I know I have been missing in action for a while. I have spent the past two months working on outfits to be worn to our annual vintage ball. This is a contra dance for homeschoolers in our area every year right after Christmas. It is tons of fun. My husband really gets into this dance. He loves to dress in the style of the 1800's. He also really wants an authentic outfit. This year I tried really hard to make him one.

This is the vest. The easiest piece I made.

I wanted to chuck these pants more times than I can count. The instructions with the pattern are just beyond comprehension. I finally told him I was going to make them the best I could to look authentic as possible. This pattern caused me many tears and I have seriously thought about trashing the pattern because it was such a pain.

This the jacket. He wanted it in the authentic wool, but I talked him out of it. Since we were dancing indoors and with heat I thought it would be just too hot. There are more than 24 pewter buttons on this coat. I also didn't make the buttons actually function. This piece took me the longest and there was so many more things I could have done to make it more authentic, but time wasn't on my side. I spent more than 6 weeks working on it.

This has been one of the most challenging projects I have done in awhile.

Today to wind down from all this I cleaned my sewing room and worked on hand quilting a fence rail quilt I am working on.

Sew Long for Now!