The Opulent Poppy

Yellow Floral Frock ~ Giveaway!

2012-01-30T22:34:00.000-05:00

First. I want you all to meet my sister, Amanda. She's been visiting from Oklahoma and we've had a lovely time together!

Here's a curtsy for you:

She agreed to model this dress for me : ) A cheerful floral dress - just in time for Spring - for one of you ladies out there to win!

This is my version of the Eva Dress: neckline heightened, skirt and sleeves lengthened. A vintage floral print cotton from my stash for the fabric. It has a cowl neck-line, a-line skirt, and a front waist yoke that is ruched on the side.

My friend suggested that I could also use a solid fabric for the waist - like yellow - to contrast/compliment the print. It would be a nice design feature. I may have to try it sometime, if I can find a print and color to go together : )

Instead of bothering with a pleat I just put ties in at the sides to draw in the waist at the back. So, this dress just pulls on over the head. The ties are made out of some vintage yellow bias binding from my stash.

Here are a few of the 'fun' pictures we took. Isn't my sister a great model!

So, if you'd like to win this dress, just leave a comment on this post. This dress is a size 4-6 (one of the reasons I'm not modeling it myself! ) The giveaway will be open until March 31st. I'll choose the winner using a random number generator, then announce the winner on April 21st.

Good Luck!

Magazine Cover Monday #8

2012-01-30T09:31:00.001-05:00

Good Housekeeping, November 1917

It's the middle of winter here. We're focused on school work and looking forward to spring. The wood stove takes the edge off the cold and there's lots of hot chocolate a chai tea to warm up your tummy after playing outside. The boys spend as much time as they can sledding. They go careening down that hill...I just can't watch! They love it, and I love their rosy cheeks and bright eyes, and the smell of the outdoors they wear when they come back inside : )

Belstaff Milford Coat

2012-01-28T13:32:00.003-05:00

I just had to chime in on the Sherlock coat. The original is from Belstaff, called the Milford Coat. I searched for a dress/military/pea coat to fit the bill. I'm looking for a ladies version anyway, so this was the closest I could find. Not very promising. I guess dress length coats are out of fashion right now. This Wool Dress Coat was the only coat I could find that had the right length and fullness....can't be bought however.

So, I guess if you want it done the right way, you have to do it yourself. Here's a pattern that would be a good starting point. The Vogue 1266:

Here's a wearable muslin to look at if you want to: Vogue 1266 flickr set. There are a few things to change. Here are the major points that make the coat distinctive:

I drew in the welt pockets, patch pockets with flaps, and the lower buttons (deleted the top two buttons), and shortened the length.

In the back I've drawn in the waist band, back bodice gusset and darts, and skirt pleats. You'd have to draft the waist band and make the center box pleat and the left and right pleats in the back. The waist band is in 3 parts, the center peice bottons to the two side peices that are sewn into the side seams. (That probably didn't make any sense, but I had to try and explain. The picture is too small to see it properly.) The princess seams would have to be replaced by darts and the gusset added in the back.

I did find one coat that met my expectations for the silhouette:

Black wool cashmere blended double breasted long swing skirt winter trench coat. Without the brassy buttons - black would be fine. It has many other differences, with the bodice and extra fullness in the skirt, but the overall fit and feel of the coat is pretty close.

So, I'm sure someone out there will try and make this dashing coat....I'm going to be searching the thrift stores for a vintage look alike for myself ; )

Sherlock Holmes

2012-01-26T21:41:00.002-05:00

I just finished watching the first season of BBC's 2010 Sherlock Holmes. I enjoyed it and can't wait to see the next season! I'm still unsure if I even like Sherlock's character....I'll have to wait till next season to find out ; ) What I do know for sure though, is that I love his coat! I'd like one just like it please : )

You can watch episodes at PBS.

Episode 1: HERE

Episode 2: HERE

Oh No!!!

2012-01-25T22:21:00.000-05:00

Picnic is closing! What will I do? That's where I've been editing all my pictures for the past year.... Do any of you know of other good, free, online photo editing sites? Help!!

Mid-Week

2012-01-25T11:15:00.000-05:00

It's the Wednesday Ironing Social today ; ) School. Catch up on laundry. Lunch. Visiting. Bust through the piles of ironing...bundle off home to put everything away. Ironing all done - great to be able to put the ironing board away! Sit and enjoy some peace and quite. Work done for the day : )

Eva Dress - Yellow Floral

2012-01-24T11:10:00.000-05:00

This is a fun dress to construct! The Eva Dress. I'm putting all the front pieces together, then all the back, then sewing the shoulders and side seams together ; ) I just got the front done last night. Here it is pinned to my dress form:

A retro yellow floral poplin. I think this will be the next dress up for a giveaway : )

Dinner for the Family

2012-01-23T16:28:00.000-05:00

We had everyone over for dinner while my Sister and her husband were here visiting. I made ceasar salad and chicken alfredo - made with my homemade alfredo sauce.

