Waist Sloper

I finally got my slopers finished.  The directions were fairly easy to follow, but felt like a geometry lesson.

It's kind of hard to see in this picture, but this is my front and back sloper.

Because I have no paper big enough, and I didn't want to take the time to tape computer paper together, I used a heavy white cotton that I've had for a while.

I'm not sure what went wrong with the upper dart on the front sloper, but there is hardly any dart there at all. I double checked all my measurements and the directions and can only conclude that I am small chested.

Also, the directions have you mark all the points with a letter as you go, and they skipped the letter 'K', which I find strange.

Something you might find interesting would be the size of this sloper.

I knew that the clothing companies have been vanity sizing for some time, meaning they put a small size number on the label in hopes that you will feel better when you try it on and therefore buy it.

I wear a size 00-4, depending on the clothing, but I am a size 11 according to this book!  Can you believe that sizing has changed so much since 1968, when this book was published?  

Imagine the outcry if we ever returned to the original sizes.

French Music

I am going through and listening to every record in our collection.  

We have gotten some from friends and family and I'm expecting to find a gem of a song hidden in vinyl.  

But first I have to get through this-

April in Paris (I pronounce Paris as paree), A four record set that I doubt has ever been played before.  Each paper envelope has an overview of each song and tells basically what the french lyrics mean.  There is also a different charming french scene running a long the bottom of each envelope.

The problem is that I do not enjoy French.  It is my least favorite language to listen to, period. 

I thought perhaps, since French is the language of love, and most of theses are love songs, I would come to appreciate this strange tongue.

It hasn't happened with the first three records, and I am procrastinating putting the fourth one on.

But, I'm determined to listen to every side, of every record, so I will suffer through it and move on.

Cry, The Beloved Country

   This morning I finished Cry, the Beloved Country, by Alan Paton.  I now see why it is the favorite book of some people.  It is one I definitely would, and probably will, read again.  Let me reccomend it to you.

  The novel, which is set in South Africa, is divided into three books, and to be honest, I almost didn't read the last two.  The first book is so full of sorrow, fear, and dread that I didn't see how the story could recover in just two books.  The poor old parson, who travels to huge Johannesburg to find his sister and son, finds himself in a strange land filled with fear and sin.  After much searching, he discovers both his sister and son in the depths of this sin.  So ends book one.

   But book two and three are less about injustice and darkness, and more about kindness, compassion, and rebuilding.  The man takes in his expecting daughter-in-law, sister, and nephew, showing them love and compassion, and the people who help this parson are sincere and kind.

  The darkness and social injustices in this book remind me of Sinclair's The Jungle, but the presence of God in Cry, the Beloved Country makes all the difference.  There is forgiveness and healing, even in the midst of sorrow, making this a beautiful story.  

   

Stepping out to conquer the world

These are my two favorite pairs of shoes.

I have owned the boots for years and I wear them more than any other pair of shoes.  

The reason- I feel like I can conquer anything when I wear them.

If I am going to do anything new, I will wear the boots.  

If I'm going to be walking for a long time, I will wear the boots.

If I am just going to be with friends, I will wear the boots.

The heels are my newest pair of shoes and I feel cute when I wear them.

They are my first pair that actually click when I walk, which is a little un-nerving.  It makes me feel like everyone is watching me, but I know they aren't.

What are your favorite shoes to wear, and why?

Flat Pattern 101

My husband and I plan on owning a farm someday.  Someday sooner, rather than later, but that's another story.  

I want to wear dresses and long skirts on our farm.  

Anyone who owns farm animals knows that the probability of getting dirty is very high and that grease, dirt, grass, and other stains may or may not come out.  

This being said, I am going to sew myself some farm dresses out of the scrap fabric and old table cloths I have.  

These will be functional, comfortable, and cute dresses, complete with pockets.  They will be sewn with the full intention of being worn and getting dirty.

I have never taken a sewing class and have only sewn one blouse from a pattern from beginning to end.  Conventional patterns do not fit me well and I have no idea how to alter clothing.

I have decided to remedy this -with these.

I don't remember where I got these books.  The copyrights are in the 60's and the fashions they contain are just as old.

Basic patterns don't change though, and the princess line dress is in three of the four books.

My first step will be to get someone to help measure me so I can draft my own waist sloper.

I'll post pictures when I get it done.

Enchanted Woods

Picture by Holden Daughton
I want to go to an enchanting place.  

A place where you feel like adventure is just about to happen.

A place that makes your heart pump and all of your senses prick up.

Perhaps, someday, I will plant a garden that is a place like that.

Though, I doubt it is something that can be made by human hands.  

Only time seems to be given the power to form an adventure-scape. 

Rootbound

Here is my tomato, from my mystery tomato plant.

My little stick with leaves grew into a beautiful lush tomato plant.  It actually grew too much, and is now too big for it's pot.  

It's rootbound, sending off little shoots like desperate pleas for help, and getting rootbumps half way up it's trunk.

I feel a little sorry for it, and can't really blame it for putting off such little tomatoes.

I now know to be a little more optimistic when I pick a pot size.

Birthday Cake

Jane, despite a botched birthday cake, is now one years old.

The cake itself sunk on one side, but looked good otherwise.  I let it cool for 20 minutes, like the instructions said, before attempting to release it from the pan.  The cake had already pulled away from the edges, so I turned it upside down and gave the bottom of the pan a gently tap.  Nothing happened.  My husband told me to give it a few shakes, and I did.  The cake exploded out of the pan in a shower hunks and crumbs.  

I cut a square out of the biggest chunk and iced it, with my homemade icing.  The icing was lumpy and too thin.  I stirred and stirred but could not get the lumps out.  I like mixing everything by hand, but I was really missing any type of electric beater.

I had decided to decorate Jane's cake with dandelions, her favorite flower.  There were plenty to cover her cake yesterday morning, and the mowing people don't come on Tuesday.  Unless the previous Monday was a labor day, in which case, they come and mow all the flowers while you're gone.

So, Luke and I scavenged these two little scrawny dandelions, the only two to survive the mowing, and put them on the cake.

So, here's the cake.  It doesn't look like much, but it was made with love and Jane liked it.