JUMP DRESS and b-day

Progress has been slow because so much has been going on including my Hubby's b-day. I have told every one I must work on dress I am writing this to encourage me to get busy.
Progress:
When I last left here I was supposed to be beading the bodice I changed my mind. Instead I cut out the train but first I had to shorten it because My DD doesn't want to have a dragging train at a dance so I shortened it 10 inches making it just a tad shorter than the dress. I did this by lifting the pattern so I could use the round bottom then I used my french curve to draw a new cutting line (one of those notions that comes in so handy)



I also took the gathering out of the skirt I matched notches to the bodice and then folded out the fullness. The original is not gathered to the bodice and the pattern I am using is fully gathered. (reference pattern in below post)

I then did a test cut out of two old sheets one to check fit and also to make three skirts lengths the costume pattern I am using does not have the three skirts it just has you sew trim at hem lengths. I want three separate skirts like the original dress (reference pictures of dress and pattern in below post).

This is the skirt cut from a sheet this pattern only uses one pattern piece for the front and back the only difference is the front is cut on fold.


I sewed my muslin to test fit DD loves the two sheets and said I can use it for the final dress forget the beautiful expensive lace hahahaha :) silly girl I am tempted

Checking fit and skirt length

I cut out the two top skirts out of stretch fine net the pattern called for tulle which I bought then I found this stretch net and the drape is so nice I am using it instead I took apart my muslin after I noted fitting points and used it as the pattern for the skirts it worked out really nice it took very few pins since the fabric doesn't move around like tissue paper.



After I cut out the skirts I tested the three length with the trim and medallions on



I sewed the front to back skirts with a rolled edge which is perfectly fine as a seam it is strong and stretchy and eliminates french seams on a sheer fabric



I started sewing on trim to one of the overlay skirts I hand basted it on first in pink thread I think hand basting is underrated it really saves time in the long run and I know why couture houses use so much hand basting and hand sewing period. I didn't have to worry about straight pins snagging my net or I didn't have to take the time to pull them out. I also finished the edge of the fine stretch net with a two thread over lock it prevented a lot of the curling that would have happened with the stretch net again an extra step that in the long run saved me time.



One of the reasons I have not worked on this more is My Hubby's 44th was on the 9th and since it was a work day and my Son couldn't come home from college until Sat. we decided to have a little shin dig on Sat and I asked my Hubby what he wanted me to make him he picked chicken and dumplings which is delicious but is an all day dish.

Birthday table
I used some fabric I had on hand Nascar since my hubby likes Nascar I put out some cars and I used Canning Jars for glasses it made a cute table and was a hit with the guests I also put out colored straws so guests would know whose is whose.
I wanted to do something special on his actual B day so I made him a doughnut cake. It has been a issue with us for over 20 years if he has a buck in his pocket he is at the doughnut shop this man loves them I give him a lot of guff about it so I thought it would be fun for him to find a mountain of them. Happy Birthday Mark you are My dream come true I love you.

Whew I am tired but I really want to blog this dress it has truly been a dream My DD and I have had for 11 years.
Please pray for me I need it off to sew trim:)
God Bless

P.S. prom is May 3rd do you thinnk I will make it??
P.S.S don't give your husband money they go get doughnuts

As if the internet wasn't full of info then came blogs:)

I have been trying to blog more often. I was originally going to try and use this just for sewing but I like to create period and sometimes that is sewing sometimes it is gluing and sometimes it is cooking you never know so while I will continue to hide fabric in my pantry, I am definitely going to use this blog for life happenings.
I am finding that by blogging their are a lots of women who love being a SAHM. I thought I was born in the wrong generation because after a long retail career I started staying home. ( originally because of no child care)
My life changed for the better in so many ways that the few downfalls are worth it. Downfall is usually the tightness of funds the upside is a wonderful marriage and great kids. Not to say that working Mom's don't have great marriages and great kids. For me personally I work best at Home.
Now that I have found blogging my family is laughing at me because I want to blog food and I run around taking pictures of stuff I cook. Today's blog is a food post hope you enjoy.
Might I add whatever you do in or out of your home enjoy it and be happy know that God has a plan for all of us. God is never wrong and he knows what one can handle.

