Dresses for Arabella

And other things I've been sewing lately.

What a week it has been. The best word to describe it would just be, “Ow.” It hurt bad for…about ten days I guess. Today (Sunday evening) as I type this up, has been the best day I’ve had for a while.

While this week has hurt like anything, it has been oddly productive. I finished the rough draft of Chapter 20 in my new novel and I finished the dresses I started for my little niece, Arabella. Sewing and writing were about the only two things I had the capacity to handle this week. The rest of the time, I did only the most necessary things—feed the dogs, feed the husband, feed the Kaylee and Captain Chubbs, keep the laundry going, etc… The rest of the time, I wrote, I sewed, listened to podcasts, and I slept.

Sewing, in particular, helped me keep my sanity through this ordeal. Sewing is one of the few things in life I love more than almost anything else…even writing, believe it or not. I get into a flow state when I’m working on a sewing project and everything else, including physical pain (well, unless it’s excruciating) gets shoved to the back of my consciousness. It’s a strange phenomenon, but I’m really grateful for it. I got to forget, for a few hour at a time each day that it hurt like blazes to move my neck.

Without anymore delay, here are the dresses for Arabella I finished this week:

Arabella is my 5-year-old niece who lives several states away. She holds the distinction of being youngest of my many nieces. So she doesn’t mind her old aunt making frou-frou dresses for her and goes giddy with excitement every time I do. This, of course, only encourages me.

I started writing her letters this year (or was it late last year?) as a vehicle for sending fun stickers, and she made a few attempts at writing me back which ended in many tears. For her letter was not perfect. So, I concocted a plan that would make the pain of writing an imperfect letter not only easier to bear, but almost not painful at all. I told her that I was going to make her an Easter dress, and what color dress would she like?

Her FIRST letter back to me was prompt and concise. “Dear Aunt Manda, I miss you too. Please make me a blue dress. I love you and thank you. Love, Arabella”

And so, I went up to my sewing room, cut some swatches of various blue fabrics I had on hand and put them in my next letter along with the usual stickers, with instructions to pick which fabric she liked the best and then send it back to me. Then I would make her dress. I made a point of stressing “and please not to forget to send the fabric back because I had to start the dress soon or it wouldn’t be done in time for Easter.” (You see how sneaky I am…)

Once again, the prompt reply was in my mailbox about a week later…with not one fabric swatch, but two! (Beat me at my own game, the sly little miss.) And I thought to myself, “Oh, why not! You’re only 5 once!” And so, Miss Arabella will be receiving two Easter dresses. Here is the second:

I’m not sure which one is my favorite. Here’s a closer look:

So, the thing is, I have enough material and trim to make a second dress just like this one…and list it on Etsy. I have been playing around with this idea for a long while now. Like I said, I love to sew. I would love to make a living sewing if I could. But of course, I am filled with self-doubt. What self-respecting author isn’t? I mean, nobody wants to pay what this kind of child’s dress would be worth, right? I was talking to Jonathon about this a few days ago, and he cut through all the nonsense right away with a question.

“Would you find it relaxing and enjoyable going through the process of making that dress again?”

“Well, yes,”

“Then do it!”

“But it probably won’t sell…”

“Just do it and see what happens.”

And so…I’m going to do it. I’ll let you know when it’s done and up for sale on Etsy. What will soon follow will probably be some aprons and other handmade stuff, and…we’ll just see if anything comes of it.

I also did a lot of the above hand sewing while I was laid up last week. This is called English paper piecing. It’s a completely hand sewn method of quilting that requires no machine at all. All you need is fabric scraps, paper hexagons, a needle and thread, and your two hands. I’ve been at this off and on for several years. It’s slow going, but I don’t care. It’s enjoyable and it looks so scrappy and happy once you start putting it all together.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my tale and my pictures. I’ll be sending Arabella’s dresses off to her sometime this week with another letter and perhaps some more stickers and some jelly beans. Because jelly beans go well with Easter dresses I think.

Housekeeping

I’ll be sending out Chapter 7 of The Pursuit of Elizabeth Millhouse on the usual day and time—Wednesday morning at 7:00. Hope you’ve been enjoying these early chapters. I must warn you, Elizabeth is about to get rowdy—in a post-Victorian sort of way. Which is to say, “Not particularly rowdy at all for us but was considered quite rowdy back then.” Anyway, you’ll just have to wait and see. If some more of you dear readers would consider upgrading from a free to a paid subscriber, you too can listen to the adventures of Elizabeth Millhouse. You would also help me fund republishing the book, and I would be grateful.

If you wish to see more sewing projects I’ve worked on in the last month, just keep scrolling past my farewell.

That’s all for now. Until next time, folks…

A button-down for Captain Chubbs.

A stuffed critter for Captain Chubb’s forthcoming first birthday.

An Easter decoration.