OLD FASHIONED PRINCESSES

Could hardly wait to share these pictures taken one day when the girls came over. They had fun in Granny's sewing room! Emma on the left, Sophie on the right. I love Sophie's smile.

Emma loved dressing up and wearing one of Granny's many antique hats (perfectly matched her dress) and looking at herseslf in the big oval mirror on the front of a cabinet in Granny's sewing room. (Used to be part of a furniture set of Emma's when she lived in Michigan!)

The ultimate dress up party! I love how the colors of Emma's dress and the colors of the room are a perfect match! Granny had as much fun as the girls, only Sophie didn't want to try her dress on! I love having these little girls home. Blessings, LORI

FRUGAL SEWING TIPS IN THE TRADITION OF PROVERBS 31

I was pretty excited about today's accomplishment! I got the piecing done on a patchwork chair cushion I had had in the works for years--yes, years! I started making a patchwork cushion cover to replace a very, very old one that still adorns my great grandma's chair. She was born around the 1873. The wicker rocker sits in my sewing room and I'm sure my grandma replaced the cushion sometime in the 1960's or 70's. But it's time for a new one....so that finally got done. Now I just have to finish assembling it.

Then I started a much needed repair on this black jacket. It's a lightweight blouse I found at a Goodwill a few years ago. I literally weaR this jacket over almost everything I own. It's my all purpose-matches everything-hides midriff fat jacket! I don't know what I'd do without this versatile wardrobe accessory. I wear it with jeans, crop pants, and fancy dresses. It is the completing touch for my WW1 style outfits I concoct. I couple it with black skirts, tapestry skirts, and use it over camisoles to be more modest. Because of the constant wear, it was getting kind of "ratty," and very seedy-looking. I had a special event to attend tonight at the church I grew up in--one of their special services for their 150th celebration. I needed to couple this jacket with a dress Clint bought me a few years ago that is now so tight it can't be used alone and still look good. (Oops! Get on a diet!) I slung this jacket over the dress--a black sequin-embroidered flapper style with handkerchief hem and then put a velvet print skirt of mostly black underneath the dress. What a beautiful combination! The muted colors of the skirt showed out from under the uneven hem of the dress.

These pictures are of a few of the construction details I used to "fix" the jacket and bring it up to new quality again. I meshed two strips of narrow lace together (because I didn't have the right width) and replaced all the lace that looks grey in the picture. It was faded from being washed so much. Then I replaced the wide lace at the hemline with a new strip of wide lace. When done, I carefully cut away the old lace underneath with very pointed, tiny sharp scissors. This saved me from tearing out hems and seams to fit the lace in.

When I arrived at the event this evening, an older lady told me my outfit reminded her of some antique necklaces she had at home and if I'd come over, maybe I'd like to have them! This was a very wonderful compliment for me--since I'm the queen of antique and vintage looking jewelry!!!!! Which brings up another subject....today Rhiannon and I think we found amongst my grandma's antique buttons a button from my great, great grandpa's Civil War Uniform. She spotted this miltary button and then checked online. It appears to be the original button. We wrote the manufacturer for imformation to confirm this. Will picture the button in question sometime in the future if it turns out to be authentic! Blessings, LORI

A LITTLE BIT OF FILIGREE FROM NATURE AND MY SEWING ROOM

HE HAS MADE EVERYTHING BEAUTIFUL IN ITS TIME...Eccl. 3:11

I just wanted to share a few pictures with you.The first few are my sewing room from other angles. I promised to continue to share my sewing room with you! Sewing has been a Titus 2 endeavor for me for years. Once I learned to sew it helped me economize and clothe the family with unique things that would have been too expensive to seek out in the stores! The yellow heart-shaped chair was a garage sale find that I've treasured for years! The knitted lace throw on the chair was a gift from the lady that taught me to knit years ago. It was in blocks and I sewed it together. I called her Aunt Tessie and she's responsible for much of my interest in needlework. She also taught me to tat!

