Louisa and Penelope are all dressed up! AND A PILLOW

OK, I'm so thrilled to show you this because well, I am.  I have never done anything like this in my entire life.  EVER.  I was extremely excited about it. So much so that I wrote a note in "screaming" font to 

Polly at Make Mine Beautiful

after seeing her tutorial on sewing a pillow cover over at 

Donna's FJI workshop.

  

I never did the pillow cover.  

edited: 
THAT'S A LIE!  I DID!  HERE SHE IS! (On Thursday afternoon I put the petal to the metal. That was after I had already written this post!)

Pillow sewn per Polly's instructions

With Cording (oh my!  Never did that before!)

And...are you ready?

Here 'tis!

A zipper.  The ever-loving zipper!

It opens.  It does!

All the way.  See the other pillow inside?

Polly, I did it!  Thanks to your tutorial!  (And Donna for letting me inside your computer for a day and a half!)  Oh, you should have seen me, running back and forth from the computer to my sewing machine.  "No, that's not right.  Oh, that's how it's done."  Sweating.  

It's not perfect.  I made a few mistakes.  But I know what to do next time.  NEXT TIME??  You bet!

And it's mine!  And it goes with....read below

continued from above original post:

Instead I made a slip cover.  You see.  Because of all of you.  I'm getting mushy, gals.  But you see. I live this simple life.  Me.  EC.  Two darling boys.  Two doggies.  A little house.  A little church.  Some sweet, kind friends.  A few songs.  A walk in the park.  That's it.  Nothing more.  No grand anything.  Just a simple life.  I adore the simplicity and it is only possible because of God and his mercy and good grace that I'm a happy person.  Actually a very content person.  If I made stew in the crock pot with some delicious bread and had a few friends over and we played music together and in the evening tucked my boys in and kissed their heads and then I crawled into my bed afterwards, well.  Content.  I don't need any thing more.  And then I met you.  And I am becoming more.  Becoming more is not the same as needing more.  Becoming is a gift.  Freely given.  Because you are who you are doing what you do, I am becoming who I am doing what I do.  And then some.

Onto the dresses!

When I first met Louisa and Penelope they were gold.  

See.  Not ugly.  Just tired.

I found them on CL.  I'm not much for talking about the price of things. Mainly because I don't remember.  I've noticed since entering blog world that many of you creative geniuses "talk" about prices.  I appreciate that we all can get more for less and then do something even more spectacular to something we got for pocket change.  I probably will not price out my stuff.  For the reason stated before and also because I live in the moment forget that I even bought the thing let alone how much it costs.

Oh and I grew up with a mother that priced everything.  My eyes got stuck in the back of my head one time because she was laying out all the prices of things she bought that day.  Then I fell over backwards.  It's a traumatic memory.

So more often than not, probably never, will I talk about prices.  But if you ask, I'm happy to oblige, if my memory prevails.  Just so you know these gals were worth every single $40.  

Here's where I first introduced you to Louisa and Penelope

(oh, and it's all because of

Miss Mustard Seed

that I would even consider this pair!)

I kept looking at Louisa to see what she should look like.  I stare.  A lot.

I had a bolt of fabric (not because I'm a seamstress.  Because I'm a lunatic.  I buy bolts of fabric because I'm a wannabe)  This is dream fabric.  Creamy texture.  Smooth.  Sturdy.  Washed out cotton.  Looks like faded denim.  Flannel.  I don't care.  I love it!  And I've vowed that whenever I see this kind of fabric I am buying bolts of it in all colors that go with my life!

Then came the ruffles.  Ruffles?  I am so not a ruffles gal.  I do however love old English regalia - clothes from the late 1700's, early 1800's. No corsets, thank you.  I am a long admirer of Jane Austen's novels (we share a birthday - she's like 188 years older than me).  So I started making a pleated bustle type thing,

  before I even decided on making the slip cover.


I had no idea how to do this.  My only guess is that after reading all of your blogs, the info that you've been dumping out seeped into my brain and landed in the slipcover file.  I got to sewing.  I made the top.  Attached the bustle.  Then cut out and sewed the seat.  Then made ruffles.  

Attached them.  Then stared at Louisa.

She was smiling back at me.  I had tears in my eyes.  We were both nodding, "Yes".  She whispered "Thank you" - in a British accent.

Then I sat on the floor and made four large ruffles for Penelope.  Sewed the top of the otto (woman), attached the ruffles.  

Got her all dressed up.  And Penelope, being a bit more passionate, needed those ruffles to be flared out, draping, making a sweeping sound as she whirled about the room!  Penelope thanked me in her own way.  By twirling!  

I'm so in love with these right now. They are sitting sweetly in the middle of my living room because I have to have the pair on display for myself and visitors.  I'm going to put them in my room.  But all I do there is sleep.  Poo.

 We shall see where the ladies end up!     

I'm linking here TODAY - Tuesday March 30th

for this

I'm going to be linking up this weekend to a bunch of parties, fan fares, etc.  Oh and I'll be painting the legs on Louisa to match her new dress!

I invite you to take a look at the finds over here!

Check out Angie's Designs and what the other gals are doing

And I'm playing over here too...amazing creations...take a look!

I played here too!