Chocolate Peanut Butter Dots

I have been craving chocolate but have nothing but cocoa powder so I was searching for something simple and fast I could make to satisfy my craving. I came across a recipe that is simply chocolate and peanut butter and it tastes amazing. Click here to go to the original website. I have given this recipe a name and I found that in order to make 30 dots nicely it's better to double the recipe (my doubled recipe was about 32 dots). Below is the doubled recipe.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Dots

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons Butter
• 1 tablespoon baking cocoa powder
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon milk
• 4 tablespoons creamy style peanut butter
• Waxed paper

Step 1: In a sauce pan, over medium heat, melt the butter and then remove from heat.
Step 2: Mix in the cocoa powder until smooth and then mix in the powdered sugar.
Step 3: Add the milk and mix until a smooth consistency.
Step 4: Mix in the peanut butter.
Step 5: Line a baking sheet with wax paper and drop the mixture by the teaspoon on the sheet. Press down on the drop and make a circle about 1 to 1-1/2 inches in diameter.

You're all done! Seriously takes 5 minutes and edible right away. You'll thank me after. Enjoy!

Irons make all the difference in a garment

Sunbeam Iron
Photo from consumerreports.org

Since purchasing my industrial sewing machine I have found that I sew a lot more at home instead of at school. While my sewing machine is amazing and 100x better than my domestic sewing machine (which still has its merits), my garments don't always have the same quality that they do when I'm at school. The main reason for this is that I have a domestic iron (Sunbeam) and a $14 ironing board. Seams don't press as flat because the iron doesn't get as hot, and when pressing up hems it doesn't hold because there is too much moisture since the board doesn't vacuum it out. So in order to remedy the situation I have been researching irons(hoping I can find an affordable solution).

Reliable i700 Professional
Photo from reliablecorporation.com

The irons we use at school are from a brand called Reliable, and the model is (or is similar to) the i700 Professional. This would be my dream iron (this post seems a little sad as I'm talking about 'dream irons'). What you see in the photo is the actual iron press and the water tank/heater. The pressure on this iron is pretty intense, and can steam for up to 8 hours continuously. Unfortunately, unlike the quick domestic irons, this model takes 30-40 minutes to heat up. The other downside to this amazing iron is the price. This sucker sells on the Reliable website for $1299.99. Definitely not in my price range, and very unlikely to find used.

Reliable Velocity

I found another iron on the Reliable website, called Velocity, that is for home use that seems like it would be a great upgrade for my Sunbeam. $99 is still quite a bit more than I spent on my Sunbeam, but it claims to press like a professional iron. It also claims that it has no spitting or leaking (which mine does.... all the time..). And to top it all off, it's a really cute design. Though I don't feel as though it's as close to the industrial that I can get.

Reliable IronMaven

 A step up from this iron seems to be Reliable's IronMaven. This iron can take up to 5 cups of water for steaming, which means a longer time inbetween refills. The iron is separate from the water tank, and the movable tray allows for you to place the iron anywhere while it collects steam. One of the downsides to this iron is the size and portability of it. The next is that it is $299.99 which, while much lower than the i700, is probably out of my price range until I have a permanent studio set up.

Shark Ultimate Professional Iron

Another option is under the Shark brand. I have used my mother's Shark and I have found that it has quite a weight to it, but makes a nice press. This iron is sold at Canadian Tire for $120 and has 5 star reviews. It is called the Shark Ultimate Professional Iron. I'm not sure how great this iron is as the website does not give much in the way of details, but from my experience I would think it might be a decent alternative.

Reliable 624HA

As for ironing boards, the one we use at school has a vacuum suction to suck out the steam and moisture from the garment. This makes for a sharp press and easy fusing. The school board usually also has a sleeve board for pressing. The Reliable 624HA Professional Vacuum Board Pressing Table is very similar to our school model. The sleeve board is also heated which helps to evaporate the moisture. Unfortunately this board sells for $1699, again out of my budget.

The closest home board they had on the Reliable website was still out of my price range. The C81 Vacuum  & Up Air Ironing Board has a similar vacuum and air blowing features and heated board. The cool part about this board is that it folds up like a regular home ironing board. This board sells for $499.

The next closest board I could find was this board off of allbrands.com. I'm not even sure of the name of the board, but it, again, has similar features to the 624HA. This board sells on the website for $399, still really expensive.

Overall, I think finding a similar iron for home use is do-able, but finding an ironing board with vacuum suction in my price range is next to impossible. I feel as though the ironing board is the part that will make all of the difference in pressing my garments. Any additional links or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

New BiKa additions at Project Kids

Today Bianca and I delivered two new styles to Project Kids. With this addition we made new garment tags and hang tags. Our original garment tags were made by a hand carved stamp and silk screen paint. This time I designed a tag using Illustrator and printed them on printable fabric until our new tags come in.

