That is my nickname for the dress that I made this week. It was essentially a mock-up for another dress which I got cut out today. 

However, it caused a great deal of stress, some irritation, and a few tears (I had Lyme issues this week). First, I didn't have enough of the green-stripe to make the full skirt...therefore I split the skirt panels from four to eight and put muslin in the gaps, so to speak.

The biggest issue (which was not totally resolved with this dress) was the fit of the bodice. (The sleeves on the other hand were a grand success seeing as I drafted them myself--under the half-attention supervision of my sister who was busy making supper as I stressed over them.)

I shan't go into all the details, but suffice to say that the shoulders had to be taken up and the princess lines had to be reworked at least twice. It was very frustrating...and though it still doesn't fit just right, I still like it. :)

Mama was very instrumental in making sure this fits as well as it does...she was bound and determined, even when I was ready to call it quits and just "wear it as it is" to keep working on it. 

This morning, Savannah and I essentially re-made the pattern for the bodice (I stitched up a mock-up real quick before lunch and it completely fixed the problem!)

Right. So this outfit started out as Flemish...but it really looks more English:

I guess, since I really look much more English, that is fine. :) The main difference between the styles, from a cursory glance, is the width of the lacing.

Alright...to the details now!

I bought the red wool I used last year, intending on making this outfit then, but what with one thing and another, I didn't...and I ended up with my long, too big, mustard yellow kirtle instead.

By the end of the day, I had managed to rip roughly half the hem out. But anyway, that is not of too much consequence for this tale, excepting that the kirtle is part of it.

I'll take you through the construction of this Flemish/English dress from the kirtle out (mostly). One of the first things I did was take up the kirtle. It was too big on me last year and I have gotten a little thinner since then, so it really looked like a sack of potatoes on me. In addition to that, in my research, I read that the kirtle was a tight garment, laced up the back. Well, mine laces up the side, so that didn't get altered, but I did sew up the front and back princess seams, as well as the center back. It's still not super tight (which is fine), but it doesn't leave me feeling like a slob either.

It was decided, that due to my stature (short, you know) and my personality, a shorter skirt would be fitting. The Flemish peasants wore their gowns anywhere from mid-calf to floor length. Well, I know what happens with me and floor length stuff. :D So the next step was hemming the kirtle up about 8 inches (or more). (By the way, this stuff isn't necessarily in chronological order; more in logical order.)

Ah...now we're getting to the pictures! I don't have any kirtle-in-process-of-alteration pictures, but I do have the actual "dress"...though it's more of jumper. I don't know exactly what to call my red-wool contraption, but anyway.

Savannah helped guide me onto the right pattern, which she then fitted on me. Believe it or not, it was the same pattern I used to make one of my '40's dresses in the spring!

I made a mock up out of brown felt first...

It fit perfectly, but due to where the lines fell, it was determined to move the front edges closer together--thus really morphing it into the English style. With this determined, I laid the pattern out on the wool and ran into a problem. I didn't have enough to line the whole bodice in matching fabric!

After conferring with my adviser (Savannah), I decided to rip apart my mock up and use the back piece for the lining. As the felt and wool stretch similarly, it worked pretty nicely. This way if the lining gets exposed at the front, it won't be noticeable since it's the same color as the outer layer.

And then came the really interesting part...what to use for the metal loops the lacing was to go through? Mama found some coat hook and eyes at Jo-Ann's. The eyes worked perfectly!

By the way, the use of metal loops is authentic. In the past, we have always just done eyelets in things like this, but with the research that I did, this is much more authentic--at least for this time period.

The next step was closing the shoulders. Savannah showed me how to do it. I have done something similar before, but I needed the reminder. 

