My Feast To-Do List

 Five short weeks until The Feast of the Hunters' Moon.  It's crunch time, but I am in good shape.

The current sewing project is making bedgowns. I have six completed and two more cut out and prepped.

Unlike the trade shirts, I can complete a bedgown in a single day. I'll make the last two on Monday and Tuesday and then move on to cloaks or petticoats.

I learned the hard way several years ago to measure and tie up my remnant bundles as I went rather than leaving that to do all at once.

At the time I was caught off guard by how much time that took; now I do them as I sew and it goes much faster.

About a month before an event, I make a to final to-do list. I already have one in my mind, but putting it in writing ensures that I don't forget anything. My list currently looks like this:

Sewing 

2 -3 cloaks

4 -5 petticoats

2 - 3 pockets

1 set of panniers (last priority; if have time)

(That's Pepper on the right. As always, she's curled up next to where I am working.)

Beeswax Ornaments

Inventory and assess numbers needed to make of various molds

Allow time for at least two pouring sessions

Sleeve Buttons

Inventory; do I need to make more?

Check wool mini bags; do I need to make more?

Finished Clothing Prep

Check for sales tags, replace or make new ones if needed

Remove pins holding pleats flat in bedgowns

Iron as needed

Begin putting clothing into protective bags for transport

Office/Other Needs

Update inventory list

Count & record money on hand, separate into two money bags

Check supplies (small bags for ornaments, larger bags for clothing, etc)

Refresh skills with Square, especially adding sales tax

Check number of mini chalkboards - do I need more?

Compare my prices with other sutlers'. Am I comparable? Adjust if needed.

School Day Prep

Ask Tim to borrow his items again; go pick them up

Ask Leslie to borrow her 18th century side saddle; go pick up

Ask Lisa or Belle if they'd like to help me at School Days

Set Up

Confirm tent drop off time on Wednesday

Check with Craig, Curt, and Lisa for help putting tent up

My Clothing

Check condition, iron or mend if needed

Try on, check fit

Find new chain for Lisa's trade silver necklace

That's the list for now. Emphasis on "for now." 

(In fact, I just thought of something I want to do - replace my old wooden hangers with new ones. I ran out of the old ones and bought more, and they are thinner and lighter than the old ones I've been using. Those are from the 1980s when my family first set up a booth at the Feast.)

Stay 'tooned!

A Little Feast Drama

Second Post of the Day

Thursday, my day of two good/two not so good things had another good thing happen that I forgot to mention.

I received my official confirmation that I had been accepted as a 2026 Feast participant!

There was some bad news, too, but I was already aware of it. In fact, I had even met with Brooke, the Feast coordinator, to share my concerns and see if there was a possible work around for me.

I can't sell maple cakes at the Feast.

The clause below about prohibited sales items which has always been in the Feast application but has never included maple cakes, now does.

Brooke shared some of the reasons behind the change with me. Some made sense and were reasonable. But banning everyone for problems caused by the sales of a few doesn't seem right. 

I shared with Brooke that I had already taken orders from past customers who come to my booth for them every year. (Remember the woman who bought a bunch for her grandkids' Christmas stockings only to find her husband had gotten into them? She's one I was thinking of.)

Brooke agreed to let me fulfill those orders but asked that I be very discreet about it and to not advertise that I have maple cakes. I appreciate that bit of grace.

Maple cakes are a big seller for me. I usually sell 400 - 500 at the Feast. But, they are not huge money-makers so my bottom line won't be hurt too badly.

They DO bring in a lot of business, though. Many people see that I have them, stop by, and then wander through my tent, finding other things to purchase. And now I am losing that incentive.

I hope that this is a temporary ban and only applicable to this year. I will be monitoring what other vendors who have sold maple cakes in the past are selling this year. If they are still selling them and there are no consequences from Feast officials, then I will bring it up with Brooke again.

I am a rule follower and will follow the rules. But if those rules are broken and the consequences listed in the Feast application are not applied, then that is unfair and not right.

 Just a little drama as the 2026 Feast of the Hunters' Moon approaches.

A Leap of Faith

First Post of the Day

Cutting these two pieces off the pink bedgown took a big leap of faith from me.

I'd stitched them together as the pattern had required, but something was wrong. Instead of having the beginning of a pleat down the back of the bedgown, I had a small "hole-like" projection between the shoulders. That wasn't right.

I carefully removed the stitching that held these two together. Then I got the pattern pieces out and set them against the cut pieces of fabric. Finally I saw my error - I'd cut four of them when I only needed two.

Or so I thought. 

The second guessing began immediately.

If I was right, then I needed to cut two of them off and discard them.

But if I was wrong and cut them off, I'd make an irreparable error and ruin that in-progress garment.

I compared pattern pieces again. I sat and thought. I rotated the pattern pieces to see if perhaps I was missing something elsewhere. 

Nope. I needed to cut off and remove two of the four pieces.

I sat and thought some more, did one more check of the pattern pieces, and then finally decided to just do it - I grabbed my shears and clipped them off. Then I took the remaining two pieces, pinned them together, stitched, and...

Yes!! That was the solution! I was right to cut them off and I hadn't ruined the bedgown. I now had the beginning of the shawl collar and the pleat that was to run down the back.

