A White Dress For A Wedding

It seems, of late, weddings are the fashion. Without much notice or warning, it seems I have become involved in another wedding, this time as musician in a quaint little old-fashioned church out in the country where a friend of ours’ daughter is getting married.
Such a lovely occasion is more than enough excuse to make a new dress. Since I am making a black dress for Joanie’s wedding, I decided to make something light and airy and delicate for this one. So I rummaged through my fabric and trim stash, and my boxfuls of patterns and came up with some airy white cotton gauze, some sheer embroidered trim, and Sense and Sensibility’s 1914 Dress pattern.

I have used the 1914 dress pattern before and while the finished dress was lovely it just didn’t look right on me. I thought (back in the days when I had a 27” waist, alas) that the style made me look rather unpleasantly plump. Now that I am more plump than I was back then, though, this style seems to be rather flattering. Rather than accentuate the more rotund curves it seems to nicely drape over them in a feminine, delicate way that hides rather than reveals.

So far I have assembled the bodice and the try-on went very well. I didn’t make a muslin first since I was too lazy to do that but I cut the front bodice in the biggest size the pattern came in (I think 26) and the back in a size 14. I altered the armscye a little by cutting it a little higher under the armpit so the sleeve fits better and the bodice can lay closer to the body. I think cutting the front in a bigger size was really the key to making this style work for me! My bust doesn’t pull on or show through the bodice and everything is nicely covered with ample extra for a floaty, cloud-like look.

Of course I had to change a few other things so the dress would look right on a pregnant body. I found a picture of an original dress from the same era and took a few elements from that. I made my bodice with the higher empire-like waist seen on the vintage dress as well as with a wide scoop neckline as seen on the vintage dress (though I did not cut it as wide as the original, so my under-dress won’t show!). In the try-on, the waistband sits almost on top of my belly bump and the excess fabric in the bodice poufs nicely down over that. When I make the skirt I will also add some extra fullness to the front so it drapes right over my belly and I will cut the top of the skirt in a curve so the hem lays mostly straight at the bottom.

One problem I encountered in making the bodice was the sleeves. I cut my own sleeve pattern for the sleeves so they would fit smoothly, without easing stitches, into the armscye. For some reason the sleeves came out way too tight but since I already had the trim sewn on them I didn’t want to start over. I inserted a 2” wide band into the sleeve seam and that seemed to work perfectly for me! The sleeves fit just right now being neither too tight nor too loose.

The trim is of unknown fiber content, but it is pretty nonetheless. My grandpa bought me several large boxfuls of vintage trims at an auction a few years ago and I have had this on hand since then, wondering what to do with it! The embroidered strip in the center was very simple and pretty but the sheer background fabric extended about 1/3” on either side of the embroidered strip with long, floaty threads coming unraveled from that. I wanted to do insertion on this dress but thought I’d use this trim up since I already had it. I simply turned the raw edges to the underside of the embroidery, pressed the strip, and sewed it down where I wanted it with a tiny machine stitch along the very edges. It’s a very crisp sheer that holds it’s shape after being finger pressed. I wonder what it could be? The lines of trim on this dress were inspired by the trim on this lovely original high-necked dress. (see side photo) I plan on trimming the skirt with 3 rows of this same trim and 3 or 4 ¾” tucks (since ½” is too skimpy and 1” too broad and wide).

So - there’s my latest project! David is at work until 6:00 p.m. today and my goal is to have the skirt finished for him to see when he gets back. Then I need to make the underdress and sash, and hopefully by Monday I’ll have some pictures of the finished dress/underdress to post if I can get David to use the camera.

My little munchkin is asleep on the floor. It is gently raining outside this morning and the sky is a soft, pearl gray. He was mesmerized by the sound. He looks so beautiful like this. It reminds me of when Anne in “Anne of the Island” went to her old home in Bolingbrook and was reading the packet of letters her mother and father had written to each other before they died. A phrase from one of her mother’s letters comes to my mind now;
“I love her best when she’s asleep, and better still when she’s awake.”