Once this was done, it was time to move on to the skirt and the sleeves. The skirt was really straight forward. Savannah measured it, I chopped roughly 8 inches off the bottom of both skirt panels (outside and lining), stitched them together, turned them right side out, and ironed them. Then, I slid into the bodice and Savannah roughed in four inverted box pleats. After that, I took the whole to the ironing board and finalized the pleat placement. As is not unusual for me, I sewed the waist seam twice. Mama used to do that to all the clothes she made me as a little girl. Kept me from ripping the skirts off so easily. Anyway, she taught me the trick when she taught me how to sew.

I pinned the lining over the waist seam...and all the way around the front opening.

Then, I addressed myself to the sleeves. Plain and simple, the sleeves are the scraps from the bottom of the skirt panels. I had four pieces, so I stitched them together to form two tubes.

After that, I slid them on my arms and had a problem. I was not going to be able to pin them up at the shoulders like I was supposed to--so Savannah came to the rescue.

In the end, they looked something like this:

In addition to hand top-stitching the sleeve tops, I did the entire front opening of the outer-dress. I was just going to do the bodice at first (for the main reason of securing the lacing loops better), but it was determined that it would look better if I did the whole thing. So I did.

Now, before we get to the pictures of the completed ensemble, I'd like to show you one other piece that I made in a single morning (yesterday). I have wanted one of these "things" for several years now (probably could even use it with my WBtS outfits) and so I determined to stick to ol' chin out there and do it. 

Yes, I am talking about a pocket. 

I roughed out a pattern on a piece of scrap paper, cut that out, did a little measuring...and el-bam-o! It actually looked like it was going to work!

Well, I wanted a wee bit of decoration on said pocket--but I know diddly-squat about actual embroidery (cross-stitch doesn't exactly count) and when I tried I decided that under the circumstances, it wasn't going to be worth the effort. But as I told Mama, "I know how to do straight stitches and French knots!" So I did.

I didn't have time to do anything fancy, like these (from 1796, I believe the stitching says, but hardly a new concept at the time), so I contented myself with the somewhat wiggly geometric design around the slit opening.

I did a wee bit more research, looking for whether or not these ladies wore leather belts and specifically, belts with buckles. I found a few, but all of them still had long tails that hung down to the knees. Now, I don't have any belts quite that long in my collection, nor even soft enough to tie the way the did them...so I am borrowing Daddy work belt. It's not quite long enough either, but it is soft enough.  (You do know I'm rather addicted to my belts, right?)

Alright, so with that said, how about some pictures of the finished outfit? (I would still like someone to give me a good explanation as to why photographs make one look wider than one does in the mirror...)

Well, that's it. I will probably wear those shoes (and please don't laugh too hard when I fall off them outdoors) since they are the closest looking thing I have to "authentic" shoes. I will not be bare-legged either...I have this lovely pair of brown angora wool knee-socks Mama bought me last year that I intend on wearing. I would have worn my home-made ones, but trotting around in just one sock would probably cause me to be of more amusement than I'd really like to be. ;)

I am SO looking forward to this weekend's adventures!

This particular post has been in the works for weeks...so I may end up re-writing it almost entirely so it flows better. :) Cheers and all that....

Not only did I have the pieces from half a-dozen different patterns all mixed up in a massive pile...I *gasp* drafted some of my own patterns!!!

Well, nothing fancy mind you, but still--it's a start. Here's a quick run down on a skirt that I designed. 

There wasn't anything in "the stack" that suited me, so I grabbed Magnolia and started working.

That was just the start. I dove head-first into trying to re-create (doll-sized) original garments/patterns that I scoured from the internet. I used everything from photographs, pattern covers, and catalogs/ads for inspiration. I thought you might enjoy seeing the originals and then my doll-sized attempt at reproduction.


"The Dress with a Tie"

This next one didn't get a nickname. I made a couple of these (more or less). As I was doing the hand work on one of them, I realized that I had stitched the skirt on inside out, so that one still isn't quite finished.

This is the skirt pattern I showed you up top. I didn't actually manage the little point on the waistband...but the rest of it worked up well.

I thought I had a third one of those, but I couldn't find the picture, so maybe not...

