Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Pride and Prejudice
I promised some photos from the production...here they are...once again by Ashley at Wide Eyed Studios http://www.wideeyedstudios.com/ . I made Becca's ( Elizabeth) dress and the gold one at the far left being worn by Susan Wefel, who is appearing as Mrs. Bennett.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
You Can Go Home Again But You'll Need a Permit for That
So...time to pick up the story...we were zooming up to Maryland. Now, back in Georgia, there had been a housing bust of sorts- this the 90's version- and houses weren't selling- at least not older ones like a 70's rancher...which ours was. So, we left an exchange student friend living there and the real estate agent set about trying to sell it. In the meantime, we were able to live in the little Missions House on the church property.
Today it has been remodeled beautifully and is very comfy- back when we lived there it was not quite so- Ben and Becca shared a room with bunk beds, and the baby, Glenna had a sort of trundle bed in our bedroom. Add the bath, living room and kitchen and that was it. You can imagine the huge adjustment this was for the kids, who had left a fairly spacious rancher in South Georgia but hey it was supposed to be for a short while and we were adventurous, and everybody enjoyed the novelty of it all.
The kids had the entire church parking lot to ride their bikes in and the property extended down to the reservoir- we could hike whenever we wanted. We lived out of a lot plastic tubs and the schoolbooks were lined up on an Ikea bookshelf. My sewing stuff was stashed away, only to come out for projects. Our Christmas there included a little Charlie Brown type tree- complete with homemade ornaments- since all our stuff was packed away- and I still remember that Christmas as a favorite one. Yes, I know it is starting to sound like a special episode of Family Ties or something- the one where the family learns the meaning of being together and stuff- but it was a sweet time- it's amazing what happens when you are parted from a lot of your stuff:)
I sewed at the kitchen table and it was from there that I made the smocked organdy dress for Glenna's first birthday that took first place at the Maryland State fair, and a few other dresses that also won blue ribbons- me!- I had never won anything in my life- what a hoot! And it had all been done in the cramped less than optimal conditions- I think back on that whenever I am feeling sewing space envy:)
The short stay turned into a year and still no bites on the house. It was getting desperate and it was told to us by our agent in Georgia that the house would sell better with a family in it. The exchange student had moved on, and the house was empty- this was not a good thing. So, we packed up our stuff, Barry stayed in Maryland, living in various church member's homes and moving around like some circuit riding preacher without the horse, while we went back to Georgia to try to sell the house.
We made the house up like House Beautiful- invested a few hundred dollars in new paint and such, and kept it immaculate- ready at the drop of a hat to be shown- not easy to do with homeschooling but the house had wonderful built in bookshelves and the kids got really good at what I called the "Ten Minute Tidy" The scenario was....phone call from real estate agent. Said agent, who is supposed to give you a reasonable heads up of an hour or so says "we'll be right there" ( keep in mind this is small town- when they say we'll be right there...they are right there) and we would all go into Ten Minute Tidy mode. Like tornadoes running around the house- everything whisked back to its place, and everyone already trained in keeping the house looking like people COULD live here but nobody actually does.
I did a small bit of sewing over the holidays when the house wouldn't be shown but not all that much- it was simply too big a risk to take when a smiling RE agent might show up at any time and I would get the stare of death should any projects, dishes, mail, Legos or heaven forbid, LAUNDRY be seen. Having been through the moving/ house hunting thing a few times now, I personally would like to visit a house during laundry routine-to me this is a crucial time- just how is it in a potential house to lug laundry ?- where do you fold and sort- how does it all look in real life? But no- being shown a house involves seeing a dollhouse and the family involved has to basically eliminate any signs of real life.
This is the time when for all intents and purposes the sewing machine was sent into exile. Poor baby Elna was stowed in her box, fabrics and smocking stuff went permanently into tubs and out to the garage, and all evidence that I could even hold a needle disappeared. We did other stuff- lots of field trips, horseback riding, school stuff- anything that could be cleaned up quickly or even more so- anything OUT of the house!. It was simply a case of out of sight, out of mind and heart since it really wasn't possible to effectively show the house and continue sewing. The kids were young and there was plenty to do, so it was okay. Sometime after about 9 months it finally sold and we could pack up for good and go back to Maryland- the land of a thousand government agencies and all the forms to go with it! This time we would move into a 1928 Bungalow that had been built from a kit! The owner wouldn't sell it but he would let us rent it and being the best we could find- we did. The tales from the bungalow will be ahead....
Today it has been remodeled beautifully and is very comfy- back when we lived there it was not quite so- Ben and Becca shared a room with bunk beds, and the baby, Glenna had a sort of trundle bed in our bedroom. Add the bath, living room and kitchen and that was it. You can imagine the huge adjustment this was for the kids, who had left a fairly spacious rancher in South Georgia but hey it was supposed to be for a short while and we were adventurous, and everybody enjoyed the novelty of it all.
