Starting to Wrap it Up

Three weeks until Kalamazoo. At times I feel stressed, at others I feel confident that I am in good shape. But that can swing back and forth even from hour to hour.

April, a long time customer who'd ordered two shirts, a stock, and cravat for KZoo asked how I was doing and I confessed that I was feeling a bit frazzled. He responded,

"Well, don't push yourself too much. This is supposed to be a fun hobby."

Mack and April, long time customers wearing my shirts at the Feast.

I took a step back and considered his words. He was right - I loved the sewing that I was doing, and if I didn't get that last bedgown or the panniers finished in time, it would be okay. Actually, I had enough things ready and could set up and open for business now. (Well, except for maple cakes. But those are ordered and will be delivered to me at the event.)

I've wrapped up the bedgown making. I experimented with some navy linen that was in my mother's fabric stash,

Even unfinished (no side pleats or hemming yet), I thought it was beautiful. And linen has such a nice feel to it and drapes well, too.

The finished bedgown. I wish I had more of this fabric; I'd make myself a bedgown from it!

I rarely take custom orders, but I will in certain cases. (My advice-giving friend April who asked for the two trade shirts, a stock, and a cravat, for example.)

Brandon and his wife Jessie own Eagle Talon Traders, a source for really great 18th century fabrics at really great costs. You can also buy in bulk from them, too.

You may remember the infamous spool of twill tape that I bought from Eagle Talon Traders. (I learned that, just because MOST vendors sell spools of tapes and ribbons on 25 yard spools, that doesn't mean EVERYBODY does, especially someone with access to warehouse sewing supplies!)

Brandon and Jessie are very dear friends, and Brandon's mom, Pat, is one, too.

She had asked me at the Feast if I would make a bedgown for her with some fabric from her stash, and that fabric happened to be the cranberry version of the bedgown I was wearing at the time! (Mine is the teal; there are two more versions of it.)

 I got started on Pat's bedgown Thursday,

and finished it yesterday. It turned out well; I actually like the cranberry version of the block print better than the teal. (The side pleats are pinned shut in this photo.)

And with that completed, I revised my "last call" sewing priorities for the event. I am going to make the three pockets that are already cut out and ready to go. They are easy peasy and will stitch up quickly.

(To the person who asked about pocket patterns, these are from Laughing Moon and the pocket pattern I like best.)

And then, I really think I need to make a cloak or two. I have the pattern, the thread, and the wool, plus cloaks stitch up surprisingly fast.

I did a lot of work yesterday making sleeve buttons to take to the show

and have new mini pouches for them cut out. Easy sewing on these and done in under thirty minutes for them all.

Sweet Pepper, my constant companion, is going to be glad when I wrap up this months long frenzy of sewing and she can stretch out on the bed in the sewing room again.

I'm almost done, girlie, I'm almost done. I promise.

Sharp eyes readers noticed something in the blog today. Stay 'tooned!

Waiting Woes

I am still waiting to receive my replacement Vintage Club Sentinel and Echo.

At this point I am feeling discouraged - the wait has been so long; will I be receiving a set that someone else returned? At this late in the release of the set, I think that is very possible.

Frustrated at the wait, I drew up a timeline yesterday to see if it really had been as long as it felt, or if I was just being impatient.

It's been as long as I thought.

January 29  Sentinel and Echo were released to Vintage Club members for ordering. I ordered within an hour of that announcement. 

February 6  My set arrived.

Echo was fine,

but Sentinel's front leg was snapped off.

February 6  That same day, I contacted Breyer, was asked to send photos of the break, and was then sent a return ticket.

February 7  I packed up Sentinel and Echo, went to the local shipping store, and sent them back to Breyer. 

February 12  Breyer notified me that the box had been received by them and sent me a shipping notice for my replacement set.

I was surprised but excited to see that Breyer would be shipping my replacement set by Next Day Air!

Except... they didn't.

The warehouse didn't ship it at all.

I began a days long wait, checking tracking several times a day, but the delivery status never changed. Breyer's warehouse had never shipped that box.

February 18  After waiting six days, I finally emailed Breyer, asking for them to check into why my box had not been shipped. I received no response. 

February 20  I again contacted Breyer but this time I heard back. It was the same woman who had helped me with the original return, and she expressed surprise that my box had not been sent out. Within ten minutes I had another email from her saying that a new shipment of Sentinel and Echo was now scheduled to be shipped on Monday, February 22.

February 22 Except, that it didn't.

February 23  It didn't ship the next day, either.

February 24  At last! I received a notice that my box was on the way with an estimated delivery of Friday, February 27.

Needless to say, I have been tracking that package carefully.

February 27  This morning's tracking looked promising, except for that tiny text that my package would be delivered by USPS. 

I clicked the tracking note for that delivery.

The box was in Lafayette at 5:36 AM and still had to be sent over to the West Lafayette post office.

Which means it is highly unlikely that I will get my models today. 

Am I frustrated? Yes. But there are bigger problems to have than this.

