A year in the making, day 292

A few pictures accumulated in the camera, but I neglected to download them yesterday.

To start off, a picture of Sunday's dinner, the savory bread pudding:



It was quite tasty, let me tell you.

And more tastiness was made yesterday, a new batch of jam, with strawberries, cherries, and peaches:



Yesterday, I also cut out the pieces for a new dress for myself. Ever since I received this necklace, I've been thinking I needed a spectacular dress with which to showcase it. I had some black on black fabric already, and when I went in search of a contrasting fabric for it, I found this wonderful white taffeta with a black velvet pattern:



The dress I'm making with it is McCall's M6097. For some reason, they have this labeled as a "Victorian" pattern.

...

*blinkblink*

...


Ooooooookay. I guess maybe because the back has a bustle? Even though the naming boggles the brain, it's still a lovely dress, and it's not the pattern's fault someone labeled it so ridiculously.

All the fabric got cut out yesterday, and I got the bodice together today. It's being modeled by Phyllis, my new dress form:





Tomorrow I'll tackle the skirt. Tomorrow afternoon, that is. Late tomorrow afternoon, most likely. I have a lunch date with a friend and a strawberry margarita.

A Year in the Making, day 290

Technically day 289, since I finished this last night, but don't want to mess up my numbering system. I'd previously taken a pink parasol and embellished it with black trim and lace. That one sold last month, and I miss it. But instead of doing another pink and black one, I decided I'd try my hand at doing a black one with pink embellishments!

Black and Pink Gothic EGL Lolita Parasol



This is the first parasol I've made that I could actually reproduce, as the materials are all very straightforward.

Also last night, I prepped today's dinner, a savory bread pudding, the husband's request for father's day dinner. He'd bought a loaf of good french bread for sandwiches last week, but my food poisoning completely threw meal planning out the window, so the loaf had gotten rather crunchy. No problem, though, that made it just perfect for baking.

Savory bread pudding:

1 loaf french bread, cut into ~1" medallions
8 eggs
3 cups milk (or 1 cup cream or half and half plus 2 cups milk)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup chopped ham (optional)

Beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper together. Pour over bread in mixing bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight, turning at least once.

In the morning, mix in cheese and ham, reserving about 1/8 cup cheese. Preheat oven to 400.

Butter an 8x8 casserole dish. Press bread mixture into dish and cover with foil.

Bake for 30 minutes, uncover and sprinkle with reserved cheese. Cook an additional ~10 minutes, till cheese bubbles and starts to brown. Let cool for 10 minutes. Slice into 2" squares and serve.