A Dress for Hannah

A friend contacted me about making a dress for a young lady she knows.  The young lady wanted a  dress made from a fabric with lavender and green circles or dots.  Hmmm, now this request was quite a challenge.

I was quite surprised when I found these 2 fabrics:

Next came the pattern selection.  She decided on a cute summery dress with a full skirt trimmed with a ruffle, short sleeves and a round neckline with a high yoke.  All of this is accented by a raised waist.



The final product came out really cute.

The dress is made using the fabric with circles and the bottom ruffle is made using the floral fabric.

The waist panel and side ties add definition to an otherwise plain dress.  I love the eyelet on the sleeves.

The ruffle softens the look of the dress and makes it more feminine.
I was very pleased with the finished product and I hope Hannah loves her new dress.

Sunday Phunnies

Quirks About Life ...
that you notice by the time you are fifty

Most people deserve each other.

All the good ones, no matter what it is, are taken.

The one who snores will fall asleep first.

The length of a marriage is inversely proportional to the amount of money spent on the wedding.

If you help a relative in need, he or she will remember you the next time they are in need.

The probability of meeting someone you know increases greatly when you are out with someone you do not want to be seen with.

Toothaches always start on Friday night when the dentist's office will be closed for the weekend.

Summer Fashions for the Grandkids

My youngest grandson and granddaughter had asked me to make them some shorts for the summer.  They actually asked me a few months ago and I completely forgot.  Last week they reminded me that they were still waiting for their shorts.  What an embarrassed Grandmother!!

Needless to say, my first priority this week was to get their shorts finished.  I made 2 pairs for Caleb and 1 pair for Lauren.

The boy's shorts are made like long boxer shorts with an elastic waist.

I made him 2 pairs-one black and one khaki.

Lauren's shorts are capri length with elastic around the calves.

Her shorts also have a flat waistband in the front and elastic in the back.

The package is on the way to South Carolina where these 2 young ones are anxiously waiting for them.  I hope this has redeemed me as a grandmother!!

Pricing Questions

I have been asked by customers, friends and competitors how I determine prices for the items I sell.  Sometimes customers ask for a discount if they buy multiple items and they are often confused by my answer.  With these things in mind I thought I would try to explain my pricing structure. . .

The first item in determining the price is the cost for the fabric.  If I get the fabric on sale, I can pass that savings on to my customers.  However, it is also true that if a customer selects a high price fabric, I must pass that on to them as well.

The other item necessary to determine the item's price is my time.  There are a few items I make that don't require a lot of time and I can offer these at a very low price to my customers.  Examples of these are culottes and long bloomers.  Then there are things that take several days to create like the pioneer outfits.

I try to use my timer to determine the amount of time I actually spend working on an outfit.  I set my timer for 15 minutes and every time it beeps I record what I was working on.  When a project is completed I add up all the 15 minutes to come up with the total amount of time it took to create.   I multiply the number of hours it takes to create an item by $10 to figure the desired labor charge.

I add the cost of fabric plus the desired labor charge to determine the cost of the item.  My goal is $10 per hour but sometimes the market will not bear that and I must take a cut in pay.  Pioneer outfits are a good example of this-it takes about 10 hours to create this outfit plus the cost of fabric $25-35.  These outfit sell for $65.  That makes the amount per hour I make $2.50-$3.50.  Now most people would not want a job that paid that low but I love my job!

Customers requesting a discount for multiple purchases do not understand that I must pay the same for fabric whether they buy 1 or 3 items and it takes me just about the same amount of time to create each additional item.  I do not have much savings on multiple item sales, therefore, I can't pass much on to my customers.

Prices for everything seem to be going through the roof and profits are soaring for oil companies, farmers, grocers and everyone in between.  However, I try very hard not to increase my costs and to pass all savings on to my customers.  Hope this helps to explain how custom made creations are priced at Patti's Originals.

My Business Motto

When we first opened Patti's Originals, 6 years ago, we knew that if it was going to succeed, it would have to be the Lord blessing us.  We also knew that in order to bring honor to our Lord we would have to offer a quality product and excellent service, as well as, pray over it constantly.

Keeping all these things in mind we selected this as our store verse.

1 Cor 10: 31  "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."

We try to live this verse in our business by working closely with customers to carefully create and ship each item.  With each package we send blessings and thanks.

Coram Deo literally means "before the face of God". It carries the notion of our living in the presence of God, under the authority of God and to the honor and glory of God.  This saying captures the heart of our store verse and it describes the way we try to run our business each and every day.

Sunday Phunnies

ONE LINE FUNNIES
"99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name".

"A day without sunshine is like, night."

"Honk if you love Peace and Quiet"

"Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine."

"As long as there are tests, there will be prayer in public schools"

"Sometimes I wake up grumpy; Other times I let her sleep"

"The gene pool could use a little chlorine."

