Utah County

Ok, here's the thing. I went to BYU for four years and loved it. I wouldn't say I had THE cliche BYU experience. I didn't date, almost at all, I did very little outdoorsy things and mostly stayed in the basement of the Fine Arts Building, but I'm also not a believer in BYU only being one thing, which I think is a common belief. What BYU is is a very wholesome place with 30,000 more or less very wholesome young people. It's a place that is rumored to paint their grass green (no joke).

Being back in Utah County is now very strange. I've been graduated for 2 years and have spent much time outside of The Bubble. When I drive through Provo now I feel this wave of goodness; the trees are perfect, the sun is shining, and beautiful people are jogging everywhere. Once you're out of it for awhile it's all rather surreal. It's not all roses and bunnies when you look deeper, but superficially Provo and BYU is the most wholesome place ever.

Let's not forget, there are places other than Orem/Provo in UT County...like Payson.

Things about Utah County:

Drivers are actually very mean and crazy and nuts.
It's very easy to think that UT County is just BYU, but even Provo has much more to offer.
Road construction will NEVER end. Mostly we were all excited to graduate from I-15.
UT County is very beautiful. There are lots of parks and outdoorsy things to do.
Provo Canyon is very beautiful.
There are a lot of people in Utah County. There is nature, but mostly from Ogden down through Nephi there is no break from people, blerg.
There are LOTS of babies in Utah County. 

Opening Night Dress 2013: It looks like a dress!

Yay! I took a break while I was at my sister's (good bc I had two barfy kids) and put the dress together last night. Looks pretty good right? Still needs the sleeves, and some parts are basted, but it looks like how it's supposed to! I'm always worried it won't. I'm still worried though...I worry until it's done that somehow during the night something will happen and it'll have a sleeve sewn to the neck or it'll have shrunk or grown 8 inches...

Yes, my face is terrible, and my head looks huge. Sometimes the size of it in relation to my body just makes me feel like Natalie Portman...Alicia reminds me this is not a bad thing. 

The waist does seem a little high, but it'll be worn with a belt so all will be well. I'm worried the weight of the train will be too much for it and I'll end up chopping it off and not having the cowl of the inspiration. Jack and I will have to wait and see! Blur your eyes and the nude material is dead on. I just can't get a tan!

Opening Night Dress 2013: Done with the beading! Need a break...

I'm getting down to the wire. I'll have six weeks in Cedar to finish the dress, but my nights will be filled with having fun with all my friends! I was hoping to have all but the hems and inside done when I left, and that might still be a possibility, but I need a break!

I finished the beading yesterday afternoon after about 4 weeks and 75 hours of work. I figured I could get it cut out last night and I'd take it to my sister's house where I'll be babysitting for the weekend. I got it cut out no problem, but my brain is completely dead. I got the teal and nude pieces sewn to the front and backs, made a few mistakes and just need a break! I'm not taking it to my sister's. I'm also no where near ready to drive back to Utah and since the current plan leaves me with two days to get ready after my sister's I might push back my departure a day.

someday it will look teal in pictures

Historical Maternity

I love historical maternity wear. I love it. I worked with BYU's Historical Clothing Collection for two years and came across some great stuff.

We had one man that was around 80 bring a box of clothes in to donate. One dress was from the 1920s and was actually a dress his mother wore while she was pregnant with him. He also explained that his ancestors were British colonists in India during the middle of the 19th century.

He left us with the dress and some other things, but my favorite was a 1860s jacket. It was of Indian printed cotton and was of European style, short with pagoda sleeves. It was in amazing condition and was so great to see in this Indian textile. We put it on the form but it just looked off. What do you do when a dress or garment looks funny on a form? You pull out the belly. Sure enough this was a maternity piece! The belly was cut full and it suddenly had more of a story. Imagine a British woman in India during the absolute height of British Imperialism, pregnant and getting her clothes made from the local textiles. I love it!

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We had a few other pieces while I was cataloging that had roughly the same story. It looks strange on the form so you pull out the belly. Ta-da! She's got a bun in the oven! I'll tell you a second story about amazing collection discoveries a different time.

For now, here is a picture of a maternity and nursing corset. Yes, women did wear corsets throughout their pregnancies. With the fashion for small waists it was partially to restrict their growing belly, but you have to imagine that it would provide a nice bit of support for their growing belly and bust. Nowadays you can purchase belly bands that lift and support the weight of the belly. It's kind of the same thing.

I won't go into the history of maternity clothing, but I just think it's fascinating and for me it is a great reminder that people in the past were real. What's more real than all the aches and frustrations and feelings of hugeness that a pregnancy brings?

I have an entire Pinterest board here of maternity wear.

Shirt Stays

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NOT to be confused with collar stays.

I watched an old-timey movie awhile back that had shirt stays in it, and I remember thinking vaguely about them. I went to an ROTC banquet the other night and everyone was complaining about their shirt stays, so of course I googled them and I just think they're the best.

Shirt stays look like a suspender/garter type combo. Another word for them is shirt garters. They attach to the bottom of your shirt and the top of your socks and keep your shirt tucked in. They're primarily used in the military these days. And boy howdy do they keep the shirts tucked in. I've been told there is also a stirrup variety. Google image "shirt stays", some amazing illustrations are provided.

Time Out for Lee Pace

Because taking a break for Lee Pace is sometimes necessary for mental health.

Honest Trailers

My friend Caroline posted the Honest Trailer for Jurassic Park 3D on her Facebook and I've been watching them  for like 20 minutes...

The best part is when they say who it's starring...

Favorites? Les Mis, Inception, Dark Night Rises.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQJuGeqdbn4&list=SP86F4D497FD3CACCE