1940's Inspired Costume

Costumes were required for our orchestra's first fall concert. It has been many years since I had an opportunity to dress up in costume, and of course I went with a vintage look. Since the majority of my vintage and historical-inspired patterns, fabrics, and embellishments are still at my parents home, I had to be creative with thrift store finds. 

The 1940's seemed to be the easiest to duplicate with a simple plaid skirt, and blouse or sweater.

The sweater is a modern Gap brand that I found in new condition at my local thrift store. The plaid skirt is a vintage woolen from the Pendleton brand, also from the local thrift store. The shoes came from American Duchess several years ago.

While wearing fingernail polish isn't something I generally wear, some non-toxic polish was a must! I also wore some lipstick from Lancome called "simmering." 

The hat came from a antique store, and while I'm not sure of era, is seemed to work okay. 

Several people asked if I was dressing up as Queen Elizabeth, or Miss Maisel, but no, I was just going for a 1940's inspired look. 

There is a resemblance I think of my paternal grandmother when dressed up for this era though! She was such a classy lady, and though she passed away when I was barely a teenager, I remember her being firm, but kind.

 

Pretty (Unmentionable) Things

Playing dress up as a kid often required the “minor details” that help create the look your going for. The tattered crocheted blanket for a shawl, another blanket turned into an apron held up by a nearby broken jump rope or long piece of yarn. Having the right petticoat or pantalettes underneath a dress is the frosting between the layers. ;)

This set is from Kirsten Larson’s pattern for girls, put out by Pleasant Company many years ago. It took longer to put together than what should have been. Partly due to the fact that stores no longer seem to carry flat eyelet lace, and a good majority of gathered laces rarely match when spanning widths. I also didn’t calculate correctly just how much I’d need since I was ripping the the bias that gathered said laces.

Thankfully another trip to the fabric store yielded just enough lace to complete the project. Such a fun and overall easy pattern to put together. A picture of petticoat and pantalettes is below, but more pictures can be found in my Etsy shop if you wish to see more.

A Reproduction of Pleasant Company’s Felicity’s Birthday Dress

It was around the same time that I finished up Felicity’s school outfit that I was already gathering supplies for another historically inspired project.

But then December. Christmas time is one of my most favorite times of the year, but in the life of a musician, it is also the busiest and most hectic. There were rehearsals for both church and school festivities, not to mention other performances and parties to attend or host. 

Once they all came to a grand finale, then whatever spare adrenaline was left took me on a road trip out to Colorado to see my family for 10 days by spending the remaining December days there. 

Out of all of the months of school, January tends to be the quietest. A chord struck to organize the living room closet this week, but I didn’t get very far when I came across my sewing machine, fabrics, and patterns staring me in the face. They were the first to pull out if the closet, and before I knew it, the machine was in a rhythm of sewing again. 

This time I attempted to recreate Pleasant Company’s Felicity’s birthday dress and pinner apron. The actual dress is simply made from some rose cotton found at Joann Fabrics, but the apron fabric; which is nearly an identical copy to the dolls, was a little harder to find and a little pricey to purchase. But it was worth it, I think.

More pictures of the dress can be found by visiting my Etsy shop, PeasantCottage.

The Seamstress Still Sews

Continuing to be the director of the growing string program of a private school in Michigan (and loving every moment of it!), there have been moments outside of the three beginning string classes (just shy of 4 dozen kids in these various levels of classes), the three levels of string orchestras, nearly 3 dozen private string students, oh, and the constant driving back and forth between two campuses every day with no time in between these scheduled lessons or classes.

(Fairly certain the limit of allowed words in a sentence was exceeded. I teach music, not English!)

Last year when school was online for a while, the sewing machine was dusted off and took up residence on my kitchen table for months as I sewed nearly 500 cotton masks. Some were sold in my Etsy shop, but most of them were donated to nearby hospitals and health clinics. As happy as I was to be of help, sewing that many certainly took a toll on any desire to sew anything for while. 

This autumn the sewing machine was pulled out from the closet, scissors snipped through cottons and flannels, and a historical outfit came together from Pleasant Company’s dress pattern (out of print) of Felicity’s School dress. 

