Hey y'all!

I had NOT intended to make a post about this particular jumper and as such, I didn't take any pictures of the sewing process. After all, it was supposed to be one of those quickie projects that was going to be a blip mentioned in passing.

Then THINGS started happening, and it was too good NOT to share.

So, here we go.

I started this jumper a few years ago - I want to say I was still in college at the time. At the time, I really liked jumpers and my last one had been recently relegated to the "daughter clothes bin". I also wanted lighter fabrics since most of my clothes are, in fact, dark. And winter skirts were needed.

Hence the buying of two pink flannels - one with a diamond pattern and one with pink and yellow skyrockets on them. I made one jumper with the pink diamonds (still have it, still wear it) and started the second one. Everything was cut, the bodice and skirt were constructed and sewn together. It even had a hem. All it needed was a zipper, the facings and the straps and it would be done.

But for some reason, the project was...abandoned.

*cue the sad music*

I remember having to buy another zipper for it, I think because the first one was so short. But I still didn't pick it up again.

Until January 2020, when I took it out of my sewing cabinet one fine Wednesday that I was off from work.

The problems began immediately when I realized that I was missing half of the instructions for the "View B" I was attempting. I then remembered that I had been following the instructions for View A because of this, but the instructions had pretty much run out at that point.

No trouble, I said to myself. I know how to do the rest of the steps, it shouldn't be that hard. I have, after all, been sewing for over a decade, I should know what I'm doing.

Lies. All lies.

I made a trial fit before I put in the zipper and found that something was really wrong. It was miles too big in the waist.

It was then that I realized that while I was sure I had cut out the correct pattern pieces, I had forgotten to put the darts into the bodice....which would have shortened the waist by over 4 inches.
So, the bodice had to be ripped off the skirt and the darts put in.

That's when I discovered that the bodice wasn't cut right. It was cut straight when it was supposed to be pointed on the darts.
(oh trust me, it only gets better from here)
I had to change the design of the darts slightly in order so that they didn't curve on me. Wish now I had gotten a picture, but it wouldn't have looked flattering at all.

So then, the bodice was darted and the skirt re-gathered and put back on. I then binded the seam with some flannel scraps so that I wouldn't have any fraying issues.

So then, it was time for the zipper, which was an invisible one. I personally prefer them to the regular zippers because they look much nicer.

That's when I discovered, to my chagrin, that my Phaff machine didn't HAVE an invisible zipper foot. Stupid machine was from the 80s and I suppose they didn't have invisible zippers then.

So I had to go use my mother's sewing machine. Except that it was almost inaccessible because the table it was on had Blue Couch up against it. (I'll tell you more about that Blue Couch at another time).

I said "almost" inaccessible. You could use it if you knelt on the couch...you just couldn't reach the foot petal.

So, what does an enterprising girl do?

Fish out the petal, plug in the machine and squeeze the foot petal with her right hand and guide the fabric with the left. Rather efficient system.

Of course my mother doesn't notice my rather unorthodox method until I'm well over halfway putting the zipper in. She asked me why I just didn't move the couch.

Now you tell me, why would I take the risk of moving the couch the wrong way and knock it off it's wooden blocks just to get to the machine for five minutes and then have to move it back? Too much work, if you ask me.

Anyway, after a moment of panic when I thought I had put the zipper in backwards (the opening wasn't big enough for the zipper to flip out, it was fine), it was time for another fitting.

I'll now refer you to the following Hangouts conversation I had with Lia....



 Another couple of hours, and here is the finished product:



I really like how long it is - it makes me feel really feminine. I'll definitely be wearing it around the house this winter :)

Now it's your turn to chat! What sort of abandoned projects do you have lying around? Do you sew, and if so what is the latest project you've done? Tell me in the comments below!

Old-fashionably yours,

Catherine

In terms of the pro-life movement, there have been many ups and downs. Between the Daleiden case, the movie Unplanned, and the recent pro-life cases that are challenging the precedents, abortion has remained a central issue.

In my last "Roe v. Wade" post, I wrote this paragraph:

"There is no doubt, since the appointing of conservative judge Brett Kavanagh to the Supreme Court, that the fight surrounding the issue of abortion has become increasingly polarized. Each side is offering more and more resistance to the other's tactics. Like most political fights, moderates are increasingly disappearing."

In recent weeks, this has been proved twice over by two opposing amicus briefs filed in Congress: one signed by 200 congressmen in support of overturning Roe (mostly Republicans), and one signed by 197 congressmen against such a measure (mostly Democrats). For more on this, please see the LifeSiteNews article HERE.

The hints that Roe v. Wade is going to be challenged in the courts have grown stronger. A recent bill being proposed by Louisana holds promise to render a death blow to it. All the while, ultra-liberal states such as Virginia and New York are furiously trying to enshrine abortion in their state constitutions.

It is only through increased persistence of Christians, with encouragement from political leaders such as Donald Trump, that will bring about success. Only repeated punches will bring this diabolical enemy down.

