Recipe Box App

Hello everyone!

As some of you may know, my boyfriend and I have been working on the smart phone app, "Recipe Box" for the last 6 months. I am proud to say that we are finally ready to release on the android market! (sorry iPhone users-maybe in the near future) It will be available on the android market starting July 1st.

I am super excited about the release because any recipes I have posted in the past 4 or so months have used this app for ease of creation! 

So here's the basic rundown of the app. You can enter favorite or standard recipes on your phone for easy retrieval while in the kitchen. When you open the app, you can pick which recipe you want from a list, enter it in to the search menu, or search by category.

Once you pick the recipe, you can view a brief description, which category(ies) it is in, and how long it takes to prep and cook. 

Then you can switch views to see the ingredients or the instructions for cooking! This makes it easy to read and refer to while you cook.

This was a lovely app to work on together, since one of our favorite activities to do together is to cook! Recipe Box can help you too in the kitchen and on the go. Its especially nice because it all fits into something you carry with you everywhere rather than stuck at home in a cupboard or lost on an index card somewhere. The clean cut font also makes you never have to guess if your handwriting says tsp or tbs.

The Categories option helps you organize by categories you pick, like main dish, dessert, beef, etc. and since you can add multiple categories to one recipe, you can find a recipe like meatloaf both under beef and main dishes, depending on what you are searching under.

Ok sorry, enough with the self-marketing, I'm just super excited about the launch, and I hope you check it out and love it too! 

look for this logo!

And please, please pretty please tell us what you think, even if its not all flattering! We are hoping to develop it further and suggestions or complaints are very welcome! Rate it on the android market or you can comment here on this blog :) Thanks!

Ruffle Skirt Step 6: The Hemline

Now its time for the final step in the ruffle skirt! 

Put the skirt on and find the length you want the final product to be. Fold all extra fabric under and mark with a pin.

Take the skirt off and make sure the pin is only going through the top layer of fabric. Measure the excess length and proceed to place pins along the entire bottom of the skirt. 

At this point, iron the line you have pinned and then put the skirt back on. Look to see if the skirt looks shorter or longer at any point and adjust your pins so that the skirt lays evenly. 

If adjustments were made, iron the skirt again. (Remember, we are only working on the top layer of the skirt. The lining will be hemmed after the top part is complete.) 

Next, if the folded under length of the skirt is any longer than 2 inches, cut off the remaining part. For example, if the length is 3 inches, that would mean cutting a 1 inch strip off the raw edge of the fabric. Measure 2 inches from the fold rather than 1 inch from the edge to ensure that the hem will have 2 inches excess.

Next, fold 1/2 inch under on the raw edge of the fabric and secure with pins. Iron flat. 

For a visible hemline, top stitch around the skirt bottom at the fold. (For and invisible hemline, I will post a tutorial on how to do this with a sewing machine.)

Now you can look at the lining. Lay the skirt flat, and cut the lining 1/2 inch longer than the finished edge of the top layer. 

Then fold up 1/2 inch, toward the top layer. 

Fold 1/2 inch again and secure with pins. Iron. 

Stitch. It should look like this. 

Now the skirt is complete! 

Thank you so much for bearing with me through my first tutorial! If  you liked it, let me know, and I can try to make more. Also, I could make tutorials on different sewing techniques like hemlines, tips for lining up plaids, etc. Let me know if you are interested. Thanks!

Ruffle Skirt Step 5: The Zipper and Hook

For this step, we will start by laying the zipper next to the edge of the skirt. Make sure there is a small amount of space above the zipper (for the hook, about 1/4 - 1/2 inch will do), and mark on the fabric where the zipper ends. 

Pin the outsides of the fabric from both ends of the skirt (not the liner) together right sides facing each other and sew a straight seam.

Iron flat. 

Repeat these steps with the liner fabric. When done, it should look something like this:

Line the edges up of the liner and the main fabric on the remaining opening, and sew a zig-zag stitch to stop ends from raveling.

Snip into the fabric at the base so the ends can face out. This cut should be made from the edge of the fabric up to, but not past the seam line (see picture). 

Next, fold these edges to the inside, and pin the zipper onto the skirt. 

Finally, carefully sew around the edge of the zipper, being sure to sew slowly and carefully over the base of the zipper so the thread and/or needle doesn't break. 

The last step is to hand stitch the hook and eye onto the top of the skirt. Make the hook face the inside of the body for a more secure hold (see picture).

Here is what the skirt should look like after the hook and eye are secure. 

Go back to the beginning
Go back to making the ruffle
Continue to the final step!