Digging through the old pattern box

I need to dig this pattern out again - about three years ago I made it up with a stiff poly and it's pretty cute. Unfortunately it has the funny armcyce gape that all patterns seem to have on me so I have to wear a little sweater over it but still, cute. And short. See how it hits just above the knee on the model? False advertising, that. It hits a good 3" above my knee and, at 5'4" (ok, the 4" is in sneakers) I'm not exactly model material. And while 3" above the knee is hardly scandelous, it's short for me. I added some beautiful tea-stained lace to the hem and it helps me feel more modest but I still don't wear it as much as I would if it were just a liiiittle longer. But really, those are the only issues I had with this and I made it straight from the pattern, no modifications at all. So now that I know what to expect I really should try it again. Great for summer or, now that I look at it, as a cute jumper with a shirt underneath. Hm...

Oh, and this pattern comes from a group of fun 70 ones from when my mom went through a pattern collecting phase. She was living in southern California at the time and so passed on some adorable little sundress patterns. So far this is the only one of the bunch I've made but just give me time!

Perfect in Purple

My husband's from one of those small towns where everyone went to school together and people live and die in the house they were born in. Completely foriegn to this suburban military brat! However I fell in love when DH took me to the local antique store. So many lovelies! There was a little pattern area with a number of beautiful vintage offerings. None of it was in great shape and all the patterns had obviously been well loved (and used!) but in a way that added to the fun of the hunt. This is one of the patterns I picked up because I just couldn't resist it. Look at those lovely collars! And the sleeves! Sadly it's missing a good half of it's pieces (including the lower part of those full sleeves) but, like most patterns, it shows what those peices should look like on the back of the envelope. So if I do decide to make this someday it shouldn't be impossible. Difficult, but not impossible. For now it's functioning as artwork and being fully appreciated as such. Vintage patterns are my version of jewels, I guess. Not terribly practical but they make my world more beautiful. Or something like that!

More Disney Pictures

Because I'm on a roll. Don't worry, I've got some great vintage patterns coming up next!


Hanging in the waiting area at Jungle Cruise. I love things like this.

Frontierland looking towards Big Thunder Mountain.  We never did get around to riding that last time.  No loss for me, personally.  I can get the same thrill by letting hubby drive around Dallas.  Love ya! Mean it!

Fantasyland - look at that blue sky!  It was like that all week.

The Haunted Mansion, looking only moderately creepy in the afternoon sunlight.  Should have come back at night for a shot.  Oh, well.  We went on this more times ... husband grew up watching Ghostbusters so this ride was a favorite.  Though, given the chance, he'd "plus" it with blasters and turn it into a ghost hunting game.  :)

A little washed out but I liked the sign.

Dumbo!  And God bless my grandparents for going on this ride hundreds of times with me when I was little.  What IS it with flying elephants that so enchants the 5 year old brain?

Me and Plinkley, from Lilo and Sitch.  I love the hawaiian shirt.

Only at Disney does a Christmas Wreath formed from red mickey crocs seem so normal...

Fantasyland in a rare moment.  An hour later it was packed.  

Looking out towards the castle from the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse.  I really love that attraction.  Slow pace, lots of fun details, and the fun of imagining I could live there just does something for the kid in me.  This shot also shows how green the World is, even in winter.

Where in the world?

Mellie got it right!

We're in Disney World. :)

Or were in it ... not there now. Which, much as I love that place, is a good thing. Do you know how hot and crowded that place is in August? Not pleasant. Not at all.

Much prefer September, December, and April. Of course, my school also prefers those months ... for classes. Ah, well. Last trip I really made it a point to take pictures of the unexpected details. The prayer flags in Animal Kingdom's Asia, the buildings in Epcot's World Showcase, little statues tucked in odd places, and all the other little things that puts Disney's parks so far above others. I have a group of black and white photos framed on my wall and most people can't identify them as Disney. For so many people Disney means Mickey Mouse, the castle, and bright colored tackiness. There's far more ... it's just taking the time to look. And most people don't. Can't blame them, after all there's all those rides and shows and characters ... but it's worth taking the time. Also fun - going up to characters and getting your picture taken with their handler (cast member serving as body guard and time-keeper for those in costume). Confuses the heck out of the characters and makes the day of the handler!