Only in this case it’s a “him” instead of a “she”. Here’s a recent picture of my Tootsie Boo (I have a terrible weakness for ridiculous nicknames - he’ll never know what his real name is! :D)

A blessed, God-filled day to you all,

Love,
Sarah

Regency Elegance Made Easy

It is a rainy, dreary, and gray Saturday. I am so very thankful for the rain as we have been experiencing extremely dry weather, but with the baby napping and David at work I find myself falling into a depression. Nothing chronic or worryable, but just a nice, little, sorry-for-myself-because-there-is-no-one-to-talk-to depression. The Lord is good. He is there when there is no one else, and because He lives I have a reason to be happy today!

I had planned to make a skirt and some head-bands today from instructions I found at the Sense and Sensibility message board but I realized my pin cushion and my scissors are in David’s truck, which is not here. So today my post will be about how to make a regency bonnet. This is not a historically accurate bonnet but gives a nice finished look to Sense and Sensibility’s regency gown pattern.

Have any of you seen the ‘95 version of Pride and Prejudice? I fell deeply in love with that movie the first time I saw it and my caring, thoughtful husband bought the disc Special Edition set for me our first Christmas together. That Christmas afternoon we sat down to watch it together and he made it through the first half. He said he positively could not endure one more moment of Mrs. Bennett’s shrill voice and screams and comments and gossipy habits. He has never finished the movie with me, but I have watched it on my own when he is at work or else away.

This past Good Friday some ladies from church approached me after our nightly Community Good Friday service and said the ladies from church were all planning to wear Easter Bonnets on Sunday and hoped I would also wear one - I was a little dismayed for I had not worn a hat on Easter since I was probably ten years old. I had a collection of 1860’s style slats and corded bonnets but that really wasn’t just the thing, you know? Saturday was spent in chronic thought, hasty experiments and headaches but at last I came up with this Regency Bonnet, inspired by the ones on Pride and Prejudice, and made out of an old craft hat and a nightgown and a floral swag. I am ashamed to admit the entire thing is very firmly held together with hot glue!
However, for those of you out there who are not looking for a historically accurate topping, this is *VERY* easy, *VERY* quick, and *VERY* pretty! I wore it with my white eyelet regency gown that Sunday and got many compliments, although I felt very self-conscious and ridiculous with my be-flowered, be-laced, be-ribboned bonnet amongst the elegant and sophisticated wide-brims and cute little straws that dotted the congregation that Sunday.

All that is needed for the bonnet is a wide-brimmed craft straw hat, some scraps of material for the crown, and various ribbon, lace, and flowers for decorating.

The first thing you need to do is to cut the brim off of the straw hat. This is easiest down by cutting through the brim to the crown on either side (see Illustration 1 in side photo). When you are finished cutting the brim off, you will have two identical pieces of brim. You will only be using one to make your bonnet, so you can save the other to make a future bonnet at a later time!

The next thing you want to do is to shape the brim by cutting it as shown in Illustration 2 in side photo.

Next, cut a large circle out of whatever material you will be using for the crown. I used a slinky pink nightgown I had on hand that I can no longer wear because in my pregnancy I have, well, grown some at the top and it’s way too tight. I saved the lace from the top of the nightgown for trimming. I used a large mixing bowl as my template for the circle. Make it about 18-20 inches in diameter.

Fold under circle edge, and run a gathering stitch around circle. Draw up to fit the circumference of your head. (Illustration 3)

Attach the circle to the brim, using hand stitches or hot glue. You will have some extra gathered circle left that will NOT be attached to the brim. This is fine. Just sew the extra (that is not attached to the brim) firmly so it does not come ungathered at a later time.

