Veggies and Ranch, and a Garment Sewing Workshop

Mid-September is here. Signs of Fall are everywhere. College football games are on. Trader Joe's is awash in pumpkin butter. School is well under way- I've been attending curriculum nights and (only once!) attempted to help my eighth grader study for an algebra test. "A tank starts with 50 gallons of water. At the same time, it is being drained at 3 gallons per minute and also being filled at 2 gallons per minute" and so on- yikes.

The kids have, of course, been bringing home every respiratory illnesses known to man, and some known only to veterinary science. I caught something that has me battling a sore throat and cough for weeks, and counting. Not ill enough to take sick days, but ill enough to disrupt sleep and make me quite tired. 

Consequently, meals have been hearty, basic fare- pesto sandwiches, dal and rice, breakfast burritos. 

My son, who is not a fan of vegetables, goes through phases where he loves certain foods and eats a lot of them. Currently, this is cucumbers and bell peppers dipped in ranch dressing, and so we are riding this train for as long as possible. I've been making ranch dressing and stashing it in the fridge. The recipe is of the semi-homemade variety, where I use packaged ranch seasoning for that oh-so-special ultra-processed taste, and then additional fresh ingredients.

The recipe is something I came across on a Reddit cooking forum, where someone shared this recipe (method, really) for ranch dressing from their friend who owns a restaurant. Also, recently, I tasted my friend's ranch dressing which is just buttermilk, dill, and garlic. So the recipe below is a mashup of these inspirations. It is so good you could eat it with a spoon. 

Last week, parent volunteers were asked to bring in food for a teacher potluck lunch at my son's school. I took in a tray of freshly-cut veggies and a big jar of ranch dressing. 

• For easy ranch dressing, mix equal parts
• 
  Mayo
• Sour cream
• Yogurt (I use homemade plain yogurt)
• Stir in minced dill and a bit of grated garlic.
• Stir in ranch seasoning (from a packet) until it tastes good- not too salty. 
• Add a bit of milk to make the dressing slightly thinner than you want it to be- it thickens as it sits in the fridge. 
• Refrigerate for a few hours to bring the flavors together. 

* * *

A couple of posts ago, I mentioned how watching The Great British Sewing Bee sparked my interest in garment sewing. I've owned a perfectly good sewing machine for years but never used it much- it always felt overwhelming to know where to start. There is an absolute deluge of information out there. 

Whenever I dive into a new subject- in recent years, that has been strength training, R programming, and now garment sewing- I find myself wishing for a kind of “curriculum.” Something that tells me: What is this all about? What are the fundamentals? What’s the minimum I need to know to get started with some confidence? A structured course usually helps me build that foundation, and I can fill in the gaps later with blogs, videos, and other resources.

I looked around last month, reading articles like this one that compare sewing courses, and found an online course that sounded promising and affordable- Learn How to Sew Clothing by the Closet Core Pattern company. (I am loving the newer indie pattern companies with their fresh and simple designs.)

Just around that time, I had been feeling unwell, decided that some rest would do me good, and took a whole week off from my exercise routine. And that is how, on a Monday morning just over two weeks ago, I had 90 free minutes before work. I impulsively purchased the course and started watching the videos right away. 

It has been exactly what I needed. What the course offers is a series of nine videos to learn the basics of garment sewing. There was some content here that I already knew, but plenty that I did not. I particularly liked learning about clean, beautiful seam finishes, the primer on understanding sewing patterns, and how to cut out fabric while direction of fabric stretch into account. Big aha moments all around.

You also get 3 patterns in the course for a top, a skirt and a pair of pants, along with helpful tips and videos to get started on the garment sewing journey. You just jump in at the deep end and learn as you go along. 

Most of my modest fabric stash is cotton quilting fabric, which is not usually appropriate for garment sewing. I looked through my stash and found only a couple of pieces of apparel-appropriate fabric that had enough yardage to make clothing. I used some of my precious block printed cotton fabric to make a cielo top, my first proper garment. In making this little boxy top, I learned how to sew darts, make a faced neckline, set in sleeves, and finish seams using the overcasting foot. 

Next up, I used some African batik (bought on a work trip to Kenya years ago) to make a fiore wrap skirt. This was another great learning experience as I learned to make a waistband and sew buttonholes (there's a magical foot on my machine that makes buttonholes automatically- I had no idea). What I truly love about this course is the attention to proper finishes and the detailed instructions in the patterns. 

I still had to constantly pause and look up things online and watch many videos as I made these two projects. Thanks to all the beautiful sewists out there who share their knowledge and skills freely in videos and blogs and forums! It is amazing how much I have learned in just two weeks. 

The fun thing about sewing garments is that you make them in a few hours as opposed to knitting sweaters, which typically take weeks or months. There is definitely an element of instant gratification here. Instant may not be the right word, but these are gratifying weekend projects.

Obtaining fabric is going to be a challenge, as JoAnn's, the chain fabric store in town, is now shuttered. I'll have to drive out to a fabric store 30 minutes away. I've also been searching thrift stores for cotton sheets for trying out patterns, but no luck so far. 

Looking ahead, I have a formal event to attend in November and a wild idea: to sew my own dress. I’ve set my sights on the Elodie wrap dress, which is labeled a “confident beginner” pattern. It feels like something I might just be able to pull off. I’ll try it first in a cheaper fabric as a test run- and then, who knows?

Wish me luck!