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Comment by Marcie Tillett on 3rd mo. 12, 2012 at 12:10am

Thanks for the information, Karen!  I almost bought some poly/cotton material from JoAnn's this weekend because it was on sale and oooooh! the color was beautiful! ....but I didn't. Good thing!

Mackenzie, I've broken needles hand sewing, too. I almost ALWAYS break the needle when I'm using the machine, though, and actually, my stitches are better by hand. I only use the machine for long boring work like the skirt.

I had quaker time this morning instead of going to my Cumberland Presbyterian church. It was nice and I watched every Quaker video I could possibly find online. I wish I could find some Friends closer to me than 2 hrs away. (Nashville)

Everyone have a wonderful week!

 

Comment by Mackenzie on 3rd mo. 9, 2012 at 5:59pm

Karen:

I've broken needles trying to sew by hand before. 

I use a machine when I do dresses. My handsewing is ugly! I'm not nearly as precise with seams as with counted cross stitch.

Comment by Karen Hofbauer on 3rd mo. 9, 2012 at 5:57pm

Hi Marcie :)

I have to warn you!  I cut out a dress today, from a sheet I'd gotten from Goodwill - it was a pretty denim blue color and very soft.  I usually only wear 100% cotton, as polyesters bother my skin.  This was only 60% cotton, but I thought it still felt nice.  I got the whole thing cut out and started sewing and I could barely get my needle through the material!  There's no way I could sew it by hand... I think it must be a sheet with a very tight weave and high thread count.  Thank goodness it was only $2, and I was actually going to have it be almost a "practice" for some changes I made in my pattern.  I had also picked up a light brown sheet set, 100% cotton, and the needle goes right through it, so I don't know if it's the poly/cotton thing or just a very tight weave.  I wanted to warn you - I'd hate to see you spend money on a suggestion of mine and then have it not work out! 

I have to run for now, but I'll be back later ~  Blessings to you,

Karen

Comment by Marcie Tillett on 3rd mo. 9, 2012 at 1:56pm

Hi Karen,

No! You're not rambling at all! I keep reading and nodding the whole time!

I, too, feel naked without my cover now, and I swear I do believe that traffic picked up on my quiet little street two weeks ago when I was outside doing yard work in my little blue dress!  Ha ha!

I just love the way you make your dresses! I'm going to see if I can pull mine over my head when I get home tonight. That would be great! I'm going to Dollar General to look at sheets and shower curtains! 

I totally agree about sitting over the sewing machine. I feel like my stitches are much nicer when I do them by hand. I don't go over the seams twice, but I use a back stitch to lock it in every three or four stitches, though.

I really like the capp you are wearing in your profile picture. It looks very rennaisance. Did you make it?

I do work outside the home. I'm a single mom and I work at a small privat Catholic university as the financial aid director. Since I started wearing the cover, I've had a few raised brows, but no one from administration has confronted me about it. I've been wearing modern plain clothes during work and then changing into my plain dress at home. I actually didn't even begin wearing skirts full time until this past Thanksgiving. Once I put the cover on, it felt really scandalous to not wear a long skirt! Now I feel almost naked if I wear pants!

I've got to run for now, but I'll check in later.

Have a great day!

Marcie

Comment by Karen Hofbauer on 3rd mo. 9, 2012 at 4:03am

Marcie, it's interesting that you sew by hand - I have for many years and people think I'm crazy for it, but I hate sitting at a sewing machine... sewing by hand I can sit and sew anywhere, plus I can control what I'm working on so much better - holding it in your hands instead of it running through a machine.   Since I don't do button holes either, what I do is sew up the two pieces of my bodice - it looks like it would button up, but the two halves are sewn completely shut, then I sew the buttons right on top.   I can get the dress on over my head because I have the neck opening a little lower than right at my collar bone.  I can't stand it up too high - I feel like I'm choking, so the opening is just big enough to get my head through without having to actually unbutton it or have a zipper.  I also sew some of my seams twice over, for strength - do you do that too? 

I know what you mean about it being hard to wear certain things in public.  I've finally recently "graduated" from a small scarf type of headcovering to a veil (and want to try caps).  The little lacy scarf could have just been a fashion statement, but the veil definitely says "some sort of Christian", lol.  God has given me so much peace though, as you said, that it is not bothering me anymore at all.  I really sense the looks and stares now, but I just have such a sense of peace that it doesn't bother me.  In fact, I now feel naked without my covering on.  God is so good :). 

I made my own dresses for many years, always florals, but have recently felt led to go plainer. I'm now working on some solids - the blue like yours, and I got some light gray material just today, and another sheet set from our Goodwill - a soft brown in just the color I wanted, for only $5!  Yaye!   So I feel like I've just recently been truly "going plain", but I've dressed 'modestly' for about 10 years.  I don't work outside the home - I'm an RN but haven't practiced for many years.  I homeschooled my 4 children, and have recently finished with that, with my youngest now turned 18. 

