Kids in Motion

How I spent my day.  Is it any wonder I'm not getting any sewing done?

Finally, a swimsuit

It seems like I’ve been working on this project forever, and when I look back it’s been well over a month since I posted about my last attempt at swimwear.  For this top I turned to a pattern not designed for swimwear but one that seemed to have all of the elements I was looking for.  While I used this pattern as a starting point, I modified a number of features, particularly changing the construction order and method.  For one thing, I hand gathered the center front seam on the lined bra top as I found I had more control doing so.  Since no zipper was required I was able to simplify the construction details further.  I created my own straps and added a raw-edge ruffle along the bottom hem since I find the stitched hems I make on swimwear fabric are often not very attractive. 

The skirt is simply an elastic-waist A-line skirt, designed as a cover-up, not swimwear, since I did not install a brief into the skirt.  I will wear the top with a solid navy short-style bottom that I already own.

I tried my suit out this afternoon at the local spray park.  Here's an action shot:

I’m really happy to have it finished, not only so I can get some wear in before the end of the pool season but also because I have several other things requiring my attention in my sewing room and I hate leaving a project almost finished.  I have really been struggling to find time to sew this summer but have found that I can sometimes steal 15 minutes in the morning before my kids wake up.  I’m pretty amazed at what I can get done during several of those 15-minute sessions.  If you are having trouble finding your own free time you might try working in little blocks of time like this.

Cooling Off

At the spray park

Gazpacho: Using Nature's Bounty

That picture alone should be enough.  But for those who want a bit more detail, here it is.  A few weeks ago I had the best gazpacho I’ve ever had from my local coffee shop/bakery.  It had a fantastic smoky flavor that I thought was smoked paprika, but turned out to be smoked peppers.  I decided to try my hand at a version at home using smoked paprika.  The coffee shop version was a little too spicy for my taste (though I couldn’t stop eating it anyway) and I reasoned that with a combination of the hot and sweet smoked paprika I could obtain a less hot but still smoky tasting soup.

Most recipes call for similar ingredients with some variation on the seasonings.  In the picture above you can see what I used in mine.  I decided to forgo the bell peppers (for reasons involving my digestive tract which you really don’t need to know about) called for in most versions.  I didn’t measure anything.  The vegetables, tomato juice and bread went into the blender in batches.  The resulting concoction did not look or taste very appealing straight out of the blender.  Adding copious amounts of sweet and hot smoked pepper, salt, pepper and sherry vinegar helped immensely.  In the end I added some cumin as well.  This made two quarts which I plan to begin enjoying tomorrow after the flavors have had a chance to meld a bit in the fridge.  With summer produce at its height, now is the time to enjoy some of this cool and refreshing soup.  Enjoy!

Innocence

Popsicles at the drive-in