a hook and some string

"Myra Gillis had 37 doilies when she got married, and

 I'm determined to have AT LEAST as many as she had."

  ~Diana Barry - Anne of Avonlea~

I love doilies. I always have. In fact, Mama and I used to snatch them up whenever we found them at antique stores or yard sales. They get dingy and stained over the years, but we still have enough nice ones to keep at least one in each room.

 

 

When I was about 13, I decided that I was going to make my own doilies for my hope chest. After all, one simply cannot keep house without them! ;) It was hard to grasp at first. Using those hooks that are so tiny that you're not even sure that there really is a hook on the end of them take a while to get used to. But, once I mastered the hook and the art of reading the instructions (most of mine are from the 40's and 50's and therefore, rather cryptic) I was hooked. No pun intended.

 

 

When it comes to handiwork, I find doilies the most rewarding. It can be frustrating when you're in the middle of it, but the finished product is always worth it. It's like making lace - elegant and refined. I just love it! Each time I finish one, I just sit back and stare at it for a while. I showed one to my dad last night and all he could say was, "That's amazing". Ok, maybe that's a little over the top, but it is hard to

Unfortunately, this also means that making doilies is addictive. So, to all of my fellow crocheters, a word of warning: Do not attempt doilies unless you are prepared to make many, many, many of them! Also, don't start with a pattern that is really fancy, especially if it has a huge ruffle or several motifs that are joined in the middle. Find one that is small, simple, and works in a round to start with and then you can move on to the more showy patterns once you've got the hang of it. I tried it the other way around and do not recommend it.

 

 

Now, I must be off to sift through my ginormous pile of doily patterns to select my next project!

What are you working on today?  I'd love to hear about it!

babysitting, two dresses, a photo shoot, and some tea

This has been a crazy week!  (That is pronounced kuh-RAY-zee).  Crazy, but fun, since I've been doing all of the things that I enjoy.  That is, everything except for blogging.  I just haven't had the time to sit down and write!  But now, I am giving my sewing machine and camera a much deserved break so allow me to plunge right in and start at the beginning.

The biggest priority this week was the dress for my Grandmother that I mentioned in an earlier post.  It had to be finished by Friday night, and guess when I put on the finishing touches?  You guessed it!  Friday night.  :D

I love how it turned out!  She picked out the fabric, gave me a store bought outfit to use as a pattern and let me go!  You can't see it very well, but the dress and cuffs have red, blue, and brown-ish stars on them.  Grammy is very patriotic! I also managed to find some really cute star buttons to match. 

Isn't she lovely?  :)

While I was in the middle of working on this dress, we drove down to Alabama to see my sister, Kim.  I don't know if I've mentioned this yet, but she's expecting!  I'm super excited!  I will be getting another nephew, Robert Luke, in August.  I'm considering it a late birthday present.  :D

Anyway, Sarah and I got to watch the girls while Mama took Kim to have some tests run.  We really had a good time.  I brought my sewing along and I had a pretty interesting time trying to cut out Grammy's blouse and watch a movie at the same time.  I ended up just laughing on cue so they would think that I was paying attention, but don't tell them I said so!

I got to have a really good laugh when Haley picked up one of the unattached sleeves, cocked her head to one side and said, "Now how in the world does this work?"

Sewing.  It's a mysterious art.

My second big project this week was rather last minute.  Sarah's friend, Hannah, just had her sixteenth birthday and we were planning on having a formal photo shoot of the two of them to celebrate.  The dress that she found for the occasion was *ahem* backless, except, of course, for a few ribbons running from one side to the other.  She had already bought the necessary fabric, so I filled in the "hole" and made a train to hang down the back and hide the evidence.  I also made a little halter strap to go around her neck.

It turned out really good considering that it was last minute!

We really had a lot of fun taking pictures.  Hannah's sister, Leah, and I were the photographers accompanied by Gilbert and Knightley. 

(Yes, we named our cameras.  Hers is after Gilbert Blythe in Anne of Green Gables and mine is after Mr. Knightley in Emma. Don't ask us why, that's just the way it is...lol :)

Of course, for every picture there were several outtakes, like this one. 

I never could figure out what was so funny...

Leah and Gilbert. ;)

Love these girls!

Now we come to yesterday afternoon which was the Ladies' Tea at our church.  It was really a wonderful time and a great end to my busy week.  There were ten tables in all and each hostess decorated her table in any way she liked.  The result was stunning.  Very diverse, but reflective of each personality and interests.

 My table.  I was so excited to get to pull my china out of

my hope chest and actually use it!

Here are a few pictures of some of the other tables.  The ladies really did a wonderful job!

 All of the ladies really had a wonderful time fellowshipping and enjoying the
games, singing, and the guest speaker.

 And the food was excellent too!

So, now you know why the blog has been rather silent this week!  I'm looking forward to things calming down just a little bit.  But only a very little bit!  May is the busiest month of the year in our family.  I like to refer to it as "May Madness".  With five birthdays, Mother's Day, recitals, graduations, etc. things can get a little crazy around here, but we shall prevail!!!!

catching up

It's been a long, long week.  One of those weeks where you can crash at 7:30 pm and sleep soundly until the alarm goes off at 6 am.  I didn't know that was possible for an established night owl like me.  Anyway, I'm hoping that this week will be a little more restful.

Aside from keeping track of two very energetic and sometimes unruly children (not an easy task!), I have been trying to keep my hands busy.  I finished my quilt.

Although it's not big enough to use as my only cover, it looks quite nice draped across the edge of the bed.  It keeps my legs warm at night. :)

Over the weekend, I was commissioned by my aunt to crochet an afghan for her couch.  The only instructions I was given was that it must be a deep red and it must be big enough to cuddle with on the couch.  This gave me an excuse to visit Hobby Lobby.  I just love those excuses!  I don't do very well crocheting without a pattern.  So, I found one that looked simple and met my aunt's specifications, bought yarn of the correct color and set to work.  Unfortunately, the pattern was more difficult that I realized.  I'm still trying to figure it out.  Once I get a substantial amount done (correctly) I'm going to post a picture.  If I can just figure it out!  I can only handle so much failure...  After several tries inside several hours, not even Mr. Sinatra can un-frustrate me.  Anyway, I think I'm getting close.

********

This past Saturday, my family participated in a community yard sale.  Mama and I spent several evenings cleaning out the kitchen.  I couldn't believe all of the stuff that she didn't want!  I stole some of it for my hope chest.

You can't really see everything in this picture, but let me tell you, it's a lot of stuff!  It's been sitting on my hope chest for days now waiting for me to find boxes or something to pack it all in.  I'm not even sure it's all going to fit.  I've been acquiring china and other things since my 14th birthday and my chest is already half full.

*********

My good friend Leah let me borrow a couple of books that I have been itching to read for ages.  I Kissed Dating Goodbye and Do Hard Things.  I started the first today.  I can't wait to finish it!  I'll give a review when I'm finished with them. :)

*********

Anyway, that's what I've been up to.  Happy Monday!