Counted to 15 again.

Counted to 20…..

No power…

That wouldn’t be a biggie if it were just me.  Throw in all of our animals though and it becomes an oxygen problem.  I ran around opening doors and windows, then headed outside to figure out what was not going on.   find some men to fix the problem.   Once we figured out that
A. the generator was a no go
and
B. a check with HydroOne confirmed  that the outage would last only a few hours,
and
C.  the pigs would be okay for that long…

We decided to deal with it.  Trouble was that we hadn’t ever, ever been out of hydro since  I don’t know when- we have always had a generator for the farm.  Apparently we are not disaster ready here!  We have a gas stove, so MyMike made his famous onion soup while I gathered candlabras (we have about a million of them!)   and lit candles.  It could almost have been romantic if we both didn’t smell a bit and if we hadn’t had to continually check on the livestock!  And if we still hadn’t a few hours work left in the barn once the power was back on! 

I guess that it would behoove me to put together an emergency preparedness kit!  So readers, what should it include?

Just to prove that I am sewing up a storm – here is block numero uno for the baby quilt.  I hope the rest of them get sewn too!  I am using vintage pillowcases that I collected from thrift stores and etsy, and am doing a twisted log cabin design. 

You likely know by now that I am a farmer.  A proud and sometimes outspoken one, especially when getting hit over the head by ignorant – as in ignorant of my business- media, bloggers, and population in general!

Today I would like to begin to introduce you to my life- life outside of sewing that is!

Let’s call it…

Farming 101

I’ll start gently.  With bean harvest. 

Kidney beans.  We all eat them, although they are not my favouite bean!  We plant them in the spring – about the beginning of June.  They take a lot of care, and we like to keep a close eye on them, especially in rainy years like this one was.  They are prone to mould and a little bug called “leaf hoppers” who like to eat holes in the leaves and otherwise wreek havoc on the crop.  We have to weigh the cost of pesticides and herbicides against the effect any action or non- action would have on the resulting yield.   (On the soapbox here ) We eat what we grow – hell people- all farmers do- and I am  adamant that we are as responsible stewards of our land and animals as 99% of other farmers out there- organic or conventional!  (off soapbox!)

On to a day in the life of bean harvest..

We start with the beans!  When they are growing, they look lush and green – like the regular beans growing in your gardens.  If you are driving past of field of these mature plants, you might think the farmer screwed up!! Not so, as they have to be dry in order to harvest.  Sometimes there is a very small window of opportunity between ready to harvest, and bad weather though!  Typical harvest begins about the middle of September for edible beans.

 

MyMike heads out in the middle of the night with the bean puller.  The night dew keeps the pods from splitting open!  The puller rips them from the ground, and places them in nice neat windrows ready for combining.

Combining the beans is a slow, precise job!  A radio is definitely a must! 

Here comes the combine

tractor and wagon

Sometimes we use big tractor trailers for the beans, but this year they were going to a facility just down the road, so we saved some transportation costs and got our “son for the summer”  Bart to drive the tractor. 

The combine is STILL coming!  I share combine driving with a friend of ours.  You have to be very particular with settings and speed, but it is very satisfying work to see the beans in the end.  You need to be careful not to plug it up though and break anything- like heavy duty link chains.  One year I managed to break a chain (different model of combine) and also managed to break my arm when a link from the chain flew off  and hit me in the arm, then hit and broke the window of the pickup truck!  My husband and our friend looked at me.

 ”um what are you going to do now?” 
 It hurt like heck, but I knew the right answer by the look in their eyes. 

“Get back in the tractor and drive”!!
Two days later I finally got a cast on.  You can be sure that I keep a VERY repectful distance away when I screw up now!

Here is what I see from the tractor window- dusty isn’t it.  Just be glad that I don’t show you what I look like after a day in the field!

Dumping the beans….

Don’t worry, they get prettied up before they get to your table!

 Yes, growing edible beans (that is what we call the class of beans that goes to human consumption) can be labourious and exacting.  But when the yield is good and the price we get is decent, there is a good monetary reward in the end!  Better than pig farming right now anyways!  But that is another blog post entirely!

Vogue 1102

 Pattern Description:  From the envelope – “below mid-knee dress has close-fitting, self lined bodice, sleeveless.  Back ties hold the bodice in place.  Flared skirt, raised waistline and back zipper.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?  What’s not to like. A simple front, with a slight empire bodice and a fairly low back with a great bow. No gathering or other embellishments.

