May I introduce...'Elias'

The newest Broadfall Trousers on www.rachelsseamstressservices.com.


Elias Broadfall Trousers

'Elias' originated from a customer who needed replica broadfalls made. I liked very much the style he had and am now offering them for sale.

Some people have asked where do my names originate from, when naming a new item for sale.
I just 'tune myself into' the item being made and listen to names being 'whispered' to me, in a sense.

The name 'Elias' was perfect for these new broadfalls. A simple Biblical name for a very functional and simple in style broadfalls.


Top right side 'Watch Pocket'
Large enough for several keys, coins, etc...

'Elias' has several different features than the Traditional style Broadfalls. To begin with, the watch pocket is under the waistband, on the right side. The pockets have more inside coverage and the back has two small back darts. Additionally, the front 'fall' is one piece and has light lining underneath. Four buttonholes are sewn on the top of the 'fall'.

There is one more feature I have incorporated into these Broadfalls. The back center seam has at least two inches in available fabric in order to incease or decrease the back waistband sizing. I have made the construction of the back waistband so that one can easily access this feature. (A picture will be posted as soon as the next pair is made). I was told that this feature is done by U.S. Midwest Amish Communities, so that if a man/boy increases or decreases waist sizing, their existing broadfalls can be easily altered to accommodate them.)

Until January 15th, any size of 'Elias' is on sale for $28.00. On January 15th, pricing will then incease for the Traditional Broadfalls and 'Elias'.

Looking to purchase one or two pairs for this year? Buy now before the price increase.

Happy New Year,
Lisa

A Tin of Buttons

Found at my mother's house this past October.

Where have you been? Asked many of you. My summer, since July, had been a busy one. Mostly, my mother had emergency surgery which could have been life-threatening if not found as soon as it was. My mother has been in poor health for a number of years and since my father's sudden and most painful passing in 2008 (for all of us), she has had a broken heart. Actually, we all have. My mother is now permanently in an Assisted Living Facility and although she resisted for quite a while, she does appreciate the care she receives, good meals every day and people around her.

It was a most painful summer, but I also know God is in control. Thus, my lack of postings on this BLOG.

I needed to take a trip into South Florida to help 'clean-out' the family house, which has been sold. This also was an emotional time as many memories flooded my thoughts. One never thinks they will lose their parents, but eventually they will pass on. We tend to take our parents for granted.

While cleaning out my parent's home, I found this 'tin of buttons' that I remember from my childhood. When I opened the top, the aroma of years inside the tin flooded me and overwhelmed my senses. I immediately sat down and sorted through the tin. I remembered the red corduroy jacket buttons, I believe they once belonged to a jacket I once had as a girl. I saw other buttons that brought back memories. I know that a number of them belonged to my grandmother, who was also a seamstress.

There is another item I have longed to offer for some time. A 'Simple & Plain' shirt/blouse for teens and women. I am creating the pattern for this shirt from an old shirt of mine that I had fallen in love with. I think I will not describe it in detail as I want it to be a surprise when it is finished. Hoping to have it offered by the Springtime. Just in time for the summer months, as it is a lovely shirt for that time of year.

Yesterday I made some pies, sold a few this past week too. Called : Amish Vanilla Pie. A very yummy and unique pie that I enjoy making.



I make the Pie Crust first. Freeze overnight and before filling with the pie,
bake at 400 degrees for approx. eight minutes.

Yummy Amish Vanilla Pie.

 

Many have asked if I was Amish or Mennonite. No, I am not. But was raised near the Amish/Mennonites in Florida. The denomination I grew up in was a simple faith and my love of sewing (and cooking) was nurtured.

Lisa

Summer-2012 & European Theatrical Production

The Summer of 2012 is soon to be over. Finally...August has arrived! And I have seen more colorful birds hopping around and calling out. When I see that, I know cooler weather is just around the corner. Afer a long, hot Northern Florida summer, I am ready for cooler temperatures.

I wish to share some pictures of a theatrical production in Europe that I was thrilled to make the attire for.

Located in Avignon, France, the  production of 'The Four Seasons Restaurant' was performed by talented performers from Italy.

As I was mailing the box to Europe, a woman behind me in the FedEx line asked questions about the box travelling to France. When I told her it was for 14 beautiful girls to perform at the Festival d'Avignon, she mentioned I should also hop on the plane and enjoy myself for a while. I surely wish I could have!

14 dresses and aprons were ordered in the most beautiful fabrics one has ever seen.

Blue plaid, Olive & Khaki Plaid, Navy Blue, beautiful Powder Blue and Charcoal Grey, and worn with Aprons of various solid colors.

During the last two weeks of making the dresses and aprons, I worked constantly, knowing that the end result of the labor would be beautiful. And as these pictures illustrate, it was.

I named the pictures when I viewed them, and I called this one above 'lying down'.