I decided to set the table for such a special occasion : )

My mom gave me the fabric for the black table cloth for my birthday 4 years ago. Then, she found the nice, restaurant style, cloth napkins to match for this year. My friend, MaryElla, made the table runner for me for my birthday a couple years ago. And, I picked up the begonia at the grocery store last week.

We all had a nice time together, and as part of our activities we shot a few family photos. This one's my favorite:

That's my family. I love them ; )

Blue Floral Nightgown

2012-01-22T15:21:00.000-05:00

Another nightgown, this one I made for my Sister, out of the same pattern as THIS one, but a few sizes smaller to fit her ; ) It's a silk shear fabric, blue to match her eyes, and picked especially because, "It will swirl when she twirls in it," said my little boy as he let the fabric fall through his fingers.

It was a surprise gift for her, so I had to guess at the measurements. I was anxious about how it would fit her....would it be just too small? Would it be way too big? ...it fit perfectly! I was so glad and relieved! I hadn't seen my sister for over a year, and yet it fit like she'd been standing right there while I made it and fit it to her!
....and she likes the way it swirls when she walks ; )

I finished the arms and neck with navy bias binding. The fabric was too shear and silky to mess with facings and a rolled hem is so finicky on a curve. I opened the bias up flat and sewed it along the right-side edge, then folded it up with the raw edges tucked in, folded it all over to the back, and sewed it to the back-side with a hem stitch. Very nice way to finish a thin material like that.

Sledding!

2012-01-20T21:39:00.000-05:00

My sister and her husband are out visiting from Oklahoma. We went to the big sledding hill in town. Everyone had a blast!

Yeah...that's me! I was flying down that hill - I've never gone so fast - those snow boogie boards are a.m.a.zing!!!

We all took a couple spills, walked up that long hill a few times, and enjoyed every minute of whooshing down that big hill ; )

Marzipan Sculpture

2012-01-20T11:34:00.000-05:00

A special little treat for me! My friend, Sarah, handcrafted this darling little delicacy!

She sculpted a songbird out of marzipan and set him in a little chocolate nest!

I've already scarfed him up, with the help of my two little boys ; ) We all agreed he was most tasty!

Thank you Sarah for such a fun little treat!

I'm a Featured Member at Burdastyle!

2012-01-18T18:32:00.000-05:00

If you go over to Burdastyle this week, you can read all about me! They asked me a bunch of questions and then compiled my answers and some pictures of my projects into an article. It's fun to see what pictures they used and how they put them together ; ) Now I feel like part of the internet's sewing elite!

Grey-blue Calico Dress

2012-01-17T08:58:00.000-05:00

I like the color and print of the fabric they used for this dress. I've found some prints that will look similar to this, at least enough to look like this dress at a glance. I have this pattern pretty well worked out. There are 3 or 4 dresses all made in this style, with the peter-pan collar, some with patch pockets on the bodice, but each of them has a different collar. The geometric print dress has a more pointed collar, and the khaki calico dress has a much larger collar. They could have kept the bodice and skirt the same and just drafted the collars differently, but they may have just drafted all the dresses separately...anyway, it's one of my favorites to sew ; )

The Winner Is...

2012-01-16T19:52:00.002-05:00

I've so enjoyed reading all of your answers for how you would wear this dress! I wish I had one to give each of you! However, I only have one. So, I plugged the numbers into the random number generator and it chose: the lovely lady over at My Bowl of Sugar!

Congratulations!

In her comment she said, "I have so enjoyed following your blog. I find so much inspiration from all of your creations. I would love to wear this dress! Not sure, other than church, were I would wear it - just any opportunity that I could! Keep the good stuff coming - I love it!!"

If you can please e-mail me (through my profile page) with your address, I'll be happy to mail this little dress out to you. : )

Tears and Sniffles ~ No More!

2012-01-15T21:31:00.000-05:00

A dainty way to wipe those tears and sniffles any day!

I love these Floral Handkerchiefs - I've added them to my wishlist!

Blue Wool Toddler Jacket

2012-01-14T15:30:00.000-05:00

I found this darling little wool coat at the Goodwill. It was too small for either of my boys, but luckily I have a friend with a little boy who may fit it. It looks homemade, fully lined, and either unfinished, or someone took the buttons off. It's in good condition, like it had never been used. Only $1.00 - I couldn't believe it! And, it came with this little hat to match. Isn't that a happy pair : )

Snowing & Sledding

2012-01-12T21:58:00.024-05:00

Finally, some snow to accompany the winter here! We had a day at home yesterday: schooling, the boys playing, Daddy studying, getting some laundry and sewing done, and watching the snow fall outside.

We've been keeping the wood stove going since the beginning of December . The basement is the coziest part of the house this time of year. There's space for the boys to play, it smells of the clean laundry hanging on the line to dry, and the wood stove keeps it nice and warm.

