Gold dress, black dress

The NYFA student black dress assignment is our first opportunity to put what we've learned about pattern making, design, and construction to the test (perhaps you recall this post on pattern making or even this one about draping?). The parameters of the assignment are that the dress be black (duh, but you'd be surprised at how many students resist that) and classic. Terry often tells students that the dress should be appropriate for things like a job interview or a night at the opera. I'd like to wear mine to our rehearsal dinner the night before Chris and I get married. :)

Here's a flat sketch of my design, which has a front and back cowl as well as a draped skirt:

This summer I've been drafting patterns and sewing mock-ups of the dress, or what we call muslins, to check the fit and overall drape.  The images below are of my final muslin sewn in a wonderful gold polyester.  Perhaps gold is the new black? I'm going to go with no, it's not, but it does give you an idea of where I'm going.

For the final dress, I chose a silk crepe back satin (pictured below). In class last night, my instructor touched the fabric and just said, "Yummy." There is really no other way to describe it.

More pictures to come as I keep sewing :) Have a great weekend everyone!

land that I love

Chris and I are pretty serious about the 4th of July. We each have a special shirt that we wear every year: I wear my red mock turtleneck t-shirt and Chris wears a shirt he bought at Walgreens that reads "America. Land that I love." I told Carmen, who is spending her summer break with us, that I couldn't talk to her on the 4th unless she had an America shirt on because America does not approve of a lack of patriotism. She promptly went to Walgreens where she found her very own celebratory America shirt.

Once we were all properly dressed, we began the celebration with a discussion about what we'd eat that day. We knew we were having Chris's pizza, but Carmen wanted to know if she could have an American flag on her slice. Little did she know that I had flag toothpicks left over from Chris's buck hunter themed birthday party (I figure that anyone who loves buck hunter probably loves America and beer) and was happy to fulfill her request. 

You should know, however, that Chris, Carmen, and I aren't the only ones that love America. So does the Gata. Although I'm not sure that the Gata loves America as much as she loves that the 4th of July is her birthday. She turned 6 this year and we celebrated with the "numeral sparkler" pictured above. Once it got dark, Carmen held the Gata from inside the back door so she could watch Chris light the sparkler outside while I took pictures and we all cheered. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. The Gata wasn't too thrilled with a stick lit on fire in her face, Chris's fingers got burned by the sparkler and I didn't get even one image worth showing! Sorry Gata (she doesn't look too upset in her birthday portrait though, so that's good).

In addition to the Gata's birthday, the 4th was also Chris's outdoor pizza cooking debut. He (with Carmen's help) modified our Weber grill into an outdoor pizza oven. How fun is that?

The great thing about making pizza this way is that you literally spending the entire day eating. Chris heats up grill, preps ingredients, makes pizza, and bakes pizza. We eat. He rests and repeats. 

Our favorite pie was the Red, White, and Blue pie (red = marinara, white = mozzarella, and blue = blue cheese). 

I'm certain that America was pleased.

Free Range

While enjoying a morning coffee at Carla's (Chris and Carmen's mom) house, Carmen and I filled one another in on our plans for the day. 

"We're heading out to my parent's ranch this morning." I explained to Carmen.

"I guess my mom has acquired thirty-some chickens and a few ducks. Also, I heard she had renegade holsteins roaming the yard when she woke up this morning. It's a zoo."

Carmen giggled.

I had to go to the ranch to make sure that everyone was still sane. Well, sane-ish. Relative sanity is about all one can ask for. 

My mom lets "The Girls" (and a few roosters) roam around the yard as they please. She grumbles about how they've all but ruined her landscaping and poop all over her patio, but I know that she would have it no other way. 

tired and thankful

Chris, Carmen, and I found ourselves unexpectedly flying home to South Dakota a few days ago. Even though the reason we were home was sad, it felt good to spend time with family and friends. 

We're back in Seattle now - tired and thankful for another day. I brought some flowers in from the garden this morning before attempting to catch up around the house. It never ceases to amaze me how easily a blue hydrangea can brighten my day!

image{s} of the week

Meet Kouign Amann - a buttery, salty pastry with a caramelized crust and flakey interior. The fork is optional.

Did you honestly believe that I would leave those flakes on my plate?

Enjoy the holiday weekend everyone!