This next dress required cutting out a different bodice front, which wasn't hard, and then having a moment of free-hand inspiration to get the right look for the skirt (because there was no way I was going to stitch a bunch of tiny gores together for this; particularly doing French seams).

This next one is an actual doll dress pattern that I attempted to copy.

I love this one...particularly with the inventive (pat myself on the back, will I?) touch I put on it.

Sailor collar!! (Hum "Anchor's Aweigh!")

All told, I am pretty doggone pleased with that one.

As well as this next one...I just didn't run the ruffles all the way down.

Those two really are one of a kinds...and some of my personal favorites.

I kept coming back to this picture...particularly that dress in the middle...

And this is what I ended up with:

A little shorter than it was supposed to be (I guess I forgot to un-fold the pattern piece to length it) and no waist belt--though I did actually make one of the checkered material. I found a little hole in it so just scrapped it.

I also created my own suit pattern...I made six or seven of them. but I'll only bore you with this one. If you want to see the rest of them, hop over to Lady Libby's. :)

Well...that's a smattering of the many, many dresses I made. :)

Wow...to say the least, a lot has happened this last year. Just a year ago, on this very day, Savannah and I were settling in at a four day 150th anniversary Battle of Chickamauga reenactment. We had a ball despite the Lyme and the rain. We didn't realize we would be staying in Indiana when we set out from the ranch.

Fast-forward to the present...On this day, we are in the frantic, last-week before an event, up to our ears sewing mess. In addition to that we still have the Farmer's Markets. I have been sewing like an insane person now for days and my stack of hand-work continues to grow...and grow...

I will, eventually, get up a blog post of what I've been working on. But at present, I keep adding to the list of things I'm making. :P

By this time next week, Lord willing, we should be out of state, rolling southward for a weekend of great enjoyment....

{I laugh} 

THEN...when I get home, I'll dive head-first into yet another sewing project! I've been planning this one for months. :)

Oh...and in the meantime, I have Andy's kilt hose to knit...as soon as I finish my sock (I'm ready to turn the heel, the heel-flap being completed).

Anyway, this was just a quick little post to let you know I hadn't forgotten about my faithful readers! I really ought to get back to work now. :)

Well. With that clumsy title, I shall strive to detail (in an interesting fashion) my busy, full day for you.

I woke up (of course...or I wouldn't be writing this). The time was more or less normal ('round 7 a.m. give or take 10 to 20 minutes). 

I drank my coffee and read my Bible and by 9 a.m. I was dressed and booted...and scrounging about in the brooder coop setting up for the chicks that I expected to arrive this morning; only I didn't put the bedding in. All before breakfast. Believe me, I was ready for my eggs, onions, and left over Navy bean mush mess. It was delightful...Bear with my food raptures...I haven't had supper yet and it's practically 8:30.

The morning was spent in various activities readying folks for the market this afternoon. That and rushing around to settle my chicks who did come this morning, without prior warning from the Post Office (last time they called first). In other words, I had to put the bedding in with a box of loud peepers making a racket in my ears. Sometimes I think my ears are more sensitive than they used to be to loud noises (Lyme maybe? Dunno--the thing on the symptom list is "decreased hearing"...) It really, really got loud after I took the lid off the box and had about half of them in the brooder where the "cheeps!" echoed off the walls adding to the din.

I counted 53 birds. The packaging said 51. So I'm happy. So far, I haven't had any dead ones even though...well, that's a story for later on. 

Among the other things I did this morning was trying to keep up with the dishes, making some pie shells (those pies squeaked out of the oven literally as folks were walking out the door), throwing up a quick, short, blog post, sticking labels on honey and hot blueberry jam, packing the truck, straightening a few things in a few places, eating a quick snack to pack down my irritation (I get irritable when too hungry), and all around trying not to stroll around doing nothing and being in the way.

