Outside Inside

It is a lovely Saturday morning. Grey skies, rain, and misty fog.

 

A perfect day for listening to music by John Rutter, sipping tea, reading, homework, and music practice.

What does your Saturday look like?

PS. Use the code SHIPFREE to receive free shipping on any order in Peasant Cottage today!

Beauty

On a general basis, I try not to make a post on blogs or links to blogs. Even the ones that I have listed on the side, as wonderful as they may be, are not what I could always endorse. There is alot like that out in the internet, media, literature, the arts (and life?) in general. An older woman once told my sisters and I, "eat the watermelon, but spit out the seeds."

Now that the introduction has been made, :) I'd like to share two blogs with you that recently posted on the topic of beauty.

Beauty. What is it, anyway? Certainly in a world such as ours today, it can mean wide variety of things.

Last week author and blog writer posted an excellent post on this very topic. After reading it, I sat silence for quiet awhile, and wondered what my life would have looked like if only words of grace were spoken to me instead of the other things said to me and about me said behind my back but well within hearing range.

Being a reserved and quiet natured sort of person, I generally don't struggle with letting words slip out of "Wow, you've really been eating the sugar haven't you!" or "She certainly takes after her mother's flat-as-a-board genes" but on the flip side, the article challenged me to encourage my sisters, my friends, and even my little friends with words that speak grace: to speak words that build up, encourage, and give glory to God at the same time. Sometimes it's the words left unsaid that can wound, too. I speak from experience on both sides of the coin.

The other link I wanted to mention was this one on Reclaiming Beauty. Two sisters are hosting the webinar on this very topic and looking at their index of topics to cover, it looks like it would be interesting and most likely helpful in some aspects. If you can't afford the webinar (like me!) they are offer the first session for free, and it starts next week. More details are here.

A Peck of Peppers

The year in which Cheri's garden decided to produce peppers (orange and yellow bell peppers, and mini multi-colored sweet peppers were planted) was the year that Cheri was away in college.

 

In previous years I was lucky if my plant grew 8 inches, and VERY lucky if it produced a pepper (though it ended rotting on the plant anyway). And these were plants from a greenhouse that I tried growing!

 

Must be this year's success is due to saving/drying my own seeds, and God's good, good blessing.

 

My family says they go out every day to pick several, and they taste amazing.

They get heirloom tomatoes every day, too, along with purple bush beans still growing, the raspberries (you can see them in the top of the picture if you click on it) in abundance, and the herbs still flourishing. Needless to say, I'm trying not be envious that they get to enjoy the fruits of my labor.

The River of His Pleasures

I began the weekend yesterday afternoon by wading/swimming through this creek and sitting on top of these waterfalls, as well as observing various kinds of water bugs and trying to catch minnows. It was perfect.

 

How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.

 

They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.

 

For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.

Psalm 36:7-9

 

A Car Show in June

Every year our church has a Car and Motorcycle show on Father's Day as sort of an outreach ministry to the community. If you like old cars (or expensive ones!) it is a great afternoon to look around and talk to proud owners about their cars.

While I know I normally will talk about sewing, gardening, and recipes, and rightly so since I am a girl, but I must say that I do love old cars. One of my dreams is to ride in one someday, and not just in Michigan's Greenfield Village, but out on the real road. Anything from a Model T to 1940s would suit me fine. :)

Anyway, these are a few pictures my sister and I took that afternoon:



Reflections in a hub cap

Probably my favorite with the striking red interior

Hello. :)



Fancy logos

If you were bored to death with cars, forgive my vintage-car-love and wait patiently for an upcoming post that suits to the usual standards of the blog. ;)

Bright Hope

"Strength for today,

And bright hope for tomorrow.

Blessings all mine,

With ten thousand beside!

Great is Thy faithfulness!"

[My lens has been fogging up from all the humidity in the air, but the evening light here is so lovely!]

The words ring true for me these last few weeks. It would seem as if heaven decided to open up above and pour out the richest of blessings to me. I'm so grateful...

