If I Had My Own Blue Box:

Last weekend, I sat with a local crafter at Chestnut Bay, the quilt shop with the great reproduction room within dangerously close distance, making the cutest paper pieced wreath ornament. A cute, modern project that I wasn’t going to mention on either of my blogs because it is her project. Well, I am going back on my decision because I saw this listing on Ebay:

A velvet pin cushion in nearly the same shape as the wreath, just with a center piece.

(Apparently, I just missed it, it having ended on Monday. I hadn’t been looking at Ebay because ’tis-the-season-of-not-shopping-for-myself. Then, Pinterest decided I needed to see it anyway.)

Well, let’s see…. we have tiny pieces, velvet, little stitches, and cute bead-work.

Of course, I am going to have to make this thing.

My version uses a silk/rayon blend pair of silks in forest green and russet brown. I really like how the velvet looks around the paper base. It does get pretty bulky on the back though. Mine came out larger, 2 1/2″, using the same hexagons as the wreath. I made two changes: The center is wool and packed fuller with batting rather than a fabric over a paper base. This way the center could be a pin cushion as well. I am so-so on how much I like that. I set the beads in trios rather than fives because i am a bit tight on beads. 

As many of you know, I am working on a not so little project. I have been trying hard (really, really hard) to keep quiet about what I am doing and what I am finding. But, I am horrible at keeping my own secrets. I’ve slipped. I’ve hinted. I’ve nearly screamed out-loud, jumping up and down, “you’ve got to see this!”

This has very much become a project of “Yet.”

In a world where we look for common construction techniques and norms in materials, it is rather exciting to be working on something where all sorts of materials and construction techniques.

I really feel as though when I say “I have not seen that yet“,  “yet” is truly a “I just might see that” or an “it wouldn’t surprise me if” or a “let me see it”, rather than a “that wasn’t common” or a “they really didn’t do that.”

How fun is this:

Now, this said, I am one who loves patterns, trends and tendencies. I would love to chart out the years, the regions, the urban to suburban, the age of maker/sewer, and anything else I can to get an even better understanding.

If you follow me on Facebook, I’m sure you’ve heard me whine about the last Ag. Fair entry that wasn’t to be. This last item was to be something in the “Quilted Garment” by hand category.

Prior to September, I had it in my head I was going to quilt a little quilt, something in the “Household” category. When the deadline for the entry form came, I decided a quilt, no matter how small (unless it was a doll quilt), was not going to happen. I determined I would make a yet to be determined quilted garment.

I should back up and say…. If only I hadn’t done the seams in my quilted petti with a machine. 😦

At first, I figured I could make a quilted bonnet in one of the nifty different shapes I have been looking at. Quilted bonnets are fun. I enjoy them. I think what sub-consciously squashed that was that I entered quilted hoods a couple years ago. To be personally satisfied, I would need to draft a completely new pattern from an original soft bonnet for this entry. I just didn’t get that far.

A few weeks rolled by…..

A few ideas came to mind….

and were quickly forgotten…..

As of mid-day Wednesday, I had it in my head I would hurry home to draft a baby bonnet pattern and make a silk baby bonnet. After all, I have plenty of friends and family with babies in belly or recently from belly. Ah….. nope….. Staring at the silks, none said ‘baby bonnet’ to me other than the black silk which is for something else.

I officially called the last entry a ‘fail’.

(mind, I still have the second to last entry to finish)

As of this moment, mid-day the day before I have to drop them off….. I am still toying with the idea of actually pulling something off. Insane…. yeap

While warding off the potential insanity, let’s look at some of the quilted garments that were not to be… at least this year….

• A quilted shawl would have been nice.
• A sunbonnet was up near the top of my list. I far prefer a corded though.
• There was a really awesome quilted bum roll that I must not have bookmarked on my phone. Pout!
• This is such a simple quilted hat, mid-century. I would call it a smoking cap. It is a bold colored polished cotton strip.
• While completely useless for what years I do, I loved the idea of making a quilted stomacher
• Or, better yet… a comfy quilted waistcoat with how cold I get in the winter, something like this would be good to have.
• (I already did quilted slippers. But, love them.)

It is amazing how our belated spring has come in full force. I, for one, Love it!! It seems like over night the trees are green and blooming in white and pinks. Beautiful.

Inspired by the warmth and color, I dove deep into some new spring millinery. (okay, I finally got the Mother’s Day Fashion Show dresses done at the same time flowers and trims starting coming in.)

Here are some tiny sneak peeks of the three of the pieces I am currently working on. The only one not spoken for is the organza.

Happy New Year!!!!

This is the time of year a great many people make New Year’s Resolutions and those of us with historic sewing obsessions put in writing the projects we hope to accomplish in the coming year. While I don’t have the standard list of garments, I have some projects and a small wish list.

In hopes of starting off on the right foot, I have pre-arranged a new Tuesday Millinery Fashion series. I actually have posts for the whole year prepared already. This Tuesday there will be a brief introduction to the series. Then, each week I’ll share some  millinery fashion information from 1864.

I have previously mentioned the Commemorative & Memorial project This year I want to see the research turn into a strong collaborative presentation display filled with recreated examples of what the wives, mothers, daughters and friends  created in memory of those who fought in the Civil War.

In the land of millinery, I plan to get ahead on straw millinery this winter so there will be plenty available when people are looking come spring. I will be making a few fashionable 1864 forms for those who want to be on point fashionably this year as well as favorite late 50s and early 60s shapes. I also have some post-war hat shapes I will do because they are just fun. There will be more doll millinery available as well in both straw, buckram and soft styles.

Fanciful Utility fans have a new round of FanU Fabric Swaps to look forward to. Those will be announced soon. I would like to do at least one social or educational gathering this year such as a book signing or workshop. I still need to work on that.

With Lily’s increasing interest in interpreting history, this year must result in a whole new wardrobe from the skin out. For my sanity, I hope this will include some weekend sewing sessions where she will be learning the skills to make her own clothes as well. This to-do list includes:

A fun project for both Lily and I is a set of matching dresses. Well, sort of matching. We have a blue and red plaid semi-sheer. The plan is do up the dresses to show how dresses of the same fabric can be made differently including age differences.

At the top of my short need and want list this year is a new cage. The cages I use are now well over 10 and 15 years old. It is really time for a new one. I also have a particular necklace I want to recreate. I would just buy the original, but it is too small. Beyond that, this will be a year of creating what I am in the mood for.  I do have a stack of fabrics that are waiting to become the assigned garments including several dress lengths, my travel ensemble and a bolt of off cream wool/silk that could become coats for all three of us. I also have a length of carpet that is waiting to become carpet bags.  

I have absolutely no idea what Dan needs for this year.

I have a few non-sewing projects I want to work on. First is the chair I started working on over the summer. This will come back out when the weather turns warm again. Working on the porch just doesn’t work in the cold and snow. I want to try some wood carving for a couple small items.

I am still in search of the right replacement trunk and a commode.

Oh, I almost forgot. We need to at the very least get a large fly that can be set up in multiple ways including a sleeping area. The A frame tent I have just isn’t large enough for two or three of us. (It also needs repairs.)