Gray Winter Days (PR&P, Winter Wonderland)

“I like these cold, gray winter days. Days like these let you savor a bad mood.” Bill Waterson, author of Calvin and Hobbs

Winter in Central Illinois is awful. It’s a very unpredictable season. What snow we get is beautiful, for a few few hours at least. And then it will get just warm enough to rain and turn everything to gross mud and slush. Even though the theme at Project Run and Play this week is “Winter Wonderland,” I decided to go more with our Winter Reality. I was up for a challenge: finding beauty and inspiration in the yuck of a midwest January.

 

“Winter lies too long in country towns; hangs on until it is stale and shabby, old and sullen.” Willa Cather, My Antonia chapter 7

Our favorite outfits have layers. Our favorite boots wash off (mostly). We brave the outdoors anyway – because Spring is still a long ways off and we’ll all go crazy if we don’t go out and run for at least a few minutes. This week I made three layers: A gray knit slip, upcycled from an old pillowcase. A Family Reunion Dress from Oliver and S in quilter’s cotton. And a gray cardigan cut down from one of my old ones, misshapen from years of use.

“A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water.” Carl Reiner, American actor, film director, producer, writer and comedian.

I bought the Family Reunion pattern for the tab. To me, it is just begging to be embroidered. I stitched this little snowflake in a steely blue floss, which picks up the hit of blue spattered in the background of the main print (it’s very subtle, you can just see it). I used a simple back stitch; the snowflake design is from Handsewn (a fantastic sewing book!). I didn’t get a picture of it but the buttons on the back of the dress are also stitched on using the blue floss. I love the hint of color in the midst of the gray – just like the few minutes of sunshine that  pop through the clouds. There’s nothing prettier than the clear, pale blue sky of winter.

“Every mile is two in winter.” George Herbert, English clergyman and poet

And every photo shoot is misery, at least if you ask the toddler! It’s ok sweetheart, we’re done now, and we can enjoy the best part of winter: snuggling on the couch in the early dark with a bowl of soup and a cup of tea. And spring will come soon enough.

This week’s inspiration image: taken by me last week when the weather randomly decided to be sub-zero temps for a couple days.

 

Be sure to check out the other sew along entries right here. Many of them are more “Wonderland” – ish, if you’re tired of gray!