Above the yellow chair is a very old "waist." That is what ladie's blouses were first called at the turn of the century. This one is ornate indeed! Hanging next to it is a hat I decorated. The tall chest of drawers belonged to my dad as a boy. Sitting on it are several old needlework items, boxes of thread, patterns, and darning cotton in original boxes. The tall skinny cupboard with the yellow "yoke" hanging above it was a gift from my husband. We bought this unusual cupboard at a benefit auction. I use it to house my extensive collection of thread. Each drawer houses a particular color grouping

Another view shows my "second sewing machine," which is currently out of commission! Next to it is my fabric cupboard. The other low dresser you see was a gift from Clint's mom. My mom refinished it and it houses all my patterns. Sitting on top is a picture of my grandma at 16, a picture of her at 4 years old in 1904, and a couple of pictures of me. The black hats on the wall are antiques.

I hope you enjoyed sharing one of my favorite getaway rooms. No new green dress progress to report. We are busy getting ready to head out for our annual pilgrimage to Iowa tomorrow. Clint will plan to hunt with friends. It's a really special time for him. I'll visit friends while there and do some needlework and shopping. I have a friend I graduated with who lives only a few miles from where we stay. She and I plan to can carrots while I'm there. I am taking her a bag of "gleaned" carrots from the Michigan fields. Last year she canned several and thought they were wonderful!

The last picture is of our woods this morning as the moon drifted behind the trees. I love the way the "filigree" of the tree branches was highlighted by the moon's glow. It reminded me of the verse I posted. Even in the winter, the woods and all of nature have a certain beauty. Enjoy God's creation today! It is truly beautiful! Blessings, LORI

WELCOME TO MY SEWING ROOM!

SHE IS NOT AFRAID OF SNOW FOR HER HOUSEHOLD, FOR ALL HER HOUSEHOLD IS CLOTHED WITH SCARLET. Proverbs 31:21

Carrie worked diligently for the rest of the afternoon putting the finishing touches on her new green velveteen dress she was making for winter. from "The Fields of May"


(Take a look at the pictures at the bottom of the page to see what I did on my Thanksgiving day!)


Welcome to my sewing room! Today I started a dress I've had in my 'design mind' for quite some time--ever since I wrote "The Fields of May," to be exact. I have wanted to make myself a dress similar to the one Carrie wore to the Christmas banquet in the book. Here is my attempt. This first picture is my dressmaker's dummy modeling the finished bodice over her "regular dress!"

The second picture is of the bodice back under construction. My main sewing machine sits by the window. It's great that I can look out while working. It keeps me from feeling closed in. Mom found this wonderful old machine for about $25 at Goodwill. It is green and matches the room!

In the third picture you can see the pattern laid out on the fabric waiting to be cut. I re-drew the pattern altering both the size and the style. Tricky, indeed. So far all is well. I cut the bodice pieces apart and added a "princess line" that the pattern didn't have plus a rounded hemline in the back bodice.

The final picture is the pattern that I made with muslin test pieces. Last summer I got a nice, large piece of muslin at a garage sale for 50cents. I knew right then that it would serve me well as a cheap piece of cloth for practice garmetns. The first muslin I made last night didn't fit right and so I had to re-draw the pattern today. Thankfully I have a huge roll of newsprint paper that I use for such things.

I hope you like my sewing room. It used to be JT's bedroom before he got married and moved out! As you can see, I turned it into what looks like a Victorian ladies' dress shop. He was horrified at first that I made it so feminine! I got very inexpensive wallpaper and border then added all the antiques. Notice the really ornate lamp behind the dummy? They were a gift that was given to me. I love them. There are two and they have dimmer switches. They are absolutely gorgeous when lit. The black chair by the sewing maching was a family heirloom brought from Pennsylvania with some of my family that first settled in Michigan. My grandma gave it to me when I was just a teen. The fan behind the dressmaker's dummy is from an auction as well as the antique wedding picture. Our old dining room table serves as my cutting table. Today being Thanksgiving, one thing I'm thankful for is my very adequate sewing room. It hasn't always been this way and I really appreciate a whole room for fabric pursuits!!!! Hope you had a great holiday, Blessings, LORI