I will get my package soon and look forward to finding out which foal is in this box. The Scratching Foal like the one that was with the broken Sentinel,

or the Running Foal, which was actually my first choice, at least until I had the Scratching Foal in hand, and I really thought it was nice.

Either way, I will be happy.

My wait is almost over. I hope.

The Healing Power of Time

I've written before that I began my blog as my journal and that occasionally there are "just journal" things recorded, entries that are about things I never want to forget and that might not appeal to blog readers. This blog entry is one of those.

----

Time heals all wounds.

A cliché, but the thing about clichés is that they are often rooted in truth. 

I ran into a former student yesterday and I was blown away by the confident, mature, and happy young woman she had become.

This student had come into my classroom as a highly traumatized child. About a year prior, her mother had been murdered by her boyfriend in a domestic violence incident, and C had been present during that awful moment.

She and her three half siblings were placed into the custody of the father of one of the half-siblings, and soon all of the four children, including C, were legally adopted by that father and his wife into a blended family of seven kids. 

Her adoptive mom brought her into my classroom a few days before school started so she could meet me, and C expressed concerns that she "did not belong" in my classroom, that she wasn't "smart enough." (I taught the gifted kids.)

Having had one of her new sisters in my class before and knowing her adoptive mom well, I trusted her mom when she privately shared with me that, in her opinion, C did belong in my class. And, test scores had placed her with me, so we had the data that said she should be able to handle the academic load.

So, we asked C to give it a try and told her that, if she found my class too difficult, then she could move to a different classroom.

After some thought, C agreed to try, and by the third day of school, she was no longer feeling like she needed a different class placement.

She was a quiet and dedicated student, and she did well in her studies. Still, evidence of the trauma she had been through were evident. I will never, ever forget how she sat at her desk throughout the day, every single day, that she was in my class.

C would draw her knees up to her chest and hug them close to her body, protecting herself. If she needed to write, she'd turn sideways on her chair, still all wrapped and curled up, to free a hand and complete her work like that. 

I never asked her to change her posture like I might have another student; I knew this was rooted in her trauma and that sitting curled up made her feel safer.

I ran into C a year ago at my optometrist's office. I hadn't seen her since she was my student, and she was a little shy, but she warmed up quickly and seemed glad to see me again. We even had a good laugh when we realized that I had picked out the same pair of eyewear that she had!

Yesterday I saw C again. She stood up and came around the desk, greeting me and giving me a big hug, then asked how I was and what I'd been doing. She even asked about Craig and then told me about her schooling, her boyfriend, the house she'd just bought, and more.

This was a very confident and strong young woman, one who sat up straight in her chair as she worked, could lead a conversation and put the customer at ease, and one who was happy and accomplishing the goals she had set for herself in life.

As I finished, she again came around the desk to give me a hug. She wished me well and said she loved me. I hugged that gal right back and said the same, adding that I was very proud of her and the wonderful woman she had become.  

Has time healed all of C's wounds? Probably not, at least not completely. But clearly C is moving forward with her life and the girl who curled up into herself with her arms wrapped protectively around her legs has blossomed and is finding joy and happiness in her life.

I'd worried about C and the trauma load she carried when she was in my classroom and then wondered about her and how she was doing after she moved on in school. To see the confidence and happiness she exuded yesterday made my heart sing.

Dogs of Our Lives: Nash's Herald of Spring

Hooh boy. I am so tired of winter.

Even when there is a break in the weather and Lisa opens the door so I can see out continue my vigilant protection of the homestead, 

that snow soon returns.

We just can't catch a break.

My toys are boring and I don't have enough of them to play with anyway.

Molly just wants to sleep and won't play with me.

Going to Grammy and Boompa's house for the day is a bright spot.

But in the end, all Pepper and Tammo really want to do

is snooze all day. Well, Tammo will play for a FEW minutes, but I need more exercise than that!

Because of the cold and snowy winter, no one is out walking their dogs.

Still, I remain on active duty. Constant vigilance!!

Sigh. 

Bored, bored, bored, bored, BORED.

WAIT!! What is that?? Could it be?? Why, yes, I think it just might!

https://youtu.be/DDmDxJYYWXk

Alert! Alert! Alert! Alert! Everybody meet me in the living room! STAT!

::Yawn:: ::Grumble and mutter:: ::Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle::

This had better be good, Nash. We were all very comfy and sound asleep.

Oh, it is, Pepper, it is! In fact, it's super exciting! I rolled when I went out to survey the backyard for safety, and look what's on my back!

::long silence::

Um, Nash, just what is that?

The first blade of grass of Spring! Spring's coming! It's gonna be getting warm and we will be able to get outside more and play in the sun!

:: General doggy cheering, great warooos, arfs, and barks::

Dogs, dogs! What is going on here!!

Lynn, look at my back! Do you see it?

What, the green thread that's from my last sewing project?

::long silence::

Aw, I'm just kidding you. Looks like a blade of grass to me, Nash. How about we all celebrate that sign of Spring with...

