Making Ready

It's fully time to start making ready -- bit by bit, planning and preparing for the little one who will be joining us in a few months. As we've started to put the nursery in order, I've been pulling out some of my infant toys: my little parrot, who gives off a most life-like squeak when he's shaken; my yellow hippo rattle, who has had a strand of pink embroidery floss sticking out for *years* until I repaired him a few weeks ago; the blankets I used when I was small (not that I ever was!).



And as I prepare -- as I scrub second-hand finds, search for curtain fabric, scrutinize the nursery for the *best* possible arrangement, and keep the sewing machine whirring -- I hope and pray and wonder about the new life that is already so active.

But for now... well, right now a few kicks from the interior regions of my anatomy are reminding me that it's high time for breakfast!

On the Menu

Considering that chicken pot pie is one of Pablo's favorite meals, it really is inexcusable that it's taken me approximately eight months to make him one! I think it's due to my inordinate terror of pie crusts -- but the more I practice, the easier they become, so I think it's time to get over that particular fear. This one came out golden-brown and bubbly, courtesy of my favorite Betty Crocker cookbook.



Served with a fresh salad...



...and finished with a slice of ridiuclously rich chocolate cake. Topped with Oreos, because there just wasn't enough chocolate, you know?

Season of Harvest

As I read various blog posts yesterday celebrating the coming of Fall, I was inclined to be grumpy. It was sweltering hot, and everything in our yard was depressingly green -- except the grass!

But as Pablo and I took a jaunt around our "domain" and made plans for future landscaping (most of which went something like, "When it gets cooler we'll ..."), I grew excited as I noticed green buds on our little popcorn tree.

A closer inspection showed that some of the buds have already "popped!"



And I knew that Fall had come, really and truly -- that wonderful season of "mists and mellow fruitfulness," the season of hot apple cider and indian corn, the season of harvest.

Speaking of which, it will soon be time to harvest the popcorn. So handy when you don't even have to microwave it!



I'm looking forward to seeing our spade tree covered in "popcorn," and also to watching its now-verdant leaves turn glorious shades of yellow, orange, and red. If we could just get some cooler temperatures to go along with it...

Oh, and before you begin worrying too much, that harvesting comment was more than a little tongue-in-cheek. *wink*

A Rescue

During one of our (frequent) Craigslist scans, Pablo and I came across a little slant-front desk advertised for $20. Skeptical, we clicked on the link and looked at pictures -- it actually looked fairly decent, despite warnings of stickers and some childish "Sharpie art" on the inside of the lid.

After bargaining down to $15, we took it home -- there was some scratching to the lid and top, but the desk was solid wood (except the back, but who cares about that) and had a lovely shape. Here's a "before" picture -- though it isn't quite fair, since by the time I remembered to take it, we had already started sanding the top and removed all the drawers! But you get the idea:



We set to work sanding down the top and lid. I scrubbed away at the Sharpie, and thanks to my super-secret all-purpose cleaner (otherwise known as equal parts vinegar and water), it came out entirely! The stain we chose turned out to be the perfect color, so we were spared the work of refinishing the rest of the desk. So for the cost of stain, sandpaper, and a cheap brush, we were able to rescue our little Craigslist desk:



It has turned out to be perfect for the little "nook" off the kitchen -- its small size fits the scale of our house, and it's the most delightful little bill-paying/mail-sorting/letter-writing station imaginable. And, of course, anything is better if you cover it with books... *wink*

I just love happy endings!

Sewing Maternity Tops

The most obvious solution for woven maternity tops is the empire waistline! Perfect for accomodating a growing baby bump, while working well both early and late in the maternity stage. And personally, I appreciate the easy, adjustable fit of peasant-style tops.

So far I've tried two empire waist patterns for maternity tops -- the first being McCalls 5039 (which I also used to make this dress).

The fabric for this top came from a Regency gown I made about five years ago -- it had been snug for a while, and I decided that it probably wouldn't fit post-pregnancy, anyway! So I salvaged a blouse from the skirt sections, and it has turned out to be very handy in my wardrobe. Again, changes from the original pattern were simple bias-binding casings for elastic, and an "extended" bodice divided by another casing.

Next came a cream top from the same pattern, this time cut from a thrifted Egyptian cotton sheet (which also provided me with fabric for a previous blouse and the binding for the blouse above). It's hard to find thrifted maternity clothes -- and virtually impossible to find anything in white or cream that's unstained (not to mention in the right size!). I thought it was a bit bland, though, so I dressed it up with a lace flower pin.

