Back to (House) Work

Dear Mandella,

Lovely colors! Oh, I'm sure you'll come up with something in no time for those fabrics. What type of dye did you use? Was it cold pour? microwave? steam set?

I am taking today as a holiday. My husband is off this week from his courses (although he has some studying to do for make-up exams) and we have planned two days for me to be at home and doing "stuff around the house." Today that means cleaning up the livingroom so that he can clean the carpeting and one incredibly grungy chair tomorrow. Somewhere in all of this I also need to (brace yourself):

• Empty the guest room of extraneous boxes (move them to the storage unit)
• Ditto the garage so I can get my car into it again
• De-muck the laundry room
• ...and the dining table
• Get all of the ironing and mending into separate piles
• Restore my "craft room" to its former status (it's not a junk room)
• Clean up my side of the bedroom

I hope to be able to dye some yarn this week, too, but that might not be until Saturday.

Yesterday I was at my mom's to do some sewing. I finished up a navy blue dress -- a prototype, if you will, for the one I will make to wear to my friend's wedding in November. It's a simple pattern: a front, a back, sleeves, and the neck facings. I'd have had it done a week ago if I'd had a 22" zipper. So, yesterday I installed the zipper, stitched the side seams, sewed in the sleeves, and finished all raw edges except the hem.

It's passable.

Luckily I have a professional acquaintance who runs an alterations shop next door to the stationery shop. A week from tomorrow she'll be able to kibbutz on the fitting. I'd ask my mom and /or sister to do so, but they really don't have the eyes or knowledge for this sort of thing. Linda (the pro) will likely agree with me about moving a bust dart downward and shortening a few of the shaping darts in the front. I'm also considering opening up the neckline. Hmmmm.... I'll have to do some before-and-after pictures. It will be sort of like a Project Runway challenge.

What can't be fixed with sewing is my gigantic body. Ye-gads, I don't know how I'm going to be able to shrink myself at all. Like sister blogger Lady Euphoria, I'm not a lazy person: I do resistance training at the gym at least once per week and I try to get 100 - 120 minutes of cardio (usually walking) per week. It's mainly in the eating where I have my downfall. With working 2 jobs, I'm often too tired to make rational decisions about what I'm putting into my mouth. OK, that and I end up eating from fast-food places a lot.

Well, such is life. I console myself with the absolutely unshakeable belief that God does not require a weigh-in at the pearly gates. My value has no connection to a number on the scale or the size printed in my clothing.

When I finished up the navy blue dress enough to try it on, I started in on another quilt top. It is one of those death-by-little-squares quilts. I cut 2-1/2" strips, stitched them together, then cut them apart (so that I had a set of 2 squares sewed together) and stitched them to 2-1/2" x 4-1/2" pieces of fabric that match the darker of the two little squares (did that make sense?). I'll have 238 of these little things when I'm done. They will all make 4" squares when stitched together and will yield a 60" x 60" blanket top (sans borders).

"The next one will be simpler," I promise myself.

On another note, go here to see an absolutely silly image from brother blogger Bourbon Cowboy. He's in New York city and will likely get to see more interesting images throughout the day than will I.

Well, time to dig in to the work at home. I console myself with the concept that I'm getting paid to stay at home and do this stuff. (Ha! I'd rather get paid to go someplace fun on holiday!)

Hugs and great colors to you!

Judith