We've Got Chickens!!!

L-R: Babs, Mac, Edwina and Ginger :)

I honestly never thought the glorious day would come...the day we finally got chickens!!! You may now refer to me as "Mrs. Tweedy"

Meet Ginger, Babs, Mac and Edwina. Sound familiar? It does, if you've ever had the pleasure of seeing the Aardman film "Chicken Run"!

Babs is actually posing! She has quickly established herself the leader of the flock.

 And they live in just the cutest little coop you've ever seen. See?!

 

 

It looks like a little gypsy wagon from afar :D

 

  

Here's a few closeup photos.

Here are their perches and the place the have decided to consolidate their...droppings...

Here's where we gather the eggses ;)

  I just thought y'all might like a little peek into our homesteading world. Pictures of the garden and a video about raw milk are coming soon. I haven't gone crazy, yet...have I...

Bramblewood Fashion Origami Owl Giveaway

You've seen me mention Bramblewood Fashion before. I participated in part of their Fashion Blog Events earlier this year. Anyhoo...they are hosting a fantastic giveaway from "Origami Owl". Origami Owl is a company that does custom-made lockets that fit your personality. You can sign up for the giveaway at 

http://www.bramblewoodfashion.com/2013/07/roses-lace-sunday-style-origami-owl-gc.html 

Gored "Medieval" Skirt Tutorial

"Necessity is the mother of invention" has been so true for me lately! One of my favorite book series is called "The Knights of Arrethtrae" and the author, Chuck Black, is hosting a video contest. The objective is to take a scene from one of the books in the 6-book series and turn it into a short film up to 8 minutes long. The book we chose is "Lady Carliss" and the scene takes place in a swamp. Which won't be too hard to find, I suppose. 

Anyway, I am Director and Costume Designer and I needed to come up with a medieval-type outfit for my sister (who is playing the role of Lady Carliss). Thus, the "pattern" for this gored skirt was born! Depending on what fabric you use, it can be worn two different ways. Using fabric like wool, velvet, linen and silk gives the effect of a medieval skirt paired with, say, a blousson and a jerkin or cuirass...maybe some vambraces and a nice thick belt with a cape :) On the other hand, it works nicely in the modern world as well. The fabric I used is a medium-weight jersey fabric. It hangs really nicely! Denim, cotton, and velveteen would also do well. I doubt that crushed velvet would work, but if you give it a try, please let me know how it behaves for you. 

The skirt has a drawstring top (just to hold it up properly) and is worked in 6 "gores" or panels. They are narrow at the top and flared at the bottom. This gives the skirt an extra flowyness quality that is seen in many, many medieval designs and that's what inspired me!

Okay, so on with the tutorial! 

Gored Skirt Tutorial

By McKenna Rosen

 You Will Need:

4 Yards Fabric of Your Choice

(Suggestions Above)

Matching Thread

Drawstring or Ribbon

Measuring Tape

Chalk (For Marking the Fabric)

First, take the measurements of your victim, er, recipient (or yourself); measure waist and waist-to-hem. That's all you need! 

Next, divide and conquer! Actually, just divide your waist measurement by 6 and add 1. Then, take your length measurement and add 2. Not difficult. Think about it. Since you have 6 panels, you're dividing your waist measurement by 6 and adding 1 for seam allowance. Thus, you have again achieved your waist measurement after the panels come together.

The picture below illustrates really well what I'm going to explain here next:

Okay, so this is the overall shape you're going for. The piece on the left is cut on the fold. The top (narrow end) is HALF the final number you came up with above (because it's on the fold),  and the bottom is a slanted line to flare it out. The pieces on the right are your final number (not halved) cut on the selvedge edge so they're 2 pieces. This is 3 of your 6 pieces. The left panel is the center front and the two on the right are the side-front panels. I was able to cut mine on one width of fabric, but you may need to get creative if your fabric is super narrow :/ 

Do this again for the back panels; it's the exact same thing. Now if you haven't already seen in your head how this is going together, I'll give you strict instructions below.

1. Stitch FRONT-SIDE panel to FRONT panel, right sides together, matching the slanted edges. Press seam allowance

2. Repeat for second FRONT-SIDE panel.

3. Stitch BACK-SIDE panel to BACK panel, right sides together, matching the slanted edges. Press seam allowance.

4. Repeat for second BACK-SIDE panel.

5. Match up FRONT and BACK pieces together at selvedge edges. Stitch. Press seam allowance.

Try it on your "recipient" and make adjustments if needed (any knit or jersey fabric will need to be taken in because of how it stretches). 

