Happy Birthday to Isaac! 

Today is going to be like this weekend I suppose. And I guess that means not that differednt for me.  After getting the kids up and getting us all out the door, the boys to school and my daughter and I to religion, my day starts to take off.  First its to church for Friday Mass which is part of the normal week for the religion kids and their teachers.  A quick hop over to lend a hand getting a heavy box into the Sacresty, and then home for just long enough to change clothes, a quick conversation with my husband about getting the doors for the laundry room picked up, and tthen off to work to clean someone else's house till 3 or so.   

My husband is making supper so I don't have to worry about that, and I already made the cake Isaac wanted for his 14th birthday.  None at all, he wanted pie.  He and I went down into the basement last night and he selected peach, black raspberry, and apple.  I have to make 3 anymore if we want to have any the next day.  Sure enough, when I got home from work, the apple was gone, the only evidence that it had ever been was an empty plate with crumbs.  I'm not entirely sure it hadn't been licked. 

At 14, we don't do just too much for the birthdays anymore since all they usually want to do is sit in front of the tube and play on the Playstation because they usually get at least one game.  Not real exciting lives those boys lead.  If I want to "bond", I need to park myself on the couch and watch them play games and ask questions like I'm interested.  That done, I am next going to my sewing room and getting down to business for a while.  Hopefully my husband will be home soon to start supper and have some good news on our doors when he gets here. 

It's Wedding Season!  Right now I have 3 wedding gowns here for alterations.  This is the first one that I got done for a  May 12th wedding.  This is a Vera Wang gown that is cut really different.  It has wide strips of fabric sewn down the middle on fine soft tulle into interesting loops throughout the skirt of the gown and was not even close to asymmetrical.  The dress fit the lady very well and the style was very much her, the only issue was that it was still a little  long.         

   That's why she brought it to me.  I had to first make a map of the inside of the outer skirt so that after I removed all of the layers of fabric, I would be able to re-attach them the way the original  designer created them to look.  After I got the maps made, all labeled a, b, c, d, e, and g, it was time to get out my good friend , the seam ripper.  I removed the layers up to only as far as I absolutely needed to go.

After all of that was carefully removed from the delicate tulle, I had the bride in again to try the dress on and I trimmed the tulle to length while she was wearing it to be sure that is was perfect.  To get the fabric back onto the outer skirt, I laid out my maps one at a time and pinned the strips to the fabric.  This is very difficult because I was working with such delicate material on the skirt, the strips were 10in. wide and very lightweight fabric also, and I needed to be sure not to stretch either the skirt or the strips or it would ruin how the dress lay.  Since all of the edges were raw and exposed, to get the loop back to complete, I just had to overlap the beginning and end of each individual loop by about 6 in.  of course, there is still some magic in the placement of these overlaps in order for them to fall just so. 

To finish off the look of this beautiful gown for a beautiful bride, I added (at the bride's request)the band at the waist, and then the bustle for the reception.  This style of gown used a single tie french bustle which is where the skirt is tucked under the back of the dress and attached.  I used a bit of blue ribbon to add the "something blue" and to make it easier to spot under all those layers.   And I have to say, this gown bustles beautifully!

Love These Aprons!

I just got done making these aprons for the holidays and I just love them!  I had originally bought patterns for many different styles, but this one looked the most classic to me.  I made them in large and medium in adult sizes and in large and medium children's sizes.  My favorite thing about this pattern is that the neck strap is entirely adjustable by simply sliding the strap that goes around the waist.  No D-ring adjusters or tying at the neck for the right fit.   

Grace models the children's large

Grace makes her own First Communion Dress

My daughter, Grace, makes her First Communion this year.  Custom dictates that she wear a white dress.  However, if you knew my daughter, you would

Beautiful!

  have a hard time imagining her in a dress and smiling at the same time. 

    My solution, let her design and make her own.  That did it!  She picked out her own pattern and made her own modifications and picked out her own fabrics.  We then called in Grandma Karen for help and girl-time. 