I will let you imagine a name for this picture, a vivid portrayal of emotions, well done.

'Reaching up to the Stars' was the only phrase I thought of for this lovely picture.

A huge THANK YOU to Societas Raffaelle in Italy for allowing Rachels' Seamstress Services to provide your theatrical attire for this special event. It is so special for a seamstress to see her garments, originating from a big bolt of fabric that was gently cut, sewn and completed with care, worn so lovely in a special theatrical production.

Paypal Service Discontinued

Update October 2014: I now accept Paypal again as their security has been greatly enhanced and improved.
______________________________________

Original Post:
Some of my customers have asked 'Why have you discontinued using Paypal as a payment processor?"

It was brought to my attention that the security of Paypal was not as good as I thought. That is not good for you, as a customer, and for Rachels' Seamstress Services, for fraud protection.

I now have a credit card merchant account and can take credit and debit cards directly from the Rachels' Site. And also, you can now pay directly with your credit/debit card on Etsy. All of your information is stored in a secured server that only is accessable by myself.

Peace to all,

Lisa

Summer of Dresses

After prayer and intense thought of what I REALLY would like to create this summer for ready-made items in my Etsy Shop...the answer kept coming back....dresses. A woman or girl wearing a feminine dress...becoming a rare sight. And yes, the men DO hold open the door for you, as I have noticed more of when wearing a dress. Just something about the flowing of the skirt fabric that catches the eye...in a delightful way. The feminine beauty of a dress with pleats or gathers is so lovely.

I believe that many are a bit tired of seeing the sloppy, too low and at times ripped jeans that hmmmm, expose too much. Did the designers do that on purpose...making the shirts too short and the pants too low?

Even in houses of worship, sad to say. A friend of mine commented once "Besides the Priest, I am the only one wearing a dress." And she is proud to wear a dress.

From Godey's Magazine, 1852.
Ladies taking tea.

So starting this summer, I have decided to sell the following ready-made:

Dresses for ladies and girls, some outerwear items, such as hoodies and girls coats if time permits, sun bonnets and also warm weather winter bonnets, in addition to the Laura Day and Caroline Everyday caps and also Mantilla's. The 'Ruth' Bonnet will re-appear, as it has been gone for a while off of the Rachels' site.

Ordering from the www.rachelsseamstressservices.com site will continue, so have no fear, that is always available, esp. for boys and mens broadfall trousers. I wish to have the best selling items available for you ready-made and ready to be shipped, with a few extra's to choose from.

Additionally, one can also pay directly by credit card through my Etsy Site, now named Rachels' Niche. You do not need to have an Etsy account! A fantastic added feature by Etsy.

One of my favorite pictures.
A young girl in a dress, with her 'dollie'
in a very pretty dress too!
(Source unknown)

1400's in
Northern Europe

Medieval mother & child

In the Middle Ages, and up to the 1800's, young children wore essentially the same style of clothing as adults. Additionally, boys also wore 'dresses' or 'frocks' until they were weaned.

A dashing young maiden in her white tunic (below left) is a style of a 'dress', from the Middle Ages, made for ease of movement. It appears this is when 'trousers' started to make an appearance in women's clothing.

                                                                                    


Actually, 'trousers' did not arrive in women's clothing until WWII and 'Rose the Rivoter'. Men were in 'short supply' and the women went into the factories to work on the supplies/airplanes, etc... needed for the war. Wearing a dress/skirt was a hazard and dangerous, so thus...pants for women became acceptable to a certain degree.
After the war, most women went back to their domestic occupations and/or traditional jobs and shortly later trousers on women were seen more and more. And, that is another story...

I believe that in the past decades, women have lost their sense of feminity and grace given to us by our creator. I choose to be different and not succumb to the worldly and many times immodest fashions of today.

Pax Christi!

Peace in Christ,
Lisa

My Favorite Horses

Typical historical southern house. Dates back to
late 1800's with restoration and up-keep.
Typical of Northern 'sleepy' Florida is the
SpanishMoss hanging from the trees, like 'icicles'.
Spanish Moss is an 'air plant' that seems to never die.

I live in beautiful and historic Ocala, Florida. Located in the Northern part of the state, it is known as 'Horse Capital of the World".
Only three places in the world have this name: A town in France, Lexington, KY, and Ocala, FL. At least one Triple Crown winner was born and bred in Ocala, FL.

Even if you 'live in the city', it takes only ten minutes and you are out in farmland viewing the beautiful horses that God has created for us to enjoy. If having a stressful day, all it takes to relax is a visit with a horse or several horses and your day is much better!

Our favorite horse that we see most often in "Buddy". He is a Clysedale and is about four years old. He sure does love a bag of carrots!

