All posts by Kristen

Garden Update!

By Kristen on May 21, 2013

Well, hello there!  It’s been a week since my last post because I have the plague have been under the weather.  Last week, I thought I was suffering from allergies thanks to the daily  warnings of high pollen levels but I’m fairly confident that I was actually sick.  This in combination with the weather bouncing all over the place has kept me from being productive in any way.  I’m still trying to shake the last bit of whatever this is and I’m hoping to be done with it soon.

Anywho, today I’m here with a garden update!

After my intro to garden 2.0, things got… interesting.  Turns out, there were some party crashers in our indoor garden.  These little mushrooms just sprouted out one day and after some Googling, I figured out that 1) they were harmless, 2) there were probably spores in the soil I purchased, and 3) I had been over watering.  I sort of wish I had snapped some photos with our real camera but I quickly removed them with tweezers (they’re all very tiny) as soon as I spotted them in an attempt to prevent future mushrooms.

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I think the big difference between this garden and last year’s is that I haven’t found a particularly sunny place for these herbs.  Whenever I’m home I let them sit in the window, which is sunny, but the rest of the time they’re in a not-so-sunny place.  I’m hoping to pick up a planter stand so these little fellows can soak up the sun and grow big and strong.

On a happier note, after I let the planters dry out a bit, the garden is really starting to take off!

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The basil is still knocking it out of the park.  They are easily the most tolerant of my herbs – which is a nice treat since I plan on using basil as much as possible this Summer.  There are a lot tall seedlings – some of which are getting ready to sprout leaves.

20130521_herbs320130521_herbs2The oregano is working hard to catch up with the basil.  It’s clearly got a ways to go but it’s nice to see that the seedlings have all popped up.  I saw an oregano plant at the farmers’ market and it had crazy large leaves, so I’m hoping that these guys grow like that, too.

20130521_herbs4Last but not least is our rosemary plant.  This one was the one I was most excited about, and I’m happy to say that one of the seedlings has finally sprouted!  I’ll admit to you all that I popped a few more seeds into the soil (I can’t help myself!) so I’m hoping those appear shortly.

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So, that’s the news on the home front.

Have you started your gardens yet?  How are they doing?  Did you get any unexpected visitors?

Posted in Food, Garden, Nature, Seasonal, Spring | 4 Comments

Maxi Skirt Tutorial

By Kristen on May 13, 2013

Today, I’ll be sharing my maxi skirt tutorial!

20130508_pinterestskirt6 http://www.popcornonthestove.com/

Since you’re using a jersey or knit material for your skirt. I would highly recommend practicing with some of the scraps.  When you feel comfortable with the fabric, keep practicing a little bit more.  When I was sewing my skirt, the fabric got stuck under the throat plate – multiple times.  Let’s just say that I am now a pro when it comes to removing jammed fabric… as well as taking apart/putting my machine back together again.

I’m not saying that last bit to scare you, but to be completely honest with you.  At the same time, it’s not something to be nervous about or get discouraged by.  If anything, I actually know more about my sewing machine now and feel more comfortable using it for different projects.  I’m already trying to figure out which fabrics to order for my next skirts!  These maxi skirts are a great starter project for clothing because they are very forgiving.  Even though I botched up the sides a little bit, you’d never know once I’ve put on the skirt and I’m walking about.

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Step 1:  You’ll first need to cut the fabric to your size.  I bought 2 yards so I had enough, plus some extra for another skirt, but you should be okay with that amount as well (you can buy more or less depending on your height as I’m only 5’2″).  The easiest way to get the size for the skirt portion is to use another maxi skirt as a template.  If you don’t already own one, you can easily figure out what size these pieces need to be.

You will need two pieces for the skirt and two pieces for the band.  For the length of the skirt, measure from about an inch below your belly button (or where you’d like your skirt to sit) down to the floor, and then add an inch or two – This will be the length of your skirt.  If you’re nervous about the skirt being long enough, make the skirt as long as you want – you can always cut off the excess when you get to step 6.  For the top of the skirt, this should your hips (where you want the skirt to sit), divide that number by two, and add one.  For the bottom of your skirt, you can go two directions.  The first is a less flowy skirt by adding 5 inches to the top of the skirt measurement while the second is adding 10+ inches to the top of the skirt measurement for an option with more flare.  I went with the more flare option.  For the band width, take your waist measurement, divide by two, and then subtract two inches (otherwise it’ll be too loose).  I made my band 10″ long because you end up folding the fabric in half.

