Lydia's Circus Dress

I TOTALLY lucked out on Lydia's circus dress!  I went into a thrift store hunting a bathrobe to turn into a smoking jacket for PJ's costume and saw this AMAZING lacy cut velvet navy and gold number.  It was either a ladies long skirt or ver short empire waist dress, so the top was too big but the skirt length was just right.

I love the lace detail and the ruffle trim, but I have to admit that at $5 I debated for a few minutes if I shouldn't just use something that she already owned.  What can I say, $5 is steep for a thrift store and I am broke!  Thank goodness sanity prevailed because this dress is PERFECT!

I immediately knew that she could wear her red sweater with it and look like the ringmaster "mini me"!  I wasn't really thinking much beyond shortening the bodice and adding the sweater and then I saw THIS image on Pinterest.

SWOON!  OK, rethinking the detailing and definitely planning on adding a split in the center..... and then I saw THIS on Pinterest.

Ohhh, ruffles inside of the skirt front split!  I was pretty sure that I had a plan figured out, so I started cutting up the dress.  That always makes me nervous!

I separated the bodice from the skirt.  Then I used Lydia's Easter dress as a pattern and cut the top way down to size.  I sewed the sides and the neck back together and reattached the sleeve ruffles.

In the top corner you can see the drawing I made to help me decide on my plan.  I don't usually do that, but I had so many ideas, I wanted to be certain of my direction.  This also shows where the striped fabric came from.  At 89 cents, I originally bought this for Lydia to wear with a black tutu to the wedding.  I am SO glad to have this dress instead.  So we didn't need the shirt and Lydia won't wear much red with her wardrobe.  Instead, I cut the shirt into strips and it became the red and white ruffle.  Although none of the pictures of my outfit show it yet, I will also have a red and white striped ruffle on my skirt.

Before I sew anything, I usually lay it all out on a table to make sure it all works how I want it to before I spend serious time bent over the sewing machine.  At this point, I knew I wanted to do something with the waist band, but couldn't decide what.  I also still wanted to use some fabric flowers, but didn't know where.

A few hours later and the dress is finished.  I used the left over fabric from my waist sash to make teal fabric flowers on Lydia's waist band.  That was the one color element that I needed to use to coordinate her dress with mine. 

I was even able to use some of my vintage buttons in the center.  The waist band for her dress is elastic, so these flowers allow it to still stretch if needed.

The bottom of the skirt is FULL of ruffles!  I used the gold trim that  was originally at the edge of the skirt (and would have been hidden under the red and white ruffle) to trim out the three rows of ruffles peaking out under the outer skirt.

Even with cutting down the bodice, the front of the shirt was just to low.  Fortunately I had some extra blue and gold trim that was cut off the dress and some extra red and white ruffle to add to the top.

So there you have it.  From this.....

to THIS in one long rainy weekend!

The Circus Sash

I am working on adding some fun details to my ringleader costume for the circus wedding.  I decided it needed some visual interest at the waist line where the jacket splits into the tails.

I still wanted to do something reminiscent of this cuff, with it's fun colors and ribbon flowers.

 I also had some lace left over from the antique rectangle that I cut to make the sleeve ruffle.

I found a scrap of Anna Maria Horner fabric in my stash and decided to dig in.

First, the lace.  I decided to use the appliqued swirl design part of the lace and to cut the rest away.

Once it was free from the background, I played with the positioning of the swirl until I liked how it worked with the diamond pattern on the fabric.  ( I had to piece the fabric together to have a piece that showed the diamonds, because I was dealing with the very last scrap of a fabric I really liked.  You can see the seam in the center.)

I decided the applique looked too solid, but the lace netting was still underneath it, so I cut away the applique, revealing the original lace.  Sort of backwards considering that I started out by cutting the netting away from the applique, but I liked the result.

Speaking of results, I think I am calling this finished.  I have to attach it to a backing, but the design seems to be there.  I added a few beads to the outer diamonds and a striped fabric flower and large brass button to the center.  Lydia will have a similar fabric rose pattern on the waist of her "mini ringleader" dress.  Pictures soon!

