There is something about the fabric creating the mood for a collection that has always fascinated me. Coco Chanel changed the fabric in her famous tweed jacket over 75 times, proving that all it takes to completely transform the look and feel of the same basic pattern is a fresh print or a slight alteration. As a small designer, this strategy can greatly help with the cost of overhead! I’m not sure if this is a topic designers typically talk about… but let’s get real.  Not everything is based on creative magic. Sometimes it comes down to being cost-effective and using what you have in your studio; refreshing patterns with a slight tweak or reusing the same pattern in a new fabric can create a completely different look. Maybe that’s its own kind of studio magic… a poor designer’s guide to fashion design!
 
Let’s start with my first love (and a small confession)...I am a fabric junkie. Seriously, I hoard it.  I just can’t help myself – fabric feeds my heart!  When I see a fun and flirty floral or a vibrant bold print, I just have to have it! Never mind the fact that I have no immediate use for it, or that I have three similar prints sitting at the studio in a crate. They are not like THIS one. This is “the one” and I neeeeed it!! Yes I know I sound like a crazy person when I get going about fabric… You just never know when THAT floral print will be perfect for a creation!
 
When starting a collection I always begin with the fabric before doing any sketching. This is because the fabric has a way of telling me what it wants to be (there I go again). When you’re refreshing some looks from seasons past, changing the fabric is a very fast and effective way to make a whole “new” aesthetic! The fabric sets the tone and feel for a collection. For example, in one season you do a long cardigan in black lace, giving a gothic but romantic vibe. The next year you can use the same pattern to remake the cardigan using that floral silk print you had to have, and BAM a whole new look that is light and playful. It's easy to completely change the tone by swapping out the fabric!
 
Now if you're going for a completely new design, why not start with one of your favorite patterns? You already know it fits great and moves well, so why not add on to this strong base and create something "new". By manipulating patterns, you are not only able to cut some of the overhead, but also easily refresh your design. Add sleeves to a top, make a dress longer/shorter, change the waist line and BAM you have created a completely new garment! No one will even guess that you started with an amazing design you did three years ago and just began adding on. I call this working smarter, not harder.
 
Well there you have it, I have broken the rules again with this post, and let you in on an insider secret. Never be ashamed of refreshing patterns or remaking the same design with a new fabric (everyone does it!). Heck, that’s just smart business! Build up a great set of pattern blocks and tweak away, because this design technique will save you time and money! And hey… if it was good enough for Coco its good enough for me!
 
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With spring comes sunshine, fashion week, and spring potlucks! As a proper southern gal I always bring my A-game when making a dish for a potluck or a family event. If you grew up in the south you know there is always an unspoken competition for who can dish it up the best!

Pro tip #1 - Do NOT cut on the calories. Yes, I know bikini weather is around the corner, but this is an event dish… It’s a big deal!  The trick to being the best cook at the potluck and still making it into that bikini in a few weeks is to leave your yummy dish for OTHER people to eat and go home to stuff your pretty face with baked salmon and broccoli (insert evil laugh here).

 Pro tip #2 - Have cute serving dishes and totes that can transport your food. Nothing is worse than spending time in the kitchen to make a culinary masterpiece and showing up after a car ride with a big pile of goo…. Let’s not lie, you would still eat it, (probably with a spoon straight from the dish if you were by yourself at home) but this is not the picture you’re trying to recreate for your guests.

Pro tip #3 - “With April showers comes spring flowers.” The weather is something to keep in mind! I don’t care what people say, never make a cake on a rainy day! I attempted this once and while the cake looked fine in the oven, when I took the lil guy out it gave up… no I mean it died. Really it collapsed into itself and then magically turned into cake pops (funny how that worked out). So bakers beware! Only bake in good weather.
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Pro tip#4 - Talk with family and friends and swap recipes! You’re only as good as your friends and family’s recipes! We all tweak things to fit our taste, but your family and friends are definitely the place to start if you’re looking for the best!
 
This is a recipe that was given to me by a family friend. It’s super easy to make and to transport, and my husband just ate half of it with a spoon... I might have eaten the other half ;)  Yeah… it’s that good!!!
 
