Fitting, Finished, Fabric, & Feast

It fits! The final fittingof the robe a l'Anglaise was a success!

Those shoulders will be slid further up onto Lisa's shoulders next time, but for this try-on we were just checking that the pieces went together (stays, stomacher, petticoat, and overgown) and that everything fit. 

No photo from the front as we did not have a scarf or fichu to fill in the front for modesty. (18th century ladies wore their gowns pretty low.) But trust me, she looked beautiful in it and we are both happy and relieved that the gown is done.

I do need to hem the robings on the front now that we know that their length is good, and a seam popped open a few stitches by her elbow that I will close. That will take about thirty minutes and then I can call this project done.

I went back through my records and found this photo dated August, 2022 of Lisa in a fabric store with a snippet of her Aunt Leslie's wedding gown fabric to hand and looking for the perfect complementary fabric to use with it. She waited a long time for her outfit, for sure.

My next sewing project will be haversacks for the October Great Lakes Congress show. In fact, I'm in such good shape for Feast that, even though it's Feast week, I may pull out my pony pouch tubs today and take inventory so I know what I need to make.

I just got in more of this fabric (the first batch sold out within a half hour) and I'm looking forward to switching gears from 18th century clothing to 21st century model horse sewing. I love to sew, and I love both aspects of my sewing life, but with Abby gone, I feel a need to get closer to my horsey roots. 

But in the meantime, here is the song, my favorite of all, that will be heard all over Fort Ouiatenon this coming weekend, Hell on the Wabash. 

Bring on the fife and drum corps, the bagpipers, the fiddlers, and dulcimers! Five more days to wait!

Finis!

First and most importantly, I heard from my friend in Boone, North Carolina and despite the hard hit their town took, she and her husband are okay. They have no water or power, but they are okay. Grateful!

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I did it. I finished the robe a l'Anglaise.

It was absolutely the most difficult thing I have ever sewn and took more hours than anything else I've made. What an undertaking it was.

Lisa is coming over for dinner tonight and we will do a last (I hope) try-on. She will wear her stays (the precursor to the corset), the stomacher (a triangular piece that is pinned over the bust and then down to the waist), and the petticoat with it - all are considered part of the gown despite being separate pieces. . 

There is some sentimentality attached to the stomacher and petticoat - it was made with fabric from Leslie's wedding gown and she gave it to Lisa to use for the robe a l'Anglaise.

Lisa is so excited to have her gown completed. She started planning it two years ago and together we researched patterns before finally deciding on this one. The pattern was intended to be completely hand stitched, but I did both machine and hand stitching.

It was a massive project, but I am really happy with how the gown turned out and can't wait to see Lisa walking around the Feast grounds wearing it. (That's next weekend - Tick! Tick! Tick! Tick!)

I'm checking that robe a l'Anglaise off my to-do list. Time is getting really short for final Feast prep but there is still another very important thing on my to-do list. 

Picking up my new business sign.

I got another photo from the craftsman who is making it for me, and the sign is looking good. The border has been painted and all that needs to be done is sealing it and then adding the hardware needed for hanging. 

I nearly went with a different horse motif (above) and I really do like that one, but in the end, I wanted me to be represented, too. (It reminds me of playing Circus Girls with Leslie when we were kids - that's me riding sidesaddle on the horse!)

I love my new sign and it has ended up being a lovely merging of two things I love - horses and sewing. 

It's Feast week so here is a video to give you an overview of what The Feast of the Hunters' Moon looks like. 

It's 8 minutes long and the man who made it does a nice job of  showing the variety of things you will see if you go. And check out those canoe races on the Wabash - one of my customers is in it wearing one of my shirts! 

Today is my day off from sewing, and then I will have Monday and Tuesday to finish final preparations. Wednesday we set up the tent and start stocking merchandise. 

Time is flying!

The More to Come, Came

Here's the more to come that was promised in today's earlier post. (Scroll down if you missed it.)

My new business sign is coming along really well and I am loving it!

The woodworker sent me an updated picture yesterday. He's still painting it (there will be a red border around the perimeter) and he needs to seal it, and then he will attach some hardware so I can hang it from a tent pole. 

I still haven't gotten the photos that the publicist took of our presentations at Lisa's school, but I did get a few that were posted on the school's web site.

Me helping a student try on a wool cloak.

Leslie discussing what kids would do if they had lived at Fort Ouiatenon during the time when the voyageurs came down from Canada via the Wabash and were ready to trade, trade, trade!

Lisa had a girl in her seminar who actually plays the fife in one of the fife and drum corps that will be performing at Feast. She gave an impromptu concert!