In looking into Quakerism for a couple of years now, I've recently realized that it's how I was living my life, and what I believed in, I just didn't know it what it was!  So the leading towards living a more committed life, trying to uphold and actually "live" the testimonies is gaining focus and strength in my life, along with the feeling to dress more plainly.  I don't know... I've read and read and read, and prayed and prayed and prayed about it for a long time now and it seems like the deeper I delve into it and the more I learn about it all, the more I'm changing on the inside, and the closer I'm growing to God.  Nearly all of my family was painfully unsupportive, even to the point of ridicule, with other things in our lives - the homeschooling and farming we did, even our religious commitments.  I thought they would surely think "what is that crazy Karen doing now???  plain dress?  a Quaker???  But I don't care anymore - the times I've listened to that inner voice, really listened, it was usually very good.  When I tried to conform to the world and be what others wanted me to be it was dreadful.  I'm sorry, I'm really rambling!  

Do you work outside the home?  If so, I hope it is not too much of a struggle for you, with the plain clothes.  All in God's time.  I hope to speak with you more :).       Blessings,

Karen

Comment by Karen D on 3rd mo. 8, 2012 at 9:31pm

You did a great job on the dress and I love the color as well. Your comments made me peek at the full size photo to even realize that it was a small print - I like it. I just made my own first plain dress but have had no chance for photos since I'm the one taking them usually. I'm feeling a bit Amish looking since I went with a grey in a heavier bottom weight for winter warmth and went with a black cap and apron as well - but I am also realizing that even if I try to avoid looking amish, others will still probably assume as such regardless. I can't wait to start on my second dress, a much lighter fabric for summer but am getting caught up in having enough undergarments made and need to direct attention there instead I think. Thank you for sharing your work.

Comment by Marcie Tillett on 3rd mo. 8, 2012 at 6:42pm

Hi Karen!

Thank you very much! I made that dress in pleats and buttons because I hand sew and I'm sewing machine illiterate, and I thought it would be easier with the pleats. I didn't want to do button holes by hand so I used hook and eye tape. I bought this fabric in both blue and green because of the small print. JoAnn's fabric 50% off coupons are my friend.

 

Your idea for material is really a great one! I never thought of doing that. I'm so fluffy right now, though, that I would have to buy two or three shower curtains or sheets to cover this waist! Ha ha!

My cap doesn't have any ties on it and I usually only wear it at home so I don't pin it on, either. I usually wear a solid color bandana with those pop barrettes and I've been experimenting with the mennonite starched caps from mennonite maidens. I use straight pins to put them on, but I have a really big head so they don't fit well and aren't very comfortable. I've made a couple of caps with strings, but one makes me look like fat mother goose, and the other I just haven't gotten brave enough to wear in public yet.

 

Do you have an outside job? If so, how did you transition into wearing plain clothing there? When did you start going plain?

Thank you and so wonderful talking to you!

Marcie

 

I am very glad I've chosen to cover. Men are so very nice to me, women are kind of indifferent or borderline hostile, but my family and closest friends have really treated me like I'm crazy. BUT - I feel so much peace in my heart about it! That part is great!

 

 

Comment by Karen Hofbauer on 3rd mo. 2, 2012 at 9:50pm

Hi Marcie :)

Your first plain dress looks great!  It's funny - I recently made my first dress that I consider 'plain' and it was pretty much the same color as yours!  Mine has buttons though, and the skirt is gathered rather than pleated.  I've made my own dresses for many years, but they were always florals, and I'm now transitioning to a more plain look, with longer sleeves.   I was at a point where I didn't have money for fabric, but found the perfect color and weight in a twin size sheet, at our local Goodwill store, for only $2.  It was just enough to cut out the dress pieces, so counting the buttons and thread, I got a new dress for under $4! 

I was also able to use a shower curtain that I had bought long ago to make a lightweight kerchief.  It sounds awfully funny to say I'm using a shower curtain, but there are really pretty ones in wonderful weaves - this one was a "sheer" cotton, in white, with pretty  white threads running through it, in a subtle pattern.  It drapes on the shoulders like the silk 'fichus' I've seen online, simple and so soft.  I struggle in the heat of summer, so I thought it would be wonderful for warmer weather.   I know it would have cost a lot  more if I'd bought it as fabric on a bolt.   I'm going to look further now, for curtains and sheets for the weights and colors I want for my new plain wardrobe.  

It seems the "deeper" I go, into plain dress and plain life, the more blessed I am.  And headcovering has definitely been a huge blessing in my life - have you felt this way also? 

I was wondering about your kapp - I see it has no strings and I wonder if you use clips to hold it on.  I am currently wearing a veil, that I sew clips into, along the front, but I'm going to try and make a cap, and I wasn't sure if I should put ties on it or not??

Blessings to you, and peace :)

Karen

Comment by Marcie Tillett on 3rd mo. 2, 2012 at 4:22pm

I placed some of my old reenactment photos on. The little girl in the picture is almost 18 now. Man! I feel old!

Comment by Marcie Tillett on 3rd mo. 2, 2012 at 4:12pm

I'll try to remember to check those out.

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