BRIDESMAIDS DRESSES FINISHED!!!

I have the greatest news. The bridesmaids' dresses are finished. The veil is finished. The girls seem happy with the outcome. I have come to a life-altering decision. I will stop dressmaking for non-family members. I will continue to take in basic alterations: they come and go, and don't occupy every waking and sleeping moment. When folks bring me an alteration, and its due in a week or two, they don't gain or lose a lot of weight between start and finish. I didn't enjoy the dressmaking like I used to. And if I'm going to lose the pleasure in garment sewing, I've got a whole lot of sewing for myself and family to hurry up and get done.

Another good piece of news, We have a new Grandpuppy!! He's 3 months old, some kind of an apricot-colored furball. No picture to share yet. He is sooo well-behaved, and so adorable. I can't wait to babysit him.

The handsome young fellow below is our oldest Grandpuppy, Toby. He is so hyper, so funny, he dances in circles and keeps everyone in stitches. he looks like a puppy, acts like a puppy, but is already several years old. One hot summer a couple of years ago, our daughter sheared him very closely all over. He looked so funny--our son-in-law laughed at Toby, and Toby wouldn't come out of hiding for days when anyone was around. The dog groomer told our daughter that she should always leave Toby his mane and tail, then he won't notice he's been shorn. She said he truly was embarassed in addition to having experienced an identity crisis. Animals are the strangest people.

I'm having this weird feeling without the pressure of the sewing, very edgy, and at a loss. It's probably just fatigue--backwards and forwards fatigue.

It started with the kind of day I was having. The bridesmaids are 50 miles from me, but very close to each other. One of the girls is my daughter, so I decided to travel with the ironing board, my own iron, and the sewing machine, lots of thread, pins, etc. The plan was to go to the daughter's apartment (she was to work at 6:30 pm), drop everything off, go to the first girl's house at 10 am (who was in the process of moving--everything was gone, she was cleaning). Her outfit was the most unfinished; because of her very large bust, I wanted to try another way to do the front. It turned out to be a good fit the old way, so I went back to the daughter's to do the sewing. The sewing machine almost went on strike: it wouldn't sew in reverse, so I had to focus and remember to shorten up the stitches at beginning and end of seams.

At 12:30 I went to the next girl's house. I prayed all the way that the Lord would see fit to bless my work. Good fit, but the spaghetti straps were just a bit too long. I didn't open the top up, just shortened them by tucking them in by hand and stitching them securely down--she was happy with that.

Back to the first girl's house, the alterations having been done before 12:30. Good fit. She's happy.

Back to the daughter's. Her outfit had been the easiest fit of all, so I had completely finished it and given it the final, professional pressing--she's lost some weight in the hips, so, open up the lining, take out the understitching at the hem of the top, loosen off the boning, take in the bottom, press out the seam, stitch it up, understitch the hem, handstitch the lining back along the zipper. The top had a contrast band with a bow just below the bust. She was sure it was crooked. I measured--it was even. She wasn't happy. I snipped off the band (hand-appliquéd on). We moved it to where it looked good--measurements didn't match--turns out that one of her " girls" is bigger than the other. Stitched it back on. Press. Press.

By now it's about 4:45. I had to pack up and hurry all the way across the city during rush hour traffic to pick up a shipment of greenhouse supplies at a trucking depot. The young gentlemen helping weren't hard to look at, and were so courteous. We were loaded and out of there in no time at all. Stopped at the donut shop for a sandwich and coffee, since I had just realized I hadn't eaten since B'fast at 7 am. Home by 7pm. That's the cause of the backwards fatigue.

Tonight I will knit on a new pair of socks I started. I call them Spring Posies socks because of the colors. I hate grafting toes, so I always turn them inside-out and use a 3-needle cast-off when the stitches are reduced to two needles. This time I'm going to try to turn them inside-out before the toe decreases, then, when it gets tight, the sock'll already be inside out. Will photograph and post if it works.

Now for the forwards-fatigue.

And I'd better make my list for tomorrow:
1. Finish cleaning dried plants out of greenhouse, load into truck along with other refuse, to make a trip to the dump early next week.
2. Fertilize and dead-head all the flowerpots on the deck. Sweep the deck.
3. Tidy my sewing room, and get rid of everything teal and mint green. Then alter the other Bridesmaid dress--a lovely cinnamon-y coral color. Not a difficult job.
4. Just remembered--Sunday is first Sunday of Month--brunch at church after Mass. Make muffins or something.
5. Next Sunday after Mass 3 priests are coming for dinner. Plan menu.

And that's only the morning LOL!

Till next time: Grandmothers will put up with most things, but they turn a very nasty purple when it comes to Bad Manners. (Monique)