Some months ago I was supposed to teach a beginner’s refashion sewing class…so I turned to the beautiful top and tutorial by Kristen Makes It was one of the first projects I made back in 2010 and just a few weeks before starting this blog. So I immediately made a new version of this project to refresh my memory. Then nobody signed up for the course, the charity that asked me to teach eventually went out of business due to lack of funding…so I never took pictures until last week.
See I am smiling again! Thanks for all your kind comments!
The top uses the same ruffle as the famous Coffee date dress pattern by The Selfish Seamstress. Background Info: Elaine has been one of the most influential and funniest sewing bloggers of my sewing blogger generation (e.g. those who started around 2010 – Can we talk about sewing bloggers in terms of generations? I quite like this idea that I just made up!). Elaine doesn’t blog much anymore unfortunately but you can still read her blog and use her free patterns
So if you can get your hands on a men’s shirt…this is really a nice and fairly quick project (just so you know…I can never whip up anything in an hour or less…no matter how fast the project is meant to be)
All you ever wanted to know about my vegetable garden…and never dared to ask!
Though this is not sewing-related by any stretch of the imagination…I wanted to share with you a picture of a zucchini flower currently growing in our garden…Actually in Italy and especially in Rome you can buy beautiful flower-bedecked zucchini romane (you can see a Roman farmer’s market in its full glory on Elizabeth Minchilli’s blog)
…and since I am going slightly off topic anyway today…
Here are some facts for you 🙂
1. Did you know that the smaller the zucchini the better they taste? Compare this zucchini picture to those humongous zucchini you find in supermarkets these days in many countries…
2. Last year I found out zucchini can get out of hand very easily… This is what happened last year when we decided to wait a day too long…ooops look at the glass for size comparison
3. Home-grown zucchini really taste different…even if were I live is not super hot…If you have a small garden give them a try
4. My green thumb is non-existent…though I love growing vegetables and eating them (not exactly in that order…) I quite easily forget about my poor plants… Having said that you just need to water them once a day and they grow…not much care is needed.
5. You can cook and eat those zucchini flowers and they are delicious… a typical Roman recipe is battered zucchini flowers filled with mozzarella and anchovies that you find in pizzerias as entree. The dish is called in Italian Fiori di zucca ripieni (stuffed zucchini flowers)…in case you are in Rome and you want to give them a try. The article I liked to is very interesting too.
6. You can learn how to make them with this video recipe. Apparently people make them with shrimps too…I never tried it myself…certainly it’s not the original recipe. I actually love the anchovies version.
7. In Rome you can also find pizza with zucchini flowers where they are just placed on top…not fried nor stuffed.
8. I love love zucchini…if that wasn’t clear already 🙂
Please tell me if you prefer me to focus on sewing only. I really care about your opinion. In any case know that I am not planning to do this on a regular basis. Unless of course there’s something that you really want to read about. Then feel free to ask.
Though we still have one day to go…I wish you a great weekend…full of sewing and your favorite veggies!
Sewing Princess 
Cute re-do! Blog what you love. If you love zucchini, by all means, blog it!
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I agree, blog what you love! And I also enjoyed reading about how zucchini flowers are prepared in Italy! I live in the USA and I had no idea that these flowers were edible.
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Silvia a mi me parece bien que hables de otras cosas en tu blog, ademas me encantan los calabacines, porque son calabacines no?????
Me encanta la comida italiana asi que cuando te apetezca enseñarnos alguna receta avisame, ja, ja, ja!!!!!
Por cierto la camisa me ha encantado!
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Silvia, I like the refashioning of the shirt (and I recognized the Coffee Date Dress ruffle!). Even though I haven’t been sewing or blogging, I used to read the Selfish Seamstress and agree that she is brilliant. Too bad that she does not have the time to blog much anymore. As for the cooking, I am a new reader, so I don’t get a vote, but I liked reading about the zucchini. My boyfriend/partner is Italian and he is a real foodie, so I hear about how to cook new things all the time. He is always telling me zucchini flowers, and I’ve eaten them once or twice in a frittata in Italy, but never prepared as you describe. They are not easy to get where I live in Canada (unless one grows them, of course!), although they may be available at the farmer’s market. In any case, they are not something we eat here generally but I know I would love the stuffed ones! Mmm…
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Oops.. “about zucchini flowers”
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La camisa convertida en top me gusta muchísimo, le has dado un aire muy romántico a algo que en principio parece serio.
A mi me gusta el calabacín en todas sus versiones, cada semana los compramos, junto a otras verduras y me han sacado de apuros en más de una ocasión aunque nunca he cocinado su flor. Soy de la opinión de que la costura y la cocina son creación y ¿Por qué no pueden ir unidas?
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Your top is so cute! Interesting about zucchini flowers — I’ve never tasted them but have seen them at the store. Looks like I need to try them! I think you should write about whatever you want — always fun to read!
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The shirt makeover is sooooo cute. I’m bookmarking this for future reference.
It’s funny you mention the zucchini flowers being edible. They are growing some at The Boy’s nursery and I was telling him how you can eat them too. He was somewhat incredulous! But then he is only 4!
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I really like your new top, the ruffle and button back look so lovely!
I’m a big fan of zucchini, too. They used to grow on the compost heap at my parents’ old house. I love them best in a pasta sauce with lemon zest, lemon juice and schmandt/creme fraiche. Oh, and in antipasti di verdure. So yummy! 🙂
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Wow! This is a wonderful piece to have in a wardrobe!! Great job!! I love your smile and pasta and zucchini is one of my favourite 🙂
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Oh the horror!!! writing about non-sewing things on your own blog!?!?!
🙂 Just kidding! I don’t mind at all. I like it when I get to see what other things people like besides sewing. Especially when the writers are living in different parts of the country or world.
I totally agree about the zuchini regarding smaller and home grown being better. I love it in a tomato pasta sauce, and deep fried with ….the Greek(?) cucumber-yogurt sauce that I’ve temporarily forgotten the name of. I’ll have to try it with lemon and creme fraiche added to the pasta sauce. I’ve never done the blossoms though. Stuffed with anchovy and cheese?
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