It was great fun to try something from the Colonial era (probably more inspired, than truly accurate) considering that many years ago I used to only sew mostly from the Regency era and Edwardian era (a favorite!) with a few other time periods here and there. The outfit is listed in my Etsy shop for anyone interested in seeing more pictures.

Hoping the sewing machine can be brought out more, and some vintage-inspired aprons can someday be back up in the shop, too. 

Blessings!

Life As I Know It

While at a leadership seminar over the weekend I was introducing myself to someone in the catered buffet-style lunch line and after giving her a complete and thorough job description she asked, "And what else do you enjoy doing when you have spare time?" I looked at her for a solid three seconds before I could even think of what to say next. "What else do I do? Oh wait, in a different context I enjoy sewing, gardening, and just domestic kinds of things" was what I was thinking and ended up saying something along those lines to her. It was nice to meet someone who seems to enjoy sewing as much I do (did?) though.

["The true way to live is to enjoy every moment as it passes, and surely it is in the everyday things around us that the beauty of life lies." --Laura Ingalls Wilder]

Life now though is completely different than any other season of life I've been in yet, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I've inherited well over a dozen private violin students, I have 25 students in my 2 group string classes, and well over a hundred (or 200?) little children in my Kindermusik classes, though thankfully I only see 30-45 of them a day. There are lesson plans to write, violin bridges that fall down and that need to be put back up, egg shakers and zigzag blocks to be sanitized, bulletin boards that need to be changed once a month (and of course I *only* have 4 of them), instruments to be tuned or new strings put on to replace the broken ones, giving a listening ear to heartbroken 4th graders, tapping a steady foot to the dreaded rhythm exercises ("Aw, man, not again!"), holding precious 3 year olds who just want to be loved instead of shaking bells, and ... I probably just exceeded the legal word count for a sentence. Or is that even a sentence? Perhaps this gives a shapshot of what life looks like as a strings teacher. It is the best thing ever, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Wait, I think I already said that though didn't I? :)

If my evenings and weekends aren't busy spending time with friends, going to Bible studies, working in my classroom or helping another teacher with theirs, I generally like to go back to my "cottage" and turn on the stove for a whistling tea kettle, pour a cup of tea (my college roommate got me hooked on lemon ginger when she came up over the Thanksgiving holiday), and read books or catch up on social media. Since I don't have wifi or internet set up yet, I'm limited to my small DVD collection to watch on my laptop if I'm in the mood. As idyllic as that sounds, my evenings tend to be spent running errands, grocery shopping, fixing supper, and prepping for the next day. I generally try to get as much done as possible since once my ever-consistent 6am alarm goes off, my task between then and arriving at school is spent in attempting to wake up (we aren't even talking getting out of bed yet...) and looking presentable for the day.


Christmas break flew by so quickly that I never had the chance to pack up any sewing supplies while at my parents house, so alas, it will be after school lets out until I'll be able to see them. Most likely my parents will bring them out when they drive out for the annual family vacation. So while that is one hobby that I've let collect dust, I've uncovered several antique shops within driving distance from my rural (comparatively speaking) town. Still on the lookout for a small bookcase and a nightstand; both for my bedroom. It is fun to "set up housekeeping" as my Grandma calls it, and she has been so sweet to give me a few things. One of which is her mother's solid wood rolling pin. Still have yet to use it, though I was just given 6 lbs of sour cherries so I'm thinking a cherry pie is on the menu in the not to distant future.


The stove beeper is calling my name. Must run, but I hope to be back on the blog sooner rather than later. Kudos to anyone who actually read this post after being silent for months in the blogosphere. :)

A New Thing: Cottage Living

I officially accepted a strings teacher position at a school (K4 through 12th grade) that was offered to me back in February of this year. That meant a move across the country to the beautiful Midwest. All I could fit in my car was what came with me, and sadly, there was no way that my sewing machines and supplies would fit, so they have to stay put in my parents home until Christmas.

While it isn't a true cottage, my new place of living will be "the cottage" here on the blog, and I'm looking forward to setting up house, figuring out real adulting, and learning the new and very wide gamut of teaching in a private school.

