random thoughts – Day 2,243 (Friday) – zoned out

On Thursday, I was in the zone, cranking out a sewing project. Today, I was more zoned out. 

A country drive was taken to a national chain store still carrying fabric by the yard and sewing materials. The list was short: a decorative fastener for the top made yesterday; some sort of trim for the top made yesterday, cord for the big skirt made a week or two ago; two types of hook and eye closings for a couple costume parts and to have on hand; and elastic to restock what has been used in recent projects. Some of these had already been looked for in WalMart without luck, so the net had to be cast wider.

Supplies.

At the destination retailer, I was greeted with signs declaring that fabric was 30% off until Saturday and was tempted to look at it all, but stuck to the list and the original mission. The basic types of hooks and eyes were found (check!). The options for decorative closings were limited to satin frog closings (wrong vibe) and a metal filigree design in silver tone and gold tone. I got the gold tone filigree (check!). I scrutinized the trim rack. There were rhinestones, fringe, fringe with rhinestones, tassels, lace, pom poms, and nothing even close to suitable for the top. The ribbon display had reels of the wrong solid colors and prints that were all wrong, like mushrooms, butterflies, and polka dots (fail!). There was no cording in the fabric department, but the clerk there asked a colleague and I was led to the “wearable crafts” aisle and shown the 550 parachute cording that is used for bracelets and other woven items (check!). The skirt is big enough to be a parachute, so it seems appropriate.

The quick procurement of the list items didn’t stop me from slipping into a zoned out state and walking a chunk of the store. The wearable craft aisle is at the furthest location from the exit, so I had to navigate some square footage anyway. I discovered they sell sheets of glass for stained glass making and drooled over the wooden display cabinet with vertical slots displaying the glass sheets. My glass sheets live in a milk crate and in a pile on top of the milk crate, still wrapped in packing paper from the move. The one from Tennessee. In 2013. I wish I was exaggerating. 

In nearly every aisle and department there were wooden letters in various sizes and fonts from two-foot tall paper mâché freestanding sculptures to two-inch flat wood cutouts. As I read through the alphabet in one area, I noticed there was no “I”. Then I noticed there was also no “U”. I even looked behind the neighboring letters. That had me checking each time I saw a display and in several areas that was the case. So weird. Why? If you are doing initials and yours happen to be an I or a U, or gawd forbid, both U and I, I guess you are out of luck, sucker!

While I was entertaining myself inventorying the alphabet in crafts and home décor, a manager type dude was talking with a group and going over the philosophy of the floor layout. “Imagine each display as an investment. You want to maximize your ROI.” He talked about displaying products that were movers, and what to do with others that weren’t moving. I tried to get away from the cluster and left the garden décor area, but they caught up with me again in the craft aisles. 

In my accidental and spontaneous craft store retail management class I learned the plan is to get all the rest of the fall stuff out ASAP. This store usually has Christmas on full display by June 25, so that tracks. It was interesting but there was a lot of info being relayed and I forgot most of it because I was shopping and not taking notes. I made my way through displays of pilgrims, pumpkins, autumn leaves, and straw bales, past the displays of drawer pulls and knobs, signs proclaiming “Dad's Garage” and “She Shed” and finally to the register and freedom.

View from the bedroom.

Back at home, the azalea is now fully exploded with color and visible through the bedroom window. The fiddleheads are tall and releasing their lacy fern fronds.

Inside, paracord inserted into the skirt waistband, cut, and the end melted with a candle. The skirt is technically done and I tried it on again. It is definitely about an inch or two shorter than I would like and hovers above my ankle bone. I still have time to mess with it and make adjustments. One option under consideration is to attack it from the top and remove the waistband and add another narrow strip between the waistband and the skirt. The other option is to go on a crash diet and lose a few pounds so the skirt naturally sits lower. That might actually be easier than tearing the top of the skirt apart. Ripping out those seams will be a huge ordeal. I was pretty focused when I sewed it and did durable seams that were stitched and then topstitched.

random thoughts – Day 2,242 (Thursday) – back in the zone

Thrift store brocade pants.

There were a couple days away from the sewing machine, but today I was back at it and it was good. It all started with a pair of pants found in a thrift shop after my bone density scan on Tuesday. They are a pinkish red with a heavy gold metallic pattern, which under much of my indoor lighting photographs as orange with gold. I thought the fabric would make a good costume top. They had a red tag, which was this week’s designated color for the blessed and glorious price of $1.29. I recently paid $12.99 a yard for gold metallic embellished fabric for the 25-yard skirt, so there was no way on earth I could walk away from the pants at that price.

