Finished! Whew!!! Luna Lovegood will have a sweater!!!!

I finally finished knitting and crocheting this bolero for Luna Lovegood, aka Miss J.  Yes, I did write knitting and crocheting.  The main body of the bolero is knitted, but I crocheted the front border and the triangle design, which you can't really see here, on the bottom sides of the front.  The sleeves are crocheted.  The one button is also crocheted.               

 I didn't have a pattern, partly because I'm still just learning to read them!  I did find one that was similar in an adult size, but I decided that I would just see what I could come up with on my own.  I made it up as I went along, and I could not tell you what I did from row to row.  I do know that I knitted two and purled two on the main body.  Below is the back.

 And, of course, Luna has very long, very blond hair.  No, I didn't make this wig, but I did go to Walmart, and three dollar stores, before I thought to go to Walgreens, where I found it. 

I am very excited to be taking this, the Fleur Delacour, Hedwig, and the two Monster T-Rex costumes to my grandchildren soon.  I hope to get photos of them all dressed in their chosen character's costume.

Finally, another one finished, another ALMOST finished, and two on the models

Here's Fleur Delacour's, aka Miss K's, dress and capelet.  The long collar and cuffs are detachable. 

 I'm hoping Miss K will be able to wear this dress as a real dress and not just a costume.  The fabric is a cotton knit that is very soft and comfy.  The clothes hanger is too large for the shoulders on this dress, therefore making the sleeves look a little weird.  I assure you that Miss K's shoulders aren't that wide.

 I really struggled with how to make this hat.  I actually MADE one from blue felt, but I am not showing it to you, because, well because it didn't turn out so great.  So, I went to Walmart and bought a gray felt hat.  I wet the top of it until it was pretty soaked.  Then, I stretched it with a broom handle until it almost tore a hole in it.  I didn't know if this would work, or not, but it did pretty well.  Then, I spray painted it to match the dress.  It took a couple of coats of paint, but I was pleased with the outcome.  The hat is rather stiff with the paint, but at least it's the right shape and color.

 

Now, for Luna Lovegood, aka Miss J's, outfit.  In the scene of the movie that Miss J especially liked what Luna was wearing, she had on a peasant top,

                                                         a pair of khaki jeans, and .............

 a purplish-blue bolero style sweater.  This is all that's left to be finished.  I've actually done a little more since I took this photo.  Perhaps I'll get it finished in the next day or two.

 Now, for two little models in their costumes.  These two visited us last weekend.  Lil'E said she would be the prettiest fairy of all!  Lil'B just thought she looked adorable.  She paraded around with a huge smile on her face!

                                          An Undersea Fairy with a sea shell dress and crown. 

 These are purchased wings, but they were trimmed all in black!  So, I painted the black parts pink and added pink seaweed (ribbon).

 Here's our little pink sea-horse from the front, and.........

 

from the back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As I posted last Sunday, my mother finally found peace one year ago.  In the fall, one of the first things she would want to do was buy some miniature gourds to put on her dining room table.  I went with her many times to buy them.  So, whenever, I start seeing gourds out in the grocery stores and at the roadside stands, I think of her.  So, last Sunday, I placed this arrangement at church in her memory. 

 She would have been so happy. 

A Year Ago, today..........

..........was when my mother finally found peace. 
This was a bittersweet weekend.  I was really sad all week thinking about how much Mother was suffering a year ago, but then today, it was that same feeling of relief that I felt when she was finally at peace.  I miss her terribly.  Nearly everyday, I think of something I need to tell her or ask her.  My car still thinks it's supposed to turn down the road to the nursing home.  It has done just that a few times!
But, one of our daughters and her husband and two little ones were here this weekend.  It was so much fun to have them here. 
My brother, his wife, my cousin, and my daughter's family were all at church today.  I put an arrangement of fall gourds, Mother's favorite fall thing, on the altar table.  I sang in a trio with a couple of other ladies.  We sang "Seek, and ye shall find", which is my favorite scripture put to music. 
Got my house fairly well straightened up.  The circle from my church is meeting here on Tuesday night!
I also got my grade cards done.  They go out tomorrow.
Going to bed.
I don't know what I'll do about my machine, yet.  I'm waiting to hear from the repairman.

Our insurance..............

.......... will not cover my machine!

Up In Smoke!