The Circus Wedding

We have been invited to a circus wedding in October!!! I am getting SO excited.  Everyone is being encouraged to dress up in circus garb an you know how I LOVE a theme!  I am going to be the ringleader.  I am not just talking about what I am wearing here.  I am going to be the official, master of ceremonies, side show barker, ringleader FOR THE WEDDING.  As in, I will tell guests to "step right up folks" and remind them that they are about to witness "a spectacular event, the greatest show on earth, the wedding of two young people!"  I am still working with the bride on what the various "acts" will be, but I will have a little sideshow vaudeville style banter each time something new happens in the ceremony.  I intend to be fabulous and I need an outfit to match!

Thanks to Google images and my new Pinterest addiction, I have lots of fun ring leader references to look over.  They all have the red jacket, top hat, and boots. They usually feature some combination of red, black, white and gold. Some have accessories like a vest, a tie, gloves, whips, and whistles.

I already have the jacket and top hat from a few Halloween's ago.  I could have just used what we had and looked alright, but I really wanted something unique and I just couldn't get excited about the same old traditional ideas.  Besides, this is not a traditional circus theme.  The specific slant is a 1930's dust bowl era carnival.  Much more interesting than Ringling Brothers!  So, I wanted to be feminine and fabulous and vintage and not so clean and perfect looking.

 I also wanted a POP of color beyond the expected.  Enter my new Pinterest addiction!  A search for vintage circus brought up this cuff and I was immediately smitten with the teal and brown added to all the red, black and gold.  I am still trying to find a way to work in some ribbon roses like those, maybe on my hat.  We'll see, but the important thing was I had found my color pallete and it was time to hit the thrift stores!

At Goodwill, I found a simple teal tank top, but it fit great and reminded me of a plaid skirt that I bought at AmVets month ago and had never worn.  I remembered it was a long skirt and had touches of teal and gold, so I thought I could make it all work together somehow.  I also found a gold patterned shirt that seemed circus-ish in an exotic gypsy kind of way.  I'm still not sure how that is getting used, but I have it for when I need it.

After deciding on teal and brown with the red and gold, and AFTER settling on a plaid skirt, I found this inspiration image on Pinterest.  She is a little more rugged than I will end up, but I am shooting for her, 15 years after she has been running the show.  Similar coloring, similar dressed down formality, but a little more lace and a little more coverage.

Speaking of lace, I remembered a piece that I got a long long time ago from a relative.  I haven't used it for ANYTHING in over 15 years, and it seems SO right for this project.  Still, I hated to cut into it and kind of obsessed to make sure that if I did cut it, I would not waist any part!  Here is the lace on the cuffs of the red jacket.

Here is the lace going on a fancy cumberbundt style sash that should be visable underneath the red jacket.

  I decided it would be better to cut the swirl out of the lace and am working on stitching one to the top of the sash and one to the bottom.  I may pull in some pieces of red and white striped fabric in the hem of the skirt and I think I need a tiny top hat with feathers or something.  I also need Lydia and PJ to coordinate with me and I think I have finally figured out our family circus "look."  More on their outfits soon.  Happy long weekend!

Supplies!

I got a surprise in our supply order!  I had asked for buttons and thought I would just get a few generic packets.  Instead I got three HUGE bags of really unique fun buttons!

This makes me SO happy.  Fun colors and textures and ideas for projects for my kids to make.  The best part is that we just started our color assignments and I have a few students who are on an alternate curriculum and won't be able to complete the regular color assignments.  Normally I wouldn't have anything for them to do, but now I have BUTTONS to sort!!!  When I went to Iowa a few weeks ago, I had a bunch of buttons and the kids at my cousin's daycare LOVED moving them around.  Make piles by color, make piles by size.  Kids seem to love buttons as much as I do and that all makes me happy.

More from the Thrift Store

I have been feeling a little under the weather lately.  Blame it on germs from the100+ students I come in contact with each day and then multiplied by the whole new set of pre-school germs Lydia is exposing us to.  Everyone I know seems to have a runny nose and a sore throat and is generally feeling a little extra tired right now.  So yesterday, I found a few extra minutes for some retail therapy, thrift store style!

I found this beautiful, basically new wool herringbone laptop bag at Goodwill.  The zipper pull is missing, so for now it doesn't close, but I don't think I ever bothered to zip my old bag either so not a big deal.  It is less bulky than most laptop bags, but it is longer so it should accommodate my new longer laptop at home if needed.  (Have you noticed that laptops used to be squarish and now they are more like HDTV shape?)  Anyway.  I LOVE my new bag and now realize how dirty and small my old one was.  I wasn't looking for a new bag, but I am SO glad I found it...especially since I think I paid about $3 for it!

