the one where I attempt to make a skirt and use a lot of unnecessary French phrases

I have been a bit hesitant about making any clothing for myself, I will admit.  Baby/little kid’s clothing seems easier–less fabric to mess with (less to buy/less to totally *#$% up), fewer curves of the body, no darts, usually no zippers….plus I have a beautiful grandchild to sew for. Why would I want to make something for myself?

Well, for starters, to make something for myself.  Besides a pillow, I mean.

Plus, it stretches your skills in whole new ways.  And isn’t that a good thing?

(Trying to stave off the Alzheimer’s as long as possible, folks.)

I had received this skirt pattern from my daughter-in-law Kaylee for Christmas.

This is probably considered “vintage” even though it is right around from when I was in high school.  (Ahem.)

I thought it would be a good fit for some red with white polka dot material (that I had originally been planning on using for a dress for Addie, but changed my mind to the green chevron).

And look! It says “very easy” on the front.

In French, even.  ”Très facile”.

Oui, oui! J’aime ça! (Yes! I like it!)

I plunged in.

The first decision to make was: what size am I really, in 1981 Butterick-pattern-thinking?

I held up the pattern to me and although I wear about a 12 nowadays, the 12 on the pattern didn’t look like it was going to be big enough.

Going with the theory that it was easier to take away fabric than to add it, I decided to cut out the size 16, and adjust from there if necessary.

(I am also painfully aware that clothing manufacturers have “sized up” the sizes from 30 years ago. Meaning I wore a size 10-12 in high school as well, and I know dang well I am not the same size I was in high school.)

Moving on…

I cut out the tissue paper pattern (not a fan of tissue paper patterns, by the way–so wispy and flighty) and then used them to cut out my fabric pieces.

Butterick pattern writers were obviously not getting paid by the word in their directions, because they tended to be….terse.  Pin this. Sew that. Brevity was their bread and butter. I do better with a preponderance of word directions, rather than just illustrations (both are best!). So it was challenging in that regard.  I usually had to read the instructions several times.  And then once or twice more.

So très facile?  Not really.

I won’t walk you through all of the painful steps involved in making this project. But let’s just mention that I ripped out the invisible zipper not once, not twice, but three times before successfully inserting it into the skirt where and how it was actually supposed to go.

Mon dieu.

Having said that, I messed up a little on where the end of the zipper was to be, and had to make some modifications on my hook and eye closure for the waistband.

But look!  Invisible zipper!

In the process of making the aforementioned waistband, I was having a difficult time getting it gathered; the basting thread kept breaking. So I decided to just take some of the material out and make it a less full, gathered skirt.  This was probably a good idea anyway, since I tend to look better/less hippy (hippish? big hipped?) in a slimmer skirt instead of a gathered one.

Here’s the end result!

I like the fact that it has pockets.

As I mentioned, there were skills and things that I stretched myself on a bit on this one.  Some turned out well; others not so great.

Things I liked about this project:

good length for me

less gathered => success

polka dot pattern matched up/didn’t look too wonky anywhere

learned how to do pockets!

adjusted the waistband to actually fit my waist

Things I wasn’t crazy about:

pockets seem slightly “off”, like maybe they aren’t exactly at the same height? Or something?

didn’t get the zipper up next to the waistband far enough, so the waistband in the back doesn’t look totally smooth and uberprofessional

I also realized–I hardly have any tops to go with this skirt. What colors/patterns go with red with white polka dots? Black? Seems like it might go a little Minnie Mouse-ish. I tried a lighter blue chambray-type button down shirt with it.  Maybe. It’s a possibility. White or cream? I don’t look good with white right next to my face, unless it’s broken up by something else.

Basically, I have little that goes with red.

(Can you tell I normally don’t wear red much? Except on Husker Game Day, that is. :))

Anyway. I am still proud of this garment, because I tried something different and more difficult and out of my normal comfort zone, and I got more experience (LOTS of experience) with putting in a zipper, and how to put in pockets.

