Sweethearts...

Brynwood Needleworks - Farmhouse Valentines

I played with a little fabric on Monday, too. I pulled out my collection of Primitive Gatherings' (plus the dot fabric - not PG) Farmhouse Gatherings line of flannel fabric, and Lisa's "Sweethearts" pattern. I used the smallest heart shape in the pattern, and then used most of my own words for the hearts.

Lisa's hearts had words like "Be Mine", "I (heart) You", "All Mine", "Hug Me", "My Love", "Kiss Me", and "XOXO". I used "Kiss Me" and "XOXO", and then changed out the rest with "As You Wish" and "True Love" (from our favorite movie, The Princess Bride), and the initials inscribed in both of our wedding rings, "AB & A, AML".

Brynwood Needleworks - Farmhouse Valentines

 

In keeping with the number nine that I told you about yesterday, I'll be adding one more heart to the display. I like Lisa's "My Love", so that will probably be the last one. 

I have a few more Valentine touches to bring out before the actual holiday, but this is what our dining room table vignette looks like today. As an aside: Don't you love that my Thanksgiving/Christmas/Easter cactus is budding out again? Don't ask why. I have no idea. It will be nice to have more flowers for Valentine's Day, though. 

Brynwood Needleworks - Grace's "Dear Heart" Pillow

I have another sweet valentine pillow that I stitched for Mom (Grace). When she moved into a nursing home and her lifelong home was emptied, Deb gave it back to me. I treasure it, and am so grateful that I have it here. I wrote about receiving my gift back HERE after Mom's move. Her pillow is always displayed in my bedroom, but it will be displayed in the living room for Valentine's Day.

Sadly, she didn't live long enough to see my move back to Wisconsin, but I was blessed to speak with her the day she passed in 2014. I wrote about her last day HERE. I'm so glad I got to say one last "I love you, Mom".

Today would have been Mom's Birthday. I wish every day that we had her here with us, but I'll wish her a happy Heavenly Birthday. She knows how much I miss her, and I know she watches over me. I love you, Mom. 

The Princess Bride Gown...

Brynwood Needleworks - Dubbed "The Princess Bride Wedding Gown"

In 2008, I created a wedding dress for my eldest niece. 

I began making it on July 8th of that year and completed it on September 18th...one month before the wedding. This was the only thing I worked on that entire time. When I calculated actual time spent cutting, sewing, beading and stitching, I figured I had more than 350 hours of love poured into the project. (I was clearly obsessed.)

Her wedding date was October 18, 2008 and the plan was that Handsome and I (I'm her aunt and Godmother) would hand deliver the gown (along with two bridesmaid's dresses I also made) in time for the ceremony.

Brynwood Needleworks - Wedding Gown Back

If you and I were friends on Ravelry at that time (and you also belonged to a sub-group called "Grandma's Hand"), you followed the entire process of making the gowns with me.

Handsome left to visit his brother in Massachusetts for two weeks when it came time for me to cut into the fabric for the actual wedding dress. He wanted to give me space to work on it without interruption. He was also looking forward to seeing family and friends in Nantucket. We both would benefit from the trip.

The day he was supposed to leave to drive back home (near the end of July), I received a call saying he was very ill and had been flown by jet from Nantucket Cottage Hospital to Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston.

By the end of the day, he'd undergone surgery, I had made arrangements with a local kennel to board my retriever, Kes, and I was on my way to Boston. The gown My life was on hold. Handsome was all that mattered to me.

Brynwood Needleworks Wedding Gown Side View

Without going into further detail, we were in Boston for three weeks before I could bring my husband back home to recuperate and gain his strength. In addition to caring for him and helping him heal, I managed to complete not only the wedding gown, but also cummerbunds and bridesmaids dresses.

By the time I needed to leave for Minnesota, Handsome was well enough to travel. We delivered everything, and at the request of the Grandmas, danced together at the wedding reception. That dance meant the world to me - and the ladies in Grandma's Hand not only celebrated long-distance with us, but they sustained me through the most difficult days in our married life. This gown also signified our triumph over this unexpected challenge.

Brynwood Needleworks Muslin Version - Wedding Gown Front

Before I ever cut into the actual fabric for the gown, I made it completely in a white muslin version.

Brynwood Needleworks Muslin Version - Wedding Gown II

My niece lived 1500 miles away in Minnesota, so her fiance' helped her take the measurements I asked for to enable me to set up my dress form to her exact measurements. I padded out the form, added a corset similar to the one she would wear, and set the shoulder height to match hers. It would be like fitting the dress to her, even though she was so far away.

She made arrangements to fly to Florida when the muslin was finished - and that was her fitting for the actual gown.

