We just wrapped up Cheesefare yesterday and now the Great Fast has begun. I felt like Forgiveness Vespers was unusually well attended this year. Mittens fell asleep shortly after it began which meant I was actually able to stay inside for the whole service.
Everyone has been enjoying watching the little puppies grow up week after week. Moppet loves to hold them and she’s very careful. Mittens squeals so much I think she must frighten them a little, but this week the little black one actually pounced on her shoe.
I have nearly finished the first shirtwaist dress. Saturday evening I tried it on for the first time and realized it was too big. Sunday afternoon I took apart a good portion of it, resized some bits, and put it back together. It’s still a little on the big side but it’s workable. It will be done today after I sew the hem. I will make the next size down for the next dress (and remeasure myself), making some adjustments like shortening and bringing in some of the fullness of the bodice. (I’m thinking about making a muslin mock-up of the next bodice to see if my changes are adequate.) Pictures will be posted when I get done with the current one.
Given that yesterday was Forgiveness Sunday this is a trifle late, but better late than never! Please forgive any offense I have caused you by anything I have said or done, or failed to do. May God forgive us all and bless us with a holy Lent!
O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power, and idle talk.
But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to Thy servant.
Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own transgressions, and not to judge my brother, for blessed art Thou, unto ages of ages. Amen.
-Lenten prayer of St. Ephrem
Praying With My Feet 
I must have missed the post about puppies. Do you have a dog or are you getting one?
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No, the family who lives next door to the church (and who built it) have a new litter of puppies. The parish children have been having a blast watching them! (Indiana, our big cat, would look at them as snacks.)
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I don’t remember the pattern you picked, but if it is one of the Big Four Pattern companies (McCall, Simplicity, Butterick, Vogue), you’ll need to size down a LOT. Those patterns inevitably have 10″ of ease built in, even if the design doesn’t. I always look at the finished garment measurements to compare. (Sometimes the envelopes don’t include this, which is annoying, but you can also measure the pattern pieces too). I always think that these companies make it hard for people to get into sewing when they do this. I used to get super frustrated with sewing stuff for myself because the finished product was always too big, or fit oddly, and I think a lot of that was due to excess ease. I also find that I have to take off inches from any bodice because I am short-waisted, and everything is drafted for a longer waist (the exception to this is in vintage patterns, which seem to be drafted closer to the body and for a body type that is more similarly proportioned to mine).
That said, I’m eager to see the finished dress!
And: God forgives and I forgive. Our parish had to cancel liturgy and vespers yesterday because our priest was called away on a family crisis on Saturday, so we went to an English-speaking parish locally and it was really nice.
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The pattern is Vintage Vogue 9000 and I think you’re right about the ease! It’s not supposed to have much though so it hangs on me in an odd way. I just emailed you, in fact, and will send along photos as soon as I’m done with the hem today.
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Anxious to see the dress. Have you looked at Boden USA? They have such pretty and conservative dresses, skirts, etc. I have several things from there( Sale prices).
I love the posted prayer.
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The dress is too big, because it seems Vogue doesn’t tell you they add several inches to the patterns. I should have made something several sizes down. I will post photos of the dress anyway so people can see what happens if they follow Vogue’s sizing.
(I don’t know if Biden has shirtwaist dresses, but I know pretty much no one does, so if you want one you’ll have to find a perfectly fitting vintage one in good shape or make your own.)
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God forgives, forgive me a sinner! Like Mat Juliana, we went to our local parish yesterday; it was good. Hang in there with the sewing!
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