The Handmade Dress

...you may as well wear it with style and have a good story to go with it! That's our motto! Molly had an awesome bike wreck while camping this weekend with Nana and Papa. She rode her bike off of a bridge that wasn't finished yet and fell about 5' to the ground hurting her right arm. Papa made her a make-shift splint out of cardboard and fabric and she hopped back on that bike and kept on riding! I was there shortly after the wreck and she seemed to be doing fine, just favoring the arm a little. After a couple of hours the pain was too bad to ride bikes so I took her on to the local urgent care clinic. The doctor there told us that she couldn't be positive from the angle of the x-ray but she was highly suspicious that Molly's elbow was broken or cracked in the wreck. So Molly got a pink temporary cast and an ugly navy blue sling. Well you know us, that ugly blue sling HAD to go. A girl can't be expected to sport one of those ugly things to church on Sunda...

After the last post about living the slow way I had several questions about making and keeping bread. Well since I am sooo into this right now I'll just tell you all about it! The recipe I use for honey wheat is on the back of the Gold Medal Whole Wheat flour bag, you can find it here . I also add a couple tablespoons of milled flax seed, and a couple of tablespoons of raw sugar because Ben likes semi-sweet breads for sandwiches (I will add a rockin sandwich recipe at the end of this post- it's my favorite). The wheat bread recipe I use for the best cheese toast in the world, and for dipping in soups, is Dawn's . Go over to her blog and bug her, I'm sure she will give you the recipe- she loves me. This bread is so easy and you can add just about anything you like for a different flavor, we like to add rosemary and olive oil (as shown above). I mix everything in Dorothy (for those of you who don't know Dorothy, she i...

Last night I was sitting here at my desk doing a little work on the computer when Molly came in to sit and talk to me. She had been outside with Ben, Timothy, and two of Ben's brothers all day working on the new barn, and I had been inside all day with Madeline baking our bread for the week. She sat and told me her stories from the day, as she often does, and I listened and giggled at her "Tim stories", then she asked "Mama, do we live the slow way ?" I replied "What do you mean sweetie?" I was really missing something.... then she said in the sweetest, softest, almost older voice, "You know Mama....because we make our own bread, and we have our own chickens, and we grow our food, and we use cloth napkins, and we homeschool...that kind of stuff. Is that the slow way Mama?" I was sort of taken back for a minute because I haven't really thought of it that way...but I guess so... "Yes baby, I guess we do." It's funny how a simp...

I made the deadline! I finished the last stitch on Easter dresses at around 11pm on the Saturday night before Easter...just in time! Oh the children were beautiful and Easter was wonderful but I was way too lazy about getting good pictures. I get that way sometimes.....ya know, sometimes I just want to live the moment instead of documenting it. Ever feel that way? Like sometimes it's too much work? Anyhow... The wind was amazing on Sunday! which made our family get-together perfect since it's outside, but made picture taking a little tricky. I thought this one was cute though because they were all laughing at their silly daddy, and I love pictures with real smiles. I seriously didn't know how to feel about Molly in this dress. I love the dress and all, but she just looked so grown up in it. It sort of reminded me of something Diana would wear in Anne of Avonlea. I think that's why she loved the dress so much, she felt like it was her first "big girl" style ...

....the pink slips are made, the hems are done, the embroidery is in progress... With just a few hours of work left it looks like I'm going to make it! Molly told me last night that this is her favorite most special Easter dress ever. Oh how she can melt her mama's heart! and make every little stitch well worth the effort. I remember the year of my favorite Easter dress too. It was green and I felt so pretty all dressed up for such a special day. I was about Molly's age too. I hope to help create such special memories for my children. And I hope you all have a wonderful Easter Sunday too! (Maddie's dress)

The Easter rush has begun! You know...when you wait until the Monday before Easter to decide what to sew.... Well it's starting to come together now and hopefully by Easter morning we will have finished dresses. Hopefully. LOL! Here is a "little" list of what I still have to do: :: Embroidery on both dresses :: Sleeves and lace for Maddie's dress :: Make pink slips for both girls :: Entredeux and lace on the neckline of Molly's dress :: Buttons and buttonholes for both dresses :: Lace for the sleeve of Molly's dress :: Hems on both dresses I hope to be posting pictures of finished dresses soon!

Thanks for all of the loft love! During the days that we were working on the sewing loft any spare moment that I wasn't needed I was scouring the internet for pictures of other's sewing spaces. (Can you tell I still haven't decided on an official name?) I found myself zooming in to see their cool sewing/crafting stuff! It was like crafter's eye candy! But I was frustrated a few times when I couldn't quite make something out. I'm just so interested in the way other crafters work and play! So I have decided to do a few posts (spread out a bit) on specific areas of this new wonderful space of mine, and maybe share a few tips along the way. Feel free to join in by adding links in the comment section to your own space. I seriously can't get enough of looking at craft rooms! This is the first little area I want to share. I guess I am extra excited about this section because I've never had a cutting table before. On top are the girl's Easter dresses (or w...

....but it's done and that's what matters. About two weeks ago Ben and I decided that it was time I had my own space for this growing pattern business. I have definitely grown out of the sewing-in-the-bedroom stage, and the walk-in closet sized office I have been using long ago spilled over into the living room. I can not even tell you how exciting it has been! Ben decided that the easiest solution would be to add a room in our attic. The thought of a little loft sewing room was more than I could handle! He estimated that it would take about ten days and he wasn't far off the mark! We worked every single day that he was not at the fire station framing, sanding, staining, painting, nailing.....you get the picture, I'm really sore, and here is the fruits of our labor! I can't even describe how much I love my new space! It is PERFECT! Ben is most definitely "The Man"! So let me give you a tour.... (click on the pictures to enlarge them) This is the little si...