trying color in my clothes

I wear a lot of black and muted tones.  Browns.  Earth and plant tones.  I get told at least I do not wear just black anymore.  I do have to admit that my favorite dress to wear is a black dress and it is always in the laundry.  It is clean.  I wear it.

However, the last couple scenes of Captain Fantastic made me wish to add more color to my wardrobe.  It did not help that many of the opening scenes of that movie were on roads I drive every time I go to the mountain. I had a sky blue dress but it developed a hole in a difficult place to mend.  What to do?  I had a printed (oh my gosh, so hard for me too!) bright fabric in my stash.  Enough to make a dress.  At least it is blues and greens?

 

So the dress is done.  It is a-line, which I have leaned away from lately.  But I figured if it was too much for my brain it meant there was enough fabric here to make something else with.  Or I could just slim it down later.  Since I also did not know if I was going to like this dress, I tweaked the sleeves on my pattern a bit.  Less fullness.  That appears to have worked.

There is a lot of color here.  And a lot of fabric.  The fabric will soften over time because it is a corduroy.  There is a bit of stretch to it.  It goes well with my hiking boots.

This picture is of me looking down.  I will just have to decide if I can work with this.  Or if it stress me so much I will need to make it into something else or sell/give it a way.

(By the way, low flying helicopters and planes flying over the house still freak me out a bit.  And it is hurricane season again.  Sigh.)

my type of craziness

In this world of ours, where it is easy to go buy something, I do this crazy thing of making my own sheets.  I like linen.  I like the meditation it brings.  And on days like today where it is all first world problems, this is a simple task.

I like knowing I can do it.  I like the meditation of it.  I also have a choice of a few more colors then I can purchase.

First world problems include computers and networks that are not working correctly.  Too much to do before I leave the house to coach.  Feeling drained because of allergies.  This post will be short today because the idea of taking a thirty minute nap before I leave the house again sounds wonderful!  But there is bread dough rising, a pot of red sauce bubbling, and bread pudding just needing to be baked in the refrigerator.  The simple things are good things.

crazy busy

I made myself a new nightgown.  It makes me laugh because it is too long but I am unwilling to hem it shorter because it is made of linen.  Every linen garment I have had has never stopped shrinking up, or in another words, the warp direction.  I know have to pick up my skirts when I wear this one.

I like this dusky plum linen so much, I ordered more.  This color has a grey tone to it and I enjoy it.  I ordered enough to make a couple dresses.  Or another nightgown.  Or.  I am at the or spot.  I spoke with a friend about this fabric and we both agree we are liking solids much more then we used to.  If a fabric is not a solid, the print is more subtle.  I sometimes feel like there is not enough hours in the day to create what I wish to create.  There is always tomorrow.  

Today has been crazy busy.  Part of it is home stuff.  Part of it is shop stuff, the making of ribbons.  Some of it is being contacted by people who wish me to go back to the oil industry.  Because some of them are people I genuinely enjoy, I have to at least consider.  I have no idea what any decision will be at this point but I have lunch outside the house in a few weeks. 

On top of all of this, I am coaching more.  Again, it is a situation where it is fun.  I do not stress about the coaching at all.  Most of the time, I coach adults.  They wish to be on the ice.  They are learning a new skill.  I try to make it fun but I also do not just let people "skate" by.  They have to have the skill to go forward.  

It is an interesting life.  

pencilish skirt

I have admitted in the past that I like clothes from different decades then this one very much  I felt the green blouse I made needed a skirt.  I could have made something long and full, which I am fine with but I decided to make something like a pencil skirt.

Why do I say kind of?  Because I used a dress pattern as the go by for the skirt.  I did not want something TOO tight.  I did not put a slit or box pleat in the skirt back to make it easier to walk.  I find that I tear those rather quickly with my normal walk.

I like how it turned out.  I could have brought the waist band in about an inch.  Maybe two to make it tighter but I feel like I can breathe.

I might make it an inch or two longer.  But it is comfortable which is what I was going for.  I find skirts are can easily feel like they cut me in the middle.  

Notice, I am wearing hiking boots.  The left foot is healing.  SLOWLY!  I had some pain free movement today so I am pleased.  The ache, the pain does tire me out.  Not being able to do all I wish to do frustrates me.  I could not be in my figure skates long enough Monday to try to spin.  Frustrating!  But that is pushing it too hard I know.

I found another piece of furniture today.  A water damaged mid-century desk. It will be interesting to see where it takes me.  I still have the teak table to sell.  One step at a time. 

madly baking

Posts for the month of December feel kind of redundant to me.  I bake so many of the same family recipes that I could just repeat posts.  This year, I am four days behind due to the unexpected Christmas party that was out of town.  

The vanilla and chocolate shortbread are done.  But that means the sables and molasses crinkles still need to be baked.  Also, scones for a couple people.  I am thinking about sneaking a pumpkin cake into Koda Bear's box because pumpkin pie does not ship well.  Pumpkin pie is his favorite.  Just like mine!

None of this includes any baking I would do for myself.  Travelling is happening for me at the end of the month.  There needs to be enough bread for every day let alone travels.  And I really wanted to get a kuglehopf and a panattone made.  I have a few of the cookies as they are baked but really I wish the yeasted cakes.

I do want to run one experiment past the boyos.  I wish to make a sour cream raisin pie here as a test.  I will be with my parents after Christmas and before my Dad's birthday.  I was going to make him a sour cream raisin pie for his birthday.  I was told the last one I made was the closest to what his Mom used to make.  I think I tweak now.  Brown sugar instead of white.  But I wish to test it on the boyos before I try there.  Which also means a gluten free crust because one cannot eat gluten.  

I have not even talked about the sewing that needs to go on!  Stocking my shop has slowed down as I sew for family but I keep making nine squares so there will be more quilts as the year starts.  Maybe even the one I am making for this home.  That would be a surprise!

Thanks so much for listening to the babble.  The cookie bowl should have soaked enough so I can make more dough.  Sables next.  Hopefully I can wait to walk to the grocery store tomorrow.....