Buddy, Jr. in profile

Buddy Jr., taking a stroll.
Ocala, FL

'Apple of Eden' is pictured above (with the carrot in her mouth). I have not seen her in about one year. Her owner must have moved her to another location. She was quite a frisky thoroughbred at only three years old. Hoping she is doing well.

"Dixie", a FL Cracker Horse with her owner...a Spanish
Conquistador. A FL Cracker Horse is an original descendent from
the smaller sized horses brought to Florida by Hernando DeSoto.
Only about 500 exist in the world, mostly in Northern Florida.
A limited number of small herds can be located throughout the U.S.

Right after Thanksgiving, Downtown Ocala has at least two teams of horses available for carriage rides throughout the old, historic downtown area. It is such a delight to listen to the 'clip-clop, clip-clop' of their feet. Above is Mike & Ike (caught you looking Mike ;-), who are Draft Horses and purchased originally from an Amish Farm in Ohio. Draft horses are known for their strength in pulling wagons, working the farm, etc... In 2012, this was Mike & Ike's second year and they have calmed down some.

Horse Drawn Carriage
Zone in Historic Downtown
Ocala, FL.

"Princess"...a Rescue Horse who now have a caring place to live.
She is a bit of a 'nipper' but does love carrots as a treat.

Thank you for viewing my favorite equine's and pictures of Ocala, FL. Of all the animals that God has created, the Horse is my favorite. Just something reeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaallllll special about them. Almost as if, they 'talk' to you.

Blessings,
Lisa

Joy of the Lord

"The joy of the Lord is my strength." - Nehemiah 4:8-10
Could the scripture just as easily have said the happiness of the Lord is my strength?

Seems to me there's a distinct difference. But allow me to backtrack a bit to describe just how I found myself pondering on what some might, at first glance, dismiss as a question of semantics. After all, joy or happiness seems pretty much the same.

Here's how it all got started. A man approached me after the sermon a
couple of Sundays back and asked offhandedly: "Well, is the Lord
taking care of you? You're happy? And things are going your way?"

I hesitated a bit and, for some reason, did not simply offer a casual
reply. Instead, I answered each question. "Yes, the Lord is taking
care of me. There's no doubt in my mind about that. But, no, I'm not
particularly happy. And most things do not appear to be going my way
at the present."

My response was more than my acquaintance had wanted, for sure. And
we talked it out for a bit and all ended well, but the thought had started for me.

Once a week I have the privilege of serving in an Amish practice my
wife and I have developed. Among the families I serve on a "house
calls" only basis is a man and his wife and their five children. Two
of the children, ages 6 and 8, are severely challenged with cerebral
palsy and require constant care of the most basic sort. They must be
fed one bite at a time. They must be clothed and bathed daily. And
they must be transported, as both are wheel chair ridden. There are
no hired hands - no nurses or nannies. The Amish man and his wife are
also dairy farmers which is a twice a day, seven days a week
enterprise. Need I say these people are busy? Burdened is more
descript.

Without fail, I seem to mention to these two parents how impressed I
continue to be with their stamina and determination. Their wearied
countenances belie the pleasant manner in which they conduct
themselves. For some reason, on this particular visit, I mentioned to
the man that I had been tossing around in my mind the definitions of
happiness and joy.

To my surprise, the Amish dairyman, normally reserved in nature,
uncharacteristically pounced on the subject. "Well, there's
difference alright. Let me tell you." I let him.

"Happiness usually comes out of your circumstances. You know, when
things are going your way, so to speak. Joy, on the other hand, comes
from knowing God's in charge no matter what the circumstances."

This is a man, I thought to myself, who knows from whence he speaks.
I could see he was not finished. So I let him continue.

"Now, the devil likes to work your circumstances to take the smile
off your face. He wants you unhappy. That way he figures he can
weaken your walk with the Lord. My wife and I figure the best way to
defeat that old codger is to keep it in mind that he wants us
unhappy. So we figure God gave us these kids and in the condition
they're in for a reason. The Book says His ways are higher than our
ways. His thoughts, higher than our thoughts. If God wants it this
way then we best find a way to appreciate ourselves. That's what I'd
call joy. Happiness? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Sometimes we're
just bone tired of the whole picture. But the joy comes in knowing
that God's in control."

I was both speechless and convinced. This man had obviously been
working for quite some time on finding joy in the midst of his
surroundings. The model these two parents had shown me down through
the years left me without argument. If their example was proof
enough, then there definitely is a difference between happiness and
joy.

My next patient was himself a bishop in the Amish settlement. An
elderly man, he had suffered an aneurysm at a fortuitous moment, I
might add, while visiting a friend in the hospital. Because he was in
the hospital, his life had been spared. "Right place at the right
time," the bishop had told me once when I visited him during his
recovery. On this particular day, I mentioned to him that his color
was particularly good and that he was carrying himself with renewed
strength and confidence.

"You're looking fit and fiddle," I said.

"Fiddle's more like it," he joked.