The kids had the entire church parking lot to ride their bikes in and the property extended down to the reservoir- we could hike whenever we wanted. We lived out of a lot plastic tubs and the schoolbooks were lined up on an Ikea bookshelf. My sewing stuff was stashed away, only to come out for projects. Our Christmas there included a little Charlie Brown type tree- complete with homemade ornaments- since all our stuff was packed away- and I still remember that Christmas as a favorite one. Yes, I know it is starting to sound like a special episode of Family Ties or something- the one where the family learns the meaning of being together and stuff- but it was a sweet time- it's amazing what happens when you are parted from a lot of your stuff:)
I sewed at the kitchen table and it was from there that I made the smocked organdy dress for Glenna's first birthday that took first place at the Maryland State fair, and a few other dresses that also won blue ribbons- me!- I had never won anything in my life- what a hoot! And it had all been done in the cramped less than optimal conditions- I think back on that whenever I am feeling sewing space envy:)
The short stay turned into a year and still no bites on the house. It was getting desperate and it was told to us by our agent in Georgia that the house would sell better with a family in it. The exchange student had moved on, and the house was empty- this was not a good thing. So, we packed up our stuff, Barry stayed in Maryland, living in various church member's homes and moving around like some circuit riding preacher without the horse, while we went back to Georgia to try to sell the house.
We made the house up like House Beautiful- invested a few hundred dollars in new paint and such, and kept it immaculate- ready at the drop of a hat to be shown- not easy to do with homeschooling but the house had wonderful built in bookshelves and the kids got really good at what I called the "Ten Minute Tidy" The scenario was....phone call from real estate agent. Said agent, who is supposed to give you a reasonable heads up of an hour or so says "we'll be right there" ( keep in mind this is small town- when they say we'll be right there...they are right there) and we would all go into Ten Minute Tidy mode. Like tornadoes running around the house- everything whisked back to its place, and everyone already trained in keeping the house looking like people COULD live here but nobody actually does.
I did a small bit of sewing over the holidays when the house wouldn't be shown but not all that much- it was simply too big a risk to take when a smiling RE agent might show up at any time and I would get the stare of death should any projects, dishes, mail, Legos or heaven forbid, LAUNDRY be seen. Having been through the moving/ house hunting thing a few times now, I personally would like to visit a house during laundry routine-to me this is a crucial time- just how is it in a potential house to lug laundry ?- where do you fold and sort- how does it all look in real life? But no- being shown a house involves seeing a dollhouse and the family involved has to basically eliminate any signs of real life.
This is the time when for all intents and purposes the sewing machine was sent into exile. Poor baby Elna was stowed in her box, fabrics and smocking stuff went permanently into tubs and out to the garage, and all evidence that I could even hold a needle disappeared. We did other stuff- lots of field trips, horseback riding, school stuff- anything that could be cleaned up quickly or even more so- anything OUT of the house!. It was simply a case of out of sight, out of mind and heart since it really wasn't possible to effectively show the house and continue sewing. The kids were young and there was plenty to do, so it was okay. Sometime after about 9 months it finally sold and we could pack up for good and go back to Maryland- the land of a thousand government agencies and all the forms to go with it! This time we would move into a 1928 Bungalow that had been built from a kit! The owner wouldn't sell it but he would let us rent it and being the best we could find- we did. The tales from the bungalow will be ahead....
Friday, March 1, 2013
Sewing for Rebecca
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Can this be a quilt?
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This is Ben. He is my son, ( yup the one I sewed for when he was soooo little). He's not little anymore and I can't really sew for him except...I love this picture of him so much* I may just need to learn how to do portrait quilting...for now I'm making him a cool quilt from Juggling Summer by Zen Chic for Moda http://www.unitednotions.com/fcc_juggling_summer.pdf I think it will fit him:)
( christina kuhlmann photography)
Monday, February 4, 2013
The Long Summer ( w/apologies to Laura Ingalls Wilder)
So I left us driving down to Georgia in our little brown Honda civic we called Pooh Bear; 2 children and a U-Haul full of hand me down furniture, as we set out for my husband's first pastoral position- Youth Pastor. I guess a lot of pastors start out as Youth pastor and consider it a starter position- not very fair to the youth though is it? Barry saw it a bit differently- he saw his ministry as to youth and family and to this day stands by his rejection that youth, by definition have to be in an antagonistic position to their parents/family. Don't get me wrong- he doesn't have blinders on, and think its all smooth sailing- he just doesn't believe that young people have to be treated as an alien species, separate from their family.