Any tips are welcomed for this newbie! :)

Thread in a Vintage Milkglass Bowl

Organizing my sewing recently led me to my monstrous bag of crochet thread that I use for tatting. These are variegated colors that I will probably not use, only because the smaller spools have a longer distance until the color repeats itself. This would be perfect for those who tat or crochet larger bookmarks, dollies, and lace.

There are eleven spools of size 30 thread, all in various lengths, and most likely have been used at some point so I can not guarantee or estimate the yardage on these. If you're interested, I put them up in the shop last night!

Strawberry Freezer Jam

Having a discount grocery store nearby that will often carry lots of organic produce, we thought that for $1.79 a package we could afford to make a small batch of strawberry jam. If you use organic strawberries and organic sugar, then the strawberry jam is good for you, right? ;)

It was just a small batch of 4 pints and 4 half pints, but then our family doesn't go through peanut butter and jelly as much as we used to.  One of my favorite uses for jam is on Laura's scones. What are some of your favorite uses for jams and jellies?

The First and Second Gooseberry Picking

Like everything else that grew while we were away, the gooseberries were ready to be picked. It wasn't until a couple of days ago that I actually made time to pick the sunripened ones and picked what I could until the sun went down behind the mountains.

Today I did a second picking, and decided to hull them before supper. Actually, with gooseberries, you most often times will hull both ends. When picking them, a short stem comes with it, and the deadened spring flower on the other side never drops off in growing season.

I checked the bush more more time tonight, and there are a few green ones left that I'll add to my bag (now in the freezer) for a small pie for later. I'll be sure to share the recipe at some point! It's so delicious, and I actually prefer to eat it cold.

On a side note, I'm wearing one of my Ginnie aprons today and had to smile at a recent conversation that I've had this summer (maybe it has happened twice, now that I think about it...). When something about sewing, etsy, or aprons get brought up, I'll casually mention that I love to sew aprons and have sold many online over the last 10 years or so. Some people think it's awesome, and other people just look at me funny and ask, "And do you actually wear one yourself?" :) That's not even a question, but they don't know that, so I reply with yes and let them know that I have about a half a dozen of them and will wear them when I'm in the kitchen or out harvesting something from the garden.

P.S. Just so you know: Thankfully, I have only shown up at the grocery store wearing an apron just once. I think. ;)

Harvesting Lavender

Three years ago I planted some English Lavender while still hopeful that my first patch would make it. It never did. I now have two patches and it looks like they would have been in a glorious full bloom while we were on vacation.

Today I got started on harvesting it. According to some websites, I'm to late, but oh well. It still smells good! :) The two piles on the left still have some blossoms, while the one on the right contains the ones that are fully done.

There is still more to cut from the first patch and an abundance on my second patch. When ever I bring in the lavender, I just tie them into bunches and hang dry them for dried bouquets later. Browsing on Pinterest for ideas, there is a whole bunch more you can make with dried lavender. I'm thinking maybe a wreath? Down in South Carolina, there was a small coffee shop that made the best Lavender Mocha's, but I've been leery to try using it in any culinary dishes here at home.

If anyone wants to pass on their ideas for dried lavender, I'd be happy to hear them!

Yes, I'm Still Sewing!

On the occasion when I have time to think, (such as when I was on a two week vacation to Michigan recently!) I remember when blogging and sewing up items for my etsy shop was quite often. Indeed, this summer has already proven to be quite busy, eventful, and productive however.

And yes, I am still sewing. :) I've been blessed to be able to work for/with the same local bridal alteration business as last summer. One of the biggest projects was working on a bridal gown (took it from a size 10 to a size 0), though the business owner did the major stuff while I worked on smaller details. There was a flower girl dress to alter, as well as four out of seven bridesmaid dresses; I did all of those.

I don't have any professional pictures for you yet, but here are a few small snapshots that I took along the way using my "new" iPhone. Yes, I have been using one of my Dad's first cellphone's (a flip phone, mind you) and I told myself that I was allowed to buy an iPhone when I graduated from college. Per typica of me, I bought a used iPhone 6s, but it was in next to new condition and a beautiful rose gold color. 

Oh yes, you're not here to read about technology...ahem.