"I didn't fight my way to the top of the food chain to be a vegetarian."

"When there's a will, I want to be in it!"

"Warning: Dates in Calendar are closer than they appear."

"Lottery: A tax on people who are bad at math."

"Very funny, Scotty. Now beam down my clothes."

"Why is 'abbreviation' such a long word?"

"Ever stop to think, and forget to start again?"

Spring Skirt Completed

Earlier this week I wrote about a skirt I was trying to create for spring. The skirt was a six gore with 2 decorative bands on the bottom. I had finished the skirt and was searching for trim to accent the bands.



I visited every fabric store in our area and was about to give up when the idea occurred to me to use ribbon. I brought the skirt with me and went up and down the ribbon aisles. . .

A Spring Skirt

I saw a skirt last week that I really liked. It was a multi-tiered skirt but the tiers were not gathered. Similar to this:

Sunday Phunnies

Amish Miracle

An Amish boy and his father were visiting a mall. They were amazed by almost everything they saw, but especially by two shiny, silver walls that could move apart and then slide back together again.

The boy asked his Father what this was and the father (never having seen. . .an elevator) replied, "Son, I have never seen anything like this in my life, I don't know what it is."

While the boy and his father were watching with amazement, an oversized older lady in a wheel chair rolled up to the moving walls and pressed a button. The walls opened and the lady rolled between them into a small room.

The walls closed and the boy and his father watched the small numbers above the walls light up sequentially. They continued to watch until it reached the last number and then the numbers began to light in the reverse order.

Finally the walls opened up again and an extremely attractive 24 year old woman stepped out. The father, not taking his eyes off the young blonde, said quietly to his son, "Go get your mother."

Chinese Faves

Our family absolutely loves Japanese and Chinese food-even the kids love it.  I thought I would share a couple of our favorite recipes.  They are not authentic Chinese recipes but they sure are good. . .

Sweet and Sour Chicken

2 ½ cups cut up cooked chicken

1 egg, slightly beaten                                      ½ cup sugar

¼ cup cornstarch                                            1 green pepper, cut into 1” squares

2 tablespoons shortening                                 ¼ cup water

1 can (13 ½ oz) pineapple chunks,                 2 tablespoons cornstarch

    drained (reserve syrup)                              1 teaspoon soy sauce

½ cup vinegar                                                   1 can (16 oz) small carrots,

3 cups hot rice                                                      drained

Toss chicken and egg until all pieces are coated.

Sprinkle ¼ cup cornstarch over chicken; toss until all pieces are coated.

Melt shortening in medium skillet.  Add chicken pieces; cook over medium heat until brown.  Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.

Add enough water to reserved pineapple syrup to measure 1 cup.  Stir liquid, vinegar and sugar into skillet.  Heat to boiling, stirring constantly.  Stir in green pepper; heat to boiling.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer 2 minutes.

Blend water and 2 tablespoons cornstarch; stir into skillet.  Cook stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils.  Boil and stir 1 minute.  Stir in pineapple chunks, soy sauce, carrots and chicken; heat through.  Serve over rice.  4 servings
If you like shish-ka-bobs try these:

Hawaiian Chicken

3 whole chicken breasts, cut into 1” cubes

20 oz can pineapple chunks, reserve juice

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup soy sauce

¼ cup butter

green and red pepper chunks

Drain pineapple, reserving juice.  Boil reserved juice, 1 cup brown sugar and soy sauce for 5 minutes.  Stir in butter.  Pour over chicken.  Chill 1 hour.  Remove chicken.  Cook marinade until syrupy.  Skewer chicken, pineapple and pepper chunks.  Brush with syrup.  Broil turning and brushing until chicken is done, about 10-12 minutes.  Serves 4

These are 2 recipes that my family really likes and I hope yours will also!

A Little Repair Job

A friend from church had bought her daughter a skirt online. When the skirt arrived it was too short!! She called to ask if I could add another layer to the skirt. Of course, I was more than willing to try.

This is the original skirt. It is for a 14 year old girl and was about 6 inches too short.

Happy Mother's Day

Mother's Day-a day we honor mothers, originated in the United States in 1907 when Ann Jarvis started a crusade to honor women.  The idea quickly became popular and spread across the country.

Mother's Day is the most popular day to eat in a restaurant (this is why we never go out to eat on Mother's Day-we go a week later).   Mother's Day is also one of the most lucrative holidays celebrated in our country.

As I think about Mother's Day this year I am feeling nostalgic for my mom.  My mom was left a widow with 3 small children in 1960.  There weren't many opportunities open to a single woman in those days but she worked hard as a waitress to keep our family together.  My mom went to be with the Lord in 1989 and I still miss her today.  She would have loved my grandkids!!  but I guess they get spoiled enough by the rest of us.

