"In the Good Old Summertime...."

The weather today was PERFECT to welcome Lady Summer to the Northern Hemisphere! A little over 70, with a light breeze and some pretty puffy clouds in a brilliant blue sky. *Happy sigh*

To celebrate this First Day of Summer, we opened all doors and even some windows, wore short sleeves and no shoes, and I made us smoothies for lunch. And I have a feeling it won't be the last time, as smoothies are pretty much a staple for lunchtime in the Hot Season--so refreshing, and more filling than fruit juice (better for you, too). Unfortunately, I made this batch a little too sweet, what with being out of practice and all. :-( Aw well, I'll know not to add so much sugar next time, wot?

  
God gave us a lovely surprise in the front corner of our lawn this year:

These rosebushes (there are at least two) put out nothing but stems and leaves for three Summers in a row. No blooms--not even any buds--nothing. Earlier this year, fed up with roses that don't bloom, we decided to rip them out, so Mom cut them way back...and then we never got around to actually digging them up.

And they smell good, too!

Boy, are we glad!
This Spring the canes put on a profusion of buds--every "arm" of these roses is loaded! At first I figured they'd be white with a pinkish blush, like the other roses along that fence. I must admit I rather hoped they'd be red instead, and they are--and what a beautiful, deep, velvety red, at that! They remind me of the ones Grandma Burcham (Mom's mom) planted at the old house. I tried to root some cuttings of them (and many of our other roses) before we moved, but sadly, there just wasn't room in the car for the pots. :-( But now it's like God has given us back Grandma Burcham's roses right here in Idaho! Awesome!

"Eglantine"--washed, pressed and ready to wear

By God's grace, I have finished that pink bodiced petticoat mentioned in my last post--christened "Eglantine," after the dainty, apple-scented Sweet Briar roses I love so much (and which we discovered growing through the fence on the East lawn). "Eglantine" is made from the remainder of a cotton-poly bedsheet I bought at a yard sale several years ago. I used some of it to make a "pirate"-style shirt a few years back, and despite that being rather poofy, there was still enough material left in the sheet to make a decent slip out of! Awesome!

I used the bodice and skirt of Simplicity 9936 (circa 1972), with a few tweaks, of course! "Eglantine" was pretty much a mock-up of this lovely pattern, as I have a few Empire-waisted frocks in my head, and this pattern looked like just what I'd need (the multiple necklines will come in handy for other projects, too).

via VintagePatterns.com

I made the neckline higher than the pattern, and than my previous bodiced petticoat, because I figured it wouldn't show as much under my Pink Shirtwaist. Plus I have a couple pink dresses in the planning stages that will require an opaque "undergown," and the place this neckline falls is right where I like it--not so high it chafes and chokes, nor so low that I can't bend over. :-P
We originally cut the bodice 1/2" longer than the pattern piece, just because I've had high-waisted things hit me too high in the past. However, when I sewed it to the skirt, we found the bodice to be too long! Amazing. So yay! An Empire pattern I can actually use as-is! PTL!
The skirt in this pattern is rather narrower than the drawing shows, and since I like my skirts with a bit of flare to them, we moved the pattern piece an inch or so back from the fold of the fabric. I think we added some flare to the sides, too. The result is a slim, A-line skirt that looks narrow but is actually pretty roomy. I made a master pattern from the fabric pieces after we'd gotten the fit right, so now I can begin cutting out some dresses with it! :-D

Until next time, Gentle Readers,
God bless, and Happy Summer!
~"Tom"~