• 2015 in Retrospect •

I hope you all had a blessed Christmas! We had a fun time of relaxation, baking and making (way too many) cookies and sweets, watching movies, and playing games.

I made gingerbread cookies for the first time ever, and loved them! I used Lily's recipe and found it to be easy to make and very tasty.

I also made my traditional Christmas-time toffee! I was thrilled that it turned out good this year!

My dad has been making fudge for...well...longer than I've been alive, I think. So it's a definite tradition in this family to always have Dad's fresh black walnut fudge at Thanksgiving and Christmas. It is just about the most delicious thing you'll ever taste. :)

And lastly, we made our traditional Christmas sugar cookies!
The recipe originally came from my great-grandma, and it is a keeper! We made....only about 150 cookies. Just a few. ;)
They freeze very well, so they're fun to pull out throughout the year and enjoy.

~

Meanwhile, it's time to look back at 2015! It's hard to believe another year has gone by already!

It's been a good year overall; when trials come, you feel like it's been the one of the longest and worst years ever, and you're ready for next year to be a very good one (which is still always nice thought!). But once the trials are over, you realize that there was a purpose in them, and that they were actually for your benefit and learning.

But it's been especially good on the seamstress-y side of things!

I made quite a few garments, while of course at the same time making plenty of messes, plenty of mistakes, plenty of UFOs, but also plenty of memories. The Lord has been very bountiful! :)

first row: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

second row: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

third row: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

fourth row: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

To celebrate the new year, my Etsy shop is on sale through January 1st! Use coupon code WELCOME2016 to receive 16% off your purchase.

May you all have a Happy New Year! I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for the coming year. 

• 2014 in Retrospect •

Being the last day of the year, I decided a recap was in order! This has been an absolutely monumental year for me as far as sewing is concerned. At the beginning of the year, I hardly knew anything about sewing, especially when it came to following patterns and such. All that changed though after I made my first dress (the Walk-away dress, seen below), which happened to be from a reproduction vintage pattern. I was so thrilled with how easy it was to make that it gave me courage to keep going!

I first discovered vintage sewing through Tara's blog, A Lass of Yesteryear, and Lily's blog, Mode de Lis. I was (and still am) so impressed with all of their beautiful, inspiring sewing projects! I discovered through them that the pattern companies had reproduction vintage patterns, so I was very excited and started buying them up. I have had such a passion for vintage and historical styles ever since that I purged my closet of modern clothing for good!

I am so very thankful for the ability God has given me to sew. I can't imagine life without it now!

Here's a roundup of some of the major projects that I have made so far.

1. Walk-away Dress       2. Regency Dress and Spencer Jacket      3. 1950s Polka Dot Dress

4. 1940s Jacket and Blouse       5. 1950s Fall Dress      6. 1930s Jabot Dress

7. Calico Regency Gown      8. 1860s Christmas Gown      9. Floral 1950s Dress

All in all, it has been a very successful year. I look forward to (Lord willing) continuing to learn even more in this coming year.

And lastly, thank you, dear readers, for your support and kind words!! You make my day with each and every comment. Thank you all so much! :)

Happy New Year!

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