Fall Sewing

Last night I cut and overcast the brown fabric in this pattern. The pattern is from the 1990's as you can tell by the blouses but I love the skirt. I am making the middle version. I have to put in the zipper and then the waistband, hem and done. With the overcast machine a lot of steps are removed as I can combine them with this machine. It takes about 1 1/2 hours to make the skirt from cutting to finishing.

When I went shopping for fabric I forgot my list of measurements needed in the trunk of the car. So I guessed knowing the skirt took a lot, but I forgot it was wide fabric and I  now have enough to make a straight skirt as well!

This is the blouse pattern I am making. The pattern was given to me by a friend who was cleaning out her sewing space. At the time I didn't know she was dieing of cancer. She has been gone at least two years now. She always had her clothes sewn for her and was elegant in style. This is a wrap blouse. I cut out black fabric also given to me by another source, and overcast it and did the tailor tacks last night. I need black interfacing ( from mom) before I can go on.

I finished this little outfit for my new little grandchild, arriving in January. It is a newborn size, which I rarely make.

I picked up some pink floral plates on the weekend.

It tend to draw your eyes more to the closet. I needed pink accents to do this. The flea market fellow gave me a deal on them as there were only two of this type with a ring of flowers in the middle. The rest of the same make all have a single flower in the middle. Not sure if I am going to get more or not.

 I also bought these handles for the sewing desk on Sunday. I like them, mostly because of the roses, but they were not cheap. I need six more to match on my antique dresser! There are handles on the dresser now, so all shall have to wait.

I pulled four zucchini out the garden this morning and sheaded it for winter baking. I need to get the beans out today, but the mosquitoes are bad down there this morning. We must be getting some rain tonight. I shall not complain over that.

Seems I have a chest infection, hence my moods these last few days. Dearest said it is stress, and I need to take it easy. Just but my in a paper box and ship me to a destination!

Sewing Room Valances

I had an hour yesterday afternoon, while naps were on the way here and put together these valances for my sewing  room. The one above however I think I will let down the hem as I find it a bit too short. Lace sheers will be coming when I find what I like.

The small valance using an old rod, for the closet area. It still needs more pink in this closet. I am going to get some pink flowered dishes at the flea market one of these days. The pattern "Wedding Roses". It was Dearest grandmothers pattern. They are $6.00 a plate, so not expensive for a bit of decorating. I also need to get some frames for some photo's. I want them in silver or pewter because I already have three is silver or pewter. I have my favorite of each of my children and my pet lamb and dogs. I also need to get picture hooks for the wall. But I am undecided on what pictures to hang. They are all needleworked pictures, but I have too many!

The 20 year olds bedroom is vacant ready to receive her items tomorrow. I have mixed feelings about her move in. She has always been my pet because she was so ill as an infant. Also her twin brother died at 8 months. So I have always been over protective of her. But she will find it difficult to live under house rules and is not afraid to state the obvious.

On a happier note we are taking a family trip in September to Prince Edward Island. This is for my 28th wedding anniversary which is actually in August but the tourist season will be over mid-September and rates for everything drops. It makes it much more affordable. But the weather will be cooler in the evening and nights and of course some days. My winter wardrobe is a dis-arrange of items with nothing matching. Normally I could care less except on Sunday, but even that is getting shabby looking ( Dearest told me so). I am one of those mom's, whose family looks fantastic all the time, but I am in 20 year old clothes, no make-up and looking like Cinderella before the ball. I think most mom's can relate. Everything before them, and I have always been that way. The feeling I am not worthy enough to spend the money on.

Well I need to have clothes for this trip. We are camping and doing some Missionary work while there, so it isn't all denim skirts and button down shirts. I need a flexible wardrobe. Good news is I'm in a sewing mode, now that my room is set up and in place to sew.So this afternoon while everyone is outside I scanned the computer for patterns. here are some of my selections. This Vogue pattern is my number one pick. I like the full skirt and the tight jacket. I am also getting this pattern.Because it is romantic and good for a Sunday. Another thought is this pattern, however I'm not totally sold on it yet. I do not like the square neckline on the top, but could make a different top. It is the jacket and skirt I like, love the skirt, but would make it about 2 inches longer. I like this skirt pattern, but something tells me I have something like it here already. Any how, before I buy any patterns I need to look through what I have, and the small amount of fabric I have here as well, and use it up first, then get into the new stuff.

Anyway, that's on my mind this afternoon.

Have a lovely weekend, and use sunscreen!

Oh Please.

Rain is in the forecast today.
It would be the answer to many prayers "if "and " when" it falls.
I was dearly disappointed this morning when the sun shone its head above the horizon. My thought were to " we are suppose to have up to 3mm of rain today and a thunderstorm, why this sun". I know I shouldn't complain. WE are still pretty good off here. My garden is fantastic and on time, but the field crops are not happy and it is a frustrating plight at present.

We were on the run all weekend. I had my 4 year old granddaughter with us all weekend. She was very well behaved and I doubt she will want to go home today. She is high strung and needs calmness from time to time. I don't call this weekend calm, but for her it was.

