Sewing Plans

After having a good look through the Sew magazine that I bought the other day I have decided to try two of the garments from it.  One is the frill front T-shirt that actually came as a paper pattern with the magazine.  This one...

I think style c, I had thought a but now I am thinking it may be too ruffled for me then I won't wear it.  I put a ruffle all the way around a neckline once before and never wore it at all.

The other garment is a pair of wide leg trousers but this time you print the pattern off, now I have not been on and had a look at the pieces yet, if it looks too basic to waste the ink I may wing it.  The other thought I have with that one is are they too wide?  I might make them then change them we will see.

 I really loved that fabric too but had a look and wasn't sure if I wanted to pay so much for an experimental make, I mean what if I don't like the style on me.  So I had a look around and found some nice magenta chevon patterned fabric at Minerva, much more reasonable.  However I did then go and put other things in my basket too like you do.

My order has been dispatched so more on those items another day, although I will say I have ordered plain white for the top I thought I would try and get at least a few neutrals in there like I keep meaning to.

This evening I made a green lentil and green assorted vegetable korma, I have to say it was not up to my usual curry standards and I think it was because I impulsively added toasted almonds at the last minute.  They seemed to alter the whole flavour, bad choice!  I will stick with adding cashews in future they go much nicer.

Best Version Gluten Free Vegan Cheese Toastie

My title states this is a cheese toastie, well that is not entirely correct as I fry the bread but as anyone who eats GF bread will know it is dry enough without making matters worse by putting it in the toaster.  As I don't eat dairy I  have tried a few vegan cheeses as well as making some of my own, currently the best store bought one for me Violife original flavour block.  It tastes good cubed in a salad and it will melt, the thing I have found is that it takes longer to melt than regular cheese and putting it under the grill gives varying results.

As I was missing my once favourite snack I thought I would try a few things to sort this out, frying the GF bread in a little olive oil on a low heat gives it a nice colour but also a bit of moisture.   I like to add a few cherry tomatoes to my pan as well, I may add a bit of onion sometimes too.

When I have fried it a little on both sides I slice some of the cheese then add it to one side and turn it face down to the pan,  (it will melt but not stick or run all over your pan)  it stays in more or less one piece and can be got off the pan easily with a spatula.  It is moist to hold so have a napkin ready to wipe your hands while you are eating.  If you are GF vegan and  miss a decent cheese toastie give this a go, it just shows there is an alternative way with most foods if you are missing something.

I think there may be lots of vegan cheese alternatives that are good but because I have tried a few bad ones I am sticking with this one at the moment.  It is a bit expensive to buy them to try and then not like them.  If anyone has any tips for any good ones let me know, I know there are mozzarella flavours but I have not tried those, it would be worth knowing if any were worth a try. 

People tend to say to me 'oh no what do you eat?'  because I am GF vegan, well I eat plenty and it is just a case of swapping things and experimenting.  Going out is always awkward as restaurants seem to have no vision at all and they have trained cooks working for them!  It is a bit annoying though when the family are tucking into fresh tiger bread which smells amazing, none of the GF versions are ever soft and fluffy like that, including the bread I've tried myself.

( My comments on Violife cheese are entirely personal preference, this is not a sponsored post)

Another Burda Shirt Finished

This shirt has been enjoyable to work on today, I have been back and forth to the sewing machine in between doing other things.  It helps that my sewing table is in the room next to the kitchen because you can hear the washer stop and check on food. This pattern is reliable and that is  why I keep using it although the take on it has been slightly different.  On this particular shirt there wasn't enough fabric for even a full short sleeve, but adding a small folded band from the little bits of fabric around the pattern pieces gave me just enough for a small sleeve.

I didn't add the front yokes as there wasn't enough fabric, also the back yoke is single whereas usually it is double so it hides your join at the back on the inside.  That is not a problem for me, you wouldn't know that just by looking at it when it is on.

The pockets are a bit smaller than the pattern too but again I had to work with the bit of fabric I had.

Another little thing I had to do was cut the collar in two pieces each, rather than on the fold. This was to maximise on all those little bits that are just not quite big enough.

This  has not affected the look of the collar and if anything makes sure it is central at the back!

Here is the little sleeve band, I will use this idea again as it gives a nice finish.

It was just a case of folding a strip, sewing it to the bottom, neaten the edge and then topstitching on the right side.

I shortened the overlength when cutting out too as this is quite a long shirt on the pattern. 

 I am very happy with it, and managed to force it out of one metre.  There really are only tiny bits left that have gone in a little box for applique or very small patchwork.   The pattern has been carefully  folded and put away for next time.