Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Happy Easter and a Finish or Two!

I hope you had a blessed holiday weekend, whether you celebrated Easter or Passover.

Hubby and I have been going to early church services for so long, it seems only right that we go to Sunrise Service on Easter morning.  It's very moving and beautiful.  We start outside around an outdoor firepit and process into the beautifully decorated sanctuary.  Our pastor is a very good preacher, and his sermons really always seem to hit the mark.

Normally we go separately because hubby likes to leave right after, and I like to stay for coffee and a bit of visiting.  We went together this week because it was Easter.  We were driving home at 7:40 a.m.  I said "Wow, on a normal week we wouldn't even be getting there at this time!"

After breakfast I took a nap.

The family came over at around 2 p.m. and we had dinner.  Pot roast and ham and roasted veggies and salad and a key lime pie for dessert. 

And of course a few Easter Eggs, carefully crafted and dyed by Miss A and Miss E.  Miss A was the BOSS this year (as she normally must be!) and Miss E was allowed to do some eggs (but not many) by the little tyrant crew chief.  Of course at 13 and a half, one is much too dignified to appear to CARE about those things, but she is artistic and wanted to contribute SOME of her talent!

You would think with three dozen eggs cooked, she could get some of them, but little sister had a PLAN and we just had to go ALONG.  Or ELSE.  LOL!


We have these cute little egg shaped plastic cups for dye, color coded, and the plastic plus the towel saves us from cracked eggs during the coloring process, unless of course they fall elsewhere...

 The "invisible crayon" provided many minutes of excitement while waiting for the dye to become the proper shade.  I used vinegar so the colors were supposed to be 'vibrant'.  If they wanted pastels they just dipped less.

I am SO sorry, this photo will NOT rotate, no matter what program I use to save it!  Can you tilt your head just a bit?  She had stations set up for really wet eggs, dry eggs, and undyed eggs. 
 
And I normally would not post a picture of my grands with their faces showing, but her hair was up and her shirt was just TOO good to pass up... it's one of Dad's that she used for an artist's smock.

One dozen finished!  The green one says 'green egg'.  To eat with your ham...

We sacrificed a car wash towel and it now has a lovely dotted pattern.
I'm sure the dye will wash out of the towel, and NO dye got on my rug or on the Crew Chief! 

The youth auction quilt and pillows were delivered.  The auction is in two weeks, that was cutting it short!  I sewed a lovely label on the back.  The throw pillows were donated by a lady who was cleaning out her sewing room in order to move. 

The quilt is 50x60 inches so the perfect lap or dorm quilt, with two coordinating but not matching throw pillows that I made from the left over pieces.

It was expertly quilted by my friend Suzi with fans, and a straight line pattern in the border.

The back, before the label.  Of COURSE there's no photo of the label...  duh me!

Head tilting is required... sorry.

The top is on the right side... sigh.



Pillow No. 1 has a flange around the edges, which was a challenge to get under the presser foot!

Pillow No. 2 is a simple log cabin pattern, featuring the cherry fabric in the center. 

My last finish this week was a doll dress for a cabbage patch-sized doll.  The dress was made from the lining and overlay of my cousin's wedding dress.  She gave it to our cousin Amy to make pillows from after her wedding a couple of years ago.  She doesn't know my aunt decided that this doll she has and wanted to give to her should have a wedding dress (or that I should make it!)  So if you see Kelly, don't tell... but since I doubt she reads this blog we can take a look.

Full front view.

Detail of the collar.  That's the corner of the overlay at the front.

Skirt detail.  The edge is one piece, and the flowers are all separate pieces, sewn down individually.

 
I could not find a piece of the overlay large enough to cover the whole skirt without cutting off many of the lace flowers and beads.  Lace is just motifs such as the flowers sewn onto netting, so I cut the netting away and just basted the motifs right to the dress.  This was LOTS of hand sewing, so it took for.ev.er... and with all the pins needed I poked myself a LOT.  With all the beads and sequins, it could have been a disaster in the sewing machine.

I supposed I could have sewn them down to another piece of netting and THEN applied that to the dress, but that would have been too easy or logical, or would have required planning.  Such as doing that before I put the dress base together...

So this just needs a closure and it can be delivered.

Two things crossed off my project in process list! 

Sew on...