So It Begins

At long last, I've started working on my wedding gown! Details will have to be kept to a minimum until after the wedding (due to a certain someone who reads my blog and would prefer to be surprised on the day of the wedding!), but I thought I'd share a snapshot of the fabric I'm using:



Isn't it just lucious?




Okay, that was really very naughty of me -- the hideous glazed purple cotton is just for the prototype! My mother picked up about twenty pounds of the stuff at a yard sale, and it's come in quite handy for mock-ups. Combined with olive and scarlet thread (one must use up those old spools of thread somehow), it really makes quite a statement!

So far, everything is working out beautifully. I was a bit frightened to transfer my design from paper to fabric, but there have only been a few easily-smoothed-out bumps in the road -- so far!

I must admit, I'll be very grateful to start working with white -- after a few hours, purple glazed cotton starts taking on all of the appetizing characteristics of pulverized eggplant!

A Bit of Hubris and Hostility

I can see now why "l'aimable Jane" chose the letter "P" for her alliterated title -- "H" just doesn't have the same ring, does it? Well, literary considerations aside, I've added something new to my Austentations shop, for the Janeites among us:



You can see it in the shop!

Our First Visitor

Today we welcomed our very first visitor to our new home. Rather than invite him inside, we entertained him on our back porch. He seemed more comfortable there, anyway -- and since he had been out in the rain, he had "no desire to leave a watermark."



May I present Mr. Sheldon P. Boximus? You must forgive him for not introducing himself. He is a rather shy and retiring sort of chap!

Respite

Well, our Internet is taking a break, so I am, too! From blogging, anyway -- I don't think there will be a break from moving for quite some time!

Everything is going well so far -- one trailer load at a time. We've been so blessed to have help from my fiance, some young men from our church, and a neighbor's employees! We couldn't have done it without them!

I hope to be "back" online next Wednesday. I hope you all have a wonderful week!

A Weekend in Atlanta

Last weekend found us in Atlanta for a conference. Long car trips make me ever-so-grateful for the luxury of a DVD player in our car -- "Radio" and "Amazing Grace" on the way up, "North & South" on the way back! While my dad and sister were tied up in meetings, my mother and I explored the Atlanta area.

While I was looking for Atlanta area attractions, I discovered historic Roswell, a little town just north of where we stayed. Barrington Hall is a beautiful mansion, built in 1842 by Barrington King.



We were treated to a "private tour" (apparently Thursday mornings aren't busy for them!), led by a very knowledgeable and chatty tour guide.



And the gardens! Oh, the gardens!











There was also a massive pecan tree, growing on the site of the old kitchens (which burned down in 1902 -- apparently it was a good idea to have the kitchen separate from the house!).



Roswell is a delightful little place, full of antique stores, cafes, and charm. I highly recommend a visit, especially if you have a few hours to spend puttering about!

The next day we drove through Druid Hills, the neighborhood filmed in the 1989 classic, "Driving Miss Daisy." Tree-lined streets, beautiful homes from the 20's and 30's, and lovely gardens...





For lunch we stopped by the Swan Coach House, which is just adjacent to the Atlanta History Center. We had visited the History Center a few years ago -- it includes the gorgeous Swan House mansion, located on the property.





And I have to post a photo of Swan House from our previous visit! It's just too lovely for words!



To finish up our visit, we headed to nearby Chamblee and loitered in antique shops for a few hours. What bliss! My favorite places are the "hidden treasure" shops, where everything is jumbled together. The shop pictured below was the sort of place TGIFridays would get their restaurant decor! I couldn't decide between the miniature giraffe and the giant spoon...



It's always amazing how good it is to return home after traveling, no matter how short a jaunt it may be. And even when "home" consists of boxes, handtrucks, and packing peanuts.

Wouldn't it be much more glamorous to arrive home via ruby red slippers, rather than a Honda Odyssey!

Words of Wisdom From Writers

For first you write a sentence,

And then you chop it small;

Then mix the bits and sort them out

Just as they chance to fall:

The order of the phrases makes no difference at all.

~ Lewis Carrol, "Poeta fit non nascitur." ~

If you need a bit of nonsense to lighten your life, I recommend a good dose of Lewis Carrol's poetry! Here's the full version of "Poeta fit non nascitur."

Camera Love

Our yard is practically teeming with lizards. Every time I walk outside, I hear frenzied rustling from lizards scampering to get out of sight. I love watching them change colors to blend in with their surroundings!

I cornered this little fellow on our front porch the other day. He sat so still, staring at me suspiciously with one beady, blue-rimmed eye:



And then he "kissed" my camera lens! I'm still not sure if he did it out of aggression ("Kill that nasty camera!") or vanity ("Time for my close up!").



Personally, I tend to the latter idea. Just look at his flamboyant green skin! Yup, this is one lizard that is utterly full of himself!

Vintage Summer

Now for the last of my stashbusting projects! For now, anyway... *wink*

I had 4 yards of red-and-white striped seersucker in my stash (part of a $5 bag of fabric I found at a yard sale). I love seersucker, but I was quite at a loss to figure out how to use this piece -- until I remembered Butterick 4443! I've used this pattern once before, and was very happy with it -- the fit is just about perfect (still have to work on some neckline gapping, but it's not bad).



Usually I can't handle princess seamed dresses (in fact, most dresses don't look good on me!), but the defined waistline on this dress helps a lot! I made a little jacket from Simplicity 4334, and also bound the neckline, armhole, and hem with red bias. One of my favorite things about this dress is the scalloped hem -- it was relatively easy to figure out, and I love the look!



By far the most complicated aspect of the outfit was the belt. I also had a "cover-it-yourself" vintage belt buckle in my stash, which came in so handy for this project! It took a bit of finagling, but it did work. I top-stitched the belt because... well, just because!



I can't recommend this dress enough -- it's so easy to put together, and it takes very little fabric! I do lengthen the pattern about 4 inches, just so it's more comfortable.

I love the slightly vintage feel of this outfit -- I think I'm going to get my money's worth out of this one! I still have about a yard of the seersucker left, so it might be showing up as an apron one of these days!