Which brings me to a couple of other small sewing projects….

Zach told me that he really likes wearing the pajama pants I made him, for lounging around the house, but wished that they had pockets, so that he had somewhere to put his phone.

Hey.  I know how to put in pockets now!

I found some leftover flannel from the original pants, used the pocket pattern piece to cut some out, ripped out the side seam areas where they were to go, and sewed them in.

Bada-bing, bada-boom.

\

What? You can’t tell?  Okay.

Pockets!

Perfect for a cell phone, a pencil,  or a Pop-Tart.  (Hey, we don’t judge.  Whatever you need to be hauling around, as long as it’s not left in there to make a sticky mess in the laundry.)

(I would also like to take this opportunity to apologize for not putting in pockets into all of those pajama pants I made and gave for gifts.  You know who you are.)

One last project to show off.  My mom’s birthday was in April, and I wanted to send her a little something.

Cue Martha Stewart, and a project that I pinned on Pinterest awhile back: quilted coasters.

I used some flannel fabric scraps and some heat-resistant padding that I bought once to make some hot pads.

The quilting was pretty easy; just keep going around in a spiral-y, boxy pattern.

Great for resting your coffee mug or iced tea glass on.

Because Martha certainly would not approve of water rings on your table.

Then again, she probably wouldn’t approve of my imperfect polka-dot skirt.

But that’s okay. I like it–imperfections and all.

book list: april 2013

My reading last month was evenly split between fiction and non-fiction–partly because I only read two books.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin– Harriet Beecher Stowe.  I started this one via listening to a recording (which as I said, is great for when you are doing another chore that is relatively mindless, like ironing), and then realized when I was about 2/3 through that I actually own a hard copy, and so I finished reading it that way. This book was written in 1852, and was based on the life of Josiah Henson, an escaped slave who, with his wife and children, fled to Canada in the 1830s. He returned to the South several times to help other slaves escape, and by 1840 had led over 200 people to freedom. Stowe heard Henson’s life story from the man himself, and incorporated it into the novel. Stowe was an activist for the abolition of slavery, and a close friend of Frederick Douglass. Interesting fact: Douglass was one of the first to allow white women reformers such as Stowe and Susan B. Anthony to speak publicly on the subject, at a time when white men would not allow it.

I found the book moving and poignant in its portrayal of how slavery not only was wretched for the slaves, but also had a negative impact on slave owners, making them more callous and hardened in general. Stowe did a good job of portraying a wide variety of people of the time and their views and actions on what was the most pressing issue of her day. Although it continues to be somewhat controversial (the term “Uncle Tom” becoming a pejorative one–even though I don’t think the book portrays him in the stereotypical way that the term now implies), it was definitely something that had a tremendous impact in providing pressure against slavery among the general public in its day. For those of us for whom slavery is something that tends to seem pretty remote, it was a good reminder of the stark reality of our history, not all that long ago, and how we are still as a country working through some of the fallout from it.

Dakota: A Spiritual Geography – Kathleen Norris. This is non-fiction, a memoir, with some of Norris’ poems scattered throughout. A group of essays by Norris tells of different aspects of life in a small town in South Dakota, where Norris and her husband moved, in order to keep her grandmother’s house from having to be sold off. Both the peculiarities and the comforts of the plains come out in her writing, and through it all she weaves the story of her own spiritual reawakening.  I enjoyed it, some essays more than others; I’d give it 2 1/2 out of 4.

Flora, fauna, and merry weather

Spring has officially “sprung” around here (although it never really stops being green, even during the winter.  They don’t call it “the Evergreen State” for nothing, I guess).  And with it, all kinds of things are bloomin’.

Beautiful things are out and about, out in the wild—for example:

These look kind of like gigantic dandelions.

(I don’t know the names of very many of these, so you will have to bear with me.)
I call these “tiger tails”. These are the new green ones, sprouting up.

And here are the older versions, after they’ve matured a bit.

These little flowers may be considered weeds–they grow all over the place–but I like to consider them “wildflowers”.

And I love these little cousins of theirs, with the pink tips. So sweet.

Even seemingly innocuous, growing-everywhere-wildly bushes sport some blooms.

Not to be outdone are the planted-on-purpose varieties.

( Again–I don’t know the names of most of these.  I will tell you if I do actually know it. :))

Tulips, heather, daffodils…(and I should know that blue one in the front, but I forget)

Coral bells up in the corner, next to these pink beauties.

Cherry tree above, I think, with white rhododendrons below.

Heather–a rather ubiquitous ground cover around here, but I love it.

More rhododendrons in my neighbor’s yard, or “rhodies” as they are called around here (the red ones on the left side of the driveway, and the cream colored ones on the right/lower). Rhododendrons are Washington’s state flower, by the way.  Our trail guidebook informs us that they grow wild on many of the trails.

I got inspired.  I found some plants on clearance, and put them in a couple of terra cotta pots on the deck.

Okay, so they don’t look as great as the full-priced flowers did, but I am betting on that fact being the reason that they were half price.

I am also betting on my Miracle Gro potting soil, sunshine, and rain to do their part in helping them achieve their potential.

I hope to post photos later of them looking as healthy and robust as their (overpriced?) brethren.

I also couldn’t resist these little guys.

Hen and chicks!

Succulents are awesome, and work great in drier climates. But I am thinking they will probably do okay here, too. And I can bring them inside during the winter, I think.

They may even survive till next spring! (Not a given, considering my past track record with house plants.)

There was one more plant that caught my fancy.

Ah. Lavender.

I have always wanted lavender, both for its color and its scent. There are several lavender farms in this general area (one is named “Purple Haze”.  I love it), so it seems that they like the Northwest climate.  The tag said that it was a “spreading” plant, and I hope so, so that it can fill up this general area:

If not, I guess I will just have to add in some more, bit by bit.

You may be wondering if I was ever going to get to the “fauna” part of this post (remember the title?).  Animals can be a little harder to capture in a photo, depending on what type of fauna it is, exactly.

But these guys are not terribly shy, and wander around the back area, and often through the neighborhood, quite often. Marc has seen them many times out by his car, outside of the hospital, when he gets off work (not the same exact ones as in the photo :)).  They usually just look at him and continue to graze, even when his key fob beeps to open his door.

Obviously, there isn’t any hunting allowed in town–and the deer know it. :)

I saw this little fella on the deck the other day.

Kinda cute.

And then there was this guy, whom I saw on our walk.

Anybody home?

Yup.  Snail!

Also, on a recent walk, I counted two geese, one fox, and 39 slugs.

Yes. Thirty-nine.  :)

No bear sightings yet. (For which I am truly thankful.)

The weather lately has been absolutely beautiful.

I hear it’s even more glorious here in the summer.

Who’s up for coming to visit?

(I might be able to show you a slug or two. :))

Randomness

Random things that are jumbled into one post:

• The Easter dress fit, and looked so sweet on our sweet Adeline.  Here–see for yourself, if you don’t believe me:

It appears that it is great for jumping, too.

• After much searching and visiting, we have finally found a church home.  We had found a “maybe?” one that we had been attending, but weren’t feeling positive that this was the place for us.  So we kept looking–and when we visited this one, we knew almost immediately–this is it.  Friendly people, good sermon, good atmosphere/vibe (sorry to get all 60s/groovy on you there, but you know what I mean).  It is on Bainbridge Island, so a bit of a drive (37 min, door to door), but we feel it is worth it.  And since every other option was at least 20 min. away, it isn’t that much farther to get to a church where we truly feel like we belong. Whew.  
• I also went to my first women’s Bible study Monday.   I only had a slight feeling of being the new junior high girl upon first coming into the building. :) Nothing after that reinforced that feeling. Everyone was welcoming and friendly.  I am looking forward to getting to know the ladies in the group.
• Zach had his wisdom teeth (all four, plus a wayward back molar) removed last Friday. All went well with the procedure, with the only disappointing thing being not many Loopy Zach stories to tell (other than he couldn’t figure out how to recline the front seat in the car on the way home).  He was able to go back to school on Monday, and is anxious to be able to eat steak again. Or at least something that isn’t pudding, jello, shakes, smoothies, mashed potatoes, or scrambled eggs.   I was quite thankful that we decided to get dental insurance with this new job; a majority of the cost was covered!  Hallelujah and amen.
• The weather has been gorgeous with a capital G around here lately.  Sunshine and clear skies, and mountains to view in all directions! Lots of flora blooming about as well.  It’s like it’s spring or something. :)
• I took advantage of the beautiful weather and was walking the dog this morning (well, I walk him regardless of the weather, but anyway….), and decided to go down the street of our cul-de-sac, just for something different, instead of on the golf path in back of our house. I saw that the new neighbors were out, working in the yard. And wonder of wonders…they are young.  As in, late 20s/early 30s, with two little kids, and a third on the way.  Diversity in the hood!  Age-wise, anyway. Yee-haw.
• Been doing some more sewing….but I will save that for another post by itself. :)

Here’s to good friends

Dear friends Marcus and Jen made their first trip to the Pacific Northwest this last weekend.

Since it was their first, we tried to pack in all the great things out here to enjoy.

Besides sampling lots of great food and great brews, we explored a bit of the outdoors.

The rain accompanied us, on and off. But we were undeterred.

Jen was especially undeterred in her pursuit of great camera shots.

(That’s her, underneath a rain poncho, wrangling her lens to peek out without it getting too wet. She’s a pro.)

We hiked up to Marymere Falls.

And then we hiked down.

Hurricane Ridge, the most accessible mountain area within Olympic National Park, was closed due to snowy conditions.  However, we were able to drive up near the entrance, and were rewarded with some great views.

And just as we turned around from the mountain view, we saw this beauty as well.

Schweet.

The next day we went to Seattle after church.

Jen was ready with the camera again.

This time, she didn’t need the poncho, but was rockin’ the red pants and the boots.

We took the ferry from Bainbridge, right into downtown.

We wandered Pike Place Market, bought some pastries and coffee, and even found a cool woodworking gallery where the pieces of furniture were definitely works of art.

The only appropriate way to finish off the day was a meal at Ivar’s.

After that we sailed back into the sunset.

All in all, a great four days with great friends.

And hey—we even made a new friend.

Duuuuuuude.

through green colored glass

 

It was hard to write about my grief about moving.

It’s harder still to confess my sin.

I had a lot of feelings about moving–excitement, sadness, anticipation, anxiety, hopefulness.

And grief.

And although those were all legitimate, expected feelings to feel about a giant life change, the grief in particular was fertile ground for other things to grow.

Discontentment.

Jealousy.

Envy.

Covetousness.

Seeds of frustration were planted.

Little buds of enviousness started to shoot up and unfurl.

I saw friends who had good things happening in their lives.

Job success/retention (in the place where they wanted to be).

A house selling (while ours languished on the market).

Opportunities to use their gifts (while I’m sitting out here doing….what exactly?)

Every good thing that I saw happening in friends’ and families’ lives, I started to view through green-colored glasses.

It’s not fair.

Why them and not me?

What are you doing, God?

Why aren’t you doing that with me?

I felt irrational irritability at the blessings in others’ lives.

She’s such a good writer–look how God is using her.

She has fantastic photography skills. I can’t do that. I can’t even figure out how to get the mediocre photos I take loaded on to Facebook properly.

What a great cook/entrepreneur/organizer/servant of Jesus she is.

Look at her life. It’s Mary-Poppins-esque–practically perfect in every way.

(I knew that wasn’t true, but it was easy to overlook the things I didn’t want to see.)

And as my heart continued to murmur its serpentine thoughts, a different sounding voice came to me.

Hey.

You’re coveting.

You’re coveting their lives, the blessings I’ve given them.

You’re sinning against your friends.

Realization and guilt washed over me.

I don’t want to do that.

I love them. I’m glad you’re working in their lives, that you’re giving them good things.

There’s someone else that you are sinning against, even more. 

You’re angry with Me.

The tears flowed down, not from understandable and legitimate grief at the circumstances of life, but from grief and sorrow at my sin against my Lord.

I had been conveniently ignoring all of the good things he had given me, the blessing he’s rained down upon us, the prayers that have been answered.  When they had come to mind, I had in essence said, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, those are good–whatever.

I want what she’s got!”

Envy and coveting had entwined themselves around my heart.

It was a harvest that I did not want to see come to fruition.

The Master Gardener tugged on them gently, and they were carried off in his forgiveness.

He opened my eyes once more to all of the gifts he had given me, and assured me of his never-ending, never-failing love for me, a love that is so big and expansive and encompasses so much that I do not have the eyes to see right now. A plan and a future that maybe, just maybe, he can see more clearly than I, because he is the one who holds it in his hands, who planned it from the first, who is working it all out in a gigantic tapestry of his kingdom, one that I can catch glimpses of as he reveals, but that sometimes looks like a tangle of threads that leaves me wondering how it is all going to come together in his ultimate masterpiece.

And so I repent of my jealousy of my friends’ lives and situations, my hard-hearted ignorance of His provision and love for me, my anger at a gentle Father who knows what he is doing, at all times, in all situations.

He gladly forgives and washes and cradles and loves.

He reminds me of my belonging to him.

He tells me to be patient in the waiting.

To be thankful in the waiting.

To be watchful in the waiting.

To be still and know that he is God, in the waiting.

Forgive me, friends.

Forgive me, Jesus.

Thank you.

Amen.

March book list 2013

I’ve been a bit lazy about blogging lately, and it’s only the prodding of my daughter on my Facebook page that has gotten me to pursue a post at all.

It worked.

It’s March book list time!

I started off the month reading the Fitzwilliam Darcy trilogy by Pamela Aidan:  An Assembly Such as This, Duty and Desire,  and These Three Remain. These books tell the story of Pride and Prejudice from the standpoint of Darcy–what was he thinking, what was he doing, when not at Netherfield or Longbourne or Kent? How did he view his interactions with the saucy Miss Elizabeth Bennet? There are many, many “sequels” written about Jane Austen’s beloved characters, and most of them are just dreadful. But this trilogy is a delight, as Aidan skillfully takes information from Austen’s novel and weaves it into a lovely companion piece. I like to read it after my annual P&P perusal. It’s a bit like literary crack, though –absolutely impossible to put down once you’ve started. My one quibble with it is that the editor missed a few things (the most notable one upon last reading was where a character named Lady Felicia was later called “Felicity”–sloppy). But those few items are minor compared with the overall enjoyment of the books.

Broken Down House by Paul Tripp–Tripp compares a house that is in great need of repair and restoration to the world that we live in. He asks the question, “What does it look like to live productively in a world — a “house”–that is broken down?”  Our Lord is redeeming and restoring this world; but there is continuing sin and problems and brokenness.  And, as one experiences in a massive remodeling/restoration project, things usually look worse before they look better. How do we live amidst the mess, without despairing? Or growing hard or indifferent?

Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work by Tim Keller, with Katherine Leary Alsdorf–An insightful and biblical look at work: why do we do it? Why is it so hard? How can we do our work as to the Lord, as it says in Colossians 3?  How does the gospel infuse and affect our jobs and how we impact those around us, by doing good work (not just by proselytizing people by the water cooler)?  Although this seems more targeted toward folks who have jobs outside the home, the message as a whole applies to all of us, whether homemaker or executive, janitor or teacher, software creator or retail worker. (the last “Christmas book”–from Marc and Kaylee :))

I am almost done with Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, but in keeping with my self-imposed rule, I will review that with the April books–providing I finish it in April, that is.  Stay tuned!