Fabric Used:  Kate chose a yellow batiky voile.  Just a Fabricland fabric.  My bad, I should have lined it, but I had other things on my mind at the same time, and didn’t even think of it. She ended up wearing a slip.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made : The pattern calls for a self lined bodice but I lined it using a plain white batiste as I was afraid of show through. The armholes were too tight, so I had to redraft those. I used a size 8 which is Kate’s size in Vogue, but she was 3 months pregnant, so I suspect that her sizing may have changed more in the bust than I thought.  We both thought that the front neckline was too high so  I scooped it down  3/4 of an inch. That way it sits below her collarbone, not rubbing on it.    I didn’t need to make any maternity alterations as she had only the tiniest of baby bumps at the time.  I mentioned before that the skirt should have been lined. 

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?   I think it would look smashing in a black silk. Not on me, but on someone decades younger.

Conclusion:  A great dress ‘em up dress, simple to construct and easy to wear.

 H

 Kate and her sister were the soloists at the ceremony.  They did a beautiful job!

And the requisite “please pose like the pattern envelope” pose! 

Mic’s dress
My dress
Katelyn’s dress
the Flowergirls dress
and some reception shots are definitely necessary!

For today, I just want to share with you two photos of Katelyn.  The first is a scan of a reprint, so the quality will be a bit comprised.  It was taken in our wheat field when she was about 3(?)  wearing a yellow outfit.  The second is of Kate again, this time at 24, again in a wheat field, in a yellow dress!  The more things change, the more things stay the same.  The dress, by the way, is Vogue 1102.  Review to come. Double promise, spit in my eye promise.  I am on the lookout for a back view photo of the dress in order to complete it!   I am really afraid that one does not exist, in which case I will have to borrow the dress and take one!

Kate at 3? 4?

Kate age 24

and how about a quick look at the reception details…made by mom-

A quick search showed me that there are more sustainable lunch containers out there.  But is there really a large enough market for them?  Or are parents ultimately going to go the easier route of those round/square plastic containers? 

Personally I have not given it much thought before now.  For lunch I generally rummage through the fridge wondering why the food fairy hasn’t made a delivery. My offspring are past elementary or highschool age.    I think they are under the impression that I never made them a lunch anyways!  Bad mommy! 

I am always on the lookout for new schemes though.  I think it started when I was about 11 and my dad’s make work project for us for the summer was to hoe milkweeds from the corn fields.  I spent most of the time scheming about how, if we let the milkweed pods mature, I could use the fluff to stuff pillows, and even whole duvet covers… my own little industry!  Don’t laugh now- apparently someone “stole” the idea that my 11 year old brain thought up.  I don’t think they are making a fortune though!

Not only am I digressing now, but I just wasted a half hour spent way too much time researching milkweeds!

Back to the question at hand.  Would people really pay money for fabric/PUL snack sacks?

So what did I promise you today? 

Yes, yes, I remember.  Maternity takes from non-maternity patterns.  Gosh it is quite easy these days with blousy, empire styles!   You may notice the absence of pants!  I really think altering rtw may be the way to go, with the exception of leggings.  That in itself will make her wardrobe not eligible for the Wardrobe Contest at PatternReview, but I can live with that!  I am also making Katelyn some belly bands to increase the time she can wear her normal pants.  Personally I would hate that, but it seems to be the way many expectant mothers are going

Okay, on the to patterns

First up…

Vogue

8420
Which I have made for myself, could easily work.  It is way too wide in the shoulders, and that neckline has to be brought up first off.  I guess that is why I haven’t reviewed it yet…  It has an elastic casing at the waist which I would bring up to empire.

 V8542
The grey version really caught my eye.  Adding a little length to the front would suffice, although the style may be more “Couturesmith” that “Mme Kate” 

 V1102 
I couldn’t resist adding this one.  Some of you may have seen this one on Kate already on Facebook.  It is so cute on her.  Review to follow later.  It didn’t need any pregnant alterations, I had to cut the armholes a titch deeper and shorten it an inch.

V1103 
This is a really simple style.  Add a bit more room in the front and a bit of length and layer it over leggings for the winter.  Hmmm maybe I should make it for myself…

 McCalls

M5931
This one is much like the first Vogue pattern.  I don’t think Katelyn will like the voluminous sleeves, but you never know!

 M5469
Pretty plain jane, but can easily be jazzed up.  Again, the sleeves may need to be changed up!

 M5664
I saw quite a few reviews of this uber cute pattern.  A few of them mentioned the suitability of it for maternity wear.  I actually think this is my favourite!  Perhaps that is because to  me, it screams Mme Kate!

M5925
This  is a young style, but Katelyn is a young woman.  (by her age I was pregnant with my third but still…) With skinny jeans- and yes a pregnant woman can wear skinny jeans- it would totally rock!

