Intrepid Seamstress vs. Hildegarde

When last we saw the Intrepid Seamstress, she was battling the bodyform known as Hildegarde the Unweildy.

Intrepid Seamstress 1, Hildegarde 0:

After removal of the foamie mammaries and repositioning of same, fitting could proceed on the bodice:

Snug as a boob bug in a rug! Onwards!

Note the leftover mammaries in the belly area. ^_^

The finished product:

A few notes to ponder:

1. The Intrepid Seamstress is not now and may never again be pregnant. That bulgy thing is what happens when three babies have taken residence on the interior of the abdominal cavity for approximately 9 months each.
2. The Husband of the Intrepid Seamstress nearly busted a gut laughing at just how accurate a representation of her body Hildegarde is.
3. No, the Intrepid Seamstress will NOT be showing a comparison photograph, so just don't even ask. Trust me, it's A PERFECT COPY. Srsly. 4 realz.
4. The middle child pointed to it and said "You have a BIG BELLY!" No kidding squirt. See #1 above.

Britches!

Guess who got britches today?

And who got a neato new Thomas Trackmaster friend for being such a good boy and actually wearing them?

And as a note of warning for anyone who might think to snag pictures of my kid(s) and use them for nefarious purposes? I will hunt you down like the dog you are and use the full force of the law. Don't think that I won't. Because I'm the Momma Bear and that's how I roll. People who know me in meat life know that I don't make idle threats. Capisce?

Finally!

I've got all my email addresses and websites and such sorted. As much as I love my new laptop, I despise having to rummage around the network (Hey honey can you set that folder to "shared" please?) so that I can have my super-special fonts and web graphics and what-all available.

Add to that the hour I spent on the phone with Go Daddy today getting everything squared away...

Anyways, if you're interested, here's the sites:

BatikBaby

OrlandoBallroomDancing

Suluhtions

The Vintage Family

Empressive Productions

Just a note that although the sites are up and I can access them for updates, it's by no means for sure that they are in any way complete. As with most stuff I get involved in, it's a work in progress. Hopefully, though, I'll get them sorta done soon. And yeah, I'm cheap. That's why they have those lovely ad banners across the top. Until they start generating funds, no heck way will I spend money for hosting. That's the thrifty Scot in me. It can't be helped.

The Intrepid Seamstress Strikes Back!

With a mouth full of brightly colored, pearl-topped straight pins, her trusty Lutterloh kit and some unbleached and unwashed (on purpose mind you) muslin, the Intrepid Seamstress set forth to tame the savage beast known as Brunhilde.

Swoosh ("kyun kyun" for all you Macross fans - watashi wa karewa piloto) went the roll of paper across the floor as she rolled it out in preparation to draft the *perfect* cover. She deftly measured and marked the paper and carefully connected the dots to create the four (well five) pieces that would become the cover for Brunhilde's rubbery latex foam form.

Snick, snick went the shears as she cut first the pattern and then the muslin. A preliminary pinning together of the bodice proved the accuracy of the Lutterloh system. And with the help of her trusty sidekick (with much prompting from the Intrepid Seamstress) she pinned and tucked and pinned some more until a reasonable facsimile of a cover was created.

BUT! Would it fit over the recalcitrant Brunhilde? Would the Intrepid Seamstress finally conquer her nemesis? Tune in Next Time!

Creating a legacy

Behold, the Elder Princess Ella's first major sewing project!



This was her first ever sewing class at our local Joann's. I had the Ariel fabric in my stash and she picked out the purple border (a perfect match I might add). With minimal assistance with pins and scissors, she learned how to put the pedal to the metal and make the machine go all while guiding fabric AND removing pins. She was also the youngest kid in her class by at least 1.5 years *and* she finished first.


*beaming* I'm so proud of her!

Unfortunately, the picture quality isn't great because it was taken with my HTC 8585 SmartPhone. C'est la vie.

