Two Dresses

Today I would like to share two dresses I sewed for my daughter. They aren't exactly seasonally appropriate, but I knew if I waited until fall to share them I may forget!

The first is my favorite dress, perhaps even my favorite sewing project of all that I've made. The pattern was a perfect canvas for embellishments, and it was a pleasure to select the fabrics and trims to sew this special dress.

The yoke is sewn from a fine wale corduroy in navy blue. I enjoyed being able to add a little hand embroidery that picked up on the colors in the calico portion of the dress. It was a hard decision when it came time to select a ric-rac, I had a few that coordinated with the calico. 

I loved adding crocheted lace trim to the waist and faux button placket!

The pattern included a hem panel that allowed for a neat lace border. The sleeves are sewn from batiste and also edged in lace. The dress was meant to include a back zipper, but I substituted buttons for the zipper.

Here is a picture of the pattern I used. It is a Gunne Sax pattern from the 1980's. I love finding old Gunne Sax patterns on Ebay. The detailing makes them extra special!

 

The next dress is one that I sewed last fall for my daughter's birthday. I loved this beautiful brown calico! It seemed to compliment the design of the dress and added to the old-fashioned appearance.

 

The shoulder ruffles look so sweet when worn! And I couldn't resist adding a little embroidery to the collar.

The most challenging aspect of sewing this dress were the pintucks. I had to sew the pintucks a few times before they were all straight and even, but I was pleased with the end results.

 

This dress was sewn using a Cinderella pattern from 1980's. I loved the cover art on this pattern. The illustration on the far left was my inspiration when sewing this dress. 

It is always bring me so much joy to sew dresses for my little girl! I have a couple of pretty spring time fabrics sitting in my sewing basket just waiting to be sewn into new dresses and skirts for her. 

I hope you are all enjoying a beautiful springtime season! I hope to share a post soon with some pictures of all of the lovely birds, blossoms, and blooms around here.

"And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it." Psalm 90:17




 

Recent Knitting and Reading

So far winter has been milder than what we are used to in upstate New York, but for those chilly mornings and evening we have enjoyed the cozy warmth provided by our hot water bottles. I must admit that for too long I have wrapped my hot water bottle in a hand towel. It had been on my "to do" list to either sew or knit a cover for a long time and this year I finally did.

I found a few free knitting patterns on-line that I liked, but there were elements of each that I preferred. Some had a bottom opening with buttons while others were actually knit around the hot water bottle. Also the yarn weight varied from sock yarn to super bulky. I ended up borrowing ideas from the patterns I liked best and implemented my favorite features into my own cover.

It had been a very long time since I had done any cable knitting and I found it an enjoyable part of the knitting process. I also was pleased to find these wooden buttons in my button box. I thought they were a nice finishing touch.

Another recent knitting project was this little cardigan sweater for my daughter's doll. It was such fun to knit, and quick too! I am hoping to knit a couple more before my nieces' birthdays.

Earlier this month I read The Blythe Girls: Helen's Strange Boarder. It was a truly delightful read! I discovered the Blythe Girls series in a box of books I purchased from an auction a couple of years back. The stories are about three sisters living on their own during the 1920's. They seem to always coming against unusual predicaments, and occasionally a mystery. I enjoy the 1920's vernacular and the different personalities of the three sisters. They are a fun look at 100 years ago.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I am hoping to once again share here on my blog as time allows. May you have a blessed week!

The Seamstress of Acadie - Review

 As 1754 is drawing to a close, tensions between the French and the British on Canada's Acadian shore are reaching a fever pitch. Seamstress Sylvie Galant and her family--French-speaking Acadians wishing to remain neutral--are caught in the middle, their land positioned between two forts flying rival flags. Amid preparations for the celebration of Noël, the talk is of unrest, coming war, and William Blackburn, the British Army Ranger raising havoc across North America's borderlands.

As summer takes hold in 1755 and British ships appear on the horizon, Sylvie encounters Blackburn, who warns her of the coming invasion. Rather than participate in the forced removal of the Acadians from their land, he resigns his commission. But that cannot save Sylvie or her kin. Relocated on a ramshackle ship to Virginia, Sylvie struggles to pick up the pieces of her life. When her path crosses once more with William's, they must work through the complex tangle of their shared, shattered past to navigate the present and forge an enduring future.

 

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The Seamstress of Acadie is the story of Sylvie Gallant, a young seamstress, living in Acadie (currently Nova Scotia) at the onset of the French and Indian War. Sylvie and her family live within view of the ocean and enjoy tending their beautiful farm and generations old apple orchard. Within months all that they have worked for is taken by force and Sylvie finds herself with the challenge of forging a new life for herself in colonial Williamsburg, Virginia.

This book helped me grow in knowing more about this heartbreaking time in history. The Seamstress of Acadie is a beautifully and thoughtfully written novel. I found the characters and setting to be well crafted and described. The conversations sprinkled with French gave the story an authentic feel. I also appreciated the quotes that headed each chapter. I found them to be engaging and charming especially as many of them are pulled from the time of the story.

This was the first novel I have read by Laura Frantz, but will not be the last. The author’s note at the end of the book was very insightful. It was a pleasure to learn what inspired her to write about the Acadian history.

*I received a complimentary copy of The Seamstress of Acadie from Revell Reads in exchange for my honest review.*