Oh my! How time flies!

The past couple of months have been packed full, that’s for sure. And it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. I have had absolutely no time to get into the sewing room…. Well, that’s a bit of a lie. lol. I was in there for a bit last week, straightening up a bit, while looking for my Netflix disc of Anne of a Thousand Days. I wasn’t in there long, and didn’t get much down, but I was in there. And, that’s all that counts, right? As for finding any time soon to get in there? Well, that doesn’t look very promising, either. With Katie’s upcoming graduation in June, additional college visit to the college she will be attending in the fall, my upcoming company trip to Chicago, preparations for Katie’s senior prom, as well as a ton of other things, time is quickly getting away from me. But, I will forge ahead, and try to find time for the sewing in the meantime.

As for what I will actually be sewing this year… Well, a large portion of my sewing wish list will have to be put on the back burner, and maybe for some time. With some recent developments, costuming events will be very limited, at least for a while. This is partially due to low finances, and partially due to other reasons. But, I will forge ahead with my costume sewing when I can, as I dearly love putting together such beautiful recreations from the past. So, keep watching this spot, to see what happens next. And, to give you a bit of new viewing content, I have recently added a Pattern Reviews section. This section is dedicated to my thoughts an opinions of the patterns I have personally used over the past several years. I will continue to add to these as I go. Please feel free to comment with your thoughts and/or questions. Or, if you do not wish to comment publically, please feel free to email me at justblamejane at gmail.com

In other news, a couple of the ladies and I have decided to have a monthly luncheon. We have deemed this to be a potluck luncheon with the express purpose of sharing coupons, frugal ideas and helpful hints to help each other out. That, and to make sure we get in some quality girl time. We are calling it the Miss Penny Pincher’s luncheon. Our first one was a great success, despite the fact that I left my coupon organizer at home. lol. But, I did remember the homemade chicken salad and fresh backed bread that I made. Miss PJ made a meat and cheese tray, and Miss Elma brought a mixed fruit platter. We had such a great time, we can’t wait till next months.

Until next time…. Happy Sewing!

It’s a case of: Good News, Bad News

It’s only Tuesday, but it’s already been that kind of week. So, we’ll start with the good news!

Over on the EP, Angie and I have announced that we are taking donations of patterns, in exchange for a fair and honest review. Since we love doing pattern reviews, we thought this might be a way to broaden our pattern horizons, so to speak. We will be accepting donations from pattern companies and readers. If you would like to check it out, pop on over the Emerald Parlor and have a peek.

Now for the bad news. I got a call from the high school today that Katie was in the clinic. She had nearly passed out and hit her head. I was finally able to clear up things enough at work so that I could leave. I had every intention of taking her to the little clinic in the drug store. Instead of taking the short time advertised to be seen, we where there for hours. When we were finally seen, she immediately sent us to the urgent care across the street, thinking she may have had an appendicitis. Once we got to the urgent care, they announced that she had a stomach flu. That was a huge relief. However, they followed through with my request to check her blood sugar. It was 414! For those not familiar with what a blood sugar reading should be, it should be well under 120. My poor baby has diabetes. I had already set an appointment for her to see a new family doctor, as I was worried. That appointment isn’t until February 19th. So, in the meantime, she will have to cut out all sugars, carbs and starches. She will also need to get back to exercising, as they said that her marching band activities most likely kept her diabetes in check enough for us not to notice what was happening. Granted her condition is manageable, and we found out before anything really bad happened, but I still feel sad and angry. I do ask why this skipped me and picked one of my children. I could handle it so much better if it had happened to me. I know it does no good to think that way. But, I will do what I can to help her and show my support. We will be doing a complete life style change to help get everything under control.

Well, I have had my excitement for the week, I am now ready for the weekend, thank you very much! As for my sewing activities, they are still non-existent. I hope to fix that this weekend. But first, the sewing room is still in great need of a good cleaning. With the hubby  back to his normal work schedule, I hope, I may have time in the evenings to get some things done. But, we will see. So, until later… Happy Sewing!