By the time we ate lunch (2:15 for the three at home), I was ready for it and my coffee afterwards. Daddy kindly washed the dishes after lunch while I straightened my computer area and took some stuff upstairs that really needed to go up. 

I tackled a load of laundry and the bathroom next...the bathroom needed it. While I was cleaning the floor, Sherry (our favorite hospice lady) came and gave Granddaddy his Friday bath. 

{Supper Break}

Ah...Lentils with fresh kraut mixed in is one of my favorite meals. :)

Anyway, back to the details of the day...I poked along and made some more pie shells (trying to stock up for the next two weeks--the last two Farmer's Markets). I was going to try to make enough for all five markets (tomorrow and the four the following two weeks), but I ran out of flour. Katherine made a bread while I was doing that too--we left less than a full cup of flour.

A little later, Mama called to inform us that she had sold both pies...so Daddy cut the pumpkin and I got it stuffed into the Conservo. Then I popped out to check on my chicks.

One was upside down in the water. I thought he was dead, so I reached in, picked him up and was going to head out and toss him into the cornfield. But...he wiggled! So, I held him under the heat lamp for a bit and he opened his eyes and then closed them again. 

Cupping my hands around him (his feathers were still quite warm from the heat lamp), I trundled myself up to the garage where Daddy was running some new piece of machinery he'd picked up earlier in the day. I had to yell at him a couple of times before he heard me over the noise. Anyway, we decided to try to revive the little guy; particularly after he made a little peep or two. I figured that was a good sign.

Daddy found a box and lined it with a piece of paper towel while I kept the chick warmly tucked in my hands. He was starting to squirm. 

You have to admit...he didn't look very good; I still expected him to die.

We placed him next to the still-cooking Conservo where he'd get the heat off of it.

I checked on him on and off for the next couple of hours, in between other things and each time he looked a little better, seemed a little more alert and peeped a little louder. I tried to get him to eat a little, but I don't think that was overly successful; I left a little tiny bit of feed in the box. The next time I looked at him, his face was practically in it, so I don't know as if he ate any of it or not. 

Eventually, I decided that he was hot enough that he probably needed some water. Now, I do know how to force a chick to drink, so I did. I put him back in his box and he stayed on his feet! And hollered...and hollered...and hollered.

I left him there a little longer before re-joining him to the rest of the flock. I hope he's still alive and healthier in the morning. 

Speaking of the rest of the flock, ain't they a fine bunch of feathers?

There is something wrong with the above picture...here it is, fall weather on us (the high today might have reached 60)...and I am running around BAREFOOT? (Besides which my leg looks cocked-eye due to my pants...)

To be quite honest, I started out in socks and boots, but I felt like said socks were sticking to the floor so when I cleaned the bathroom I took them off (we had some pears "leaking" in the mud room; that was the problem) and spent the rest of the day in my bare toes. The ground it both wet and chilly...

I got supper made (it was basically left-overs doctored up a little bit...turned out fine if I do say so myself) and finally got upstairs with the vacuum cleaner. I changed the litter in the cat box and got my room and my sisters rooms vacuumed. Thankfully, Runty didn't pull any of her door-climbing stunts this time. It really is very, very funny to see a black cat hanging sideways and rather bat-like off a chicken-wire screen door, but it's horrid on the hinges--which are already sprung--partly, I think from the wild careening trampoline-jumping stunts of said cats. 

Mama called before they got home to tell Daddy, who handed the phone to me, that Grandpa had called her--he needed tomorrow's pills and they needed a gallon of milk from the fridge in the barn (it's a little too difficult [uneven floor] for Grandma to get it). So I dashed out to take care of things.

Grandpa said something like: "Look, it's Whatcha-call-her. I called You-know."

I laughed, "You-know called The Other Guy and he gave me the phone."

Grandpa continued the play, "It must be a relay..."

Me: "Something like that..."

Anyway, it was funny and one of those special moments of me actually being able to have a come-back to one of Grandpa's funnies. :) He's too smart for me!