All that's left is to make the casing, thread the drawstring through and finally, finish off the hem at the bottom! 

There you have it! Please email me (missmckennaray@gmail.com) or comment below if you have any questions. I would love to see your versions and variations of my idea so please send pictures and maybe I'll end up posting them!

Oh! And Did I Fail To Mention...

My Daddy and Mamma have both joined the blogging community, as well! My family! *grins* 

Now, Daddy's blog, hot off the press, is sure to be bursting with wisdom, Scripture and stories of our life. The website is rabbiramblings.wordpress.com "Rabbi?!" You might wonder. Let me explain. Daddy is ethnically Jewish (I know! Rosen isn't a Jewish name at all ;) and his nickname is "Rabbi". But, at our house, he just tends to be called by his favorite name: "Daddy". But I digress...

I am of the firm belief that my dear Mother is the smartest and most gifted woman in the world. That is my, clearly unbiased, opinion of her :) The address is emandarosen.wordpress.com

And it's named, "Find Your Joy", which is a saying that she has used ever since I can remember. Mama is all about JoY and lovin' the Lord. Everyone can learn something and be encouraged by everything she says and writes. Now get off my blog, see what the "Rabbi" is Rambling, then go "Find Your Joy"!!!

Recommended Reading List #2

Please forgive my absence from the blogging world. Wow! Quite a bit has happened since I made the Borscht (which actually tastes even better the second day). My laptop and I are in a completely new house in a completely new state! In short, the Lord has led our family down a new path. We're starting a new ministry called "Church Around the Table". But that would take up an entire blog post! The website is up and running, though and you can take a sneak-peek at churcharoundthetable.com

In all my absence, I have read several new books that I needed to share. So, I felt it was high time to make another post about my favorite books. There have been several new additions!

The first book I must share with you is "They Loved to Laugh" by Kathryn Worth. My dear aunt lent us this book awhile back and I have finally picked it up. Set in the 1830s, it's the story of an orphan girl named Martitia who goes to live with a quaker family with 5 boys who are all determined to make her learn how to laugh. It's a touching story about family loyalty, joy, pride and piety with a sprinkle of sweet romance!

 I now realize that I haven't mentioned my very favorite book series; one of the best, in my opinion. The Elsie Dinsmore series written by Martha Finley. The series begins with 8 year-old Elsie in anticipation of her estranged father's return and follows her all through the rest of her life. I started reading the first one when I was 9, but it rather went over my head. I picked them up again when I was 12 and I've never looked back! There are abridged (forgive my language) versions, but I encourage any young girl who wishes to read them without mother or sister to explain the advanced words and long sentences, wait until they are more acquainted with antiquated language than to start off with an inferior abridged version. I recommend these next two books to get younger girls started with understanding the older style of writing...

I give you "The Little Lamb" by Christoph Von Schmid and "Little Threads" by Elizabeth Prentiss. These precious stories geared toward younger girls as a read-aloud are great for introducing antiquated language and old-fashioned values to your little ones. The Little Lamb follows young Christiana as she raises a little lamb for her poor mother. It teaches compassion, perseverance, honesty and contentment. In Little Threads, two girls, known by their nicknames, Tangle Thread and Golden Thread learn lessons revolving around filial love, obedience and generosity. 

Harvey Newcomb has written many books on the formation of godly character geared mostly toward young adults and I've found his works to be most helpful. His book "How to be a Lady" is a gem! Some girls might balk at the idea of having a man tell her what is acceptable or not in womanly character. But if you think about it, we get perks from learning from the wise men in our lives; we see it from their perspective and gain insight that we may not have learned from another woman. I am by no means saying that the advice of other women should be rejected! But to take the inspired advice from godly men is nothing to be frowned upon. I encourage you to read any of Harvey Newcomb's books. They are all excellent to encourage Christian character!

And finally, Elisabeth Elliot's wonderfully written biography of Amy Carmichael. Now, for years I had heard the name of Amy Carmichael repeated in many places like our conferences and Bible studies and I always wondered who she actually was. Recently, I have opened the pages of Elisabeth Elliot's captivating account and now I understand what all the "fuss" was about :) "A Chance to Die" has actually been a life-shaping book for me. Amy's willingness to follow the Lord's call at any cost has challenged me and her warrior mind-set has called me to arms! Will you answer the call?

This concludes my second book list. I would love to hear what you think; especially if you get the chance to read any of these titles! You can email me at missmckennaray@gmail.com . Enjoy!