side was sewn.

7. Stitch the remaining side of the zipper in place in the exact same manner as the first side, only move the needle position to the FAR LEFT. Check your work on the right side of fabric to be sure that the seams and upper edges of fabric meet up appropriately.

8. Zip the zipper closed and match up the edges of the seam below. Pin in a couple of places to hold the fabric together.


9. Move the needle position to the FAR RIGHT again and stitch the seam starting at the lower edge. Have the finished edges of the fabric at the 5/8" marking on your throw plate. Continue stitching until you have stitched just slightly past the original stitching for the zipper. This line of stitching will be slightly to the outside of the original stitching. Backstitch.

10. With the wrong side facing up, press the seam open. Turn the piece over and gently press the seam, including the fabric to either side of the zipper flat.

11. Back on the wrong side, stitch the zipper tape that extends beyond the stitching along the bottom to the seam allowance on either side.

And that is it! You have successfully installed an invisible zipper! Now all we need is more cowbell...... : )

Happy Sewing!

Thank you!

Just a quick note to thank all of you who left such nice birthday greetings for me! It made my day extra special (and the ones to follow as well). Thanks also for all of the nice compliments on my still looking young. How do I do it? I haven't a clue...guess I am lucky! I do try to take care of myself....exercise, eat reasonably, get plenty of sleep (believe it or not), and stay out of the sun. Guess I will keep up with that regimen!

On the topstitching comments...thanks so much! I hardly think that my stitching is the best in the world, but I do my best to make it as good as I can...I will have to post some of my secrets in the future!!

A Big Day and a Lot Accomplished

Hey Everyone....

It has been over a month and I am sorry about that! I am a bad blogger!! At any rate, a lot has been going on around here in the past month. I have been working like a demon and I am happy to announce that I have officially finished the book manuscript as of yesterday....Yay! It has been a lot of work, but I have really enjoyed the process. I still have some illustrations to finish and other small things to finalize, but the bulk of the work is now done.

Just in time for another big day....my birthday! Today is the big day and when I say big, I mean it....can you believe I hit the 40 year mark today? I can't. Another thing I can't figure out is how the time went by so fast. I honestly have to say that I am so happy with my life. I have been so blessed to get to to what I love for a living. Coming up with designs and sharing them with you is my greatest passion. Thanks for all of your support in making that possible.

Now that most of the book work is finished, I will be turning my attention to fall market designs, of which I already have a few floating around in my head. I hope to have some photos to share by the end of the month if all goes well.

I have some celebrating to do, so this post is short and sweet, but I did want to share some more cryptic photos of the projects from the book. Sorry I can't be more forthcoming with them, but you will just have to wait until next summer and all will be revealed!! Don't worry, it sounds like a long time from now, but it will be here before we know it!

Happy Sewing!

Drumroll.....We have some winners!

What fun it has been to do a giveaway! I can't tell you how much I have enjoyed reading your kind words. I feel so happy knowing that many of you are following my writing. Sometimes I wonder if anyone even knows about the blog, but now I know you are out there and reading....I feel the love!

Now without further ado, here are the three lucky winners, as chosen by random.org.

kaiolohaiakids, who wrote:
I think you are the best model for your clothing! You look fantastic in all your outfits! Congrats on your blogiversary!

Jess, who wrote:
I followed a link from someone else's blog from all of their market reporting. I thought you had the cutest outfits on and your booth looked great, so I added you to my reader about a week ago. I really like that you have patterns for adults...that are cute and not generic! Well, Happy Blogiversary!!

Alisa, who wrote:
Just recently found your blog and love it. Hope to see you again in Houston in the fall.

Congratulations, gals! Please contact me here to leave your mailing information, so I can get those patterns out to you.

There will be a new post here in a day or two....so stayed tuned and happy sewing!!

BLOGIVERSARY GIVEAWAY!!

Hello All....

Hard to believe, but it will be one year since I started this blog on June 5th! So, to celebrate, I have decided to do my first giveaway! I know that these are quite popular in BlogLand, as I wish I had found out in time about the Sew Mama Sew event that ends today. I know lots of you follow various blogs and love getting to participate in the different giveaways.