Our new hang tags were printed on hard paper and were double sided with our tag design on one side and the garment details on the back. Before we had been using the tags from the store, but I feel these new ones really reflect our image of the moment.

Back to the clothes now. When we got to the store we were told 3 of our garments had sold (which is awesome!) and so we checked the sizes that sold and I was rather surprised to find that it was sizes 2 and 3. To be honest, I had been expecting the larger sizes to sell first.

So our new garments we brought in today was a pink cotton and bamboo bolero which we are selling for $20 and a 100% cotton jumper that is stain and soil repellant with a cotton lace trim that we are selling for $25.

On the search for mannequins

Photo from
mannequinmode.com

Since Bianca and I have become more confident with our kidswear line we  have been on the search for child mannequins and dressforms (preferably used) and it has brought to light how poorly some of them are designed.

For example, this dressform would probably not be suitable as the stand goes to the middle of the form. How do you put pants on this dressform? As for the price, I think $75 is pretty reasonable considering it is in new condition. Though while searching I have found so many people selling items like this for extremely high prices. Up to $450.

Another problem I've found is the difference in prices. This cool form with poseable arms is also from MannequinMode.com and is also $75. Though while searching, I can't remember the exact website as I didn't save it, marked it as $195. For the exact same form. I feel as though Mannequin Mode is one of my favourite retailers that I`ve found so far. For the form I believe it is something like $30 shipping, which I think is very fair.

Photo from mannequinmode.com

 While I have decent pattern blocks for drafting, I feel that having a good dressform is important for good fit, not to mention should I want to drape a design.

On a side note... I`m still waiting for Staples to deliver my supplies for making tags! Delivery time "anytime between 9am and 5pm". Hope it comes soon!

No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Photo from Cosmopolitan.com

Recently I have been playing around with recipes because I just wanted something chocolatey with oatmeal! And this recipe was really simple and fast and required no baking (SCORE for those who don't want to heat up their kitchen when it's hot outside).

So I saw this recipe on the Cosmopolitan website and thought it would be worth a shot. Here is the link to the original website: http://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/relationship-advice/katie-lee-joel-recipes-3

Ingredients (with my suggestions!)

2 c. sugar
8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter (I used margarine)
1/3 c. cocoa powder
1/2 c. milk
1 t. pure vanilla extract
1/2 c. peanut butter, creamy or crunchy (I used natural peanut butter with no salt)
2 1/2 to 3 c. rolled oats (just use 2 1/2 if you want to do this the same as me!)
***1/4-1/2 c. shredded coconut

Makes 30 cookies

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, butter, cocoa, milk, and vanilla. Bring to a slow boil, and simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the peanut butter. Remove from the heat. Stir in 2 1/2 c. oats. The mixture should be thick. Add the remaining 1/2 c. oats if necessary (or coconut if you prefer).

2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Drop the mixture by the heaping tablespoonful onto the parchment. Allow the cookies to firm up at room temperature, about one hour (mine took more than an hour to firm up).


These are delicious and satisfying! Not for those who want a fluffy cookie. I found mine turned out a bit like macaroons compared to the photo the website showed, but still really good! Give it a try if you've got time!

Photoshoot

I recently received the photos from the photoshoot I did recently of some pieces I created in 2011.

The first one is called Winter Warrior and it was for a wool coat project. I features 100% wool with a Kasha lining, asymmetrical front, raw edges and a seamless neck at the back hood.

Next is a leather jacket I made for a contest we had to do in school. It is steampunk inspired and features two different colours of leather-black and a mottled brown. The flaps on the arms are fake pockets though the pockets on the front are real (I didn't really want pockets on the front but it was a requirement). I used Kasha lining inside for extra warmth as some of you may know that leather jackets are not always the warmest!

And the final look I had photographed was the siren inspired eveningwear dress I made. This dress has a leather, lace up bodice, a rouched and gathered rayon skirt on top of a knife pleated tafetta under skirt. This dress was VERY heavy!

I hope you guys liked my garments!

Credits (last names are excluded for privacy):
Model: Jenna
Photographer: Alex
MUA: Natasha

And finally all garments were designed, drafted, draped, cut and sewn by me.

Let me introduce myself

Hi all,

This is my first post to this blog and I will probably upload a few posts to show a few of my passions in life. To start off I would like to introduce myself!

My name is Kathleen and I just finished my third year of Fashion Design at Ryerson University. I love to draft and sew any type of clothing and have recently started a childrenswear line with a friend that is currently for sale in Toronto, ON. I also love to do lots of DIY projects as well as bake so I hope to be able to share some of my creations with you all.

Thanks and happy reading!

Closet Child