Goings-On

The weather has been cool and you can see the changing colors of the trees more and more each day!

Yesterday was overcast with a little bit of rain, but that didn't stop Daddy, Trevor, and Collin from putting some siding on Trevor's house. Daddy had taken the day off from his "bean counting" in order to meet with the well digger and Trevor had gotten rained out from work, so I'm sure they enjoyed the break from the normal everyday routine. I wish that both Daddy and Trevor could stay home everyday as it makes the day brighter when they are home.

"Trevor's Driveway"
I finally made it over to Bull Run for the first time in several weeks yesterday morning! You would think with it being two miles down the road I would make it over there at least once or twice a week! Anyway, Trevor had gotten his driveway laid out, the dirt tilled up and raked out on each side of it, and grass planted last week! I can't wait to see what it looks like come spring!

"The Siding Begins"
Trevor is patiently awaiting his electrical friends to come out and run the electric, so in the meantime he is working on the siding. I love the way the windows are "framed" as it makes it look neat and trim!

"Sewing Away!"
As some of you may know, I have recently become a part of a group called "Sinfonia" at a local college. We had a concert last night that I needed a black dress for, so I have spent the past few days in the sewing room. Sawyer sits in there with us and has taken to cutting fabric scraps which he says are for Thelma!

"Problems"
Although I had bought fabric for the dress weeks ago, knew what pattern I was going to be using, and realized that I needed to make the dress soon, I somehow forgot about making it until Monday afternoon. I was finally able to begin assembling it on Thursday and as with all projects that you start at the last minute, problems arose! Such as... I accidentally sewed BOTH sleeves onto the wrong side of the bodice (the bodice is lined and I mistook the inside for the outside!); and then, the knob on my machine became stuck and I couldn't wind a bobbin (after much exertion, my Mom and Thelma laughing at me, and quite a few goofy pictures later, it loosened up!)
With Momma and Thelma pitching in the dress was done five minutes before I had to leave! What have I learned from all this? Start a project as soon as the fabric is washed and dried, that way you have plenty of time to finish it!

Now for the Breaking News!!!!!!Maggie had her puppies last night!!!! As of ten o'clock this morning there are eight black and furry pups nestled in the dog house!

"Momma and her babies"
They lay in a giant heap and grunt a squeal when they are disturbed. We can't wait to see what they look like as they get older and I can already foretell a bunch of rambunctious fun that is coming our way!
Have a wonderful weekend!

Days of Gardening and Fun!

I have spent the past several afternoons working out in my garden. This is the time of year when the plants begin to slowly dry up and without me giving them any extra water, they are really looking rough. It is time for me to "ease" their (and my!) "pain" and pull them up.

" A Tiger Swallowtail on the Anise Hyssop"
I had a pair of these flitting around my garden yesterday afternoon. At one point I was even able to get one to crawl up on my finger, but it only stayed a moment and was back to busily tasting flowers!!

"The Shade Garden"
Last summer Trevor had brought home several peonies that they had dug up from a job site. I adopted two of them and planted them where I thought they would be happy. However, I have noticed that they are becoming rather "burned" in their present location, which is in the full sun. I had a part shade spot that was begging for something to be planted in it so I started digging holes. I also moved a struggling columbine plant and finally planted a Heuchera , or coral bells in this area. I accidentally cut off one of the peony stems so I planted it to see if it would grow. It is looking rather limp at the moment.

"Garden Re-Vitalization"
I realize that I need to be adding nutrients to the garden dirt each fall and with that in mind I began turning the dirt over and adding compost to it. The ground was really hard so this took several afternoons.
Do you see the structure made of logs under the tree? That is my "garden compost bin". It's made from the logs of our former compost bin that were sitting out and which needed to be put to a good use!

"Preparing a Bed for the Pansies"
Pansy season will be upon us before we know it so I went ahead and worked up their bed. I have seeds to start them from and am wondering if any of y'all have started them this way. The package says that I can plant them directly into the soil and that they can take up to a month to sprout. I've heard that they can be hard to start... does anyone have any advice?

"An Adventure"
After Sawyer got up from his nap yesterday, we headed out side to run some of his excess energy off. Me being me, didn't want to just sit and watch.... I wanted to do something! So Sawyer helped me pack up my "sewing utensils" and off to the great outdoors we went.

