Charm in Miniature

Last week my mother and I drove in a nearby neighborhood, searching for the wild wisteria that we found growing there several years ago. The wisteria, sad to say, has been destroyed to make way for monstrous houses. But on our trek, we discovered a few hidden treasures. One was an impromtu farm right on the Bay, which housed -- of all things -- two cows, several goats, a llama, and an emu.

It has been several years since I have seen an emu, and I had forgotten that their eyes are glowing pools of amber. The llama was woolly and adorable, though its appearance did not give a general impression of intelligence:




We knew there were some horses in the area, and later on we came across a few fields. There was a large, "normal" horse in one pasture, but this little darling stole our attention:





As soon as my mother started collecting some grass (a difficult task, considering our area is composed entirely of sand!), the pony began to look quite interested:



Notice the fuzzy little beard on its chin!

How could I have forgotten the delight of stroking a horse's satiny-smooth coat? Or the warmth and softness of a pony nose as it snuffles your hand for grass?

Charm may be deceitful and beauty may be vain, but charm in miniature is irresistable.

The Mark of a Writer

Yesterday I engaged in the laborious process (for me) of labeling gift tags for a baby shower gift using a dip pen. After completing my task, I discovered that I had a rather noticeable ink stain on my right ring finger.



I immediately thought of the scene in the 1994 movie, "Little Women," in which Professor Bhaer knows that Jo March is a writer by the inkstain on her finger. Jo has been my long-time literary "friend," and I use her name as my screen name on the Sense and Sensibility Message Forum. Ever since I first read Little Women over ten years ago, I have loved Jo -- partly because of our shared passion for writing.

So if ink smudges are a sign of literary genius, then perhaps I have the makings (or markings...) of a writer, after all!

Cherry Blossoms in Birmingham

"Bran-new" Skirt

I have always loved how Charles Dickens uses "bran new" in the first chapters of Our Mutual Friend. Because, of course, very few people actually include the "d" when they say "brand new."

But that is slightly off-topic. What is on topic is a bran-new wrap skirt, hemmed to tea length for summer.



The fabric is one of those delightful "unknown origins" fabrics for $1 per yard at Wal Mart. Who can resist mystery fabric? Actually, I have a healthy loathing for mysteries of that sort, but this fabric had a nice lightweight weave and a beautiful color. Resistance was futile. But that light weave means that this one skirt that will definitely need a petticoat! I used Conni's fabulous Wrap Skirt Tutorial: Part 1 and Part 2. Although, to tell the truth this skirt is so simple to make up that I never had to look at the directions again after the first skirt.

The two buttons (instead of a sash) came from my stash. I had purchased them for another project and then discovered that they were a few shades too dark. I would normally look for something low-profile for a skirt like this, but the colors matched perfectly and I couldn't resist.



Simplicity (and I'm not referring to the pattern company) is delightful. Right now I'm working on a skirt with 8 godets and thinking longingly of the hour it took to cut out and sew my wrap skirt.

Happiness Is

~ Listening to the soundtrack for "Jeeves and Wooster" (thank you, Laura!)

~ Wearing a "bran-new," just-finished skirt

~ A clean house

~ A fluffy white cake fresh from the oven, courtesy of my father

~ Listening to Spring bird songs

~ A peaceful day

~ Hearing the wind blow around the eaves

~ The security that only comes from knowing Christ

~ Having decide whether to read, practice violin, or sew...


I think I'll practice some violin. Some Bach will be delightful -- and it will ease my violin-conscience at the same time.

Because Every Girl Needs a Party Dress...

...and it's been quite a long time since I've actually had a dress I would call a "Party Dress."

I actually made the dress in September for a dear friend's Senior Recital, but have never gotten around to getting photographs of it. A wedding on Saturday and Resurrection Sunday the next day proved a good excuse to make a little jacket to go with it.


For the dress I used Butterick 4443. I made view C and lengthened the sash considerably.

For the bolero jacket, I used Simplicity 4334. I loved having the jacket -- it has been a bit chilly here over the past few days, and I'm not a big fan of sleeveless garments.

Here's a close-up of the bodice -- wind, shadows, and funny expressions combined their efforts to thwart any good full-length pictures.



The wedding was held at Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama (a long drive there and back for my poor father!), where we found an irresistable statue:



The fabric I used was stash fabric -- ironically, I purchased the sheer flowered fabric separately from the periwinkle peachskin that I used for the jacket and dress lining. They are both quite unusual colors, but they match perfectly! The sheer fabric was on clearance at Hobby Lobby for $2 per yard, and the peachskin was $1 at Wal Mart (my dear mother discovered it for me). Both were 60" wide, making this possibly the least expensive dress I have ever made.