So there we were, our first house in a great little town on the border of Georgia and Florida, in a wonderful church with an incredible array of wildly diverse and creative Southern folk. I had just miscarried our third child at 15 weeks, and as tough as it was, the move was a good thing- a chance to think of better days and focus ahead. A fair number of women in the church sewed; there was even a group of older ladies who got together to sit and sew and considering the temptations for such a group- they kept the gossip to a minimum- which was nice. There were heirloom sewing shops around and plenty of little girls in smocked dresses so I dove in and sewed up a storm. Some of the girls in the church and I made HST quilts together, the moms made costumes and banners and you name it. I made a few things for other people but for the most part my sewing was for the children. When our next baby came along, I made an heirloom christening gown in batiste as fine as tissue with embroidery down the length - and insets of French laces. It was a labour of love for a new baby who was like a miracle after they had said we would not have any more children. Sewing was healing.
South Georgia was hot...very hot. Air conditioning was standard in houses, and the summer was a lot like winters up North, in that you would up spending a lot of time indoors- but down there it was to escape the blistering heat....not the snow. Sewing was a great pastime when we were all cooped up and jacking up the air conditioning. But in the other months it was mild and the perfect place to raise young children- especially when homeschooling too- lot's of field trips, nature walks and outdoor fun and a very nice pace of life. I could have stayed there forever, and had we, you'd find me smocking still.
But, the nature of Youth Pastors, and I guess first pastorates of many kinds is they tend not to last all that long, and on we moved- this time back up North. The rabid "I hate Yankees" neighbor who lived opposite our back fence was no doubt happy to have his town rid of Northern vermin but we were sad to go. Our families were thrilled however for we were coming back their way- to Maryland- where we are still to this day.
You would think that moving back North would be a breeze- no big cultural leap. But Maryland isn't really "North"- it's South, lurking near the southern Northern border- got that? However, it's not fully comfy with all the southern milieu either - it has a teensy weensie identity issue. So, adjustments were definitely there to be made and in sewing as much as anything else. For now, let's just say...nary a smocked dress or scrap of heirloom lace ever shows it's face in these parts... ( at least not the parts we are a part of!) so what's a Southern wannabee to do??? I'll leave that for next time and probably steal my title from Thomas Wolfe.
So there we were, our first house in a great little town on the border of Georgia and Florida, in a wonderful church with an incredible array of wildly diverse and creative Southern folk. I had just miscarried our third child at 15 weeks, and as tough as it was, the move was a good thing- a chance to think of better days and focus ahead. A fair number of women in the church sewed; there was even a group of older ladies who got together to sit and sew and considering the temptations for such a group- they kept the gossip to a minimum- which was nice. There were heirloom sewing shops around and plenty of little girls in smocked dresses so I dove in and sewed up a storm. Some of the girls in the church and I made HST quilts together, the moms made costumes and banners and you name it. I made a few things for other people but for the most part my sewing was for the children. When our next baby came along, I made an heirloom christening gown in batiste as fine as tissue with embroidery down the length - and insets of French laces. It was a labour of love for a new baby who was like a miracle after they had said we would not have any more children. Sewing was healing.
South Georgia was hot...very hot. Air conditioning was standard in houses, and the summer was a lot like winters up North, in that you would up spending a lot of time indoors- but down there it was to escape the blistering heat....not the snow. Sewing was a great pastime when we were all cooped up and jacking up the air conditioning. But in the other months it was mild and the perfect place to raise young children- especially when homeschooling too- lot's of field trips, nature walks and outdoor fun and a very nice pace of life. I could have stayed there forever, and had we, you'd find me smocking still.
But, the nature of Youth Pastors, and I guess first pastorates of many kinds is they tend not to last all that long, and on we moved- this time back up North. The rabid "I hate Yankees" neighbor who lived opposite our back fence was no doubt happy to have his town rid of Northern vermin but we were sad to go. Our families were thrilled however for we were coming back their way- to Maryland- where we are still to this day.
You would think that moving back North would be a breeze- no big cultural leap. But Maryland isn't really "North"- it's South, lurking near the southern Northern border- got that? However, it's not fully comfy with all the southern milieu either - it has a teensy weensie identity issue. So, adjustments were definitely there to be made and in sewing as much as anything else. For now, let's just say...nary a smocked dress or scrap of heirloom lace ever shows it's face in these parts... ( at least not the parts we are a part of!) so what's a Southern wannabee to do??? I'll leave that for next time and probably steal my title from Thomas Wolfe.
Emedoodle's Linky Question
In response to Emedoodle's Sew Thinky Thursday question...here's my blog post- my answer actually began when I started this blog and has turned into a novella so I guess you'll have to start with my first post....but suffice to say- I've been sewing for about 49 years- I think I started making troll clothes when I was about 6 - I know...it's frightening to even consider!
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Stopping by the Side of the Road
These have been so fun to make I didn't stop after the mom's meeting-and they have been an excellent small project to take along on the road- so I should have a bunch made up in time for Valentines' and I think they would be great in a little gift basket with some tea cookies:) In the magazine they suggest several different ways to use them- as a pin, an ornament, on a card or several together as a mobile... and I imagine they would make a great sachet to hang on a hanger- hence I added the loop at the top.
Happy sewing all!
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