M5855 

 I can hear it already….yes there it is…”MOMMMMMMmmmm!” If you were Nicole Richie, this would be what you wore every day! Oh. right.  You are not Nicole.  Oh. Right.  You farm in SW Ontario.  Okay, Okay, strike this one off the list- for you anyways!

Next up..off to the sewing room!

Until next time,

Which brings us to fashion.  Of course!  Maternity fashion.  I haven’t given a moments thought to maternity wear, and more specifically maternity sewing patterns for um 20 years!  I made up for it in the past few weeks!

I have this very annoying habit -well, annoying to my children anyways- over over researching everything sewing wise.  I throw pattern after pattern idea in front of their eyes.  “what about this one?”  “or this one”   “Oh and there is this really cute vintage one”   Pity them their hell!!   At least I research!  Sometimes I even get some sewing done!

After an exhaustive online and in pattern drawer(s) search of Maternity patterns, and comparative pregnant women clothing shopping I came to the following conclusions-

I took a gander through the offerings of the “Big Four” pattern companies to find that, while they all have a “maternity” section (I had to do a search on Simplicity to find that section) ,  the collective offerings were minimal.  Simplicity has 4.  One was a scrub pattern, which I was pleased to see, even though Kate has no need for scrubs!  Vogue and McCalls  have  no maternity  patterns under the maternity tab,  and Butterick has one pattern.  In the past few years Burda World of Fashion (BWOF)  has had a maternity section in its August issue.  The issues that I have that include this are August 2005,06 and 07.  This year was the exception – what the heck Burda?!  Patrones has a few pregnant person patterns as well, and one issue had  a section that showed you how to wear the same fashion while pregnant and after as well.  I will look those up at a future time.  I haven’t the time nor energy right now to try to translate!  Burda Patterns – the ones you find in the fabric store has 8 in the current collection, and Kwiksew has 3, although they are pretty “bleh”. 

While I love vintage, it is a love that I did not pass on to my daughters.  Therefore I didn’t expend a lot of time or energy on looking for vintage maternity patterns I decided to stop looking at vintage patterns and devote my time in a more constructive manner!

My Picks- From BWOF and Jalie

I still have to run these past Mrs Thom (Katelyn) so they are subject to change.  Kate works as a field biologist for a seed corn company, so her work wear needs are more casual than for someone who works in an office setting. 

1.  Burda World of Fashion 8/2006

 3 patterns caught my eye.  I can see the tee (125) as a simple basic  in the vee neck or changing it to a scoop neck.  I really, really like the ruching at the front.  It lends itself to some cute neckline  treatment variations as well.  The blouse would be cute in simple white over jeans or leggings.  I can see it in blue or grey too.  I’m not too sure about the pants.  The legs are a bit wide- an easy enough fix- but the style may be too corporate a look for Madame Kate. 

Jalie

 Jalie has great basic type patterns that lend themselves well to adaptation.  These two will make great maternity wear.

Jalie 2806.  Either the fallover look or the ruched stye, although I will forgo the tulip sleeves.  In a longer length over leggings, the band at the bottom would also be cute- remember Kate is a very trim 24 year old and can easily wear that style.

2788  – According to this pattern, just using a fabric with more stretch is the way to go.  I think I may add a titch more to the side seam and the length however!

Enough for today. 

Next up- Non traditional patterns from Vogue, McCalls and Simplicity that can easily be adapted to maternity
In the future- How to adapt traditional patterns to maternity – or- how you can learn from my mistakes!

Until next time…

Here!

Yayy Maja.  Now all of you – leave me alone so I can catch up in peace.  Kidding, I’m totally kidding.  Instead, tell me if I should …

A.  Make myself a much needed new wardrobe for the Wardrobe Contest at Pattern Review
or
B.  Make Katelyn a much needed maternity wardrobe for the same contest
or
C.  both of the above
or
D.  None of the above!

I kind of think I am leaning towards C.

“How do I make a storyboard?” 

“How do I get pictures in a horizontal row”?

                                                          “I can’t enter this contest because I don’t know how to make a composite picture!”

So here is how I do it.  Consider this a tutorial.  From me.  Will wonders ever cease??!!

Tutorial- Making a composite using PowerPoint

So students, you have decided to enter a contest in PatternReview, or want to put together a collection of photo’s, but don’t know how?  Follow these directions and you should be able to stop pulling your hair out- those bald spots look so unattractive!

Open up Powerpoint.  First make sure you have it!  Open up a blank “slide”.  There are a few ways to do that.  Click on “file”, “new”, then on the far right side “blank presentation”.  Or you can cut out the default text boxes too.

