Happy Robbie Burns Day to ya!

On this fine morn of the anniversary of the birth of the national bard of Scotland, I perused the Robert Burns website for a nice quote to put on my Facebook wall. Lo and behold I came across this fine poem written in 1792 that I would like to share with you, constant reader. Enjoy it to your liking, and raise a cup of kindness to Mr. Burns today!

Bessy And Her Spinnin' Wheel

O Leeze me on my spinnin' wheel,
And leeze me on my rock and reel;
Frae tap to tae that cleeds me bien,
And haps me biel and warm at e'en;
I'll set me down and sing and spin,
While laigh descends the simmer sun,
Blest wi' content, and milk and meal,
O leeze me on my spinnin' wheel. 

On ilka hand the burnies trot,
And meet below my theekit cot;
The scented birk and hawthorn white,
Across the pool their arms unite,
Alike to screen the birdie's nest,
And little fishes' caller rest;
The sun blinks kindly in the beil',
Where blythe I turn my spinnin' wheel. 

On lofty aiks the cushats wail,
And Echo cons the doolfu' tale;
The lintwhites in the hazel braes,
Delighted, rival ither's lays;
The craik amang the claver hay,
The pairtrick whirring o'er the ley,
The swallow jinkin' round my shiel,
Amuse me at my spinnin' wheel.

Wi' sma' to sell, and less to buy,
Aboon distress, below envy,
O wha wad leave this humble state,
For a' the pride of a' the great?
Amid their flairing, idle toys,
Amid their cumbrous, dinsome joys,
Can they the peace and pleasure feel
Of Bessy at her spinnin' wheel?

Wordless Wednesday

 

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

 

 

Shifting

So I was looking at the kind of dress that I want to wear to the Hoggetowne Faire on our big trip with Sophia this year. I want Elizabethan style with a low, wide neckline. And I was thinking about what the hell kind of bra I'd need to wear with it, because one of the downfalls of aging is that I now have to wear a bra when I dress up. Anyhoo, no modern bra that I could think of would work with this neckline. Strapless bras don't count anymore, as they don't work so much after the age of 30. Well what would a lady of the time wear with her fancy dress? A corset,of course! But before I jump all in with both feet, I needed to warm up the sewing machine with a simple shift to wear under the corset. This will keep the lining of the corset clean, and cut down on the chafing.

Even though it won't show at all, I wanted a pretty bit of fabric for my shift. It's funny how I'm so attracted to white on white designs even though I don't wear white at all. Ever. So I picked up this white on white fabric that kind of coordinates with the fabric I chose for my corset. The thing abut this fabric is that because the design is printed on the fabric, it makes the fabric quite a bit more heavy than I imagined. I'll still use it, but you might want to watch for that if you make a shift. I think I'll wear the garment as a nightgown for the next couple of months in hopes that washing it a lot will wear the fabric out some and make it lighter.

I used one of the patterns that I picked up on mega-sale at Joann Fabrics for the shift. As usual, I fell between sizes and cut out the larger size. And as usual it was way too big for me. Better too big than too small, though! Luckily this little under dress has very simple construction, so I just shimmed up a couple of the side seams, then put some cute pleats on the neckline in both the front and the back. I won't be able to get away with this kind of fix for the real dress, though, so I see an entire bolt of muslin in my future.

Next time I'm at the fabric store I'll pick up some sweet, fine lace to add to the neckline and cuffs and it'll be all done! I'll throw up a couple of more pics then.

Wordless Wednesday

 

 

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

 

 

 

 

Wordless Wednesday