2013 Costume Wish List

Usually at or before the beginning of the year, I like to work up a list of costume projects that I want to work on. This usually includes planning each garment for the costume, including the patterns, materials, notions and accessories. Before deciding to put together wardrobes by era, we usually planned projects only by the events we had lined up for the year, but this has all changed.  So, here is my “wish list” of costume projects that I would like to work on for the year:

- 1920′s Sheer “Jazz Baby” Dress (in the planning stages for the Tipsy Tea and Gatsby Movie)
- Titanic Era Dress
- 1913 Travel Suit (in the planning stages for the 100th anniversary of the flood in Ohio)
- 18th c. Caraco Jacket and petticoat
-1905 Walking Ensemble
- Men’s Frock Coat for the Husband’s “Old West” outfit
- Regency Half Robe set
- Viking Costume
- Medieval Costume
- Elizabethan “Anne Boleyn” Dress
- New “Old West” costume for Annie
- Victorian Christmas Costume
- 1860′s Sheer Dress
- Regency Plaid Half Robe (for the 5th Annual Regency Picnic)
- Late Victorian Bathing Suit
- Late Victorian Ensemble
- Emerald Parlor’s 1950′s Sew Along (Butterick Retro B4790)

Now, this list will probably change. Some may be added, some may be dropped. Only time will.

Growing up too quickly

Happy 18th Birthday, Katie

My baby is growing up way too quickly!

Year in review – A bit late!

I had honestly meant to get this done and posted for the New Year, but as always, life gets in the way. The past year has been a ride, some for the good, some for the bad. But, as always, everything moves forward, and so do we. Without further ado, let’s take a look back at 2012!

Finished Costumes:
My White Regency Cross Front Dress – for the 4th Annual EP Picnic
Annie Regency Wrap Dress – for the 4th Annual EP Picnic
Elma’s Little Angel’s Regency Dresses – for the 4th Annual EP Picnic
My 1950′s Dress - for the 3rd Annual Tipsy Tea
My 1950′s Retro Style Hat – for the 3rd Annual Tipsy Tea
My Sundress  - for the Lavender Festival
Girls’ Sundress – for the Lavender Festival
My Husbands 18th Century Outfit – for the cancelled Federal Ball
A Regency Chemisette – for my Regency wardrobe

Grand total for finished costumes = 11

Unfinished Costumes:
Katie’s 18th Century Riding Habit – for the cancelled Federal Ball
My Robe a l’angaise – for the cancelled Federal Ball

Grand total for unfinished costumes = 2 (Boo!)

I am ashamed to say that I actually have two costumes that I did not finish last year. That is very rare for me. I hope to get both outfits finished soon, after I find the time to clean up the sewing room.

Last year, I did attend a few new events. In June, my husband and I attended the Civil War Encampment at Century Village in Grove City, Ohio. I really enjoyed this event, and look forward to this year, as long as it doesn’t conflict with another large event we have at the beginning of June this year. While we were there, I purchased a Battenburg lace parasol and match fan, both in black for my period wardrobe. This year, I may purchase the same in white, that way I am covered for which ever I need.

Also in June, our group attended the Lavender Festival at Peaceful Acres Farm in Martinsville, Ohio. We made special sundresses to wear. Spent a large portion of the day picking lavender and looking over the vendor booths that were set up. We were apparently photographed by the farm staff, and named their “Favorite Guests” on their website. After which, we decided to picnic at Cowan Lake State Park nearby. We do plan to attend this festival again this year. I can’t wait.

In July we attended the War of 1812 Encampment at Adena Mansion in Chillicothe, Ohio. This was another enjoyable event. We were able to roam the grounds, visit the museum, tour the house and out buildings, checked out the vendors that were set up, and even got to see some militia drills in the open fields. We had wanted to dress in era costumes, but due to the heat, opted to wear summer dresses. I definitely want to visit again, and possible attend more events at this location.

In August, we returned to Kent State Fashion Museum. This time is was to see the exhibit On the Home Front: Civil War Fashion & Domestic Life. This was another exciting exhibit. The perfectly preserved garments were a visual treat. While we were there, we got an extra surprise, as they had recently opened another exhibit. That one was the Fashion Timeline Exhibit. I have noticed that I neglected to do a post on our visit, so I will need to get on that. We do plan to got back this year to see the new exhibit, Undress: Shaping Fashion and Private Life. So, keep you eyes open for that one.

For a recap of the events we had this year, besides a few of those list above, we had our usual events. In May, we had our 3rd Annual EP Tipsy Tea. The theme for this one was 1950′s. We were eyeballs deep in crinoline skirts, bullet bras and tea hats. lol. And then in September, we held our 4th Annual EP Regency Picnic. This year, we switched it up a bit and moved the picnic to Cowan Lake State Park. As always, it was such an enjoyable event. Plenty of good food and good company.