Not only do I need to finish Lisa's robe a l'Anglaise, I am redoing my price tagging. In the past it started with a small piece of brown paper with the size and price written on it that was then pinned to the garment.

But you don't know from that minimal tag that the pattern on this shortgown is not paisley, it's an 18th century pattern called "botha" that is a rarely found in 21st century fabrics. 

(I've always wondered if George Lucas used that word for the Bothan people in his films. The name "Anakin" also has an interesting and apropos history, too. But I digress.)

Then I progressed to labels like this where I wrote in the size with a fabric marker. But still, I needed a spot for the fabric content so out came the brown paper and pin again. Time to look for another way to tag my clothing.

I found these inexpensive tags on Amazon. They weren't pre-strung in the photo, but the text about the item said they were.

Nope! Those holes were not pre-punched (all 100 of them), the jute twine was not attached (it wasn't even pre-cut), and they are definitely NOT "convenient to use."

I've been working on them ten at a time - punching out the hole, cutting the jute, stringing them through the hole, and tying them off. Forty are done and I can already see that I will not have enough jute to finish the 100 tags. 

Fortunately I have a huge spool of jute that I use when I prepare fabric remnants for sale.

It's more substantial than the jute for the tags, but I think it will work. If not, I have some heavy linen 18th century thread that I can use.

And fortunately I have this awl. It's hand forged steel with a deer antler handle. It was made to punch through leather and heavier items, but it also popped those holes in the tags quickly and easily. Grateful to have it.

(Next time I'll spend the extra $5 for the tags that were pictured as completely finished and save myself two plus hours of punching cutting, stringing, and tying.)

I do a lot of antiquing and thrifting, always looking for horses for my collection. But sometimes I find other things. This was a surprise.

Longaberger baskets are absolutely everywhere when I thrift and I have no interest in them, but this basket is not a Longaberger. It's something else. I recognized the craftsmanship right away.

That little basket was handmade by one of the basket makers who comes to Feast. And at $3, I snapped it up. It went for far more than that when it was sold at Feast.

Finally, I had the last two MRIs yesterday morning and already the findings have been posted in my online chart.  Of course, that doesn't mean I can read and understand them - they're in medicalese. (I spent some time on Google trying to figure out what they said.)

About those kinds of reports...

After I had my bloodwork tested by my hematologist in June, the pathologist's report that was posted said I had smudge cells which are cancer markers. The report recommended a bunch of tests to determine which kind of cancer I had.

My hematologist (who was furious at the pathologist) contacted me right away. "If that pathologist would have read the report I'd sent him, he would have known you have no spleen. And smudge cells are VERY COMMON in people who do not have spleens. Lynn, you do not have cancer!" (I am still thankful she called and let me know that so quickly!)

Anyway, after that experience, I learned to wait and hear what the doctor says about the radiology and other reports before coming to any conclusions about my health. And that happens Monday.

I'm ready to hear what it all means. Stay 'tooned.

Hurricane Helene and More (to Come)

There are a couple of blog titles I find myself using fairly often, and both would fit today's blog entry well - "Mish Mosh" and "Busy! Busy! Busy!" Buckle your seat belts, folks!

Hurricane Helene

I'm in Indiana, so why was I watching Helene so carefully? Well, Beach Son Kyle's home is in St. Augustine, Florida and  sandwiched between the Atlantic coast and the St. Johns River.

The St. Johns is a huge river with lots of smaller inlets, creeks, and lakes surrounding and feeding into it.

 The St. Johns is not to be messed with. (You don't get this kind of view from the Wabash!) Kyle's home is about three miles from the Atlantic coast so storm surge should not be a problem for him, but flooding from the St. Johns is a different story. And so I have been keeping an eye on Helene. (So far, the house is fine.)

Because Helene is so massive and because of its track, Indiana has been affected by the storm. Yesterday we had strong winds and rain most of the day. I'd left my walker on the patio and woke up to find that the winds had rolled it out into our soggy back yard. (Which actually was kind of funny.)

Music City Son Cole in Nashville reported strong winds and heavy rain, but no damage. At least not to their home.

Interstate 40 was a different story. Just over the Tennessee border into North Carolina, part of the freeway washed away into a raging creek that runs alongside the road. Terrifying.

North Carolina took a hard hit, too. Frank reports that he and Eva are hunkered down in their home with plenty of supplies, and while they did lose power once, are safe.

I hope I can say the same for one of my dearest friends who has a summer home in Boone, North Carolina. When these photos of damage in her town came across my news feed, I became very concerned.

I've got an email out to her but haven't heard back yet. She and her family are in my prayers and I am checking social media frequently to see if she posts anything.

