Sewing Up a Storm, a Real Storm, and the Legacy Video

During the night we had a terrible thunderstorm with lightning cracking right overhead. Pepper moved up from her usual position by our feet and cuddled between Craig and me, seeking our touch. (That's very unusual for a Seeing Eye Dog - they are trained to tolerate storms and usually she does, but this one was a doozy.) Tammo got off his bed and curled up on the floor next to Craig - clearly both dogs were bothered by the storm.

I was, too. Normally storms don't bother me, but I lay there wide awake and thinking of Abby. Listening to the loud noises outside. Watching the constant bright flashes of light through the blinds. It was a rough night and no doubt I will take a nap today. (Most likely Pepper and Tammo will, too.)

I am spending most of my time in the sewing room preparing for The Feast of the Hunters' Moon. I've been productive, so productive that I needed to run up to Leslie's farm and get more block print fabric.

I have a Facebook page for my business, and I posted the following finished items yesterday. Within twenty minutes, I had a sale.

This block print bed gown was purchased by Brooke, the leader of the Feast sewing circle and Leslie's successor as director of the Feast. She sews all her period clothing by hand and is a better sewist than me.

To say I was surprised is an understatement but as Leslie pointed out, with the Feast just seven weeks away, Brooke  has so much to do, she doesn't have time to sew any clothes for herself. 

A red hip length cloak with single faced silk ribbons. (Yes, real silk! LOL) Why single faced silk ribbon instead of double faced? Because it is historically accurate - silk is slippery, and double faced silk ribbon does not stay tied shut like single faced silk ribbon does. 18th century folks knew that and wanted their cloaks to stay tied shut so they used single faced ribbon. (Your history lesson of the day. Haha!)

A men's voyageur shirt. Again, I used hand blocked fabric and often there is evidence of that hand blocking. Look at the two blue bands. You can see a vertical line down each of them. That's a place where the printer did not align the wooden print blocks quite true. Look at the top red band carefully and you can see not one but two small misalignments.

Blocking errors were common during the 18th century so this fabric, misalignments and all, is very true to the time period.

A woman's apron made from osnaburg, a very heavy, unbleached type of muslin. The drawstrings are twill tape.

A second osnaburg apron. Aprons sell well, so I try to have four on hand at every event - two from osnaburg, and two from bleached white muslin. (I also sell pinner aprons but I haven't begun those yet and will share more about what they are when I finish them.)

Finally, just when I think I have nothing more to share about the wedding, I discover that that is not true.

Mountain Mama Jessica has put together two wedding videos - one that was so our family could all enjoy the day's memories, and then this one that's posted here. Her purpose for the second one? She made it for Craig and me to show us our family legacy.

I'd wondered why she'd kept filming us throughout the day, but I sure am glad she did. The ending made me tear up. Thanks, Jessica. I love it and I love you. xoxoy

(By their own admission, my kids "sure can have fun together." Yep, they sure can!)

The August give away will be announced soon. Stay 'tooned!