They were not pants I would wear as is (or at all) which alleviated any guilt from chopping them up. When I tried them on, the silhouette was weird and they were puffy like a balloon from the waist to the crotch then the leg tapered with a beautifully executed notched deep hem.

This morning, the elastic waistband was cut off and all the seams were opened up. The pants had a lining, which was a bonus, because the top I was making called for a lining and it spared me finding coordinating fabric. The pants might have been homemade. There was no evidence of labels of any kind, and I noticed when taking them apart that the pants had been cut without consideration for the pattern. The fabric design ran in one direction on half the pants, and upside down on the other half, which wasn’t immediately obvious, but once I saw it, I couldn’t unsee it.

The project, like all the ones before it, took longer than expected. There were hiccups and hurdles, and pattern alterations and design decisions. I decided to keep the notched hem and the lower leg pieces were the perfect width for the sleeves, which would not need to be hemmed. I was mindful of the direction of the gold motif, which required extra care with pinning and cutting. The original plan was to add trim using the green and gold portion of the border from the saree I made the harem pants from the other day, but the pattern is just too much. If anything, it needs a solid trim to calm it down, not one with even more gold thread. There is still some work to be done, but it requires the procurement of a decorative closure for the front and possible trim for the bottom and neck edges, closure of one seam in the back, and the tidying up of thread ends.

Pants transformed to a costume top.

While I was ripping seams, altering and laying pattern pieces, then finally sewing, a two-hour music collection called “When Cello Meets Dark Techno – Dark NeoClassical Cello” played on YouTube. It was a great backdrop for the day’s work and was played on repeat multiple times. While working and grooving, ideas were popping in my brain for dances, designs, photography, writing, basically everything. A notepad was at my side to jot things down. It felt amazing to be “in the zone” again. It’s been ages (years!) and I’ve missed it. A lot. Seriously. It felt so good I could cry, but I didn’t because I’m still emotionally stunted.

The day wasn’t all slave labor (me) under a cruel taskmistress (me). There were at least two breaks. I stopped mid-day to roast broccoli and brussels sprouts and make packaged risotto for lunch. The rest of the lunch became sustenance at the supper break with the addition of a lobster cake. There are mixed feelings about having eaten a pound each of brussels sprouts and broccoli in one day, but it was over two meals and it could have been the less healthy things I gravitate towards. Perhaps the lesson is to buy (and roast) more brussels sprouts and broccoli. And buy magical brocade pants to chop up.

random thoughts – Day 2,241 (Wednesday) – pets and rain

Tuesday had a trip to Lowell for a bone density scan, today had a trip to Worcester for a hair trim. I am living large this week and mingling with the world. While leaving the driveway on Tuesday, I had the chance to meet Mindy, a neighbor who moved in “up the street” in November. For some reason, people are vague with saying where they live. When I met Marie, she said she lived “up the hill” which is funny because there are some slight inclines but nothing close to a proper hill here. Then again, I grew up in Fitchburg which is all hills and I am definitely biased concerning hills.

Anyway, Mindy was walking with her golden brown dog named Socks. I asked if "Socks" was because of her white paws, but Mindy said that was the dog’s name at the shelter and she and her husband didn’t want to change it when they adopted her. I get it, that is why Moose was called Moose.

Kiki on the bed!

The big news at my house involves Kiki, who was named "Stanley" and erroneously believed to be male at the shelter. I just couldn't call her that and "Kiki" popped out one morning while leaving for work when I meant to say "bye kitty kitty." 

Miss Kiki has begun sleeping on the bed while I am in it. It has taken two years and three months to arrive at this point, but for the past five nights she has hopped up onto the bed and cozied up for some strokes on her little dainty cheeks and shoulders. 

A couple times during these five nights she has walked across my neck with her tiny, lethal claws which was a bit uncomfortable, and I hope she’s not calculating how much pressure is needed to murder me in my sleep. It would be dumb move on her part, because I’m pretty sure she has no idea where the bag of her food is stored or how to open the pantry door.

Bountiful blossoms in the rain.

This morning, while backing out of the driveway, I noticed the bush at the corner of the house has many more dark pink flowers opened than Tuesday, and also that the wind had blown petals from the flowering tree onto the lawn and it looked like snow. I didn’t want to stop for pictures just then, and figured I’d get them when I got back home. Ha! The joke was on me. During my time in Worcester, it began to rain and it kept raining the rest of the afternoon. Any pale pink and white flower petals were pelted into the lawn when I got home, and I had no interest in standing in the rain to photograph a bush, but I did get a picture from the living room window. The bedroom windows are closer, but they have full-length screens and it’s hard to get decent pictures through a window screen. I have tried and failed at this many times.

random thoughts – Day 2,240 (Tuesday) – changes

When I had my annual visit with the primary care doctor several months ago, she referred me for a DEXA scan. I somehow missed this note. A week or so ago, a call came from Lowell General Hospital to schedule said scan before the referral expired. Today was the day.  

