Works In Progress - Sewing, Baking and Me

Sometimes I think that I really should attend a course on '' think every word you say trough at least ten times before you speak'' or something, since I really, and I mean really, sometimes practically spend my days with my foot stuck in my mouth. Honestly. If you only knew the level of un-sophisticated blubber I am capable of. And by this I mean silly, I-am-seriously-going-to-make-such-a-fool-of-myself, blubber. Ok, I am only human. Its not like everything I say has the power to change the course of history. But really, do I have to be quite so silly sometimes? Sigh. Its like sometimes my brain decides to hang a ''Gone For The Day  - Be Back Later'' sign and play a little hooky with me, leaving me and my heart to our own devices. Oooooh. So not a brilliant idea, I tell you ladies. And cross my heart and hope to die, most of the time I am a fully if albeit sometimes a bit quirkily functioning adult, wholly in possession of my senses and yes, I wager to say, perfectly sane with not a neurotic streak in sight, I promise you. So why, lord have mercy, do I manage to still get myself in these situations??

Oooh yes.

Funny as in want to

stick your head in the sand and hope

no-one noticed...

Yeah, the people who know me well also know that this is a part and parcel of my personality. It does not mean that I am stupid. Nor does it mean that I am like so many of my dear Victorian ladies, prone to hysteria and walking around constantly with a bottle of smelling salts in my hand. But I guess I'm just not a calculated sort of person.  And I'm not sure if I will ever become one, nor if I ever should become one. Maybe I'll just keep getting sillier and sillier until I'm about eighty and no longer care about being anything but a crazy old lady in droopy brown kneesocks and a cane that I shall keep waving at the youth that I will inevitably think are all going rotten. And I shall wear weird flowers in my hat and goodness, probably the same clothes I am wearing now, or at least something similar, since like someone so kindly pointed out to me just the other day...I already dress like a granny. Now, let me defend myself for a mo here, I am quite sure I know of no old lady who would wear some of the stuff I do, but I get the point. Just recently, I saw this discussion going on in a web forum, about how people react to you when you wear any obviously vintagey or such clothing, and one of the comments received was '' Even my Granny dresses more modern than you do.'' Cute. And to the point.

But on to works in progress...other than me, that is...some of which has been in progress for longer than I like to admit, but that are finally now starting to come together.  

An old lace collar attached to a basic dark blue tee.

And that there on top is my 
needlecushion from 1949.
It actually has the date embroidered on back.

Dress being made with a 1940's Advance pattern. I put

a white hankie underneath the collar so

you can see the cut.

A white broderie anglaise top that I had no

pattern for but just sort of

drafted. And therefore ended up

with a scoop neck with just a tad too much of scoop...

Hence the need for the V-shaped part on front. 

The waist section is still missing,

going to make the back waist section partly elasticated

to do away with the need for a zipper.

A skirt. From a fabric my other Sister says is

slightly lunatic.

And I love it.

Pencil shape, with a pleated section

in the back giving some walking room.

And then acquisitions...

A vintage navy blue polka-dot skirt. 

Already worn this one, and love it.
To bits. 

A dress told to me to be from the 1940's.

Wouldn't bet on it but paid peanuts

for it and absolutely love the fabric.

The top is so worn through that

it barely holds together,

so most likely this one 

is going to end up being

a summer skirt.

An apron. A frilly one at that.
Ok, this is an old one, made a long time ago.
Just haven't gotten around to posting it.
It's actually made from an old
curtain, also so thin at places
that it rips all too easily,
but its an apron 
so it's kind of meant to get all
dirty and stuff.


And....tadaaah...Red Shoes!

Absolutely love these ones.

Took them out dancing one evening 

and had no problems 

walking the next morning.

Perfect.

And since I have been making an absolute fool
of myself once again and therefore
have also managed to do some stupid pacing around the floor 
and if I were the nail biting type
I probably would've bitten my nails to the quick....
... some baking was in order 
to calm meself down.


I give you...


Buttermilk Cornmeal Biscuits

They're lovely. 
Highly recommended, were you
being silly or completely sophisticated...
Get the recipe at Baking Bites.

All righty.

So here I am. Sitting on a sofa. Saturday evening. Old Peter Pan on the telly, Daughter's favourite. She is sitting on a turtle pillow on the floor completely immersed in the world of Tinkerbell et al. Her hair is in wet tangles down to her bottom, just washed with ballerina shampoo. The sun is still shining outside, and I really, really hope I haven't managed to make an all-out mess of things this time. I might make fun of myself and my silly antics, but somewhere in me I guess there is still the little voice that says thou shalt not. Thou shalt not be different. Thou shalt not be even a little bit strange and certainly thou shalt not be anything other than what people expect you to be. I try not to listen to that little voice, and I can only hope the people who really matter can see me as I am and not as anything that others suppose and expect me to be. If that includes sometimes silly, so be it. I shouldn't think that it can be all that bad now can it? 


I do so hope not.