• Musician's gathering at the coffee shop for laughs, discussion, and cultural experiences
• Tangerine colored sun settings in the western horizon that cast a peach glow across the skies while lighting the clouds a lovely lilac color above the rich green meadows and the purple mountains
• Phone chats with my sister
• Jeremiah 33:3, Psalms 31:19
• Pumpkin Spice Lattes (they haven't been advertised yet, but here in a mountain town of GA, they've been available since early this week!)
• Mozart in orchestra (among a few other composers)
• My last class today finished at 2:50pm, and I have a three day weekend ahead of me. Yay! :)

ETA: Use SHIPFREE when checking out from Peasant Cottage to receive free shipping this weekend!

Me? Win?

This summer I happened upon a blog called "Dressed Her Days Vintage."

 

It was a charming read of vintage dressing and styling, (a recent post was on cranberry red lipstick - imagine the fun!) and the owner of this lovely blog had a giveaway in the works of four patterns she was willing to part with. All one had to do was pick a favorite and tell her so (and probably subscribe to her blog, but who wouldn't want to?!).

 

I spotted a gorgeous evening wear dress pattern from 1936. The 30s fashions intrigue me with their cuts, their pleats, their collars, and the overall distinguished feminine appearance.

 

So I entered. Just like the scores of giveaways I've entered in before with knowing that I was probably wasting my time. In fact, in the last year or two I've completely given up on entering giveaways all together!

I actually forgot about it, until a couple days before leaving for college. I visited her blog to see who the winners were, trying to not be envious of the winner who wanted the 1936 dress pattern as much as I did. Scrolling down to see the usual unfamiliar names listed, my eyes got big. Really big.

Cheri, of ajoyfulhandmaiden.blogspot.com, 1936 dress pattern

Surely there was a mistake. Someone else has a similar blog name to mine. But if there was a similar blog to mine, they surely couldn't own my name and my not-so-widely-used spelling of it! It had to be!

Within minutes I received a personal e-mail saying that I had indeed won the pattern. I was and still am completely delighted since I've never won any giveaway in my life before. :) With being in college now, the making of a dress will have to wait until December. But that should give me enough time to decide what fabric to use. Any ideas?

For Rachel

Oh the sorrows of being a college student. Gratefully, I haven't had to endure very many of them but just one every year.

Last year, a very dear friend had asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding, and if I couldn't be that, if I could at least come up for the weekend? Her wedding date was just a week or so after the fall semester started and there was absolutely no way that I could leave school. It was pure torture for me not to be there. 

This year it is happening again.

My friend Rachel, who I have known for just about half of my life time, is getting married next month. I can't say that when I first met her I was to sure of her (the feeling was probably mutual, but I've never asked) ;) but as we've grown older, matured, (we have, haven't we?) called up, or written to apologize for being self-centered, have prayed for each other and together, bounce off sewing ideas or patterns with one another, and have grown in Christ: I am so fortunate to be blessed with a loyal friend like Rachel.  I think she is the only close friend of mine who has put up with me the longest. ;P

Needless to say, this past weekend was her bridal shower, and since I'm obviously in college I had to have my family be the bearer of the gift.

I chose to make the Emmeline Apron for her, that way if she didn't like one fabric, she could turn it around and wear the other side (with hopes that the other would suit). Watching the pins she'd put up on Pinterest aided me in color choices, though I never had a concrete idea of her kitchen colors.

Fabric: "Caitlin Stripe" by The Alexander Henry Fabrics Collection

With black ties and neck strap, I figured that it would make up for any color deficiencies in the apron that may not be "her color." She has Diana Berry's gorgeous "black tresses" you see, so black looks well on her.

Fabric: "Covent Garden" Style #4071 by Benartex

Every new bride will need recipe cards, right? I'm hoping so, as I picked up a packet of them the last time I was in Anthropologie. They seemed to match the apron quite well and the visual appeal is much greater than that of a standard white '3 by 5' or '4 by 6' card.

Anne Shirley said when her kindred spirit got married, "Diana was the bride of my dreams" and when the pictures start pouring in of my friends's wedding that will be in a few weeks, I'm sure I'll be saying the same thing of her wedding... Much love to you, my dear friend!