I am so happy to be home today despite the fact it is going to be 40C ( 104F) today. the house at present is cool and comfortable. While it is still pleasant out I shall pick beets green beans and lettuce from the garden to ready for supper. I have leftover cooked ham, sliced in the freezer to de-frost. Little cooking required.

This afternoon we shall sit quietly. I am knitting a baby outfit for the new baby in January. I never make newborn items, but decided to this time. I also need to go into the village and get some peaches, an extention cord for my sewing machine, and hooks for to hang up needle worked pictures.

I plan little for today. Just a calm, planning type day.

All Things John Deere !

Eldest daughter had me babysitting Friday while she brought her dog with an ingrown toe nail to the vets.She came back with 1.25 meters of this fabric, to make the groom a vest for their wedding.

I sighed!
 I will need more if the whole wedding party is to have these.
 Does she have any idea, all the work?

Then she tells me that the sewing store will not be bringing any more in. Seems there is logo rights issues and they are no longer making them.

Yesterday I went on-line and could find the fabric on-line in the states, but realistically how on earth are they paying for all this and how much sewing do you think I care to do. I already am making five sundresses and her gown. I will be ill by the wedding!!

I think half the fun of a wedding is the planning. The not so fun part is the spending.

Since this is her second ( his first) and she has two children and one (his) on the way, why on earth have a wedding anyway. I would LOVE to see a courthouse wedding and a large house barbeque (potluck) afterwards. She could spend her money on the party and not stupid things like John Deere vests, that I have to make.

My thoughts anyway.
(Help!)

Sewing Room Details

I always wanted a real girlie, girl room for my girls but they all went with other ideas. My eldest loves the dairy cow look, the second lilac with her collection of bunnies, the third a more practical country blue and tea cups. But I like the country shabby look.

I had been on the search since last September for a re-made quilt or anything not white, for this room. There is this fantastic decorating store north, outside the city which specialises in country Victorian look and is super reasonable. But I did not like any of the quilts in there. All chucky squares in pink.

This set was in the spring/summer Sears Catalogue for $129.00/ double set. Not bad but I was not willing to spend that amount of money. It would be $150. with the taxes. The fall/winter book came out and it had dropped to $97.00, less then $115.00 with taxes. I saved up and ordered it. I was thrilled when it came. Both the quilt and shams are reversible, having a small print of roses on the underside.

Before I bought the quilt I found at the local quilt store, south of us, this fabric. Almost identical to the back of the quilt. It is called The Country Garden and comes in many different pink and green prints. I bought two meters of this at $12.95/m. I am going to make a valance for the window and one for the shelving frame, to bring the pink into the room.

This chair I bought at an antique barn when I was about 17. It was painted a chipped black and had no seat. I had my Dat to make a wooden seat and I designed and needlepointed this cover when I was 18 (and had  a lot of time on my hands). There is a stool to match. This little gem has been in my dining room in the corner where no one ever saw it. It will be my sewing chair. By the way I payed $8.oo for the chair. It had Queen Victorian legs.

This brief case is a lawyer case, very wide. Twice a year the city has a " put it on the curb to get rid of it" thing. You can put items on the curb and they stay there all week, and then the city comes and collects items a donates good things to charity and trash to the dump. I picked this up near Dearest work. It is leather and old. It smelt like an attic. I washed and washed it, had it outside with a dryer sheet in it for a month. Now it does not smell ( except like a dryer sheet!). It is housing the youngsters books that I use for teaching.

So these are a few details of my new room.

Siera Socks

I finished these last night for my eldest daughter.
She has large feet.
The wool is called 5Th Avenue Heel-2-toe, 100gram balls from Hersheners, colour is Siera, which is a peach/sand/grey colour.

Painting Done

I began painting the green in this room at 8:30am and finished by 4pm. I had to stop a few times during the day to allow a wall to dry, then re-paint, then move furniture around to do another wall. Some of the furniture is so heavy!

My arms began to feel very heavy as well. Then at 4pm I scrubbed the floor and removed all the paint utensils. Moved the bed over and dressed the bed with the new quilt I bought. More on that tomorrow.

My 20 year old who is moving back home did not want this bed. It is a 3/4 size antique iron cast ( heavy) bed with brass ( the sound is a pong when hit, not a ping like new brass beds), and twin size in height. Daughter is 5'11" tall and hates her feet going through the bottom of the bed! Dearest totally understood daughter plight and agreed with her having the double bedroom ( my old sewing room). Dearest was going to put this bed down in the basement and have this room all for my sewing. But I couldn't part with it. This bed, is this room. I love it. This is the bed my granddaughters nap or sleep on. I shall have them for few hours tomorrow. The eldest will be so excited. She was with me when I purchased the paint. She told the hardware store man it was for her room.

Opposite the bed is the 16 year olds' wardrobe, which is heavy and huge and does not fit anywhere else upstairs, but of course my sewing room!!

I removed the leaves off my sewing table and have painted the sides white. I shall still paint the top tomorrow.

