Chasing Redbird, by Sharon Creech

Zinnia, or Zinny, as she prefers to go by, has been feeling very trapped in her house of nine. Nothing is hers, no space is hers, and ever since her Aunt Jessie died she doesn't have any place to go when she needs to breathe.
One day she discovers a trail, one completely overgrown. After looking up maps, she discovers it goes all the way to the next town, twenty miles long, and takes it upon herself to clear the trail. It is her way of finding herself, and of trying to do something different.

This story was super sweet, and Creech's writing is impeccable. All writing rules are applied, but it also flows very nicely.
The only thing is, I'm not sure I would recommend it. I love this kind of genre, and it is very thought-provoking, and that is the way I write. However, my sister is not that kind. Another of Creech's stories, Walk Two Moons, she didn't like at all. She is not one for anything that is strange at all, or weird, or doesn't make a ton of sense.
For example: in Chasing Redbird, her uncle used to sing this song with Zinny's aunt. He would sing sort of a boogie, and she would respond with "Make the company jump!" We have absolutely no idea why; my sister wouldn't have liked that at all, but I like quirky things like that. I would describe Creech as.....a bit eccentric.

The Nelson Dress

While we were in Seattle for Thanksgiving, Mrs. Nelson contacted me and told me she wanted me to make her daughter a dress for Christmas. She sent me several photos of a dress she said that her daughter liked. I wasn't too sure (really didn't like the style, and the fabric was very modern). She really wanted, what she said was, "Like Anne of Greene Gables, pioneer, or Civil War." I got the general sense of what she wanted and ended up going with something more Colonial.
I asked for several measurements; waist, back of her neck to the floor, and from her shoulder to her elbow. I wouldn't normally do those things, but she is really tall, and Mom remembered that she had long arms. I had to lengthen the sleeves and skirt quite a bit.
Picking out the fabric was really fun; I first looked for the fabric in the picture she sent me, but I was quite happy when we couldn't find it. So we went with green and pink floral, with a complimenting dark green underskirt.

Mrs. Nelson really wanted me to make it a little big; however, I ran out of fabric for the underskirt. It turned out okay, but it's the perfect length, and she expressed that some day she may want me to lengthen it a little with a ruffle or something.
While doing this dress, I was really methodical with my methods, and it went really quickly without any problems. Finishing the seams with a zig-zag stitch did take a while, but I did it as I went instead of waiting until the end which helped.
Figuring out the drapes took me a minute, because the fabric wasn't wide enough. I had to make then just a tiny bit narrower.
One thing I learned is that broadcloth washes horribly! It wrinkled like no tomorrow, and they wouldn't come out unless with starch. So to all my sewing friends: keep a bottle of starch on hand!
I was really pleased with the outcome, and I was super excited about having someone come to me and ask me to make something for them. It's fun getting paid for something you love!

 I'm so glad it fits her well!