    Grace really did do her share of the pinning and cutting.  When we got to the sewing, she set the speed on the Janome to the slowest setting (usually she goes full throttle on the Singer).  I thought that she could bump it up to the medium speed, but she said she would prefer it on "super-granny-slo-mo".  I tell you what, that is a perfect 5/8" seam allowance.  I can't ask more than that. 



Grace wanted a butterflly on the front



     By the time the seams on the skirt were done, she was ready to go outside and play which was perfect timing.  We had her come in and try on the bodice and then the unhemmed dress.  Seh decided that it needed a butterfly on the bottom and the length should be just above the ankles (Surprise for me).  I finishe the dress with a secret message on the inside with room enough for the next wearer to put their information should it be used agian. 

    The end result was just what I hoped for.  My daughter in a white dress for her First Holy Communion.

 



When it was all done, she agreed that she liked this dress and it was so comfortable, that she wouldn't mind if I made her another in a different color. 



<>Now, on the viel and shoes, we have a different story.  No veil or circlet of any kind.  Only ribbon and flowers (and she didn't even  want that). 

My Mom and Grace cutting pieces



     And the shoes, this is where a parent picks their battles.  White Keds tennis shoes. 

     I know that what Mom or Dad says goes, but when it comes to something like this, I want her focus to be on Christ, not her itchy dress or her shoes that don't feel good or the piece of hardware on her head.  First Communion is a time to celebrate and nobody wants to smile and enjoy if they're uncomfortable.   She's a tomboy and I love her that way, the way God made her!



 



Bath Craft Show

      Grace and I were vendors at the Bath Spring Craft Show this past Saturday.  We were pretty busy at first but then things dwindled down by lunch.  There were plenty of people there but not many were carrying anything.  It was worth it to go, but i wasn't impressed.  I still think that if I'm going to do any real business that I need to leave this area completely. 

        Still, we had fun even though it was a long day!  Grace made me an embroidery sign and some business cards.  She was even handing them out to people.  I had asked her to grab some of my business cards at home and I watched her get into the right cabinet and grab in the right direction but I didn't look to see what she actually pulled out.  When we got to the craft show and asked what she did witht the cards, she gave me some blank index cards.  Whoops!  We did eventually find some cards in some stuff left over from the last craft show but the ones she made were pretty cute. 

       We got home around 6pm that afternoon, the boys got stuff loaded in, Kenny had hamburger on the stove frying, I finished making the tacos, had a beer and went to bed!

My Lovely Big Tote Bags

 

These are my lovely new tote bags!  My Aunt Rhonda made some of these for some of my cousins and they turned out so neat I thought I would give it a go.  They turned out pretty fun to make.  This is kind of ironic because i am one of those wierd women that has only one purse at a time, ever, and usually I am either just carrying my wallet or cash in the back pocket.  But I am loving the purses!  Again I am running into the problem of having more ideas than time.  What to do, what to do.

These bags are a generous 16"W X 20"H and has fleece sandwiched between the liner and ouside for a sturdier bag.  they also have 5 inside pockets and a magnetic snap closure.  I sold  my one and only OSU bag right off the bat and got orders for 2 more so now I am ordering more of the polka dot fabric because they are no longer carrying it at my local fabric store.  I can't wait till it comes in! 

First Craft Show

I had my first ever craft show Sunday!  My friend Amy, ASR DeZingns at http://asrdezigns.blogspot.com/, and I went together for backup support plus I offer embroidery on-site for many of her items.  We are counting it as a learning experience and that is primarily why we went.  We sold alomost nothing due to the fact that about 20 people showed up throughout the course of the day.  We knew that it was going to have a poor showing when we decided to attend, but seeing that it was our first time out, we decide to see it through.  The reason  was that we could make all of our mistakes at this slow craft show so that we would be better prepared for the bigger ones.  We have another craft show again this Saturday at Bath.  I heard that it is expected to be a good one.  They have been doing it for years and always have a full venue and plenty of traffic.  We are not yet considered "seasoned", but at least we aren't going to look like total idiots when we get there. 

That's Amy putting some finishing touches on one of her reversable bags.