I found this recipe on "a fanciful twist" since the cost of a pizza has gone up considerably. I have been making french bread pizzas and Bisquick pizza's for a long time and while those are yummy and inexpensive I miss the pizza house crust.
You must try this recipe if you like pizza it is so delicious
Dough:
4 cups all purp flour
1 tablespoon kosher salt (I used regular salt)
1 teaspoon fresh yeast (I used 1 package fast rising)
1 teaspoon honey
1 1/2 cups cold water
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

combine 3c flour and salt mix well,mix yeast and honey together then add water and oil pour this mix over flour mix then add additional flour 1/4 cup at a time. I have a Kitchen Aid mixer so it kneads for me if you don't have the KA hand knead on a floured service for 6-8 mins. Form into a ball cover with damp cloth and let rest for 30 min. then roll into 6 balls for small pizzas or one large ball as I did for one big pizza covered with oiled plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until double (about 1 hour) (check if it holds a finger indention).
I then cut up a onion and caramelized it in some butter, I always put onion on my pizzas but I have never caramelized them first -WOW- what a difference. After I cooked my onion I used the same pot to make my sauce do not wash it out then you get some flavor form the butter coating your pan plus one less pan to wash:)


I then made my own sauce and this is always fun playing mad scientist in the kitchen:)
My Sauce:
1 8oz. can tomato sauce
1 14.5 can whole tomato's in juice (mashed with a potato masher or blend them)
a couple of pinches of the following (about 2 tablespoons) (I don't measure sorry)
Oregano
basil
parsley
red pepper flake ( adds heat so more or less according to you heat desire)
onion and garlic powder ( about a teaspoon of each)
A couple of shakes of salt and pepper (again to taste)
about 1/4 cup of Extra Virgin olive oil
2 table spoons sugar
1 cap full of balsamic vinegar
put all this in pot and bring to boil then drop down to a simmer while you wait for your dough to rise also I cut up my other vegis at this time.
I find that a cooked sauce combines flavors better but this sauce would be fine cold then put on the pizza.
Here is my secret that no one has figured out with my red sauce and I use this on spaghetti too. ( I guess it isn't my secret any more haha)
Right before you pull your sauce off the fire whisk in a large dollop of sour cream (about a heaping table spoon)
This adds a nice creamy texture without changing the taste too much,
Let your sauce cool a bit then it is ready to ladle it onto your crust.
I sprinkled cornmeal to the bottom of my pan and then hand stretched the dough to fit my pan and rolled the sides up a bit for crust. I didn't try to make this too pretty I liked the homemade rustic look of this. The dough is so easy to work with and stretches easily.
Now go crazy with toppings
My DD and I don't like meat but hubby loves it so making it at home we can do what we want at no extra charge.
I put it together in this in this order:
sauce
thin layer of sharp Cheddar
caramelized onions
green bell pepper
DH's side pepperoni (lot's again something they charge so much more)
our side black olives
another layer of Cheddar then topped with mozzarella baked at 450 about 20 min.s

I know it may seem silly to go on and on about pizza but this was amazing and we can have so much fun my DH wants me to try a white sauce next maybe I will add chicken. DD says just bake the crust and move out of her way:)
Wow blogging is a lot of work, I am so inspired by so many blogs.I tried to be clear on these instructions but please feel free to ask any questions.
Make sure to check out " A Fanciful Twists post" I thank her again for giving my family a great recipe.

Blessings

-go to the so much to share post -
http://afancifultwist.typepad.com/a_fanciful_twist/2007/11/so-much-to-shar.html
P.S. I just nuked some for lunch and it reheated perfect and the taste is even better

Birthday Tea Party For My Beautiful 17 Year old

I had a tea party for my beautiful, smart, caring daughter who is now 17.
Wow I can’t believe she is 17 it was only yesterday she was stealing her brother’s legos and throwing them behind the couch.
Last Year was the crazy sweet 16 so I told her this year would have to be small she asked how about a tea party? I jumped on the idea because we love to have tea together. Little did I know how much work it would be (she is worth all of it).
It started with making the invites we went simple we bought some pretty papers from the scrap booking isle of our craft store,used decorative scissors on the edges, printed out the invites on reg paper, cut them smaller than the deco paper, hole punched and pulled a ribbon through and tied a bow simple but sweet. My daughter and I did this project together it was a nice time to share.


She gave me the number of guests and then added two a few days later. I told her to limit it to what she had which was 8 girlfriends (no boys).
We requested formal wear (we thought it would be a good excuse to wear some of the dresses they have had for dances that will never be worn again, they all seemed thrilled to get dressed up).
I already had some pretty teacups and saucers and two teapots (the pretty kind) we needed a couple more cups and I wanted two more teapots so plenty of tea would be flowing. We were fortunate enough to borrow a couple more. (thanks to Kylie and Tootie)
We went to all the thrift stores in town to find enough glass plates, serving dishes and linens. I have quite a bit but not enough for what we wanted to do.

We didn’t want to have to buy anything new (I have a china hutch full of stuff that rarely gets used) or too matchy, matchy we wanted an eclectic look with vintage flair. The older I get the more I love vintage does that mean I am vintage haha.
After we found and borrowed every thing we needed. Including 2 6foot tables and one 4 foot with chairs (yea for friends thanks Johnson’s)

I spent night after night doing tea research on line and getting ideas and after all the research we finalized the menu. Trying to stick closely with a formal tea meal.
1st course was during the arrival and greeting time we had strawberry lemonade and cheese and crackers set up at a self serve table with pretty Wine glasses for the lemonade.
During this the girls were arriving one by one and I in a really bad English accent greeted them at the door in a maids uniform of black and white. I welcomed each girl offered to take their handbag and coats then loudly announced their arrival to the party.
After all the girls arrived my daughter asked them to be seated at their name tagged seats. She had a seating plan since some of the girls did not know each other.

