Strange Neutrals

I love strange neutrals.  You know what I mean--those colors that don't really go with anything but actually go with almost everything.  It can take a while to find the strange neutrals in your color palette, and sometimes a closet orphan can turn into a strange neutral that you don't expect.

Last year, I bought a pair of ballet flats that were a kind of burnt sienna color, mostly because they were half the regular price.  I wasn't sure how versatile they would be, but actually, they go with everything and nothing at the same time.  And for anyone who has a terrible time finding ballet flats, these are the real deal.  I can't wear flats usually, and almost every shoe in this style pulls on my heel, makes my toes numb or gives blisters, and makes my high arches ache.  The Chaste Ballet have a padded insole, soft flexible elasticated back end that doesn't rub or pull, rubber sole with actual tread, and come in wide widths that actually fit my toes! 

But enough about shoes.  Another strange neutral I discovered a couple of years ago is yellow.  Like a lot of people descended from northern Europeans, I have a hard time finding a yellow that is flattering to my skin tone, and rarely wear it next to my face.  That said, I have a bright buttercup yellow cardigan that goes with a lot of thing by virtue of not going, and my beloved marigold linen skirt is a strange neutral workhorse. 

This summer, my strange neutral discovery is pale lavender.  Birdie has a pair of shorts that color, and isn't into fashion or matching at all, so she wears them with whatever is in her drawer, and I've noticed that the lavender kind of goes with everything. 

The lavender striped top that I thrifted this spring was another such neutral.  I decided that a pale lavender Rose skirt was in order, as I have a few tops this summer that don't seem to go well with my warmer-toned skirts (the pink clay and orange, respectively), or with the teal skirt that I wear a lot.

As a kind of birthday treat for myself, I spent yesterday sewing it, watching an arthouse film plus some light comedy (recommend The Hustle for this) and thoroughly enjoying the time.  It was possibly the nicest birthday I've had in a long time.

I experimented with a different waistband interfacing (leftover t-shirt scraps from altering some too-big camp t-shirts for the girls) and I think I like it!  I went for a 2" waistband this time, since 2.5" is clearly too tall for my short waist (which is basically right under my bottom rib), and 1" is fine but tends to roll a bit during the day. 

I used two layers of the t-shirt fabric to interface, and if I do this again, I'd probably use one and be more careful about grading seam allowances.  I did grade a little bit, but I'd grade at a different stage of the sewing in the future.  I don't think it is possible to make a roll-free waistband on my figure, as even 3/8" waistbands or faced waistbands roll a bit, but I'm hoping this iteration works well.  So far, it has been comfortable against my middle, and retaining its shape pretty well.

I used the Kaufman Brussels linen again and was mindful of my experience with the Poppy colorway for the orange skirt, because this fabric does stretch with overhandling due to the rayon content. I could probably stand to hem up another half inch, but this is okay for now.  Next time my machine is out I'll probably take it up a smidge.

I received some rayon poplin for my birthday that is a kind of yellow-chartreuse color in the background with teal and gray and marigold in the print, and am pondering what to make with it.  I think it will be a fun addition to my early fall clothing because the print is kind of summery but the colors are definitely more autumn-like.  A lightweight dress that I can wear with my super thin teal sweater (and a perfect color match)? A swishy maxi skirt?  A two-piece outfit (Emerald+Rose skirt?) 

It's a nice creative distraction anyway, and I'll take it, in this summer that seems to have taken on Biblical proportions.  My mind is crowded with so many things, and it is hard to turn it off and let my brain rest.  It's not good for me or my kids, so I know I need to develop more strategies to get the downtime I need to recharge and recover.  I'm working on it.

Of Birthdays, Jade Songbirds, and Haircuts in the Quarantine

I'm 41 today, which feels about right.  My body is getting older, and I can feel it (and see it).  But that's okay, really.  My body is my home, and I'm settled in for the duration. 

