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




 

Quiet Days

Already we are feeling spring in the air! Usually we have snow on the ground, and more in our weather forecasts, in the middle of March*. This week has been warmer and rainy.

Adam has been busy in the garden this week. He has cultivated a couple of beds and is getting ready to plant peas and beets.

  Before the springtime flowers are in full bloom I wanted to share some pictures of my African violets. At this point they aren't blooming quite so profusely as they were when I took these pictures back in January. I love how my African violets are most vibrant during the long winter months. They help cheer me through the dark winter days.

  Once spring arrives I will need to re-pot my violets. Two of my plants have grown new plants.

  During the winter months I tend to enjoy baking more than I do the rest of the year. When I was growing up my mom would often bake a recipe called "Cinnamon Flop Bread". I loved waking up to the smell of cinnamon on a Saturday

  Baking something delicious is a great way to make a dark rainy day feel cozy and comforting.

   The picture above shows what the "bread" should look like before baking. The cinnamon flop in the blue pan has been sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, while the other has not. I did this so could see how to distribute the butter.

Cinnamon Flop Bread

1 cup sugar (I use brown)

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 Tbsp. melted butter

1 cup milk

Mix and spread into two greased pans. I will often use one bread pan and a pie plate, but two bread pans would work too.

Dot with one stick of butter that has been cut into small pieces. Sprinkle with mixture of 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes

  Recently I sewed this dirndl for my daughter. She loves wearing this style of dress and was especially pleased with the pink ribbons! It is a very versatile outfit, lately she has been wearing the dirndl with a turtle neck or tee-top. Once the weather is warmer the dirndl will be worn with a white peasant blouse.

 The dirndl pattern I used was designed by my mom with a little help from myself. My mom makes a variety of European inspired dresses and sells them here.

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust."
Psalm 91:1-2 

*I wrote this post last week.

A New Favorite Dress

As you may guess from the pictures, this is a dress I sewed sometime last year and it has taken me quite a while to find the time to write this post. In fact I sewed this dress sometime last summer, as it was one of my entries in our county fair!

  It quickly became one of Jemimah's favorite dresses! The ribbons, ruffles, embroidery and bows made this dress irresistible to my ruffle and ribbon loving daughter!

 The pattern is from the early 1980's. I was drawn by the details of this pattern. You don't often see patterns with this many options for embellishments. It was hard for me to choose which style to sew first! I look forward to sewing the option with the cream sleeves and apron at some point, maybe come fall.

 I decided to sew view three, as I was especially drawn to the ribbon inset. I had hoped to find a fabric that would coordinate with red ribbon, since it looked so lovely on the pattern envelope. But I was pleased with the navy calico I was able to find and the gold ribbons are a more subtle accent.

 My daughter was very pleased with the little bows on the wrists. They seemed to make the dress extra special to her.

The "V" shaping of the bodice gives this dress an old-fashioned fair tale look. My little girl looks a bit like Goldilocks whenever she wears this dress! : )

We were also extremely pleased when this dress won best of sewing at our county fair.

I hope you have all been enjoying a peaceful and cozy winter so far. Have you been working on any special projects?

Frontier Shirt

 Each Christmas I try to make a special gift for Adam. This year I made Adam a Cavalry/Frontier shirt. I have admired this style shirt for gentlemen for quite a while and have dreamed of sewing one for Adam.

Last winter Adam and I watched "Call of the Wild" from 1935. We both really enjoyed the movie, and Adam decided that he must have a shirt like the one Clark Gable and his friend wore in the movie. The shirts worn in the movie were sewn from a thick checked wool. The shirts looked so warm and cozy, just perfect for traveling across Alaska. It seemed the perfect time to sew Adam a square bib shirt.

I was excited to begin work on the shirt, but had a little difficulty finding a pattern, mostly because I didn't know what to call the style. I was delighted when I came across the Folkwear Frontier Shirt Pattern. After more than one failure in making garments for Adam I went forward with this project with much caution. Thankfully I found the pattern to be extremely well designed! All of the pieces went together perfectly and the construction methods recommended by the pattern were perfect.