During some of our little adventurous outings, I did have some nice fabric finds. I’ll have to do a post dedicated to those finds.

Other life events from last year cropped up. My laptop took a nose dive, and I had to save up and purchase a new one. My husband lost his job, and was unemployed for nearly 7 months before finding a much better paying job to replace it. My husband, the budding writer, had short stories in 2 anthologies published just before his first novel was published late in the year. Then, we added a new family member. I brought home a new kitten early in July. And, boy has she been a handful! She is now going on 8 months old, and she is something else. She has been officially dubbed (as I give my pets ridiculously long names) Cerridwen Dwendolyn of the Orange Cat Clan (Ceri for short), since her mother and  most of her siblings are orange tabby cats. Otherwise, she has been nick named Ninja Kitty, as she likes to leap on you, without warning, and you never know which direction she’s coming from. My husband is her favorite target.

I had intended to talk about my 2013 “Costume Wish List”, but this post seems to be running overly long. So, I will work up a post just for that topic. Looks like I have a bit of work to do for the next couple of post, huh? But, that’s a good thing.

As for 2013, it promises to be an eventful year, that’s for sure. This year we are looking forward to our scheduled events, revisiting some from last year, trying to go to a few that we found, but missed (New Boston Market in Springfield, OH), and returning to some that we just didn’t have the time and/or money for (Great Lakes Medieval Festival and The Old West Festival). Besides all of that, we are looking forward to Katie graduating high school in June, and then going off to college in the fall. It’s going to be another full year, that’s for sure.

So, until next time (hopefully soon)…. Happy Sewing!

Back into the swing of things

Well, that was a nice little break! lol. I didn’t mean to take a couple of months off, but things have been busy, which is always good. We had such fun summer adventures, and the fall adventures have been just as fun. We took a trip to Old Man’s Caves in the Hocking Hills area of Ohio in September. That is something that we used to do several times a year, but have slacked off on in recent years. We attended several of Katie’s home football games, since it is her senior year, we wanted to make sure we went. I took Katie to visit Wittenberg College in Springfield, Ohio. That was a fun day for just the two of us. We atteneded the Circleville Pumpkin Show last month. That was a blast, so many goodies to try, and so much to see. And, the best part of this fall? My hubby got a job!! Not just any job, a really good job. He has already put in a month, and still going strong. It feels really good to be a fully functioning household again. Which is a great thing, as we have tons of fees to pay for Katie’s senior year.

Katie – on the left

As for sewing, there hasn’t been any. Yet! I hope to get started this weekend on my dress for our Great Gatsby movie preimere party next month. I have my pattern that I want to draft all picked out, and I think I will be using some of my turquoise linen for this project. The pattern is Butterick 5304 View B from 1924. I found photo of it on CoPA (Commercial Pattern Archives).

Butterick 5304 from 1924 – image found at Commerical Pattern Archives

I love 1920′s fashion! The basic straight lines make them easy to sew. Here’s hoping I can get started on it this weekend. Until next time…. Happy Sewing!

New Thrift Store Finds

This evening, we had to make a stop at the thrift store. Katie has to dress up this Friday for school, but she has dropped about 30 lbs from marching band this summer. She is now in a size 6, and had nothing that fit. So, while she browsed for something nice, I decided to look around. Here is what I found:

Vintage Simplicity Pattern

I found a vintage Simplicity pattern. It is # 4796. The pouch is a little worse for wear. But, it was too tempting to pass up. It’s a Junior size 11, bust measurement of 31 1/2″.

 

Upon closer inspection, it is missing only one piece, the back neck facing of the shirt. And, the pattern pieces for the shorts have been expanded using newspaper and straight pins (as seen above). I can’t find a date on the pattern, anywhere, but from the design, it appears to be from the 1960′s. I may have to make this for Annie next summer.

 

Vintage McCall’s Pattern

I also found this vintage McCall’s pattern. It is # 6891, and is a Laura Ashley design from 1979 in a size 8. It looks like it will make a cute girls Regency dress, and even has the purse and bonnet patterns. At a quick glance, it all appears to be there. This will go into the stash, maybe to be used if I make anymore Regency dresses for little girls.

Pattern instructions for vintage Simplicity pattern

I also found just the instructions for vintage Simplicity 6434. I wish I had found the pattern, but it was nowhere to be seen.This pattern was from 1966, and looks adorable. Maybe I can draft a new pattern off of the illustration of the pattern pieces.

