Autumn Melodies Ball

So, the ball I wrote about in my Sewing Projects post came and past . . . about two months ago, but better late than never! These balls are some of the highlights of my year. Not only do I get to dance for hours, but I also sew the gowns for my sister and myself! This was my first year sewing two dresses at one time, which was a little scary! I started on Amelia's dress first because I had something to wear if I couldn't make mine, but she didn't have anything. And let me just tell you, were there some bumps along the way! It wasn't too terrible but the fit is always an issue. I ended up making three or four mock-ups and the pattern piece where I put all of the alterations ended up looking very different from the original. The finished garment looked pretty good, but she couldn't move her arms very much which wasn't the best. My sister hates wearing dresses, she'd rather wear shorts and a ball cap, so I don't have many pictures of her wearing it because I didn't want her to have to get all dressed up again, but here are a few from the ball.

The material for Amelia's dress was (of course) a bedsheet. It was a gorgeous pale yellow with a faint shine. It reminds me of the color of freshly churned butter, which is an oddly specific color, but that is what it looks like to me! It was a bit annoying to work with as it wrinkled very easily and was kind of delicate. It also didn't help that my iron kept spitting things out and marking the fabric, and I must admit I almost cried because it ruined at least one of the front bodice pieces, and since I used a sheet I had a limited amount of fabric, but I had enough to cut another piece out and it all worked out! And also there is the beautiful lace skirt overlay (which is actually a curtain :) that I think makes it really beautiful, even though, as you can see in the top picture on the left, I somehow got messed up and it doesn't reach the bottom of the skirt even though I pinned it sooooo carefully ): But oh well, it still looks pretty to me!

Though Amelia does not like to dress up, I, in all my girly girl glory, do. So I put my dress back on and took some pictures.

My dress is not actually white, though the pictures make it look like it is. The fabric has tiny white and purple stripes on it which are not very visible in real life! The close-up below shows the stripes, but they are very, very tiny.

The sleeves of my dress were the one thing I knew I could change relatively easily and give the dress a different look than my last one. Before I ever start sewing I look on Pinterest to get ideas and get a plan for the end result. Well, I found this sleeve and thought it was really pretty and did not look too hard. But . . . it turned out because I only had the sleeve pattern that came with the 

 original dress pattern, it was too hard. I couldn't figure out a way to alter the pattern to make it work. But I am actually happy that it did not work because I like the one I ended up with, and let's be honest, my arms are quite ugly, so the more they can be covered the better! I found this gorgeous dress on Pinterest and just LOVED the sleeves. Mine definitely do not match the magnificent poofyness of hers, but they are good enough for me!

It was still a bit hard to figure out a pattern for it but I had the base puffed sleeve, and as with most of my sewing problems, I made a bunch of mini mock-ups to see how they would work. I don't like using a lot of fabric and didn't want to take the time to make a bunch of full-scale sleeves, so mini things always come in handy. I made five different sleeves, all hand sewn, but finally came up with the one I thought would work the best. I basically just took the puffed sleeve pattern and widened and elongated it. The hard part was figuring out how much, but I think I did a pretty good job! (:

I had a wonderful time at the ball, and actually felt pretty good in my dress! Let's just say I'm not the skinniest, prettiest person so it's always nice when I actually feel good in what I'm wearing (: Well, this seems like such a long post and I am getting tired, so I'll sign off now.

- Mattie G.

Sewing Projects

It's been a while since I've posted, but you know, life gets in the way. This year my sister and I are each taking three online classes, which is a big change in our lives. I've been homeschooled my whole life so it is kinda like going to school, but so much better. (: These classes have been taking up most of my time, but I actually had a little today and I've had these pictures for a while so I thought I'd post.

I have been sewing for about four or five years. I would go over to my grandma's house and we would sew aprons and things, which I mostly didn't finish, but that got me introduced to sewing. I started a quilt when I was like twelve and have been sewing it ever since. All I have left is the binding, but I just didn't feel motivated or want to finish it. But then my sister and I started going to English Country Dancing. We have balls twice a year, each with a theme of Civil War, Victorian or Regency. We looked for appropriate dresses to wear, but there didn't seem to be any Civil War dresses in the price range. So I made an outfit for both of us, my first time sewing clothes, and I loved it! 

Clothes are just so much more fun to sew than quilts (for me, of course!). I guess because clothes don't take as long to sew and you actually get to wear your finished project. These outfits will never win a prize, but I was quite proud of them. Now I look at them and think they are terrible, but, I was only thirteen when I made them.

I surely haven't made a ton, but here is most of it.

        

My skirts are not amazing, they're OK. I've never used a pattern so that might be the reason. :D

   

I'm posing a little weird in the blue dress (though all my poses are weird) because I took the zipper out for another project and am holding the back closed, but I wanted to show it because it was the first thing I sewed with my very own sewing machine! I got it for Christmas, which was a HUGE surprise! I actually barely remember making it, but I do remember trying to get the hem done for a New Year's Eve party! I only turned the hem under once instead of twice because I was in such a hurry!

This was my second ball dress, a Regency one this time. It turned out pretty well, though I was wanting a lighter blue but the store didn't have enough.  