Brynwood Needleworks Muslin Version - Wedding Gown Back

I didn't add a back closure so that I could be sure the bodice would fit her perfectly. The sleeves were unattached so I could be sure they were the right length for her, and the under dress was unhemmed so that I could pin it to fall perfectly when she came for the fitting.

Brynwood Needleworks Muslin Version - Wedding Gown Back on Bride

She came for a long weekend, and I tacked, measured and wrote down all the details I would need to make the perfect wedding gown for her. Handsome helped me by taking photographs to help me visualize anything else I might have missed.

Brynwood Needleworks Muslin Version - Wedding Gown Front on Bride

When we delivered the gowns (a few nights before the wedding), my niece and her bridesmaids (her future sister-in-law and sister) came to our hotel room for their final fittings.

Brynwood Needleworks Wedding Gown and Bridesmaids' Dresses - Fitting Night

My niece stepped into her wedding gown - and it fit her perfectly. I couldn't have fit it any better had she lived with us during the sewing process!

You can see I still had a little fitting to do on the bridesmaid's dresses. I didn't hem them or finish the bodice seams until they tried on the dresses. I had plenty of time to do that between that night and the wedding, and actually had them finished the next morning.

Brynwood Needleworks Wedding Gown and Bridesmaids' Dresses

The bride and the wedding party were perfect for their big day, thanks to the muslin that I made first. I  was so glad that I'd done it because it saved me money and time in the long run.

Why have I told you this whole story? 

Brynwood Needleworks Muslin Version - Wedding Gown Bodice

Because I still have that muslin gown. Instead of adding the buttons down the back of the dress like that actual wedding gown, I've sewn in a zipper. Somehow those sleeves that had to be shortened were lost in the shuffle. I'm in the process of making new ones.

The outer skirt of the gown was finished prior to the bride's fitting, but the under dress still needs to be hemmed, which I will do. 

Then, I'm going to list it in my Etsy shop. It would be a fabulous costume - or, because I chose quality, soft, white muslin that looks like a more expensive cotton, it could even be a wedding gown for a more casual ceremony. Could you even imagine the fair maiden wearing this muslin for the wedding gown Handsome dubbed the "Princess Bride" gown at a Renaissance Faire?

I'll work on it this week so it's ready to list. It deserves more than hanging in my studio closet. I'd love to see someone else wear and enjoy this dress that has so much history attached to it.

As You Wish...

I never walked into the studio yesterday. I read a book instead. Not just any book, mind you. I received this book for Christmas, and decided that I would sit down to read rather than sew.

I made a cup of tea after lunch and settled in with Cary Elwes' "As You Wish" about the making of the movie, "The Princess Bride".

Now, I need to tell you that "The Princess Bride" is my all-time, top of the list, favorite movie. Handsome and I have enjoyed the moving since it first came out in the late 1980s. It's charming, funny, clever and sometimes not at all subtle (hmmm. Not unlike Handsome). It's a movie that appeals to people of all ages, and is suitable for children. (Bonus!)

We have watched this movie with our sons and shared it with friends and other family members either in movie or book form for years. So, it was a logical step to read a book written by the leading man, who played Westley, the farm boy-turned-pirate.

The movie features an allstar cast, including Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Chris Sarandon, Mandy Patinkin, Andre' the Giant, Wallace Shawn, Christopher Guest, Billy Crystal, Carol Kane, Peter Falk and a young Fred Savage. The book and screenplay were written by William Goldman and directed by Rob Reiner. After all these years, it has stood the test of time, reaching near cult status. Can you tell I'm a huge fan?

I don't want to give away anything that appears between the covers of this book, but I enjoyed seeing the making of the movie through Elwes' eyes. I was able to revisit scenes from the movie (which I've watched countless times), laughing and even crying once or twice. I highly recommend the book, whether or not you've seen the movie. 

But, if you haven't seen the movie, I'll recommend it to you, just as I have to all my family and friends. Download it, rent it - or just go out and buy the DVD. I know you'll want to watch it more than once. 

In case I've piqued your interest, here's the original trailer for the movie.

 Direct link: http://youtu.be/BnkfVvZ9q_0

 

I'm heading to Punta Gorda to the Peace River Guild's quilt show today. I'll be taking photos to share with you, and looking to see the latest goodies in the vendor booths. Have a great day and I'll be back to chat with you tomorrow.

As You Wish...

I hadn't opened up the jelly roll of fabrics for the second giveaway quilt until yesterday. I am drooling just looking at all the feminine colors and patterns in this line. What do you think? Even if you didn't choose this fabric collection in the poll, I hope you won't mind a quilt using them if you win.
You can click on the photos to enlarge them. Really! I want you to take a closer look and let me know what you think. They're going to be really fun to cut and put together. And, if you win the drawing and decide that you don't want this quilt, I'll be happy to make up a quilt for you using the fabric collection you selected. As you wish. I want you to be happy. (You'll have to wait a little while longer to receive it, of course. I can't just snap my fingers and have a finished quilt, you know!)