She then rang a bell and I brought out Tea, Milk, lemon slices, honey and sugar cubes. (Lots of research resulting in the Tea accompaniments and how they are to be served English tea is always served with milk not cream and lemon is to be sliced not wedged)
2nd course followed with finger sandwiches: egg salad on wheat cut with a butterfly cookie cutter, tuna salad on white beget the grocery store was nice enough to slice it for me, lastly vegetable cream cheese and cucumber on pumpernickel. The egg was the favorite, I am not sure if it was the egg or the butterfly shape.
I also had a silver-serving dish on the table of pita chips while not a true English tea food we love them and wanted to introduce them to some of the girls who had not.
I brought out the sandwiches on a big tray and walked around to each girl.
I filled the pots with more tea at this point.
My daughter and I went to a formal tea at church and one of the things they did was have some questions on cards as topics of discussion we thought that was a great idea to keep conversation going as some of these girls had not meet each other before. My daughter looked on line for some ideas like: favorite vacation favorite funny story, most embarrassing moment etc. we cut them up and put them in her white Easter hat she wore as a little girl and passed the hat around during eating this was a huge success and really did keep things flowing.

3rd course was then rung in after a bit by my daughter this time it was homemade heart shaped cream scones (warmed) with strawberry or peach fruit preserves and topped with Devonshire cream. I topped the scones with a brushing of heavy cream and purple sugar to add some fun. (I colored the sugar with food coloring drops the day before so it would be dried and ready to sprinkle) I added no fruit to the scones themselves just the topping. (This was my favorite dish; I have had scones in coffee shops many times, but never like this with the fruit and cream on top. I had it for breakfast for two days after her party and sadly it is all gone)
I gave my daughter a bell that was given to me the year she was born it is dated “1990” I thought it would make her feel special to ring me in but she rang it a couple times for fun and I came in running I think the girls liked that but I wanted to take the bell back hahaha so after two false alarms she was finally ready for the last course.

This was the sweets tray with cupcakes of chocolate fudge with vanilla frosting dyed purple and little candy flowers of purple on top, Vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frosting dyed pink and some had coconut on them and some had pink edible glitter. The tray also included milk chocolate truffle balls with a creamy white chocolate filling and vanilla roses in pink and purple.
I made the roses with candy melts form the craft store and plastic molds. It made a beautiful display and allowed me to use a two tiered silver serving tray I have had for 20 years (hubby polished all the silver for us xoxoxoxoxo)

During this course they played another conversation game called two truths and a lie each girl would take a turn telling two truths and a lie and the rest would have to guess the lie I am happy to report they had a bit of trouble with the lie.
Though this was an exhausting event for me I would do again. We had
our party at 4pm (according to research formal tea was served between 3:30-5:00pm) it gets dark so early I figured that 4 would be perfect to show case candle lighting.
Some party highlights of décor:
We had over twenty candles all over the room (some were hand made soy- thanks Megan) some floating in colored water some pillar, votives I really wanted a mix.
I made a rose bowl centerpiece with a crystal candy dish using pink large bud roses, pink carnations and baby’s breath. I added a small lace parasol to the roses. (Hubby cut all the stems for me after I cut one the size I wanted he had never done anything like cut flowers before- Thanks honey)
On each side of the rose bowl I had pink long pillar candles and a small swan on a mirror each swan had a colored rose candy in it.
I had a small side table with a ivy bowl full of pink and yellow tulips one of the girls has a sister who works at a nursery and she brought a bunch of flowers as a gift to my daughter –thanks Megan)

I made candy kiss roses in purple wrap for each girl except for one in red for a girl who is a die-hard Phantom of the Opera fan (if you have seen the movie you understand the red rose)
We made purple and pink rose gift bags and put candy kisses the rose candies and pastel mints in them tied with a satin bow and a small white fan. The bags were at each girl’s place setting.

I broke out My Mother in Law’s silver teaspoons and forks. We used clear glass dessert size plates with rose paper plates underneath. Mix and match linens all different but worked together with our basic pink and purple theme.
Addition highlights: I told my daughter ahead of time I would not join her Tea Party as a guest it would be to hard to jump up and down and so we played with that idea and we decided I would dress up as a maid then the bell idea came in which I had at her place setting. We also had beautiful harp and easy listening music in the background the room was mostly candle lit just one small lamp on.
I think this was a hit and after some rest I might want to do it again sometime or help someone else.

Thank you to all the help listed as well as all he valuable info
and ideas shared on line.
May God bless you and if you have a daughter enjoy a nice cup of tea with her
because she will be 17 in no time.

Happy 17th Birthday Shan I Love you