Snow Day update

I'm a snow junkie, and I am loving every flake, drift and forecast when it's like this.  To me, it's simply not winter until we have had some snow.  And more than anything else, I'm so very grateful for a snow day.

This weekend was a doozie.  I was up late every night, working on getting this project complete.  Friday night, I stayed up until 3:30 am, finishing the sequin pattern on the last panel of my reticule.  Saturday, I cut out my spencer and finished the dress.  Sunday, I did all the hand finishing on the garments, finished my slip, cut out and sewed my reticule, and tackled my hat.  I was up late till 3, doing handwork and then worrying while trying to go to sleep, trying to remind myself what I needed to gather, how I was going to get dressed at work, etc., all the while wondering whether we would even have school today.

That doesn't sound like much, but it was a lot.  I did not sew my spencer.  The skirt of the dress was far more complicated than I expected, and when I finished it, I knew I was done.  There was no time for a spencer.  So... another time.

Checklist update:

• chemise
• stockings
• shoes
• stays
• slip
• dress
• kerchief
• cap
• hat
• mitts
• reticule

I did not complete the spencer, as I said before, nor did I do the shawl.  The shawl is actually quite simple, but I'm really tired, and I just don't feel up to it.  I'm mentally and physically done with this project.  

Don't get me wrong--I've enjoyed it!  But spending every weekend for the last six weeks doing nothing but this project (and thus, letting housework, etc. get really neglected) has taken its toll.  My back and neck are killing me, my fingers are sore, and mentally, I'm ready to do something else.  I've been hankering to do some paper crafts.  I also really want to clean up and reorganize my bead storage and my paper crafting storage.  It's a cluttered mess... sigh.  

I do not have pictures to share at this point, but I'll take some.  I thought the hat would be more fun, and instead it was a total pain in the patella.  The truly fun piece was the reticule... mostly because everything went right on it.  Except that the heat of the iron did affect the older, smaller sequins I used on the first two panels.  The newer ones were heat resistant.  So I have two sides that are shiny and sparkly, and two sides that look a bit vintage.  Still shiny, but not so sparkly.  I did enjoy making the dress and other pieces, but man, that was a LOT of fabric!  For someone used to working with smaller sizes (dolls, kids, etc.), I was actually annoyed with how much the heaviness of the skirt was getting in the way!

However, it really did work out nicely, and I'm quite pleased with the end result.  Of course, the skirt itself was 6 inches too long!  I made a 1 1/2" hem (hemstitched!), and then had to make a 4" tuck all the way around... I knew I would possibly have to do that, but still... I was kind of surprised at how long it was--and how cumbersome!  But the tuck looks nice and sort of decorative--Yes, yes I did mean to do that!  :)  I wanted some sort of decoration on the hem, but most of the decorations for the time period were complicated, so... a simple tuck will do.  

And now that I have the time today, I'll see about making myself that coral necklace.  And maybe finish the bracelet, too...  At the moment, though, all I want to do is sleep.  

As for the end of the project--we were going to begin presentations today, and I was supposed to be the first to go.  I did not have time this weekend to create a short PowerPoint for it, so I will do that next.  One of the things the presentations need to address is what you learned through the process.  So... I'll post that part next!  Until then, nap on!  

Christmas update

I couldn't sleep tonight, even though I am physically tired.  My brain was running all kinds of stuff through my head, and I couldn't get it to settle.  So, I figured I'd do a quickie update and maybe a little research to get my brain off my mental treadmill.

My husband has always been very supportive of my creative pursuits, and Christmas was no exception.  The one thing I really wanted this year was a dress form.  In order to really be able to sew for myself, I have to be able to accurately fit the clothing to my body, which is really difficult to do when you have to try it on yourself and figure out the fitting while it is on you.  It's one reason why, even though I'm a seamstress, I've never really made myself clothes.  Or, at least, not since I was in my 20s.

This is the form.  I will need to customize it, of course.  It also has a stand.  

This is the pic from Amazon... it's still in it's box behind me as I type...

My husband was clever about it.  I would've known what it was if I saw a ginormous box next to the tree (Ok, maybe a little exaggeration), so he hid it from me.  He wrapped it in an exceptionally large bag he bought specifically for the purpose, and tucked it into a corner of the dining room (which, right now, is kind of a "no man's land" of storage... Rob has been storing survival foods and military rations in there, and there is a lot of my mom's stuff in there, as well.  More on the rations later...).  After all the presents were unwrapped, he got up and went towards the dining room, quoting "A Christmas Story"... "Hey, what's that box in the corner?"  I jokingly asked if it was a gun (in this house, it is a distinct possibility).  He then proceeded to bring it out and plant it in front of me.  I was very surprised and pleased.  He knows me pretty well!  And it was on my Amazon list.  :)

My dad came out from Idaho to stay with us for Christmas, and then he and Millie will fly out to the boondocks of Montana to attend my cousin's wedding on the 1st.  They will fly back later, and then he'll go back to Idaho.  My nephew and his girlfriend came for Christmas as well.  They live just outside of Anacortes, as they both work at the Naval base there.  For once, they both had Christmas off.  I made a ton of cookies and other goodies, and my husband did a bit of cooking as well, making fudge, Chex Mix, homemade rolls, quiche, etc.  We worked our butts off to get the house ready for guests, and it was worth it.  My kitchen is clean, things are put away, and the living room is clutter-free.  Well, right now there are a bunch of opened gifts in piles, but those things can be moved.  It was nice to be with loved ones, even though we were one short this year.

Ella fared the best this Christmas, and got all kinds of stuff she wanted and loved, and several things she was not expecting.  I got new speakers for my computer (because mine are ancient and terrible), so now I'll finally be able to listen to things on my computer without hearing static and buzzing!  Woot!  My husband also got me an Instant Pot--something I've been thinking about getting, but balking because of the price for a good one, and because I'm not sure where to store it, nor how to use it.  But... I get to look for recipes on Pinterest, and that's half the fun.

Oh--the military rations...  My husband has been watching YouTube videos of people who buy military rations from all over the place and then eat them and evaluate them.  Apparently, it's quite entertaining.  Anyway, it inspired him to try some, too.  So he has been buying MREs from all around the world:  England, Australia, France, Eastern Europe, Russia, etc.  He will sometimes have one or two for lunch on the weekends, frequently including Ella.  She always wants the sweet things, but does try different foods, which is kind of nice, as she's not normally very adventurous when it comes to food.  I swear, this kid is made of Ranch, nuggets, peanut butter, and Goldfish crackers!  Even I try some of it, although nothing too old (some of these are rations from a few decades ago...).  I liked the biscuits/cookies in some English rations, and so did Rob, so he bought a small case of them.  They are excellent with tea, and are very popular, especially in England.  This, of course, makes them expensive.  So I don't eat them often!  When they arrive, I tell him he's OOC (out of control)… it's his current obsession.

Ok, well... this post is longer than I planned.  I hope you all had a great Christmas, filled with family, special treats/food, and fun.