Of course, my hubby, Mr. Friday Night Lights, did not let rains from a hurricane keep him from Friday night's game! Lisa and I bailed, but he headed over to Russiaville for the game.

He took this video during half time. It was too rainy for the band to perform, so the announcers played songs like The Beatles' Here comes the Sun and Africa by Toto. (Apparently the ten or twelve people still in the stands thought that was hilarious.) 

West Side won in the shortest game ever (less than two hours) and Craig came home drenched. (And happy.)

Hmmm, this blog post "portion" is already quite long, and so I'm going to conclude here. I may write a second post later but The Feast is one week from today and I've got to work on that robe a l'Anglaise. Lisa came for a fitting last night and I think I can finish it today.

Without sleeves and in desperate need of pressing.

With sleeves and still in desperate need of pressing!

I'll finish this MishMosh/Busy!Busy!Busy! post later.

Stay 'tooned!

Antonia is Here!

Breyer's Collectors Club Fall Exclusive, Antonia, has arrived. I almost passed on her, and I am so glad that I did not. She is lovely.

Bridgette Eberl sculpted this mare, and while I prefer vintage molds, this gal has become a favorite since the mold was first released in 2017.

What a lovely head and the paint job brings out her pretty features.

I'm not a pinto lover for the most part, but I do like her in this colorway.

We've come a long way since Breyer's plain, black dot eyes (with eye whites in the earliest days.)

Those eyes are very realistic.

I am so glad I changed my mind and decided to get her after all!

Short post today as there is a lot going on including two early morning MRIs. (6:00 AM? What was I thinking? Oh well, I'm not a fan of MRIs so at least they will be over before my day really gets started.)

More tomorrow, so stay 'tooned!

Vintage Club, Vintage Clothing, "Vintage" Pup - Part 3

Second Post of the Day

I said I would get back to all three vintage topics, but I have yet to share about the vintage clothes. The hold up? I am waiting to be able to access the photos. 

The publicist for the Tippecanoe School Corporation came and photographed the seminars that Lisa, Leslie, Rick, and I taught at Lisa's school and she hasn't yet released the story. When she does, I should be able to share the photos that she took of us presenting to the kiddos.

Leslie and Rick gave a seminar of "A Day in the Life of a Child at Fort Ouiatenon" to give the students an idea of what their own lives would have looked like had they been living back then. (Feedback from the kiddos is that Rick's demonstration of a flint and steel was super cool!)

Lisa's seminar was very hands-on. She showed artifacts from not only the 18th century, but from thousands of years of Indiana's history - a stone ball, spear points and arrowheads, a fife, lantern,

and a King's rope! (Which I think is especially neat and we are lucky to have.) 

To prevent theft, a red thread would be woven in with the hemp fibers in rope that was being made for royalty. That made the rope very identifiable as belonging to the King, and penalties for stealing a King's rope were severe. 

I was at the Feast with my students years ago and we watched a rope maker making this particular King's rope. When he finished, he gave it to me as a gift. I passed it on to Lisa when I retired. Some day I hope to find that rope maker at the Feast and let him know that his gift is still being used to educate kiddos twenty odd years later!

As for me, my seminar was about teaching the students to speak a few French phrases (Fort Ouiatenon was a French outpost) and then about the clothing that was worn in the 18th century and how those clothes also communicated much about the person wearing them.

The kids guessed this necklace would have belonged to a priest or a "Jesus believer" as one boy phrased it. It's a French cross, also known as the Cross of Lorraine or even older, the Cross d'Anjou, a symbol that dates back  to medieval times. (And there's  fascinating story about how it had a resurgence in World War II as a symbol of Free France and a counter to the Nazi swasticka.)

The Ouiatenon cross, discovered when excavating the site of the fort, is also a  Cross d'Anjou. 

Rick is a silversmith and received permission to replicate it in trade silver.

He gifted it to my mother (Leslie did the beadwork) and now I have it and wear it.

When I asked what a necklace with bear teeth or claws on it might communicate to others, they suggested that the person was displaying that he was brave. Another said it might be a warning to not mess with him because he had taken down a bear! (See why I love teaching so much? What a great answer!)

When talking about the clothing I'd brought to show them, I was asked who'd made it. I replied that I had as well as the clothing that I was wearing, and there was a brief silence. 

Then, "You made all that??" 

I replied again that I had, and there was another silence. 

Finally a small voice from the back, "Wow." 