I love all of the details in the design of this shirt. The front "bib" covers a slit in the front, so the shirt can easily be pulled over the head.

The construction method for the back yoke was terrific and went together with greater ease than I had expected. It looks a bit wrinkled in the picture due to a number of washings and it is flannel. When I make another Frontier shirt for Adam I plan to use wool or at least a wool blend.

I also liked how the v-design from the back yoke was mimicked in the cuff.

Most of all I am so pleased that Adam is enjoying his shirt! He loves to wear it on the weekends while working outside. He says that it more comfortable than wearing a t-shirt and yet keeps him nice and warm. He has even chopped wood while wearing this shirt and claims that it allows him a greater range of arm motion than a typical button up shirt.

McCall's 1104

A few years ago I began collecting vintage apron patterns. I enjoy the variety of styles and unique details found in older apron patterns. It is amazing to contemplate just how many different apron patterns were available in the 1930's through the 1960's. Women must have enjoyed sewing aprons during that time period and they must have enjoyed individualizing their aprons to reflect their own special sense of style.

 One of the first truly vintage apron patterns I purchased was McCall's 1104. Originally I found the pattern on Pinterest, and then began searching for a copy to purchase on Etsy and Ebay. Thankfully it is a fairly common pattern, and from what I have observed it appears that it was reprinted more than once.

One of my favorite features of this apron is the back button design. I dislike aprons that ties at the back of my neck, as they seem to pull and grow uncomfortable throughout the day. When I discovered this design I was immediately taken with the back button closure. Not only is it cute, it is comfortable! After making two aprons from this pattern for myself I can attest to the fact that this design is very wearable for a long day of working.

Besides being practical I think this apron is very flattering! The smooth front and slight gathering at the sides above the waist are a perfectly lovely detail.

Over the years I have had great fun selecting fabric and coordinating bias binding for these aprons. I think the fine bias binding adds the perfect vintage touch.

One fabric that has proven to be a favorite when paired with this apron design is this sweet chicken print. Last week I used the last of this fabric to sew one last golden/cream chicken apron.

I am hoping to share a little more about the vintage apron patterns I have collected and currently sew and sell in my Etsy shop. I have added a page at the top of my blog specifically for this type of post.

 
 

Snow and Home

This morning we awoke to over a foot of snow. Generally we do not have this much snow in November, so it was a bit of a surprise!

With the shorter days and longer nights it helps to keep busy with fun projects. I thought I would share a couple of my recent projects today.

Over the past couple of years I have read several articles about the many health benefits of bone broth. Making bone broth has been on my "to do" list for just as long. Last month I felt like I was coming down with a cold, but after drinking hot bone broth throughout the day all symptoms subsided. At that point I decided I needed to learn how to make bone broth and stock up for the winter ahead!

Making bone broth in a crock pot is very simple. I took the carcass of a chicken that I had roasted for dinner the night before, and placed that in my crock pot with some celery, garlic and onion. I covered the carcass and vegetables with water, then add 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. I cooked my broth on low for 24 hours. From what I have read you may cook the broth anywhere from 12-36 hours. I really enjoyed this article about making homemade bone broth.

Last month I made my first successful batch of soap! I was thrilled. I first attempted to make soap about eight years ago. Unfortunately each time I tried to make a batch of soap something would go wrong. Each batch was a failure for a different reason, so I would overcome one problem only to create a new problem. In great frustration I gave up. About two years ago while going through some totes in the attic we came across my tote of soap making equipment and supplies. Adam was intrigued and expressed an interest in making some soap. I explained my past experiences, and then told him he could use my supplies at his own risk! : ) He did, and much to my surprise he made a beautiful batch of lavender soap! After that Adam made several batches of lovely soap.