Since I've been remiss on the blogging front this week, how about a quick run-down on what I've been doing?

Does this work?

The above are only two of many outfits I have been sewing this week...

Yesterday, my Grandma's cousin Helen had a huge auction; basically an estate sale (she's moved into assisted living) and Mama, Daddy, Grandma, and Savannah went. They bought Helen's couch. It's rather comfortable actually.

Our old couch is now in the barn with black plastic toss over it....

It's now nearing 10 and I have to go take some more pumpkin pies out of the oven, so farewell for now!

P.S. MAMA SOLD A PAIR OF MY SOCKS!!!

Using an original pattern cover for inspiration (Etsy is a great place to scour for old patterns and/or ideas), I rummaged through our fabric and patterns. I think I ended up using three different dress patterns and drawing my own collar (which could stand a little tweaking.

The collar is detachable...and the bodice is actually backwards because I decided at the last minute that I really did want a front closer after all...

I made this after the style of what a little girl would have worn during the '40's, thus the quite short skirt...and the little panties. (I actually took a pantaloon pattern and in essence chopped the legs off it. :D)

Dolly looks like she's waiting for Jack Tar to come home! ;)

I must say, I'm decently pleased out how it came out...but I know better how to do the next one. 

I have to scram and feed my chickens! (By the way, some of the roosters were having a crowing competition this morning...)

Eh...well...that title rather isn't in my line, but I guess it works for today. :D

I spent Tuesday and Wednesday making a dress. It's red print. If you've known me for a while, you probably know red is my most favorite color, followed by certain bright, dark shades of green. But anyway, I actually remembered to take those boring in-progress pictures I love to post so well. I had intended on doing so when I make my outfits for the FCM conference, but I just didn't. 

Alright then, to get started...

The Pattern

I bought this Vogue pattern on-sale, over a year ago at the Jo-Ann's in PC. I got the fabric the same day. I went home, intending on making the dress that week (or the next) and even cut the pattern out. However, I just never could seem to pin Savannah down when she was open to fit me. So...it didn't happen until Tuesday after lunch. I hadn't intended, when I got up Tuesday morning to start a sewing project, but it seemed like a good idea what with the rain and all that I just went ahead and jumped into the project head first.

I went with option D--sleeveless with a full skirt. I love full skirts for a variety of reasons...and sleeves, particularly tight sleeves tend to bind me something terrible...

I laid the bodice out and pinned it, leaving room for the lining. (The bodice is lined and the skirt was supposed to be too, but I didn't do that.) I didn't cut anything yet and went to put the skirt on. I nearly freaked out because there wasn't enough fabric! I think I had already had two run-up-the-stairs-to-consult-with-Savannah moments already, but this one was the most agitated yet. "What do I do? I really want the full skirt."

Well, we got the pattern cover and a-duh! The bodice lining was to be cut from different cloth. The dress itself, minus the lining, called for 3 1/4 yards (or something like that), so that is why, with the proper measure of fabric, with the lining laid out on it as well, it didn't fit. I scrounged in the doll dress fabric foot-locker and came out with yard of black broadcloth that would work perfectly for the lining. Once I pinned the bodice on the fabric and cut it out, I was thrilled to see that I was able to add an extra four inches onto the skirt length! (The pattern came right to the middle of my knee and I wanted it longer than that.)

And so I started stitching--using a chair for my table and an exercise ball for a seat. (With the amount of air deflated out of that thing it is prefect for my short legs; it is my favorite guitar "stool".) 

I ran into a 'problem' with the lining--one of the shoulders was shorter than the other, due to my lack of attention as to how well the material was lined up before I cut. (I usually always double check that sort of thing...) So, I improvised:

I sewed together the bodice and the bodice lining, one right after another (I used different colored threads, not that it was completely necessary...) I was getting irritated with the black thread (it wasn't Gutterman's--the best thread by the way!) because it kept snapping on me. At some point I glanced up and there, on the half-wall was a big spool of black Gutterman's. Believe me, I changed the thread immediately!