The cherry trees were in full bloom, and bees were buzzing happily all over the place while we took pictures. I am not usually fond of bumblebees, but this was an exception -- I could quite understand why they wanted to hover around the deliciously scented blossom, because I felt the same way myself. Delicious!

He is Risen Indeed!

And [Jesus] said unto them, "Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day; And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."

~ Luke 24:46-47

Narcissus

Shades of Blue

While I made this blouse several months ago, it has defied several attempts at photography. Is it possible that the shirt itself is what causes the camera to blur? I think the real culprit so far has been the lighting, but that sounds rather dull, don't you think? And technically the title of this post is deceptive; it's really only one shade of blue, but that doesn't make a very good title (in my opinion).



I used "stash" fabric from JoAnn's that I purchased during a Red Tag Fabric 50% off sale. I think it was about $1.50 per yard. The fabric has a bit of stretch to it, just enough to make it comfortable to wear without causing any difficulty in sewing it.







For this shirt I used my classic base of Simplicity 4499, and used McCall's 4922 for the sleeve and collar. However, I ended up altering the sleeve because I didn't want to do a normal cuff (laziness had almost nothing to do with it). Instead, I took in the fullness with four tucks on each sleeve -- two longer tucks in the middle with a shorter tuck on each side.





And while you can't see very well in the picture, there are three rows of tucks on each side of the buttons. I am finding that I like 3/4 length sleeves more and more. They transition well in the varying weather that we experience every Spring and Fall -- sometimes it feels like winter one day and summer the next! Perfect for teaching violin lessons today, and a useful staple in my closet.

A Little Off the Beaten Track

On a thrift store jaunt several years ago I came across a curious little book. Entitled "Atlas," the front cover features a drawing of a young man interrupted in the act of looking through a telescope by a large meteor falling through the roof. My interest, quite naturally, was piqued.

The artist responsible for this book was Glen Baxter. It is a bizarre collection of cartoons drawn in the style of 1930's comic books. Many of the drawings resemble illustrations from early 20th century adventure books, but the accompanying headings or dialogue are extremely unconventional!

But I digress. I put down my dollar for the book and took it home. I thought I would share my favorite cartoon from the book, since it refers to Jane Austen in the most humorous manner:



I think what makes it so ridiculously funny is that it all appears so serious! There is another Jane Austen cartoon on Glen Baxter's website, Here. Unfortunately I cannot recommend the cartoon gallery on his website because of one unsavory cartoon. Why, oh why?

A little bit of crazy humor can be delightful. Especially if it involves Jane Austen!


Image is copyrighted to Glen Baxter, 1983

Snapshots of a Sunday Afternoon

Exploring God's beautiful creation with my mother was a wonderful way to spend Sunday afternoon. From woodlands to seashore, our local nature reserve is my solace for living in Florida.


I haven't walked in the nature reserve since Thanksgiving, and I was delighted with the evidence of changing seasons. As my dad remarked at church in the morning, "Well, the oak leaves are falling off -- it must be Spring." Yes, we have to take what we get in Florida: scrubby trees and sand (lots of it). But I am discovering that there is beauty even here; that Florida is not the barren wasteland I once thought it was. You just have to know where to look.



Perhaps this little fellow doesn't fall under the classification of "beauty," but I found him charming, anyway. He did not quite like the idea of me shoving my camera lens within a few inches of his corpulent person, but he stayed still long enough for me to take a few shots:



Wisteria. The very name breathes an air of mystery and beauty. I found a tiny little vine with just one clump in bloom. In a few weeks, there will be beautiful masses of it where it has taken over in our area. What a heavenly scent wisteria has!








Of course, no woodland scene would be complete without some fungus. Nothing says fairies and tree gnomes as much as these curious little discs.








Within a few yards of the woods there is a thin strip of yellow beach. We took advantage of this on our return. The water lapped up against the shore in gentle waves. A few clumps of glimmering, jeweled seaweed had washed up.



And who should we find keeping us company? A snowy egret, busy fishing for his dinner:



He was none too thrilled to be followed, and as soon as we got too close he unfurled his wings and flew further along the shore:



Purple seems to be the wildflower color of choice at this time of year; I saw at least six varieties of flower in varying shades of purple. How anything can grow in sand is beyond me, but I am certainly grateful that rich topsoil is not required for every kind of flower!

The air was clean and dry last night, delightfully free of Summer's muggy humidity. I could not get my fill of it, no matter how deeply I inhaled the woody scents. I know better than to take it for granted -- there will be times this summer when I would do anything for one clear gulp of air. But I don't want to think about summer right now (unless as an excuse for more sewing). Right now, it's Spring. And Spring is fine with me.

