Stuff

I'm going to sell my dress form. The box is long gone, so there is no returning it. The issue with it was, my hips were larger than the small size, but my bust and waist were smaller than the medium size (which is why Brian bought the medium). Given that my hips have shrunk since December of 2005, the hips on the thing are now also too big for me. I'll see what we can do with selling on Craigslist and go from there. I know the duct tape double dress form is an option, but I like the idea of having something with a stand that I can hem with, that I can hang clothes on, pin things to and that kind of thing. I'll figure that all out later.

I think SilentQ's suggestion of working on small silly projects for a while is a good one. I'm going to get that Leia dress sewn and then take a look at the fabrics that have been sitting in my attic. Perhaps I can do some smaller sewing projects for gifts or whatever. Its a way to get sewing but produce quicker and smaller things. I'd be using up some old supplies and creating things for loved ones. I'm determined to get a handle on that serger too - I'll try for another class. The place in the Woburn mall only does them sporadically, but at some point I'll hopefully catch one there or at Fabric Place (where I tried to go before, but was canceled on me).

Despite my sour mood last night, I did piece together the pattern pieces for the Leia dress, taping on the sleeve so that it will be a "T" shaped tunic with no shoulder seam (rather than a sewn in sleeve, like my current dress). I lengthened the sleeve at the wrist to give it more drape. At some point later this week I'll cut out a muslin one and see how it looks. I'll also need to alter my hood pattern piece a bit - Its a bit too short and is rectangular versus trapezoidal (so it doesn't frame the face correctly). Once I get the pattern figured out the construction will be simple. And then I'll decide whether I want to try smocking (heh) around the waist to hold it in there behind the belt. Or maybe I'll just do some kind of gathering. That will definitely involve some practice on scrap fabric beforehand before touching the real stuff.

For anyone curious about what I'm working on technically, here's some info:
http://www.padawansguide.com/leia_anh_costume.shtml

Mal is a dirty boy

For whatever reason, Mal really likes hanging out in the basement. Thankfully he usually only goes down there to use the litterbox (if he's on the first floor, rather than the one we have on the 2nd floor) or if we're down there with him. He's a pretty social cat and he seems to prefer to be with us, whatever we're doing.

I went downstairs to bring up the laundry last night and as expected, Mal followed me down. What he likes to do when he's down there is really interesting. He rolls around on the ground or climbs up onto the pipes that are near the ceiling, crawling around all over the place and making a mess of himself. It figures that its the mostly white cat that likes getting dirty in the basement (rather than the mostly black cat).

Last night was his dirtiest trip ever! I snapped some quick (albeit fuzzy) pictures because I just couldn't believe he got so dirty in the time it took me to pull clothes out of the dryer and bring two laundry baskets up to the kitchen:
http://www.marmontianderson.com/photos/thumbnails.php?album=2

He's such a nut! I couldn't stop from laughing for about five minutes, and then I called Brian to warn him that we may need to give our cat a bath. In the interim I was able to hold him down myself and wipe him off with a wet hand towel. He doesn't seem to mind the water as much as the holding down part. I also tried to coax him into a running bathtub, but he was having none of it (he'll normally jump into a running sink to drink from it). I got enough off with the cloth that we decided to forgo the bath. Stupid cat! Sometimes he's very smart and I'm kind of shocked by the things he does or picks up on. Other times, I wonder if his outside birth may have been to blame for his wacked out behavior sometimes (he was born under someone's porch and when old enough to leave Mom was pulled for the shelter).