By the way, those random pins in the mid-riff were simply to hold the seam down. I was going to top stitch like the pattern calls for, but ended up not doing that.

The next step, of course, was to sew the lining to the bodice. When I did across the front, I did a 1/4" seam rather than a 5/8" because I wanted just that extra little bit of height in the front.

Then I sewed the side seams...

Next step! Skirt, please...

Y'all know what was next, sewing the bodice onto the skirt. I had not sewed up the back of the skirt, so the whole back was open. (This is the way I should have done it when we were helping the W ladies make their dresses back in April--I didn't do a post on that exactly did I? I ought ransack my sister's picture files and borrow some good one's to put up...) Anyway, back to the subject at hand...

I started to put the zipper in and was almost done with the second side when I realized it wasn't lined up right at the top. I am not quite sure how this happened because I thought I remembered checking that. I guess either I didn't or it slipped. Anyway, I had to rip that side out. I'm  a pretty decent hand at ripping, but I don't like to do it. I've had far too much experience at it. 

As it would turn out, I should have tried the dress on before I sewed the zipper in because it gaped something awful in the back. I had to rip the zipper out not quite half-way and put that upper part back in so it wouldn't gape any more. Well, maybe I won't do that again anytime soon!

After sewing the lining down, it was time to hem the skirt. I made a roughly inch and a half hem. I probably could have pulled off a two inch hem with no problem, but I didn't take it up that much.

I stitched the hem while eavesdropping as Daddy and a hospice nurse carried on a conversation in the next room. This particular nurse hadn't been here before, so she got the whole story. I was even able to supply a few details. :P

The last thing to do was sew the hook and eye (or a straight catch in this case) at the top of the zipper. I hunted and hunted and hunted and finally located them--after going through the 'craft' drawers in Mama's room two to three times a piece. I found them in the button box...but there were not any black ones--which I really wanted. Anyway, I went ahead and used the silver ones.

I fully planned on ironing the dress and getting my picture(s) taken last night, but by the time I got done with it it was time for supper and then I had a pile of strawberries to clean. So...I didn't get around to ironing it until this morning:

There...that's the crazy project I took off on this Tuesday and completed yesterday on Wednesday. :)

Speaking of Wednesday...I received something in the mail yesterday that prompts a project all of it's own. :) When I embark on this particular project, be prepared for many odd, squinty expressions which shall not be captured on camera.

I look forward to having those new strings on my guitar! (I do not know if I'll get to it this evening or not...)

I could just force you to go look at the link (above) in order to find out what it is, but I'll be nice and tell you too. :D

"Stitches to Remember" is a business idea I have been throwing around for a while. Anyway, it is (primarily) an out-let for my enjoyment of cross-stitching wedding samplers. I will, as noted on the actual site, consider other projects, but wedding samplers are my 'specialty'.

I am currently working on a wedding sampler, though not one via this site, of course! It seems that the majority of the stuff I have done over the last three years have been wedding samplers. (Gracious, I just about spelled that "weeding" samplers! o.o) 

Now, hopefully, I won't get swamped with orders! (Ha! Not that I expect that...)

Cheers, y'all! ;)

*Note: Do not treat this post as a tutorial... :D

So...I tried my hand at some millinery work. I made myself a 1940's inspired hat. I say inspired, rather than "style" because I have never actually seen a hat from that period with the frippery I put on mine. I did use a pattern, but I did my own decoration to go with one particular outfit.

For a first try, I think it came out alright. It is rather time consuming adventure...I did have quite a bit of fun making mine (I got to use wire cutters as well as fabric and thread! :D)...but you'd probably like to see the pictures.