Witnessing Adam's success finally inspired me to give soap making a second try, and I am so glad I did! Adam guided me through how he made soap, and explained how I might have gone wrong in the past. Since then I have made three batches of soap: rose geranium/patchouli, bergamot/Earl Grey and lavender goat's milk (my favorite!). The soap to the left is the bergamot/Earl Grey, the black specks are pieces of Earl Grey tea, it smells so lovely! This is the recipe I used.

When the weather began to grow cooler this fall I began searching for a fall jacket to purchase for Jemimah. Much to my surprise it was difficult to find a simple, cozy jacket. All of the girls' jackets I found were too lightweight or a color I didn't care for. I considered sewing a jacket, but our nearest JoAnn's Fabric store is a bit of a drive and she needed a jacket sooner than later. 

The first cool autumn day that we went shopping I was considering where I might purchase material to sew a jacket, or a jacket, and decided to visit a Mennonite general store not far from where we live. I spotted this simple gray jacket, only to discover that it was a boys' jacket. All of the girls' jackets were very lightweight.

The price was right, and it was very warm. So I decided I could over look the fact that it was a boys' jacket. Jemimah on the other hand could not overlook the fact that it was a boys' jacket and refused to wear it. 

My mom then had the brilliant idea of adding floral ribbon, and I decided to add a little embroidery too. Jemimah now loves her jacket! It was such a quick and easy was to transform a simple "boys'" jacket into a darling little girls' jacket. It ended up costing less too, less even then sewing a jacket myself. It is so neat to see how the Lord provides!

Earlier this month I finally got around to making apple sauce. We had purchased a bushel of apples, and with so many apple on hand we have enjoyed eating a variety of apple dishes. I believe the unanimous favorite has been apple crisp. It is a snap to prepare, but absolutely delicious served warm from the oven with a glass of milk or cup of tea.

Apple Crisp

5 cups apples, peeled and sliced

3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Spread apples in 1 1/2 quart baking dish. Combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl, and rub in the butter with your fingers until it resembles coarse crumbs. Spread evenly over the apples. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the crust is browned. Serve with heavy cream.

I hope you are all enjoying the slower days of autumn. What projects are keeping you busy on these snowy days?

"The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad." Psalm 126:3

Patchwork Quilt

Last month I completed a pinwheel patchwork quilt that I have been working on for a very long time. I actually began work on this quilt prior to marrying Adam. I planned to make a twin quilt for my bed back home using scrap fabric from my many sewing projects. After becoming engaged I had the ambitious idea of sewing a queen sized quilt. I continued to add blocks to my collection, but never quite enough to complete the quilt.

Unfortunately the pinwheel blocks sat in my work basket untouched for a few years until recently.

 My sister found two vintage wooden twin beds along side the road one day. She refurbished one for her little one and gave me the other. It was then that I knew that my patchwork blocks had finally found their destiny! : ) I had enough blocks to sew a twin sized quilt.

This has been a special project for me. Many of the fabric used are now over 15 years old, while some are more recent. The blue and pink square above was sewn from fabric left over from two dresses I sewed for myself. The pink on white calico was a dress I sewed when I was 17. I wore it often to when we began our sewing business and sold at a local Farmers' market. The blue was left from a dress I sewed when engaged to Adam. I wore the dress while on our honeymoon.

The pretty pink rose fabric in the block above was leftover from my sisters' bridesmaid dresses.

Instead of purchasing extra wide backing fabric I decided to piece together some fabric I had on hand. I found it a little difficult to "sandwich" all three layers together. I ended up watching a video that explained how, that definitely helped! But still it was a little tricky since I didn't have a lot of space to spread out.

 I also found a neat video that explained how to attach binding. If I hadn't been in such a hurry I would have liked to have hand stitched the binding, but decided to machine stitch in order to save time. Jemimah was quite impressed with the quilting pins I purchased. She expressed her disappointment that the pins were not a permanent part of the quilt. : )

Instead of quilting my quilt, I used embroidery thread ties. I spent one weekend working away at stitching in approximately 200 ties! It was fun, and possibly my favorite step in creating this quilt.