In the middle of the circle, at the back, gather up about 8-10 inches of the fabric. (Illustration 4) This makes a lovely silhouette and prevents the fabric from hanging in a slovenly and unattractive manner over your neck. (see photo of bonnet back)

Now decorate it! I used the lace from the nightgown to lay over the straw brim, and decorated it with pink roses and small blue flowers that I cut off an old floral swag. I used the lace straps of the nightgown to make ties for the back (attach them where the brim ends and tie them behind your head to fit comfortably). The inside was decorated with two rows of pre-gathered white lace that I had on hand.

That’s all there is to it!
Back to housework and solitude for me!
Love,
Sarah

A Bride, A Gown, and a Baby

It has seemed of late that I am becoming more and more uncomfortable in this pregnancy and at the same time have more and more interesting things going on that require activity and movement and social graces and the great smiling-face-through-miserablality facade and alas, the things I'm most looking forward to this summer happen in September, when I'm sure my ungainly stomach will be pushing itself to the limits and I'd be best of wearing a sign for a watermelon advertisement. How can one be graceful, lovely and sociable when one's stomach is the focal point of everyone's viewing? Little Judah seems to have taken over my stomach with his own already very decided personality and yesterday while sitting in church with my husband and son, his little feet often kicked out and made my dress move the entire time I sat there.

Is there anything more delightful than a wedding?


David and my friends are getting married September 2nd. September is a beautiful time of year (that's the month my own marriage-day is in!) and Joanie will be a beautiful bride in white raiment beyond compare. She is making her own dress and it will be exquisite! I am to be one of her bridesmaids, and yesterday I spent a pleasant afternoon with her and the Maid of Honor, as we searched for the right dress for the Maid of Honor's distinguished position. Later that evening I showed Joanie the sketch I had drawn up for my own dress, and it was okayed by her! Now I can start work on it. I spent much careful consideration of the style and the one I finally came up with can easily be altered to a "normal" dress after the baby comes so I can wear the dress more than just when I am pregnant.


The sketch is to the side; I plan on making it with a sheer black overdress and solid black underdress, with the sleeves of sheer and the sleeves and overdress edged with black lace. If I can find a soft, finely woven tulle I will use that for the overdress since I hate working with slippery sheer materials :( and the underdress will probably be either black crinkle gauze or a dull black satin. If I get the dress done in time I may sew random tiny black and silver beads to the overdress. Or edge the overdress with the beads in a curly pattern. We will see.




On a different note, we did not go to the reenactment we had planned on going to this weekend, and from the appearance of things we will not be doing anymore living history until the fall when it is cooler and the baby comes. I feel disappointed about that because Baby David only got to wear his little dresses and coat and hood and undergarments to two events this year and by the time fall arrives he will have long since outgrown them and they will be passed down to the new baby. Also, it seems my Civil War maternity dress was not needed, after all, so I will remake it when the baby arrives to a "normal" dress that I can wear throughout October.


It seems historical sewing is not much in my future presently. In August I will being making Judah's infant dresses but until then my sewing machine will stand, lonely and unused, except for the bridesmaid dress, until I resume my happy activities of using it.


One of my babies was sold yesterday! David's bluetick pups, which I delivered and bathed and loved and played with, are now over 6 weeks old and the firstborn, a girl, was sold yesterday! But she has a a good home and I know she will be loved.







So for now, farewell, peace be with you, and God Bless,


Sarah

My Babies. . .

I am a mother.
The fact that I am a mother sometimes still does not seem real to me. Sometimes I take my bouncing baby boy for granted, and enjoy him and cuddle him much like I used to do my own brothers and sisters. But at other times the fact that I am a mother hits me full in the face, and creates a half-painful, sweet, wonderful filled emotion that I cannot really describe. I suppose if you also are a mother, you will know what I am talking about! :)


Today’s writing will be about my babies. Three precious little lives God has and had entrusted to me during their time on this earth. Three beautiful souls He created as wonderful miracles. His handiwork, His creation, to Him to all wonderment and praise!


