Refashion Runway Season Two: Week 2, Pantone 2013 Emerald Green

Have you ever Googled a color?

 

Only twice in my life, have I ever.

Once for a bride's maid dress,

and the second to find out what in the world 'Pantone 2013 Emerald Green' was!

 

Green and I don't get along well together,

so I was very relieved to see that this particular green was more of a teal-green,

as compared to the St. Patrick's Day green I had in mind.

 

And to my further surprise, it wasn't as hard to come by as I thought it might be.

Still, it amazed me how challenging this project was...probably on the count

that green doesn't naturally conjure up my inspiration.

 

None the less, after lots...and lots...and lots of brainstorming and reworking,

I came up with a lacy maxi skirt, made from a dress, shirt and an old curtain!

 

 

 

 

I started with the dress first, which was a wee too snug all around.

 

 

 

The skirt and bodice were two separate pieces, so there was no chopping involved...just lots of ripping.

 

 

Once that was done, I took some measurements for my waist,

then measured and marked accordingly on the bottom portion of the dress bodice.

 

 

 

 

After chopping it off, I folded the raw edges together, right side out,

and sewed it up.

 

 

Then I pinned the band to the raw edge of the bottom part of the dress.

 

 



 

 

This is what is looked like.

Now I had a skirt...albeit a rather, short and plain one.

 

Not to worry,

I'm not finished with it yet!

 

 

Moving on, I delimbed  my green shirt and chopped off the upper half,
right were the arm hole starts.

 

 

 



Once that was all chopped up, I was left with this piece...perfect for the bottom tier of my maxi skirt.

But before I attached that to the other skirt piece, I had something else in store.

 

 



 

 

There resided in my refash-stash a long, beautiful curtain
that had the most lovely of scalloped edges.

It was meant to be a skirt!

I did some measuring to get my length, then chopped off what I needed.

 

 

In order to get all of the width I could, I made sure to seam rip the folded side seams.

 

 

 

Then I pinned the edges together and sewed them down,

creating a tube like the rest of my skirt tiers.



 

 

While I had the lace under the machine, I had sewn some gathering stitches

at either side- when I pinned the lace to my bottom green tier, I lined these

gathered sections up with both of the side seams on my green skirt tier.

 





Once it was all pinned, I basted the two layers together.

 

Now it was time to connect the two tiers!
This is what it looked like after all the sewing.
 

 

 

 

To add a little interest, I sewed a few rows of lace

down the center of the skirt.

This required a little unpicking at the bottom and top in order to

get the lace inserted into the seams, but it wasn't too difficult.

 

Add a couple of matching buttons, and it was a wrap!!

 

 

The buttons and lace add so much, in my opinion.

Here you can see the gentle falling of the lace where it was gathered at the sides.

The waist band was so easy, but gives it a great finished look!

 

 

I really enjoy the length of this skirt.

Not only does the bottom lace panel look so pretty, but it gives the skirt a lovely weight!

 

 

And it was warm.
Very warm.
Don't be fooled by the cardigan, things are still plenty warm here in Texas!
I was roasting while taking these pictures.
So why wear the cardi?
One word. Mosquitos!
We recently had a scrumptious, cloudy, rainy day!
It was heavenly.
The resulting mosquitos?
Not so much.





Aaannnd a couple shots that have nothing to do with the skirt.
The sunset was so beautiful, my photographer had to capture it.

 This gives me the perfect excuse to direct your attention to the cute little flower pin
I made with some of the scraps!
I think it ties the whole look together, don't you?

And there you have it, week 2 completed!
Be sure to cast your vote for your favorite refashion this week!


Rustic Vintage Birthday Tea Party

 

Sometimes in life,

we are given moments that are so beautiful, and perfectly piercing,

it seems almost overwhelming, too much to take in and fully grasp.

 

I recently had one of those moments.

 

 

 

This past weekend was the birthday of a dear friend.

Funny story...

while she is a dear friend,

she is a fairly new one...and I actually didn't know it was her birthday!

We had planned to spend the weekend together in advance,

since her family would be away and we would have the time all to ourselves.

 

She had no special plans to celebrate,

but I have to say, God had some...

 

What started as a simple cup of tea between friends one evening,

turned into grand plans for a beautiful outdoor tea party and supper the following day.

 

We spent most of Saturday planning, preparing, searching for recipes,

and cooking.

 

 

By the time we had gotten dressed, carried the table, chairs, dishes and our goodies

out to the edge of a nearby field...

it was sunset. 

 

 

 

Tea cups and place settings.

 

 

 

 

A birthday banquet.

 



 
  

 

Freshly picked flowers graced out table.

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

The lovely ladies...

 

 

 

 

...sitting down to tea.

 



 

 

Beth, the birthday beauty.

 

 

 

 

And me.

 

 

 

Pumpkin Pie Spiced tea...

 

 

 

 

 

We couldn't wait to enjoy the fruits of our labor!

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

Isn't it beautiful?!

 

 

 

 

Yummy quiche, made with farm fresh eggs, garden picked veggies and gluten free crust!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For dessert, gluten free Scottish Shortbread with Cinnamon Sugar topping!

 

 

 

 

And a dish of home grown Honey Dew...it was divine!

 

 

 

 



 The sunset was beautiful...

and the perfect opportunity for some vivid shots...

 

 

 

Just gorgeous, inside and out!

 

 



 

 

I love how the purple hues came out in Beth's pictures,

and the deep oranges came out in mine...the colors matched with what we were wearing.

 

 

 

 

We finished our meal in the dark, with the stars and a lone lamp post (the farm version) for light.

Is it just me, or does food taste better out of doors?

 

Probably the high light of the evening was what came after.

Once we had fed our tummies, we nourished each other's souls by praying for each other.

After talking about so many hopes, dreams and desires for the future,

we wanted to bless each other and ask for God's guidance and grace.

 

It was a glorious way to celebrate a birthday...

and a friendship!