Made me smile. But, later that day as I continued taking inventory, I felt a similar emotion when I counted and recorded all I'd made to take to this year's Feast:

15 men's shirts

6 chemises/shifts

6 bedgowns

4 shortgowns

4 cloaks

5 aprons

2 panniers/pocket hoops

5 bum rolls

7 pockets

9 pin pillows

3 hussifs (sewing cases)

146 blackened beeswax ornaments

14 natural beeswax ornaments

I honestly had no idea I'd made so many things until I finished inventorying everything yesterday.

Wow, indeed.

Happy Birthday, Pepper!

First Post of the Day

Pepper's 8th birthday was a quieter affair that past ones. Nash and Molly usually come and spend Wednesdays with us, but Molly's knee is hurting her and she is supposed to be kept quiet so they stayed home. (Hmmm, a doggy birthday party at our home wouldn't be sedate and quiet?? LOL)

Still, Pepper wore her birthday bandana and got some special treats and lots of extra petting. 

Pepper also got a new toy - a stuffed donut with sprinkles. She LOVES stuffed donuts and it was time for a new one. It turns out, though, that Tammo is rather fond of donut stuffies and he thought this one was for him. 

You can't blame a girl for protecting her toys.

Especially when the "thieving swine" (anyone else enjoy watching Good Boy, Ollie?) has already stolen her donut and is giving her side eye about the other toys she's been playing with! 

After all, Tammo has a history of doing just that!

Going to the vet on your birthday might not seem like much fun.

But since Pepper is there so often, the staff knows her well and vice versa.

Ashley (on the right) is the one who dubbed Pepper "the seal" and is one of Pepper's favorite staff members. (Mine, too.) That Percorten injection can hurt, but Ashley knows how to do it so it isn't as painful. She brought Pepper some special sausage snacks to celebrate her big day. (Pepper showed her own love by bringing the staff a big bag of Twix minis.)

Pepper's other favorite staff member is Jim (that's Jim as Frankenstein's monster as part of the clinic decor.) 

Pepper LOVES Jim and once gave both Jim and me heart attacks - she spied him walking toward the car, leaped out of the car window (which I'd rolled down so he could clip a leash to her collar) and ran to greet him!

She has never, ever jumped out of a window, before or since, but I now only have it cracked when we arrive, just in case. (Molly, who is terrified of men, also loves Jim. He is so gentle with her.)

Speaking of Halloween decor, Hawkeye Sarah sent me a photo of their new outdoor inflatables.

All my kids love The Nightmare Before Christmas, and even though I don't like the macabre side of Halloween very much, I have to admit that I mostly like this film. 

The sewist in me always laughs when Jack Skellington pricks his bony finger on Sally's needle! (I prick my finger at least once every sewing project!)

I've got my door wreath and a bench pillow out, but I really won't be decorating until after Feast. 

More to come, so stay 'tooned!

Vintage Club, Vintage Clothing, & "Vintage" Pup - Part 2

Second Post of the Day

Happy Birthday, Pepper! She turns 8 years old today, and she is definitely a senior (if not exactly "vintage") dog. 

Pepper retired unexpectedly in 2018 when she suddenly became deathly ill. In fact, she nearly died, but her alert and savvy partner, Sarah, knew something was desperately wrong with Pep and got her into veterinary care immediately. Without a doubt, that saved Pepper's life. 

The diagnosis of Addison's Disease meant it was impossible for her to continue partnering and guiding Sarah. Guide dogs and their partners become very close and retiring a guide dog is an absolute wrench for the human partner.

To help Sarah with her grief of losing her partner, I started a blog for her called My PenPal, Pepper. Each post was a letter "dictated" by Pepper through me that kept Sarah apprised on how (and what) her sweet Pep was doing. It included details of Pepper's crush on Nacho, her love of toy donuts, her perspective on her life with us, and basically let Sarah know that she was doing well.

One year we threw Pepper a birthday party. In honor of  her birthday, I include that blog post from My PenPal, Pepper here today. 

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October 4, 2020

Dear Mom,

Lynn says that I am now a mature dog since I turned four years old on September 25. Do you think that means she plans to take away my balls and donuts and rope tugs and frisbees? Oh, I hope not! Especially the frisbees - they are my absolute favorite toy!

Oh, wait. Lynn just  used the "Oh, Pepper" phrase. And then she said that she had no plans to take any toys away from me. Whew! I was a bit worried there for a minute.

Anyway, Lynn and Craig gave me a birthday party! And my favorite folks came - Nacho (swoon!), Millie, Molly, Lisa, Curt, Ian, Mila, Lukie, Kathy, Mary Anne, and Bill all dropped in during the day. And they came to celebrate me! Oh, did we have fun.