A couple of weeks ago, I fell in love with some cotton lawn on Hart's Fabric website, but paused a bit about the price.  The cost was above my usual comfort zone, but it was extra wide yardage, and I knew I could get a dress out of my usual yardage enough left over to make an Emerald or a dress for one of the girls.  I've been impressed with how lawn wears over time, so hopefully it will be a dress that sees lots of wear.

I knew that the Lepidoptera dress was a fail for me, and wanted to have one more lawn dress option in my hot weather closet because the heat is just never-ending this year.  It started around Memorial Day weekend, and there really hasn't been a break since--high humidity, temps in the 90s most days.  Gross.  It also means that while I can technically get more than one wearing out of my clothes, I generally don't like to because it is harder to get the fabric clean, which means it wears out faster. 

This summer reminds me of the summer of 2011, when we had six weeks of heat dome that included temps over 100 degrees plus high humidity.  I was 7-8 months pregnant with Birdie at the time and we don't have central AC (and in 2011, we only had one floor unit in the office/guest room to keep the computer cool), so it was a fairly miserable summer. She was born at the end of August, just ahead of Hurricane Irene (apt, given her personality).

But I digress, as usual.  So I bought the fabric (admittedly, somewhat impulsively, but I decided it would be a birthday dress) and made it up almost as soon as it arrived, shortly after finishing my husband's replacement kombu.  I've gotten away from florals these past couple of years, and while this is technically a floral, it is somewhat more botanical than ditsy print (and those colors!!), so it works. 

I did have to make it in stages because of how my sewing time was that week, but I even made my own bias tape for the neck binding!  I did the continuous method for the first time, using an 8x8" square and it worked a treat!  My husband spotted my bias tape maker case sitting on a cabinet after I was done and was intrigued.  

My only change to the pattern was to put a bit of elastic in the back of the waist ties for comfort.  I don't know why I didn't think of this before--my one complaint about this dress pattern is that while it is very comfortable overall, the ties need to be adjusted throughout the day because: woven fabric. 

So I split the waist tie in the middle, added about 11" of knit elastic to the gap, zig-zagging the edges to the elastic, and then ran it through the casing with a bodkin.  (I did this with Ponchik's Butterfly dress ties as well and it worked a treat). What a difference!  So comfortable, unbinding, but yet flattering waist-shaping.  I also think it doesn't shift around as much in the casing.  Perfect in disgusting heat. 

Incidentally, I cut my hair Monday, after being unable to get a haircut myself for probably two years.  I've been cutting the boys' hair every month or so since early in the lockdown, and cut my husband's hair once (that was nerve-wracking!) and cut the girls' hair over the weekend--just a little trim for them. 

My hair has gotten increasingly unwieldy not because of the length but because of the frizz and thinning.  I've had to get pretty creative to cover the areas where my scalp shows through.  I still do curly girl hair care, and it does help, but the ends were thin and scraggly, so I flipped my hair over after a wash and trimmed off about 1.5" all around, cutting carefully in sections.  My hair is so thin this wasn't too hard, but  I ended up cutting long layers in my hair by doing it this way. 

That said, the shorter layers actually look pretty good!  I probably just need to find a salon that is open (it is still hit or miss for that here; we aren't totally in green phase yet) and get the back trimmed up even more, because what is scraggly still is the ends on the bottom in the back and I can't reach that as well to get a nice even cut.  I'm wearing my hair up almost all the time right now anyway, so it's not that noticeable, but once it cools down, I'll probably want it down again.

I have no firm plans for today--maybe I'll put together my Cedar Sweater pdf at long last, or cut out some more gigantic undies (more on that in separate post), or work on something for a friend.  Or maybe I'll just knit in a chair and watch something.  Or forge on with Slezkine.  Maybe all those things!  The day is my oyster!

Butterflies for Ponchik

I think it is obvious to anyone who's been around for a while that my style has evolved quite a bit since 2012, when I started sewing seriously for myself.  A lot has happened in that time!  When I first started, I was really into novelty prints and made a lot of dresses.  These days, I tend to gravitate more toward texture over print, and separates before dresses.  It's fine--just part of getting older, I think.  But sometimes I forget that and buy a print that I would have liked a couple of years ago, but now just doesn't really suit my style. 

