Simplicity 4749

I just won this cute pattern on eBay! It'll need to be sized up but I'm looking forward to sewing it (though whether I'll be able to sneak it in before all the wedding sewing is done, I can't say). :-)

Maudlin or Magdalen?

I ran across an interesting article today -- Maudlin or Magdalen?, which discusses the pronunciation of the word "Magdalen" in Oxford, where it isn't always clear which way you're supposed to say it! I'm always interested to learn more about British pronunciations (especially when they make no sense :-P) and this cleared up a point of confusion for me. Enjoy!

Wedding ring shawl

My friend Susan gave me a beautiful wedding ring shawl as an engagement/birthday gift, so called because it is fine enough to pass through a wedding ring. It is handspun and handknit with 1 ply silk and 1 ply OPTIM (had to Google that, but find it is specially treated wool). Definitely an heirloom to be passed down!

Birthday cake

Same recipe as last year's cake -- when I find a Good Thing, I tend to latch onto it. We are considering using this recipe for our wedding cake, as well.

(This photo was before the 25 candles were added -- gives you an idea of what the wedding cake might look like!)

Bridal attire - an update

Got the fabric for the bridesmaids' skirts! This lovely sueded silk shantung also comes from Denver Fabrics, but I did not purchase it during my visit to the store because I didn't think there was enough fabric left on the bolt (just shy of seven yards). After looking around at other options and swatches I kept coming longingly back to this shantung! Finally my mom suggested a way to get three skirts out of this yardage which I think will work, so I went ahead and ordered it via phone. It coordinates wonderfully with the pink damask for the tops and drapes so beautifully, much better than a synthetic fabric!

The mock-up of my own gown is nearing the end stages (I hope)... Mom and I have been working on ironing out some of the kinks of the hemline today, and I hope to place an order for my fashion fabric soon.

A funny story: last night I tried on my final mock-up, hoping that it would fit well and require minimal alterations -- when suddenly it seemed to be more ill-fitting than ever! After going through three bodice mock-ups you can imagine my frustration! My blood pressure was rising and I couldn't handle working on it anymore at that point, so I took a break. My patient and calm mother took the mock-up to do some work on it and figured out what my problem was -- I had reversed the side front and side back pieces! They are quite similar in shape so during the pattern tracing from mock-up #2 to #3, I accidentally mislabeled the pattern pieces... I am so, so grateful to my mother for sparing me hours of frustration and confusion by discovering my mistake! I honestly could never even think of undertaking the task of sewing my own wedding gown if it wasn't for my mother's help.

A favorite passage

...They came to the wagon, waiting for them in front of Fuller's hardware store. Something bulky stood in the wagon box, covered with a horse blanket. Laura wondered what it was, but she had no time to look, for Pa untied the horses quickly and they all started home.

"What have you got in back, Charles?" Ma asked.

"I can't show you now, Caroline. Wait until we get home," Pa answered.

At home he stopped the wagon close to the house door. "Now girls," he said, "take your own packages in, but leave mine alone until I get back from putting up the horses. Don't you peek under the blanket either!"

He unhitched the horses and hurried them away.

"Now whatever can that be?" Ma said to Laura. They waited. As soon as possible, Pa came hurrying back. He lifted the blanket away, and there stood a shining new sewing machine.

"Oh, Charles!" Ma gasped.

"Yes, Caroline, it is yours," Pa said proudly. "There'll be a lot of extra sewing, with Mary coming home and Laura going away, and I thought you'd need some help."

"But how could you?" Ma asked, touching the shiny black iron of the machine's legs.

"I had to sell a cow anyway, Caroline; there wouldn't be room in the stable next winter unless I did," Pa explained. "Now if you will help me unload this thing, we will take its cover off and see how it looks."

A long time ago, Laura remembered, a tone in Ma's voice when she spoke of a sewing machine had made Laura think that she wanted one. Pa had remembered that.

He took the endgate out of the wagon, and he and Ma and Laura lifted the sewing machine carefully down and carried it into the sitting room, while Carrie and Grace hovered around excitedly. Then Pa lifted the box-cover of the machine and they stood in silent admiration.

"It is beautiful," Ma said at last, "and what a help it will be. I can hardly wait to use it."

