Independence Day 2011

The Pleasant Times staff wishes everyone a very pleasant 4th and some great fireworks this evening!

Lately, our sewing room has been full of projects.

 Some of our interns helped our resident seamstress make this banner.

 It is just fabric cut to shape, and zig-zagged to a long strip of material.

 Makes a fun banner over the garden, porch, around a table, etc.

 We have a couple of home-made flags, too.

 It is a crafter's version of the Lone Star State flag.

Done in calico.

A "rustic country" style star is appliqued to the field of blue.

I have noticed that Texans are very fond of their flag. It shows up all over the place-- in garden beds made out of flowers, on t-shirts, on cowboy boots, in artwork. Texans have a nice flag for crafting:)

We had some visitors today; it seems that on this day, characters from the history of the USA can time travel from their era to ours.  We were answering curious questions from Daniel Boone, John Hancock, and a Texas Ranger from the 1800's. We were busy explaining what they called "captured lightning" and how it runs the appliances, and the horseless carriages, etc.

 In the afternoon, we marched outside for our annual 4th of July parade.

Out of our sewing room came this costume, reminiscent of something from the 19-teens.

 The Basque skirt is from the Butterick 4092 pattern.
The hat was the best that could be made up with materials on hand; it does not sit as high as the real thing would have.

Here John Hancock converses with that Edwardian lady after the parade. Perhaps they are comparing the differences that came in the 150 years after he signed the Declaration of Independence.