Memories of playin' dress-up

So glad Blogger finally let me on. I've been trying for a while and couldn't up-load any photos.

This is the pattern I ordered from Nanette of Frieda's Hive . It makes me happy just to look at it. If you haven't visited Nanette, don't wait another minute. She's the most delightful talent. The other day I saw that Nedra, of Cactus Quilts had gotten her version back from the quilter and it is so sweet. Scroll down a couple of posts.
Isn't this the most darling quilt? It brought to mind the many hours I spent as a child making paper doll clothes and doll dresses and drawing what, at the time, seemed to me to be very elegant evening gowns. It was the first art I did as a child. I remember spending hours drawing and embellishing those dresses with bows and buttons and lace, etc. I spent most of my younger years wanting to be an illustrator and later a dress designer. Back in my High School years, our school had what was called a Humanities Program. If you maintained a very high average and completed the required work in the basic subjects, you were allowed to spend the bulk of your junior and senior year in whatever program you excelled in. I wanted to go to art school(Parson's School of Design was my passion) so I decided to spend the time making a portfolio to that end. I was really good. I know that now. I can see it in retrospect, even though I had no support or encouragement from family. They didn't believe that they should waste money on sending a girl to college and especially not to pursue art. How I wish I had not been afraid. But that's an old story. Now, I really wish that I had those drawings in that portfolio. My family threw them away one year when they decided to clean out the basement. Along with the portfolio went a number of oil paintings and water colors. Still painful to think about that loss. I didn't find out until months later.

I grew up in the era of flower children and Hippies(1966-graduate) and even though I wasn't really a hippie I had a real flare for designing things that straddled both visions. Not comparing myself to greatness but I couldn't help being blown away by YSLs gypsy period and it's resemblance to things I had drawn not long before. It became an era of draped and flowing designs resembling the whole Jean Harlow look. I really studied the female figure and was often complimented for my drawings of models that wore the clothes I designed. If you can remember-think Mary Quant and Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton. I know, dinosaur era....

Those were wonderful and awful times. Mostly I don't think too much of that time because even though it was painful, it led me to my life today. I wouldn't change a moment of that for anything. However, I've been coveting this pattern for a while and today I bought it on Etsy and Nanette downloaded it to me this afternoon. It will be like making paper dolls again and that makes me happy too. So...that's what I will do. Find dress fabric and have some fun.

Our weather is so beautiful today. It's 45 and a bright sunny afternoon. Just a lovely taste of spring.
Time to make dinner now. Talk to you soon.