"Being a Little Boy"
Sayre had found and re-painted this little trike for Sawyer and he absolutely loves it! I made the mistake of calling it a dirt bike and he told me "no, it not dir-bike"; it seems to have changed into a four wheeler instead of the dirt bike that it was yesterday!

"Making the Time Count!"
So while Sawyer played, I cut out the last skirt that I have to make. I was even able to begin work on it before it was time to make supper!

"A Late Afternoon Snack"
Sayre fixed the three of us "saltine sandwiches", made out of ham, cheese, and lettuce, for our afternoon snack yesterday. There is milk in the tea pot and Sawyer enjoys pouring everyone cup fulls. We had a ball snacking in the sewing room!
One of these days fall will arrive and we can have Plantation Gingerbread with Whipped Cream for our afternoon snacks.... That, friends, is bliss!

Recent Sewing Projects

By the end of May I realized that my stack of fabric wasn't going to turn itself into something by itself, so I knew it was time to decide what to make and write it down on my "Summer To Do List". Happily, I was able to quickly get to the sewing rather quickly and here are the results!

I first tackled this fun piece of rayon that I had originally bought thinking I'd make a blouse!! However, the more I looked at it, the more I thought that it would make a really nice skirt!! It's full and I love how it seems to flow when I walk!

"Which zipper shall I use?"
When I was able to begin work on the skirt, I became a woman on a mission and nothing was going to stop me from finishing the skirt in a day!! That is, until my Momma caught a glimpse of what zippers I was contemplating using!! Since I had just recently decided it was going to be a skirt I didn't have a zipper that matched so I was just going to use the closet matching zipper that we had on hand. Well, Mother insisted that I use a properly matched zipper instead of the brown or gray one I had picked out and so I called our Knight In Shining Armour (Daddy!!). He is always so happy and willing to run errands for those of us who can't, so he took his life in his hands and ventured into the fabric section at Wal-Mart to purchase a cream colored zipper! Thank you Daddy!

"The Blouse"
This was next on my list and had everything I needed to make it. The blouse has the tucks from Marmees pattern on it but is cut out from a different blouse pattern. Momma showed me how to transfer the tucks to this pattern, so I may make it again!

"The Apron"
Lastly, I made myself an apron! I had talked about doing so for months but couldn't find "just the right piece of fabric". Upon arriving at the bottom of my fabric stash I found "the perfect fabric" for making an apron! I made the apron in an afternoon and am so tickled with the results!

"Little Details"
I lined the apron as I wanted it to have a bit of substance to it and I wanted the extra thickness just in case I splashed liquids on it. I also turned the surged edges under to give it a more finished and "dignified" look. I'm so pleased with the results!

"The Sewing Room Mainstay"
Moppet and I fought constantly over who was going to be using the ironing board! The sewing chair was also in high demand between both of us and things became rather "hairy" amongst the two of us.

"Another Stash of Fabric"
It was nice knowing that I no longer had a pile of fabric, but that feeling lasted only a week. Momma and I have been to Hancocks two different times in the past two weeks and I now have another pile of fabric!! Sigh....... does this happen to anyone besides me?!

Let's Celebrate!!

Two celebrations took place at the "Castlebury Homestead" over the weekend!!! The most memorable one for Mother and I took place on Saturday morning while the boys reveled in delight Friday evening!!
Let's start with the one that has the most impact on my Mother and I!

After four looooooong weeks of working on seventy-five pairs of John John's, five volumes of Jonathan Park , and hours spent picking bad seams out, we are ecstatic to announce that we are officially DONE!!!!

"Mother Dear sewing buttons and tags on"
There is such relief knowing that they are "out of the house" and that we did our best on them. Momma danced a happy gig when the sewing room was all cleaned up and the John John's were packed and sitting at the back door!!!
We're FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

Now I can observe the goings on in my garden!!! There are pair of birds that have literally kicked their babies out of the nest, and they in turn have been hopping around the garden learning how to use their wings!

I also have a pair of hummingbirds that are frequenting my garden!! I now have time to try and capture their visits or just watch them! I love working out there and hear the tell tale "huuuummm" as they flit around from feeder to feeder!!

