The Lotions and Potions Christmas

  I started planning my Christmas gifts in September. It was going to need a bit of sewing and a lot of kitchen work. This year I am giving everyone on my list handmade creams, powders, soaps and other care products. I call them "Lotions and Potions."  I have been making my own care products for over ten years now. 

I met a great herbalist a few years back named Joanne Bauman. (Kansas herbalist | Prairie Magic Herbals | Kansas herb education

)  She has taught me to see the plants of my garden and even the weeds in my yard in a new light. Now you will find me harvesting dandelions for a Dandelion Hand Cream or drying rosemary for hair care as well as use in the kitchen. Out of all of that has grown my love of lotions and potions. In the photo you will see dusting powder, cold cream, hand cream, night cream, hot oil hair treatment, facial scrubs, hand soap, shaving soap, beard oil and after shave. My daughter has the nose of a perfumer. She helped me blend a cherry vanilla tobacco coffee fragrance for the men's products. It has memories of the Borkum Riff tobacco my brother used to smoke. 

It wasn't enough to plan to give the lotions and potions, though. They needed to be IN something. That is where the sewing came in. I made block bags or shaving kits, for the men and tote bags for the women. I found the block bag pattern on Pinterest. It was scaled for a child's bag,                  so I had to scale it up for my needs, but the instructions were clear and it wasn't difficult to get the size I needed. The ladies' bags are from Charm Patterns and called the Hattie Tote. Gretchen Hirsch, known as Gertie, designed the bags to hold her chihuahua. I would not be surprised if one of my family members uses her bag that way! Five tote bags and six block bags later, all my gifts are ready. I hope everyone has fun with them Christmas Day.

                            And Merry Christmas, 2025 to all of you!

Pincushion Dolls and Living History Garb

This Victorian kick has been a lot of fun.  Besides contra dancing, Leon has a high-wheeled bicycle, called a penny-farthing, that we like to take to living history events. Recently we have started adding hand-crank sewing machine demonstrations to our living history endeavors. Some folks may focus on Renaissance period, or Civil War or Colonial or Mountain Man. We are finding ourselves happy with the Gay 90s.

I have a black and white gingham prairie outfit that works when Leon wears his cowboy hat and stresses our farm roots. Recently I have finished an 1890s walking skirt and mutton-chop sleeve blouse that suits the penny-farthing better. It was for this I made the Victorian corset. I have patterns for more garb, such as a Gay 90s split bicycle skirt.

Honestly, I don't know if I enjoy doing the stuff as much as I enjoy making the garb!

But all this sewing reminded me of the pincushion my Mom had when I was a girl. It had a china half-doll sitting in a pincushion that formed her skirt. That pincushion fascinated me. (After the doll broke, it was never the same. [sigh]). So... you can find anything on the Internet, can't you?

I found several inexpensive ceramic half-doll bodies on Etsy. I ordered a few and have been making dolls. I have already planned who will get one, but gee! Which will I keep for myself? As it turned out I gave them all away and ordered a fifth half-doll that will be my pincushion. She is a French court doll rather like the pink and blue one with all the lace. Hm... What fabric should I use for her skirt?  I wonder. Could a skirt be knitted?


Two of these dolls are technically sewing baskets rather than pincushion dolls because their skirts have extra pockets and loops to hold notions. I made them from a Simplicity pattern that I have had for years. (Simplicity 7105) Sure glad I kept that pattern. It is no longer in print.

Corset Making Class

My girls, Jennifer and Lala and I have had a great weekend learning to make Victorian corsets from Marti McCartney. Each of us has a different reason for wanting a corset. Jen has always got a sore back. I am doing more and more re-enacting and need the right foundation for my garb. Lala is a beginning seamstress. Each new technique she learns adds to her skill.

I started with the hand crank Singer 99K. I thought it would be a hoot to say I made my Victorian corset on a Victorian machine (1919 or so, but hey, that was very late Victorian, right?)  I didn't use it very long before granddaughter Lala took it away from me. She didn't like the speed the electric machine had. She wanted the control she could get with the hand crank.  It wasn't nearly as intimidating to a beginning seamstress. Who am I to complain? She sat quietly in her corner, cranking away and like the turtle and the hare, she plodded along and got more done manually than her Mom did with an electric machine.

 In Jen's defense, she is making the most complex corset. We started this class knowing that Jen was about to have gastric bypass surgery. How could she create a corset that would shrink with her?  Marti pondered and decided that Jen needed a maternity corset that she could tighten as she got smaller. Inventing this has been a challenge for Marti. She says teaching the three of us has been the longest class, the most fun class, and the most challenging class she has ever taught. (We are taking more time to get it done because we chatter, laugh, sing, and tell stories, but we are always sewing, too.)