Then he shared with me how there was a time during the darkest hours
of his setback that he had actually wished it were over, that he
could have gone to his eternal resting place.

"That bad?"

Yes, that bad," replied the bishop. "I was hurting so and the fatigue
was so heavy that I just wished that the aneurysm had hit me harder
or at a different place and time."

The man walked outside with me as I prepared to depart from his home,
having adjusted him, his wife, and two daughters. Out in the lane, a
group of five or six kittens were tumbling each other about as the
mother lay out flat in the gravel.

"Ornery little things," the Amish man said with a grin, gesturing
toward the newborns.

"Yes… and it sure is good to see you smiling and happy," I said.
Which, of course, renewed my pursuit of the difference between joy
and happiness. I asked, "Do you find there's a difference between joy
and happiness?"

"Oh, yes. Yes, I do."

The bishop told of a "car wedding" he had once gone to. "You know, a
how do you say it a 'ceremony' conducted by a preacher who wasn't
Amish," he explained. Anyway, I'll never forget his statement to the
couple. He prayed that they would "find joy amidst their sorrows."

There it was again, I thought to myself. The joy of knowing that a
sovereign God is in charge regardless of circumstances or how things
appear.

My appreciation for the difference between the two words joy and
happiness might best be summed up during a wake I attended for a
blonde haired, blue-eyed, 4-year old Amish girl who had died from
morphine intoxication administered during what many today consider as
routine surgery -tonsillectomy. Which, seems to me, begs the
question: "How do we factor in cultural differences and any fears or
misgivings those might evoke in a patient prior to the administration
of anesthetic?" I had seen the girl the week prior to the scheduled
surgery and I was not particularly pleased with the parent's decision
to proceed, but their minds were made up after months and months of
tonsillitis in their child. It was not a visitation I was looking
forward to, but I had received a phone call, detailing the times and
place which, of course, was the home and felt "called" to be there.

At the open casket, I lost composure and began to shake a bit in the
room full of men dressed in black and white and women in plain, dark
dresses and bonnets. The child's grandfather who had been seated
right near the casket immediately stood and rested a hand on my
shoulder with these words, "The Lord's in charge here. She's truly in
a better place."

I could see the joy, the strength, in this man's face. There was no
denying it. The joy of the Lord is his strength.

So, yes, indeed there is a difference between joy and happiness. The joy is knowing that God is always in charge, no matter the circumstances. Recognizing that joy can lead you to discover the thread of happiness that flows from it.

- - - - - - - - - -
The author: Dr. Will Tickel is a practicing chiropractor in southern
Ohio and Cincinnati who particularly enjoys his work among the Amish.
He is a published author of two books relating to health and healing.
He may be reached at willtickel@aol.com

January 4th - St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Day



1774-1821
Foundress-Sisters of Charity
Canonized by Pope Paul VI
September 14, 1975

St. Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton was born on August 28, 1774 to Richard Bayley and Catherine Charlton of New York City. She was raised in the Episcopal Church in the United States. Her mother, daughter of an Episcopal priest, died when Elizabeth was three years old.

At age 19 she married William Magee Seton, a wealthy businessman in the import trade. Five children were born to the marriage: Anna "Annina" Maria (1795-1812), William the Second, Richard Seton, Catherine Seton (1800-1891) a Sister of Mercy, and Rebecca Mary (1802-1816) whom Elizabeth called "my soul's sister".

Although busy with raising a large family and the management of their home, Seton continued to show the concern for the poor of the city which her father and stepmother had taught her. She helped to organize a group of prominent ladies who would visit the sick poor in their homes to render what aid they could. This circle was informally called the "Ladies of Charity" due to their conscious inspiration by the work of St. Vincent de Paul in 17th century France.

During a trip to Italy for her husband's health, he died there and Elizabeth and one of her children stayed two years in Italy with her husband's business partner and his family. It was in Italy that she was introduced to Catholicism. When returning back to the United States, she sought instruction in the faith and in 1805 entered the Catholic Church.

At the invitation of the Archbishop, she established a Catholic girl's school in Baltimore, which initiated the parochial school system in America. She also founded the Sisters of Charity.

One commentor says of her "Elizabeth Seton had no extraordinary gifts. She was not a mystic or stigmatic. She did not prophesy or speak in tounges." But it is perhaps her very "ordinariness" that makes her such a good model for stewardship. She put her whole life - all of her time, all of her talents, all of her treasure - at God's disposal, saying to her religious sisters, "The first end I propose in our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly, to do it in the manner He wills; and thirdly, to do it because it is his will." Such wholehearted devotion to the will of God is a sure recipe for good stewardship of the gifts we have received.

We must pray without ceasing, in every occurrence and employment of our
lives - that prayer which is rather a habit of lifting up the heart to God
as in a constant communication with Him .

~Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton