Wednesday, December 21, 2016

A Little Trip



We spent the weekend on a very cold trip to the interior of Oregon where Stan had scheduled to be a substitute for one of the preachers. He drove 35 mph the whole time on packed snow, but with traction tires he enjoyed the driving and the snow very much!  His sermon was good and they said he was "medium-winded." That is better than long-winded but not as good as Edward Ferrars preaching "very short sermons" a-la Sense and Sensibility. 

We stopped at a favorite shop and right away the people who owned it pointed out the red truck ornaments. One of them said, "We love our trucks in America, and especially red ones!"

My husband was quite taken by this little canvas painting of a truck, with a ribbon hanger, the size of a post card, with battery operated lights, so he bought some in lieu of greeting cards. As we left the store, someone else told us "This is truck country. We revere our trucks: old ones, new ones, and the ones that are falling apart." He proceeded to describe the garden his wife had grown in the back of his Grandpa's old truck. 





This is a wrought iron carriage that is very popular in summer, when you have to pay a fee to sit in it for a photo.

This is what the inside looked like. People were not lining up for a chance to sit in this snowy seat.
I hope that cushion  is water proof.
The sage green color of this carriage is marvellous. There is a gathered type curtain inside the dome. It is always interesting to see the many ways fabric is used.


The sewing machine was packed and the weekend was spent inside the warm motel room sewing and making cards with some of the family.

This zany zebra flannel fabric had been in the fabric stash for several years and finally turned into warm sleepwear for my girls. Sewing went a lot faster when sequestered in a warm room with no household distractions.  

View from the saloon window. The saloon is an old hotel that is now a restaurant. The upper level rooms are all dining areas and conference rooms. The food there is great. 

Above picture: Looking outside the motel room. The motel had a huge breakfast buffet, where we met some construction workers from Croatia who told us the winter weather was not at all daunting to them. "It is like summer to us!" they laughed.
Some of you will remember helping buy the rose shaped buttons for this coat that I made a few years ago. The local stores had a limited supply of these unique buttons, so blog friends were finding them in their fabric stores and sending them to me.  Ten buttons were needed and the cost was about $2.00 each, as they were very large buttons, which ended up costing as much as the fabric,  so your help was certainly appreciated! 
This picture, above, does not show acurately what looked like a delicious slice of vanilla cream confection, made by the snow plow as it neatly scraped the snow to the right of the road.  It looks like a wonderful sheet cake.
Now here are the cards that were made:



I even took a tea set and a red runner:


Below: more of that chiffon cake.  
Fabric like this would be interesting.
Stopping at a year-round Christmas store on the way back:


a slice of thick whipped cream cake:

Taking tea in the saloon:

Someone was coming for Afternoon Tea later on in the week and I was glad to get home and get ready for that. I saw so much of the color red, including red walls in the motel room, it inspired me to add a few red things to the house just to make it brighter. There were several red pieces of fabric in my sewing room and a couple of red cushions:

The February Issue of Victoria is where  we got the idea for the cards. The cookies on the cover are so lovely and the cards are pastel backgrounds with cameos in the centers.

The coat pattern is a 2009 edition of Butterick #5425.  I added the faux fur cuffs, hem and hooded scarf. Note with polar fleece, the garment is very heavy and warm, and keeps out the wind. A lining is not needed, although the pattern requires it. I had to alter the pattern to accommodate no lining.  This pattern also might make up into a very nice winter dress. Fleece is a non-woven synthetic fabric and it is not one of the recommended fabrics listed on the pattern package. The pattern is made for wool, velvet, poplin and tweed.


16 comments:

Polly said...

Were you in Sisters? My husband and I spent a wonderful time there when we went to Oregon in 2002. We just loved it! Such a beautiful area. I remember that we stayed at a B&B that had a pool, and it was August, and as we swam in the pool we could see snow-capped mountains. Your photos of snowy Oregon are lovely. What a beautiful part of the world!

Lydia said...

Polly, the hotel had an indoor pool, and all rooms have indoor hallway entrances rather than outside.

Lydia said...

It may have been the same place, as it had a wonderful breakfast worth getting up early for!

Christine said...

I appreciate how you prepared for this trip by bring your sewing machine, craft items and a tea set!
You look lovely in pink with a snowy background.

ladypinktulip said...

I enjoyed hearing about your trip! I love the pictures. What an beautiful
carriage they had....Such a quaint town..so wish I could visit there! Kelly T.

Southern Ladye said...

Those cards are beautiful! The pictures of the snow made me quite jealous as I live too far south to get more than a light dusting of snow every few years. After reading one of your posts about vintage Victoria magazines, I recently purchased three Victoria magazines, two from 1991 and one from 1995 from an Etsy shop, so I have spent part of my holiday break (I am a teacher) with a cup of hot apple cider and those magazines, which have just been an absolute delight to page through! I am so glad I got them and I am hunting for more to add to my collection. I have always been one to dress nice, even at home, but my clothing and hair usually has a very tailored and "professional" look to it. You have inspired me to dress more feminine, especially at home, so I copied one of the hairstyles I saw in one of the magazines, which was a very soft, face framing updo. It was very different for me, but I enjoyed feeling like a princess for the day! Thank you for your inspiration. And that coat is just beautiful!!!

Linda said...

The cards are beautiful. Cameos are a favorite of mine.

Lynn said...

It is so delightful to once again see you in your pretty pink, fur-trimmed coat! And all the snow shots are gorgeous!

You were smart to take along your sewing machine...how fun!

Lydia said...

Southern Ladye, those early issues beginning in 1987 were the inpiration for several generations all together, in pursuing what is goid and pure and sweet. The first magazine had a scripture in it about beauty so i snatched it up withput investigating it further. It was like a lady's companion and I even used it in homeschooling for art, poetry, handwriting, history, travel, geography, nature studies, architecture, clothing design, landscaping, house design, music, hospitality, and who knows what else!

play said...

Glad you enjoyed your time in my home town!
Prudence Lay
Sisters, Oregon

Lydia said...

Prudence, we hope to go there more often!

Unknown said...

Lydia, I so enjoyed your stories about your trip and the pictures that you shared. You looked lovely in your pink winter coat.

Alex said...

What a lovely trip! It looks sooooo cold. Never mind what the Croatians thought ;)
Your pink fur trimmed coat looks so sweet amongst the foggy, grey, chillsome air.
You have an undauntable spirit , dear lady!
Many Blessings for your New Year.

Teacups95 said...

I was looking at the pictures in your post and was wondering if you had a pattern for the coat you made?

Lydia said...

I will add the coat pattern to the post, above.

Teacups95 said...

Thank you, Lydia.