--excerpt from These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder, published 1943

Musings on authors

Sisters Shannon at A Maiden's Musings and Tiffany at A High Calling tagged me for this literary-themed meme, so how could I resist? :-)

Who is your all-time favorite author and why?
It's tough to pick just one! I'm going to latch onto the adjective "all-time" and pick Agatha Christie, since she's been on my list of favorite authors for 13 years! I read my first Christie mystery, Murder for Christmas, when I was 11, and went through the rest of her mystery novels in the ensuing three years. Her writing style isn't particularly spectacular and some of her books can get a little tedious in the middle, but overall her plots are engaging, her characters realistic, and her books are just plain fun to read! I like to take her books travelling with me since it's easy to get lost in the plot anytime, anywhere. My personal favorite is By the Pricking of My Thumbs.

Who was your first favorite author and why? Do you still consider him/her to be among your favorites?
My first favorite author was probably Lloyd Alexander. He wrote a five-book children's fantasy series called the Prydain Chronicles, consisting of The Book of Three, The Black Cauldron, The Castle of Llyr, Taran Wanderer, and The High King. I think my mom first started reading them to me when I was 10 or 11. His books grabbed my imagination in a way that The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia never did (at that age, at least). I still really enjoy re-reading the Prydain Chronicles and my hardcover set is a cherished possession.

Who is the most recent addition to your list of favorite authors, and why?
Dorothy Sayers is actually a relatively recent addition. My mom had been trying to get me to read her books for years and for some reason I was just never interested. Then in spring 2005 I got sick and while I was laying on the couch in misery, I started watching my mom's DVD adaptations of Strong Poison, Have His Carcase, and Gaudy Night. I got hooked and started plowing through her books, and was delighted to find that her writing is even better than her plots!

If someone asked you who your favorite authors were right now, which authors would first pop out of your mouth?
Charlotte Brontë, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, John Masefield, Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Evelyn Waugh, Daphne du Maurier, P. G. Wodehouse, Madeleine L'Engle, Flora Thompson.

If you've made it this far, consider yourself tagged! Feel free to post your answers on your own blog or in the comments.

[EDIT: I forgot to add the official rules! Here they are:
Link to the person that tagged you, post the rules somewhere in your meme, answer the questions, tag six people in your post, let the tagees know they’ve been chosen by leaving a comment on their blog, let the tagger know your entry is posted.]

Royal Albert teacups

The latest issue of TeaTime magazine highlights ten commemorative teaware designs put out by Royal Albert in honor of their 100th anniversary. Each of the ten designs comes from a different decade of the 20th century. I was immediately drawn to the 1930s design, Polka Rose:


It speaks to my girlish heart with its soft, muted colors, pretty polka dots, and pink roses. However, if I had to choose one for use in my home, I think I'd go with the elegant and classic Edwardian set, Regency Blue:


Which of the ten decades do you favor?

Ask if yon damask rose be sweet...

If ever I thought that I could have my bridal attendants purchase their gowns, one stop at a bridal shop was enough to put that notion to rest! Thankfully, my mother-in-law-to-be and my mother are both wonderful seamstresses and are happy to help me sew some dresses for my bridesmaids.

While I was in Colorado over the weekend, Douglas and I were able to make a stop at Denver Fabrics. I didn't have a hard and fast idea of what I wanted the girls to wear, except for the color -- pale pink. While browsing, I found this lovely 100% silk damask in their bridal section (at a reduced price, even!). I thought the damask would be too overwhelming for a full-length gown, so I took some swatches home and pondered what I could do with it.


A browse of LanetzLiving yielded several possibilities, with McCall's 3571 (view A) being an all-around favorite. Bingo! We can use the damask for the lovely top and find a coordinating plain pink for the skirt.

My three new sisters-to-be, Emily (nearly 24), Alanna (nearly 15), and Louisa (11) are going to be my attendants. I'm quite thrilled to finally be gaining some sisters. :-)

Dotted swiss

I attended a wedding over the weekend with Douglas, which afforded me the opportunity to wear a dress I made last September (all except for the hem and zipper -- the weather turned too cold for me to wear it last fall, so I finished it this spring).


The pattern is Vogue 8182 (very '60s-looking!) and the fabric is some dotted swiss from my stash. I made the pattern as is, except for raising each side of the neckline by one inch. Cotton perhaps wasn't the best choice for this project, as it doesn't quite drape as it should around the shoulder gathers, but I do love the fabric!

Pearl necklace courtesy of my fiancé. :-)