 

Such was the butterfly lawn that I bought in May to make a dress from.  The price was too good, and the colors were all in my wardrobe palette.  Even though I had a long think about the butterflies, I thought maybe they would work.  And half price lawn is nothing to sneeze at, particularly in all those great colors!  

That said, it just wasn't my jam.  The dress is just okay, and the shirt ended up feeling too much like scrubs.  (What is wrong with me??)

I decided to transform the shirt into another dress for Ponchik, since she wears the first shirt-to-dress iteration I made her so much that I figured a second would get good wear too.  I still had plenty of the orange mystery fabric I used for her first dress, and it was a good match for the orange butterflies, so off I went, using the original dress as a guide.  I took the shoulders up an inch and adjusted the facings accordingly, but left the width the same.  I took off the hem facing and added the contrast skirt with a waist casing and contrast tie.  I ended up adding 6" of elastic to the middle of the tie to lengthen it and give the dress a bit more stretch for wearing and it is great now--she really loves it.

I admit, the finished dress is very similar to the first one, but Ponchik likes it, so that's what counts!  I did put the Lepidoptera dress into the fabric bin to cut down for one of the girls at some point, so she may end up getting a whole butterfly dress next summer.  I think at this point in the season, she can get through on the clothes she has, but the fabric will not go to waste, and it will be a nice new thing for her next year!

Color-Blocking for Friends (and Self-Enabling While Doing So)

I mentioned that I did a bit of sewing for a friend?  It was not commissioned work, just some things I made for her because we've been talking about sewing and clothes for a long time, and she has three very young kids and limited sewing time for herself.  I knew she needed a few things for summer, so I decided to make her some!  Surprise sewing is a thing, right?  I should add that we live several hours apart in different states, so it was an interesting set of projects for me!  (And probably not the last--it was quite satisfying to make these things).

First was a blue skirt, made from my Indigo dress of last summer.  I had tried to wear it a couple times this spring and knew it was a no-go.  That pattern is really not working well for my style, and after the Miss Frizzle comment from a passerby (she meant well, but still), I just couldn't.

Anyway, I had some of the fabric left over, and I knew that the skirt part of the dress would be a good starting point for the style that my friend was interested in.  She is about five inches taller than me, and her measurements are different, so I let out the very deep hem and was glad of my measuring mistake last summer.  (#serendipity)  I added two straight panels to the side seams to give the garment the proper amount of fit and ease, and then popped an elastic-backed waistband on it, using my Rose skirt hack as a guide.  The end result is bit more like my Everday pink clay skirt alteration, but it achieved the desired silhouette, so I don't really care how I got there!  And yay for repurposing good fabric!  I knew it would be a great fit for my friend's wardrobe, and crossed my fingers that it would fit her (it did!)

Next I set my sights on making a boxy cropped top for her.  She made a bunch of Shirt No. 1s a while back, but I knew she was unhappy with some aspects of the fit, so I decided to try the Colette Sorbetto with the Washi cap sleeve applied, but I also wanted to try the hacked Emerald top, with some adjustments for good fit. 

The Sorbetto has bust darts and the Emerald doesn't, so I wasn't sure what was going to provide the best fit and comfort.  I got a little bit overambitious with my linen scraps on the Sorbetto, but I think the end result is somewhat interesting anyway.  My friend likes it, so that's what counts!

The Emerald I had intended to make entirely out of pink clay linen scraps from my skirt, but saw the very tiny red brick remnant from a dress that came out too small last year, and decided to try a bit of color blocking with that as well.  I fiddled around with what I had left and came up with a solid geometric block, and was able to squeeze out the one sleeve facing and pieced together the front facing.  There are fumes of that original scrap left. 

Ta-da!  So pretty!  (And the shirt is nice too!)  After making her Emerald, and loving the color-blocked look of it, I decided to make myself one but with more red and less pink (since that pink doesn't look super great next to my face).  Sometimes I enable myself when I make stuff for other people!  *facepalm*

I ordered another yard of the red brick linen and used up the last long scrap of pink clay linen on a stripe down the side. 