This project has certainly been a learning experience! It is far from perfect, but with each mistake I have learned how I will do things differently next time.

 Winston also approves of the new bed and quilt. Whenever he comes into the house, and then disappears, we know that he has gone to Jemimah's room!

Adam is now hoping that I will sew a quilt for our bed. I hope to at some point. I definitely have enough scarp fabric to do so! He is always hinting that my scrap fabric collection is getting a little out of hand. I guess I have my work cut out for me... well not quite.

September/October

  This fall has been beautiful. The days have been remarkably warm and summer like. We have been enjoying spending as much time outside as we can, hence my absence from my blog. : ) 

The month of September was lovely! We enjoyed the bounty of our garden, which was our best harvest since living here. Adam's berry bushes really took off this year. In the picture above is just some of the elderberries he collected this fall! We have frozen the berries and look forward to making elderberry pies in the near future. Adam's blackberries, red raspberries and red currants did equally well. We have been enjoying delicious pies and jams with even greater pleasure since the fruit came from our own garden.

 This is just one day of my canning efforts. Like previous years I canned tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, soups, zucchini, pickles and several jams. If interested in any of the recipes I used, I included links in this post. In addition to canning I froze some baked goods this year. We had such an abundance of zucchini I decided to make a variety of zucchini breads and our favorite zucchini cookies to freeze. Already we have enjoyed baking a few cookies or a mini loaf of zucchini bread on a rainy weekend.

 Last month we celebrated Jemimah's fourth birthday! She is such a sweet little girl and a wonderful friend. We officially began homeschooling last month. Last year we did some Pre-K work with work books I picked up at the store. This year we are using a complete Pre-K curriculum. We are enjoying the curriculum and Jemimah looks forward to school time each morning.

 With the return of cooler weather I have resumed my habit of making a weekly batch of soup. Some may remember one of my favorite recipes that I shared quite a while back, stuffed pepper soup. Recently my mom had the brilliant idea of making cabbage roll soup, in much the same way we made our stuffed pepper soup. It is delicious, and I may like it even better than the stuffed pepper soup!

 For those who may like to try to make some themselves, here is the recipe.

Cabbage Roll Soup

• 1 cup rice (prepare with water amount recommended)* 
• 1 pound ground beef
• 4-5 cups of shredded cabbage
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 jar spaghetti sauce
• 1 can diced tomatoes, undrained 
• 1 can (14 ounces) beef broth

Directions:
Prepare rice according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook the beef and onion until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the shredded cabbage, spaghetti sauce, tomatoes and broth. Simmer until cabbage is fully cooked and tender. Add prepared rice; heat through.
*In my last batch I omitted the rice and added extra cabbage, it was still delicious! 

 Throughout the summer months I did very little knitting or crocheting due to the heat, but I did manage to finally complete my socks in time for the cooler weather. : ) I am so pleased with the finished results! I have begun to knit a pair of socks for Jemimah, and I suspect that they will take a lot less time, considering the size difference.

This week I have enjoyed collecting some of my scrap fabric to create a Dresden plate design for a pillow cover. I made a similar pillow cover last year, and I have wanted to make another for the other rocking chair in our living room.

 Here is a picture of the pillow I made last year, to give you an idea of how the pillow will look when finished. The design is fairly simple to sew together and I love to see so many beloved calico scraps being put to a good use.

 Speaking of fabric.... when we were out the other weekend I discovered that one of my favorite fabric shops was having a sale. I couldn't resist purchasing a couple of my favorites with aprons in mind.

Recently I added a few "autumnal themed" items to my Etsy shop.

 And of course a few new aprons!

 And to close this post I'd like to introduce our kitten Miranda. We adopted Miranda back in June and she is truly a joy! Jemimah loves her dearly, as do Adam and I. We named Miranda after one of my favorite Grace Livingston Hill characters, and she certainly is living up to her namesake's reputation for being mischievous but loving!

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding; 

 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths."

Proverbs 3:5-6