I noticed that the raglan sleeves on the McCalls pattern were a little binding, and decided to look for another pattern that had more sleeve versatility (and maybe a bit more room in the tummy region!). So I pulled Simplicity 5582 out of my costume pattern collection.

This fabric is in its third "incarnation," but this is the first time it's been worn! I made a Regency drawstring dress from it shortly before our trip to England a few years ago (and yes, I know it's not remotely correct for the Regency time period -- I just like it), but was unsatisfied with the fit and left it at home. Later on I re-cut the skirt for a flat-front Regency dress and cut new bodice pieces, but never got around to making it. So after several years of waiting, it has emerged as a maternity blouse (though it still hasn't escaped the empire waist!).

I can't actually recall if I raised the neckline on this pattern, or just pulled the elastic a bit tighter -- but either way, it's much more modest than the pattern cover would imply! I shortened the sleeves due to fabric constraints, but would love to try the 3/4 version, and maybe even the "double-puff" version for Fall and Winter. The armscye is certainly looser than the McCalls pattern, but is also quite puffy -- which works for this blouse, but is something I might try to tame in the future. I marked the empire waistline once the blouse was assembled, which resulted in a rather strange and not-at-all-straight line for the casing -- but it works perfectly, and that's what matters. Fortunately I strayed from my norm by actually *marking* that line on the pattern piece, so I'll be able to repeat it!



I'm hoping to tackle a little more sewing this week -- though my wardrobe is finally reaching the stage where I don't have to plan carefully what to wear so that I don't run out before the next laundry day! *wink*

Books!

"Books!" said Tuppence.

She produced the word rather with the effect of a bad-tempered explosion.

"What did you say?" said Tommy.

Tuppence looked across the room at him.

"I said 'books,'" she said.

"I see what you mean," said Thomas Beresford.

In front of Tuppence were three large packing cases. From each of them various books had been extracted. The larger part of them were still filled with books.

"It's incredible," said Tuppence.

"You mean the room they take up?"

"Yes."

"Are you trying to put them all on the shelves?"

"I don't know what I'm trying to do," said Tuppence. "That's the awkward part of it. One doesn't know ever, exactly, what one wants to do. Oh dear," she sighed.

~ The opening lines from Postern of Fate, by Agatha Christie ~



I do so love Tommy and Tuppence! My deepest apologies to sweet Miss Marple and clever Hercule Poirot -- but really, Tommy and Tuppence are Agatha Christie's dearest characters. And having recently finished sorting out all our own books, I can fully sympathize with their plight in Postern of Fate.

Yes, all of our books are finally sorted -- and we even managed to go through and weed out the ones that we really didn't need or want. Painful, certainly, but rather cathartic in a way. Really, how many copies of the same book can one have? I confess, I still have a few duplicates, though! Some books are just too beautiful to part with, but one must have a knock-about reading copy, mustn't one? At any rate, the only books left in boxes are children's books, neatly stacked in the nursery and awaiting one final bookshelf to end their imprisonment.

Best of all? Our diligence in getting rid of unneeded books has paid off in a bit of empty space on some of our shelves. Which means that I don't have to feel guilty when I take my inevitable browse through the bookshelves at every antique and thrift store. *wink*

As Tuppence would say, "Books!"

Last of the Confederate Jasmine

Four Easy Maternity Skirts

Once I started outgrowing my normal clothes a few months ago, I started searching for easy maternity options. I browsed online maternity stores, but even the least expensive options (like Motherhood maternity) were still too pricey for this miserly shopper.

I did some searching and found some simple ways to modify skirts for maternity -- I particularly liked Hannah's very helpful posts here and here.

So I scouted out our local thrift shop for stretchy camisoles. They happened to have a sale the day I went, so all of the clothing was half off their normal price of $1! I went a little crazy, but at 50 cents per garment, it's hard to go wrong...

This burgundy floral skirt came from a dress that I made about four years ago and hadn't worn in ages. The dress was destined for destruction, but no longer! I cut it off at hip level, cut the bottom hem and above-the-midriff off my camisole, and stitched the two together with a zig-zag (stretching the cami as I went). *So* simple.




This denim skirt has been sitting in my closet for a year or two, making me feel very guilty -- this is its third "incarnation," since it started out as a (very-cute-but-too-big) Liz Claiborne wrap dress. I modified it into a skirt, but wasn't really happy with the results. Now, thanks to some knit from JoAnn's, it's a maternity skirt!