I think I'll go call my one last single friend and make her promise me to not get married when I'm in college! :P

Rambles of PG Tips and Audrey Hepburn

With school not starting until Monday, the last couple of days have been spent in both preparation (it is SO wonderful to have my bow rehaired!!) and relaxation.

This morning I woke up to grey skies and heavy rain. Still in my pajamas, I plopped myself on the couch and had my devotions, then did some journaling while enjoying a steaming cup of PG Tips tea.

(A week or so before I left for GA, I stopped off at a favorite kitchen store that carries alot of European specialties, including an aisle full of teas and tea related things. Carrying mostly loose leaf teas, that is where I buy my Twinings Earl Grey tea and now I buy my loose leaf PG Tips there, too.)

To some of my friends great dismay, I have never jumped on the bandwagon of being obsessed with Audrey Hepburn. Yes I like classy styles and I've heard she was a lady of class, but "I'm just not into her." My friends would then ask, "Well, what movies have you seen her in then?" My reply, "None whatsoever." Can you picture them all fainting now? :)

No, actually none of them have fainted. ::winks:: My friend is making sure that I get a taste of Audrey Hepburn by introducing me to "My Fair Lady" this weekend. Yesterday we only got into about 30 minutes of it, and today I think we're going to finish the rest.

So, what is your favorite movie with Audrey Hepburn? and why?

Cruzin' down south

This week I traveled down south for my sophomore year of college studying violin. The Lord gave me safe travels and gave me picturesque scenery.

I'm back in the state of southern accents, high humidity, and peaches. Greetings to all and any readers nearby!

What to Take to a Picnic

Slice homegrown tomatoes.
Drizzle on homemade french dressing.
Sprinkle with freshly chopped basil from your garden.

Take to church picnic.
Come home with an empty plate.

A Quilt Top Tote

Perfect for a quick run to the farmers market or grocery store. The outside was made in a lovely patchwork of scrap cotton fabrics from favorite dresses and skirts of long ago while the inside is cream cotton.

I think I'd have enough scrap fabric to make one hundred of these. No joke.

Nearly 600

Working on starting a new post, I realized that I'm nearing 600 posts here on the blog. That is alot posts. This winter I will have been blogging here for 7 years. That is alot of years. Anyone still here from the very beginning?

Now before you all start thinking this is a "goodbye post," let me tell you that it isn't! :) The upcoming months are shaping out to be some super busy ones that I may not be able to write as often as I have this summer. I mean, there ins't much gardening going on (my apologies if you've gotten tired about my excitement over beans and berries!) in October or September for that matter if we get an early snow fall, nor do I have  alot of sewing projects to do. I think I unknowingly did a sewing marathon of some kind this summer! ;) But I have some great posts lined up that I'm excited to share with you.

In the mean time, I've having a little celebration party for this blog and all of my favorite readers (sure, it includes you!) so anything in my two shops will be 25% off if you punch in 25SALE when checking out. How long you wonder? The entire week including Saturday!

The Gift of Music

This spring and summer I've had the delight to teach two girls, and today they gave their first mini recital (even if it was for their families). Teaching, as I told their mothers today, is stretching but also very rewarding. It is my prayer as a teacher who is still learning violin (and the skill of teaching it to others!) that I'd be able to perceive their weaknesses and praise their strengths.

A couple of weeks ago, on of my students mother's gave me a book that was found in her parents possessions. Little did she know that I love antiques almost as much as violin. What could be a better gift than a combination of both? :)

Sorry that the following picture is sideways (it refuses to turn around!) but if you crank your necksideways, you'll see the copyright date of 1885.

Being strict in posture and technique, I must say that I was quite appalled at their illustrations just inside the front cover! Everything shown (other than the feet) is quite atrocious! Sometimes its good to learn from our forefathers, but this is not one of those things! ;) If a violinist is looking for some help in the right direction, it won't be this but my teacher's DVDs over at Violin Virtuosity. Her scale book is the only one a violinist (or violist!) will ever need, just in case anyone out there is looking for one!