Before I get there though, here's a little "overview": I started with plastic coated copper automotive wire. Don't do that. Copper is over pliable for the job. Once I brought in the electric fence-wire, things went better. I spent almost all morning trying to get the automotive wire into the casing...and I still ended up like this:

With that frustration staring me blackly in the eye, first the impossibility of casing the wire and then the wire being quite limp, I listened to the wise someone (which one I cannot recall) who suggested I use the electrical wire. Therefore, I dashed to the old garage, and returned with this:

Ah! Now I could really get to work! I turned to with the rest of my supplies and thing started happening.

I did not get a picture of just the tools. ;)

It took a little, but I did get the electric wire in the casing. (Next time, presuming there is a next time, I think I shall make the casing a hair wider...)

Once I got the wire stretched out some, I could start the measuring and cutting for the actual frame construction. For this, a slightly more "bendy" wire would have been easier, but I have fairly strong hands and have worked with electric fence wire in tight spaces before, so I managed without too much trouble. Besides which, in the end I wanted a pretty stiff frame.

The next issue caused me a little confusion. The cover was simply nothing more than a square hunk of material. I did figured out that one just drapes it, re-arranges it, pokes and prods it until one is happy with it.

After I was happy with how it was pinned, I took my thread, needle, scissors, and the pins, of course, and sat on the front steps to stitch the cover into place. It was nice and sunny and spring-day-ish out there and I really enjoyed it even though I had to squint practically the whole time.

It was at this point that I got really creative. I had an idea as to what I was going to do with it, but I ended up doing something rather different than what I intended. I was going to put cockades all around the edges, but the ribbon I had was either too wide or too narrow (I am incapable of making cockades out of half-inch ribbon). I did put a cockade on the back, but if I had made more, they would have been the same size and it wouldn't have had the look I was going for...so instead, I did some other things.

Then I went back to the ironing board and did a little more designing. I tried this:

However, I decided that it was a little too busy. I really liked the a-symmetrical strip of white satin ribbon...so I kept that aspect. The final product began to come together:

With the frame being somewhat more visible than I would have liked, I tried this, then that, and finally settled on red ribbon around the crown.

I scrounged some white felt from Katherine to line it with:

I asked Daddy if he could make me a hat pin (because I really, really need one!); he said he could and asked if I wanted steel or bronze. I said bronze because its a little more pliable. He ended up making me two...

Anyway, I like my hat even though it isn't perfect. I learned a couple of things while working on it and one of the most important was probably not to use a light cotton for the cover--particularly a light color, like white. To make a better quality hat, a heavier material would more than likely look a lot better.  Also, I suspect there is a more precise way to cover the frame than with a square of fabric. Perhaps I shall have opportunity to experiment again. :)

All told, I really enjoyed making it. Keep me in mind if you want a hat made... ;) I'd love to give it a whirl again! (I might even take the time to do a little more research on millinery...) [Strange...I never thought I would be entertaining ideas of millinery.]

The hectic-ness of market prep days is something I haven't gone through for two years; not sure I actually missed it, but I am actually rather looking forward to starting "my" market up. That doesn't officially start until June, but the other market starts tomorrow.

Today our household has been a-buzz with baking (bread, and grain-free/gluten-free stuff), dishes (hello, me! :D), jam-making (I actually tasted the stuff [really, it gives one a heart-attack to see how much sugar goes into a batch of jam]; pineapple, it is. I think we ought to call it marmalade...), pop corn popping, other cooking stuff, Savannah sewing in the other room...

Daddy is working on getting the new chicken paddock/run/living space worked up today.

Yesterday I was working on market "stuff", but it was a different kind of project. I was making cockade hair-bows. :)

This morning I got our farm web-site up: Third Generation Farm (can you tell I really like Weebly sites?) There should be another post going up sometime later today...

The house smells really good and I got a little bug-eyed making the jam (er, marmalade). I think the reason I was a little dizzy was because I was watching myself stir the concoction and then I'd look up...

But anyway...here's to a great first market for Mom and Savannah tomorrow!!