The Girl in the Green Shirt....

Hello All,

I hope your weekend was lots of fun; ours was!  The kiddoes had their first swim lesson at the Y.  They had a great time!  True to form, my bold daughter jumped right into the water.  The boy is more like his mother.  Dips one toe at a time and tries to keep his head above the water.  Both are excited about going again, so swim lessons are a success.

I mixed up some Banana Salsa this past weekend, but could hardly eat any.  I used two of the hottest serrano peppers I've ever come by!  I couldn't take a bite without following it with some hiccups.  I made a few substitutions that I'd like to share.  My kids and I were curious about red bananas, so we bought a few to taste.  (They taste just like yellow bananas to me.)  I had two left and used them in the salsa.  I followed the advice I gave to my Mom and used mint instead of cilantro.  I love cilantro.  I wanted cilantro.  But, the cilantro in the stores looked less than fresh.  The mint smelled wonderful, and I liked it very much.  Lastly, I substituted agave nectar for the brown sugar.  I planned to omit the sugar, but I over-salted the salsa and needed to cut it with some sweetness.  Agave to the rescue!  If any of you made salsa, please leave a comment and share your thoughts, substitutions, etc.

Thank you to my amazing sister-in-law in Seattle!  You are the first to leave a comment for me, and I greatly appreciate your participation!  You are a star!  I love your frugality too.  I also freeze overripe bananas, but unlike you, don't use them often enough.  Thus, my AH (Adorable Husband) complains about the overload of bananas in the freezer.  In Alaska, I could give those bananas to a friend who would turn them into banana bread for us to share.  MMMmmm, banana bread....I really miss her, a lot!

Now onto something new and exciting....I'm posting my first creation!  I will be "the girl in the green shirt", not to be confused with Ms. Becky Bloomwood and her scarf.  (Shopaholic readers, you know the reference.)  Anyway, I found a tutorial for a beautiful ruffled shirt at Tea Rose Home.  (http://tearosehome.blogspot.com/2010/01/tutorialruffle-shirt.html)  I'm inexperienced with sewing, but I really wanted to try it.  Like Sachiko, I found clearanced shirts.  (Though it's March, the green color is a coincidence.)  I bought three shirts: one to wear and two to cut up.  I printed the tutorial and got to cuttin'.  This is the first time I've made ruffles, but as I can sew in a straight line, it was actually easy.  When I started to fit the ruffles around the neck, I realized that I needed to widen it.  I took a few measurements and cut more of a boat neck, matching the original design.  I pinned, stitched, ruffled, and created a new shirt for springtime.  Here it is:



green shirt ~ BEFORE ~ blaahh!

 



green shirt ~ AFTER ~ aaahhh!

 


cascading ruffles




rosettes



neck ruffle


So there you have it....my very own Tea Rose Home ruffle shirt in green.  I realize that the photos are a little fuzzy, and I apologize for that.  I'll try to take better photos in the future.  Now, I want to leave you with a little teaser.  My next project will include these fabrics!  Can you guess the recipient?  Of course, you can; it's my little lassy.  One final tidbit: this creation will include piecing fabrics together.  Any guesses?  Well, start thinking and have a blessed day!