A wedding

On Saturday my brother, Nathan, and I attended the wedding of some friends, and Nathan was one of the groomsmen. It was held in a campground in the Hocking Hills of Ohio, which means lots of greenery and lots of hills! (Driving to the camp recalled this episode.) The ceremony itself took place in a wooded glen with rustic benches, surrounded by towering trees and decorated with beautiful purple wildflowers. The bride was lovely in a simple satin halter gown with chiffon straps that wound together down the back and fell in a graceful cascade. And, of course, Nathan was the most handsome groomsman.

I'll share some photos later if I can!

Excerpt from my current reading

[From a humorous memoir of family hiking vacations in the Lake District in the 1930's...]

"Lobstone Band was a cleft, part mine spoil, part erosion, descending abruptly into Rosthwaite. From the top it looked like a stone and scree [loose rock debris] waterfall disappearing into a void, and Grandpa went over the edge with Rob, faithfully copying the heel and loose kneed method of descent, following after. The women were left to fend for themselves.

'Dig in your heels,' said Mother, 'and on no account run.' This was good advice if I could have followed it, but my smooth soled school shoes were like skis on the loose scree and in no time I was on a disaster course, finishing up sprawled against a boulder.

Aunt Meg followed more circumspectly but holding her stomach with an expression of agony. 'It's no good, I'll have to stop. My corselette's worked up.'

Aunt Meg wasn't exactly fat, but she wasn't exactly thin either and her corselette, a pink rubber tube, supposedly ironed out the bulges without the constriction of whalebone corsets. But, like squeezed toothpaste, the bulges had to go somewhere, and though the punched airholes in the rubber tube offered slight escape for some of it, giving her, when she removed the garment, an embossed look, like a pink blotter cover, most of it was shot up under her rib cage. This caused some distortion and danger to the lungs if the corselette lost its never secure anchorage and in working up put yet more pressure on the stomach. She was quite purple.

'Quick, behind that rock!' said Mother, and to me -- 'keep watch!'

This was my usual role at these delicate moments, but what Mother and Aunt Meg thought I could do to bar the path to a really determined band of walkers I never discovered.

When we finally picked our way to the bottom of that grim chimney my knee had bled into my sock, Aunt Meg, though a better colour, was tearful as Mother had threatened to burn her corselette, and Mother's hair was coming down again."

--A Lakeland Summer by Elizabeth Battrick, published 1979

New skirt #2

New scarlet skirt

And matching red toes!


The pattern is Simplicity 5914; the fabric, a linen-rayon blend. The skirt design is rather 40s-ish (almost identical to the skirt in this pattern) and I think it would be perfect for swing dancing -- wide enough to give you ease of movement, but no Marilyn Monroe moments when you twirl!

I just cut out a white linen skirt from the same pattern (view A), which I'll share tomorrow, Lord willing.

Another snapshot from the Lake District

Here I am in the same graveyard as yesterday's post, looking toward the road. Did you ever see such daffodils?!

"Thou who has given me eyes to see,
And love this sight so fair,
Give me a heart to find out Thee
And read Thee everywhere."

--on the gateway to Orrest Head summit, near Lake Windermere

The Lake District

We finally watched Miss Potter tonight, so I was inspired to dig out some photos from one of my visits to the beautiful Lake District. This is my lovely friend Mare-Ona in April 2004, when she and I drove a loop through the north of England. Actually, I can't recall exactly where this graveyard is, but it's somewhere along the A592 road which runs through the Lake District National Park. Like that helps. :)

Here's an excerpt from my journal at the time:

April 2, 2004

Today Mare-Ona and I stopped for lunch by the lake called Ullswater. It was lovely to sit and eat and listen to the lapping water. There were lots of daffodils scattered about. We ate pizza, cous-cous, and garlic bread, then had tea and yogurt for dessert. This came back to haunt us as we drove through the WINDING hills getting to Beatrix Potter's house. We had to stop and take a break to eat some fruit and get over feeling sick.

Ha!

We didn't actually get to go inside Beatrix Potter's house -- due to some misinformation from the tourist info guide, we arrived the day before the house opened for the season. But we caught a glimpse from the gate!

Advance 5677

Another eBay purchase! Somebody stop me. Here's the whole sordid story of how difficult it is to buy a vintage '50s wrap blouse pattern on eBay.