I originally thought to mimic the color blocking on my friend's with a horizontal stripe across the middle, but I didn't like the way the narrow strip looked, and I didn't have enough fabric to do without piecing in any case.  I sort of like the slightly more subdued single stripe on this one.  I could probably stand to go 1/2" shorter on the hem, so will keep that in mind for next time. 

There are some little pieces left, but I'll probably pass them to Birdie for her little projects, since they are charm block size and there are maybe six of them.  A good use of two yards of fabric, if you ask me!  It's also a nice color coordination for many different skirts in my closet, and I think will work with my fall linen skirts too, so win-win there, because it can stay pretty hot here well into September, and sometimes October is warm too. 

I'm mostly trying not to think about my sewing quantity right now, as it is functioning as a mental health booster with my kids underfoot all the time.  Under the circumstances, I think that beats a super-lean closet.  It's also stupidly hot this summer, and my laundry cycles have gotten long as my kitchen time has grown with the ongoing shortages and so forth.  So there's that.  Chalk it up to one of the many hidden costs of the pandemic, I guess. 

White Linen Emerald

I did some non-selfish sewing for a friend recently, and in getting out fabric for it, I went through my bin.  I found a tiny remnant of some handkerchief white linen I bought back in 2014 to make an 18th century shift.  I messed up the first iteration and ended up starting again with the bleached IL019 linen from fabrics-store.com and an actual pattern, but I kept my messed up pieces because the linen was so fine.  (Word to the wise on the fabric link: I'm not entirely convinced this is the same fabric I bought before, because I'm pretty sure what I bought was 100% linen, but since my receipt link takes me to this listing, I can't be sure).  

I used some of it to line the inside of my 18th century stays, and just had a bit left.  It was the bit from the top of the shift, and one of the many things I'd messed up was cutting the neckline (I was using a period-appropriate diagram to cut the shift that has you cut everything in squares and rectangles to make most use of the fabric, but I somehow missed the note about fabric width differences, so all the proportions were wildly off.  I blame averaging 2-3 hours of sleep at the time). 

In any case, the neckline came out way too wide, and what was left after lining my stays was a folded rectangle of fabric with a too-wide but shallow neckline cut out. 

In glancing at it, I realized there might just be enough to get an Emerald out if I cut the facings from something else.  It was a squeak, to be sure, and I had to make the shirt 1" shorter than my other versions, which made me nervous, but I soldiered on.  There are fumes of fabric left, not even enough to pass on to Birdie for her little projects.

I initially thought to make facings from the leftover linen from my shift, but the textures and weights were so different I thought it would look weird.  I had some white bemberg, but was leery of using it after making facings from rayon for my remnant Emerald. 

I also have a yard or two of mystery white cotton fabric that is very smooth and tightly woven that I bought a long time ago for something or other, but never made.  I used a bit of it to make the pocket bags for my Gzhel skirt, and decided it would work well for the facings on this blouse too, since it was light and sheer.  (I think this fabric is lawn, and it is probably from the Robert Kaufman Cambridge line, but can't be sure.  I wish I did know, as it is a really nice substrate and I would try to find other colors). 

My only complaint about this shirt was the amount of time it took me to make it, not because it was complicated, or had problems, but because I had a run of days where the minute I tried to sew anything, something came up with the kids that needed my attention.  (call it #thatlockdownlife). I pretty much had to sew this shirt one seam at a time.  Which is not generally how I roll.  But once I finally got it done, I was happy with the result.

I did have a slight panic when I put it on yesterday, before I had my skirt on.  The 90s called; they want their clothes back!  But then I got my skirt on and realized it was fine.  I could probably use just a smidge more room across the bust, but I made French seams at the sides and shoulders because of the fineness of the linen, so it would be a bit of a Job to unpick and let out slightly. 

It's fine, really.  I'm wearing white tops a bit more this summer, so it will be good to have one more to rotate through in this heat and humidity! 

