*Not* in the Shop

Now that "The Dress" is done, I'm in the mood for more stashbusting. And as I pulled yet another "girly" decorator fabric out of my stash, inspiration hit. Actually, that sounds rather violent. Let me try that again. Inspiration descended upon me like gentle dew. At any rate, this is what happened:



I fell in love with this morning glory print when I discovered it several years ago. It was only two-something per yard (and the fabric shop gave me an extra yard because there was a stain), and it was Waverly! I love just about every fabric that Waverly has ever produced. But I digress. The fabric is just the right weight for a sturdy apron, and it has the loveliest brushed cotton feel. And I had enough fabric for an Edwardian Apron, which is such a lovely and simple pattern.



It was a close contest between hunter green and burgundy bias trim, but I'm glad I went for the green. Oh, and as a note -- this pattern runs huge! I made it a size down from my dress size, and it still feels a bit big.



I haven't made an apron for myself in about four years (and my other two aprons look like it!), so I decided that this one was for "keeps." But I do have enough fabric left for, say, a scallop apron. So you won't find this one in the shop, but one of its cousins may make an appearance soon!

*Edited to add new pictures*

A Journey

Every book is a journey. Every author takes you on a trip -- sometimes to a distant time or place, sometimes to a brain-bending idea or concept. Some of the journeys are short, and some are long. Very long. Very, very long.



This was a long journey. Fortunately, it was well worth it! At 704 pages, Clementine Churchill: The Biography of a Marriage could definitely be classified under the "Investment" category. Mary Soames, the Churchill's youngest child, certainly had the first-hand experience to write such a book. Pulling from letters, her mother's stories, and her own life, Mrs. Soames paints an amazing portrait of her parents' extraordinary lives. Clementine devoted her life to her husband and his career, often at the expense of her own personal interests and talents. I think that was the aspect of Clementine's life that inspired me the most.

A journey to a not-so-distant time and place, through some of the most important events in Western history and some of the least significant events in the life of a family. Yes, this journey was worth it.

Words of Wisdom From Writers

Proofread carefully

to see if you any

words out.

~ Author Unknown ~

Still More Silk

Yesterday I summoned up my courage, reviewed my shopping cart one last time, and clicked "Place Order." In the next few days I should find a package in my mailbox from Dharma Trading Company, containing three yards of silk gauze.



Because I still need a veil, after all. I'm not a fan of tulle, and the thought of having a silk veil is just too good to pass up. The sample I got from Dharma is just perfect (though it's difficult to judge how well something will drape from a three inch square!), and at less than $2.50 per yard, the pricetag can't be beat.

I love it when the details fall into place.

Finis

It's officially finished. Last Friday night (at approximately 10:30 p.m.), I put in the last stitches on my wedding gown! But I'm afraid this is all I can show you until after the wedding:



Everything went together smoothly -- there were a few hiccups along the way (well, if you count cutting out the wrong sleeve pattern as a hiccup... *ahem*), but no problems that couldn't be sorted out quickly. The "official" dress went together in ten days -- not counting the several mock-ups that I've made over the past few months!

Friday was quite a marathon sewing day. I think I put in about eight hours (most of which was spent hand sewing), which is probably the most time I put in on any one day. I must say, the gown looks much better in white than it does in purple...

Now I can't wait to actually wear it! I'll be posting pictures and details as soon as possible after the wedding!

The Mystery

Eleven already owned.

Twenty-two just purchased.

Three more to go.



So just how will we use thirty-six thrifted wine glasses in varying shapes and styles come January? You'll have to wait and see! They won't be holding liquid, though...

Fun for a Fiddler

My dear parents surprised me with a belated birthday present a few weeks ago -- a result of our recent move, combined with my mother's tendency to purchase gifts and forget about them. *wink* But there's nothing so fun as a gift when you least expect one!



Especially when it's a cutting board in the shape of a violin. Really, does it get any better? I'd love to meet the person who came up with this idea! Of course, such a gift involves another purchase -- because what's a violin without a bow?

Hmm, I wonder if cutting something on this board counts as practice time?

Words of Wisdom From Writers

Men can only be happy

when they do not assume

that the object of life is

happiness.

~ George Orwell ~

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

Last week I decided that I needed a sewing diversion. So I pulled out Simplicity 5777 and went to work. And this is what happened:



So what is it? It's neither a garment bag nor a convenient place to conceal oneself during a game of hide-and-seek (thought that's not a bad idea...). It is, in fact, a gift wrap organizer. If there's anything I love, it's wrapping gifts. If there's anything I love, it's organization. A gift wrap organizer does double duty, hence the title of this post.



First, the fabric. I must rave about the fabric! It's a yard sale find from several years ago -- over three yards of glorious brushed cotton Ralph Lauren decorating fabric (Spring 1997!), with the happiest floral print I've ever seen. The question was, what to do with it? It's very bold, very big, and very bright. And my fiance is not into flowery, girly prints (for which I am very grateful!), so the idea of drapes or a chair just doesn't work. Enter Simplicity 5777! *resounding applause* True, it will be hidden in a closet most of the time. But every time I have a gift to wrap, or even open said closet, it will be there to greet me.

