More Peaceful Sunday Evenings

Three years ago when I arrived home from our "Slice of America 1" road trip after 30 days on the road with our eldest daughter's family and my sister and her daughter, I came home to my husband watching a series I had never seen before.  You see, my husband was home all that time and our youngest son was with him part of the time for a good visit.  Boy, did they have fun!  Ice cream treats each night and other food specialties!

Anyhow, my first impression of the TV series was not very good.....of course. I came in on one of the especially violent scenes, too.  Our son had brought the discs of the complete series up to that point and every night they were watching it.  So by the time I got home, dear hubby was totally hooked.

Last night was the final show of "Breaking Bad".  I have to admit, I got hooked too eventually.  It was sort of a love/hate thing.  It had a good way of ending and tied up all the loose ends and I am really glad it is DONE.  It wasn't the greatest series to go to bed on but the story always went in directions you would never guess.

I realized that I hadn't finished the bustle petticoat's hem before I had gone to my daughters house to animal sit her pets.  So, while watching the final episode of Breaking Bad I was hemming the petticoat.
I had planned on hemming the underskirt but figured I should finish the first project first.

I did try the underskirt on with the bustle petticoat and it looked great!  Tomorrow, pictures!

Cutting Out the Underskirt

Today I had a chance to start work on the mockup bustle dress.  Hopefully the mockup will turn out good enough to wear.  I am sure the underskirt will, the bodice is going to be a challenge.  I cut out the mockup underskirt out of this cotton fabric:

 The skirt seams are sewn and the waist band needs to be fitted next.

PANDAS Clinic Appointment Day

Yesterday we had an appointment with Dr Chang at the Stanford Hospital, PANDAS Clinic. We had waited 5 months for this appointment.  Like all families with a child with PANDA symptoms we are looking for answers.  There are very few doctors that even know about this disease that often starts after a bout with a strep infection.

Our Grandson has been suffering from this disease for several years now.  His family has been struggling with doctor appointments, tests, frustration in finding an answer and cure for this problem. Todays 2 hour appointment consisted of mostly reviewing our grandson's medical history.  All his med and lab record will be sent to Dr Chang to be reviewed and a follow-up appointment made.  It was so good to be able to talk with a Doctor that knows and has seen these symptoms and can understand what has gone on before.  And HOPE is a wonderful thing.

I try not to put serious stuff on this blog, but I think that there are tons of kids out there that have are suffering from this auto-immune disease and are not diagnosed correctly because their parents and family doctor are not aware of PANDAS.

P.A.N.D.A.S. stands for Pediatric Autoimmune Illness Associated with Streptococci.
From  pandasnetwork.org:

The hallmark trait for PANDAS is sudden acute and debilitating onset of intense anxiety and mood lability accompanied by Obsessive Compulsive-like issues and/or Tics in association with a streptococcal-A (GABHS) infection that has occurred immediately prior to the symptoms. In some instances, the onset will be 4 to 6 months after a strep infection because the antibiotics did not fully eradicate the bacteria. Many pediatricians do not know the latent variability of strep – Rheumatologists and Streptococcal Experts do.

When strep cannot be linked to the onset of symptoms, the NIMH states one should look into the possibility of PANS (Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndromes).

Symptoms include sudden onset of OCD* and/or Tics along with at least 2 other following symptoms:

Sensory sensitivities

Separation anxiety

Sleep difficulties

Personality changes

Urinary frequency

Tics or abnormal movements

Irritability or agression

Inability to concentrate or ADHD

Deterioration in learning abilities

Developmental and age regression

     *OCD may present as severe anxiety

for more information see: pandasnetwork.org:

Other than that news, I did complete copying my 3 new patterns so I will be having more information on how the bustle dress project will be coming along. 

Kirk's PANDAS Story

New Patterns!

These are the three patterns I will be making copies of today.  These patterns are marked for many sizes.  My copies are for my sizes so I won't have to cut the originals.

These are the patterns I will be using to create my bustle dress.  I have learned that you start with the bustle (which I have finished) and go on to an underskirt which is the pattern on the right.  Then the bodice is made and fitted to fit over the skirt and underthings.  And an overskirt can be added, which is the pattern in the center.  Different looks can be created by changing the overskirt.  But generally it looks like the overskirt is supposed to look like it is the real skirt that is just pulled up and back.  So usually it matches the bodice.

