A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

 

It's late, I'm pooped, no narrative tonight but here are my latest photos of Brittney's Wedding Dress and an awesome arrangement made by our friend Sandy.  I LOVE the cabbage!

 

 

 

 

Zippity Doo Dah

It was beautiful day in North Garden.  The long range weather forecast looks great for the wedding on Friday a week and one hour from today.  Outside the grass is greening, the trees are budding, and the forsythia is blooming.  I left the door open today and soft breeze blew through the house. The long cold winter has made me happy to greet Spring.  I am almost giddy.  

I took the dress to town to get the zipper put in today.  I haven't sewn in a zipper in 35 years and figured that this is probably not a good time to practice so I put it in the capable hands of my friend Carla at Les Fabriques.  She is a multi-tasker, she put the zipper in, helped a customer and talked to me all at the same time.  It didn't take her long...I know that because I only put 2 quarters in the parking meter and there was still time on the meter when I got back in the car.

Look how pretty the scalloped edge matches up.  All I need is to put a little hook at the top of the zipper and it will be ready to go.

Half Flower Woes

I have the most beautiful tulip magnolias blooming in my front yard that I have to share them.  The tree isn't very impressive but once a year it gives me these beautiful blossoms.

On to the dress...yesterday I pinned the lace on the skirt of the dress and realized that although it matches perfectly there really was not enough circumference for the lace to lay out right.  If I pulled it together in the back then the front didn't lay right so I decided that I would sew in a wedge at the train.  In the back of my mind I sort of thought this might happened so I squirreled away a piece just large enough to complete it.  This is no biggie.

Before I can put the wedge in the back of the train I have to sew the seams which I decided to do by hand.  When I hand sew there is only one thread and that is about as invisible as I can make a seam AND that is what I am going for.

Now the problem that I ran in with this seam is that it cut through some of the larger flowers and while it barely visible it bothers me so there is what the seams looks like at the seam.  See the flower that is cut in half?  This drives me nuts!

Here's what I am doing to solve the half-flower dilemma.

I used a little scrap of lace fabric and cut out all of the flowers.  Then I used my bottle of fray check to seal all the edges so that they won't unravel.  I've laid them out to dry overnight so they'll be ready in the morning.

I've put a pin in so that you can see where the half flower is and how it will look when I sew the lace applique in place.

I have 4 seams that I need to do this to so I am going to close and hop in bed...I have a big day ahead of me tomorrow and a lot of hand sewing.

Something Blue

Something old,
something new,
something borrowed,
something blue,
and a silver sixpence in her shoe.

Each item in this poem represents a good-luck token for the bride.  If she carries all of them on her wedding day, her marriage will be happy.

"Something old" symbolizes continuity with the bride's family and the past. 

"Something new" means optimism and hope for the bride's new life ahead. 

"Something borrowed" is usually an item from a happily married friend or family member, whose good fortune in marriage is supposed to carry over to the new bride. The borrowed item also reminds the bride that she can depend on her friends and family.

As for the colorful item, blue has been connected to weddings for centuries.  "Marry in blue, lover be true."

And finally, a silver sixpence in the bride's shoe represents wealth and financial security. 

When I got married my something old, and something borrowed were the same thing .  My mother-in-law Elizabeth lent me a cameo brooch, my dress was new and store bought, and my mother gave me a hankie with blue lace on the edge. 

Yesterday I printed out "Brittney & Jon April 20, 2013" with a washable marker on the hem facing of the dress and embroidered it in blue.  When you turn the hem up the writing is right side up and it will make a cute photo. 

I like something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue...but I really don't get a silver sixpence in her shoe...I know it rhymes but it seems to me that a purse would be more practical AND it wouldn't cause a blister.

I'm melting, melting, melting

The snow started to melt and once again I am hopeful that THIS time Spring is really on the way. 

The jonquils that I picked and carried when I got married have just started blooming.  I only had 6 at the time and now they have multiplied.  It looks like my blueberry bushes survived even though I never got around to planting them last year. A few little nails will patch up my badly weathered birdhouses and I might make a few of these boot birdhouses this year as I spied a couple of them under the bed.

Surprise!  No lengthy update on the progress of the silk skirt that goes under the lace.  I finished that up today...6 long French seams and one up the back.  French seams because every dress should be as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside. 

Now it is time for another fitting.

On left one seamed is finished, the next is pinned & ready to go.





Spring? What happened?

Today it was nice and sunny and warm enough that my bees ventured out of their hive.  Somewhere they are finding enough pollen to load up the little saddle bags by their hind legs and bring it back to their hive.  

The bees have a flight path where they fly in to and out of their hive.  When the sun begins to set and there is a little chill in the air they all head back to the hive and one by one they file back in the opening to their queen Beatrice.  This evening I stood there for a few minutes and just marveled at all the activity...happy that Spring is upon us.

However after an entire day of lovely weather I just heard the weather forecast…MORE snow.  Then MORE snow on Monday, and MORE snow on Tuesday.  It won’t be much BUT it certainly won’t be Spring and the bees will have to hang out in the hive for a few more days and I will have to hang out in the house.  The bees and I all want to go out and bask in the sunshine.

The good news is that I have started on the silk under-skirt this afternoon.  I’ll take some photos tomorrow.  Just want to keep you up on the latest.

So goodnight to my friends in the West and Good Morning to my friends in Virginia. One day has passed and April 20th is drawing near.

WOO HOO

All the lace is on!!!!

I didn't figure out how to fasten the top but that's okay I left a little bit of the seam open so I will work on that tomorrow.

It's late so I am just going to post a couple photos.

Front neckline complete

Close-up of splice on front shoulder.

Back lace work complete.