20130513_skirttutorial1-01 http://popcornonthestove.com

Step 2: Sew along the two sides of the skirt.  If you have a serger, you can use that. I used the stretch overlock stitch (#16 on my machine), but I also think that a straight stitch would work fine, too.  If you’re nervous, you can always go back and do a second stitch next to the first.

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Step 3:  You’re going to start on the band now.  Fold each of the pieces in half (if you’ve used the same measurements as me, the bands should now be 5″ x 10.5″).  Once they’re folded, stack them on top of each other and sew along both sides.  You’ll now have a wonderful band ready to go!  It’s going to look a bit small, so feel free to try it on

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Step 4:  Attach the band to the top of the skirt.  I would highly suggest you pin the band to the stop of the skirt to keep the side seams aligned.  The seams for the band should be on the inside of the skirt where the side seams are.

Step 5:  If you’ve used a serger for this, then go to step 6.  If you haven’t, then you may want to use fold over the extra material to make the band look a little bit neater.  I used a single stitch for this so it wouldn’t be so obvious (you can see what I did at the top of the folded band below).

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Step 6: Hem the bottom of the skirt and enjoy :)

Some Tips to Remember:

  • Pre-wash the fabric before you start using it to avoid shrinking.
  • Cut your fabric so that it stretches horizontally.  When you pull on the fabric, you’ll know what I’m talking about.
  • If the fabric jams in the machine, stay calm and remove the needle, foot, and throat plate.  Attempting to pull the fabric out could result in tearing.

Hopefully my tutorial is straight forward enough.  I think once you make your first maxi skirt, you’ll be able to pop out a few others fairly quickly.  If you have any questions, please feel free to email or comment!

Posted in Fashion, Projects, Sewing, Tutorial | 10 Comments

Guest Posting at Little House Big Heart

By Kristen on May 9, 2013

Today you can find me over at Little House Big Heart!  I’m guest posting while Jess and Kevin are off having a fabulous time abroad.

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Go check it out!

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Maxi Skirt: Pinterest Challenge

By Kristen on May 8, 2013

Today, I’m unveiling my Pinterest Challenge!  It has nothing to do with home decor but rather sewing.  For those of you who haven’t noticed, my “Sew” board on Pinterest has grown to 70 pins – and that’s after cleaning it out.  Mostly it consists of fabrics I love, quilt designs, and other baby gifts (like dolls or booties), but there are also some clothing projects on there.

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While I’ve been busy sewing curtains and quilts ( 1 | 2 | 3 ), I haven’t actually gotten around to successfully sewing any clothing for myself.  This was the perfect chance to remedy that.

Ultimately, I decided to tackle a maxi skirt because I love them and they are amazing to wear.  Seriously, I cannot recommend them enough.  If you’ve never tried one on before, it’s like having a blanket around you at all times but you never get too hot.

My inspiration was this pin, originally from Elle Apparel.  When I originally found the site, it included the tutorial but that has since been removed (although you can buy it in her etsy store).  Since there was no step-by-step tutorial for me to use, I sort of winged it.  I’m going to share a detailed how-to next Monday, but this is really the perfect project to start with when it comes to designing your own clothing. It’s a very forgiving skirt.

For today, you’ll have to enjoy my awkward photos.  Clearly I was not meant to be a fashion blogger.  Or was I…?

No.  I definitely was not meant for that.

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Seeing as I had never actually made anything wearable before, I was intimidated but determined.  I bought two yards of a navy jersey/knit fabric from Joanns when it was on sale and kind of hid it away.  After all, jersey fabric is supposed to be intimidating to work with, right?

To be honest: it is and it isn’t (Sewaholic has a bunch of great tips).  Ultimately, I think that jersey and knit fabrics get a bad wrap.  It’s definitely different from any other fabric I’ve worked with (ie. it’s very important that the fabric pulls in the right direction), so it took me some time to get comfortable, but I would definitely use it again.  It’s a great fabric for clothing.