You can see our container garden is doing fairly well!  The tomato plants are bursting with fruit, and at least two are going to be ready for harvest today or tomorrow. 

The cukes have female flowers, so hopefully they will mature in the next week or so.  Still waiting for flowers on the bean plants, but they were planted from seed, so it's early yet.  Our volunteer wild strawberry seems to have some nascent flowers too, so perhaps we'll get a fruit off it this year!  (I'm going to try some strawberry roots in a tiered pot next to the big containers, just to see if we can get fruit.  We had transplanted raspberry plants in one of the big containers but all three died of heat and transplant shock, so it would be nice to have some fruiting plants this year.  It's all a big experiment anyway).

Foodie Friday: Lovely Slavic Things to Make with Tinned Salmon

I'm not a huge fan of fish.  At least not the stinky whole-head variety.  That said, I don't mind white fish like flounder or haddock or branzino, and my dad is an avid fisherman when he can get to a lake, so we sometimes had fresh water fish in the summer when I was a kid.  I also grew up eating canned tuna in various forms (casserole, salad, etc) and really like that, but sadly developed an allergy as an adult and can no longer eat it.  *sniff, sniff*  I challenged it unsuccessfully with my allergist sometime in 2012, but perhaps I could try again in the next couple of years.  When I lived in Russia, one of my favorite things to get at a kiosk for lunch was "crabovie salat" (kрабовый cалат), which is fake crab legs (pollack, usually), white rice, mayo, corn, and pickles.  I sometimes made it myself at home too.  Delish!!

My tolerance for other fish has dropped along with my tuna allergy (no shrimp or tilapia, or pretty much any fish I haven't had prior experience with, because I'm careful), so my fish consumption has dropped and I've not had a crabovie salat for years.  As a practical matter, that means fish days in our house are pretty much either breaded or battered frozen white fish in some form or another, or salmon.

Now, I like salmon a lot, but my kids do too, and fresh fillets make for an extravagantly expensive meal for our family.  I do have a recipe for salmon patties that I've adapted into a hash for fish days that uses tinned, but that was the extent of my canned fish repertoire.  And by the way, most of the tinned salmon I was able to find locally was also eye-wateringly expensive. 

Until now!  

The Apostles' Fast (which ends on Sunday) has a LOT of fish days.  Like, a lot.  This week alone there were four if you count Sunday.  I've been experimenting with different Russian recipes for fasting times particularly, and decided to have a go at a few with fish this week.  I was able to find tinned salmon in a 12-can flat for a really good price on amazon a few months ago and have been getting a flat every couple of months since my recipes tend to use several cans at a time. Everything I made this week went over reasonably well with my unpredictable eaters, and even my potato-hater loved the fish cakes (since I didn't tell her they had potatoes...sneaky, sneaky).

In the interest of sharing the wealth, I thought I'd share my "recipes" here.  These are really just loose adaptations of other people's recipes, which are in turn adaptations of national cuisine that everyone's mother or grandmother had their own recipe for, so keep that in mind.  The main thing to remember about Russian recipes is to use enough salt to flavor the dish (which I'm coming to understand is more than you think if you are mostly cooking from scratch) and to have a bit of sour in the mix, usually in the form of dill, but sometimes vinegar, pickles, or lemon juice.

Ukha (Yха)
Admittedly, this one is more like "shchi with salmon" (щи c лососем) but everyone liked it, and I'll take that.