I can see myself falling for the finished quilt. I might have to make one for myself just like it! We could have matching quilts! When you use it, you could imagine the two of us using this as the tablecloth for a tea party where we'll share a cup of tea and a biscuit as we get to know each other better.
I called this quilt choice "Garden Whimsy" for the poll, but it's actually Moda's "Spring Magic" line. I hope you won't mind if I call the quilt "Spring Magic" from now on. Perfect for a quilt for this Fall. Ahhh, the irony of it makes me giggle.
This is what I see when I look out my studio door into the hall these days. Upside down corgi. I have to stop everything, pick him up and smooch him all over his little face. Is it any wonder that it's taking me a while to get my tasks accomplished? I know...You've got no sympathy whatsoever. I should have known better than to get a puppy when there were giveaway quilts to be sewn.

"Ma'am. Put the puppy down, and slowly back away. That's right, ma'am. Put the puppy down." Nothing like a dose of the Puppy Police to get a girl back on track. "Serve and protect, ma'am. We don't want any spoiled puppies around these parts."

The Heart Of A Giant...

Kes has been an "Only Dog" for the past 5 years, since her dad, Morgan, died. She always had other dogs around her and seemed a little lost without the companionship of another. She's been really spoiled as an only dog, and Handsome has finally started thinking about getting another male Labrador retriever. Morgan was his, and while losing him was hard for both of us, it was especially painful for him.

He's always had large dogs his whole life. Labrador retrievers, Golden retrievers and a Gordon Setter were the dogs he grew up with. I had dogs of all sizes in my life - an English cocker spaniel that came with us from England, miniature schnauzers, along with German shepherds, an old English sheepdog and a dalmation. When I moved into my apartments I also had a beagle and later, a little buff-colored cocker spaniel.

I got the idea that a small, working breed might be more fun for Kes (she'll be 13 in November), than to get a dog that would get bigger and be more boisterous than she might like. I did a little research and settled on the Welsh corgi.

Handsome was pretty much flabbergasted. "What do you want with a little dog with no legs?" I could see I was going to have to push this rock uphill, and my arguments in favor of a corgi would have to be fact-based and reasonable. We had multiple conversations about the breed and the fact that they have the personality of a big dog in a little body. We talked some more.

I contacted the manager of our favorite boarding kennel and she told me about a gal who had a litter of four boys that were around 12 weeks old and looking for homes. I contacted the breeder and asked lots of questions (over a number of days), and today we went to look at them.

You do know that you never go to see the litter until you decide you'll get a pup, right? As former breeders, we always knew that if people were coming to actually see, hold and pet the pups, they would most likely leave with one. We knew not to go until we'd made that decision.
I'd like to introduce you to Fezzik. Yup. I'd even chosen his name before I saw him. I thought about Welsh names. Bryn was a Welsh name I'd chosen all those years ago for my first female Lab. Talfryn is a male variant of Bryn, but it didn't feel right. Perhaps because I wasn't getting a Lab and he wasn't going to be a little version of my beloved Bryn. Then I thought about Chip. Too simple, and Handsome said it reminded him of a local sports personality of the same name. Scratch that!

Then it hit me. Our all-time favorite movie is The Princess Bride. If you haven't seen it, you need to rent a copy and watch it. It's great for all ages, with sly humor that adults can enjoy, too. The giant in the story is played by Andre' the Giant, and his character name wass Fezzik. He's adorable.

So, I decided that my little Pembroke Welsh corgi boy would be named Fezzik. I haven't chosen his full registered name yet. I'll take more time to work on that, but his call name will remain Fezzik. A sweet-faced mini dog with the heart of a giant. I can see that it already suits him.
Kes is all waggin' tails and snuffles. She's not quite sure that she wants to share our attention with him yet, but he's already running circles around her and barking as he tries to gain her favor. I love the fact that they share the same color coat, too. Kes, with her little dog, Fessik.
Handsome has admitted that this little guy is full of charm...and he's got a great face. Who could not fall in love with this face! (I mean Fezzik. Handsome is already spoken for!)
It was a long first day for the tiny boy. As I write this, he's sound asleep in his kennel. Freshly bathed, fed, watered and aired. (You know...let the dog out, let the dog back in, repeat.)

I don't think we'll put him to work in the studio for a while. Aside from teaching him to be a good citizen, he'll be allowed to be a puppy. I sure hope you love his face, because I can guarantee you'll be seeing more of him - and Kes - in the future.

PS. Marion, my friend - I wish you lived closer. I know how much you'd love to hold this puppy. (There's still one male left in the litter!) xoxo