From my earliest childhood, I knew I wanted to be a mommy someday. I played with my baby dolls, but of course they were somewhat diminished in importance once my first beautiful brother arrived. A real, sweet-smelling, downy-soft little body to cuddle and kiss was soooo much nicer than cold plastic and vinyl! I still remember my love-at-first sight experience with my brother, even though he was born over 17 years ago! Over the years God blessed my mother with another baby boy and two baby girls. So I grew up around babies, and a few months after I married my husband, David, I found out that God had seen fit to bless me with one of my own.


I remember the day very well. It was just a few days into January of ‘06, cold and cloudy and frosty outside. David wasn’t home because he was putting a new motor into his truck and was using the shop of a man from church to do that. I was having a “bad” day. We were still living at David’s moms, in a tiny back bedroom with wallpaper falling off the walls and a discolored ceiling and drafty windows - definitely not an ideal or romantic place to begin one’s journey into marital life! Since we had been married I had been hoping for a baby, but realized that practically speaking it would not be wise to have a baby under such circumstances. I put my desires and my hopes into God’s hands, and trusted Him to bless me with a child when the time was right.


That day, I found out I was with child. As I stood there looking at the test in my hand, a wave of dizziness came over me and everything blurred, kind of like what happens when you are on a carnival ride and your senses become overwhelmed. After I recovered from that I went straight to our little window that looked to the western sky and opened my Bible to 1 Samuel, chapter 1 and read verses 27 and 28:
“For this child I prayed, and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of Him. Therefore, also I have lent him to the Lord, as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord.”
I promised the Lord that the baby I carried was to be His and He was to do with it whatever He desired for His purpose and ultimate glory.


I don’t know what it is like for all of you with your first-ever pregnancies, but I think I was obsessed from the minute I found out! I thought about that baby and talked to that baby and prayed for that baby constantly and in every possible place; at work, in the shower, fixing meals, doing laundry, etc. I never knew such heights of joy existed! I was due in mid-September of ‘06.


On January 22nd, God reminded me of my promise. The little one I had carried for six weeks slipped away quietly to heaven, without much fuss or commotion, called Home before it had a chance to enter this world of darkness and sin. As I lay on a sterile hospital bed, my little one was already in heaven.


I was devastated at the loss of the baby. I had grown to know it so well in even just the few weeks we had shared together. I felt that no one could understand and no one could sympathize or help with my pain. My husband felt sorry, but he had not had the emotional or physical connection like I had had, and his awkward attempts at comfort did little to help me.


Slowly I was pulled from my despair and sorrow by our gracious Father, who is the only giver of true peace. My baby is not gone, only in heaven, and I will see her someday and be able to hold her for the first time when I too am called Beyond.


I didn’t know if the baby was a boy or girl, but I had felt instinctively that it was a girl, and named her Jean Grace. It’s been over a year since she has gone away, but I will never forgot her and the pain, I think, will never completely go away. But it is eased, and I have peace. She is in a good place. I love you, sweet baby.


Two months after Jean Grace died, I found out again that God had blessed me with another baby. I was uneasy about letting myself get too attached to the new baby in case it died, too, but in mid-October of ‘06 my beautiful son, David Eugene Harold, arrived six weeks earlier than he was due and has been a source of greatest joy and greatest delight to me ever since! He now is almost eight months old and getting very independent and very curious about everything and increasingly mobile. He is the sweetest baby that was ever born and has such funny little habits and personality quirks that I fall in love with him all over again each time I get him from his crib in the morning.


I now am currently 25 weeks pregnant with another son, Judah Christian Michael, who will arrive sometime this September. He’s a squirmy little guy and sometimes he and his brother have kick contests when I have little David stand on my belly. I found out I was pregnant with Judah on January 22nd of this year, one year after little Jean Grace died. Coincidence? No, rather I think it was God showing me how abundant and great His blessings can be!
I love you my children!!