OK, I admit, this looks atrocious...but it has potential!  PJ took one look at this confection and threatened that I dare not ever put Lydia in it!  First of all, it isn't her size.  This is one of those slutty adult costumes that is really short, so my favorite thrift store in the world put it in the kid's section and all their kids items are 89 CENTS!!  So, less than a dollar, I got all the trimmings to add to Lydia's Cinderella dress fro Halloween... AND they are already gathered and mostly sewn for me!

Here is the "before" version of the Cinderella dress. I made this a few years ago for a friend's daughter and they were nice enough to pass it back to me so that Lydia could wear it someday.  I sewed the entire thing, start to finish, from a PATTERN!!! Unheard of for me, but it was for a friend.  It is even the official Disney Cinderella patten and everything.  It turned out OK, but not AMAZING.

This is a work in progress, but i think you can see what I am going for here.  This is the same dress that I sewed, but I cut the skirt off of the thrifted dress and added it at the waist of the one I sewed.  Then I cut the front triangle shaped detail off of the thrifted dress and added it to the front of the dress I sewed. I can't wait to tack everything down and then start on dresses to transform myself and Jennifer into Ugly Step Sisters to accompany Lydia!  Hopefully, PJ will be in town for Halloween so he can dress up as the Fairy Godmother!

My Surprising Reaction to Pat Summit’s News

As it states SEVERAL times in the following article, I don't follow sports.  I am however a citizen of the world and in awe of seeing someone who obviously loves what they do and who does it so well.  It's inspiring to all those around and sad when, for whatever reason it goes away.  I found myself surprisingly upset when I heard the news of Pat Summit's recent diagnosis with early stages of dementia.  I felt like someone at my new Galtime Knoxville gig needed to write an article about her, the diagnosis, Knoxville's reaction, but I also thought (hoped, begged) that it wouldn't have to be me.  No such luck.  My idea, my story!  I was so touched by the things that I found in my quick bit of researching that it not only helped to explain what i was feeling, but became an article I am rather proud of.  Below is the exact same content that is currently running on Galtime.  Enjoy and WEAR ORANGE on Friday the 26th!

When I heard the news about Pat Summit, I was moved to the verge of tears.  It was a surprising reaction considering that I do not know much about Pat Summit, women’s basketball, or any sport for that matter.  Living in Knoxville, everyone around me seems consumed with the major University of Tennessee sports of football and men’s and women’s basketball.  I, on the other hand, only realize that it’s game day, because I find my car stuck in a sea of orange pom-poms and “Power T’s” decorating the cars on I-40.  I am aware that UT has had some issues with the Men’s football and basketball coaches lately but I can’t say for certain whom the current coach of either team is.  I couldn’t tell you how Knoxville (or any city for that matter) did last year in the playoffs for any sport and I don’t have a clue how we are expected to do this year. 

So last Tuesday, while the East Coast was rocked by news of an earthquake, East Tennessee was rocked by the news of Pat Summit’s early stage dementia diagnosis.  Facebook exploded as my Knoxville friends expressed their outrage and sadness.  When I read the news on my phone, without thinking I lowered the phone and then lowered my head.  Even as I write this, I am inexplicably holding back tears. 

So why the extreme reaction for a woman I don’t know, who coaches a sport I don’t follow?

Pat Summit’s influence doesn’t just reach sports fans.  It started there but she has come to represent, not just women’s basketball, but the concept of women in all sports, and even women in the world .  Starting her coaching career in the 1970’s she symbolizes the dramatic changes that have taken place in women’s athletics (and women’s careers) in the last three decades.  Pat Summit began coaching before Title IX, the law providing equal support to women’s athletics.  In those days, she was not paid much.  No one in women’s sports was given much consideration, financial or otherwise.  Summit reportedly washed the team’s uniforms, drove the team van, and slept with her players in gym floors during away games.  She was barely older than her players. She was also a student, earning a Master’s degree in Physical Education.  After being a working student in the 70’s, by the 1980’s, like many woman of her generation, she became a working mother. 

