Thursday, October 29, 2009

Words of Wisdom From Writers


Good writing can be defined as having
something to say and saying it well.
When one has nothing to say,
one should remain silent.
Silence is always beautiful at such times.


~ Edward Abbey ~



Enough said?


Monday, October 26, 2009

On Music

Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. ~ Berthold Auerbach

If a composer could say what he had to say in words he would not bother trying to say it in music. ~ Gustav Mahler

Why waste money on psychotherapy when you can listen to the B Minor Mass? ~ Michael Torke

My idea is that there is music in the air, music all around us; the world is full of it, and you simply take as much as you require. ~ Edward Elgar



Its language is a language which the soul alone understands, but which the soul can never translate. ~ Arnold Bennett

When words leave off, music begins. ~ Heinrich Heine

Music is love in search of a word. ~ Sidney Lanier

Opera is where a guy gets stabbed in the back, and instead of dying, he sings. ~ Robert Benchley



When people hear good music, it makes them homesick for something they never had, and never will have. ~ Edgar Watson Howe

It is incontestable that music induces in us a sense of the infinite and the contemplation of the invisible. ~ Victor de LaPrade

Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent. ~ Victor Hugo

The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul. ~ Johann Sebastian Bach

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Something Old, Something New


I decided to have a little fun with the remnant of silk I had leftover from "The Dress."



After all, a drawstring bag for jewelry and accessories is practical for the day of the wedding, and it will be perfect for accomodating wedding keepsakes in the future. And did I mention that I've always wanted to try my hand at embroidery?



It's my first real attempt at satin stitch, hence the many mistakes! For the record, it's not a good idea to "learn" embroidery on something that's supposed to be an heirloom...

I was at a loss when it came to the slender bits, since backstitching looked ridiculous. So I pulled out my dilapidated 1960's Vogue sewing book (the only real sewing book I have unpacked right now!) and perused the embroidery section. The solution? The outline stitch. It took me a couple of tries to figure it out from the very basic line drawing and brief instructions. But it was incredibly easy once I got the knack for it. It has a more finished look than the backstitch, and it's much more enjoyable, too!



When my future mother-in-law gave me a lace medallion (beautiful Spanish bobbin lace purchased by my fiance's grandmother), I soon discovered that I had the perfect opportunity to showcase it:



Framed by a circle of outline stitch, and ready to be passed down to future generations:




Monday, October 19, 2009

Have a Seat


Here are just ten easy steps to inexpensive (and comfortable) seating.

Step 1
Send your mother out to yard sales until she finds a nice sofa in good condition for a great price.

Step 2
Return to yard sale with your mother and your fiance.

Step 3
Let your fiance haggle the owners down to a lower price.

Step 4
Send the sofa home in the back of your fiance's truck. Let your mother drive so you can glance in the rearview mirror approximately every five seconds to see if it has fallen out yet.

Step 5
Vacuum the sofa to remove debris, with the assistance of your fiance.



Step 6
Keep vacuuming the sofa.

Step 7
Keep vacuuming the sofa -- especially the cushions that you have identified as an unknown dog's favorite spot on the sofa.



Step 8
Keep vacuuming! What kind of dog was that, anyway?

Step 9
Replace all the cushions on the sofa.

Step 10
Relax. Ignore the strange looks from the neighbors as you have your picture taken on a sofa in the middle of your yard.



Monday, October 12, 2009

Tiny Witness


How can I not marvel at the diversity and beauty of God's creation? This little fellow is just a tiny witness of our Father's creativity and power. A tiny, but very adorable witness!




"O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! Who hast set thy glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!"

~ Psalm 8 ~

Monday, October 05, 2009

A Hint of the Past


Since my stashbusting mood didn't wane after my last project, I selected the next "victim" from my fabric stash. This time it was a gorgeous striped floral cotton from JoAnn's Premium Quilter's Collection -- I had sighed over this particular print (and its $9 per yard price tag...) several times -- and then it ended up in the Red Tag clearance section, with an extra 50% off, to boot! And since there was only a little over a yard left, I even got the remnant price on the last bit. Does it get any better?



My first mistake with this blouse was using a princess-seamed pattern (McCalls 3571, much modified). With stripes? Sometimes I wonder what I'm thinking -- or rather, if I'm thinking! Fortunately, the stripes are subtle enough that no real harm was done. I have my own copied "interfacing" version of this pattern, which allows me to change the design fairly easily (the original has a deep V in the back neckline, and also buttons up the back).



I opted for a V-neckline with this blouse, and remembered some gathered ecru Cluny lace in my stash. I simply topstitched it to the raw neckline edge, then bound the neck edge in self-bias binding. The buttons are salvaged from an old (and very inaccurate!) Civil War gown that I made years ago.



But the sleeves are my favorite part! I used the sleeve pattern from M3571, but I modified it to eliminate the extra seam. The gathered section at the bottom was inspired by an April Cornell design -- I've seen this type of thing before, but usually the puffed section is huge and frankly overwhelming! I cut a rectangle 1.5 times the length of the bottom sleeve width, then gathered it and applied it to the sleeve. The bottom is gathered into a band that's two inches shorter than the bottom sleeve width, to give the whole sleeve a more tapered look. The upper band of the gathered section is actually fake -- it's just bias binding hand-stiched to the sleeve so that the gathering is "framed" on both sides.



A pair of ties in the back wrap up the whole thing! I had *just* enough fabric for this project, and now I have the satisfaction of both a new blouse and a shrinking stash. I just love happy endings!

Friday, October 02, 2009

Toadstools


I think Fall is finally on the way in Florida! The weather has been absolutely delicious over the past few days -- and while we have a few warm days ahead of us next week, I think it's safe to officially welcome Fall.

And what better way to do that than with toadstools?

Little ones.



Medium ones.



Big ones.



Unfortunately, while our yard had various types of fungi on display, I couldn't find a single gnome! But I'm keeping my eyes open...