Forsythia Fashion -- Yellow Skirt Sewing Project

Painting by Neils Frederik 1855-1944 

The Lady in the Yellow Dress *

by Charles E. Perugini

 Hello Ladies,

Before sharing details of  the sewing project, pattern and fabric, I wish to confirm to all my detractors who are making me so famous, that I do not think clothing is the most important thing in life, and I am not obsessed with clothing or material things. It is too bad it has to be said by so many bloggers who merely want to participate in "What I Wore" blog events.  It would be impossible to record here all things of  spiritual and doctrinal import we do every day, if you are expecting every post to be spiritual. There are different subjects here, and  this is a sewing/fashion post.  I love the freedom we have to make posts like this, but I also like the freedom there is to go somewhere else that won't offend your sensitive selves, so if you are in that category, help yourself to the myriad of things  away from this poor blog, that will suit your tender tastes, on the world wide web. Ah! Such a blessing! Freedom!

The daylight was nearly gone when we got these pictures taken. We waited, hoping the rain would ease up and the sun would come out and the temperature would warm up. It was very cold, but Mr. S., who claims he is not ever going to be a fashion photographer, and who is always on his way to somewhere more important, stopped for a minute and took these pictures of my latest sewing project, which I call the forsythia fashion because of the blossoms.  

I was in quite a hurry to get this outfit finished before the blossoms fell in the rain and wind.  Even in this Victorian-esque outfit, it was cold. We didn't stay out long, and Mr. S. snaps only three or four pictures and there are no re-takes.

 Yellow is not a color I wear very often,  but I wanted something to go with this forsythia bush.

This is a child's umbrella, and I have it in a couple of different colors, because it goes with some of the things I've been sewing. I actually like the child size umbrella better, as it does not get in the way or get  mangled by the wind as easily as a huge umbrella.  If you have an Albertsons or a Safeway, that is where these see-through plastic umbrellas come from. They are in coral pink, purple, mint green and yellow, and of course, I have all the colors, waiting for the dresses to match ;-) Children's umbrellas take up a lot less space, too, on the umbrella rack. I like that they are vinyl and don't soak through.

I wore my hair up for this outfit to give it more of a Victorian-era look.

Here is a  detailed look at the skirt and blouse, on the dress form. I even brought in a bundle of forsythia, which you see on the table next to the outfit to show how much the colors match.

For the fashion shoot I wore the collar up, Victorian style.

These are the antique looking boots I wore with it and the little yellow umbrella.   

The boots are Victorian style western or  lace up, and are reproductions, so you can get them for about $20. Just type in White Victorian Western style boots.  They are also available as wedding boots, so you might do a search for that. I like the low heels, and I think they are cowboy style. I've seen this same kind several times in thrift stores and Goodwill, so its possible they were worn at weddings.

The skirt has a cumber-band style of waistband, and the back is elastic.

This is a deep yellow with white dots, a  leftover fabric from some mother-daughter dresses I had made a few years ago,  and there was enough to get a skirt out of it. With some of the smaller pieces I was able to make a cute ruffle at the hemline. 

Closer view of the ruffle here; I like the way it turned out. It is different and easier than the way I usually make a ruffle. Also I put ruffles at the end of the dress or skirt to give it some weight.

There were enough smaller pieces left to make a hair bow.

Dollar Tree had silk forsythia so I cut a branch of it down to the size of the hair clip:

 This is what the hair clips look like underneath. They can either be sewn or hot-glued. I first glued on a straight piece of fabric:

I used the waistband from one pattern, on the skirt of another pattern, because it was a pattern that took the least amount of fabric and I had scraps that, sewn together, amounted to less than 2 yards.

 Both patterns are from 2016, a 99-cent sale, and this is the first time I've used them.  If you are a beginner sewist, I don't recommend either pattern. Despite all my sewing experience, I found these patterns inconvenient, and a bit of a pain to construct, although it turned out to be a very comfortable skirt.