Lastly, I now I time to give my much neglected garden some much deserved attention! The Cleome, Phlox, Black Eyed Susan, Gerber Daisy, Hyssop, Blanket Flower, and a host of other plants are all beginning to bloom. It's time for me to "spruce things up" and improve the looks of things.
Ohhhh, I feel "as free as a bird, happy as a lark"!!!!!

A Major Accomplishment!

I have wanted to repaint my room for quite some time now. I wanted it to be a comfortable room as I like to read in there (it's quiet!) at nights. I didn't want the paint to be so dark that it would get oppressive and cave live when the sun went down. My Momma kept encouraging me to "find a fabric for curtains first and then decide on the color" and so I kept my eyes open and even searched the internet for fabric (just looked at sites Momma had bookmarked).... I was on the point of just giving up and just painting the room when we visited Hancok Fabrics the other day and I finally found fabric!!!

It's the fabric in the middle with the stripes! It has cherry red (which I really wanted)and light pink flowers and the stripe is a "sagey" green!
We were rather worried about finding companion fabrics for it as I also want to make a quilt/bedspread and the background isn't a true white... it's rather creamy.

Upon arriving at home we realized that both of the fabrics that Momma is using in the sewing room are a perfect match!!! Who would've guessed???!!!

And to make things even better, I found that the green in my fabric matches the green in this print that I recieved for my birthday!!!!
So, I'm painting my room some shade of green yet to be determined and am eagerly chomping at the bit to get started!!
I have put off spring cleaning my room until it's time to start the painting process as everything will be pulled out, taken apart, vacuumed under, and scrubbed before I paint!

In other news, my Peonies are coming up! I thought that being dug up, blown around in the back of a pick-up truck for forty miles, and a drought had caused the "to expire" at the end of last summer, but it looks like they are still alive!!

AND, I found a butterfly yesterday!!!! YeeeeHaw!!!! Now if only they would visit my garden....

From the Sewing Room

Despite the business of the past several weeks, I have been able to get some sewing done!! I have been amazed with myself for I have not hit the point where I can't stand to sew anything else!!

"All spread out"
I knew that I was going to have to start this project weeks in advance of when I needed it! I originally planned for this to be the dress that I wore at The Father Daughter Retreat in April, but I soon realized that I could also wear it for Easter!

"Putting in the Hem"
This dress was made in a very unique way; see, my Mother has come up with a "rendition" of the Regency Dress pattern that consists of different patterns and it of course it doesn't have "how to put it together" instructions!! Momma and I worked on it together as she is the only one that knows how to "sew it up"!!

"The finished product!"
I was thrilled to finally stitch the last button in around ten o'clock Saturday night! I got up Sunday morning and gave it a good pressing to make sure I had snipped all of the loose threads.I do hope that you can see the picture in a "larger sense" when you click on it.... I haven't quite figured out why I can't always do that...
Simple details
Momma and I decided to add a few simple extras such as a band where the bodice meets the skirt and.......
......a band around the neck. Hand sewing these to the dress was a first for me and I definitely learned allot!!
I'm so pleased with my dress!! I only have one problem with it..... and that is, I know where all the "boo-boos" are. I can be a little bit of a perfectionist at times, and not having a garment I made be without obvious mistakes (to me) is something that I am trying to overcome.
I have really learned from making this dress though and not all of it was sewing skills. No, I learned some character skills too!
"Do You Mind?????"
I hope I'm not the only one who has a cat that seems to think that all of your sewing projects are her personal property. Sometimes I wonder if she has a separation anxiety disorder or if she's just trying to exert her "authority" over me! Has anyone else been ironing their sewing project only to have the cat show up on the ironing board and not leave?
My family says that the cat goes with me when I marry........ theoretically, she's not even mine. I just scoop the litter box and get blamed for all of her "bad behaviour". Technically, she's Mommas cat.

This dress will carry some very fond memories with it. My fondest is Momma and I getting up before seven o'clock on Saturday morning to sew but instead sit and talk at the sewing machines until nine o'clock! Precious memories....

"Two Peas in a Pod"
I just have to share this picture!!! I'm reminded of the verse in Revelation (I think) where it says something to the effect of, the lion shall lay down with the lamb.
Happy spring time!!

A Sewing Project

Several weeks ago I mentioned that I had acquired Marmees Camille Blouse Pattern. I was very eager to begin work on it and learn from the experience! Well.... making it was definitely a learning experience.

