New Year, New Fabric, New Pattern, New Coffee!

Some of you may wonder why I keep buying vintage patterns for men's shirts, pants, and jackets when I could simply tweak the ones I already own.

The reason is that I love the artwork, the instructions, and the small period-specific differences -- they really excite me. Vintage men's patterns are generally cheap and plentiful. I get a lot of bang for my buck.

New for 2015 via eBay is Vogue 9445 (above), a men's "regulation" sport jacket pattern from 1958. What does this "regulation" thing refer to -- Do you know?

The pattern makes both a two-button and three-button lined jacket with pocket variations. Here's a peek at the instructions, which recall a vintage comic book.

Lacking in my wardrobe is a wool suit. Am I ready to take the plunge this winter? We'll see.

Not (necessarily) related to this project is this Theory-brand cotton twill I picked up last week. It's super-soft and slightly flecked. I have 5 yards: let the self-draping begin!

Now let's talk coffee.

Until recently, I had a strange method for making coffee. I'd use an aluminum "moka" Italian espresso maker and dilute the espresso with boiling water and milk so it was more like American coffee. But the result was a bitter brew that left me feeling overcaffeinated. Since about a month ago, I have a new method: I purchased one of those ceramic single-cup cones that fit directly over your coffee mug and I use paper filters, which I first dampen with boiling water to keep the filter adhered to the cone. I use only enough grounds (coarser than those I put in the Italian Moka; I grind my beans myself) for a single-serving. Slowly, I pour water over the grounds, which releases the beans' "bloom" (or so I've read) and allows the water to pour through as much of the grounds as possible (if you add the water all at once, the grounds get distributed along the sides of the cone and the water doesn't pass through them).

The result of all this is a cup of coffee that's more flavorful, less bitter, and in exactly the amount I want, with nothing left over to tempt me later on.

I've tried many methods over the years; everybody I know does something different. Michael's dad is sold on the Keurig, my Mom uses a Melitta drip, and my brother swears by gold-plated filters and a burr grinder (I use a single blade grinder). Different strokes....

Any tried-and-true coffee-making method you care to recommend?

Have a great day, everybody!