This is 100% cotton and very, very comfortable, easy feeling, easy to walk around in, sit in, etc. and I made it to wear at home, with an apron. One think I like about the skirt is that it is straight enough so that it won't get in the way or catch on things.

I like to honor Australians in this season because I used to live there and my relatives still do. I know it is autumn in Australia now so our weather in Oregon is almost identical at this time of year to Victoria, Australia. The color will work with their autumn.  Both Canada and Australia, and some other parts of the world have states or places named after Queen Victoria and I like that. Imagine being a Victorian style person (like some of us here!) and living in a state or country called Victoria.

 During the last week, I got out my box of artificial flowers and tried them in different arrangements, which I showed here on this blog. This week is going to be dedicated to sewing, as much as possible.  

The fabric is a Waverly  print, commonly found in the Walmart fabric department. Waverly usually has a name for every color and print, but I didn't see a name printed on the selvedge of this fabric. 

Because I will be wearing this at home, I will add a tuck in the hem to raise it. I wanted to get outside and get the photo while it was still light and before the photographer went on an appointment, so I didn't finish the hem. It will have a tuck in it just above the ruffle, to shorten it for  wearing at home. I

Hopefully I will have another fashion to show here soon.

*On the painting at the top, notice the gathered material from the shoulders to the waist on either side. That is what I was hoping to do on the previous dress, since I think I thought the front of that dress was too plain, and I wanted more fabric on it.  If I do add it, I'll put a picture here.

Here is a part of a 19th century painting of ruffles on a ladies hem. Notice the layers on the white one on the left, with the long straight layer of apparently different fabric underneath. I would like to know more about this design.

 I usually make the ruffle on the left, but this time I tried the ruffle shown on the right, shown in the next picture here:

I like that coral pink, don't you?  I will take the shoes and stockings too 🙂

The Sweet Scent of Violets

Vintage cards like  this, with the scene inside a wreath of flowers, give me ideas for water color.

Every year when the violets cover the lawn like a scented cloth, I think of making a garment to go with, but I never quite achieve it. I think about it, sketch a design, color it, and look for fabric. The idea, of course is to sew the dress or skirt in time to have a picture taken standing in the field of violets.  Usually the violets disappear while I am still forming the plan in my mind.

Yesterday  the violets appeared (usually after a very foggy, overcast period) but again, I was not prepared.

This is what they look like outside:

Some paintings by Catherine Klein are interspersed throughout this post.

Mr. S., thinking of mowing the grass, noticed the violets and took me out to see them. He always hears of my ideas-- well of course he does-- I'm in and out of his office all day telling him something, which I am sure he is interested in 😊-- and so he offered to go hunting for violet fabric  ("Let's go look for some of that 'violent' fabric," he quips) and this is what we found at Walmart fabric department: (The cup is from Goodwill). In deference to me, and because of the appearance of the violets (so he says), Mr. S. Is not cutting the grass yet. And I was told he couldn't take me to a fancy tea room so he would stop and let me find a tea cup at the Goodwill. 😊. You girls realize we joke around a lot. 

One time there was a meeting my husband wanted to attend. We had been going and going and I finally needed to get the kitchen cleaned and catch up on so much, that I bowed out . Someone asked where I was, and he answered, "she didn't finish her work to do at home. If she gets her work done, I will let her come next time."  Well you can imagine the small-minded person who asked about me did not see the humor and went tale bearing all over the place about how Mr. S. kept me locked away working all the time at hime and would not allow me to go anywhere.  That's just Mr. S. dry humor, ladies.

As I was not sure of the style I was going to sew this into, I didn't get any ribbons or accessory type things....and they had no violet shade shoes😊 nor was there any hat to match. Would it not be nice

to find silk violets to make into a fascinator or hair clip? Yes, I think so. You may remember one year I made a violet cape and some little hair pins with fleece violets from instructions I got off someone's etsy store: 

This is all cotton with a silky feel and linen look, by a company called Rose and Hubble. I didn't look at the top of the bolt to see the name of it, but I quite like the way they name prints and solids. Seaside and Glacier, Primrose and Ballet, etc. 