The Amazing Adventures of The Intrepid Seamstress

Once upon a time there was a girl who loved to sew. She sewed Barbie clothes from scraps of fabric and colthes for her tribe of Cabbage Patch dolls from remnants. When she grew up she longed to sew clothing for herself but alas and alack, she was unable to find someone to help her fit her garments to her body. She consulted the magic portal known as Google and found that there were many ways indeed to create a doppleganger that would enable her to create beauty and wonder from the bolts and bolts of fabric that were beginning to pile up.

The first quest was to create the "Duct Tape Double". It was, sadly, not that great. It did indeed look like the intrepid girl, but sadly the adhesive that caused the duct tape to adhere to her underthings and create the replica of her form also made it impossible to pin into and thereby tailor anything. So Hildegarde the Duct Tape Double was relegated to the bin.

Later that year, the girl had a birthday. While sojourning in the land of Google, she found yet another amazing invention known as the Uniquely You Dressform. Which in theory was ... well ... unique. It's squishable foam made it an ideal candidate to replicate the girl's shape and form. Unfortunately, the instructions that came with the dressform were written in some arcane language that the girl was unable to understand.

Many years passed and the girl became a woman and bore children. Which, as could be expected, made many changes to her body. It's shape was barely discernable as that of the girl's. "But that's not a problem!" cried the girl. "I can just alter the cover of yon dressform and in two shakes of a tailor's chalk the form will be as mine own!"

But the dressform gods are capricious and hid the intructions for altering the dressform to fit. And so, the girl once again ventured into the land of Google and acquired a second copy of the instructions. Fearing that some tragedy would befall the slip of paper on which they were inscribed, she put them into a "safe place". Which as everyone knows is really a black hole from whence they will never return until after a period of 20 years or the original item has long since been sold or given to the local charity shop.

After a period of 4 years, the girl rediscovers the dressform - known only as Brunhilde - and decides that indeed to attempt once again to create a doppleganger is a quest most worthy. And so she ventured again into the land of Google to learn the alchemy that would create the perfect double of her body in latex foam rubber.

Again, as before, the dressform gods ridicule her attempts at creating a cover for Brunhilde and in her desperation, the girl consults every oracle she can find to learn the secret to taming the latex foam rubber shrew.

Will she tame the latex foam rubber beast? Can she create her perfect double? Or will she die the death of one thousand and one straight pins?

Tune in next time for the continuing adventures of "The Intrepid Seamstress"!

Dude, You're Gettin' A Dell!

Does anyone remember those commercials? In case you don't here's one to jog your memory:

Anyhow, tonight, the Elder Princess Ella brings this to the dinner table:


Please to note the brand on the cover of this "laptop".



Please to note the attention to detail - including the "flying windows" button.

I am always awed at the sheer amazingness of my oldest child.

Exciting things to come!

I've got a lot of stuff in the works that I want to share with you! Look for garden updates, vintage sewing, wardrobe refashion and so much more.

Llama, llama not yo mama, how does your garden grow?

With lettuce, lettuce, carrots, carrots, onions, onions & leeks all in a row(ish).





Today (Friday the 13th) I was able to get the first few things set into my veg garden. Tomorrow I'll add more and we'll go on from there.

I think the kids went a little wild this year...

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

and Happy 3rd Birthday Prince Lorenzo!

See what Mommy made you?

JenQu's Fabulous Mac'n'Cheese

For real, this is the most amazing mac I've ever eaten. I've never made "real" mac'n'cheese from anything other than a box before. And according to my kids, Annie's organic mac is "nasty".

Me: But it's ORGANIC, kids! It's GOOD for you.

Them: MOM IT'S GROSS!!11!!

I figured I had to do something about the mac problem. So while cruising one of my favorite Delphi mZinga forums I noticed that JenQu's mac'n'cheese (option 1) was considered somewhat legendary and decided that if I had to make mac for real, I'd try her recipe. I let the kids pick the pasta (mini shells) and off we went to make the mac that is a meal.

The only modifications to the recipe were:

• Shredded Cheese - I ended up using 8 oz each sharp and mild cheddar rather than 2 cups. MMMM Cheesy.


• Parmesan Cheese - Locatelli mmmmmmm nice bite!


• Breadcrumbs - I didn't realize we were out of these until we got home and so I had to use stale stuffing cubes that were pulverized.

