Sewing Up (and In) a Storm

The view from my upstairs sewing room allows me to see storms roll in and yesterday, although the sun was shining and it was in the high eighties, I glanced out the window to see this approaching:

A cold front was coming through with a severe thunderstorm in its wake. Naturally I went downstairs to snap some pics and as I stood on the patio, something really awesome happened.

I suddenly felt the cold front sweep right over me with a very sharp, cold wind. It was like there was a line between that hot and cold air, and I felt  that line as it crossed over my home. Never have I actually felt the boundary between two air masses - it was amazing.

Shortly after that boundary passed over, it began to pour. 

I retreated into the house and went back upstairs - I was almost done with a shirt for Ian to wear to the Feast (the kids are going in period clothing) and wanted to finish it.

It's a voyageur's shirt and made from a hand block printed cotton fabric from India. The pattern replicates fabrics found during the 18th century.

I think that shirt will fit him, but if it doesn't, I have a larger one on hand just in case.

This one is for Lukie. Like the other two, it was block printed by hand and you can see evidence of that if you look closely. Look to the left by the V neck - see how the pattern is not quite matched up just under the cream stripe? That's it.

I'm taking the shirts out for the boys to try on after they get home from school today, and I will also take Mila's pattern to show her. It just arrived in the mail yesterday so she hasn't seen what I have in mind for her yet.

I will have to go through my fabric stash and see if I can bring her some choices for it.

I've also got some new fabrics in for the Mercantile. Next year's BreyerFest theme is Driving Forward, so I have been looking for horses and ponies in harness.

I've found a couple so far but I am concentrating on sewing 18th century items right now.

I'll start stitching these as soon as the Feast is over.

This is just the first batch of new haversack fabric - I got another batch in the mail yesterday that I haven't even opened yet.

Stay 'tooned!