The flower girl dress was darling! I took the picture more for myself to remember the company name for the future. :)

Love being surrounded by beautiful textures, fabrics, lace, and tulle!

I put this gorgeous lace on the hem to make it a smidgen longer, and it gave the dress an overall completed look. 

The bride wanted a custom veil (finger tip length) and once we made it using fine tulle netting and a hair comb, I added the lace appliques to an otherwise simple veil.

Outside of bridal sewing, I have two aprons to make for some friends of mine who are getting married this summer. One of them I'll be attending next month up in Maine (can't wait!!) and she's planning a coffee shop themed kitchen. The fabric I found for her will work perfectly. I'll post pictures when it's finished.

If you were hoping to read that I'd be making aprons for the shop, don't lose heart! I have three fabrics on my sewing table that were just cut into aprons this evening. I'd sneak in a little sewing yet this evening, but alas, I'm out of bias tape. Quite rare for someone who has made hundreds of aprons, isn't it?

Well, toodles for now and I hope to be back writing more often in the next few weeks!

BA(Mus)

A Bachelor of Arts in Music degree. Sounds pretty official, but that's because it really is. And I own it! :)

Not many people know that I never finished high school, or that I sat out for nearly 10 years before timidly applying for college. NEVER ever believe the lie that you're not smart enough, or that you're to old to pursue your dreams when God places a desire on your heart and opens the door!! 

"But as it is written, Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him." 1 Corinthians 2:9

I'm Taking One Book With Me

 

Only because there is so much reading to do for classes, I generally try to keep my book count under five per semester that I bring from home. This time around, I think it will be just my Bible and this little nugget by Frances Ridley Havergal. Either I have never read it (need to confirm with my yearly book lists...) or it has been many years. Leafing through its pages as I began packing this afternoon, it looks as though it will not disappoint.

Blueberry Buckle

The forecasters said that our area could see up to a foot of snow by this morning, and I would say that it came pretty close. I wasn't ready to get out of bed, but I love quiet mornings before anyone is up.

A morning ritual is to turn on a string of lights (or two), fix a cup of tea and read Scripture. As daylight began to seep through the low hanging, empty clouds it was obvious that I wasn't the only one up early.

Before heading outside to help shovel the snow and brush of cars, I whipped up and put in the oven a special morning treat; a recipe I hadn't fixed in ages. It turned out well considering I used a pan that was a wee bit smaller than what the recipe called for. But here's a hint: if you cut everything into small pieces you won't feel to guilty for eating two. ::ahem::  Oh, and don't let the title be deceiving - it's a fancy (or otherwise?) way of saying coffeecake.

Blueberry Buckle

Mix:
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. soft butter
1 egg

Stir in:
1/2 c. milk (I used almond milk)

Add:
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
2 c. blueberries

Crumb Topping:
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 c. flour
1/4 c. soft butter


Spread batter in a 9x13 greased pan. Sprinkle crumb mixture on top (I used a fork to mix and slide the crumbs out of the bowl and onto the batter). Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.

Christmas Greetings!

Making it to the President's List (ie., having a 3.75 or higher GPA for the semester) may have something to do with my silence on my blog in the last several weeks. Reflecting on the four plus weeks that we have come through are somewhat of a blur. It must be either my caffeine is wearing off, or my body is still sleep deprived, or both. :)

But I do remember that the string quartet I was in this last semester had the great honor of playing Christmas carols in the university's widely acclaimed Museum & Gallery when it was open to the public early on in the month. Discarding the traditional black for the evening, we chose to wear festive colors.

Growing in friendships and musically with these girls this semester was great fun! For our chamber recital we played

Glazunov's AllaSpagnola and All’ Ungherese from his 5 Novelettes. Check out the links for an idea of what we were playing, played by real pro's...)

The rest of the semester was a whirlwind of completing classes, passing my senior recital note check, and taking eight finals. One of the weekends a couple friends and I went to watch the Nutcracker live, played by  the city's symphony. I think I would enjoy it more if I were to experience it again, since that night I was so, so tired. What I do remember was that I enjoyed it. :)

Prior to driving home for Christmas Break I went up to a surprise birthday party that was being put together for my Grandma's 85th birthday. It was the weekend right after finals, so it worked out perfectly to make the drive up north. She was completely surprised, and it was such a joy to spend a weekend with her. Michigan had lots of snow, too, which was a delight.

