Wedding Gown - Part 4

It's about time to finish up telling the story of my wedding gown!  After all the finish work on the inside, I was ready to glue the little rhinestones on the lace and have my sister help me with the whimsical fabric flowers.

Gluing...

...on my lace!  (Yes, that first one was pretty scary!)

Bags of flower parts, awaiting placement.

Neckline with rhinestones and flowers positioned.

Hanging in the window after figuring out the placement of all the fabric flowers!

I really feel like the glistening rhinestones and the flowers were the perfect final additions, and took my dress from being "nice" to being "complete".

I'm so thankful for my sister's creative flair and eye for the final touch!  I know I wouldn't have had fabric flowers on my dress if I were doing it myself.  My perfectionist tendencies would have completely spoiled the soft and natural touch needed for realistic looking flowers, as well as an asymmetrical cascade of sprinkled blossoms!  Thank you!!!

Sewing with Sister

My sister came over last week to sew a horse jumper.  She's really getting comfortable with operating the machine and using the iron--I'm impressed!

 Working on the straps.

The bodice completed.

And here's the finished project; it came out really cute!  It's denim with little horses embroidered on the main fabric, and horse print cotton for a trim on the straps and the band at the bottom of the skirt.

My Sewing Studio!

Here are a couple quick photos of my sewing space.  I have about two-thirds of a corner bedroom for my sewing things.  The other third is my husband's large desk (no photos as it's storing a big mound of things to sort at the moment!)  My favorite thing about the room is the large corner windows, one facing East, the other South, so I get nearly all-day sun at this time of the year!  The color on the walls is our neutral that's throughout the house, and I love the way the rooms glow with warmth as the sun shines in.

My husband got the shelves up on the wall, after they got a fresh coat of paint.  I appreciate how handy he is with household projects and repairs!  The shelves came off the wall in my old bedroom and are now perfect for storing all my sewing books, and all his and my how-to and reference materials.

The little oak bookshelf was a $6. Goodwill find--the perfect size for all my little shoeboxes of lace, ribbon, zippers, etc.!

Wheat and Yeast

Here are a few thoughts on bread making...

I like Wikipedia's comment, "Yeast microbes are probably one of the earliest domesticated organisms." I thought of how my sister-in-law named her sourdough starter, and I talk about "feeding" my starter!

Leavened bread is documented at least 5,000 years ago in ancient Egypt. Until the late 1700s and into the 1800s all bread was leavened with wild yeast (sourdough starter, or by-product of fermenting beverages) and only at that point did commercially produced and packaged yeast become available. Old time cookbooks included beer and bread making recipes together, as the beer yeast was the most reliable form of yeast for light and tasty bread.

I have been enjoying delving into the "how" and "why" of bread making as time allows, and have done some online research about ingredients and processes, as well as working my way through Peter Reinhart's excellent book, The Bread Baker's Apprentice.

Ready to rise

Kaiser rolls for sandwiches

English Muffins

I have married a very thankful and appreciative man, and when he thanks God for providing our food, and the abundant variety we have available to us, before every meal, it helps me see the process of nourishing our bodies in a new light. I see God's provision and blessing in the whole process of bread making. There are only four basic ingredients needed for bread: flour, water, yeast and salt. Wheat is an ideal ingredient for leavened bread; it is full of the potential for developing elastic-y gluten. Yeast is a happy little organism that feeds in that glutinous dough, producing the gases to make all the little air bubbles so that we can have light, soft bread. Salt was given as a preservative to prevent our food from spoiling quickly by slowing the growth of unwanted bacteria and it is also a wonderful flavor enhancer! In bread we want the flavor, but must be careful in how it is combined with the yeast, to stop it from "preserving" our wheat from the growth of the yeast!

Wedding Gown - Part Three

The bodice is nearly finished and is a blank canvas awaiting lace!

A close-up of the inside neck edge, showing the bound armscye seam, and the satin facing that I used to finish the neckline.

Back, with lace pinned in place to hand stitch, and button loops.

Bodice front, ready for hand work.

It's finally looking like a dress! Finish work still to do, lace at the waistline, and flowers and rhinestones!

This soup was perfect for lunch with fresh baked bread, on a cold winter day!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

1/4 cup Butter
1 half Onion, chopped
2 cloves Garlic, minced
Broccoli for 4 servings
32 oz. Chicken Broth
1/2 lb. Shredded Cheese
1 cup Milk
1/3 cup Cornstarch
1/2 cup Water
Salt to taste
Cayenne Pepper to taste

• In a medium size pot, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic in butter until softened.
• Stir in broccoli, and cover with chicken broth. Simmer until broccoli is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce heat, mix in milk.
• In a small bowl, stir cornstarch into water until dissolved. Stir into soup; cook, stirring frequently, until thick.
• Add shredded cheese, heat and stir until melted and combined. Add salt and cayenne.

This recipe is adapted from Allrecipes.com

Wedding Gown - Part Two

Bodice front, inside, showing twill underlining, boning casings:

A completed sleeve.

The back, inside view:

And the bodice pieces ready to assemble and try on.

This was just before realizing that my carefully planned and fitted pattern was not going to smooth out along the side bust, after assembly, as I had counted on... Well, the challenges and problem solving are one of the reasons I enjoy sewing, so back to the pattern! Thankfully I had enough satin and underlining to cut a new front after resolving the problem and carefully picking apart the existing pieces. I ended up converting the center-most waist darts and the side bust darts into a princess seam, and leaving the second waist dart as a design feature and another place to fit the waist area. It was worth the extra effort, to be pleased with the end result! Next is fun detail work:

A pile of satin covered, fabric backed buttons, button looping, boning, lace, and horsehair braid!