The book starts out with beginner exercises...

...and closes with some more advanced etudes.

While I probably will only use this book on display and not in my teaching studio, I'm grateful for the generosity and the gift of music, the gift of violin, the gift of students, and the gift of God's grace!

Down Memory Lane...

I was at a thrift store several weeks ago and spotted that fabric, and instantly it took me down "memory lane" of shortly after we moved here from the west coast.

I knew how to sew, but the only thing I sewed was doll dresses for 18" dolls. That's how I taught myself how to sew. Sewing for people was not on my charts, until a girl, not much older than I, from church said making real dresses would be so much easier to make. She came over for a few afternoons to show me what to do. After making one or two simple dresses, I made a dress on my very own using the most beautiful blue calico I ever saw. It was worn only for church and special outings. It eventually wore out as did that favorite style of  dress. (Please, oh please tell me you have no idea what a cape dress is!)

Trying to find a picture of me wearing the favored dress was fruitless but in the meantime, I am appalled to see my choice of styles back then and to imagine that I went out in public in them! I hereby think that those pictures should be burned!! ;P

Dear me.

Anyway, I stood there looking at this fabric that was only a yard in length while trying to decide if whether I should get it. The print remains to be lovely and in a favorite shade of blue, I bought it. :) It would be made into a more up to date style in the form of an apron.

Using a favorite pattern, I used Sew Liberated's Emmeline style. I chose a striking black for the straps and ties, and then some left over Moda fabric from my stash for the other side.

The delicate blue flowers are the same shade as the blue calico.

Finished over the weekend, I am now ready to start making new memories!

Feminine Dressing

Not long ago two family members told me at two different times in one day, "Oh!" (can you hear the surprise in the word?) You look nice today!"

It made me think how easy it is to throw some clothes on with little or no thought as to my appearance. Sure it may be clean, but sometimes wearing a tank and the denim skirt that has been in the closet for years may not be the most presentable thing to wear. It serves well when cleaning bathrooms and wiping down kitchen floors, but I think all to often I've succumbed to wearing what is easy and comfortable instead of freshly pleasant and feminine.

Talking about family history recently and talking of our European ancestors, English Esquires among them, my youngest brother pipes up excitedly, "We could be be royalty!" Of course we all laughed it his ignorance, but his comment made me think in a much grander way of a very real truth.

As a Christian, I AM royalty.

God is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and as His daughter I am made a Princess. Thankfully, God is more concerned about who I am on the inside than if I'm wearing a yellow ball gown or pink ribbons and delicate lace though at the same time, we are always representing someone or something whether we like it or are aware of it. Sometimes it's easy to forget that. This is something I want to be a little more conscientious of, though I may not always be wearing my choicest clothing or sport Kate Middleton styles. :)

Fishing for compliments is not wise, but you're probably on the right track when your brother sees you walk down the stairs and says, "You look pretty!" (I think they like it when women look like women.)

Today's Gifts

The first of the tomatoes and peppers, the 3rd picking of purple bush beans, and a few peas from what is left. Love this season!

Lazy July Days

It has been another warm week with many more warm days to follow. On days such as these, it's best to wake early to water the gardens, get a long walk in before it's to hot, and then watch the outside world from an air conditioned house. (Thankyou Lord for AC!)



[Mint shades have been my favorite to wear this year. What has been your favorite(s)?]

["Cute As A Button" nail polish by Essie]

[Sadie, my sister's Golden Retriever, enjoying cool shade]

The end of July reminds me of a poem I came across this morning:

"Yellow with birdfoot-trefoil are the glass glades;

Yellow with cinquefoil of the dew-gray leaf;

Yellow with stonecrop; the moss-mounds are yellow;

Blue-necked the wheat sways, yellowing to the sheaf.

Green-yellow, bursts from the copse the laughing yaffle;

Sharp as a sickle is the edge of shade and shine.

Earth in her heart laughs, looking at the heavens,

Thinking of the harvest, I look and think of mine."