20130508_pinterestskirt2 http://www.popcornonthestove.com/

What I created isn’t perfect by any means (note the photo below) but my goodness, it is comfortable.  I even felt confident enough to even wear the skirt out in public after finishing it!

20130508_pinterestskirt3 http://www.popcornonthestove.com/

The bottom of the skirt was simple enough, but the band was somewhat tricky.  At least I thought it was tricky (in actuality, it wasn’t).  I created the band and the just stared at it for a few days because I thought it was too small.  Turns out, it stretched and was perfect.  After attaching the band to the bottom part of the skirt, I did a final seam around to keep it looking nicer.  My stitching isn’t perfect, but I think it looks nicer than what I originally had.

20130508_pinterestskirt4 http://www.popcornonthestove.com/

My favorite part of this skirt is that if I eat too much spaghetti – which I definitely did on Sunday – I can just unfold the band.  No one has to know that I went back and had a second bowl of spaghetti…

…and then 75% of the fresh strawberries…

… followed by some chocolate when I got home.

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Something great about making your own clothes is that you can tailor them to you.  This skirt isn’t too long or too tight.  In fact, I’m so in love with it that I want to go back and get a few other color options – maybe even a pattern! – and make a few more skirts.  Ideally, I’d like one for every day of the week so I can wear these all the time.

20130508_pinterestskirt7 http://www.popcornonthestove.com/ 20130508_pinterestskirt6 http://www.popcornonthestove.com/

What did you end up tackling for the Pinterest Challenge?  Was it something outside of your comfort zone?  Were you happy with the final product?  Any ladies out there who are pro-maxi skirt?  Would you support me if I argued that maxi skirts are work appropriate?

Linking up: Young House Love | Bower Power | Sparkle Meets Pop | Red Bird Blue

Previous Challenges:  Fabric Flowers | Beaded Necklace | Spray Painting Lamps | Paper Rosette Escort Cards.

Posted in Details, Fashion, Projects, Sewing | 18 Comments

Life’s a Picnic

By Kristen on May 7, 2013

This weekend was beautiful so Joe and I decided to take advantage of that and have a picnic in the park.  It was the best idea ever.

Actually, it was 100% his idea… so I sort of married a genius.

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On Friday afternoon, we brainstormed what we would like to have at our picnic.  We decided out menu should include sandwiches (mine was hummus, lettuce, tomato, and avocado while Joe had a Cuban sandwich), triscuits, black bean hummus, and strawberries.  For beverages, we brought along lemonade and water.

Everything was picked up on Friday night while Saturday morning was spent preparing everything.  Nothing was a major time commitment so it was all easy peasy.  In fact, all of the food – and the blanket! – fit in two reusable shopping bags.  I am now on the hunt for a picnic basket because I’d like to picnic every weekend.

Aside from it being sunny and wonderful on Saturday – seriously, not a cloud in the sky! – it was still cool enough that there were no bugs anywhere.  Basically, it was my favorite type of weather.  Is there a place where it’s in the upper 60′s – mid 70′s, sunny, and no bugs?  If there is, I want to live there.

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After scouting out the perfect place, Joe and I settled in.  We wore sneakers for the walk to the park but took our shoes and socks off as soon as we put the blanket down.  This was not shoe weather.  It’s the kind of weather where you let your toes feel the grass…

…Or the weather where you paint your nails outside (that’s how I roll).

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In years past, because of my allergies, I sometimes forget how awesome Spring can be.  This year, thanks to what felt like an endless Winter, I’m completely on board with Spring – even if I have to take a Zyrtec and use an inhaler every day.

Totally worth it.

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If I could have, I would have frozen time in that moment because it was so relaxing.  With Joe taking classes and my crazy commute, we haven’t had a lot of time together.  The picnic was the perfect remedy for that and we spent a good three hours outside soaking up the sun.  Joe even got a little red!

I also like to think that the park was sad to see us go as we clearly left our mark…

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What did you do this weekend?  Was it nice by you?  If it was, did you take advantage of the nice weather?  Any fellow picnic-lovers out there?

Posted in Fun, Nature, New York, Spring, Staten Island | 12 Comments
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