Art, Craft and Needlework, August 2014

[BookSaver]

FelineFriend ~ Good question about the slip. It depends on the weight of the lining. A slip provides a couple of benefits: modesty, of course, and drape or flow.

You would need to test the dress with the bottom undergarments you're going to wear with it -- panties, pantyhose, spanx? If the lining of the dress will glide smoothly over the undergarments when you walk, and not bunch up when you sit, then you might not need a slip.

Many linings are opaque enough to cover modestly, but not all, especially in strong back light -- which is why starlets are always being surprised when they think they are wearing garments that are not sheer. Remember the photo of Lady Diana Spencer in her skirt that unexpectedly turned see-through in the bright sun? But going to dinner at a nice restaurant would not present the same situation.

[FelineFriend]

I believe I "ditched" the slip because it was bunching up under the dark shocking pink moderate weight lining of the dress. Also, it was way too long to wear with other dresses. DH feels I still have it, but it's not hanging with my long dresses, where it would be kept. The bright pink, and weight of the dress, along with the weight of the lining, would obscure the legs, etc... I'll put on a bra, panties, pantyhose with it, when I go to have DH help pin a spot in the back, front, and on each sides. Also, upon inspection last night, I looked at the hems of the dress's skirt and lining. A mere 1/8" hem was machine sewn. When I turn it under, to press, this will be nice, to have it already sewn and pressed. Thank you for ALL your help, BookSaver!

I have several pairs of pantyhose, but it's a good idea for me to try them on, since I've lost weight and might not be able having baggy/loose pantyhose now. I have some lined skirts, too, which I've tried wearing half-slips under and they, too, bunch up. But the slips are terrific on unlined skirts/dresses.

I forgot something: I'm on row 51 of Dgs-5.5's Christmas afghan. I measured it. If I make the main body of the afghan 42" long, then add a 4" border around, it'll make a lovely size of afghan for him. He's small, going into Kindergarten and I'd hate to have a too-large, cumbersome afghan for him to carry, as they have stairs at their home, too.

[Harriet]

Today I made the fondant flower decorations for dd's birthday cake. That was pleasant. She helped me with rolling out and I had to show her that without the cornstarch she was going to have a hard time keeping it from sticking. We enjoyed the time together. Put them in an air-tight container for the night. If all goes well, we'll dust with color tomorrow. She chose the new (at least to our stores) "blue velvet" cake mix from Duncan Hines, which should make cutting the cake a cheerful moment.

[FelineFriend]

The cake sounds wonderful, Harriet. You're so gifted in so many ways. I marvel at all the creativity you do.

I continue to crochet on Dgs-5.5's Christmas afghan. I'm about 1/3 way done now. I have short stories looming, but they're not actually due until October. I'll concentrate on the afghan, until I have the "urge" to write a story. If I alternate a story for awhile with crocheting for awhile, it'll be a nice routine. I'll get both finished, too.

[Harriet]

Thanks FFriend. I certainly admire your craft and writing creativity - two very different directions. Was happy to hear you sold a story the other day. What type did you sell?

I have so many hopes for creative time that have been laid aside to wait. Sigh.

We dusted with the colors of petal dust today. Dd's flowers look better than mine. She just has a sense of how to use a brush. Also she is very rough with the brushes to knock the previous color out before starting another, so each new color she uses is very clear. I was too easy on mine and ended up with color that was mottled a few times. The mold to make the fondant flower centers broke in dd's hand (very frustrating since I don't feel we got our money out of this set). But we just used the kind of cake sprinkles that are like tiny flower shapes, and stood one up on edge in the center of each cupped flower. They looked really close to what we'd hoped, and a dot of corn syrup holds them tight.

Noticing that Nancy was getting pant hemming done. I have some that is driving me crazy because I've been just too busy to get to it. I have them laid close to my bed and every evening I notice them and remember I didn't get them done again!

BookSaver, good advice on wearing the exact bra to try on clothes before altering.

Slips - I need to shop for this.

[Nancy]

Knit a bit on socks or mittens have not figured out what yet. Last night but had to stop bc my shoulder was sore. I think it is the weather or my ex. Activities raking yesterday.

[FelineFriend]

Harriet, I sold a story called "Halloween Hoodlums," about a woman martial arts lady who comes across teenagers on Halloween night, wanting to steal her car. But she kept her cool, she gave them her keys, but they couldn't drive stick shift! They left suddenly, she called 9 - 1 - 1 and her deceased DH's police partner comes. Later, her old Bfriend from college shows up, she starts reminiscing about getting back together with him, when her policeman dfriend comes by. Her Bfriend from college, acts too weird, immediately leaves, on his motorcycle, and she hears sirens. Her police friend recognized her Bfriend from college days, as being wanted. She goes back into the house and she and her police friend start reminiscing about her old DH and her police friend talks about retirement and the farm he's purchased just outside of town. At the end of the story, they're talking all about the farm, what they want to make for changes, so her adventure story, with the teenaged thugs, turns romantic. It's a confessions short story.