 'Love in the Vally,' G. Meredith

[Gala apples growing in great abundance]



[Homegrown peaches from a friend]

Gooseberry Abundance!

After she let me try some homemade Lemon Blackberry ice cream: "Cheri, would you like some gooseberries?" my violin student's mother asked me last week. She proceeded to tell me that her bush (or was it bushes?) of gooseberries was producing its fruit on a clock of overtime, plus some.

"I'd love some!" was my reply at the end of the lesson. She hands me two gallon-sized bags where one was half full after being stemmed & tailed, and the other half-filled bag needing the tedious hand stemming & tailing. She also put in hand her very own recipe of gooseberry pie, to which I was amazed and grateful since I don't readily pass out my recipes. (This lady is a picture of selflessness!)

In the early spring when I was over at her home for another occasion, she served me a slice of her pie but warned, "If you don't like it, you won't upset me. It's either you love it or you don't; in the similar fashion of a rhubarb pie." I took my first bite, not prepared for the round "pop" of gooseberries in my mouth, but the flavor had that of a sweet tang to it that won me. I could get used to the texture in no time.  

Slipping a vintage apron over my clothes, I anxiously "went to town" in preparing the berries for pie. Somehow fixing a gooseberry pie felt oldfashioned and endearing. Following her recipe to a T, I noticed that it didn't come with a crust recipe, but that was easily amended with using my Grandma's recipe that always works; not to mention is the most delicious and perfectly flaky compared to any other pie crust I've ever tasted.

My family thought it was peculiar. Mother-dear said she liked the juice but thought the gooseberries were weird, one of my brothers couldn't decide if it was sweet or tart, some refused to try it, and one of my sisters said it was, "interesting, but in a good way." Thanks, sis.

(Shhh, don't tell anyone that I'm saving a half dozen seeds to plant next year in a new berry patch.)

So, do you like or dislike gooseberries?

This one is for me...

"Oh, you get to sew for yourself today!" Mom said to me as she was ironing the boy's shirts while watching me sew. Between sewing for the shops, ladies at church, friends, and Mother-dear herself, it's not very often I sew for me. :)

For months I've eyed the 100% linen found in a perfect shade of grey at JoAnn's, but a $16.99 per yard price tag has kept me away. Last weekend I decided to bit my lip, use some violin lesson money (I teach violin to the cutest little girls you could imagine!) and buy enough yardage for a skirt since I learned that it was 50% off that week and I had a 15% off your-entire-purchase coupon.

Well wouldn't you know a friend of mine from church was there and she said "Cheri, come to the checkout with me and I'll let you use my Teacher-Discount card!" Mrs. L. volunteers/teaches at our private Christian school that is in connection with our church, and JoAnn's offers a 20% discount to all teachers. So glad God orchestrated me seeing her there to make it a few dollars less!

As you can see, I'm making it into my favorite skirt pattern. Hoping to have enough time today to finish it for Sunday services tomorrow. :) What has YOUR sewing machine been busy with this week?

Sew Liberated's Emmeline Apron

Not so much anymore but I used to get so many requests to make patterns off of the aprons I sell on etsy (maybe they aren't interesting like they used to be?) and sadly I'd have to tell them I don't know the first thing to pattern making. I have a few blogging friends who have made PDF patterns to sell and being a customer who have bought them, I can say I'd MUCH RATHER spend a few dollars more to buy a pattern printed on a sheet than printing out scores of pages to organize, tape, and cut out.

[Where was I going with that???]

Back on track: I'd often refer pleading customers to my favorite apron pattern that Sew Liberated puts out. The Emmeline Apron is modern, functional, cute, and my favorite of all: it's like having two aprons since it's completely reversible.

My latest work of this apron is a combination of out of print fabrics. The one side is a simple chevron-like print in blue.

The other side is a vintage feedsack cotton calico of favorite primary colors. I used navy symphony broadcloth for the ties, binding, and neck straps. (Both pictures are not very clear, I apologize!)

Shortly after making it, I contemplated if whether I should keep it or not (since I currently don't own one in this style) but then I remembered that I needed a gift for a dear lady whose family hosted me during a semester of college. She loves the color blue, and I think this will fit the bill perfectly since she is often in the kitchen making delicious meals for her family.

