I wish I could download images from my brain

It's been a tiring weekend. Sore muscles from working out and shoveling snow, and sleepy from dealing with my sick doggy this weekend (who is doing fine now, by the way).

I took a break from knitting my mom's sweater (or rather, I ran out of time to work on it) to make a lining for my lacy skirt (blogged about here).

Now, given that I can only really sew in straight lines, and that sewing patterns frustrate the heck out of me, you can imagine my trepidation at the start of this. It's the reason I've put it off for so long, when I usually can't stand having things half-finished lying around.

I obtained my sewing machine free through freecycle.org when I lived in Calgary. It works great, now that I've cleaned it up and oiled it and all that. It's a great thing to have for doing quick seams and making linings for mitts and hats (which I like to do in flannel).

And linings for skirts, of course.

I began the task at 10:00am. I cut the fabric to an appropriate height, then started measuring out the waist. I pondered how to achieve a perfect cone-like shape. I practiced on a piece of paper, and then transferred ideas to the fabric. I cut out the shape.

Totally too small.

Never fear! I have another length all ready to go, which I'd bought just in case I screwed this up. We went swimming, then when we got back, I measured, measured, seamed, hemmed, sewed into the waistband.

Totally too short. It looked like I was wearing a skirt over a pair of boxers.

Hrmm... well, ok. I'll just make a cylinder from the first length of fabric and sew it to the bottom of this lining. Measure, sew, hem, press.

Totally too long. Goldilocks, what the heck? Time for a coffee.

By this time, it's 4:00pm. I like to sew in natural light. It's getting dark. I'm getting tired and grumpy. Hubby is suggesting we take sick doggy out for some fresh air. After noting my pending tantrum, he suggests that he will take doggy out for a quick stroll if I bathe him when he gets back (doggy, not him).

I lay down on the couch, pull my hoodie over my head, and promptly fall asleep. I wake up to doggy sniffing at my face. Mutter, mutter... give doggy a good bath and blow dry (which I don't normally do, but the poor little guy was sick and shivering), and then return to the dining table, where my big mess of a skirt is lying there. Sniff.

I decide to go into the kitchen and start making a bang-up dinner - sausages, roast potatoes, roasted asparagus and peppers, and yorkshire puddings (which usually set the house into dream sequence because of all the hot oil). Yep, I am feeling accomplished now.

After dinner, I return to the lump-o-skirt, and I lay it flat, and start examining, tugging, turning... I take my cutting wheel and chop off the inch-wide hem I just made. I try it on...

It's right! Yes!

I make a folded hem and sew it all in place. And now, it's finished.

It's too dark to take pictures of it right now... which is why I wish I could download images from my brain! But I'll get them taken asap!

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