Inspired by a fabulous wrap blouse worn by Sophia Loren in Houseboat, I took a look on eBay for patterns and immediately found a great one. I am not kidding you, it ended up selling for over $50!! Other similar ones I found were also in hot demand. I was the only person who bid on this poor li'l pattern, probably because it is a very small size (I'm not afraid to draft up!) and the pattern envelope isn't in the greatest condition.

Anyway, it had my two prerequisites: 3/4-length kimono sleeves and a higher neckline. When I do make it, I'll probably make the ties a little less... huge. But won't it be great in a crisp white cotton shirting?

Great-Grandma Irene's pie crust

This is a very basic recipe that has never failed me. It makes a two-crust pie for an 8" or 9" pan, or else two single-crust pies. I've used it for pies and quiches alike!

• 2 cups flour
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 cup Crisco
  
• 1/3 cup milk

Combine flour and salt. Using a pastry blender or a fork, mash Crisco into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Combine milk with the rest of the mixture (I just use my clean hands for this part). Use plenty of flour when rolling out!

Of course, I keep this recipe in Grandma Irene's recipe box.

Think about such things

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things."

--Philippians 4:8

"Subtleties of feminine refinement"

(photo by Toshi Otsuki from the July 2000 issue of Victoria --
and have you heard? Victoria is coming back!)
"He was savoring for the first time the ineffable subtleties of feminine refinement. Never had he encountered this grace of language, this quiet taste in dress, these relaxed, dovelike postures. He marveled at the sublimity of her soul and at the lace on her petticoat."

--Madame Bovary, by Gustave Flaubert (translated by Francis Steegmuller), originally published in 1857

More stash

(See yesterday's post for part one.)



Another fabric from my friend Susan -- she calls it the "wallpaper" fabric. :) I think it would make a lovely cotton Regency dress, but I'm not sure if I've got enough fabric to make one for myself... so perhaps this will be another length of fabric destined for any daughters I may have!



I bought five yards of this polyester georgette when it was on sale for $2/yard, thinking I could use it to make an inexpensive yet snazzy 1930s dress. I quite like the sleeveless version of EvaDress 1432... but perhaps the floral would be too "busy"?



Actually, this retro "atomic" cotton (or poly-cotton) print is from when I was 12 or 13 -- I think I bought it thinking my mom would make me a '60s shift dress. For one reason or another, it never got done, and it's still in my stash. Now I'm not sure what on earth I'd make with it... a skirt?! Otherwise, this may be headed for eBay.



More from Susan -- a lovely off-white cotton gauze with a white plaid over it. I think this would make a lovely, simple summer dress, but I haven't found the perfect pattern yet.



And, for fun, this gingham print with fruits and veggies! I love the colors! This will become an apron at some point, most like as a gift for someone else. (Wouldn't it be great with red bias binding?)

Not shown: about five yards of cream wool, about five yards of white seersucker, some light blue knit, etc. etc.! In two years of sewing, I've sure accumulated quite the stash!

Fabric stash (long post!)

Inspired by this post at A Dress A Day, I thought I'd get out some of my stash so I could visualize what I've got and maybe get motivated to do some stash-busting. I love looking at other people's stashes, so therefore you will probably love looking at mine. :)



This light blue dotted swiss has been in my mom's stash for around 15 years. She originally bought it to make me a dress during a homeschool study unit on Switzerland. However, I didn't like the fabric choice and would have none of it (what an awful child!). Well, 15 years later, Mom is vindicated, since I like it now and plan to make a dress out of it. I think there's about 4 yards, but I'm waiting to find a pattern that will do justice to this beautiful fabric.



Similarly, this is four yards of black and white polka-dotted cotton that I bought recently with a coupon from a local craft store. (The polka dots are quite small -- if you're further than 3 or 4 feet away, the fabric just looks gray.) I vaguely had in mind this pattern, but since the pattern calls for five yards and I only bought four, I'm not sure what I was thinking. Hmmm!



I bought this gorgeous wool plaid at Denver Fabrics about a year ago, thinking I would make it into an ankle-length, bias-cut, A-line skirt. However, when I later looked at the fabric on the bias, I realized that the plaid does not make squares, it makes rectangles, and that wouldn't look so great on the bias. Now I'm hoping I might have just enough to make EvaDress 5569 in the longer length!