Some Custom Pillows

Recently, my sister and I were approached by a lady who wanted a set of pillows re-covered. We agreed to do it, and she soon dropped off the fabric she had chosen and the pillows -- five lumpy masses of stuffing covered in the most horrendous fabric I have ever seen. This picture was taken during the "deconstruction" process, but you can get some idea of what I'm talking about:



She had only wanted the pillows to be covered with new fabric, but we quickly found that there was not enough fabric to cover the pillows as she had desired. So, necessity being the mother of invention, we made the pillows a tad bit smaller and removed the stuffing from the old pillows. I was in charge of the two large print pillows, and my sister worked on the smaller solid pillows. I woke up first this morning, so I tackled the one remaining pillow. The set is finally finished:



We decided to use the motif from the printed pattern to add some interest to the small throw pillow.

The fabric that she chose is absolutely gorgeous! I actually would like to keep them, myself.



The pride of my existence at the moment is the matched seams on the two large pillows that I worked on. I was quite disappointed to find that the fabric was not only a one-way design, it also had a large repeat. But I was quite pleased with how it turned out -- perfectly mirrored on the top, sides, and bottom.



Tied up with a ribbon and ready to go.



I don't particularly like the stress of sewing for other people; my perfectionist personality kind of goes crazy. But I do enjoy the actual sewing bit, so perhaps I'll just have to get over my type-A complex!

Words of Wisdom from Writers

English usage is sometimes more than mere taste, judgment and education -- sometimes it's sheer luck, like getting across the street.

~ E.B. White

Button, Button, Who's Got the Button?

Thank you to everyone who gave suggestions for storing buttons when I posted about them a few weeks ago: Thrifted Buttons. A few years ago I reorganized my mom's stash of buttons into two inexpensive plastic bead organizers (each one around the size of a sheet of notebook paper). This worked remarkably well, and has made it much easier to sort the buttons. But I wanted something with a little more character for my button collection. Last Saturday I found the solution: a box of twelve thrifted jelly and Mason jars for $2! Some of the quilted jelly jars are extra-tall, perfect for storing buttons.




I attached creamy cardstock labels on the side and top of each jar, making identification easy:







I divided the buttons into four categories: White, Metal, Pearl, and Various (which I chose because it was easier to put on the label than "Miscellaneous!").







While the author of the Copperplate Calligraphy book I consulted (for the capital letters) would probably experience heart failure if he saw my attempts (not even the proper nib! Tsk, tsk!), my labels fulfilled my desire of a little old-fashioned flair.




I didn't want to have to search through every button I own to find a matching set, so I threaded each set onto a double-strand of sewing thread and tied them up in a little bunch. Now I can spill out the contents of whichever jar I need when I'm looking for buttons and go through them. A kind of disorganized organization! They are now happily sitting on my machine cabinet, fulfilling both utilitarian and decorative purposes.

So thank you for giving me the inspiration I needed to store my buttons!

Seeing Double

I may have mentioned before that I sew on my grandmother's 1957 Singer 401A, affectionately known as the "Slant-'O-Matic." Crafted from solid metal, this machine has the endurance of a tank and the purr of a kitten.



While I don't think it's going to wear out any time soon, I have often feared what will happen when it does -- parts aren't exactly cheap or easy to find. Once again, my mom's forays on Craigslist have proven to be very useful. She found another Slant-O-Matic for sale in its original cherry cabinet. We bargained it down to $170, and what a bargain it was! I replaced the machine with my grandmother's, purely for sentimental reasons.



One of my favorite features is the knee lever that operates the foot pedal:



Flanked by two rows of drawers, this cabinet is any sewing room organizer's dream. One is even specially made for patterns.



The chair that come with it even has its original laminate seat. So vintage! It's not exactly comfortable, so I'm seeing an excuse for a chair cover coming up...



So now I have two machines, two manuals, and two of every accessory that comes with this machine. Just in case.



I'm finding out that seeing double can be a good thing -- especially in the sewing room.

Hitting the Jackpot

My idea of a successful Saturday morning spent at yard-sales can be summed up in one word: Fabric. Namely, seven yards of bordered eyelet fabric, two yards of polished cotton, and four yards of a Ralph Lauren floral print. Total cost: $5.




The first find of the day was the Ralph Lauren print: four yards of 60" brushed cotton, so soft that it feels like suede. I love the roses and the rich colors -- I may not have a project chosen for this yet, but at $2 I had to have it for my stash!





In the same bin I found a piece of eyelet, which proved (once I measured it at home) to be seven yards long. One edge is embroidered with scallops and designs. At $3, this was a steal.



The last find of the day was a piece of 60" wide polished cotton. It was marked $1, but our offer of $5 for all three pieces was accepted. I can't wait to find a reason to use this.




Visiting yard sales with my mother was a good "bonding" experience -- not to mention a productive one! And 40 cents per yard for fabric isn't too bad.