I would have started with the bodice because it will be the hardest and the most challenging.  Lots of fittings.  Doing research has helped me with the obvious correct order to create the "look".

It should be very interesting!

Bustle dresses!

These are some of my favorite bustle dresses I've found in my research......Humm, may be I can just throw one of these together on the next rainy day!

I'm washing some cotton fabric that I've had for a while to make up my first bustle dress.

 I will be grandpet-sitting for several days, so in-between spoiling the doggies and kitty, I will be copying my 3 new patterns.

And Look What is Coming Up!

Don't forget to put these on your calendar!

Fund raisers for the Dominican Sisters:

Bustle Petticoat Update

I  have been sewing ruffles, lots of ruffles!

It was nice to have a rainy Saturday to work on all those ruffles for my new bustle petticoat.

And now I have the basic petticoat done except the hem length.

The Overlay is the part that goes over the boning that makes up the bustle.  It has all the ruffles. It's job is to smooth out the boning and give support and shape to the skirt that goes over it.  The Overlay is attached to the basic petticoat and a bustle pad is worn above it, you know, for even MORE pouf back there.

Underneath on the basic petticoat there is a whole superstructure of boning.  The boning is held in a curved shape by pulling tapes underneath at each end of each boning and tying them.  The shorter the tape is tied the more bowing of the boning.  You can see this when the overlay is moved over.

See the difference when you pull the ties tighter!

So now you really have leverage!  A bustle pad goes on the top at the waist.

I have a bit of "pullage" going on here.  I think I need to make sure my tapes are attached exactly at the end of the boning.

Meanwhile, I'm getting in the mood for a bustle dress, doing research.

Just look at all the action going on in this dress.  The main fabric looks like a polished cotton.  See how structured the bodice is....a pretty strong underlining here and very well fitted.  And check out where that print fabric shows up! It is used as the vest, in some edging, in the pleats, around the wrists and... look at that piece that actually wraps completely around the skirt enveloping the bustle area.  And then there is at the top of the bustle a braid affair using that print that tops off the bustle.

And look at all that fabric in the bustle area!  It even pops out under that band of print!

Can you imagine being brave enough to pull all that off!  Well, lets just add a little more ruffle to it, just because!

Ardenwood Visit!

Friday I was playing my Ardenwood docent role.  I had the greatest class of 10th graders from Fremont's Kennedy High culinary class.  They were such an interested group of teens, that were not afraid of showing they were interested!

Scenes of the day:

And look what is coming!!!!

The PUMPKIN PATCH!  And all that goes with it!

No, those guys are not playing on the hay pyramid, they are constructing it!  Tho they were having lots of fun!

Starting on a new sewing project!

I have been avoiding the fancy dresses of the 1870s and 1880s because they really are pretty far, time-wise from the era that Ardenwood portrays.  But just for my information I have been researching them a bit.

And then I did it.  It was actually that darn striped taffeta that did it....I am going to tackle a bustle dress!

First I have to get the right silhouette so I need a bustle petticoat.  That is the new project.

LOTS OF GATHERING INVOLVED!

We haven't had rain since January so "red in the morning, sailors take warning" sounds great to me!  In fact I slept in Lucy (the motorhome) last night so I would hear the raindrop on the roof..... I love it.  No such luck, the rain hasn't gotten to us yet,  just the sunrise.  What a nice sewing day!

And More Paint-Out Photos of the Paintings! Part 6

People's Choice Winner -Susan Stamp (Watercolor)

Beth Okurowski, Artist's Choice - 1st place

Here are the Artist’s Choice    winners

First Place                       Beth Okurowski     

$ 150.00                                 Pleasanton

Second Place                Kevin Kasik

$ 100.00                                 San Jose

Third Place                    Therese Ely 

$  75.00                                  Fremont

___________

People’s Choice          Susan Stamp

Brush carrier                       Fremont

Paint-Out Photos of some of the painting! Part 5

Beautiful watercolor, but no frame

The painting on the right- Therese Ely, Artist's Choice - 3rd place

Artist's Choice,  Kevin Kasik - 2nd place

More Paint-Out Photos! Part 4

The sisters have artwork tucked in all sorts of corners.

St. Dominic 

Mary's Grotto

Painting among the olive trees.