DEXA scan day.

Instead of the usual routing via Routes 2 and I-495, which must have been extra horrid, Waze navigated me through a series of small towns where the traffic was light and the roadsides were scenic. The routing swapped out stressful highways for rolling farmland, barns, dairy farms, a wedding venue, an ice cream stand, and quaint town centers. It was a beautiful.

The technician was fun to chat with and scan was over quickly. We covered a lot of topics, including lost medical records, aging parents, and living in the south versus the northeast. We both felt we were at our peak physical shape at 50 when she was running half-marathons and I was playing roller derby, but things have changed. I would love to have my derby legs, butt, and stamina again.

The hospital gift shop is located near the entrance and I always stop in on the way out. There was the usual hospital gift shop items of stuffed animals and balloons on sticks and personal care items. Today, there were extra special surprises with a window display featuring rhinestone encrusted hard shell evening bags. A rack with logo sweatshirts included sequin shawls. Shelves displayed items for the upcoming parental celebration days for mothers and fathers.

The version of me from the 1990s through about 2018 would have pulled out a credit card and bought a fancy purse and a sequin shawl or two without a second thought. That version of me also had a high likelihood (or reasonable hope) of using said fancy items at dressy company Christmas parties, New Year’s Eve shindigs, or any number of fundraiser galas. Today’s version of me resisted. For one thing, the memory of all the fancy handbags and shawls and jackets that live untouched in boxes and closets is still fresh because it wasn’t that long ago all that stuff was moved into the new house. And now my blingy desires have changed and are regulaly met with belly dance costumes.

random thoughts – Day 2,239 (Monday) – annoyances and sewing

 This morning was one of those times where everything was annoying. Every. Single. Thing.

When looking at my budget spreadsheet, the row markers on the left of the screen didn’t correspond to the actual cell address rows. Why? No idea. Did they ever? Also no idea. But when I’m in a cell with an address of Column F Row 67, the guide on the far left should not be showing a label for Row 12. 

Then, a reminder arrived that the Internet/Cable bill is due soon. Cool. I forgot, so thanks. Went to the website to review the bill, because I haven't done so lately, and it was a three-ring circus of hoop jumping to log in and finally find a listing of the charges and what is included my stupid bundled package. There was swearing.

An effort to find some specific fabric online for a specific costume part was undertaken after receiving an email that fabric is 30% off at a certain hobby and craft store I happen to despise which is 30 minutes from home but is one of the few still in existence. An online search of the fabric was so frustrating and time consuming I could have driven to the store and been touching fabric before I got a single result on the screen. I bailed from the site. There was swearing.

And on it went. The laptop screen was speckled and spotty and wouldn’t wipe clean. The window shade got stuck. The bass-playing neighbor was at it for hours and I could hear it in my house with all the doors and windows shut. (I think I may take up trombone or mizmar or marching band giant drum to even the score.) 

Sweatshop, reopened.

In an effort to have one accomplishment for the day and knock an item off the sewing to-do list, I decided to boldly cut the pink floral saree fabric and make the harem pants to go under the too sheer skirt for one of the dances in the June show. It was not as straightforward as I imagined. The fabric is slippery so pinning the pattern took longer than it would with other fabric. Planning was needed to incorporate the metallic edging of the fabric to minimize cutting. 

When it was time to cut, changing the blade in the rotary cutter required a cutting tool to open the packaging of the cutting tool. After being cut, the fabric edges frayed almost immediately. There was swearing (lots!).

Pants completed.

During the sewing, the side seams puckered, which I didn’t notice until after finishing enclosed seams on both pant legs. The sadistic pattern companies design the waistband casings to be barely larger than the width of elastic they recommend, and the elastic never fits through at least one spot in the casing. I ended up using one-inch instead of two-inch wide elastic. There was swearing. 

I had to stop working on the pants for a couple hours and went back to the coin bra (still not finished). When I went to the couch for hand sewing, the scissors were over by the sewing machine and it ticked me off, because that was the ruling mood of the day. 

It took twice as long to make the stupid pants as it should have and I was ready to swear off sewing forever.  When they were finished (after 9:00 pm), I felt better and the aggravation had finally subsided.