My sewing machine went up in smoke on Saturday, as I was sewing on it!  I just got it back from the hospital intensive care unit (sewing machine repair shop)  a couple of weeks ago.  I had not had much time to sew on it until this past weekend.  I started sewing early Saturday morning.  I was still sewing late Saturday afternoon, when it "CRACKLED" and then started SMOKING!!!!!!!!  And I don't mean just a little bit of SMOKING, I mean a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOT of SMOKING!!!!  I guess it wasn't well enough to have such a work out!!!!  Whatever the cause, I do believe that if I hadn't unplugged it, as quickly as I did, that it would have gone up in flames!!!!!   Luckily, I was finishing the last of the seven grands' Halloween costumes, and I still had my friend's machine here, so I was able to finish Fleur Delacour's outfit!  Actually, I haven't made the hat, yet.  It will be a bit tricky, but I have an idea of how I might be able to make it.  We'll see.  I am still working on Luna Lovegood's sweater, but I'm about 2/3 finished.  I will take photos soon.

Okay, back to my machine.  I took it back to the hospital (repair shop) yesterday.  I truly don't think there is any hope for it.  The transplant for the electronic system is going to be more expensive than it is worth more than likely, so I think we will just put it out of its misery.  I am trying to contact the insurance adjuster whom I talked with before.  I last told him that my machine was fixed, but now I need to let him know it isn't.  I just hope he will at least negotiate with me and my sewing machine store folks!  If not, I guess I'll go to plan A from before and borrow my daughter's machine.
One of my daughters has started sewing some really adorable outfits for her girls.
I have really rambled in this post, but as I am teaching my third graders about finding the MAIN IDEA, I hope you picked up in this rambling mess, that the M. I. is that my machine died.  Some of the stuff is just SUPPORTING DETAILS.  Some of it is very unnecessary information that I would tell my kids to leave out of their essays, if they wanted to make a good score!!!!

I am sewing................, but.................,

..........  I just don't have pictures to show you, yet.  I didn't get to sew much last weekend.  We had a breakfast at church on Saturday morning, and then..................... my town, and those nearby, honored a fallen hero from our community.

US Marine Lance Corporal

US Marine Lance Corporal, age 21, from Tennessee, was killed in action on 24th September while conducting a patrol in Afghanistan. Family members said the Marine was shot in the chest.

He served with Company D, 4th Combat Engineer Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve, based out of Knoxville, Tennessee.

According to news reports, L-Cpl. Watson had worked as a deputy in the  County Sheriffs Department and patrol officer for the

He  had only been in Afghanistan a few weeks, when he was killed.  Our church was actually getting together a care package to send to him.  It was to be mailed on the Monday after he was killed on the Saturday before last.  His body was brought back to our town last Saturday.  The airport is about 45 miles from us.  People lined the streets wearing red, white, and blue, and waving the American flag most of the way from the airport.  The crowd became more and more dense near here.  From the town just north of us all the way to the funeral home, there were very few empty spaces.  There were 1,000 police, state patrol, sheriff cars, and motorcyclists who rode in the entourage from the airport.  This young man was a police officer here.  There were giant flags draped from overpasses, and lining the streets!  All of the flags in town were at half-mast.  The procession took about 2 hours from the airport to our town, like I said that is about a 45 mile distance.  It was a proud moment to see the crowd and the support.  Now, if we would just give that kind of support to our men and women when they come home safely!  There is to be a procession honoring another of our townsmen who died a few years ago, to commemorate his death, next week.  I hope as many people turn out for that.
Anyway, because I was in town for this event, and had a little shopping to do, I got a late start sewing.  I do have Luna Lovegood's, aka Miss J's, jeans and peasant top made.  I also have the bolero more than half-way knitted.  I have Fleur Delacour's, aka Miss K's, dress about half-way made.  I should finish it and the caplet today.
Tomorrow, I am cleaning house all afternoon, after church.  Yes, I know that my grandmother wouldn't approve, but it has to be done, and there is no other time of any day of the week, so Sunday afternoon it is!
My husband has a new job, and is working all day today and tomorrow.  He shouldn't have to work on weekends all the time, but he is training right now.
                  The University of Tennessee is playing Georgia today. Below is Neyland Stadium!

Miss J was born during this game nine years ago, and our youngest daughter got married during this game 6 years ago!!  My how time flies!!!  I sure hope we win this game; we need a good win!  I have missed VERY FEW UT home games over the past upteen years, but I haven't made it to even one this year.  Saturday is the only day I have to sew, and grands take precedence over everything, even football!
Back to the sewing room.