Springtime in Colorado is a mix of both winter and spring. The two seasons take turns teasing us when spring officially arrives in March, reminding me that spring does not really arrive in Colorado until April or May. March can sometimes be our snowiest month!
Eager for spring, yet knowing I would be indoors in March, I was behind my sewing machine a lot. My sewing projects kept me busy all spring.
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| A new jumper, all cut out, complete with matching thread and buttons, ready to be sewn. |
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| Spring popped up here in tiny shoots of green on March 1st, only to be greeted with blankets of snow that month. If plants could understand, I felt like saying to them… “Be careful little buds; winter is still here.” Thankfully, our little hyacinth buds survived the snow just fine. |
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| Robins in our front lawn heralded the arrival of spring here in April. Either that or they were slightly dazed by the solar eclipse on the day this photo was taken. Or they may have been carefully guarding a nest. Whatever the case, I loved seeing robins again, a sure sign of spring. |
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| Our neighbors across the street had some cheery white and bright yellow daffodils that greeted me whenever I walked out our front door. I was also delighted to see them from one of my bedroom windows. |
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| We also had some pale yellow daffodils pop up in our own back yard. I’m amazed at the different shades of color daffodils come in. God is such an Artist! |
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| White hyacinths came up in our front yard. |
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| Pink and purple hyacinths came up in our back yard. |
We even got snow one weekend in April. I love snow, I truly do, but in April, not so much.
Inwardly, I cringe when I see snow on flowers and other blossoming trees and plants. I don’t like to think of snow possibly killing any new plant life!
There are so many life lessons found in nature. When I see the picture below, a certain word comes to mind.
Resilience. Resilience in the face of adversity is what comes to mind when I see a picture like this.
God’s creation inspires me so much at times.
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| Our pink hyacinth covered in snow! |
Thankfully, our snow in April didn’t last long, and as April moved into May, we began to enjoy lilacs!
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| White lilacs in our front yard. |
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| Some of those gorgeous, heavenly scented, white lilacs ended up inside on my bedroom dresser! |
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| Soon after our white lilacs blossomed, purple lilacs blossomed in both our front and back yard. |
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| I had to bring some of our purple lilacs inside to enjoy on my bedroom dresser as well! |
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| We have several different kinds of purple lilacs, and this bush in our back yard amazes me! Do you see the delicate, white edging on these? |
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| Of course, I had to bring some of those inside too! |
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| Near the end of May, our purple irises bloomed with such vibrant color! |
Daffodils and hyacinth come up every April. Lilacs and irises blossom each year in May. Roses bloom in June. Daisies and lilies usually come in July. Sunflowers show up in August. All of them arrive right on time. I’m looking forward to many more flowers to enjoy this summer.
To watch the earth renew itself and plants come back to life each year is truly a miracle from God.
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Flowers not only appeared outside this spring, they also appeared on fabrics that I sewed.
Besides sewing new jumpers this spring, I also cut out and sewed a new nightgown for the summer.
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| A new summer nightgown, all cut out and ready to be sewn. |
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| My new summer nightgown, all completed, which includes a large ruffle on the bottom. (not shown in this picture) |
Sewing can be quite enjoyable, especially if you have a pattern you like. The nightgown shown above was made with a well used, well loved, McCall’s pattern.
Occasionally, I like to look for nightgowns online in a certain, name brand that I like for a good price if I don't feel like sewing. But in general, I love to sew nightgowns for summer and winter using the same pattern, just slightly modified.
In the past 25 years, I’ve done a lot of sewing and used so many different patterns. I smile when I think of all the different dresses and nightgowns I've made over the years.
Growing up, I dressed like the average American. Shirt and jeans are what I wore. I grew up in Baptist churches, and the only time I wore a dress or a skirt was to church on Sunday. During the week, a shirt with jeans or shorts was typically what I wore. I didn't know anything different.
