Fashionable Flannel From a Famous Friend:)

Rebecca (of Baker Lane fame) made this oh-so-cozy "Beautiful Dreamer" nightgown, and sent it to me as a surprise. As usual, it was top-of-the line perfect sewing! Since our weather has been rather cool this spring, I am ever so thankful for it!

Make Your Own "Natural" Wrapping Paper

Plain paper, some leaves from outdoors, and crayons or colored pencils are the ingredients to make your own exclusive wrapping paper designs! The one above has been done by a little fellow to wrap a small gift in.

Place the leaves between two pieces of paper, arranging them how you like, and gently color with the side of a crayon, or the side of a colored pencil (don't use the point!).

In a magazine a few years old, I found instructions for flower pounding. If it is done well, it can make a beautiful impression, as all the pigments from the flowers transfer to the paper.

Place a pad of paper on a soft covered surface (here we used a rug over a wood floor). Place your flowers and lightly tape them down on the notepad. Cover with a paper towel and lightly tape the edges of it down to keep it from shifting. Then pound evenly with a hammer. Too much can smear the flower, so don't pulverize it!

This is the best one my little helper made, a yellow and purple pansy. We also did some leaf impressions. It is a bit messy, but fun to experiment with different flowers.

Museum Dress

At a recent visit to a museum, this dress caught my eye. I had seen a similar design in Martha Pullen's Sew Beautiful Magazine of a "mystery dress" with a yoke overlay for girls (an example of it is here). I cannot seem to find the magazine, but I am sure the "mystery dress" was a replica of an antique dress. I believe this is the same type of design, but the "grown up" version. The yoke overlay seems to have the collar attached to it.

Above: the whole dress. The overlay hangs loose from the gown (and has been put on a bit lopsided!)

This is the embroidery under the front skirt ruffles.

Close up of a sleeve.

Tucks on the shoulders.

Here is the skirt fastening.

Sorry this photo is not crystal clear... it is the back of the gown. The overlay back can be seen (it is put on crookedly here) and is connected to the front by the lace at the bottom.

You can barely see it (I was up against a wall and dared not move the mannequin!), but the back of the skirt is gathered at the middle, and there are rows of lace near the hem. It is interesting that I do not see the lace continuing from the back hem around to the front lace triangle. I wonder if the front lace detail is an overlay, too?

How I Get A Buzz...

Forget beer, I buy bolts of fabric. The excitement it even greater if I can get it for $1 a yard, such as the pink on the left! It is a pity to see girls buying alcohol, when they could be using their money to impulse-shop at the fabric store:)

The coordinating prints would make a lovely cottage-y quilt, don't you think? I am trying to resist the temptation to start a quilt project...

Here is a close-up of the print I used for a dress recently.