A Scarlett O'Hara Moment

Well, in spirit at least. She was able to envision a gown out of drapes (although Mammy did all the sewing). Myself, a summer top from a tablecloth.



 Can you see me sitting at the table, eying the most recent spaghetti dinner splatters and wondering if they can be a design element? No? Good, because I bought this tablecloth in clean, barely used condition and never planned for DH to come anywhere near it with a plate of pasta.



The collar fabric is left over from the little jacket.



 The pattern, an Amy Butler one. And thrifty fabric wise. Take that Scarlett!

Over the week, I cut out the last of the trip garments. Spring in New England is a tough season to straddle. It can be cold and rainy, hot and humid and everything in between and often on the same day. Weather schizophrenia. Packing for a month stay, I want some rotation in the wardrobe at least top wise and I sure needed another pair of cargo jeans and a basic white shirt. Both of those items are in the bins waiting for their turn at the machine, plus a few others. This one was a test for a summer top pattern. Unhemmed as yet in this picture.



 Easy and wonderfully versatile. No sleeves, short sleeves, long sleeves like I cut, great on it's own and perfect for making a few closer fitting cami/tank type things for underneath. The maiden piece is done in a drapey rayon. I'm calling it my Grecian Goddess. It's long, loose and has all the earmarks of a perfect warm weather top. Some protection but very cool and easy to wear. I'm not a fan of sewing rayon and this was no different. The fabric reminds me of trying to sew limp egg noodles. The saving grace of course, is the way it feels on. Soft and light but not sheer. Quite a feminine fabric really. The pattern calls for a thin tie belt. Not my best look, but using a leftover piece of bias binding from the neck, I was able to give it a hint of a belt with a couple of tucks, set more at empire height than natural waist then two snaps for a little detail.



 The next time I make this, I heading down one size. For those who like the pattern, the V neck is nice, and not too low like some of them end up being.

It's probably a good thing I have patterns cut and ready to go. Gene kindly passed on his head cold to me. Holding up crossed fingers, silver bullets and garlic have no effect on cold germs. Dang!

On the Bea front we have seen improvements by leaps and bounds. She is eating her usual kibble now, not softened with hot water, crunching slowly on her evening biscuit and perkier than she was pre-surgery. We are keeping her on a low dose of anti-inflammatory for her arthritis but I am hoping to drop her off of that once we get into the warmer weather of summer. She'll be a little more active and won't have to contend with the cold and damp winter and spring offer. Some winter days we are both two creaky old ladies together.

The fox pair have been seen regularly, either early evening or during my dark morning feeding time. In fact some mornings are like Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom ( I loved that show as a kid.), I see so many "extra" sets of eyeballs flashing from the woods and down the driveway. One morning alone garnered the foxes and a pair of fighting feral cats, another skunks on the move and what I am assuming was an owl, whose eyes glowed at me from a perch in a tree on the woods edge. I'm alert on my stroll out there though. And noisy. And if my barn kitty escort is jumpy, so am I.

 

Parting shot: Beanie babies