I am giving away 3 sets of my new patterns just released for Spring Market....they are the Catherine Coat, Olivia Dress, and Sylvia Sling. Here is a photo of the pack you could possibly win....



I will be doing the drawing on Friday, June 5th and announcing the winners next weekend. Please leave a comment on the blog and you will be successfully entered!

Thanks to those of you have left such nice comments over the past year as I started out on this journey in blogging. It has been nice meeting you, and I look forward to meeting even more of you!

Happy Sewing.....

Market Report!!

Hey Everyone!

We are back from Pittsburgh where the Spring Quilt Market was held. We have never been to Pittsburgh before and weren't sure what to expect, but it was great! It only rained a little bit one evening and the weather was otherwise fantastic. We visited with a lot of shops and designers and I have to say that our industry is doing well, despite the gloom and doom you will hear these days. We are all grateful for our wonderful customers and will continue to work hard to bring you the best designs as the year progresses.

I met some great new people....probably not new to you in the blog world...Paula Prass and I finally met face to face after emailing each other since last market. She and her daughter are delightful, and of course, Paula is one of the great new fabric designers for Michael Miller. You will see some of her fabric in my booth if you look closely. She was premiering her new line Summer Soiree at market and everyone just loves it! Here is my Carmen Convertible Bag that I made with it. I am not sure when the line will be out, but it should be soon.

Our next door neighbors were the Quilted Fish. Amanda Herring is the talented designer, and we had such a fun time getting to know one another! She is new to the industry, so please go check out her great designs. She and all of the gals who worked in her booth were just fabulous people! We look forward to getting together at fall market in October (which isn't that far away...). Here's me and Amanda....


We also met Trish Preston of Two Peas in a Pod. She was shopping ideas for a fabric line, so let's all keep our fingers crossed that good things will happen for her. She is so fun to talk to and has a great energy about her. Be sure to visit her blog and etsy store as well!

Of course, we saw good friends from previous markets as well. We visited with Jona and Joey from Fabritopia (GREAT PEOPLE!!), and Jona is just the best blogger ever....I aspire to be as dedicated as she is! Check out the link to her blog on the right....Stop Staring and Start Sewing!. We also talked with Chelsea from Pink Fig and Lila Tueller, who designs fabric for Moda as well as having her own line of patterns. We also saw our friends Heidi and Roland from Quilt Home. They are just the best people....they have one of the best fabric websites out there, so be sure to check them out. They always have the latest and greatest in fabrics, including all of those wonderful home decorating fabrics that make for wonderful jackets, I might add....keep them in mind when you get ready to shop!

I am including some photos from market from each day...so you can see what I wore and how the booth looked.

This is my outfit from Day #1. I am wearing a version of the Catherine Coat. This one is featured in a new line of fabric from Moda, French General. It is a beautifully textured piece of fabric with a subtle red stripe. Everyone loved it! The tunic dress I am wearing is the Sabrina, also made from a print from the same line. I added some fabulous silk for its luxurious shine and texure. Notice the drawstring at the back waistline of the coat in the next photo. I am planning on offering the instructions for that on our Catherine Coat page as a downloadable pdf for anyone interested.

This is my outfit for Day #2. It is the Olivia Dress and it is made from a great border print offered by Michael Miller called Pod Posey. I love how you can play around with border prints and get this nice effect! Notice my shoes in the second photo.....someone actually took a photo of my feet with me standing on my floor quilt, so don't be surprised if you see them somewhere!!

And here is my outfit for Day #3. It is another version of the Catherine Coat. The fabric is from Dena Designs for Free Spirit. It is the home decorating twill weight....bought it at QuiltHome.com!! (see, I told you that you are going to have to get some fabric there!)

We had a great time in Pittsburgh....good food, and terrific markets in the Strip District. Be sure to check it out if you are ever there. I wish I could shop at those markets on a regular basis, but the commute from there to Texas is a bit much!

Enjoy the photos and we'll be talking again really soon.....