My New Flannel Nightshirt!!

So -- okay -- ONCE AGAIN -- I should have taken more "BEFORE" pictures. But, at the time, I didn't know this project would be "blog-worthy". The magic to this Frankensew is that I started with a man's flannel shirt. 

DUH!! The hard part is already done -- the neckline, shoulder, sleeves, placket....buttons,buttonholes...

I cut the man's shirt about 1" below the breast pocket...

I also cut off the collar -- leaving just the collar stay...

I added the cut-off part of the man's shirt to the bottom of my new nightgown.

The sleeves were too long -- so I cut off the "cuff", made a little casing and added some elastic.

Obviously, I sewed a bunch of random flannel pieces together (including a second flannel shirt) to create the actual nightshirt.  This crappy picture is the best I have of me, wearing my new flannel nightshirt. I AM LOVING IT..!!

 

I have a nice set of red plaid flannel sheets (which I will NEVER put on a bed) -- so I'm thinking I could cut up one of my old sweatshirts, and add a red plaid flannel skirt to make another nightshirt. 

Altho -- how many flannel nightshirts does one woman need.  Really?  I'd best not worry about that.

Cozy Flannel Nightgowns...

When I was looking for this picture the other day -- I realized I needed a NEW FLANNEL NIGHTGOWN...!

All four of us would describe our week at the SEW Retreat as "cozy"...and our flannel nightgowns were fitting attire!!  (we were, after all, in the middle of nowhere...thus, free to wear pajamas all day and into the night if we wanted to...which was, actually, kind of the point of the whole thing).

It's gonna be a loooong winter this year.  And  I BELIEVE THERE IS NOTHING IN THE WORLD BETTER ON A COLD WINTER DAY THAN A COZY FLANNEL NIGHTGOWN.

The year the Sewing and Stitchery Expo experienced an earthquake, my plane had to land in Portland -- and I took a bus to Puyallup.  During that mix-up, I lost my luggage...and when I arrived, Joanne had to take me to the mall to BUY SOME CLOTHES. 

I paid $10 for a red plaid flannel nightgown...

For the next ten years or so, I wore it every winter.  Iowa winters are long...so I am SHOCKED that I don't have a single picture of me in my red plaid flannel nightgown.  Because I LOVED IT.

The first time I made a flannel nightgown as a gift -- I think Lilly was three years old. I made matching nightgowns for her, and her mother Emily, and her dog Sophie. THEY WERE ADORABLE...(pictures lost in some old computer)...ugh...

Hey -- don't get me wrong -- I don't sleep in a flannel nightgown....and I also am not a fan of flannel sheets.  If you were to get into bed made with flannel sheets, wearing a flannel nightgown, your whole night would be a wrestling match.  You would be fighting to roll over,  ripping yourself back and forth on a bed of velcro...

But I have a GREAT idea about how to Frankensew a new flannel nightgown for myself...

Saturday Drive to Balltown

IT'S SATURDAY!!

Last week, Warren didn't come because he was sent home from school on Friday. He had to be tested for Covid -- luckily -- he was negative. But he had diarrhea...and was down for the count for a few days.

So, it was a rare Saturday with just myself and John at the house...

We decided to drive up to Balltown!!

It's our annual Fall road trip -- and there are STUNNING views from this part of Iowa.  That's the Mississippi River way down yonder...

Of course, we had to have lunch at Breitbach's Restaurant.

The OLDEST continuously running restaurant in the State of Iowa.

I'm pretty sure it's been months since many of you have actually SEEN a salad bar!

It's a 90 minute drive to Balltown...and we make this trip every Fall. I'm not sure how many years we've been doing it -- but, often enough to consider it a "tradition". Breitbach's has been featured on several television shows...Alton Brown visited, and talked about their wonderful homemade pies. Oh, yeah...THEY ARE WONDERFUL.

Reliving one Epic Road Trip!!

In 2013, I flew to New York, hooked up with my friend Marion (from Canada), and we drove her Prius down the East Coast...all the way to her winter home in Florida.  We had THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME...in New York City, 700 Sundays with Billy Crystal, Mood Fabrics, Hershey, Pennsylvania, Lancaster, Pa., Savannah, Georgia...well -- you get the idea. 

It was an amazing trip -- I often refer to it as our Epic Road Trip.

It doesn't seem possible that it was SEVEN YEARS AGO...yikes.

This blog post was published in March 2014...four months AFTER the ERT...but what I said WAY BACK THEN still applies today.  More than ever, I think...

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Maybe I put off writing this final blog post about our ERT (Epic Road Trip) because I didn't want it to end.  Then, the holidays got in the way...and -- what do you know?  IT'S MARCH ALREADY...

It was such a great trip....and I AM SO GLAD WE DID IT, MARION...

Because here's what I know for sure.  You NEVER know anything for sure. 

Life happens so fast...and the changes can be both instant and permanent. Of course, the older I get, the more clear this is -- which is why this particular trip was so special.

Once we left Savannah, Georgia -- we got on I-95 S. We had pretty much avoided it up to this point -- but who are we kidding?? IT WAS TIME TO MAKE SOME TIME...

The landscape changed very quickly -- and palm trees became a part of the scenery...