And now I've been at home for just under two weeks. What have I been doing? Mostly sticking very close to home and resting alot. Being a college student is exhausting (but oh so rewarding!!) and this semester was no exception. There have been a few occasions where I've gone out with my sisters, or up to the mountains for a morning in a coffee shop, or spent some time making Christmas treats in the kitchen, so I haven't been a complete lazy bum. ::winks::

With less than a week now before I head back for my last semester of undergrad, it is doubtful that I'll get anything added to my etsy shop (so sorry!). My priorities lie in some more rest and keeping up my senior recital repertoire. I'll spare you those juicy details, since most of you have had your fill of musical dialogue for one post! But I hope you all have had a wonderful Christmas season and will have a joyous new year!

(If you love the delights of this season as much as I do, check out this wonderful new blog that will keep you occupied with lovely writings and pictures! I still have many more posts to catch up on, which I'm off to now after I fix myself another cup of TWG's vanilla caramel tea.)

Autumn Scenes

Little time to write very many words, but I have not been completely lost in practice, papers, and productivity. In the last month I've gone on little excursions for my own sanity (and most likely my roommates ::ahem::) which included trips to an apple orchard and the mountains.

Tonight I fixed this copycat recipe of Panera's Autumn Squash Soup. The only thing I did different to it was use 1/2 cup of almond milk instead of 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream. I may or not be on my second bowl. :)

The Gift of Solitude

["Turn your loneliness into solitude, and your solitude into prayer." -E. Elliott]

In the busyness of college life, sometimes there is a great struggle to find solitude. Perhaps my mommy-friends can relate, or my friends who work full time jobs and come home to spend the rest of their time in some kind of ministry or community outreach. Go, go, go. Do, do, do. Hurry, Hurry, Hurry. At times it can seem as if life is a never ending cycle - whether its the washing machine, the online assignments to turn in before midnight, or the phone than never stops notifying...

A college friend of mine shared with me one of their favorite spots, a lake I never knew existed until just a few weeks ago. I've discovered a time in my weekly schedule to where I can put everything else down and spend a couple of hours down at the beautiful waters. As I scribbed away in my journal this morning, my thoughts and prayer were parallel to the words penned by Horatius Bonar, words with which I will leave you this weekend:

In the still air the music lies unheard;
In the rough marble beauty hides unseen.
To make the music and the beauty needs
The Master's touch, the Sculptor's chisel keen.

Great Master, touch us with Thy skillful hands;
Let not the music that is in us die;
Great Sculptor, hew and polish us, nor let
Hidden and lost, Thy form within us lie.

Spare not the stroke; do with us what Thou wilt;
Let there be naught unfinished, broken, marred;
Complete Thy purpose that we may become
Thy perfect image - Thou our God and Lord.

A Thankyou Gift

Sewing for Mrs. L. this summer was such a blessing for me. The fun chit-chats, good conversations and fellowship, countless cups of coffee or iced tea, "bonus day," and her passing on her bridal sewing skills and expertise have left me so, so grateful. A card saying "thankyou" could not suffice.

Would it be flowers, a plant, or an apron? It seemed like an apron would be the most practical since flowers would die within a few days and even the choicest greenhouses have next to nothing nice this time of year in the way of something that would come back next year (unless one would want fall flowers).

Using an apron pattern from Sew Liberated has been my go-to for making aprons as gifts. It is a little bit more stylish and modern than what I make and sell for etsy, but still lots of fun with it being reversible. Mrs. L likes cheerful things, but without being to wild and crazy, so this fabric by Free Spirit of spring colors and birds seemed like a good choice for the one side.

The other side I used some fabric that might look familiar if you've seen this apron in the shop. It didn't have a name on the selvage, and almost seems vintage, but really high quality, if that makes sense. Mrs. L. likes the color blue, so it seemed like a good choice.

I was able to get the apron finished and wrapped up to give to her on my last day of sewing for her. Looking forward to next summer to hopefully be able to sew for her again! In the meantime, there is much to be done as I seek to organize my life before classes officially start on Wednesday.