Update | January 2017

Hello and Happy New Year!!!

I hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year.

Kristi and I went caroling with our choir again this year. I had the idea to carol in our neighborhood, so we tried that for the first time and got lots of smiles! 

 We loved having our cousin from Germany with us again this Christmas, and she dressed up too!

We weren't the only ones who were excited...

 I've been doing a little experimenting with hair, and successfully curled all three feet of my hair using bandanas. I also tried a 27 strand braid on Kristi (Actually nine 3-strand braids woven together).

Last week, I did a little "fabric shopping" (but I only bought one piece of new fabric). At goodwill, I found four very lightly used cotton sheets, two white, one pink, and one light blue with pale stripes. I love turning sheets into gowns! There's so much fabric in them, and they're much less expensive than new fabric! In one of the thrift stores, my mom and I both immediately noticed a LOT of light blue synthetic taffeta on the front counter. We asked if it had already been sold. The lady at the counter asked her manager, and she said it was available. The cashier was about to count the yardage to figure out what to charge us when the manager said "I'll give all of it to you for $2". I couldn't believe it! We bought it, took it home, and counted the yardage. 18 YARDS PEOPLE. I got almost twenty yards of fabric for two bucks. I love you thrift stores!

It's hard to see in this picture, but there are lovely pale stripes.

 I also finally started on something I've been very excited about... a quilted petticoat! I had my amazing mom enlarge the pattern from Costume Close Up. I traced the pattern onto ivory broadcloth, and began quilting it last week. The fashion fabric is a lovely sage green. It's a huge project, but quilting is so relaxing. 

I just need patience 😇

I'm actually almost done with another robe à l'anglaise. I'm not 100% happy with the sleeves aka the affliction of the seamstress' existence. Even now there's still some puffiness at the back of the arm, but i didn't have enough fabric or the will power to remake them. I'll have a proper post for the gown and petticoat soon! And who knows... I might try to make an embroidered stomacher as well...