Composite1

Now pictures…For fun I will use photos of my darlings. 

 Go to …

Insert  

Picture  

From File  

Then choose your picture.  Do this again for all the pictures you want to be included on the composite.

 It will begin to look something like this.

Arrange the photo’s.  Preferably creatively!

Just click on them and drag.

 Now it is time to save it.  Click on Save As  then name the file however  you wish.  **important** save the file as a JPEG file!

 Now close PowerPoint and go to wherever you have saved your file.  Hint- It will likely be in your Pictures file in My Documents.  I TRY (but don’t always succeed) to keep my photo’s/blogging files and PR files fairly organized in a way that makes sense to me!

If you double click on the file name/thumbnail it should open up in whatever photo editor you use.  Here I am using the very simple Microsoft Office Picture Manager.
Here you want to do 2 things. 

First.  Crop your photo, which you can do since you saved it as a JPEG-

right??!  If you couldn’t find you composite, you likely didn’t save it as a JPEG. Go back to PowerPoint and do that!

 Then resize the photo to about 450 by 450 pixels or so. Don’t forget to hit “Okay”  or “done” or however your program confirms an action.  (I think you can tell that while I know a bit about computers, my jargon could use some help!)
No screen shot for this one, I think most people know how to resize a photo.  A hint for those who don’t- Usually you can find the resize button in the “edit picture” section of your photo manager!

Now SAVE THE COMPOSITE!  Save it somewhere that makes sense to you and name it something that makes sense to you!

It should look something like this- Of course instead of my daughters and a wedding venue, it will be of fabulous YOU , your patterns and your garments!

Let me know if I missed anything, or if it didn’t work for you.  I should be able to walk you through it.

It’s wedding day morning at the Bontje household.  7:30 am

The hairstylist is here (Krista rocks!).  Micaela is trying on her dress one last time, as I wanted to check the fit at the back one last time before I handstitched the lining down.  The fit was pefect- then I saw it….

The zipper had separated!!  Ahh the horror. Aughh the look of fear and dismay on my face  when I mentally went through my invisible zipper stash in my head and realized that there was not an ivory or white invisible zipper to be had! 

Served me right really – using an generic brand, Fabricland zipper.

I was on tenterhooks till the fabric store opened at 9:30.  In fact, I was waiting in front of the door 10 minutes early, with my hair already in wedding state, in case they happened to see me there with my hand on the doorknob, ready to sprint to the zipper section.

There was one other woman waiting as well.  We struck up a conversation, compared family, sewing, and it was then that I found out that she owns a brick and mortar as well as an online fabric store!  One that I never knew existed- less than 20 minutes from my house. I promised her that I would visit her, and review her shop here and on PatternReview, threw opent the door of the store, grabbed 4 invisible zippers, and ran to the checkout.  My 18 minute drive home was consumed with reviewing all the steps I needed to do to quickly insert the zipper.

By 10:30 it was done!  Whew, disaster averted and the bride looked radiant.

Wedding Day story #2

We are ready to go to the church.  It just so happens that August 15 was also the day of our community’s townwide garage sale.  One we never missed until this year.  I jokingly suggested that since they had a few minutes to spare, they take some “bride goes garage sale-ing on her wedding day” photos.  The photographer was game so off we went. 

It was at their very first stop that a very humerous event occured.  This is so indicative of things that happen to our Micaela.  Every always turns out right in “Micaelaland”!

 Micaela had decided she didn’t want a veil.  She had an adorable headband and her hair was up and looking gorgeous.  Someone happened to see a veil hanging up and she decided to try it on for a funny photo.  It was a beautiful veil!  “Mommy, will you buy it for me?” Micaela questioned.  Now how can you say no to a one dollar purchase!  We gave the guy a five, waved off the change and charged back to the cars eagerly looking forward to the rest of a perfect day!  Oh by the way, it also happened to be the very same place where we bought twinkle lights to decorate the tent with at the previous years garage sale!  We left the female owner of the house with tears of joy in her eyes.

So.  I leave you with 2 questions.

1. Which brand of zipper do you trust your life- not to mention your Wedding Dress- on?

2.  Do you have any Wedding Day humerous stories to share?

By the way, the rest of the day was magical!  I will share more when I get photographers photos back.  And now it is time to be excited for me as this is the first time in 2 years that I have not been in Wedding Mode!  It was all so worth it.  Baby Mode is looming on the horizon!

Some photo’s….
Review of the yellow dress to come. any guesses as to which current Vogue pattern it is?