The Lost Art of... Slowing Down

So much has been happening around here! I don't know if it's the gallons of coffee I've been consuming, the fact that temperatures have dropped to a comfortable level or just the end of a project that has been inspiring me to be productive. After pinning a sleeve on to the dress, I needed to give my back a break so I stitched up this funky lace doily corsage:

I don't even remember when I bought these, but these doilies are all handmade and starched. The buttons are from a giant button jar -- I LOVE finding those.

To give the corsage an anchor, I sewed a large button inside two pieces of felt, then stitched both the doilies and the pin on.

This gives you perspective on its size.

I also made some major progress on the dress! At this point, it just needs one more sleeve and the zipper sewn in. I have yet to decide how to finish the bottom hem, but I will keep you all updated. Unfortunately, while this pattern has been easy enough to figure out, there are a few steps left out of the instructions, such as finishing the hem on the sleeves and how to alter the pattern according to your own measurements. The bust is also somewhat wonky at this point, but I have easy plans for fixing that.

Looking for all the vintage materials for this project has really made me long for something I never even experienced: the actual eras these materials were made in. Things were slower then, made better, people took their time. I think of my grandmother making a dress as a young woman; I imagine the elderly woman behind me pinning her hair back and putting lipstick on to go dancing. I try to imagine how fast and autonomous the bustling world around older generations must seem. I also imagine how much more social women were back then. No Facebook. No Twitter. No cell phones, emailing or blogging. It makes me want to unplug, but I know I probably never fully could. As busy as I sound, I have been doing even more handwritten letter writing than normal and making my gestures count more. Smiling at people, trying to be a better listener.

Make your gestures count. Take time for others. Call instead of texting. Write a letter after calling. Start now.