I always think one should have a dress and a tea cup to "go with" the current scenery, whether at home or traveling. And, if you paint, it's a delight to get your little paint book out and make another page, with the current date, while wearing a violet blouse and keeping your violet cup in view. Going to the seaside? How about a sea shell print from the fabric store and a matching bag for your. sea side tea cup.  We will try that one later.

Well, ladies, today I am putting all the crazy "issues" away and all the controversy and inner conflict with life outside the home, to enjoy a special week of blooming violets by sewing something to go with.

I think it is ever so soothing to enjoy this sort of thing and when my children were growing up we had colors and foods and activities to go with whatever was blooming or whatever the weather.  Remember my foggy day teas in previous years, and the things I sewed to go with?

This is a mismatched cup and saucer, but I know if I keep checking our local thrift stores, the mates will turn up, like a few others in my China cabinet.

The scent is like fresh spun cotton candy at a carnival

It would also be nice to make a little violet brooch to wear. What do you think?  These days I have been using Velcro to back brooches and corsages, instead of pins.

Just about the time some of us were getting overly gloomy from the cold and dark weather, God sent us a carpet of violets, and not only that, but it enabled us to get ideas and start enjoying violet season in many different ways. I think I saw somewhere people were making violet tea.

Let me tell you more about Mr. S. There is a shop he likes near the area where I go hunt fabric and he was wanting to go there too.  However he will help me find fabric, and I know of several husbands who make the perfectly engineered  templates for their wives quilting squares.  Mr. S. likes cars, so of course he is going to find a fabric store near the area he also wants to see....no use wasting a trip, you know.

When you see violets in the spring, or anything new in any season, it's a great influence for your children to hear you appreciate it. 

On the selvedge of fabric there is usually a color code strip that shows the color of threads that went into the print.  I cut this off and put it in my wallet to use for choosing other things like a jacket or cardigan, shoes, fabric dyes, art supplies, tea cups, florals for making fascinators. That is not to say I always do all that, but it is nice to have that handy little color strip.

The fabric looks like a good tablecloth for a viola tea. I may find as many coordinating cups as I can and host a little February tea. Since  I use plastic on top of all my table cloths, I could use this fabric before I sew it. And yes, the print is pansies, not violas. 

Sewing: Cotton Terry-Cloth Wash Cloths for Baby

Mother's always say the commercial washcloths for babies are not very nice, are made of synthetics and turn a dingy color, or are not absorbent and don't always stay soft. 

There is also a big difference between cotton Terry-cloth (toweling fabric) bath robes and the synthetic plush ones. The synthetics just don't feel good after a shower because they don't really absorb moisture, they tend to trap it.  It is very hard to find cotton terry cloth bathrobes.  

Someone here commented you could make one out of towels but I have not attempted it yet.  It would sure save a lot of trouble with the sewing, since the fabric shreds, gets caught in the feed mechanism, and is hard to unpick when you make a mistake. The seams all need to be over locked.

The people I have made these wash cloths for, even 5 years ago, say they are still using them for their children.

These are for the  basket in the previous post, to the lady who is having a girl.

One-fourth yard makes about 8 wash cloths, which I measire by folding the fabric evenly several times

And then cutting the cloths along the folds.

I then turn the dial on my machine to a satin stitch and stitch around each cloth, maybe twice, to keep it from shredding. It does use quite a bit of thread but I stitched twice all eight of these and still have a generous supply of thread on my spool.

I appliqued a little rosebud from another fabric just for an accent.

There will be more sewing to show you, soon.  As I have been sewing for other people, I sometimes forget to take pictures of the finished product. 

Here is what the gift basket looks like so far. I only have a couple more items to add.

A word of caution about sewing for other people, or doing for others in general, when you also have a family to look after. Make projects small enough so they are not time-consuming, and make sure you have sewn for your family members and treated them as the most special people in the world. Your children, husband, siblings and other family are first priority!  One of the problems of the modern Christian women is to put the needs of family aside while they accomodate so many others. Family will be with you forever and you will regret not making them the special things you made for others.  Your family is your first God-given "ministry" and the home is your "mission field."