 I got a head start on my corset because Marti had a partially finished one that someone had commissioned but was not able to finish. It fit me, so I picked up in the middle and went from there. Here I am at a fitting. Look at that. I am getting a waist!
 I really like the embroidery embellishment that was put on at the end. Some of it is functional. There must be stitching over each stay to keep it flat. Now that stitching can be plain and white, or a lady can get fancy with her needle. Marti showed me some decorations in one of her books. I copied some onto my corset and then started playing. The "ribbons" on the cups are actually satin stitching.
Now all I have to do is adapt my Victorian garb to work with the new foundation wear. Who knows, I might corset under the Renaissance Faire garb, too.

Summer of Distractions

I am proud of Reyes. He has gone from a couch potato to a real kid this summer. He played summer baseball; has gone swimming nearly everyday; and started weight-training to prepare to football in the fall. He has firmed up, lost a bit of weight (about 10 lbs.) and is a happier kid. He helps me with the garden and has been a real help with the houseful of kids this week. Guess living with Grandpa and Grandma is good for him. :)

I haven't been knitting a lot, except when we are on the road. I have a pair of tabi socks about 1/2 finished. During Reyes' baseball season I worked on the llama-wool sweater (until it got too warm to work with wool.) I have put it away till cooler weather.

Then I started a string bag. It's in the bottom of one of my knitting baskets. I vaguely remember something about needing to frog a bit because I couldn't watch baseball and keep track of the pattern. (Oops!) Guess I'll get back to that one later as well. The socks are better when I am distracted. I'm in the section that is all stockinette for 8 inches.

It's been a busy summer. I am canning or freezing something from the garden every day. This picture shows just ONE DAY'S produce! I managed to "put by" all but the tomatoes that day, and turned them into sauce the next day. Since I have just planted peas and salad greens for a fall garden, the garden will be with us for quite a while yet. (For more on the garden, see my other blog: http://grannytilla.blogspot.com). I want to sew, but have no idea when I'll get time to do it. I really need to get started because school starts in 2 weeks and Reyes needs school clothes.

This week Pat, JJ, and Ashley have gone to Florida to check on Ashley's inheritance after her father was killed. I am watching Kayleigh and Emily while they are gone. Jen expected to be working, so I have Lala, also. Reyes, of course, lives here, so there are 4 grandkids to feed, watch, and entertain along with the other projects. I wish I were twins.... I would like to have a time to let Kayleigh sew a blouse. She is like Lala and loves to sew. Both of them have toy sewing machines that have been a big disappointment. Getting to use a real machine should be much better. Oh, well, you can see I found a way to keep the kids busy. When they weren't at the swimming pool, they helped me process garden produce. This was the day we made ketchup.

There are so many things I want to do and can't get started: refinish a few pieces of furniture; strip and repaint the stained glass window from the front room; transplant the irises, peonies and lilies from the front flower bed; the list goes on. Hm... I am going to be very ready for winter and a lot of quiet knitting time. Just writing this posting is making me tired.

Easter and Grandma Iris' Boutique

At Christmas, I gave the Kansas grandkids gift certificates from "Grandma Iris' Boutique." Each child got 2 certificates, one for a knitted hat or scarf, and the other for one outfit. Ashley traded her clothing certificate for a trip to Merle Norman.

Reyes and Lala got their fabric first. I took Kayleigh and Emily to the fabric store last Saturday and found their fabric. It's a good thing Pat traded a camera to Steve for his late Mom's serger. I'm going to be a busy woman now! Lala's outfit was the first one I made. I finished it in time for Easter. I'm not certain who will be next. Reyes could use more pants, but the outfits for the girls are so-o-o-o cute! Hm...

I was trying to get a shot of Lala's full Easter outfit but Joe started pestering her. The next thing I knew, everyone was in the shot.

We had a houseful for Easter. There were about 14 people here. (That's getting to be the standard number.) I'm glad we have a big living room and lots of folding chairs! Pat barbecued hot dogs, hamburgers and bratwurst outside on the grill. We had the usual fixings -- baked beans, mac n cheese, jello, chips, dip. The hit of the day, however were the fresh strawberries and chocolate that Jennie brought. Gonna have to remember that when our strawberry bed starts producing.

Yarn Crawling

Oh, the JOYS OF RETIREMENT! Tomorrow my granddaughter Lala and I are going to Wamego, Kansas to the Winter Wool Fest. I'm looking forward to Girls-Day-Out time with Lala and with Joe's girlfriend Lisa. Most of all, we are all really looking forward to petting all the nice yarns that we will see. We may take in some of the free training being offered.

This is the second Girls-Day-Out I've done since retiring. My daughter's friend Becca came up from Texas over New Year's. Since Becca is as big at knitting as I am, my daughter and I HAD to take her to Lawrence to the Yarn Barn. We also hit Hancock's while we were there and I purchased fabric to redeem the Grandma Iris' Boutique gift certificates I gave Jen, Lala and Reyes at Christmas. (There are several others yet to be redeemed for other kids and grandkids.) They each get one handmade outfit from me: they get to pick the pattern and fabric.

Guess what I'll be doing for the next few months?

Gotta get that spare room reorganized and set up the sewing machines. Time's a wasting and there is fabric waiting to be sewn and yarn ready to be knitted. Ah, it's going to be so nice to be retired.