Ingredients:
Mirepoix (or roughly 1 cup each onion, celery, and carrot, diced or grated)
2 cans salmon, well drained (add 1-2 more cans for additional heft); don't flake finely, leave it a bit chunky
10 oz. shredded cabbage (a bag of coleslaw mix works well for this)
8 cups no-chicken or vegetable broth (I like Better than Bouillon)
2 bay leaves
2 potatoes peeled and diced
ketchup or tomato paste
pepper
dill (fresh or dried)
olive oil or margarine

In a heavy bottomed pot like a Dutch oven, saute mirepoix in margarine or olive oil on medium low heat until sweating and softened, about 10-15 minutes.  Add cabbage and stir to coat in oil, then add salmon, stock, bay leaves, and potatoes.  Bring to a boil and then lower heat to a rolling simmer until potatoes are cooked, about 20 minutes.  Squeeze a bit of ketchup or tomato paste (1-2 T.) over the top and stir through.  Season with pepper and dill (I just sprinkle across the top of the pot, and then add dill to each bowl when served but your mileage may vary).   If having dairy, a dollop of sour cream adds heft.  Sprinkle with dill at table.

Fish Cakes
This is a mash-up of two recipes I found, and I only measured the salt and pepper, so I'm guessing a bit on the quantities of spice.

Ingredients:
2 potatoes, peeled, diced, and boiled until soft, then drained of water.
2 cans salmon, well drained and flaked into a bowl
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/4-1/2 tsp dried dill (or 2x the amount fresh, chopped finely)
1/4 tsp dried mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4-1/2 tsp onion powder
2 small shakes cayenne pepper (optional; my kids didn't love the spice, so I'll leave it out next time)
1 tsp (or so) lemon juice

Mash the potatoes with a fork and add to the salmon along with the spices and bread crumbs.  The result should be fairly sticky and thick.  Using a cookie scoop or two spoons, divide mixture into small balls (about 1/4 cup of mix), shape and flatten with your hands.  In a heavy fry pan (cast iron is ideal) spray cooking oil and heat until oil sizzles with a flick of water (like for pancakes).  Reduce heat to medium and place about six cakes in a pan (or five, however many fit with a bit of room around the edges) and cover for 3 minutes.  Turn cakes over and cook covered for another 3 minutes.  They should be golden brown.  Turn onto a plate and then repeat until all patties are cooked.  Serve with rice or grechka.  For dairy eaters, they are very nice with a dollop of sour cream or a bit of mayo.  Vegan mayo with dill added would also work.

 

Fish Pie--Kulebyaka (Кулебяка)
This dish has a lot of iterations, mostly based on the crust type--some people use puff pastry, some people use a short crust or pie crust, some people make pirog dough, similar to pizza dough.  This iteration uses pie crust, but I will probably try it with pirog dough at some point too.  It was a brilliant way to use up leftover grechka, but rice works too.  I mostly used this recipe as a guide (sans eggs), but Anya Von Bremzen's recipe in Please to the Table was also helpful.  It could benefit from a little bit of liquid binder to hold the contents together a bit better.

3 (ish) cups cooked rice or grechka
4 cans salmon, well drained
4 pie crusts (for pirog dough, use my cabbage pirog recipe as a guide for use)
1 small can mushrooms, well drained (fresh work well too, just cook them until liquid comes out and is reabsorbed and they are browned
1 medium onion, loosely diced and cooked to deep brown in 3 T. olive oil or margarine, with a sprinkle of salt
generous sprinkle of dill, fresh or dried
lemon (maybe 1 tsp?)
more salt

Preheat to 400.  After onion has cooked, add salmon and grechka and mushrooms and mix, adding lemon and dill and more salt to the mix.  Divide the mixture between both pie crusts and pack tightly.  Cover with pie crust and crimp edges and poke holes to allow steam to escape.  Place pies on cookie sheets lined with parchment in case of drips.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until crust is nicely browned.  Cut and serve.

Makes two pies, about 16 small slices.  There were two slices left after my family of six had finished.

And if you are thinking it looks like a lot of brown food, you would be correct!  Because actually, most home cooking looks like that.  Cooking at home is a good thing, but it isn't always pretty or photograph-worthy.  Or especially fast.  (This article made me feel so much better about my culinary efforts--I'm not a 12-person professional kitchen with a full-time staff working 12 hour shifts!)  Annd while my photos are amateur (and always will be), even the best photographs cannot disguise that some of the best-tasting food, and the most nourishing, made at home, is not going to be especially visually appealing.  Sometime I'll write a post on the history of pottage...