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.