"Partially completed"
I'm so glad that my mother knows how to construct patterns, make patterns, and in general is a genius at sewing!! If I didn't have her to help me I don't think I would get any of my sewing projects done. To start with, we had to lengthen the sleeves as I apparently have "longer than normal arms". BUT, the advantage to this is that I learned how to "make longer arms" and how to do a blind hem!!!

The Finished Project!
I will admit that I had some difficulties in making this blouse, however, they were all on my end and not anything wrong with Marmees pattern. See, I'm still such a beginner sewer (even though I've been doing it for several years) and am just beginning to understand how sewing works. Blouses and I have never been very good friends during the production stage, but I really want to overcome this!
Mrs. Paula gave me a fresh perspective soon after I became discouraged... she said~ "I learn something every time I sew. I make mistakes, but I try not to get discouraged. If you are new to sewing, chose a pattern that is easy, and sew it several times, then you will have more confidence to move on to something else." Thank you Mrs. Paula- this was such an encouragement!

To my great delight, my friend Thelma and I learned how to do a blind hem while she was here on Saturday, which officially completed the blouse!! I was able to wear it to church on Sunday and was tickled to pieces with how the ladies liked it! The blouse is made out of Dull Satin and if you can catch it on sale or use a coupon with it, I would highly reccommend buying enough for a blouse! It feels absolutely wonderful~ I can only imagine how it's going to feel on a beautiful spring day with a breeze blowing!

Surfacing For Air!

I think the Lord must want me to learn how to sew...... and do it well that is! The past two Mondays' I have spent cutting out and making several skirts from material that I had forgotten that I had. The rest of the past weeks' were spent doing some sewing for a friend.
Now, the only thing is that I go into Greenville every Thursday for a Horn lesson and to clean several houses. Now, the reason that I think the Lord wants me to learn how to sew is that the past two Thursdays have been cancelled due to one thing or another and I've been able to got a TON of sewing done with this "extra" day now open!!!! It's been great!

"Almost Done!"
This skirt pattern is my all time favorite! It has a yoke instead of a waistband and drapes so gracefully! It's full and allows me to curl up on my bed or in the sofa without being immodest!
I've made it out of corduroy, flannel, and now this "slick" fabric with success!

"Next on My To Make List"
I aquired this pattern over the weekend and am eager to make it!

"Which Shall I Make?"
Well, I want the pin tucks but I'm not so sure about that ruffle...... I'll probably make View A without the ruffle for this first time around. I'll confer with Momma about using a short sleeve pattern piece from another pattern next time (Hancocks has some beautiful rayon fabric that would look terrific in this pattern!!! I'm just waiting for a coupon!)

"The Fabric"
Momma bought me some "dull satin" (on sale of course!) several months ago and I think it will work well with this pattern! Oh...... writing this is getting me excited!!! I think I'd better quit before I ignore my conscience and begin work on this blouse!!

I must finish my current project......

In the Sewing Room

The past several days have found Momma and I in the sewing room sharing the sewing machine, iron, and chairs while listening to "In Freedoms' Cause" by G.A. Henty. It's been delightful!

Momma has been working on several little outfits that she's making for someone and she's just about done with them! She would really like to start on the curtains for the sewing room next but that isn't going to work, as the fabric isn't washed and the washing machine is broken!
I was able to get a skirt cut out and made yesterday which I find amazing as it usually takes me two days to do complete!

Momma just recently moved into her sewing room and yesterday she started the decorating process. Plants will love this room as it receives bright light all day!

Today I started making cooling cloths for a friend. She needs four in the next day or two, so that's what I'm going to be doing tomorrow! The cloths are PERFECT for draping of fresh-from-the-oven breads and are so cute!

I got the material this afternoon and I have most of it cut out already!

There's allot of measuring and "figuring" to do as it has been quite some time since I last made one!
Believe it or not, there was a time when I absolutely positively despised sewing. I haven't quite done a total three-sixty on this subject, but I do find myself enjoying more and more! Especially if I don't make silly mistakes!

And Finally,
We've had our share of wet and cold weather lately, BUT, the daffodils are insistent on springing up! We found last spring that we have several different kinds of Daffodils that bloom all through early spring up until April or May! They are planted all over and we love being surprised at where they come up! The varieties are amazing too!
I can't wait till spring!