In her position as coach, teacher, mother, and mentor, the determination and resolve that Pat Summit expects of her players was evident, even non-sports people like me.  As a result, our city has been deeply moved by her determination and her achievements.  As a mother and a teacher myself, I am also deeply moved by the determination and the achievements that Pat Summit expects of her students, both on the court and in life.  For these reasons, Pat Summit isn’t simply the coach of the UT Lady Vols.  Pat Summit is and will always be “Knoxville’s Coach”.  I can only hope that in return, the city of Knoxville will show Pat Summit the same dedication and desire to help her succeed now that the opponent is a mental disorder and not another SEC team. 

According to the notices I have seen on Facebook, the time to rally around our coach has already begun.  Friday August 26^th will be “wear orange to support Pat Summit” day in Knoxville.  I don’t dress in orange for game day (I don’t even know when game day is, remember) but you better believe I will be decked out in UT colors tomorrow.  I may even have to track down some pom-poms and “Power T’s” for my car to help encourage “our coach” to fight the good fight.

This is what I wore on Friday August 26th for "Wear Orange to Support Pat Summit Day"!  I made a few extra and let my co-workers have a ribbon too.  Below is Lydia, wearing her orange to preschool.

Preschool Projects Part II

So here was the other craft inspiring moment of panic from the first week of preschool.  I had, by the first day of school, been given no fewer than five copies of the supply list. I dutifully purchased each item and sent it to school on the first day in a big reusable grocery bag. Ieven thought to ask if I should leave the bag to bring home her sheets to be washed at the end of the week.  My simple question was met with a look that told me I had missed some vital piece of information.

Apparently, it was common knowledge, to everyone but m,e that preschool students need backpacks to haul their sheets and papers and what have you each day.  Considering that at Lydia's school, ALL the kids in her class are new to the school, it would have been nice if they had included the words BACK and PACK on the multiple copies of the supply list!  So rather than spend the summer searching for the PERFECT backpack, I was left stopping on my way home at every school supply store I could think of.  I discovered that  the measurements and prices for a standard backpack are both HUGE!  As in $76 for something that came down to Lydia's ankles... AND they were ugly!  Luckily on my 4th stop, I found that Office Depot sells a really cheap backpacks.  In fact,it is so cheap they were even giving it away FREE with other purchases for a short period of time. I missed that deal, but was happy to pay only $5 for the plain pink thing pictured above.  It is big enough to hold standard folders, one of the requirements having to do with preschool homework assignments.  However, being no frills, it doesn't have any extra space meeting the second requirement, that Lydia be able to carry by herself.

So the size was OK, and the price was right, but the styling was not.  I am not a fan of pink and especially dislike the light baby pink color on this particular pack.  When the free lunch is removed from the front of the pack it is just a whole lot of Pepto pink.  Plus, Lydia needs to be able to identify her bag before she can even worry about carrying it.  She will begin her day in before school care in the main building, then take her backpack to the ECE  house across the playground, and then bring her back pack back to the main building for after-school care.  I needed Lydia (and the staff) to easily recognize which pack was hers. It was time to customize!  I settled on the fabric pictured above because it had hints of the pink, but lots of teal and purple to play down the Pepto.

Next I cut out a rectangle of fabric that would fit nicely on the front of the pack and then cut that into 5 sections, one for each letter of Lydia's name.  That way I could cut out her name without too much measuring and still know that they would be the correct size.  I used a zig zag stitch to sew the letters of her name directly onto the top of the backpack.

I suppose I could have stopped there, but I had some pretty teal and brown ribbon, so why not cover up a little more of that pink?  There is a dark pink stripe almost in the middle of the pack.  I placed her name above this line, but decided to add the ribbon to the middle of the line to break things up some more.

As long as I had the ribbon our, the zippers had some white cording on them for zipper pulls.  Why not replace them with the same teal and brown ribbon?  In the end, I was left this big empty pink space below the dark pink line, in the area that is covered by the lunch box, should I ever attach it to the backpack.  I decided a front pocket would be helpful, so I used a large square of the coordinating fabric to add one.  This was the easiest step, but has already been REALLY helpful for leaving notes that I want her teacher to see.

Here is the finished, customized backpack.  I am SO proud of the results and so glad that I found such a good, basic, small, cheap backpack in my hour of need.  Mr. Horsie, who rides to and from school everyday in the new bag, seems to agree with the results, too.