I Am Become a Blogger. . .and What a Project

Alas, I have sucumbed to modern social practices, and have begun a journey into that mysterious and not altogether pleasant-sounding arena of bloggerism. Perhaps my mental justification for that is
1. Bloggers, based on an article in yesterdays' newspaper, can be viewed the same as Journalists, and being a Journalist is a noble and note-worthy practice.
2. I desire a way to share myself, my family and my loves and interests with those I care for (and for those who care to come!) and this is the easiest, cheapest, and most practical way to do that, considering my family and friends are mostly long distances from my 'umble dwelling place.
3. My friend Alex has a blog and I want to have one too. I might be twenty-one, but the old childhood oft'heard phrase of "hey, I want one too" still holds true for me, at least in some respects.

So, there my justifications. And to proceed. . .

I plan on using this blog to share the joys and trials of motherhood for the benefit of my family and friends who wish to track Little David's progress and new accomplishments, and to also share my love of historical sewing and living history. Here I plan on posting pictures of new projects and descriptions of events I attend, as well as sometimes muse, either boringly or not, and to sometimes share a recipe I have thought peculiarly good. I also often succumb to the desire to write poetry - whether good or not, you can be the judge - and so be warned, my creative writings might be found here in later days.

Tonight I am going to post some pictures of one of my 'recent' projects. I completed the main project last summer, but since then have twitted with it and adjusted it to suit the tastes of my beloved but finicky husband. I don't have many photos of more recent projects, so this is what you get for now!

The project was a Jr. Officer's uniform for my husbands Federal Asst. Surgeon impression. The construction of the frock coat, military vest and trousers was a labor of love (although I was mostly in a bad mood the entire time I worked on it, owing to the fact I was seven months pregnant and it was in the blazing heat of mid August when I had to make all this in less than a week, due to my own procrastination). The pattern for the vest was draped on David with muslin to create his own customized pattern, and for the remainder of his ensemble I used Period Impressions Jr. Officers Frock Coat pattern and Period Impressions Civilian Trouser pattern.

My second warning of the evening - DO NOT USE THE JR. OFFICERS FROCK COAT PATTERN FOR ANYTHING BUT KINDLING. Or toilet paper, if needed. IT IS TERRIBLY CONFUSING AND NOT A VERY ACCURATE PATTERN FOR A FEDERAL IMPRESSION!

David wanted "dog ear" or flap pockets on his trousers, and gold piping down the leg seam. We purchased his wool from County Cloth and the metallic cording from Quartermaster Shop. The staff officer buttons we also purchased from Quartermaster Shop. (www.quartermastershop.com)

I had to re-draw most of the frock coat pattern to fit David correctly. I also had to adjust the back pocket flaps and redraw the shape, as well as make the back pocket flaps have only 2 buttons per flap instead of 3. I also *should* have made a muslin of the sleeves first, since they were far too large for the armscyes and needed to be gently gathered to fit, resulting in a slightly "poofy" sleeve that annoys David to this day. Because of the way the sleeve is cut, I cannot take this fullness out and David will have to live with it until we make a new Frock coat for him. I also had to make my own pattern piece for the 2" wide cuff that goes on the end of the sleeve.

Casting the inadequate instuctions to the wind, I put together the coat based on photos we saw of originals and documented reproductions. The coat is fully lined with black cotton in the main body and white muslin in the sleeves and is padded and quilted with wool and interfaced with light buckram for smooth shaping in the chest area. I had to remake the coat a total of 4 times before it reached our combined standards, but at last it is as good as I can get it, and my husband does look nice in it, if I do say so myself.

Well, that is all for this evening. The baby is asleep on the floor in front of the fan and needs to be put to bed in his crib. It is so hot and muggy tonight but we are supposed to get thunderstorms that will hopefully cool things down. Yay!!

Good night all!

Love,
Sarah