I took the time to print out the Eva Dress pattern in my size and tape it all together. I hope to get that cut out soon and try a wearable muslin.

My friend Sarah came over after school this morning so that all the boys could go sledding together in the back yard. We have a great sledding hill for little people. It's a good drop from the side yards to the back yard because of our daylight basement.

Sarah brought her spices - cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves - and made us some delicious chai tea. After the boys came in, wet and tired from playing outside, we all had some tea and cookies.

Mmmm! Perfect blend of creamy-sweet and warm-spicy.

Ironing with Friends

2012-01-11T23:09:00.000-05:00

My friend called me up a few weeks ago and said, "I haven't seen you in over two weeks!" With being busy with schooling and housework, I wasn't fitting in much else in the week, but I did want to get together with my friends. So, we decided to get together and do our ironing. That way we could be productive and still visit with each other ; )

We let the children take some pictures for us. They were happy to play (many pictures of the children making funny faces at the camera), while us Mommas did our ironing and gabbed.

We've been meeting to iron for four weeks now. We gather at one of our houses with ironing boards, irons, and our stack of clothes. We all bring a little something for lunch. We get to visit and the children get to play. My friend hosted the ironing day this week. We had lunch together, finished up our ironing, and when the little people started getting cranky we brought them home for nap time.

It's the perfect way for us busy moms to maintain a social life while balancing the roles of housekeeper, cook, maid, grocer, washerwoman, teacher, mother, and wife....

My friend discovered this label on the underside of her ironing board. We all thought it was pretty neat. Made right here in Maine. From the outfit and shoes the lady is wearing, I'd say it's an ironing board from the 20's or early 30's?

Vegetables

2012-01-10T17:07:00.000-05:00

How often do you eat fresh vegetables in a day? I decided that I wanted my boys to eat more vegetables. It's easy really. Provide no other snacks. The vegetables can stay out on the table between meals and whenever someone feels like a snack (very often in this house) there they are - fresh vegetables ; ) I've been refilling this veggie tray for a couple weeks: cucumbers, carrots, green pepper, cherry tomatoes, cauliflower, celery, radishes, broccoli, etc...the tray needs refilling every other day or two.

Magazine Cover Monday #7

2012-01-09T07:34:00.002-05:00

-Dreer's Garden Calender 1899-

It never fails. This time of year, when the garden's are frozen in sleep, I'm always thinking about flowers and seeds. I start receiving my seed and perennial flower catalogs in the mail. I set to graph paper with design ideas and write lists of the changes and plantings I want to make in the Spring... It's a nice way to pass the cold evenings, cozy by the fire, with a stack of catalogs to read ; )

Ice Skating

2012-01-07T22:48:00.000-05:00

A beautiful day for skating today! A family invited everyone over for a skating party. Just a light dusting of snow last night, but there were large areas of the pond cleared for skating. Many friends to share the fun with. A fire pit out on the ice with roasted hot dogs and macaroni salad for lunch and many other goodies for snacking. When my boys saw the other children playing hockey and capture-the-flag they were determined to figure out how to skate. In no time at all they had learned to shuffle along without falling : ) I'm glad they can learn so young. I didn't have that chance and I'm still none too graceful on my skates! I enjoyed visiting with the other mother's, watching the games, taking in the beauty of the day, and glad my boys could have so much fun!

Past and Pretty

2012-01-06T16:34:00.000-05:00

Some flowers look beautiful even after they've passed their bloom. These hellebore became tinged with green when the flowers passed (the 'petals' are really sepals of a modified calyx and the flowers were a ring of nectaries modified into short, tubular petals at the center of the sepals). Some of them have seed pods now. I'll harvest these and plant them in the spring ; )

Snow Globes for Kids

2012-01-05T16:35:00.000-05:00

At our friend's house we made snow globes - or rather, 'sea life' globes. We used old jam jars and baby food jars, plastic sea creatures, glitter, and hot glue. It's a perfect activity for 3-6 year olds. Momma's do the hot glue, the children stick colorful little sea shells to the underside of the lid, they put the glitter into the jar and choose a sea animal. (The dolphin's tails are hot glued to the lid so they look like they're swimming up, getting ready to jump.) Then tighten the lid down so that the seal in secure. Then the children can shake their new toys and watch the fishies "swim".

Trying to get pictures of this is not easy. "Here, now, just shake it and hold still..."

White Damask Nightgown

2012-01-04T13:55:00.000-05:00

I picked out this table cloth at the thrift store for a dollar. I drafted this nightgown pattern. I wanted something simple, comfortable, and elegant. White linen damask. Such a nice drape and feel too it. I think I'll be making a couple more in regular cotton for full slips.

Pin These

2012-01-03T12:46:00.000-05:00

I enjoyed the pictures from Accordion Lass's Pinterest. These were a few of my favorites.