Fabulously spring-y Banana Ice box cake
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Whatcha need:
3 Bananas
1 cup flour
½ cup chopped pecans
½ cup margarine
1-10oz Carton whipped topping
1-8oz Pkg. Cream Cheese
2sm. Pkgs Cheese cake instant pudding
3 Cups Milk
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
3 Bananas
 
First make your crust:
Pre heat oven to 375 degrees
Mix flower, chopped pecans and margarine. Pat into a 9 x 13 pan. Bake for 20 min and let completely cool
Now it’s time to mix up your layers while the crust is cooling
Layer 1:
Mix on low speed 1 cup whipped topping, 1 cup powdered sugar, and cream cheese. Spread on cooled crust
Layer 2:
Sliced bananas
Layer 3:
Make the 2 packages of cheese cake instant pudding and place in fridge to set
Layer 4:
Rest of the whipped topping
Now when the crust is cooled and your pudding is set its time to start laying your cake! The hard part is to actually make a cake at this point and not just eat everything with a spoon!
Once you have your layers, place cake in refrigerator for four hours… and then ENJOY! This is a great cake to make the day before your event, it even freezes well. And if you want to be fancy like me add shaved chocolate on top and flower pedals – can you think of anything that looks more fabulously spring-y!
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For 2016 I have decided to go a new direction - I want to give you a close up look at my design process and my life. This is more of a warning than anything! So there you have it, you have been officially warned.  Welcome to the megMORGAN blog: the mad ravings of a HUNGRY (wine induced) Fashion Designer.  You might get to hear about design process insights… or just about what I crave when I’m designing, who knows!  I sure as hell don’t.
 
With that I would like to jump into my first post: How to drape fabric correctly to a bodice... Nope, not today... Fashion Sketching, not yet. No let’s start with something very close to this southern girl’s heart, and my love handles.
 
Mexican Style Mac and Cheese served with Sangria
 
Pre heat the Oven to 350 degrees
Butter a 9 x 13 in baking pan
 
Produce:
Cilantro 1/4 cup
Garlic 3 Cloves Chopped
3 Jalapeno thinly sliced for extra spice
1 Whole Onion thinly sliced
 
Condiments:
1 can (10 oz) of diced tomatoes with peppers
Olive Oil for drizzling
Tabasco 1 tsp (or 2 if you can take the heat!)
 
Meat:
Thick cut Bacon (Cook until almost crunchy and chop to bite size lil bits of heaven)
2 eggs Beaten
 
Pasta & Grains:
12 oz Macaroni (1 bag)
 
Baking & Spices:
Salt 2 tsp
All-Purpose Flour 1/4 cup
 
Dry Seasoning:
Chile Powder 4 tsp
Ground Paprika 2 tsp
Cumin   ½ tsp
 
Dairy:
Butter, Unsalted 4 tbs
Cotija Cheese 2 cups (1 to sprinkle before bacon and 1 with the cheese sauce)
Queso Fresco 5 oz
Monterey Jack Cheese 2 cups
Whole Milk 2 cups
Half and Half 1/2 cup (that’s a lot of halves!)
 
 
Step 1: Prep
 
Pour yourself a glass of sangria (go ahead! we all know food cooks better when the cook is happy)
 
Cook the noodles and set aside
 
Cook bacon and set aside
 
Beat 2 eggs in a small bowl and set aside
 
Using the bacon pan (wipe out the extra grease) sauté the onions, jalapeno, garlic, cilantro and plop in the can of diced tomatoes. Once done set aside. We will call this concoction our Veggie mix… or to keep with the Mexican theme… Our colorful Veggie Fiesta!
 
Step 2: Make the cheese sauce:
 
Melt 4 tbs of butter in a large pan on medium low heat and slowly mix in the flour.  (Wisk it… wisk it real good… cue the Salt-n-Pepa)
Now pour in the milk and wisk some more (it helps if you sing... Or just wisk until it’s thick and bubbly, your call).
 
Add salt and pepper (the spices this time) and a few dashes of tabasco
 
Take about 1/4 of the hot cream sauce and mix into the eggs (this will keep them from turning to scrambled when you add them to the pot heating on the stove)
 
Add the egg/hot cream sauce mix back to the big pan
 
And now you can get cheesy with it mmmmmmmmmm
Add all the Queso Fresco, Monterey Jack Cheese, and half the Cotija Cheese
 
 Mix in the noodles and its one cheese lil side dish; now all you need is the spice
 
Add the spices (side note, I don’t measure… Yes I’m one of those cooks. So make sure to taste test and add more if needed!)
Chile Powder
Ground Paprika
Cumin  
Tabasco
 
This is a good time to try your pasta, if you like the heat add more Tabasco. (This is when I have to tell myself NOT to make a big bowl and curl up on the couch… the finished product is worth it! Trust me, work through the temptation!)
 
 
Step 3: Get your layering on
 
Give your baking dish a good wipe down with good old olive oil just to make sure nothing sticks
 
Now let’s get layering!
 
Veggie Fiesta
Half the Macaroni
Bacon
Cotija cheese
 
Repeat all the layers ending with a layer of bacon and Cotija
 
Step 4: Get cookin’ sister
 
Bake the macaroni for 30 min or until it’s nice and bubbly on the sides
 
Step 5: nom nom nom
 
Let it cool for… oh who are we kidding dig in!
 
Plate and sprinkle cilantro to top for garnish
 
Now top off your sangria and enjoy!!