Another Skirt & A Chili Recipe

I got up early – like usual 6:30am –and did all my online stuff. Then I just got the itch to make that second skirt I’d talked about in my post yesterday. This took me just as long as yesterday but I think I did somewhat better. I put the ‘panels’ in the front and back, not the sides.

Here’s the finished skirt –I love it!:

The back:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Front:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the side (only one photo lol):

I like that this one doesn’t make as much noise as my other. That’s simply owing to the different materials, nothing I did. I also like that this one isn’t quite as long as the other is. The only thing I do not like, is that there are no front pockets.

There is a line of stitching in the back that I have yet to remove. I ran out of the color I was using. Oops.

Of course I’ll need to wash it to get the fold wrinkles out still. For the bottom, I didn’t really hem it; I did a simple stitch all around the bottom, twice, then zig-zagged the denim. The navy cotton part was already stitched but I had to cut it because it was longer than the rest. I don’t mind if it frays a bit but not a lot.

I also zig-zagged any exposed edge cloth on the inside; I want this thing to last!

I’m a bit sad I don’t have any other pants to make skirts out of! I think I’ll bug Lee to see if she wants me to chop up any of her pants

Oh, and for the chili recipe part. I am going to be starting some beans for chili for tomorrow today. I didn’t buy any at the store since I still have dried ones in the cupboard. Figured I’d save some money at the store and make them at home. Here’s my super simple recipe (thanks to my wonderful mother-in-law; she gave this to me 15 years ago- I’ve only made it 3 times lol):

Oregon Chili (I can only assume that this is titled “Oregon” because she lived in that state when she made the recipe)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground turkey (I will use chicken this time)
• 1 large can chopped tomatoes
• 2 pints tomato sauce
• 1 large can red beans, drained (this is where my dried beans will come in handy!)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 tsp sage (boohoo, don’t have any! I’ll use oregano but it’s just not the same)
• 1 TBSP chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin seed
• 1/4 tsp red pepper (I use flakes)
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 small can green chilies, chopped (I don’t have this either but do have a small can of mixed tomatoes and chilies- hope it works- usually I have chilies)

Pretty much this is what I do:

Brown meat with onions. Add in spices. Cook for a bit (not long) to incorporate the flavors into the meat. In a large pot mix all ingredients and let simmer for hours. It’s better the longer it can absorb the flavors. But in a pinch, it can be eaten after it’s warmed up.

I also add salt because otherwise it tastes a bit bland despite the ‘heat’. I don’t mind bland but not if it’s just to be exchanged for spicy! I need that salt to …counter?

I might make some biscuits to go with the chili. Yum. Now I’m hungry and wishing it were done already!

Sewed a Skirt Using 2 Pair of Pants- sorry not a tutorial

I spent some time on Pinterest this morning (before I had planned to take a walk- bad idea) and found quite a few tutorials on how to make a skirt from pants. I have a few pair of pants that are too small, worn out or I simply do not like. But I’ve not gotten rid of them. I’ve been accused of being a pack-rat before.
Btw, that walk…it never happened.
I found two pair of pants- one that I wear when I don’t wish to put on ‘real pants’ that are extremely baggy because they’ve lost their elasticity. I think they have stretch in them. I have another pair of them, same size, different color and they kept their shape (wore those out- still have those, too, lol). I really like the material though of these pants so I’ve never gotten rid of them but rarely wear them. They make me look fat lol.
The other pair were a pair of velour (?) poop brown (lol!) that shrunk after washing –of course. They also have stretch in them and although thicker than the first pair I mentioned above, just a bit. I figured the cream color of the first and the brown (poop or otherwise) of the second would be complimentary.
And just so I’m clear –I don’t sew (well). I love the idea, but I’m not one to follow instructions well. Unfortunately. After just cutting, pinning, sewing and more of the same, here is what I made.

It’s got issues but it’s now my lounge skirt instead of pants I’m happy with it.
Now I’ve got 3 more pair of pants I want to cut up One is a dark blue heavy cotton that I want to pair with a light blue lightweight denim. I think the contrast, like the one above, will be nice. Oh, and here’s where I found my inspiration for this:
http://pinterest.com/pin/137359857356639130/ (or here if you don’t Pinterest)
http://pinterest.com/pin/137359857356639164/ (or here if you don’t Pinterest)
http://pinterest.com/pin/137359857356639155/ (or here…)
There’s lots of other sites with tutorials of course. Just google it.
And that is what I did today. I feel accomplished. Really I read on one of those posts (or a post somewhere) above that it was a quick 30 minutes –it took me hours.