Mother's Day brings to mind the qualities of a godly mom-she is loving and kind.  She cares for her family.  She is patient and soft-spoken, to deal with the little hearts in her care.  She loves her Lord and shares this love with her family.  Mom is all about love.

Today is Mother's Day and I hope you will let your mom know how much you love her and how much you appreciate all she has done for you.



Children in Church

We have belonged to large churches and very small ones and it seems a common area of concern is the little children. 

When children are not accustomed to sitting quietly. . .they can become a distraction to the pastor as well as the people sitting nearby.

In large churches the answer is a nursery.  All children under the age of 3 are expected to be put in the nursery.  Depending on the size of the church, the children may then be promoted to children's church.  Children's church is designed to teach elementary age children how to sit still and listen, and the hope is when they graduate to the sanctuary they will know how to behave, sit still and listen to the sermon without disrupting the service.  Unfortunately this is seldom the case.

We have never been in favor of churches separating families and sending different age groups off to different classes or activities.  So we have not used the nursery nor children's church.

We believe the church should reinforce parental authority and the family structure.  We do not believe children should be taken from their family and sent to nursery, Sunday School or children's church.  However, if children are to remain with their parents in the service they must understand what is expected of them and they must be disciplined.

We believe it is the parent's responsibility to explain to their children what is expected of them-that they must be quiet and pay attention while the Pastor is speaking.  If a problem develops the parent should remove the child and deal with the situation in private.

We are currently attending a family-oriented church.  Everyone meets together in the same room and families sit together.  We do not have a nursery or Sunday School.  Our service lasts about 2-2 1/2 hours and the children sit still and listen.  If a child gets restless, one of the parents will remove them until they are ready to behave.

It is unfortunate that church's have reached a place where they feel it necessary to separate families and weaken the family unit.  It is also unfortunate that so many parents do not discipline their children but, instead, seem to be proud that their child has an 'attitude' or is a 'free spirit' or any other justification for the parent's lack of discipline.

It is important we realize who God has placed in charge of the family - and it is not the child.  It is time for parents to practice godly discipline and responsibility for their children's development.

Storing Food

I have been reading about the Food Saver for awhile and it came so highly recommended that I did extensive reasearch to make sure it would fit our needs.

Food Savers are not cheap and I did not want to waste the money on something I would not use. I wanted to make sure it did create a vaccuum seal on the bags as well as jars and canisters. After much deliberation and soul searching I decided to take the plunge.

This is the model I selected.



I liked the fact that it was upright instead of flat.

BLUEBERRY WALNUT BREAD

Today I wanted to share the absolute best blueberry recipe I have ever found.  I brought this to church and have been swamped with requests for it.

BLUEBERRY WALNUT BREAD

2 CUPS FRESH OR FROZEN BLUEBERRIES (I USED 2 CUPS)
1 ¾ CUPS WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR
2/3 CUPS HONEY GRANULES
1 ½ TEASPOONS BAKING POWDER
½ TEASPOON SALT
½ TEASPOON BAKING SODA
1 ORANGE
2 TABLESPOONS BUTTER
BOILING WATER
1 BEATEN EGG (I USED FLAX SEED)
1 CUP CHOPPED WALNUTS
¼ CUP WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR


THAW BLUEBERRIES, IF FROZEN; DRAIN. 

IN MIXING BOWL STIR TOGETHER THE 1 ¾ CUPS FLOUR, THE HONEY GRANULES, BAKING POWDER, SALT AND BAKING SODA. 

FINELY SHRED PEEL FROM ORANGE TO MEASURE 2 TEASPOONS. 

SQUEEZE JUICE FROM ORANGE INTO MEASURING CUP.  ADD BUTTER AND ENOUGH BOILING WATER TO MEASURE ¾ CUP LIQUID. 

ADD TO FLOUR MIXTURE IN BOWL; ADD BEATEN EGG AND ORANGE PEEL.  STIR JUST TILL DRY INGREDIENTS ARE MOISTENED.

IN SMALL BOWL TOSS TOGETHER BLUEBERRIES, CHOPPED NUTS AND THE ¼ CUP FLOUR. 

CAREFULLY STIR INTO THE BATTER. 

TURN BATTER INTO GREASED 8X4X2 LOAF PAN.  BAKE IN 350 OVEN FOR 55-60 MINUTES OR TILL WOODEN PICK INSERTED NEAR CENTER COMES OUT CLEAN. 

COOL IN PAN 10 MINUTES.  REMOVE FROM PAN; COOL THOROUGHLY ON WIRE RACK. 


ICING
½ CUP HONEY GRANULES
MILK


ADD JUST ENOUGH MILK TO MAKE A SPREADABLE CONSISTENCY AND MIX WELL. 

I CUT THE BREAD BEFORE ICING SO THE ICING WOULDN’T GET RUBBED OFF BY THE KNIFE WHEN I WAS SLICING IT.


I promise you will love this bread!!  Enjoy!!!