I salivate when I look at this fabric -- it is soooo beautiful! When our local Hancock Fabrics was going out of business earlier this spring, I got this length of herringbone wool for 70% off. Unfortunately there was only a little over a yard left on the bolt, but I think it's enough to make myself a simple winter skirt.



This fabric is 2-1/2 yards of Austrian challis given to me by my friend Susan. The quality is simply gorgeous. For now I'm saving it until I have a daughter, hopefully one who loves The Sound of Music so I can make her an Austrian dirndl out of this. :)

Part two coming later!

Old trees

We live in the northeast corner of our li'l Midwestern town. One of the things I love most about our section of town is its age. We actually have tall trees everywhere in this neighborhood, which may not seem like much, but consider what state we are in (Nebraska)! We are also fortunate enough to live very near a nice park and a beautiful old cemetery, both of which have plenty of lovely old trees. Bike-riding and walking are very pleasant things to do in this neighborhood.

Reasons for feminine dress

Since I've started wearing skirts and dresses more often on a daily basis, people have noticed and commented on it (always favorably). Sometimes I'm able to share my reasons for doing so. Here they are:

It's a reflection of what's going on inside of me. A few years ago, during a spiritual and emotional low-point in my life, I didn't take care of my appearance at all. I was not happy inside and I'm sure my appearance showed it. Deliberately taking the time to look nice now is a way to outwardly show the "hope that is within me."

It blesses my parents. And, in future, I expect it will bless my husband. For instance, today I am wearing a brightly colored floral skirt with a simple white top. When my dad came home for lunch, he commented several times on how nice I looked. My mom also notices and appreciates when I take the time to make myself look feminine. It reflects well on them to other people who may see me.

It reminds me to be more feminine. Wearing skirts or dresses is a constant reminder to behave in a more ladylike fashion. I simply feel more feminine and thus my actions reflect that!

It's fun! I don't think I ever outgrew the impulse to play "dress up." It certainly is fun to wear lovely clothes!

(Note: I don't think that exclusively wearing skirts or dresses necessarily makes you feminine -- femininity begins in the heart. For a treasure trove of worthy articles that address this issue, please visit Ladies Against Feminism's section on Femininity & Modesty.)

Herb garden

This spring, my mom and I converted the space that was formerly occupied by our trampoline into a circular herb garden. We marked off paths and created eight "pie slices" in which to plant our favorite herbs. The bunnies loved it, so we had to fence off the garden with chicken wire, and now most of the plants are doing very well indeed.


Our original list included thyme, sage, chives, dill, parsley, lavender, basil, and cilantro. Only three of my sage seedlings survived so we planted some lettuce in that space in the meantime.


Likewise, the dill seedlings didn't do so well, so we will probably try again next year. I am most thrilled with the basil, which is thriving. So far I've used it to make my favorite summer salad and a tomato-basil quiche. Yum!

Love's Labours Lost

On Friday evening, Douglas and I and two other friends took a weekend excursion to see Love's Labours Lost. I did not get the entire play read beforehand, unfortunately, but the acting and physical humor helped me to understand the parts of the play I hadn't read. This particular production was set in the 1930s, believe it or not! I wondered if that era was chosen because of the Kenneth Branaugh film, which I've heard is also set in the '30s. At any rate, I very much enjoyed my introduction to this play.

4th of July

My long-time (i.e., 18.5 years) friend Douglas has been visiting us this week. Yesterday morning we kicked off the day by going tubing on the Platte River. There wasn't a whole lot of water in the river, but there was enough to float, if you sort of held your body semi-rigid and didn't let your bottom skim along the sandy river bed. :)

Noontime brought a picnic with my grandparents and far too much food, as usual. My mom made homemade vanilla ice cream and my grandmother made her traditional flag cake.

After lunch and a few rounds of "Othello," Douglas and I went to a friend's party and spent several hours playing lawn games and visiting with other friends. We declined to accompany them to a local concert and fireworks viewing, however, and went and purchased some "explosive devices" for ourselves. After watching the official city fireworks display, Dad and Douglas gleefully set off our own fireworks, thus ending a full but satisfying Fourth of July.

I hope you all had a happy time with family and friends, too!