Only 7 More Sleeps

And I’m in Packing Mode for our vacation. Or at least thinking about what to pack which is a big part of it. I haven’t yet done my research on Google Maps to plan our route which is of course going to be as circular as I can make it. I hate to retrace my path, preferring instead to conquer new vistas at every turn. At least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

Of course I’ve already sorted out the Projects – well, most of them anyway. I’m still dithering on the spinning for the Backyard Sweater. I don’t need to bring any carding tools. (Yes, I’ve travelled with a drum carder. Not recommended.) But I need a stupid amount of fibre for the worsted-sized yarn I planned and my Victoria wheel is not the most ideal for spinning worsted. Not that she can’t. Just that the smaller bobbins mean more joins in the knitting. And I’ll need a niddy-noddy because, unlike Klaas (my Louet S-90 wheel) she doesn’t have a built-in skein winder). I need skeins rather than balls because I always wash my yarn before using it. Well, almost always. Decisions, decisions.

Oh, yeah. I was going to show Princess Pink’s dress (though I don’t have a photo of her wearing it yet).

Flower Girl Dress

For:  Princess Pink

Begun:  August 17, 2009

Completed:  August 19, 2009 (plenty of time! right?)

Pattern:  from Burda World of Fashion magazine, 3/2006, #138, size 110 (US girls size 6).

Fabric & Notions:  Medium-weight broadcloth, 100% cotton, bleached white, used about 3 yards. Nylon lace edging, 7 or 8 yards. 4 pearly plastic shank buttons.

Comments:  This is a pretty sleeveless dress with a half-circle skirt embellished with 3 overlaid ruffle tiers. The ruffles are curved and only gently gathered which gives the dress a nice not-too-fluffy line. Takes more fabric to cut them out though because the curved pieces don’t fit together efficiently. I cut the bodice pieces out twice to self-face them instead of edging the neckline and armholes with bias as the pattern indicated. I also edged the hem and each tier with narrow lace. I made good use of my serger for joining all the major seams, edging all the hems and gathering all the tiers. I’m sure I could have also added the lace with the serger but felt I had more control with straight sewing machine stitches. I also joined the bodice with its facing and sewed the buttonholes with the sewing machine. The facing was stitched over the skirt seam by hand. I didn’t do any topstitching but just relied on a good press with the steam iron to finish. With all the layers it’s quite heavy and doesn’t need a slip underneath. Finally, I sneakily sewed a small tag inside at the bottom of the button placket which I’m sure nobody has noticed yet! It said “Made especially for {Princess Pink’s name} by her Granny. 08/2009”. I do believe in artists signing their work! 

Hope she feels very pretty walking down the isle in this dress at the wedding ceremony tomorrow. Also hope I get a photo of the event!

OK, I’ve got to get back out in the garden for awhile and then make a card for my SIL’s 50th birthday party this evening to go with her gift of 25 toonies. (So what does she expect with only a week’s notice? A lace shawl?) Although she and my brother live in Kamloops, she plans to have two birthday parties (just 25 years each, right?), one at her brother’s place in Mission which is more than an hour away on a good day but a lot closer than Kamloops. However the party doesn’t start until 6pm. (What?) We won’t be much in the way of Party Animals at that rate. Yes, we are officially Old Folks. Can’t stay out all night whooping it up anymore. Then there’s that long drive home…

Anyway we have to be alive enough tomorrow to babysit the grand-boy-beastie for the day while the rest of his family go to the wedding. He is Not Good at weddings. As an infant he nearly made me miss my own daughter’s wedding – if it hadn’t been for a stranger, er saviour who stole him away in the nick of time. True story. Well, OK. He wasn’t really a stranger to Milady Daughter, just to me and he didn’t really steal Stargazer. Just borrowed the screaming meemie for awhile. To my everlasting gratitude and to which the hero says “pshaw”. Now it’s our turn to steal Stargazer. Hopefully without the screaming.