dreaming in black and white.

I got a job to sew some curtains for a costume shop in Dallas. They were moving into a new building and needed new curtains for their grand re-opening. Long story on how they found me (or better...how we found them)...but it was a blast from the past and they hired me to make them.

15 curtains later.
I am sick of black and white stripes.

But they turned out really nicely.
And when we brought them over, I got to take some pics of the store.

I'm so excited that my curtains will be in the windows. 

I'll be able to drive by and be like..."heh. I made those."

One Day More!

Do you hear the people sing?!

We made a movie. My friendy Morgie and I spent ALL the live long day workin on it...

It is a spoof, of sorts, from the musical Les Miserables. To see the original go here.

Morgan played: Eponine, Marius, Javert, and M. Thenardier.
I portrayed: Cosette, Jean Valjean, Enjorlas, and Madame Thenardier.

Please enjoy. And do let us know what you think.

EDITED TO ADD: Apparently a lot of you can't see it...so I uploaded it to youtube. Let me know if you can view it now!

a birthdayish adventure.

My dear friend Ryleigh's birthday party was this weekend.
Twas ever so fun.

The members of the adventure are as follows:
Me.
Morgie.
Maddy.
Shalah.
and of course, Ryleigh.

fun times. 

and a very happy birthday to you Ryleigh, dear! :)

the theatre. the theatre.

I love the theatre. 

truly.

the thrill of arriving at the theatre...dressed ever so nicely.

sitting down.

looking through the program.

the announcements finish.

the lights dim.

and the music begins. 

this summer we've enjoyed countless youth productions. all of them quite excellent.

Les Miserables @ artisan theatre

The Pirates of Penzance @ backdoor theatre

Robin Hood @ cottage theatre (CHE)

School House Rock @ CHE 

a dying art.

sewing is a dying art. 

sad, but true.

Wal-mart has gradually been removing the sewing sections of the store.

small, independent sewing stores have been closing down everywhere.

Saturday, we saw another victim of this cruel and unhappy fate. a sewing store...going out of business. however, lucky for me (and all the other old ladies) who were able to benefit from the great deals.

the previous owner had passed on, and her husband and children and grand children were trying to sell everything. as we were checking out, we saw tears. mom and I had to bite our lip and blink our eyes in a rapid motion (to prevent said tears).

But let other pens dwell on guilt and misery...

we reaped large benefits from the sale.

 $15 quilts:

some $1 a yard fabric:

and a CUTE vintage dress: 

tonight I'm attending a gala for the "Cottage Theatre". 

I have been nominated for "best supporting actress in a non-musical" from my performance as Rachel Lynde in Anne of Green Gables. 

I'm very excited. they will also be showing clips from every play ever done there, and having...DESSERTS! 

it sounds like  a very enjoyable evening.

as the peaches jellify.

besides my lovely visit to Atlanta's residence...my life has been laid back, but quite busy...a typical summer.

we were gifted with overripe peaches on Saturday.
only we had no time to do anything with them until Monday.
by then, they had become even more overripe, and we were only able to use half of them.

I spent almost all of Monday peeling, pitting, and ridding of moldy/blackish stuff. By the time I got to the good stuff, there were only a few slices worth keeping. So it took FOREVER to get enough to actually make some jelly-ish/preserves.

yesterday we canned them.

they look quite delish if I do say so myself.

a truth universally acknowledged.

Yesterday I experienced one of the most epic photo shoots of my existence. There were two subjects: Atlanta and I...with two torturers *ahem* photographers: Mom and Mrs. Shannon. The purpose: a Regency inspired photoshoot. The result: 400 amazing pictures (we narrowed it down to the best)!! :) enjoy.

to see more go to Atlanta's blog.

wink, wink

I have very special pictures of a very special photoshoot with a very special friend to share tomorrow. But, as they are not all ready...I shall give you a hintish kind of picture.

a modern Anne.

Today I'm at my friend Atlanta's house and we are visiting, and sewing, and all sorts of very fun stuff! Also, over at Bramblewood Fashion, there's a blog event going on...all about Anne of Green Gables. We couldn't resist to enter a category or two. So we got all gussied up in our "Anne-ish" outfits and had a little photoshoot.

I am wearing a white cotton blouse with nice, billowy, puffed sleeves. Also a teal, polished cotton, pleated skirt that I just made the other day.

(happy belated birthday, Atlanta!)

Be sure to check out all the other lovely entries @ Bramblewood Fashion

upstairs sewing room progress!!

This weekend was spent in Step Two of the "Upstairs Sewing Room" - CLEANING! It was lots of work...but it looks spick and span up there now! If you'd like to read more...go HERE to the official blog.

Eeee!!!

Oh my goodness! Remember my picture I entered in the "Teens Only" category @ I Heart Faces? Well...my photo was chosen for one of the top ten! Very exciting... :)

I Heart Faces - Teens Only

There is no limit to the entry this week. You only have to be a teen...and luckily, I am! :) However, I had a time of it trying to decide *which* photo to enter!

of answering questions.

Dear Elizabeth Rose over at "Living on Literary Lane" (isn't that the cutest blog title?!) is having a blog parade. My entry {ahem, ahem}:

Have you ever run outside during a rainstorm (and if so, please describe it)?

psh. of course not. please. why would I run out into a dangerous rainstorm. cough, cough.

What is your favorite Sense & Sensibility version: 2008 or 1995?

Oh deary, dear...I truly liked different things from both. Like I liked the adding of certain characters from the book that they had taken out of the older movie. And other such changes/additions/etc. So...both :)

Do you keep a journal (and if so, how many have you filled)?