Ooo! Let's go get pup cups!

No, I wanna go play frisbee!

Can we please take a walk?

::Loud, shrill, whistle::

Listen up, pups! How about some of the special treats I keep in the pantry for big occasions?

::general doggy cheering and pandemonium::

::munch, munch, munch, munch::

That was yummy! If I bring in another blade of grass tomorrow, can we have those pup cups?

Seriously?? Frisbee is good exercise; we should celebrate that way.

Well, so is walking. We should do that.

::Sound fades and the dogs disperse to their comfy beds while arguing the choices::

ZZZZZzzzzzzz.....

Notes about this story:

Yes, Nash loves the outdoors and would much prefer to be outside than inside.

He really did roll in the dead grass in our backyard and when he came in, I noticed the green blade of grass and took a photo of it because, Spring!

Nash is well known for howling along with ambulances and other emergency vehicles. I was working in my office and he was looking out the window when he heard this one and started in. I grabbed my camera but only got the tail end of his howling.

The pics of the pup cup and the frisbee are from Google. I could not find any of my own. However, that is Tammo on the leash and going for a walk.

Sewing Zoomies

Sewing an 18th century bedgown goes much faster than sewing an 18th century trade shirt. The difference? There are cuffs and collars on the shirts. A bedgown has neither,  and that makes a tremendous difference in how fast I can sew one. And, I can do that without sacrificing the quality of sewing for speed.

This was my output in just three days of working on bedgowns. Sewing zoomies! LOL

Granted, this one was not yet finished. I needed to put in the two inverted pleats on the sides (easy peasy) and add the hem. (Also easy.)

Here it is in its finished form.

It is not made from a block print fabric, but the pattern on the fabric is very period correct for the 18th century and is 100% cotton. I think it will sell quickly.

This is a block print bedgown. Sharp eyes will remember this fabric in the red version that was made into a trade shirt.

It had occurred to me as I was working on the red trade shirt that the blue version of the fabric, which I already had in stock, might look nice as a bedgown. So, I saved that fabric back and tried it - I am pleased with how the bedgown looks.

My sewing progress is also going faster on these bedgowns because I have the pattern memorized and don't need to consult the instructions for every step of making one. I know how to make one and even how to dovetail steps so that time is saved. 

This has to be one of the most beautifully block printed fabrics I've ever worked with. I anticipate it, too, will sell quickly.

I have two clothing racks in my office full of completed garments.

The one for trade shirts is full

and the one for women's clothing is, too. (I had to remove four hangers of pockets to make room for the bedgowns.)

I'm out of room and yet still I have things to make. The cloaks will take up a good amount of space, and the panniers are bigger than the Francis rump on the left in the photo. I cut out three more pockets and another bedgown yesterday and have plans to cut out two more of those.

I may get my portable rack out of the garage and bring it upstairs so I can hang the things I am still working on onto it.

I probably could squeeze it all onto the other two racks, but I spend so much time ironing the clothes when I make them, I'd rather not crush and wrinkle them when another option is available.

Been wondering what the dogs have been up to? Another episode of Dogs of Our Lives coming soon!

Stay 'tooned!

A Fresh Start

As the Kalamazoo Living History Show approaches, I have started updating my inventory lists and begun checking supplies - gotta have enough small bags for maple cake sales! (And some big ones, too - I think my record sale is 30 maple cakes to one person.) 

I need bags for the blackened beeswax ornaments and sleeve buttons, food handler's gloves for when I am handling maple cakes, and the list goes on.

I also decided that it was time to update my business tools. I headed to VistaPrint, the place where I get personalized stationery, business cards, and even my family photo Christmas cards.

It was a difficult as well as poignant choice to redo my business tools. The reason? My business is named after Abby and she has always been the figurehead of the company.

As a result, she is all over my business tools.

When Abby was living, it was fun to have people comment on my business cards and ask about her. I loved sharing about my girl and I met a lot of other horse lovers and owners as a result.

But after she died, it became painful. I didn't want to answer questions about her because she was gone and it hurt a lot to share about her. And those I did tell about her death were shocked and expressed disbelief and horror at such a freak accident.

It was all meant kindly, but it dredged up a lot of sadness for me. And I just don't want to do that any more at events.

Because I needed an outdoor sign to identify Jolis Chevaux to customers, I designed an 18th century style wooden sign that I first used at the Feast in 2024.

It made sense to put that on my updated business tools.

My notepads,

my business cards,

and the price tags/fabric information 

on the hangers of clothing that I make.

I suspect that one or two of my long time customers will notice and ask about the switch, but overall I anticipate a smooth transition.

While I feel sad and nostalgic that Abby is no longer on my business tools, it makes sense to have them coordinate with the sign that identifies my business at events.

Abby will always remain the "heart" of the business, its namesake, and that will not change despite the fact that she is gone. A reminder of my sweet girl remains in the very name of the business and that is enough to lift my heart.

It will be okay.