Anyway, here's the more obvious shots that would have made the contest far too easy. :)


The Mark Twain paddleboat with Tom Sawyer's Island on the left and the Haunted Mansion in the background.


Cinderella's fountain. Look carefully at the wall behind her - that's a crown. You have to bow to her or be kid-height to get it to line up with her head. Neat trick.


My favorite. Before applying the old photo filter it was just a fairly eh photo of the castle. Kind of impressive but nothing special. However the filter really turns it into something I love. The feel of the 50s of Disneyland mixed with the grandeur of Disney World. And I think I have a Christmas present for my mom now. She'll love this. :)

Photo contest 2

No right guesses yet, so a few more to have fun with!

Photo Contest

This week hasn't been a lot of fun - it's mostly been cramming for my class (the one I'm teaching - you know the one I whine about in every stinkin' blog until you must be horribly sick of it. I know I am!) and wishing I'd started earlier and finding really random ways to distract myself. I really should just disconnect from the internet. While yes, it is helpful for finding stuff I could look it up that same info in a book far faster. Heck, I could drive to four different schools' libraries and look up the information faster. And for whatever reason my laptop makes me sleepy. I can be wide awake and then, after five minutes of it on my lap I'm dropping off. Poor me. And yes, I would like some cheese with that whine, thank you very much! :)

Anyway, one fun distraction I did was take some pictures I'd shot from a trip this past year and play with them to make post cards and pictures for my aunt who graciously sponsored the trip. I thought I'd share them with you as a little break.

Also, can you guess where the photos are from? Hint: They're all from the same spot. Well, roughly. One answer will cover it all - like if I had pictures of the Lincoln Memorial, Smithsonian, and White House then "DC" would be the correct answer. No clicking on the photos since doing so will tell you the answer. Just try to guess first. :) Hard photos today, easier ones tomorrow or Friday depending on how much I need a break either day. And enjoy!

On the cutting table: Burda 7895

The first item for my 4-piece mini wardrobe is cut out and started on! My cold is still fighting for control so it was slow going but I knew if I didn't do SOMETHING creative I'd go crazy so, well, the skirt got cut out. I didn't have as much fabric as the pattern called for but some creative rearranging made it all fit. However after making up the lining I have a new respect for Burda's sizing - I measured myself a little more snuggly than I had in the past, saw I was a 12 by those snug measurements, cut out a 12 ... and have a snug lining. Hm. So unlike the Big4's standard, when they say a 12 fits a 36" hip they aren't kidding around. I plan on sewing with 3/8" seams and hopefully that'll give me enough extra room to keep it from looking and feeling too painted on. Of course, I AM making this out of faux suede so maybe sexy is impossible to avoid. Worst case I might be able to squeeze out two more back sides from my remaining fabric. We'll see! Another worst case is that only DH gets to see it on me and, if you ask him, that's a best case. :) So win-win.

Crazy week

Flew home for a short weekend, now parents are coming here and then down to a family reunion - it never stops! And on top of that DH decided he wanted to steal one of my sewing class tables for his desk and gave me his nice folding table with a drop-down part for the keyboard (PERFECT for a sewing machine) in return. Buuuuut that meant totally redoing the entire study/sewing room which left me with more room (Yay!) but also took a lot of time. Oh, well. Now both my sewing machine and serger can be out at the same time - always nice! I'll post pics of my sewing space soon, I promise. I like it. :)

So that's why I've been in radio silence mode. And why my red shirt's in the same condition it was last blog. And why it will remain like that until next month since right now I need to spend my sewing time on my wardrobe for the August contest!