Mud Season

This time of year can be pretty depressing. As the maple syrup steams in the sugar houses, we all have to look out our windows at dismal views of greying, muddy ground speckled with big obnoxious blobs of snow. Bit by bit the snow detracts and wells of brown ground are visible around all the tree trunks. By May the trees are greening. In the meantime it is Mud Season up here in the North Country.

Another personal aspect of Mud Season is my urge to purge and clean. Baskets of boots, slippers, shoes, sit at the back door. More baskets are filled with hats and scarves and gloves. The necessary use of the wood stove makes a constant need to remove dust. Windows are begging for sparkles. It is just time.

The past few days have left my March pants with hems waiting but  I did manage to complete a surprise project that I will show you when the pants are done. Those pants are brown, wooly, lined, and so indicative of Mud Season that they are hard to pick up and work on, even for a couple of small hems. In the meantime I have responded to my clean and purge urge.

What is it about cleaning that makes things messier before they get better? Yesterday morning the cave was respectably neat and ready to be worked in but then I started pulling.A little before and after:

The goal was to :

•  Go through my fabrics for some springtime inspiration
•  Put the heavy woolens up high and replace them with linens and cottons. That happened but is all to the right of the closet that you can't see. 
•  Get fabrics back to being organized by type
•  Go through the pattern stash for a purge. Well, I went through it, but didn't purge a thing. I do have to get more pattern boxes for further organization

So it just needs a bit more tweaking and my back room needs a lot. That's where the excess of everything and all my findings, buttons, etc. are. Not much left to do.

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Going through my patterns was fun and I did that last night. I have about 10 pattern boxes worth. I did find a few that I forgot were so cute, or that triggered some memories.Come along for the ride.

With all the hoopla over the new pleated full trousers on the runway I thought it would be fun to show this pattern. In their day they were really hot. Their day? 1992! Are you still wearing these???Shame, shame, shame! Vogue description:  "Radically relaxed fit, full leg...., paper bag waist, front button waistband, ...watch pocket,  front fly...wearing ease has been allowed for Calvin Klein fit."  I don't remember them fitting Brooke Shields like this.

My notes on the pattern say it all. 'Big shoulders, great trousers! Must use one inch shoulder pads for proper fit in jacket." This is ca 1991. I made this suit with a pants, jacket, and a wrap skirt out of a lovely pinstripe wool, silk damask lining. I wore this suit till I could wear it no more. Yeah, those were in my suit days.

View C, another favorite suit. I pulled this one because that jacket fit so well and had a lovely cut that seemed scaled for a petite. I made this suit in black crepe with a looooong pencil skirt. It could look rather dour, but it made me look skinny as the dickens. I wore a big brooch at the neckline and always a belt. I miss this one.

This is probably one of the prettiest things I ever made. I had a swanky affair to attend with DH and made the short version in a white brocade with yummy gold buttons. Wish I still had it just to look at the inside. This is a Belville Sassoon, has a corset inside and all sorts of construction details. It is rated "Average". I don't think so!

This one I pulled because it is just so darling and I think if I made this up without the big bow in some linen it would be a darling summer dress. Whatcha think? It's ca 1985 !!!

This is another that I picked out for a possible linen summer dress. This would definitely require a muslin. The extended shoulder and lack of fit could look dumpy on me but if I could make it work with a dart or two, I think it could be darling. This one is ca 1999.

Thanks for coming along on the  "Urge to Purge" tour. Now I have to get the rest of our taxes done. Do you think a bit of procrastination is happening here? Never!....Bunny