I'm still waiting on her Blueberry Muffin recipe and her Vegetable Soup recipe that she told me she'd send. :)

Fresh From the Garden

"I'll trade you for some of my purple bush bean seeds." a sweet friend from church told me this spring when mentioned that I'd be bringing some PGTips tea for her to try the following Sunday.

Purple bush beans? I never heard of those.

My friend Shannon told me how well they do in her garden and since I like gardening so much, I'd probably enjoy trying them. Unlike green beans they don't need poling, staking, or fencing in order to climb, these purple ones grow about a foot or so tall and stay put. That was already a plus because I have no supplies in which to pole, stake, or fence (though I use tomato cages for my tomatoes). My friend also said that the purple beans tend to be a little bit sweeter than the green ones, and this is the plus side if one is still apprehensive about eating a purple bean: when cooked, they turn green.

She gave me an envelope of seeds, and I used half of the space that I would normally use for my peas (I had very few dried peas to plant since a member of the family threw my seeds out last year, not knowing that they were. I'm the only one that gardens in the family, you see) so it worked out anyway.

The plants grew a foot tall with beautiful foliage and it was nearing the first of June with no signs of flowering. I began wondering if I'd get anything at all. Finally some pretty little purple flowers appeared and all of a sudden, I have beans growing!

This morning I did my first picking, and there are many more little ones growing, and many more flowers on the bushes, so I know it won't be the last. I have a feeling that next year I'll be planting more of these. :)

What's yielding the fruits of your labor in your garden this week? Have any of my readers grown purple bush beans?

A Pinterest-Inspired Skirt

I've been contemplating starting a new series to the blog, kinda of along the lines of my Dress It Up series that I had this past spring, but different in the way of putting together an outfit drawing inspiration from a picture from Pinterest and utilizing items from my closet without focusing on one item or piece of clothing like before.

Until (or if...) I get that going, I saw this picture the other day while browsing maxi skirts and while I'm not a personal fan of orange or burnt orange no less, I found myself liking this simple outfit: a basic white tee and long skirt with minimum accessories.

It reminded me of some burnt orange (used) tablecloths that was given to me several months ago. Obviously I knew from the beginning that I'd never use them as tablecloths, curtains, or anything that would pertain to home decor!! So yesterday I cut into it and today I finished it into my favorite biased-tiered skirt pattern.

I think there will be just enough extra fabric to make one for myself, but until I need another skirt, this one is available to you here! :)

Touch of Glam

Today I picked up a pretty vintage piece of fabric that measured a good 4 yards, and I thought it would look perfect in a Gracie apron. But then realized the fabric was only 35" (a sure sign it's vintage!) so a 1930s Depression style would have to do.

Now that I've finished it, I'm certain it wouldn't have looked as good in the other style. Of course, showing off a touch of rhinestone sparkle helps too, not to mention being bound in a striking black bias.

See for yourself, and I'm certain, you'll be inclined to agree.

Breaking News (in the world of sewing)

It rarely ever happens.

Over the course of several months I've had several projects on my tables, dozens of fabrics (literally), and patterns belonging to said fabrics falling over and yet all piling together in one big massive mess that would only make sense to the seamstress. (Please tell me that you can understand or visually get that picture because you have one yourself.)

As of this afternoon I now have two little neatly arranged piles that contain no pressing projects. I repeat: nothing that needs to be sewn except that which will be for leisurely fun such as a white Edwardian dress or blouse.

This happens every year or two and when it does, I relish in the delight of nothing to sew. It gives me room to breathe, step back and evaluate goals for sewing, future projects and ideas, as well as the time to go through notion drawers, fabric stashes, and pattern boxes to see what I will actually use or if I'm just keeping it "because I like it" or "because it's cute."

::happy dance::

As a totally random note, the raspberry season is just coming on here at the cottage and if you've never tasted homegrown raspberries, you don't know what you're missing out on! I'm hoping there will be enough to make a small batch of jam.