Vintage Rayons

It's been a wild week for anyone involved in education in Wisconsin.  As a school board president who is married to a public school teacher, let me tell you, I am right in the thick of things.  I have more worries than a goat on a four lane highway.  And it's really not funny at all.  And it's leaving me little time for the joy of creativity and vintage fabric.  So, rather than let you sit and look at my outdated Valentine's message, please enjoy these vintage rayons from... the 40s?  They are so swingy and carefree and fun...  unlike me right now.

bright chartreuse shamrocks

 

 ruched peach rayon

nice calligraphy lines

flower blowing cherubs

Valentine's Day Stash

Happy Valentine's Day

from some of my pinks to yours.

Mary Tyler Moore and Gang had Style!

I've been DVR-ing reruns from the early years of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and playing them back on fast speed, stopping every time Mary, Rhoda or Phyllis has a change of clothes.  I don't know why, but I'm loving those mod looks right now.

Every once in a while, I troll around Etsy just looking at patterns from the late 60s/early 70s.  When I find one I love, I pop it into my favorites.  Sometimes I think about it too long - like I did with this groovy little number.  Next time I checked it out?  SOLD!  Ugh.

I love this one, too.  It's not sold yet, but it's kind of out of the price range I like to pay for a vintage pattern.  However, I'm beginning to think I can't live without it.  All the dresses I could make!  Border prints!  Cool 60s zipper pulls!  

Then there's this one that sold right out from under my nose.  As soon as it was gone, I started dreaming of all the cute buttons I'd use right down that scallop on the front of a sleeveless summer shift.  Well, finally I broke down and bought it somewhere else online for too much money - afterall, I really don't think I could have gone on living much longer without it! 

Her Nickname...? Piano Pounder

She came.  She pounded.  She conquered.

 My 19-year-old daughter flew 1200 miles home this last weekend

to compete in the Chapman Memorial Piano Competition 

sponsored by the Wisconsin Philharmonic.

She brought fellow BYU piano performance major and accompanist along.

Forrest is from Seattle.  We Packerfied him.  Ahem... but I digress.

She played the Prokofiev.  Insanely hard.  She won.

She'll be playing this piece with the Wisconsin Philharmonic

in an October concert here in southeast Wisconsin.

Here's a little bit of the beginning from a practice session.
The whole piece is 15 minutes long.

She has it memorized which always amazes me.

Everything about her piano playing amazes me... but I'm the mom.

(Keep in mind that Forrest, as accompanist, is playing something

that resembles what the rest of the orchestra would be playing.)

OK, I'm being the mom here again,

but for you music lovers out there, here's the grand finale.

Thanks for letting me brag a little.  I'm a very proud mom.

I usually stick to my creative pursuits in this blog,

but perhaps my children are my best designs of all - no doubt.
(p.s. the beautiful portraits were taken by Jenni Gilbreth)