(Topic: Grief, being in public, explaining) Hi Friends, Remember this shirt? A few days ago, I talked about how I altered the sleeves. Today I want to talk about wearing it. Here’s a picture of the front: I first wore this in public on Mother’s Day last year, and have worn it occasionally since. One
Category: Material: Ribbon
My First 5K
(Topic: Fitness, In Memory, Hiking) Dear Friends, I am part of a lovely group of ladies on Facebook, all of whom are committed to trying to become more healthy, and all of whom have experienced loss – I believe all of us have experienced late pregnancy loss. It’s a fabulously supportive group, because we are
Semi-Sheer Pink Day Dress
Dear Friends, “How long did it take you to make that?”I hear this question a lot, but it’s not as simple as that. Remember, some of the details that make it take time (such as having matching piping, linings, lower hem linings, hand stitching, hand button holes, etc), don’t necessarily show easily or obviously to
Plaid Ball Gown
Dear Friends, I have recently had the pleasure to have a ball gown made by Sarah Crow, of The Preacher Wife’s Gowns and Carr Antiquities (Facebook)! She and I discussed options, the primary limiting factor being that we would work only with fabric I already owned, with minimal purchases for trim. I had a lovely
Shoe Rosettes
Hi Friends! Over the past few years in my free time, I’ve been translating an instructional article from a German magazine called Der Bazar, which was published in the 1800s. This particular article, from 1861, explains how to make fancy bows (“rosettes”) to put on women’s slippers, shoes, and boots to make them fancy! Rosettes
Forget-Me-Not
Hi Esteemed Friends! As you may have noticed, I promised the other half of the t-shirt project, and I’m still not done with it… That’s because I have a minor hand tendonitis flaring up that I don’t want to aggravate, so I used the chance to have my sewing machines serviced. So, several projects have
Patch Banner
Dear Friends, I was recently inspired by something my mother-in-law made for my husband as a child. Everywhere they traveled, they got patches or pins as a souvenir, and in order to create a way to store and display them, she made him a banner. I have copied her pattern for my own patches, pins,
Dark Hatbox
Hello lads and lasses! The other night I decorated a hatbox, which I intend to use to store a mourning bonnet. Which I have not yet made, but that will come…At any rate, I needed a second hatbox and decided to use a darker color scheme to match what I know I will be storing
1860s-Style Mourning Dress
Hi Friends, As some of you know, we recently experienced a loss in our family. This led me (of course!) to looking into historical customs of mourning, specifically for the American Civil War era (1861-65). Garment Data:– Type: Dress, specifically for mourning or half mourning, depending on the accessories– Date made: August 2016– Pattern: My
Ohio Regimental Military Ball – 2014
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, This weekend I enjoyed a most charming dance in Canton, Ohio! This was my second time attending, and once again had a fabulous time.The ball is held once a year in Canton, at the McKinley Grand hotel, usually some time right around Valentine’s Day.I went to the LINK: National First Ladies’