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Friday, July 15, 2011

a mid-summer nights dream

for days now i've been wondering, "what on earth can I possibly blog about?" right now i'm in the doldrums of lazy summer, do-nothing days. yet when I stand back and look at the passing weeks, there are little, simple things sprinkled here and there that add color, happiness to each day. 

as i said in my facebook status yesterday: 

colorful, flowery sundress. check. shades from disneyland. check. beautiful (humid) july afternoon. check. loving family. check. blessed? CHECK. (even in the earthly things. the Lord is always good!)

dream
sewing a civil war ball gown - big and beautiful, swish-y hoop skirt . . .layers of  shimmering fabric. Then the ball itself; dashing blue Yankee soldiers, grey-coated rebels; dancing under a blanket of starry sky.

my fabric. isn't this just delicious?  - i could eat it. the shiniest, satiny-est, pinkish pink ever. i'm in love. 
mid-summer reality   
rushing with my mom to jo-anne fabric an hour before closing. . .paging through pattern books in search of the perfect gown. viola! simplicity never fails. the question is, will i? a visit to a quaint living history museum. . . news of  a civil war ball, a reenactment.  i love to sew, dance, history. why not take a gamble? now i'm staring at a pile of creamy, rosy-pink fabric, wondering just what i got myself into. boning. . .honestly? o.O


dream
living in the country, acres and acres of open land; a little house with an old-fashioned swing in the front yard. all within practical distance of shopping and charming charlie, of course. . . i am seriously a country girl at heart. my families half acre doesn't leave much room for imagination - of running barefoot through fields, and most importantly, raising ducklings. this is very important of course. ducks are a passion of mine. i just love them. . .and to be perfectly honest, i've become somewhat of a professional-duck photographer. :nods:


"all God's creatures got a place in the choir, some sing low, some sing higher - some sing out loud on the telephone wire, some just clap their hands, or paws, or anything they've got . . ."

mid-summer reality
sitting in front of a computer screen, smiling fondly at the thought of watching the sun go down over a lake. there is nothing more relaxing then lolling on a dock, watching boaters, laughing at the antics of fellow "there's nothing to do tonight, lets sit at the pond," families, and oohing-and-ahhing over all the ducks.

then there's the crab-apple trees, hemmed in by a fence and overlooking fields of nothing. pretend the tourists aren't there; here in this corner its easy to forget them. here, sitting on top of the world - aka a fence post, i can reach the branches, feel the breezes cooling my neck. ohhh. . .i could have lived in that moment forever.


dream
getting a music degree. . .teaching piano out of the home. ten long years have passed since my first desire to own a new piano; still i struggle along on my 100 year old upright - my baby. but she's ready to retire. i'm not.

mid-summer reality
just back from hobby lobby, a new pile of fabric to stare at. . .listening to my all-time favorite tenor, andrea bocelli. in september the annual event my family and i host for home school graduates, the ohio summer rendezvous, will arrive, bringing with it yet another ball (masquerade! see why i need a new gown?) old and new faces, and countless memories. i can hardly wait. while most of the work is computer-related, planning has kept me BUSY. right now i'm playing 'my heart will go on' over, and over, and over. . .driving my family crazy, and enjoying myself thoroughly.  it has to sound perfect, not to mention memorized, for the OSR talent show.  and who knows - perhaps, Lord willing, the free piano i'm looking into will actually be the one . . .

special alert, side-noted reality*~ 

the cupcake shop on our square. how cute can something get? just a tiny store front stand, filled with nothing but cupcakes, in every flavor imaginable. it is such fun, ordering a fattening, bad-for-you cupcake, and sitting at the victorian gazebo, people watching and whatnot.*~

(photography: barn, picture of moi, taken by Anna; fabric, ducks, taken by yours truly)

11 comments:

  1. It sounds like you're having a delicious summer so far, Michaela! Please share pictures when you finish your Civil War ballgown. I love the dresses from that time period, but I don't think I am experienced enough in the art of stitchery to undertake such a challenge. Maybe someday... :)

    Love and Blessings,
    Elizabeth Rose

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  2. Oh,civil war dress!!!
    I love men in uniform.... I love the WW1-2 uniforms best I don't know why but I do!

    I LOVE living in the country!!

    Running through the backyard in barefeet,with goaties tagging along....

    Cool,I would love to hear you play. You should do a video of you playing the piano!


    Oh,a masquerade!! Lucky you,post LOTS of photos of it for me......pleeeeease..... :)

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  3. Costumes! Yippee!!!

    Don't be scared by boning, dearie. It's really quite easy. The TOM gown's bodice was boned, and it was easy-peasy, even being miniature-sized, ya know. It'll be a piece of cake.

    Which pattern did you get? I have the pattern with the yellow gown on the front. (I *think* it's Simplicity). My thought is that if I ever decide to make a full-sized TOM gown, I can use that pattern. Besides, it was on sale for like, a dollar. So yeah. :-D

    Going over costume stuff with SA2 is making me want to recreate a costume again (although I'm thinking more bustles and lace and blue-green fabric..."Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" playing in the background...) Alas, alas, $$$$$! How I hate thee and the necessity for thee.

    Anyway! This is a comment/email to make up for the lack of emails to you lately. Sowwy and I will remedy that soon! :-)

    Flop

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  4. Oh, I just love ducks!
    Can't wait to see how your new ball gown turns out!

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  5. Such yummy, gorgeous fabric! I can't wait to see what you come up with. G'luck with the boning venture!

    All your blog posts are so lovely, Michaela. This one is no exception.

    'scuse me while I drift off into a summer daydream... ^.^

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  6. The color of the gown you are planning on making is simply gorgeous! I'm really looking forward to seeing how the finished product looks.

    I enjoyed reading your thoughts today. You have quite a unique way of writing, which I like. :)

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  7. lol, I am so random. I was reading the post on my computer, which doesn't let your pics on for some reason (filter issues...bleh...anyway). So I write the comment, get on Mom's computer, and see that YES, we do have the same pattern.

    I am something else. :-S Hahahaa. Ok, so that is a nice pattern. I think. Haven't tried it yet, but like I said, if I ever make a full size TOM gown, I will use that.

    That's "Think of Me"...in case you're having one of those I have no idea what that abbreviation stands for days. :-P

    Flop

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  8. Hi! You don't have to publish this..... I just thought I would let you know something about the pattern you chose. It is absolutely beautiful, but I heard on a CW sewing site that the sleeves/shoulder parts do not fit very well and are kind of restricting (can't raise your arms very high). I don't want to discourage you, but just thought I would give you a heads up so that if you have problems, you don't think you are the only one! I think you are an amazing seamstress, so I don't think you can fail. :) I'm looking forward to seeing pictures when it is done! :)

    In Christ's Service,
    Sarah

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  9. Oh, I want to see this gown when it is finished!!!! :D

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  10. I was always scared of doing a Victorian gown... Although I have bought pretty much every simplicity pattern they have for the era... The part that really put me off is that you are technically supposed to have the correct undergarments with Victorian ballgowns... Are you doing the chemise, corset, and bloomers???

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  11. Oh, and I have a bone to pick. I think Confederate soldiers are particularly dashing. True gentlemen, southern accents....jusy sayin'. Hehehe. I'm leavin now. :-P

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