Even though the recipe was modified slightly, it was still a winner.

Recipe follows for those of you who don't want to click the link above.

Mac and Cheese

• 1 lb macaroni


• 8 oz cream cheese


• 2 cups shredded cheddar


• 1 cup milk or cream


• ½ cup bread crumbs


• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese


• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper


• 1 tbls butter

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Lightly butter 2 or 3 quart baking dish or pan (I use a long rectangular one..more crust!) Meanwhile, in a large pot of salted water cook the noodles until al dente, barely cooked, about 8 minutes. Drain and return to the empty pot. Mix with cream cheese until it is melted and getting nice and gooey. Stir in the cheddar and milk or cream. Transfer to the buttered baking dish (or pan, like I use) In a small bowl combine the breadcrumbs, parmesan and cayenne. Sprinkle over the macaroni and dot woth the butter. Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 40 minutes!

Strawberry fields...

My first harvest from my garden!

One red strawberry.

It was tasty, too!

Abducted by aliens!

At least I thought they were... These are items that have been languishing in my stack of "things I really ought to get to". The first grouping are items that need repairing.

The second grouping are the items that are projects in progress. My New Year's Resolution was to finish them. Some of them have been hanging around (har har) for over 3 years. Bet you can't guess which ones THOSE are.

Christmas gifts 2008!

Even more Christmas 2008 splendoriferousness!

Diaper cover, footie pjs & shorts set c. February 2006!

One diaper cover, dress & pajama top c. 2006, 2008 & 2007 respectively!

Detail of godets!

A tale of two MP3 players

A couple of years ago, I got this for Mother's Day.

It served me well and was great for teaching dance class. No more need for CDs, just plug it in and Whoomp! There it was! But all good things must come to an end, especially if one's children get hold of delicate electronics and appropriate them for their own use. Now to be fair, the Zen DOES still work, the LCD just is dead. But that doesn't do much good when the whole functionality of this kind of MP3 player is predicated on it having a functional LCD.

Enter the Fuze...

This was $79.99 at Best Buy (not an advertisement, no one paid me to plug this). It's double the storage AND can take a micro SD card for additional storage. So far, I've got almost every playlist I use stored on it and I still have room for more. I'm a VERY happy camper.

You can't outrun the long arm of...

It's amazing what you can find out there. Really. Anonymity online is a MYTH people. If you've ever bought a piece of property, your name and details are out there as a public record. Ever been sued? Ever sued anyone? Ditto. Are you listed as an officer of a corporation? THAT info is public record as well. If you've ever scammed someone, chances are that info is out there, too!

I recently googled some people I used to know. In under 30 minutes, I had their home address, property tax information, business information & civil case information.

That said, it's better to be safe than sorry. Here's a challenge: Google yourself. See what you can find. And then, think about how and what you want people to know about you.

You've got to be kidding me...

OK, so I was at the doctor's office last week and saw a J Crew catalog on the table. The only thing I knew about J Crew was that the First Lady wore something they sell. So I flip through the catalog and notice these:

You might be asking why I was so bemused about them? Well, for one thing, the 2006 catalog had a price tag of $198. And for another, I bought the same style of shoe (albeit with a more round toe) at Target in 2006 for a mere $14.99.

Granted, my shoes are gold metallic pleather and not the real mccoy, but still... For a shoe you wear knocking around to the grocery and playgroup? Almost $200? Even if I won the lottery, I STILL would NOT PAY that kind of money for a pair of every day, regular shoes. I wouldn't even pay that much for a pair of ballroom shoes in actual real gold leather. I did pay $99 for a pair of silver ones once upon a time, though. Nadia by International Dance Shoes.

Which apparently are now over $150 depending on where you buy them. My, my how time and money flies in the last 12 years...

OK back to the topic at hand. My Target house-brand shoes have been used and abused over the last three years. They've weathered pregnant lady feet, gardening and all kinds of abuse. I think I've got my $5/year out of them. The real question is "Would their high-ticket cousins have stood the same test of time?"