Lynn hung a birthday banner up and set out a squeaky toy birthday cake and candle, cupcakes and cookies for the humans, and the yummiest doggie cake EVER for me!

Photo of Pepper sitting in front of the table that is set for the party.

It was made for dogs, but Lynn said it smelled so good, she was tempted to try it. I gently pointed out that she had cookies and cupcakes and to please leave my birthday cake alone. (Photo of the doggie cake which smelled like gingerbread and had white icing and sprinkles on top.)

After we were all set up for the party, we sat down to wait for our guests.

She also put a bandanna on me that said, "Happy Birthday to me." I wore it all day so that everyone would know that it was my special day. Photo of Pepper wearing her blue birthday bandanna.

Lisa was our first guest, and she brought Millie and Molly with her. And you know what? Even though Lynn said to not bring me any gifts (why she said that is beyond me; I can always use more toys and stuff), Lisa brought me a box of treats! Of course we opened them then and there. (I was a good girl and shared them with Millie and Molly. Lisa, Lynn, and Craig declined. Their loss.)

Photo of Lisa with the dogs gathered around her, handing out treats.

Lisa had to go to work, but Millie and Molly stayed all day with me. Oh, how I love it when they come over to play! But we soon had more visitors - Curt arrived and he brough Ian, Mila, and Lukie! They were SO EXCITED to come to my party, and the first thing they did was to sing Happy Birthday to me. Ian played the Happy Birthday roll on our player piano while Mila, Lukie, Lynn, and I danced.

Ian pedaling the piano with Lukie and Mila dancing around the living room. 

Then we played games. One was to guess how many dog biscuits were in a jar. Ian won, and his prize was to feed me a biscuit. Mila and Lukie's consolation prizes were to also feed me biscuits! It was my favorite game of the party!

Next we went outside to play some games with my beloved tennis balls. The kids lined up and all three threw their balls at once. I went running for the balls, and whoever's ball I picked was the winner! (I asked for the prizes for this game to also be biscuits, but Lynn said I had had enough already plus we would be eating birthday cake soon.)

Lukie, Ian, and Mila with me standing in front of them. Will they EVER throw those balls for me??

And then something REALLY funny happened. Watch this video, Mom!

Lukie's ball just smelled so good, I had to switch! He'd grabbed a cookie and had frosting on his hands. I just couldn't resist!

Well, after the games in the backyard, the humans ate the cupcakes and Millie, Molly, and I had some of our special birthday cake. Curt took the kids home and things were quiet for a while.

A few hours later, my sweet Nacho (swoon!) arrived.

And promptly grabbed my new birthday cake squeaky toy! I almost broke up with him over that, but he gave it back.

I was still a little miffed - after all, it's my new birthday toy! - so I sat by Craig and well, Mom, I am a little embarrassed to say, but I pouted.

Nacho (swoon!) slipped up behind me and gave me a sweet kiss on the ear and all was forgiven. Photo of Pepper sitting at Craig's feet while Nacho stands behind kissing her ear. Mary Anne is sitting on the couch watching. (There are ALWAYS chaperones around - the two of us never get any alone time!)

Bill gave me one of his legendary ear rubs, and he, Mary Anne, Kathy, and Nacho brought me a new frisbee! Oh, joy and rapture! (I have decided that I like it when people ignore Lynn when she says, "No gifts, please.")

The afternoon party just kept getting better and better - Lisa came back!

We four dogs were so happy to see her that she finally sat on the ground so that we could all cuddle her. (And be cuddled, too. We are pretty smart like that.) Photo of Lisa with Nacho (disappearing around the side of the couch), Molly, and Millie.

Oh, Mom, I just had the best day. But I still was a little sad because some other important people weren't there - you, Dad, the kitties, and Ursula. Maybe next year you can come to my party? (Lynn just said, "Wait! What party? We just got through this one, Pepper!") 

Okay, so I'll talk to her privately and let you know. Anyway, I love you and send lots of licks, wiggles, and wags to everyone. Please pass them on for me!

Love always,

Pepper the Birthday Girl

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I'm going to pull out Pepper's birthday scarf and have her wear it when she goes to the vet for her monthly Percorten shot this afternoon. The vet staff loves her (they call her "the seal" because her face looks like one) and Pepper has a bag of Twix to hand out to everyone.

Feel free to browse through Pepper's blog - I don't write in it much any more as it's served its purpose to help Sarah adjust, but we are still in touch through texts, calls, and social media.

Happy Birthday, sweet girl! Guess who's getting a new donut stuffie?

Note: I probably won't get the part 3 about the vintage clothing written today but you never know. Stay 'tooned!