Anyway it is nice and bright and Dearest when he came home said he loved it.

I'm glad, because so do I. More pictures to follow when I have cleaned up.

Painting Day

Today I have donated my whole day to painting the spare bedroom. I hope to have it completed by supper hour. Hope being the key word here.

The green on the left is the new colour, the purple splotches on the left is the old.

I can only paint one side of the room, two coats, then move the furniture to that side and paint the other side.

This is the 10 inch deep closet, with shelves put in for my books and beautiful trinkets. I have yet to paint the top section because the ladder was not in the room when I began. It is coming along.

When I first opened the paint tin this morning, I thought, "What have I bought? It's too light, too grayish." But it isn't. It is exactly what I wanted. A light sage green.

Now on with the painting.

More Discouragement

Little things just seem to really upset me these days. I am a rather cheerful person as people tell me, but I tend to disagree lately. Guess I hate the feeling that at 51 years of age I have no control over things that happen. parents aging and needing help, in-laws moving, daughter expecting, a wedding and one moving home. Sometimes I feel like telling them all to bugger off!

So this morning I am painting in this extreme heat. Fans are blowing, radio on and I am on top of the word with the exception of the 4 year old who is a menace, but I guess that is the nature of a four year old girl?????

Then I take measurements of the room before I go purchase paint tomorrow. It will take two coats, three in some spots.

Guess what?
All the furniture I want in this room won't fit!! I am beside myself at this moment.

This china cabinet was Dearest paternal grandmother's china cabinet from the 1920's. It was given to me in 1984 by my father-in-law on one of their moves. My mother-in-law had antiqued it in the 1970's with white and gold. I spent a whole winter stripping it, putting in new glass, and handles etc. I love it. It holds my treasures, and sewing things.

This is the corner it was to go into but it is 10 cm too long and will stick partway through the window! I am at a lose here. I want that cabinet in there. I need the storage. So now to think once again, outside the box.

I can leave it in the room for daughter the book lover to use. I really hate to take it downstairs. She has a wall unit book case, which isn't as pretty and she could use this instead. Then I would have to buy under the bed drawers for my sewing supplies.

Oh I wasn't up for this mix-up.

Frustration! But I'll get over it.

Its Back!

Its back!
The heat and humidity.

Was outside until quite late last night. Bailing hay, watering the garden, attending chicken issues ( they hate this heat).

This morning after breakfast I got right to painting trim in the spare bedroom. One side has two to three coats on the trim and the other side one coat now. I ran out of trim paint. A good excuse to have teenager take us for a drive into the village to get more. She is learning to drive and won't do it with her Pa. I have more patience she tells me. HA! She has no idea how many times I break the floor with my foot while she drives!

I have weeded some of the garden and hung three loads on the line. Stripped beds, but have yet to remake them. An evening chore.

I think the garden will need more water by evening. The issue with watering in the evening are the mosquitoes. I'm pretty good with them but the rest are not. It becomes my job.

I am making this a Racheal Ray recipe tonight with leeks, beets and potatoes from the garden. Hope it is good.

Odds and Ends

spare room with first coat of painted trim

I have the house to myself for the next four hours! Oh my!! Where to start?

I have so many projects on the go but the weather having cooled off means I really SHOULD be cooking ahead for the next heat wave that is to head in here my Saturday. Funny I don't feel like cooking!

We had rain pass through here after the supper hour last night. Yes right when four fields are down with hay. This means after lunch today ( somebody) the hay will have to be raked before Dearest bails it tonight. I hate it when it rains and its not in the forecast. The bright side my garden enjoyed the rain and everything including the mosquitoes are enjoying the damp ground this morning.

I moved a few wheel burrows of firewood this morning. It is getting more difficult to stack or finding places for it to dry. The porch is near full for my 5'9" structure  to reach anyway. I am beginning to throw it rather then stacking.That said if the winter is as cold as our summer has been hot, we will need wood. More then last year anyway and we are preparing for this.

The teenager and I did the first coat of trim in the spare bedroom yesterday. Actually we just got 3/4 of the way around the room, as the furniture needs to be shoved to the other side to do the remains. I hope to get the second coat on this part and move to the other side by tomorrow. My quilt and shams that I ordered will be in today. I have picked the wall colour but I want to make sure it goes well with the quilt first. So I shall go into the village today to pick that up. I am excited to see it.

Spiders are everywhere. Taking over every corner of the house. Shop vacuum is in the dining room awaiting to suck them up.

So I best get off the computer and get at it. Oh and what I am cooking tonight is here.

Garden in a City Home

We were invited to a luncheon at an elderly couples home on Saturday. They wanted to show me the rose plant that I gave them last December for their 50th anniversary. He is a Horticulturist and loves plants. I thought the rose in December was perfect. The colour delightful.

He had divided the plant and it was amazing on their patio. But was even more amazing was his city yard.

Not a square inch did not have a plant or pot on it.

Such a contrast to all the land we need to cultivate, to they knowing their limits. However he is having a real issue with a ground hog. Guess we all have our gardening problems!