Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Some Sewing Projects
By The Pleasant Times Sewing Lady Miss Thread
Today I am tackling some things on my list:
Fix Sewing Machine (check!)
Mend (Almost done)
and
Finish a couple of half-done projects.
In the meantime, here are photos of some things that have actually made it out of the sewing room!
This cute blouse I cannot claim to have made, only to have edited. It was made by Rebecca from the Sensibility Romantic Blouse pattern, originally with long sleeves but I shortened them.
A Beatrix skirt. My Walmart bargain table "unknown fiber" material worked out fine. The fabric is stretchy three ways, is a suiting weight and behaves like rayon.
A red, ruffly petticoat for the skirt.
Wondering how I could live so long with only one chemise, I made four more! They are "dress savers" and very soft and comfortable. I decided to try my hand at some very easy embellishments with these garments.
I was curious about shadow embroidery, and wanted to try out the stitch used. Yes, I know it doesn't work on muslin! I knew that when I started, but it was an easy place to experiment, and it has been years since I have done embroidery.
Sewing lace together to make a new design.
Very simple lace shaping.
Here are a few blouses for friends:
A super-easy blouse from Simplicity (3842 It's So Easy). It goes together quickly!
A nursing top from Elizabeth Lee Designs, Nursing Classics #307.
Another Elizabeth Lee pattern, shortened into a blouse, Nursing Classics #204.
The back.
Am still thinking about what to do with this sweater. I was working on it last year but wasn't sure if I posted about it! It is an Old Navy sweater found at the thrift shop. I don't like turtlenecks, so I
cut it down the middle to make a collar.
This is what it looks like in the back.
But I was wondering, what should I use to finish it? Should I do something like the ribbon above, or add a cute print bias tape? Perhaps I'll think about it for another year.
Here is a wrap skirt, also found at a thrift store in brand-new condition. Now I know why it was so little worn. Wrap skirts don't work for people that move around (as in housework or walking), or live in windy country! After trying many methods to keep it fastened, I finally sewed it together and made a drawstring-waist skirt.
And now, as soon as I can get to it, here are the new fabrics for a couple of summer dresses!
And here are the pieces for a cute cottage quilt. I hope to use the new method I learned from this video.
I have had practice with the method for I was able to use it in this small quilt that was finished earlier this month. I call it "Caribbean Summer." The squares have only been sitting in a bag for over 10 years! Maybe there is hope for all the other unfinished projects on the shelf!
Now back to mending!
Saturday, May 14, 2011
A Big Thank You
Some Spring trees in bloom-- there are still red berries on the holly tree (bottom right)!
Not being in the habit of regular blogging, I missed the big Blogger boo-boo this past week. The only impact I saw was double posts showing up on Google Reader.
I have been using Google reader to keep track of enlightening, inspiring, beautiful and encouraging posts by you bloggers out there. Reading them is like getting a custom-made magazine just for me, without horrid ads, mind-corrupting ideas, or ugliness on every other page. Instead I see ladies who want to share the things that make their lives happy, beautiful, and peaceful.
Without you, the Internet would be a bleak place!
Every week on your blogs, I can read articles about
Homeschooling
Homemaking
Housekeeping
Home Decorating
Sewing
Crafts
Gardening
Beauty
Fashion
Recipes
Health
All done with thoughtfulness and decorated with pretty paintings and pictures the brighten the day. (Though I love seeing my newsletter on paper, one of the draws of a blog for me was the free full color publishing!)
Lady Looking at Drawings, 1894
Belimbau, Adolfo
Buy This Allposters.com
Do you all realize what a great monthly "magazine" you make? I would love to print one, "someday" when there is "time" and include many of the wonderful posts you have put so much work into. Wouldn't it be wonderful to see it on the newsstands? Here's a sample of what "could be--"
The Cover might be:
This Pretty Cover
Or This One
Or maybe This One
the "Housekeeping" section:
Five Tips for Ironing
Houseplants
How To Clean A Room
The "Home Making" section:
Loving Homemaking
Attitude Change
Encouragement for Homemakers
For the "Beauty" section:
Simple Woman's Beauty
Modeling
Modesty Tips
Gardening:
The Quiet Days of May
Design of S.C. Gardens
News:
Kate
Food:
Princess Diana's Wedding Cake
Frugal Housewife
English Muffins
Home Decor:
Gorgeous Little Cottage
The Whitening of a Room
Roses in the Kitchen
Crafts and Sewing:
Boot Socks
A Sewing Project for Beginner Sewing Enthusiasts
Card Garland
Fashion:
Regency Shawl
All The Lace And Ruffles We Really Want To Wear But Don't
And Pleasantries scattered throughout:
Pretty Painting and quote
Friends Poem
Thoughtful Post
School-at-Home:
Homeschooling Sanity
All Of Our Home school Assignment Papers Should Have Looked This Good
And in case there are people out there who assume homemakers don't think, some
Thought-Provoking Articles:
Enemies of Beauty
Purposes of the Front Porch
Christian Wives Working?
And whoops-- can't forget the Paper Dolls!
Free Paper Dolls
Old Time Free Paper Dolls (this is a really cute booklet!)
--and these are just a small sample of the posts I took note of in April and so far this May!
Bloggers really are generous and sharing people!
Thank you for your time and effort!
-Mrs. Humphrey, Editor
You can see many of these in the "shared items" on the sidebar ("we liked these posts") here at The Pleasant Times.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Friday, May 6, 2011
Xerxes Throws a Fit, Lashes the Sea
In our home studies today, we learned about Alexander the Great crossing the Hellespont (Dardanelles), and looked it up on wikipedia. We came across this interesting little tidbit about the strait's history:
The ancient city of Troy was located near the western entrance of the strait and the strait's Asiatic shore was the focus of the Trojan War. The Persian army of Xerxes I of Persia and later the Greek army of Alexander the Great crossed the Dardanelles in opposite directions to invade each other's lands, in 480 BC and 334 BC respectively.
Herodotus tells us that c. 482 BC Xerxes I (the son of Darius) had two bridges built across the width of the Hellespont at Abydos in order that his huge army, ostensibly made of 5 million men (most historians put the actual number of this army at closer to 250,000 men, though a second school of thought lends the accounts of Herodotus more credence, bringing the number closer to 400,000), could cross from Persia into Greece. This crossing was named by Aeschylus in his tragedy The Persians as the cause of divine intervention against Xerxes.[2]
According to Herodotus (vv.34), both bridges were destroyed by a storm and Xerxes had those responsible for building the bridges beheaded and the strait itself whipped. The Histories of Herodotus vii.33-37 and vii.54-58 give details of Xerxes' building and crossing of the bridges. Xerxes is then said to have thrown fetters into the strait, given it three hundred lashes and branded it with red-hot irons as the soldiers shouted at the water.[3]
-from wikipedia