Now that the sewing machine is hogging the dining table again, I guess another project will be undertaken. I still need a top for under the sheer top that will go with the sheer skirt. Costuming was definitely not this complicated last year.

random thoughts – Day 2,238 (Sunday) – doing

I must have been in a daze or intently focused on the pavement directly ahead of me driving to dance this morning. I didn’t notice much of interest on the drive which means I wasn’t looking. I don’t recall what great thoughts might have crowded out observation, either, until I got to the parking lot. Then I was thinking the two dogs in the yard behind the chain link fence and how it looked like they were having a grand time bouncing around all over the place.

After dance group and back home, I sliced up the five or six small sweet potatoes in the bowl on the counter, tossed them in olive oil, salt, and pepper, and oven roasted them. The plan was to have some for lunch and the rest for later. It didn’t work out that way.

As soon as they came out of the oven, I filled a plate with sweet potato slices and a little soy sauce bowl with buttermilk ranch dressing. I ate them all, then refilled the plate. Then, because there weren’t that many left, I ate the rest, except for the 12 little slices that were scorched and charred and tossed into the trash. The rock-like scorching was probably because I was reading a book didn’t immediately leap to action when the oven timer went off, and finished a page or ten before tending to the oven.

When suppertime rolled around and the only thing planned for it had already been eaten for lunch, it was time to start over. The only thing of interest was frozen pizza, but the last one was eaten last weekend and I didn't feel like going to the store for more. I stared into the pantry and then the refrigerator and the freezer. Lots of ingredients, nothing I wanted to make or eat. The menu finally settled on the last two hotdogs from the freezer and boxed mac and cheese. It was neither the best nor the worst, but it was quick and easy. 

Back to working on the coin bra.

After supper, I finally picked up the coin bra again to finish sewing on the second coin panel. The multi-day green choli soul-sucking detour had diverted me from the previous task. After supper was the worst time to start a hand sewing task. Daylight, which had flooded the house all afternoon, was fading and the living room lighting is poor. But I was finally inspired to work on it again and needed to take advantage of having the energy for it. 

The tools had been strewn on the ottoman for several days – Mummu’s old thread clippers and fabric scissors with the broken handle, jewelry pliers for resetting the connecting rings, needle and thread. Some progress was made before mistakes began creeping in and it was clearly time to stop. The coin panel can be finished in the morning. There are still a lot of costuming things needed for the June show and it’s starting to stress me out, so I need to get back on the production schedule.

random thoughts – Day 2,237 (Saturday) – another rain day

The gloomy morning required the assistance of electric lighting, unlike the sunny mornings that require strategic setting of the window shades to avoid frying one’s eyeballs during the coffee consumption. Rain moved through periodically. I ventured out early between showers to mail a card and then visit WalMart to return three rolls of sewing trim I bought in a panic the other day and then decided to not use because it’s scratchy tulle and not soft chiffon.

WalMart was peaceful at 8:45 a.m. and after making the return I wandered the store. At the craft aisle, I discovered an unmarked cabinet filled with sewing patterns. I couldn’t decide if I was more surprised it existed or that I had never noticed it in my several trips to that aisle. The fabric available is limited to one-yard pre-cut packages of costume satin, netting, and cotton in prints that most sane adults would not want to wear, along with precut quilting squares, so the availability of patterns has questionable usefulness.

There was no pattern catalogue to flip through and it was a free-for-all excursion pawing through the large drawers. It reminded me of my afterschool hours spent in the public library where I would randomly open a card catalogue drawer and flip though the cards until something caught my eye in a wheel of fortune approach to what topic I would read about next.

There was a surprising number of patterns for aprons. Not just grilling aprons, but the 1950s housewife type of aprons. I had no idea they were popular, especially considering how many people live in sweats or jeans. Are we dressing up to cook now, or just protecting our wash and wear sweats from life in the kitchen? There were also many patterns for pet clothes, along with the usual patterns for clothes for humans including scrubs. 

Evening sky and lush grass 5-2-2026.

The rest of the day was occupied with rainy day leisure. A dancer friend was performing at the Renaissance Faire at the nearby apple orchard, but I couldn’t convince myself to go to an outdoor event in the rain and took a nap instead. I sat on the couch and finished a book while the laundry was done. I ate random things including crackers and grapes and yogurt. At some point when I wasn’t paying attention, the rain stopped. As the evening sky turned golden and then the reddish pink, the grass out back looked vivid and lush and like it’s going to need a trim soon.