I do. However, I find I'm a much faster typist than writer (sad, I know) so I keep my diary on a word document. I find I write more when I can type...so it's pretty long. I really enjoy looking over old entries and chuckling to myself.

What is your favorite thing about summer?

Getting to spend alot of time with my friends. In addition, not having [many] responsibilities.

What is your favorite classical song?

Well now. I have no idea...I enjoy songs from the Narnia movies and P&P (if that counts)...

It's your wedding day. And while you are going down the aisle (gracefully, of course), the audience suddenly bursts into singing "How Do You Solve A Problem Like ____ (your name)?" What are your emotions?

Pahahaha...that's hilarious! Well. Seeing as how I was in Sound of Music and sang that song...I would probably die laughing. 

What is your favorite scene in Sense & Sensibility? Is the same scene in the movie(s) (and if so, do you like it as well)?

"Greatly esteem him? Like him?!?!"

Which of Jane Austen's books is your favorite? Why?

Another toughy...I quite like them all...however it really depends on what mood I'm in and which characters I relate to that day. For sometimes I feel quite like dear Fanny...and others I feel very matchmaker-ish like our lovely Emma. So...

Describe your perfect reading "nook":

A window seat overlooking a beautiful field of flowers.

Have you ever been accused of reading a book when you were supposed to be doing chores?

Oh PLEASE! I never do something like that... ahem...

You are on the beach, and you are wearing normal clothes (NOT a bathing suit). Do you consider jumping into the cold ocean anyway?

Oh of course! As long as I'm not wearing white...that wouldn't be too smart...

Do you consider yourself a matchmaker like Emma? 

Well...only occasionally...sometimes I'm good at predicting...others, not so much. But then again, that's how Emma was...so I suppose the answer is...yes?

What do you like best about my blog? What do you think is the worst? (It's always good to get feedback, so I know what to change and what to keep!)

I love the layout...however the top banner is a bit largish...and it takes a while to get to the actual posting...my opinion... :)

What are your opinions involving letters: short and brief or long and lovely?

Long, descriptive, lovely letters are the best. Wit is required to make one quite perfect, however.

What Scripture verse has encouraged you a lot recently?

"The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe."

Proverbs 18:10

Do you consider yourself an artist? If so, in what way?

Definitely...well, not in the "painting" sense...but in the artistic sense very much so. My brain is ALWAYS swirling with ideas and it takes me hours and hours to get to sleep at night.

What interests you in a blog: beautiful layout or good content?

I'm really liking the "clean" look right now. Not too busy...but you can tell time has been put into it. Does that make sense?

Do you believe in saving your first kiss for your wedding day?

Oh yes, it's always so lovely to attend a wedding and see the first kiss. So sweet.

What are your opinions involving modesty?

Low shirts and short skirts/shorts are immodest in my opinion...it is very important to dress modestly, I find. 

Did you enjoy answering all these questions?

But of course! I love answering questions! And...if you're interested in asking me any more questions: http://www.formspring.me/sewinginthepast

Fun fun! :) Go check it out! And enter the giveaway over there!

well lookie there.

I see 99 followers! Eee! So exciting! 

Thank you ever so much for being a follower of Sewing in the Past! Please, PLEASE know how much I appreciate all of you. Truly. I really love you all... :)

giveaway winner.

I drew numbers for the giveaway and random.org says that Thoughts from Ellerslie is the winner! Congratulations. You can check out her 10 happy things list as well.

Again, thank you to everyone who participated in the challenge!

Please contact me with your address and we'll get the card sent to you! :)

so.

My dear friend Morgie turned 16 on Tuesday and I was so blessed to be able to spend it with her! She's *such* a dear! :)

trying to take a picture in a mirror. got yelled at by store manager. 

We went to a mall and did some very fun shopping (I now have the perfect dress for July 4th!). 

me and maddy.

It was a very lovely day! :o) And we returned home to watch some movies, eat some banana pudding, and open presents.

I felt very proud of my crafting skills in the wrapping of presents.

I love my friends.

Happy Birthday Morgie! :)

new look!

I was noticing the blog was looking a little overwhelming and overloaded...so I deleted some sidebars, changed up the background to a cleaner look, and went ahead and changed the header. What do you think? Better? I think it's nice and summer-y looking.

...

Also, be sure to check out the new page "about me"... :)

happiness is...

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Eudaimonia {happiness} - Blog Parade event! We had at least 20 participants...and if you didn't put your link from your post to the mr. linky box, then please let me know, and I'll add you to the list! :) 

There were so many wonderful entries...! I had a great time going over and reading through all of them! Everyone did such a great job!

Tomorrow I'll draw for the giveaway so be sure to let me know if you made a list, but it isn't on the mr. linky list.  

*rambling warning*

When making a list of what makes you happy...it's not difficult to think up ten things. In fact, it's hard to think of just ten things. Let's face it...happiness is easily gained...sometimes acquired from the simplest things. 

I'd like to challenge all of you (and especially myself):

If it's so easy to make ourselves happy...it must be just as easy to make other's happy. So I challenge you to spend time thinking of small things you can do to place a smile on someone's face. Whether it's your mom (do the dishes without being asked?), little sister (watch one of her favorite movies with her?), a friend (sometimes a big hug and a listening ear is all that's required), or even a stranger you see at Walmart (perhaps giving them a smile...saying "yes ma'am"...etc). 

Thoughtfully yours,

Rebecca Jane