70s Summer Dress

A little while ago I did a swap with the lovely Reana Louise and she sent me a gorgeous 1970s dress pattern and some lovely orange fabric.  Well I finally got around to making the dress and I am in love.  It is going to be perfect for this hot summer we are in for on the Gold Coast.


The pattern that I had was a size smaller than I required so I did some dodgy grading to make it fit.  I have never graded a pattern before and since this dress has such basic pattern pieces I decided to just wing it.  Luckily for me it turned out perfectly.


I also made a minor alternation to the waist of the dress.  Instead of doing a tie waist I did a simple elastic waist.  I did this by sewing thin elastic straight onto the dress and stretching it as I sewed it on.  This way I can wear a belt with it.  I also raised the waist slightly from where it was on the original dress.  I am pretty happy with how this dress turned out.  I wore it this past weekend and it was super comfortable.  There may need to be another one added to the wardrobe to get me through summer.  I am thinking a cool tribal print or maybe a nice kelly green colour to wear with a gold belt and flats.

Homemade Ginger Syrup

Last long weekend while we were visiting the Sunshine Coast we stopped in at the Ginger Factory.  I grabbed a massive chunk of ginger while we were there because I had seen this recipe and thought it would be fun to try.  Last night I decided to whip it up and oh my lord is it easy.  You basically chop the ginger, chuck it in a pot with some sugar and water, bring to the boil and leave it for a good hour and a half.  Then go about your day getting other stuff done and when you come back you simply have to strain it and you have a delicious syrup to mix with some soda water.

I am thinking that this will be delicious in summer possibly with a little vodka and a slice of lime. Yum! I think I might grab a bunch of ginger closer to Christmas and make up some syrup to add in with presents.

Homemade Ginger Syrup for Ginger Ale

recipe from Imbibe Magazine via Joy The Baker

makes 2 cups ginger syrup

2 cups coarsely chopped ginger

2 cups granulated sugar

6 cups water

Place chopped ginger in a food processor (or blender in a pinch) and pulverize until well chopped.

Place ginger, sugar, and water in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour to 1 hour and a half, until the liquid has reduced down by more than half. You’re going from 6 cups of liquid to 2 cups. The boiling syrup will become glossy and silky as it cooks down and nears completion.

Remove syrup from the flame and strain twice through a cheese cloth, or fine mesh strainer, into a large bowl. Let syrup cool slightly before pouring into a bottle to store. Cool completely before incorporating into drinks.