This thrifted denim gored skirt was a staple in my closet for several years. When it developed a strange faded line about three inches down from the waist, I sadly removed it from my closet (but kept it to use as a pattern). It turns out that the faded line was exactly where I needed to cut to add a maternity band! I love happy endings. *wink* This band was made from a navy camisole.




I actually made this skirt for maternity, but I used scrap fabric to make it. It's my favorite A-line pattern, cut off at the hips. The fabric was leftover from another skirt I'd made, so I had very little to work with. I made the skirt as long as possible, then serged the bottom edge. Using the final scraps, I cut several 5" wide pieces sort-of-on-the-bias to make a pleated ruffle.



After pinning my pleats in place on the skirt, I zig-zagged about 1/2" below the top edge of the ruffle. To maximize length, I left the top and bottom of the ruffle unfinished -- after one wash, they have a comfortably frayed look, but since they're not cut on the grain they won't ravel too much. The stretchy band is more of my JoAnn's knit (I couldn't find any khaki camisoles) -- but 1/2 yard was only about $2 on sale, and I was able to cut enough for four maternity bands.




All of these skirts were basically free, not counting the few pennies I spent on camisoles/knit, thread, and some elastic at the waistbands (more on that later). And that's important to me -- five regularly-priced items at Motherhood Maternity would be about $100! While I certainly hope this isn't the last time I'll be using a maternity wardrobe, I didn't want to invest a lot of money on clothing that will only be worn for a few months.

So you can expect more maternity make-overs and suggestions over the next few months, as I try to build a frugal wardrobe!

Procrastination

"No unwelcome tasks become any the less unwelcome by putting them off till tomorrow. It is only when they are behind us and done, that we begin to find that there is a sweetness to be tasted afterwards, and that the remembrance of unwelcome duties unhesitatingly done is welcome and pleasant. Accomplished, they are full of blessing, and there is a smile on their faces as they leave us. Undone, they stand threatening and disturbing our tranquility, and hindering our communion with God. If there by lying before you any bit of work from which you shrink, go straight up to it, and do it at once. The only way to get rid of it is to do it."

~ Alexander MacLaren (1826-1910) ~

This chronic procrastinator is feeling both convicted and inspired by the talk we heard this morning about the importance of time stewardship! Rev. MacLaren's words are so true -- if I postpone unpleassant (but necessary) tasks, all they do is create *extra* stress and anxiety! And that's not something I'm keen on.

So here's to increased diligence in my daily responsibilities, and to being more purposeful in choosing activities that have eternal benefit.

Modified Maternity Skirt

I am finding that many of the maternity garments that have slowly been finding their way from my sewing machine into my closet have been on some kind of journey. A few have passed straight from yardage into maternity wear, but most of them have undergone significant alteration since the yardage stage.



This newly-finished and delightfully silky floral skirt is a perfect example -- my mother-in-law passed it on to me in the form of an unfinished dress that she had decided not to complete. This was several months before I was married, actually! It sat in my stash, waiting for the perfect opportunity.



When I came across it recently, inspiration struck -- why not make it into a maternity skirt? I chopped off the bodice, cut a curve for a maternity panel, and then used my cut piece as a pattern to make a stretchy panel from a thrifted camisole. A zig-zag stitch brought the two together.



I salvaged the silky bias trim from the camisole, and found that it made the perfect waistband -- just wide enough for a piece of elastic! Total cost was about 50 cents (free dress, 1/2 of a $0.50 tank top, some 1/8" elastic, and thread).



I've been delighted with just how simple it is to modify existing skirts for maternity. In fact, I have yet to purchase an actual maternity skirt because I've not had the need. Which is a blessing, because long maternity skirts are almost impossible to find -- not to mention *horribly* expensive.



Frugal and fun maternity sewing -- it just doesn't get any better!

Faithfulness

It is the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed,

because His compassions fail not.

They are renewed every morning:

great is Thy faithfulness.

The Lord is my portion, saith my soul:

therefore will I hope in Him.

The Lord is good unto them that trust in him,

and to the soul that seeketh Him.

It is good both to

trust,

and to

wait

for the salvation of the Lord.

Let us search and try our ways,
and turn again to the Lord.

Let us lift up our hearts with our hands unto God in the heavens.

~ Lamentations 3:22-26, 40-41 ~