The other story I sold the other day was "Alone at Thanksgiving- Shunned by Family." It's a Nov. story and the titles are sometimes changed. It's about a young bride, shunned by family at her summer wedding, and over the months, leading up to Thanksgiving. Her step-sister's the only one who came to her wedding. Her GAunt, GUncle, Dmom and Dstep-father didn't come. She's very hurt. But at the end of the story, she finds out how her Dmom has rapidly advancing Alzheimer's, doesn't know her anymore, and Daunt was trying to save her the pain, so wasn't coming around with Dmom. Dmom goes into a special facility to take care of her, the main character gets pregnant, Daunt, Duncle, Dstep-father and half-sister are thrilled and say it's about time some good news comes to the family. So, at the very end of the story, it says something about Thanksgiving? We're alone no more, or something to that effect. It's also a confessions story. I sell to True Story and True Confessions. But I like to shake things up with strong female characters who save the day, are brave, and fearless, always solving their own problems and coming out on top. I like adventure, light romantic and inspirational stories, too, which I also write for the confessions market. I write about families, singles, young married, or widowed elderly people. It's fun to write about all ages and put myself into their place, as everything is first person POV.

I didn't get a chance to crochet today.

One old forum I belonged to, for SHE's, had a "Writer's Accountability" thread. It was fun to chat about writing, 1 lady was a children's book author, 1 lady wrote stories, too, and 1 gal did the NANO, in November program where you write a novel in the month of November. The problem with that, for me, is how Thanksgiving's that month and also, my crocheting for Christmas is front and center, so there's no way I could write an entire novel for November and get it done. I do well, just by getting 2 stories off that month. It'd be cool if there was a writer's thread here, but I don't know what it'd go, or if there would be that many interested. I think there's RR who writes. Kathryn writes sermons, and others must write poems or something. I think it'd be fun.

[Harriet]

Oh, thanks for the explanation, FFriend. That sounds like a fun direction for writing talents. Lots of imaginative possibilities. I like both those story lines. Kathryn has done NANO twice, btw.

I do not know exactly why I have resisted returning to writing. The old Red Smith adage that a writer "sits down at the typewriter and opens a vein" - that makes me wince, but I see the truth in it. I had written mostly for children's magazines, both fiction and non-fiction, while my oldest children were young, and then did a couple timely pieces about my own community for the regional paper. These were just about events or circumstances that meant something personal to me, and I submitted them out of frustration that they weren't being covered well by the paper.

The editors of the local section eagerly printed them verbatim, and phoned me, asking me sight-unseen to consider a contract. Frankly, we could use the money and the guarantee of acceptances, so I did. So that began 7 years of writing the harshest of non-fiction - current events in a political/municipal climate. The growth in the area was usually a downer, and it fed the unhappiness (or anger) of most anyone in the "news", and by the end of the 7 years I truly dreaded my job. But it didn't matter much, because my dear aunt fell ill, the first of 4 elderly relatives who needed extensive care, so I had to quit anyway.

Now, with my ddad passed on, I haven't settled back into my usual amount of creativity yet. I think it's because the reality of years of postponing the needs around here have caught up with me. I've always said that creativity should come AFTER the chores are complete. Well, it's been hard to convince myself that chores are EVER complete recently, LOL, when there are just so many from the back burner that have to come back to the forefront now. Big projects as well as just postponed things, like getting my wardrobe straight or corralling all the photos from the intervening years. It's not for lack of HRH encouraging - he does try to "talk up" both writing and quiltmaking to me.

Also, I may have some mental blocks going wouldn't be the first time.

Oh well, we'll see. For now, little bookmarks and cake decorating have been about the extent of it. Lots of encouragement to dd for her art, that sort of thing.

[FelineFriend]

:D Harriet, when you said "back burner," it reminded me about something I read in a book. You take a dish or pan with a lid. You write on separate pieces of papers, projects to do, cleaning things you need to do, letters to write, etc... fold the papers twice, put them in the container with the lid and they're on your counter or desk as your "back burner." I did it for awhile, it worked quite nicely.

It is too neat that you wrote for the newspaper and how Kathryn's done NANO twice, too.

I understand, putting off creativity, until household chores and projects are done, too.

It's great how you used to write for children, too.

[Harriet]

Here are photos of our cake decorating handiwork for dd's "sweet sixteen" cake. About photo size, I'm so sorry I seem to have lost my touch at making them smaller. New computer set-up, with new everything, doesn't give me the same size info.

I made a three-layer cake to give dd a tall "canvas" to decorate with our fondant flowers we'd made and set aside to dry the other day. Top and bottom layers were the blue velvet cake mix, which turned out quite vivid, and middle layer was a simple Jiffy yellow tinted deep pink with food coloring. Lots of fun to cut into, and come up with such a colorful interior.

I wanted a space to put candles, so dd left large expanses of white icing and clustered her "painted" flowers and leaves, plus a few shiny purchased candy balls, at spots along top and bottom edge.

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It was hard to keep guests out of the fridge and get them to leave this cake alone, after one guest happened to glance inside. A very pretty view, but we had to keep shooing folks away.

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Cake when first set out on the table, placed on top of some table decorations. Everyone felt they got a pretty piece, I think. Most got a bit of the flowers.