Lately

Well, it's been quite a while since I've been writing here. I hope not too long.

Anyway, it's been quite a winter for me. The month of February with it's 42 inches of snow, making the total for the year so far at 58 inches. It's been a mess. Now, I'm quite sick with what appears to be three different types of virus. YUCK.

I've been keeping myself busy this winter though. I painted the master suite; still working on the last two doors as well as doing some sewing. Those of you who know me, know I love to sew and will do so at every opportunity. Do I save money by making my own clothes? No. But you can tweak the garments some making them fit a little better sometimes. Here is the list:

This is a short sleeved shell, or at least will be when it is finished. I still have the sleeves to set in. They are made and this is the next step. After this, the hem and the shell will be finished. If you think I'm wearing it with the next garments, think again. That, in my opinion is a bit much blue and flowers for one outfit. I will wear this with a pair of black or white pants or a black skirt that I have in my closet. I may use the sash with it though. I'll see how that works.

This is a skirt and sash made out of the same material as the shell above. I had originally gotten this material for a skirt, then thought about a dress, but decided on the skirt. I order a really lovely banded bottom summer sweater to wear with this in black, but I also have a nice white sweater that will go well too. The sash was a plus. When I had gotten this fabric, I didn't realize that it was so wide and it made all three of these garments with only a small amount to spare. I hadn't planned on making all this but it is a lovely draping material and I'm glad I had enough for all three pieces.

This is a smock dress. The fabric is 100% cotton and a bit heavier than I had anticipated, but it is pretty. I had problems with the pleat in the front of the dress, breaking a couple of sewing needles before I finally was able to get it together. I am very unhappy with the instructions for this dress. This was the first time I had made one of these and followed the directions to a "T" only to discover that when it came time to do the pleat in the front there was so much bulk material to work around it was nearly impossible to get it done the way the directions said. So, should I decide I like this pattern, and want to make another, I will finish the front of the dress before sewing up the side seams. That way I can ease a lot of the bulk out of the way. This dress might still need some tweaking, but I will know that when I wear it the first time. It is pretty with big pockets and nice for more casual wear.

I found this material in my sewing trunk. I remember getting a bolt of this a couple of years ago and even thought I had made this shirt. I couldn't find it anywhere and was surprised to find the material in my trunk. Now, Husband has a really pretty summer dress shirt to wear to the theater when we go see "Phantom" in June.

This is another camp shirt I made for myself, again with fabric I found in my sewing trunk. More material I got at the same sale as the shirt above and never got around to making anything. I was surprised however to find that when I went to take the picture of this shirt that the button holes weren't finished. Amazing. I will be finishing it really soon.

One last accomplishment for this February. I won a 1st place for my picture of Summer Wine in the American Rose Photo Contest for this year. This is a very beautiful rose and a beautiful picture. I'm proud of this win.

March is here now, the snow is leaving us and the gardening will hopefully begin in a week or two or three. It will soon be time to prepare the garden and plant the peas, onions, carrots and lettuces. There will be a lot of heavy pruning this year as the deep snow has taken it's toll on the shrubs and roses. I see a lot of broken plants out there, but none that can't be saved. All my plant orders are made and I've ordered some new spring clothes. I'm ready to start the season as soon as I get over this virus that wants to harass me. I'm looking forward to a glorious spring.