Besides the few patterns I found, I also picked up a lovely white tea pot, a couple of silver plated candleabras, a copper jello mold. Oh! And Katie found a couple of cute dress outfits. I guess mission accomplished, and then some.

 

Regency Inspiration

Lately, I have been on bit of a Regency kick when it comes to making costumes. If it isn’t from the Regency era, I haven’t the motivation to work on it. lol.  After deciding to put together wardrobes for each era, Angie and I made lists of garments that we each wanted in our individual wardrobes, and checking off what we have already made. Of these eras, the Regency era seems to be a favorite of both Angie and myself. This year, for our 4th annual Regency Picnic, I made myself a plain white Regency dress. This helped to check another item off of my list. (you can read about this dress in the diary pages, listed in the side bar) However, my list is still a little on the long side. lol. And, what I saw last week didn’t help it get any shorter.

While I was skimming through all the blog posts in my Google Reader, I came across this:

February 1801 Fashion Plate at LACMA

I just love this! Being of Scottish decent, this just calls to me. I’m not so sure about the puff sleeves on the under dress, as I am not a big fan of puff sleeves on my Regency dresses, but I’m willing to at least make a mock up to see how it looks. But, I digress. I found this lovely bit of inspiration on The Dreamstress‘ blog, in her Rate The Dress feature. Granted, I forgot to leave a comment with my thoughts, but it definitely caught my eye. So, here’s a new item for my wardrobe list. Now, I just need to find the perfect fabric to recreate it with. So, until next time….. Happy Sewing!

Lazy Blogger Sunday

Wow! I guess I have really neglected my blog. lol. But, we have been very busy. The EP’s 4th Annual Regency Picnic was yesterday, and we had a blast, like usual. This year, we held the picnic at Cowan Lake State Park. We were able to get picnic tables near the beach. It was a nice change to be able to stroll on the beach.

 

We had lots of good food, as always. And we enjoyed ourselves well into the early evening.

 

Our lovely group of girls

Our feast

The younger girls playing on the beach.

The sail boat regatta on the lake. The perfect back drop for our picnic.

I can’t wait for next year’s picnic. We have decided to construct gowns in rich fall colors, and serve fall inspired dishes. I’m very excited.

And, speaking of gowns constructed in rich colors. We made our annual visit to Kent State Fashion Museum. I have some photos to share from that trip in my next post. Until then…. Happy Sewing!

Ah, Monday! We meet again….

The last fews weeks have seen very little progress in the way of sewing. Since little Ceri has entered the house, I have been drained. And, considering that she gets me up early, it’s no wonder. But, it is kind of a good thing, especially since school will be starting again in about three and half weeks. 

She had me up at 5 am on Saturday, and that just drained me for the rest of the weekend. Miss Elma came over at about 10 am, and I was pretty slap happy when she got there. However, I was productive, even if it wasn’t in the sewing room. I made 2 fresh loaves of bread, and got dinner started (pinto bean with a ham hock, fried potatoes and onions and fresh corn bread) before Elma arrived. I let it simmer all day long, and by the time the guys got back from the movies, it was more than delicious. However, I did end up making 2 dinners, as my husband and Annie do not like home cooked pinto beans. That means I made sloppy joes for them. For dessert, Miss PJ bought a strawberry Boston cream pie. Yum! I don’t know if I will ever be able to eat a regular Boston cream pie again.

As for the little sewing progress I did make, and I do mean little, it was all on Regency items. Go figure, huh? lol. I got Annie’s new chemise put together, and the seams flat felled. I just need to run bias around the arm holes (it’s sleeveless), make and run bias around the neck line for the drawl string, and then measure and make the tucks at the bottom to pull up the length. That progress was made last Wednesday night. The only other progress I made was to find some small pearl buttons for my ivory chemisette, sew the button holes, and sew on the buttons. So little progress, and I feel so ashamed. Not really. lol. But it sounded good, huh? So, I will have to kick it into high gear this week. I need to get the bodice mock ups made for Elma’s girls, so I can try to fit them next weekend, and then get their gowns cranked out. Then, next on the agenda is Annie’s wrap dress, my sleeveless chemise and my basic white cross front dress. I have about 3 1/2 working weekends left before the picnic, as we will be making our trip to Kent State (finally) to see the Civil War dress exhibit, and then we will be attending the New Boston Market in Springfield, for the first time. The next month and half is going to be fun! So, until next time, here is a pic of my spoiled cats (having breakfast yesterday), and…. Happy Sewing!

Spoiled felines