I changed things up a bit with the pattern. First of all, I nixed the zipper. Seriously, a zipper? The way this thing was constructed, you would get the impression that a speck of dust on one's wrapping paper was an unthinkable catastrophe. A bow works very nicely, thank you.



I added more pockets to the gift bag section, since they tend to accumulate rapidly. Two pockets just weren't enough.



I also covered the pieces of cardboard used to support the top. Since I didn't have fancy chipboard, I used some stiff cardboard (believe me, we have plenty around here after our recent move!). I had just enough fabric left to cover them! There are only a few tiny scraps left. I love it when I'm not even tempted to keep the scraps from a project -- especially when the whole point of the project was stashbusting!

Another change was the vinyl I used for the pockets. The pattern calls for fabric, but I couldn't bear to cover up my pretty Ralph Lauren print, and I didn't have any coordinating fabric, anyway. I did have some lightweight vinyl that I had bought a while ago and never used. I had enough for all but the gift bag pockets (which I ended up doing in a slightly heavier vinyl, for durability). I love the wrapping paper roll pockets. I should be able to fit quite a few rolls in the pockets, though my current supply is just large enough to put one in each pocket.



Oh, and I love the extra little panel, which hangs from one of the wooden hangers with the help of some Velcro. It has a few little pockets and five nifty tabs for spools of ribbon, but I have to make larger holes in my ribbon spools before they'll fit!

Just for the record, it's not easy wrangling a project the size of a body bag and the thickness of a whale while applying bias tape. Believe me. I tried the slap-it-on-and-topstitch method, but soon realized that it would be worth it to unfold the tape, sew one side down right-sides-together, and whipstitch the other side shut.



Pleating vinyl is not the easiest thing, either -- but it was surprisingly easy to sew! Sometimes my machine would balk, complaining that the vinyl was too sticky. So got out my coconut oil, dipped in a fingertip, and spread it on the projected path of the needle. Voila! I attached bias tape to the top edges of each pocket, and I love the punch of deep red.

Overall, I love this pattern. It's rather involved, but it's also very well thougt out. Whoever designed it put in a lot of brain work. Still, I'm glad I probably won't have to make one again!



Now I just need a gift to wrap!

Silk

I'm cutting into this luscious stuff today -- that is, if I can work up the courage to do it!

Believe It or Not

Several years ago my mother and I had our first "white squirrel sighting." Completely unaware that there was such a critter as a white squirrel, we were both rather stunned! Since then, I've seen three more in our area. The last sighting (this is starting to sound like a post about UFOs or Bigfoot, what with "sightings" and such! *wink*) was only a few weeks ago -- and fortunately we had my sister's Nikon D40 along to capture some "proof!"



Apparently this is a color variation in the local squirrel population; they're not albino (notice the dark eyes). A Google search turned up some interesting information -- there are five towns that claim the white squirrel as their "mascot" (ours isn't one of them, actually!), and each of the towns is upset about the other towns. Because, you know, white squirrels are worth fighting over... *wink*

I wonder if white squirrels are like the white stag in Narnia and will give you wishes if you catch them! But somehow, I don't think I have much of a chance of catching one of these swift little rodents -- not to mention what I'd do with it if I did catch it!



Well, I've now seen black squirrels in Indiana, brown "feathery" looking squirrels on the West Coast, regular ol' grey squirrels just about everywhere, and now white squirrels in my hometown. What next?

How *not* to Treat a Library Book

Perhaps one of the most ignored social problems in America is wanton library book abuse. From what I have observed, this problem is not limited to isolated areas where people-just-don't-know-any-better. No, my friends, this is a national epidemic!

You scoff? You say that it's really not as bad as all that? Ah, but I have the proof! Behold, how not to treat a library book:


1. Completely Rend the Spine:

This is completely unacceptable! Wholesale destruction of a sturdy hardcover copy of Wodehouse is just -- well, unacceptable! My only hope is that this happened while the reader was laughing uncontrollably, and hence cannot be held accountable for the crime.


2. Paint Your Nails While Reading



Seriously, this is not rocket science... At least it's a pretty shade of pink, and sparkles a little in the light!


3. Dog Ear the Pages



This is also known as "Too-lazy-to-find-a-bookmark-or-even-a-tiny-scrap-of-paper-to-mark-the-page."


4. Squash the Cockroach That Landed on Your Library Book With Your New Shoe

I plead guilty to this last crime. Yes, almost immediately after deciding to do this post -- having already soundly berated the past readers of this poor book -- a pesky cockroach landed on the cover and was quickly dispatched with my shoe. *shudder* My defense? The book was not harmed in any way.


And that, my friends, graphically illustrates the need for a campaign against library book abuse! I suggest gathering a group of friends, making some posters (perhaps with catchy slogans like, "No More Dog Ears!"), and standing outside your local library. Then, and only then, will library books have a chance to receive the respect they deserve. *dramatic music*

~ Note: No books were harmed in the making of this presentation ~