We, as citizens of this nation, have a duty to further the just interests of it. Because we have a natural love for our nation, we wish to see it continue. Our country cannot improve, nor grow, nor even sustain itself, if we do not protect the weakest and most innocent of it's members - unborn children.

Our voices need to become louder now. If we are not doing anything to help the pro-life movement right now, we need to start. Go down and march in DC, if you are able. Pick up a pro-life car sticker. Support LifeSiteNews and Students for Life. Participate in a Rosary Rally. 

To my fellow Catholics, I strongly encourage you in charity to remember that January 22 is a mandatory day of penance instituted by the bishops of this country in response to Roe v. Wade. We are called to increased penitential prayers, to fast and to alms-give as we are able this day. Much good has already occurred because of such practices, let us redouble our efforts!


We pray in reparation for all the "slaps" to the Creator's Face.

We pray today in memoriam for all the bleeding hearts that have been sacrificed to the idols of
personal irresponsibility, racial and economic purity, and the false idea of "choice".

We pray that America may be a nation that lives up to it's first principle as declared in 1776 that all persons have the right to LIFE.

We pray for all the women who have been harmed by abortion, and for their continued healing.

And we pray for all unborn children, that they may be born healthy and their souls may be saved.

Our Lady, Protectoress of the Unborn, PRAY FOR US!!


Old-fashionably yours,

Catherine

Hello all,

So, I kinda owe you guys an explanation of one of my yearly goals:

5. Finish carding (and maybe spinning?) my gray wool fleece

Many people don't know this, but about 3 years ago, I was given a gray woolen fleece from one of the historical farms that I worked at. When I say fleece, I mean the raw wool.

I've since washed it, but am now in the process of hand-carding and spinning it. I still have several gallon bags stuffed with fleece, and I would love to use the yarn for a woolen cloak. 


I mean, I know I'm old-fashioned and I know I'm fast approaching my mid-twenties, but does this mean that I've declared myself a spinster?

Not exactly. This story actually goes back almost five years. The summer of my junior year in college, to be exact.

I was working as an intern then, for a living history farm in NJ. It was my first time working at an actual living history site, and it is there that I fell in love with the whole idea of it. This farm had a small flock of sheep - a mixture of Suffolk and...Dorset sheep (I think?).

One of the that year's lambs. As the color implies, he was a naughty little ram

At the very end of my internship there, I was helping some of the lady reenactors "skirt" some sheep fleeces from our flock. Each year, the sheep's winter fleece must be shorn off because otherwise they'll get overheated. The predominant color of these fleeces were gray, though there were some white fleeces too.

Oh, I should explain "skirting" first before I go much further. "Skirting" was the local term for laying a fleece out and removing all the poopy bits and disentagling bits of hay. It's also called "tagging" because you're removing the "dung tags" and other nasty bits that are not worth saving.

Anyway, the ladies revealed to me that once these fleeces were skirted, they were rolled back up and saved as gifts to local spinners, or some of the employees if they want them. There were simply too few of them to make a profit off them, and who buys wool anyway? So, they offered me and my fellow intern each a fleece.

Now being the old-fashioned nut that I am, I decided to take one of the fleeces. After all, who turns down a free sheep fleece if offered to them? I chose a gray one - I like gray and there were much more gray fleeces available.

I joked that I looked like Santy Claus as I hauled my big poofy fleece in a large trashbag on my back to my car.

Now, had I been sensible, I would have washed the fleece immediately. However, I had little time between leaving NJ and going back to school in OH and so the stinky fleece stayed in it's black trash bag and made the long haul with me to school.

Yes, I took a sheep's fleece - a dirty, stinky gray sheep fleece mind you - with me to college. I mean, it was either that or it was going to sit at home for 4 months. You see, if I took the fleece with me, I'd have a chance to wash it!

Once I got it to my apartment, however, I quickly realized I had a problem. Ideally, the fleece should have been washed all at once, but there really was no place to do that. The bathtub was out - my roommates would have KILLED me, and that would have been a huge mess. I researched doing it in the washing machine, but the idea of it felting on me gave me the willies.

So that left only one method - doing small bits at a time, using a pot that had become ruined last year. It became a weekly thing for me - the first thing I would do on Saturday was get the hot water started for washing that week's wool. A little Dawn dish soap, a few soakings and rinsings, and then it got left out to dry on the rack.

It was rare that I missed a week, but it did take me all school year to wash all the fleece. And about half did have to be rewashed later, as I switched washing methods halfway through the year and not all the grease came out. At that point, I was home and could do it in the bathtub.

Wish I had done this the FIRST TIME

During that school year, I also bought a small set of carders (from England, no less) and a drop spindle. Being a cheap college student doing this as a hobby, I thought it easier to go with the less expensive options. Though I do regret getting the smaller carders, to be frank.

In the meantime, I've been working to card and spin this fleece, one section at a time. I would say that I've gotten about a third of it spun, and I still have about a third left to card. As you can tell, I went several months without working on it and I really would like to get the rest of the fleece spun so I can finally get to making that cloak!

Old-fashionably yours,

Catherine