It's been such a long, cold, gray winter -- I barely remember what a blue sky looks like...

It was our longest day in the car -- but at the end would be HOME...(for Marion, of course -- not me)

Everything in this part of the world is so lush and green...

I was smitten by the number of beautiful, tropical birds lounging around town...

The vegetation is VERY DIFFERENT from my beloved Iowa cornfields...

Oh, yeah -- Marion's condo is ON THE GOLF COURSE....

The public beaches are accessible and absolutely, 100% stunning. 

Here we are, on our last day together.

Sometimes, it seems like just yesterday Marion and I were headed south, laughing and talking -- with the wind in our hair. But, at other times, it feels like years ago...

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Marion will be making that trip again soon...and I sooo wish I was going with her

My November Reset Button...

November has always been one of my favorite months of the year. The beautiful Fall leaves...all that turkey and pumpkin pie...

And, after my 2016 November Fat Camp experience -- it somehow became my MONTH TO RESET.  Reconsider...rewind...

In 2017, I was lucky enough to be able to go to Florida for a second round...

Then, in 2018, Mary Mulari, Rhonda Pierce and Deanna Springer came to Iowa and we created our own S.E.W Retreat....

At the time, I hoped we were starting a new annual tradition...

But then -- life happened. That "first" SEW Retreat may be our "only" SEW Retreat.

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There were so many wonderful lessons from that Retreat....

1. Spending a whole week with friends is the best medicine in the world.

2. SEWING all day, and then SEWING into the night is the most zen thing I can do.

3. NOT HAVING TO WORRY about what I was going to eat was life-changing.

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#3 on that learning list has been HUGE for me. Until went to Fat Camp in Florida (2016) -- I really had no idea how much time and energy I spent each and every day thinking about, then planning, shopping and cooking food. Not to mention the clean-up afterwards. Ugh.

It is such a luxury to have somebody else worry about what I should eat....and  I loved every single meal I was served at Fat Camp. And, at the 2018 SEW Retreat -- Sister Margaret told us she was not good in the kitchen -- but I enjoyed every meal she served us.

Turkey meatballs over spaghetti squash with navy beans and grapes sounds like something I would never put together.  It was delicious.

So -- here's the thing.  November is my personal month to RESET....and, for reasons beyond my control, there won't be a trip to Florida this year...or any kind of Fat Camp that involves a group of people coming from all parts of the country...or, even a reunion of a small group of friends...It would be impossible for me to be away from home for a week.

Ugh.

But -- NOT TO WORRY.  Because I HAVE A PLAN...and I'm pretty excited about it.

Next Wednesday (November 18) will be the official launch....and the timing is perfect...

Veteran's Day 2020

It's Veteran's Day.

There are many ways to honor our veterans...and I'm sure most of you do that whenever you can.

Here's something you might not have considered. My husband, John, a Navy veteran, wears a baseball cap that has the name of the submarine he served on. (604 -- the Haddo). He is always very happy when somebody notices his hat and says, "thank you for your service". And many people do...

But there have only been two occasions when somebody actually took the time to sit down and ask him about his service. The first time, John was eating alone at Brother's, his favorite breakfast joint. A young man came over, shook his hand, thanked him, and said, "would it be okay if I sat with you?"...and John had a long conversation about his time on submarines.

The second time was two weeks ago -- when we were having breakfast at the Village Inn. The man who came over was a retired Admiral...and John was THRILLED to talk to him about his time in the Navy.

Here's my point. The next time you see an elderly gentleman wearing a baseball cap that proclaims the unit he served on, or the ship he was on -- you should think of that as an invitation to start a conversation. Consider it your good deed for the day...

Of course, we're in the middle of a pandemic, and maybe the old guys aren't getting out and about that much this year...

So -- think about the veteran's you KNOW...who might be sitting at home this year...feeling a little forgotten or left out...Your Grandpa or your Father in Law...an Uncle who lives in another state...

Go old school...CALL THEM ON THE PHONE...and when you thank them for their service, ask them about it.

You might be surprised...and I know your Veteran will be delighted....

Lilly's Green Chiffon

Lilly is 11 years old, and she's developing her own sense of style. Which is kind of an understatement...

For most of the summer, she was quite content to live in a pair of baggy shorts an a NASA t-shirt.

Then, Halloween came around, and she ABSOLUTELY FELL IN LOVE with this long green chiffon dress.  It was $9 at the Goodwill store ($7 over my usual budget)...but she was so adamant -- I let her buy it.  (she usually has her own spending money).

The problem was that IT DIDN'T FIT...

I was thinking it was for Halloween -- so I just cut out the zipper, and added a teal t-shirt,so she could just step into the dress.

 

But, it was a crappy,very noticeable fix.... She wanted to wear the dress...in her normal life? To school? 

I dunno...Anyway -- I needed to improve that alteration..And, with a little Ritaluck -- I found a green knit top that was the PERFECT shade of green. I cut it up, and added a panel all the way down the back of the dress.

It really was an invisible fix.

Lilly dyed her hair green for Halloween.

Yes...now it's perfect.  And I'm pretty sure she'll be the only girl in the 6th grade rocking a chiffon dress...