Favorite Things: Song

Another of "my favorite things" postings. This time it's about music. Music has powers to soothe the savage beast/breast (depends on who you talk to). For me, one song that moves me and soothes me is "Warwick Avenue" from the album "Rockferry" by Duffy.

It's got a 60s sensibility that reminds you of Pet Clark or Dusty Springfield. It's smooth and cool and her voice is just velvety.

Official Video

The entire album is amazing. More songs:

Mercy; Stepping Stone (not The Monkees!); Rockferry; Syrup & Honey

The Most Beautiful Girl In The World

According to my dad, that was me as a kid, but I beg to differ. I think my eldest should carry that title. What do you think?

Goodies from Indonesia

I brought these back from my second trip to Indonesia in 2004. They've languished in my window seat for the last couple of years and while I was digging in my fabric stash (more on that in another post), they turned up. So I thought I'd share. The square pouches transform into shopping bags - great and green! The top four are smaller than the one in the middle, but still adequate for trips to the farmer's market or your favorite used book shop - two places I take mine. For $4 + shipping any one of the four smaller ones can be your very own. The larger one is $5 + shipping. The cute little keychain/coin purses all the way down the bottom are $2 + shipping. Just leave a comment and let me know which one you want and if it's still available, we can arrange the details via email.

Raindrops on roses...

And whiskers on kittens...

OK, so they aren't some of my favorite things, but everyone knows the lyrics and from whence they came, so I figured you savvy readers would know that *this post* would be about [drumroll] my favorite things.

From time to time, I'll blog about the aforementioned favorite things but it won't be a regular thing and I'm not committed to how many of them I have. But suffice it to say, you'll get a treat every once in a while.

Today's favorite thing is seeing my kids playing together in the yard while I get the chance to fold laundry in peace. I know, I know it's such a simple thing. And free even! Especially when taking advantage of the sun to dry some of the more heavy duty items like jeans and towels.

So there you go: today's favorite thing: folding laundry in peace and quiet.

A Sew Retro Post

Again! I'm on a spree this week.

This time I'm seeking advice on what dress to make next. Click on over via the linkie above and leave a comment, ok? I'll make whatever dress gets the most votes by March 31st!

Domestic Tranquility

The Constitution provides for laws to protect and promote Domestic Tranquility. In the sea of unrest and financial dis-ease that is shaking our economy, it's the simple things that can bring a sense of well-being...

Today just sitting in the March breeze under a sunny sky and letting the little sickies run loose in the yard to get their daily dose of Vitamin D was just one of those simple things. While they ran around and got some fresh air, I folded the laundry...

and caught Dorsey, the Royal Feline, hiding under the settee...

I also pondered the sun peeking through the umbrella...

And the reflection of the sky in the now clean table...

And as I pondered these things for a while, everything was right with the world.

Sunlight, fresh air and breeze? Priceless.

Beautiful Boy

There are days when I think that John Lennon's song "Beautiful Boy" was written just for my little guy. This was one of those days. I can't even think about the lyrics without getting misty. Especially since he was what happened while I was "busy making other plans".

Enjoy the wonder that is Prince Lorenzo:

If the shoe fits...

Shove it in a box until you find the "perfect" outfit to wear it with...

Anyone who has known me for a long time, knows that my former nickname (like before "The Empress") was "Imelda" for I have collected shoes of all kinds for many years. It didn't even matter if they fit or I wore them more than once. If I found a quirky pair of shoes, they must be mine.

Eventually, however, I became a more discriminating connoisseur of footwear. However, I still can't resist a retro-inspired pair of shoes ... or three...

Here they are - my three personal faves - in all their glory:

Check out the detail on these:

These I've worn maybe three times. I'm still looking for the perfect 1920s/1930s outfit to go with them. I've ordered this:
from Patterns From The Past because it looks like a good fit. I can't wait to get it and make it up.

On to my most worn (out) pair of shoes:

This picture shows the little ivory button but not how worn out they are. They even have a matching handbag.

As for the delightful brown shoes? I've got some fabric set aside to match and a pattern that I'm not really committed to it yet. Maybe something better will come along.

Out of the mouths of babes...

Err... First Graders...

I don't blame her. I wouldn't want to either!