Toodledoo Teetotaling!

Happy Spring! March has just whizzed by - I cannot believe that April is almost here - and you know what that means? That means my veggie seedlings get planted in the greenhouse and I start cleaning up my garden after a long winter. This past Saturday, I was a happy girl when me and the hubs went out to water and mix the winter compost pile and this yummy compost juice started seeping through my dormant garden - that means good nutrition for my plants and an awesome fruit yield! Excited, excited, excited!

The last two weeks have been packed with busy work centered mainly around my sister-in-law's wedding gown alterations (beading, sequins, and more beading) and getting third quarter English tests and essays graded for upcoming student report cards. I promised myself I would not even think about working on my Edwardian tea gown for the Ladies' Tipsy Tea until I had Sherry's wedding gown finished and third quarter grades recorded (like I need more irons in the project fire). Friday is the deadline for both the dress and the grades, which means that Sunday, if I feel up to it after a wedding and reception on Saturday, I have the freedom to begin the design elements of my costume. Or, maybe I'll just relax and start Monday - lol! Either way, I will be free, free, free!

On an interesting note, I have inherited a hand stitched quilt top from my husband's Aunt Shelley. This came about when my mother-in-law called and asked if she could drop off a partly finished quilt that Aunt Shelley wanted to give me. The quilt top had been made by Shell's grandmother sometime in the 1960s and she had come in possession of it in the '80s after her granny died. From here, she stuffed it in a duffel bag and forgot all about it, until just recently, when she happened to discover it while packing up her house to move. Shell then passed it over to my mother-in-law to give to me, but not before the quilt top traveled around in my mother's-in-law car trunk (in a trash bag) for a year - lol! God bless, it's an ugly thing, but I thank heaven Aunt Shelley thought enough of me to know that I would care for it. It's a hot mess, too. Lord only knows when I'll have the time to start on it, considering I may have to take the whole thing apart and sew it back together. It's not stitched well - the stitches are wide and loose. I hate the thought of disassembling it, particularly since Aunt Shelley's granny hand sewed it together, but to preserve the integrity of the quilt, I'm sure I have no choice. My intention is to repair it, clean it, and present it to Aunt Shelley completed (as her granny intended). It's a tall order, but what's new in my book of projects - lol!

Oooo, and I treated myself to unneeded fabric (really, when do I ever buy fabric that is truly needed, but rather wanted - lol!). My wholesaler was having a Spring Sale - I became the proud owner of 30 yards of Dupioni silk - love it!! The most difficult part of the purchase was trying to determine which colors I wanted. I settled for a royal blue and champaign. I am delighted with it! I also bought my staple linen, which I use mainly as a lining material - it's just so soft and breathable. I know some costumers like the fancy-pants materials for their underlings (unmentionables), but I'm a practical girl. No one cares about the material that my shift, chemise, or corset is made of (except me), so my underlings are plain ol' simple linen. My next order is going to be satin - I'm running low on some staple colors...

Anyway, Edwardian Tipsy Tea gown sketches and progress pictures to come! Also visit Tonia's blog, Just Blame Jane, to view the progress on her tea gown! Hummm - spirits consumed while wearing corsets and high-laced boots - I'm wondering just how tipsy we should get - lol! Maybe we should stick to teetotaling? Nah! ;)