Holy '80s, Batman!

Before we talk about some truly awful fashion, let me just say I'm totally rooting for Mondo to win this season's Project Runway. He seems really sweet, his clothes are awesome and he's a hometown boy.

And how did I not know Tim Gunn came to Denver? I feel like I should have had some kind of Make-it-Work-Spidey-sense tingle when he was here.

I doubt Mondo, or even Christian Siriano, could save any of the dress patterns at Neue Mode. I found them when browsing PatternReview.com and I had a middle-school, Jessica McClintock flashback so bad I almost had to lay down to recover.

T-Shirts and Tunics

The Very Easy Vogue pattern 8649 looked like it would be perfect for me. V-neck, fitted through the bodice, knit fabric--all things I love. And that it has separate pieces for A, B, C and D cup sizes? How awesome is that?

It went together very easily, but I have to make it again in a smaller size (who would imagine that?!?) as the D-cup pieces have too much ease in them and I have to pull up the shoulder seam about 2" to keep it from being baggy and indecent. I think the easy solution is to go down a size (or even 2 for the shoulder seam) and use the C-cup pattern pieces instead. The pattern is easy and versatile enough that I want to work to make it work for me.

While waiting for more fabric to come, I made the Liverpool Tunic from Amy Butler. I'm not really a "pattern" person, so I just made it in a plain purple broadcloth and used fun, striped buttons instead of covering them (per the instructions).

I love this shirt. It's very flattering, easy to put together and has 4 different hem and sleeve lengths, so you can mix and match to get whatever you want. And her pattern instructions are divine. Everything is written out clearly, illustrations are detailed, nothing is left out. If only every pattern were written like this.

Tokyo Joe Tunic

I finally finished the Hot Patterns Tokyo Joe Tunic and I honestly think it's the most beautiful thing I've sewn so far.




I love, love, love the main fabric and the black trim, but the pleats on the sleeve are an amazing detail, too.

The sewing itself wasn't too hard, and I think I'm getting the hang of reading Hot Patterns instructions. There's a lot of fabric to cut out. The sleeves have 16 pleats, plus underlays for each pleat. The neckband is in 3 pieces and so is the corresponding neck facing.

My main issue came with cutting and sewing the main fabric. It's definitely lighter and flowier than I'm used to, so I had to be even more careful when laying out and cutting the pieces. And, I don't know if I needed a sharper (to cut the threads) or duller (to slip past the threads) needle because every once in a while the needle would hit a thread and almost create a "run" in the fabric. It's not too noticeable and nothing was seriously damaged, but I might have to experiment in case I want to use fabric like this again.

I'm working on a simple V-neck knit top next. It only has 6 pieces and 13 steps, so it will be much easier and quicker, but it definitely will not be as breathtaking.

Creme de Menthe Cookie Bars

I decided to go the quick and easy route with the Andes Creme de Menthe baking chips and made bar cookies. I used the recipe on the back of the bag, halving the chemical leaveners. Instead of making individual cookies, I spread all the dough in a 10x15 sheet pan and baked it for 20 minutes at 375F.

They're delicious. Nice and cakey, since they didn't really spread as drop cookies would. The Boy had 3 for dessert last night, so I'm guessing he really likes them...

What Evil Chocolate Goodness to Cook Up Next?

I'm working slowly on the Hot Patterns Tokyo Joe Top and Tunic and I will post more about that later, but while I'm basting and ripping out seams, I'm trying to figure out what deliciously evil thing I can bake next.

I have a bunch of buttermilk left over from the Buttermilk Lemon Curd Ice Cream, so I was thinking about making a devil's food cake from Pie in the Sky. Then, I came across 2 ingredients with so much gooey, decadent potential.

Item 1: Justin's Nut Butter, specifically the Chocolate Hazelnut Butter. Since I'd just made a chocolate cheesecake, I immediately thought of a swirled cheesecake, mixing some of the hazelnut butter in with a vanilla batter and letting them mingle and sing. I also thought about brownies, warm and chewy.

Item 2: Andes Creme de Menthe Baking Chips. I had never seen these before, until I was looking for some cocoa at Target and found them with the other chocolate chip products in the baking aisle. Oh, wow. Brownies, again, are a no-brainer, but the cookie recipe on the back looks like a good place to start (and my friend S. says they are divine) so I might start with that. It looks like it has enough flour for a decent high-altitude recipe, but I might check it against my favorite chocolate chip recipe and see if I need to make any adjustments.

Any other suggestions?

Kimono Wrap Dress

I really have no need for a whole wardrobe of wrap dresses. I stay at home with 2 little ones, so yoga pants and t-shirts that aren't hurt by a little milk or peanut butter or god-knows-what work best for my lifestyle. But I love a good knit wrap dress nonetheless. God bless Diane Von Furstenburg.

Being big-busted, I have a hard time finding dresses that are cut high enough on top so I don't have to wear a camisole but are still flattering to the rest of me. Hot Pattern's Wong-Singh Jones Kimono Wrap Dress is a perfect fit. In fact, it's so perfect, I've made it 3 times since I got the pattern a few months ago.

The pattern itself isn't too bad. One piece is mis-labeled and the illustrations could have been a bit clearer in spots, but I put it together fairly quickly and easily. I think the original length for the ties is a little long, but the double-wrap effect is nice.

My first version, I didn't really change anything. I found some really cool kelly green knit fabric in the remnant bin at Denver Fabrics and got a nice, lightweight black knit for the body of the dress.







My second version had 2 problems. The first was that I used from a bit heavier knit, which made the skirt in particular less flowy and graceful. The other problem was the color scheme, teal with black accents.

While there is nothing wrong with teal and black, the overall effect makes me look like I should pair it with knee-high black boots and a beehive so I can join James T. Kirk on the Starship Enterprise.

The third version is the one I took with me to Montreal. I shortened the sleeves and the ties. The fabric is a beautiful fireworks-type pattern in gray, pink and white on a black background with a solid pink knit for the ties. Gorgeous Fabrics lives up to its name.

I live in the modern "mom uniform" of tees and capris, but I dream in flowy wrap dresses with great accessories.

My Mom's Chocolate Cheesecake

Along with Buche de Noel and Chocolate-Covered Orange Peels, my mom was famous for her chocolate cheesecake. Since I'm meeting friends for wine and meal prepping tomorrow night, I decided to make one to go with the wine and good conversation we'll have.

It's insanely rich, so I like to serve it with a little creme fraiche and raspberries on the side. I don't do water baths for my cheesecakes, although I'm sure you could with this one. It's also good to make this the day before so it has a long rest in the fridge to get all nice and creamy and cold.


Chocolate Cheese Cake

Crust
1 package chocolate cookies
1/3 cup melted butter
1 tsp. cinamon
Pinch of salt
1-2 Tbs. butter to grease the pan

Filling
12 oz. semi sweet chocolate
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 1/2 lbs. cream cheese
1 1/2 cups cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs, beaten
2 Tbs. cocoa

Make crust: Combine crushed chocolate cookies, salt, cinamon, and melted butter. Grease bottom and sides of springform pan. Press crust ingedients into bottom of pan. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Make filling: Melt butter and chocolate. Cream the cream cheese until smooth. Add the melted chocolate mixture. Add cream and vanilla, while beating. Add sugar. Add eggs gradually. Add cocoa at low speed. Bake for 30 minutes at 350, 30 minutes at 325. Turn off the oven, open door, and leave cake in oven for 30 minutes more.

(It will rise a bit in the oven, like a souffle, then fall as it starts to cool. This is completely normal.)

Enjoy with lots and lots of friends.