Weekends in Raleigh and then Atlanta

Two back to back weekends and I'm back home.   The first weekend in March I attended the North Carolina Daughters of the American Revolution 112th State Conference at the North Raleigh Hilton - same weekend as the Duke-UNC basketball game.    The weather was hard to call, and temperatures inside hotels, especially inside large ballrooms,  are often cool no matter the outside temps.     My husband did not attend any of the DAR events but met some men he knew from Asheville who were attending the NC Disabled American Veterans conference there.     We both donate our time and charitable items to the veterans support groups here.    He had a good time in the bar with the fans eating and watching the game Saturday evening.    I took and wore exactly what I planned with one change,   I wore the coral silk dress Saturday evening and this  Babette SF velvet burnout jacket and top with a softly pleated skirt to the Friday evening dinner.    I actually walked in with the other chapter regents Saturday night after standing in line for 20 minutes - all without a cane.    My chapter members who attended were very happy to see me do that,  and so was I.    


The weather in Raleigh on Friday and Saturday was overcast and cool.  The sun came out Sunday as we were leaving and for the entire trip west until we got to the grade between Old Fort and Black Mountain, climbing up and over the eastern US continental divide.  We could see the dark clouds on the mountain, and as we climbed, we drove through a blizzard of snow with temperatures dropping to freezing and then turning to sleet and snow at the top.     I took some photos of this event as we drove - typical of the higher elevations where it snows and stays because of the low temps.     When we got to the top you could see that Black Mountain and Asheville were sunny with temperatures in the high 40's.     I could still see the tops of the mountains covered in snow the next day driving to my physical therapy appointment.


Our temperatures have been milder than usual and the drive to Atlanta on Friday was sunny and pleasant.    It's only 180 miles to the convention center that takes about 2 1/2 hours since it's interstate or 4 land highway all the way.   Friday I wore my 2X4 top with taupe narrow One-Seam Pants and was very comfortable in the nearly 70 degrees.     We got to Duluth around 5 pm and I decided to go buy my ticket for the expo so I wouldn't have to stand in line the next morning.     I am able to walk easily and stand without any problems but since I'm on immune suppressants,  I must avoid crowds and sick people, and as such,  planned to stay only a limited time.      I bought the ticket and went in to see Louise and Sandy before leaving.   It turned out that all the attendees were on the other side of the hall at the big drawing and they were alone in their booth.  Both looked very tired after another long day following all that travel and setting up back to back from the Puyallap Sewing event.      I only stayed a few minutes and they were glad to see me in much better shape than I was the year before.  


Saturday I went in a couple hours after the crowds got there and again saw Louise and Sandy at their booth.   I wore my Shapes outfit of the Nine Lives top and Eleven Eleven Skirt in shades of brown.   I didn't walk through the entire expo because there were so many people and some coughing badly.  I did not take any photos at the expo this year.     


Here's what I did to the 2X4 top that I used one of Louise's bias techniques for the neckline.   When I first sewed this out of a very stretchy cotton/lycra,   I used the bias neckline techniques from her Threads issue #121 Master Class article.     Due to the nature of the stretchy fabric, the bias wanted to curl on itself and didn't stay open.     To correct that and make it pretty,   I used the Viking E1 card stich #12 with a stitch in the ditch foot to make it stay open.     Here are some photos of the before and after.    

Before - bias is curling on itself

After - bias has been stiched down using the E1-12 stitch

Click on this photo to see the stitch detail

DVF does my Ebb dress

How about this --  today's e-mail from Neiman Marcus and there's my Ebb dress in their Diane Von Furstenberg spring collection.     She's calling it the Leeandra floral lace dress.   It's a little short for my taste (and age) but it's pretty close except it doesn't have the seam just below the placket and has a collar that I could morph from her new blouse pattern if I desired one.   As usual, Louise is ahead of the game in terms of interpreting fashion trends.    Check out the collection and you'll see more things you can use her patterns to interpret your way.    Her hanky short sleeve blouse sure looks like a longer version of the ABO top and the pants like the One-Seams.

Planning for a Weekend Trip/Conference

This weekend is the North Carolina Daughters of the American Revolution State Conference in Raleigh.   There will be an evening dinner and reception Friday, meetings Saturday and a big formal banquet Saturday.    We'll come home Sunday.    I wasn't able to attend last year's but I'm looking forward to it this year.


So what to wear.    I'm feeling and thinking spring but it's going to be overcast with rain off and on and I sure don't want to be cold.   So I got out a few things to try on and evaluate.    As I always do,  I shopped my closet and tried on some things.


Since Saturday will be around 70 degrees I've decided to wear this long coral 4-ply shirt dress for the Friday night events.   The fabric says dressy but I also plan on accessorizing it with a belt and jewelry that say "evening" instead of this daytime styling.   Since I'm still not walking in heels, how about these pretty embroidered suede flats I found at a Laura Ashley outlet store over 20 years ago for $9.  At that price I bought two pair since I figured the suede was going to be hard to keep clean.   I've managed to keep the suede clean by being careful and using a non-toxic, made in the USA product called Quick N Brite to clean any dirt that a suede brush didn't remove and also clean the embroidery.   A solution of that stuff will safely clean most anything.   It removed raspberry stains from tan cotton pants I wore to pick raspberries after wearing them for 6 hours past getting many stains.   I  soaked them overnight - stains were gone.  Don't use it on silk however since it's a protein eater - great on spider poop that they leave all over the outside of your windowsills though.  On suede I use a damp washcloth to gently clean the dirty places and then go over the place with one wetted with plain water to wipe any residue away.

Photo taken March 2010

Next what to wear for the Saturday meetings?   I  don't want to dress too casual or summery for the first weekend in March.   I wear a jacket inside hotels because they are always cold, so how about this great black and white stretch cotton sateen jacket?  Don't you love the hot pink lining!   I like it with this Gunex stretch cotton skirt and a simple black top in stretch silk crepe, but that's too cool and summery looking for this time of year.  So instead,  I'm pairing it with this Shamask bias 4-ply silk dress with cap sleeves that is both comfortable and elegant looking with or without a jacket.    Next what to wear for the formal banquet on Saturday night.   Like Scarlett, I'm going to worry about that tomorrow.