Just before I turned 15, my mom shared with me and my sisters that God's Word might have something to say about how we dress. My mom encouraged us to consider changing our clothing. At 15, I wasn't entirely open to the idea at first. Wearing jeans and shorts was all I knew.
I loved the Lord with all my heart. I had a close walk with Him, and I wanted to follow His Word. So, I slowly became open to the idea that maybe God's Word did have something to say about how we should dress. (click here to read a post I wrote years ago about modesty)
Slowly, but surely, I began to change my clothing. Instead of wearing jeans and shorts, I wore jumpers and skirts. In time, dressing modestly became a joy to me.
It is sad that most women in western culture, like myself growing up, don’t know anything different. Around 100 years ago, all women wore dresses or skirts; pants were considered strictly male attire. I wish stores were full of long, flowing skirts for women. Instead you see racks and racks of pants and shorts for women today. So sad. To be sure, long, beautiful, modest skirts are out there; you just have to look harder to find them.
Do I ever desire to wear jeans or shorts again? Not at all. I have no interest to ever wear those again. It does not even appeal to me. I'm very thankful I learned what God's Word says about dressing modestly when I was 15.
Whenever I see a woman with a long skirt or dress on, I always think how beautiful it is.
God's way is so beautiful. Modesty is beautiful.
I love elegance and beauty - Godly beauty.
I desire to be Godly, modest, and beautiful.
God’s Word talks about women dressing modestly in 1 Timothy 2:9-10 and 1 Peter 3:3-4, the most important thing being the heart. (1 Peter 3:4) True beauty and Godliness always comes from within, from the heart.
Over the years, the Lord has blessed me with dear, likeminded friends, and it has been special to get patterns and ideas from them. Years ago, I made dresses from patterns I had never even seen or heard of before. I remember some beautiful dresses I made in the past that I loved. I’ve enjoyed wearing many different dress patterns throughout the years.
In recent years though, I've gone back to wearing my favorite - jumpers. I've never worn just one pattern, but right now, that is all I'm wearing. I found a nice Simplicity jumper pattern that I altered to fit me better.
I'm not sure if it is a stage of life I am in or what? But after years of sewing with so many different patterns, I know what I like. I like jumpers.
The same is true about my nightgown pattern. I only have one nightgown pattern now, my tried and true favorite.
I suppose it is like making a favorite recipe, like a favorite granola recipe or muffin recipe. After a while, you know what you like and tend to revert back to it.
The same is true about many harps I've played on. After 24 years of playing the harp, I know exactly which harp I like the best. (click here to read a post I wrote about harps last year)
Several years ago, I found some beautiful jumpers for sale. For me, jumpers are harder to find in stores; skirts are easier to find. These jumpers I found were long, were made with princess seams, and had beautiful embroidery on them. I felt like a princess when I wore them, truly. They were so beautiful. But I can’t find them anymore. So I have gone back to sewing my jumpers again.
In many ways, I like sewing my own jumpers because I can sew them in whatever fabric I like.
With so many beautiful fabrics available today, it is so fun to go fabric shopping! Me personally, I do not like denim of any kind. I know some women like denim, but I do not.
It’s fun to sew if you have a pattern you enjoy.
I’m discovering there is a convenience in having one, well fitting, “go to” pattern. Trying to come up with a nice fitting pattern can sometimes be a challenge, especially if you lose or gain weight. (another perk with jumpers is that, if you lose weight, you can pull them in with back ties. If you gain weight, you can loosen back ties.) With dresses, it’s not that easy.
Occasionally, I will wear a skirt, but I am very picky about the type of skirt I will wear. It has to be long, modest, flowing, and comfortable, especially around the waist. I don’t like wearing tight things.
I love jumpers for so many reasons. And I love them when I see them on others.
Recently, I was delighted to find a long, modest, flowing skirt pattern by McCall’s.
More sewing will be happening in the near future, likely sometime this summer.
While I enjoy flowers outside this summer, I will enjoy sewing inside with flowers on fabric.