Cost: the terry cloth is about $12 a yard. A fourth yard makes 8 cloths.  I get the cloth when it is on sale for half price. The ribbon is $1 for a spool of 3 yards, and thread is $2.50 a spool.

1/4 yard terry cloth at half price: $1.50

Ribbon: 1/2 yard: 16 cents

Thread: hard to calculate, but approximately 50 cents

Total: $2.16 for the gift.

Your labour, however, is worth more than I can estimate, because this is a custom made gift. 

Resting

Greetings. We are resting today, but it doesn't slow down my mind from making ideas for more to do!

Above picture: The hummers ignored commercial food but when I made my own, they visited more often. Hummingbird food recipes are available online.

Our guests from Tennessee only stayed a very short time, having spent most of their vacation on the way to our place,  so we quickly took them to see a few sights:

This has to be called "Sun River, wider than a mile," because of the stream of sunlight on the water towards the close of the day.

Earlier,  this is the way the waves sparkled. I kept thinking of fabric to go with!

We enjoyed watching  approximately every 7th wave hit the rocks like this:

Above: it looks like fabric colors here--fluffy white cotton shawl over a dark blue skirt, light blue blouse, and brown lace up boots. What do you think? (I will certainly try to settle down for a moment and put a sketch here of the nature inspired fashion.)

I went into one of the shops and had a close look at this April Cornell dress to see if I could make one like it. It was made of polyester, and I was thinking about making one in cotton, linen, bamboo, or some other natural woven cloth.  This cost $130 and I joked with my husband that it was such a bargain I should get two!   There may be enough pattern pieces in my pattern collection to create something like it. It looked looked very good on me and it is an a-line, with princess seams, with a nice waistline.

Mrs. Tennessee Company made a delicious

southern breakfast for us and I felt transported into another country! She was amazing. She said she did not know what to do with herself so she had to cook.

I want to get back into sewing dresses soon.  I have the most unusual fabric, which is 105 inch printed muslin often used by quilters for backing.  It looks like something which used to be made for cloth sacks, mattress or pillow ticking. It might be something suitable for making sheets. As there is just enough for a skirt or a simple dress, I am curious about how it would look. 

I bought it because of the dusty rose color, which is not easy to find anymore since it is not as fashionable a color.  In the photo it looks brown but the color is the old fashioned dusty rose, like velvet.

How about a very loose pullover dress with lots of drapey fabric at the sleeves and hem, just for cool wearing at home.  I hope to get started on this during the week and if it is successful you will see a picture of it here. The sketch show a raglan sleeve and little tucks at the waist:

What would you call this print?  Post Mark, Spencerian, Cargo, Faded Rose? Maybe "Other" would be a good name.

One of my grandchildren and I are enjoying drawing clothing designs and naming the garments after places we have visited or things we have been or things we are experiencing: mountain, truck stop, road side, sea side, light house, garden, clouds, waterfall, desert, visit, moving, writing (a writing dress), afternoon tea, etc. We have sketched ever so many dresses and I hope to include some of her sketches here too.

The print looks like something from the 1800's

A quick stop at Goodwill yielded these two cups for $3.20 each. Their good condition showed they had been in a shelf and never used in their lifetime: no scratches, fading of color, cracks or chips.

This one has a print of a nasturtium on it.

Interesting how the labels on these old teacups is sometimes off center.  I would say this is from the 1960's.

The cup also looks good on this orphan saucer:

This one below is probably from the 1970's.

The pedestal on the tea cup gives it a quite a royal appearance, and Red Velvet is an elegant name.

It feels good to have new teacups, and since a couple of others have been chipped and retired to the broken China box and the garden, these two replace them nicely.

If I had not stopped by to chat, I may have had the dress cut out now. Even a simple post absorbs a lot of time but it is something that makes me feel relaxed, that I enjoy. I certainly hope all of you are able to enjoy something today!