Piecing together the rest of the bedgown went quickly and I finished the garment the same day I started it.

I am so happy with how it turned out and I don't think I will have any trouble selling it.

Which reminds me - a very important email came into by business account yesterday.

Stay 'tooned!

Two for Two - the Good & the Not So Good

I made it through the sacroiliac injections yesterday. They were intense but over quickly. Even better, the nurse brought me those lovely warmed blankets while I was in the recovery room and proceeded to wrap me up herself. 

I'd been so focused on the injections that I hadn't really thought of Dryandra and if I'd won one until I was in recovery. I pulled up my email on my phone but there was no notice from Breyer. I checked again when I got home from the hospital and...

I'd been selected! I completed the order and wondered if the day could get any better.

Well, it didn't. I got hit by a scammer on my Jolis Chevaux Facebook site. I'd finished the pink bedgown and posted it

and almost immediately I got a message from someone wanting to buy it and asking me to send them my Venmo so they could pay.

She was in a terrible rush and kept pushing me to hurry (my first indication that things were off) and then her payment wouldn't go through. (My next indicator.) She asked me to call Venmo's customer service (whose number she conveniently had handy and sent me) because the problem just happened to be on my end not hers. (I didn't make that call because I was now pretty sure that this was a scam.)

Then I received an email claiming it was from Venmo. It said my account was too small to accept her money and I needed to immediately deposit $500 to fully expand my account into a business account. Then, that $500 plus the $75 she'd "paid but wouldn't go through" would be refunded to me.

Oh, heck no! 

I took screen shots of everything for documentation, blocked her, and then reported her to Facebook. I took down the photo of the bedgown and will start fresh and post it again later today.

Then we had a severe thunderstorm plow through last night. It was loud and we heard some banging outside, reminiscent of the storm we'd had in June when our patio furniture ended up overturned and scattered in the yard.

This morning I got a quick view of the damage.

My heavy tomato planter had been overturned and pushed out into the yard.

It was too dark to do a full inspection of the plants but there are a lot of ripening tomatoes on the vines.

I am hoping their branches are not broken and that they survive and continue to ripen. The planter is heavy; I'll need Craig's help to right it.

So, two good things and two not-so-good things in one day.

Today I have aquatic physical therapy, a dental appointment, and then am giving Kathy a ride home from her own physical therapy appointment. It's also West Side's Homecoming at the football game tonight and Craig is marching walking in the parade again this year.

Busy day, and, aside from maybe having a cavity, it should be a good one. Fingers crossed.

Stay 'tooned!

Wish Me Luck - on Two Counts!

Winners will be announced today for Dryandra, a numbat (banded anteater) from Australia who is part of Breyer's Wild Animal Series.I I haven't been a fan of most of the offerings in this series, but I do like Dryandra so I've entered for him. It's a limited edition of 750 so chances aren't good that I will be drawn, but my fingers are crossed and I am hoping for the best.

A numbat in the wild. (Photo from Google Images.)

Generally winners begin receiving emails late in the morning, but I won't be home.

It's time for another double injection into my sacroiliac joints. They are not something I look forward to doing, but they are over fairly quickly and provide pain relief for a while.

The doctor who does them is very good and this will be the fourth one she's given me. 

She surprised me this past week, though. I had an appointment with her Monday morning and I showed up in full horse-girl wear.

She strode into the exam room, paused, and said, "Oh, I love your shirt!"

Turns out she is a horsey gal, too! We started gabbing and talked horses for about ten minutes before getting down to discussing my back and today's injection. I walked out of there not only with directions for today's procedure but with her cell number so I could text her and make arrangements for her to join me at the barn to see the horses and Tim's horse drawn vehicle collection.

So, wish me luck on two counts today - that the procedure goes well and that I get the pain relief I am hoping for, and that when I get home and check my email, I find one from Breyer telling me that I've won Dryandra.

Stay 'tooned!

More from the Sewing Room

Second Post of the Day

Referring to Susie's cryptic tag from yesterday's blog post, several of you read the 3 as a backwards apostrophe and an S. 

I think you are right. Susie's tag actually reads, "Susie's Fav Small." Makes sense - thanks, all!

Yesterday I decided that I would take a break from cutting out bedgowns and make some pin pillows using the camel/elephant fabric.

The cut out and stitched pillows, ready for stuffing.

Ever worked with wool roving? It is so soft to the touch. But it is deceptive - it compresses very well and so you use more than you think you might.

This is all I had left after stuffing just five 4 inch square pillows. (The fabric clips are holding the openings closed where I stuffed them.)

The finished pin pillows. I am really pleased with how they turned out.

That was a very relaxing two hours of cutting, stitching, stuffing, and hand finishing. And when I was done, I felt ready to begin tackling the bedgowns.

This is today's sewing project - an XL bedgown in a pretty pink block print.

On the left are the gussets (they add space to the underarm of the sleeves and allow better movement) and then the sleeve extensions. (These are added to the end of each sleeve, turned under, and then folded back into cuffs.)

If I can work without too many interruptions, I can get this bedgown done today. 

Stay 'tooned! 

September Give Away Winner

First Post of the Day

And the winner of the vintage The Black Stallion book is...

Thank you all for entering! Didn't win? Another Give Away will be held in October.

Stay 'tooned!