Both of these are made out of sheets from the thrift store. I like mine, though most Victorian dresses were more fitted. I am attempting to make a corset at the moment (not going so well) and will hopefully make a more fitted dress to go with it. Amelia's dress is not bad, but I wish I had raised the waistline. I think I'll try before the next Victorian ball, but who knows if that will work?

I've made a few more things since I took these pictures. Just a dress out of a sheet, and a circle skirt from a round tablecloth. Oh, and another circle skirt, but I dismantled it and have never put it back together!

Well, I like to sew, if you hadn't noticed! The Autumn Ball is almost upon us, so I am making a Regency dress for my sister and me. Mine will be tiny purple and white stripes, and Amelia's will be pale, pale yellow with cream lace on it. I am excited to start, but I will be busy for the next month! I also just finished knitting my first pair of gloves, so there might be a post about that soon.

Maybe I'll actually post a little more now? We'll see.

Mattie G.

Books!

It has been a very long time since I've written a blog post. I'm not very good at it, am I? (: It's been about four months. It seems like I've done a lot in the past months, but it also seems like I haven't done anything. My mom turned fifty, I went to California with my family, my sisters 13th birthday is in a couple days. I guess it's just life, but it seems so strange that for most people that's all their life is.

But this post was supposed to be about books! I love books if you didn't know! I also love thrift stores, which are practically the only places I buy books. If you can buy a hardback for $1.50 and a paperback for $1.00, why not? I especially love buying books at one of our thrift store chains, because they have half price books on Sunday!!

My mom, sister and I went to a couple thrift stores on two different days, and I ended up getting fifteen books for $16.17! You do have to search and you never know what book you will get, or if you will get any, but that's half the fun!

I have a rule to only buy books that I have read and want to read again, but I usually skip that rule if I know what the book is, and if I'll read it of course! I must confess I've only read seven of these books, but I want to read them all! I've practically read 8 because I read half of The Two Towers and I bought two copies of it, so I've read half the books I bought.

    

        I've also only read half of Jane Eyre, it had to go back to the library, but I want to finish it and it was such a nice copy for $2.00 that I had to get it!

I don't absolutely love 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, I like it, but there is quite a bit of scientific lingo, and I can barely say any of it let alone understand it! But it was just too beautiful (and 75 cents!) that I just couldn't pass it up!

I thought this was just Alice's Adventures In Wonderland but it is also Alice Through The Looking-Glass which I already own, but it has full-page pictures (color!) which are irresistible to me for some reason!

I had just bought The Two Towers to complete my collection (except for the hobbit) so I was unsure If I should get it, but the whole set for $1.50, plus they're old, and I love old books!

The first one is starting to fall apart. The first ten pages have come out, and someone tried to tape it together quite a while ago, from the yellow almost nonexistent tape. I'm not sure how much I'll be reading this copy, but I love it anyway!

They are the 1974 edition, twenty years after the original, so not too, too old, but old enough for me! The insides each have this Elvish (? I don't know too much LotR lore) writing, and a map, but they are pretty simple otherwise.

1/3 of The Return of The King is appendix's A - F, then you have where the Poems are, the People Beasts and Monsters and finally the places! I'm not sure if all that is in every copy, my sister said it's in hers, but that is a lot more information than usual in a book! (I know now that, yes, the appendices are a part of the book so they are in every copy. And yes, I feel quite dumb!)

The half of Jane Eyre I read I really liked. It was a while ago, and I was young enough to not appreciate old books, but now that I own it I will definitely read it!

The Raven Boys I absolutely love!! Read with caution though, cause it has language in it, but if you can skip over that it is amazing! I love Maggie Stiefvater's writing style! It just makes me want to smile!

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, as I said I liked it but it was a little difficult and slightly boring at times.

The Hunger Games trilogy I really liked. I like to read reviews on Goodreads about the books I read and there seems to be two categories. One is people absolutely LOVE it, and the other they hate it. I'm kinda in the middle, leaning towards love it, but not quite that much! (:

I did not finish Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but I absolutely love Roald Dahl! I've read The Twits and Matilda and his sense of humor is just like mine! Quirky and a little bit dark!

Of course, who couldn't love The Lord of The Rings? I have only finished The Fellowship of The Ring but I have seen all the movies, and they are amazing!

The Maze Runner I did really like. It wasn't my favorite, but the plot was so interesting. It was definitely my favorite out of the series. James Dashner's writing isn't my absolute favorite, but it was still a very good book.

Now, All The Light We Cannot See, is amazing!! It is a bit more mature because it's about WW2, and I can't remember if there was any language (if there was it wasn't that much) but it is still so good. It took me a while to read it, though. The first thing that kinda threw me off was the chapters. Cause it doesn't really have any. It has titles, but no numbers and they're very short. Three pages is probably the average. I read half, then had to take it back to the library, but I got it again which is kinda rare for me. If it has to go back to the library before I'm done, then it's not usually gonna be finished. But my friend said it was so good, so I had to try again. Once I got it I could not stop reading!!

If you have come down to the end of this whale of a post (which reminds me, I want to try to read Moby Dick) then congratulations!! I've finally finished writing this and it is now the 4th of July! Happy 4th of July! I'm not sure when I will post again, but I am knitting my first pair of gloves (with lace, oooh) so I might post about that, and I might start another sewing project. Who knows?

- Mattie G.