Cat Only Post - Leonoir

Box, or sink, that is the question -

Have a great week, everyone!

Mini Salmon and Asparagus Quiche

I love the versatility of mini phyllo shells. I used salmon and asparagus for these mini quiche but you can substitute with so many other ingredients. While these are great appetizer to pair with wine or beer, one of my friends likes them on brown rice with a bit of soy sauce.


Ingredients:

1 Package (15) Mini Phyllo Shells

1 Large Egg
1/8 Cup Heavy Cream
Salt
Nutmeg
Black pepper

1 Fillet of Salmon, cooked (I grilled it) and crumbled
Thin Asparagus, cut into 1" piece then boiled for about a minute
*Maybe you do not need to precook asparagus as it can be cooked during the baking process.

Need 24-cup Mini Muffin Pan

Direction:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.

2. In a small bowl, combine egg and cream. Season with salt, nutmeg, and pepper. Set aside.

3. Place the phyllo shells in the muffin tins. Place salmon and asparagus in each shell.

4. Spoon the egg mixture into phyllo shells.

5. Bake for 12 - 14 minutes.

* * * * *

Vogue 8857 Sewing Update: So far I have finished bodice and sleeves (Did I hear 'that's it?'). Yet another exam (this time SQL) coming next month, my next update would be most likely after that.

Wishing everyone a very happy holiday season!

Just Because It Is No Fun...

... if you neglect necessary sewing, you might get something like this:



This is a couch cushion; One side is opened and fillings are coming out. 

There was a tiny opening between fabric and zipper the other day, but I pretended not to see it. Who knew it would become this mess? 

Usually, the culprit of this kind stuff is Leo, but not this time; He is a rare cat who has no interest in thread or cushion fillings.

Not Me!

It was this one!

Zzzzzz...

Chester is usually a good boy but he loses his control when he sees anything stringy. I guess he pulled all the thread off the zipper and dug the fillings to find more...

... but I am not mad at him. He became seven years old this month. I love that he still has some kitty moment every once in a while. Happy Birthday, Chester!

Now, back to cushion sewing...

Floral Jacquard Dress Revisited

One of my favorite past projects is Carolina Herrera inspired dress (blogged here). I enjoyed every second of the project: buying the fabric, analyzing the details, adapting the patterns, making the muslins, and assembling the dress.

When I posted the picture of this dress on a sewing forum, Stitcher's guild, under the title: McCall"s 5466 + Vogue 8555 Dress, Kathryn of I Made This! said - "The way you added the netting at the hem area of the red/black dress for a faux ombré look is pure genius. "

Did she say ombré look?

I have to admit that I had never noticed that the netting gave the dress an ombré look. All my attention was given to the details like where the seams were, how the prints were oriented, etc. I was not seeing the forest for the trees, wasn't I? Well, that was my Aha! moment. (Thanks, Kathryn!)

So I told myself: When it comes to analyzing the design, looking at it from a distance is as important as examining the details.

Since I never had a chance to look at the original CH dress, I could only imagine how the netting was applied. Having said that, here is what I did for my dress: I basted the netting to the hem of the dress, sewed it using tiny zigzag stitches along the flower design, and cut the netting above the stitching line.

Adding the netting or sheer to the border-print fabric to create ombré look is indeed a brilliant idea. I cannot wait to use this technique -which I would have never known if I did not knock off CH dress - in the future. 

Parting shots: Sleeping kitties - don't we love cat's funny sleeping position? :)

Leo sleeping on the ironing board, using the fabric origami iris (blogged here) as his pillow.

Chester likes to sleep right in front of me when I study. I have been studying for the coming actuarial exam since my last post: Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti inspired coat has zero progress because of that...

Baby Leo :)

Until next time, cheers to you all!

Vogue 1247 Rachel Comey Top

Here is my test version of Vogue 1247 Rachel Comey top, shown with orange double knit fabric pinned to the dress form. This is a very loose-fitting top that you may not need to make a muslin if you can take a deep neckline. I wanted to test it because I narrowed the neck opening and raised V by 1 1/2" at the center. I also shortened the length by 1".

The fabric is silk charmeuse which I bought from Denver Fabrics so many years ago. I only had little less than 1 1/3 yard in 45" width of fabric so there was not enough to cut bias sleeve facing.

Vogue 1247

Source: voguepatterns.mccall.com

I had a false impression on the difficulty level of this pattern. After reading many reviews it looked to me that people made this pattern easily and quickly. Turned out it was not so easy for me.

One of the interesting design feature of this top is the lower front where four pieces of fabric joined together. Because of the french seams, the point where all the pieces met became very bulky. Sewing bulky seams on slippery fabric was not so much fun.

One more piece to add to this bulk...

All four pieces are joined

Joining the upper front pieces together at the center front was also a little problem. It was bulky where the neck facings met together. Precise marking and sewing are required in this step because two points - neck line and darts -must match at the center.







Lastly, making narrow hem on curved hemline on slippery fabric was not so easy...

Anyway, the top is done. 

I recommend using thin fabric for this top pattern. I thought my charmeuse was not thick at all, but it became bulky at some places. It will be helpful if the fabric is easy to press since you are going to press a lot to make french seams. Of course another option is not doing french seams and just serge/zigzag seam allowance.

Conclusion: I think the top is cute and great style for hot summer days. I do not want to sew it again, however, I will probably make a skirt using this pattern in the future.


By the way, Leo was taking a nap in the suitcase the other day. Cuteness! 

 


Until next time, cheers to you all!



On my Sewing Table: Vogue 1177

Hello, everyone! It has been a while since my last post. Here is an update on what I have been up to. I have been working on Vogue 1177 Anna Sui dress. So far I cut all the pattern pieces and did my usual petite alteration.

Vogue 1177 Anna Sui Dress

Meanwhile this Milly poppy print voile was washed and ready to be cut.

Since I have been very busy keeping up with my school work, I can not spare even thirty minutes sewing time a day these days... The pattern pieces have been sitting on the table for days. It is not a good sight. Obviously somebody thought something had to be done. Yesterday I caught Leo studying the instruction!

It's so easy, a kitty can do it!

Was he trying to sew for his mommy?! Maybe:D Since this kitty scoops water with his paw from his water bowl to drink, my instruction sheets have some water marks now. He definitely should not work on silks.

I hope I can sew sometime soon. Until then, cheers to you all!

UPDATE: You can read Vogue 1177 in progress here: Vogue 1177 Pleats Please