With the last of the four kids moving out last year, my husband and I decided to downsize. After much discussion, thought, and prayer, we put the big house with the big yard on the market. We were then scrambling to find a house when it sold in 6 weeks instead of the predicted 6 months! The perfect house was available at the right time and suddenly we were moving the first of May. It felt odd picking out a house that only had to suit us, along with being alone for the first time in 31 years! Our new house is half the size of the old and the yard is tiny. We spent months deciding what we really wanted to keep and gave away or donated a ton of stuff. The kids came and cleaned out their things and since we have never been attached to "things" the process was very freeing. My work area is slightly smaller so I am still experimenting with the most efficient layout for it. Once again my husband was greeted at the door with, "Hey, I have a new idea for the sewing room!" I know he will be glad when I make up my mind! He commented one day that the oddest thing about being alone after all these years, is that every time he hears my voice, he knows that I am talking to him.
Last Spring I got the phone call from college that can turn your world upside down... "Guess what, I'm getting married!" My reaction was, "You can't, I don't know how to plan a wedding!" But as the youngest child and only daughter, she was sure I could pull it off if she gave me 3 months. Fortunately she wanted something simple and we were able to do the planning through phone calls and emails while she fininshed up her semester of college out of state. Her one request was that I not bother to make the wedding dress but to make the two flower girl dresses instead. Considering that she had found the perfect dress for less than I could make it and that children's clothes are my specialty, I thought it was an excellent plan. She described what she wanted, I emailed a couple of sketches for her to chose from. The pattern she chose was #131 Classic Dress. The dress was made from lavender Imperial Broadcloth with tucks added across the bodice. The sash was ribbon that was purchased at a craft store and then I added silk ribbon flowers, leaves, and seed pearls to dress it up a little. The dress turned out perfect for our simple afternoon wedding and were dresses that the little girls could enjoy wearing over and over again.
