Sunday, May 31, 2015

Mortem's Tricks or Treats: New Lead, and "New Look".

You know when you've been knocked down for a while, you're not sure how you'll get back up?
And when something good happens, something really good, you're afraid it's some kind of cruel elaborate ruse in order to strike the legs from under you?

Well it's how I've been feeling. A dichotomy of bliss and anxiety.

About a month or so ago, my husband applied to a job in Texas. We hadn't heard anything at all, so I assumed nothing was coming at all, so I never bothered mentioning it to anyone at all. I tried not to get excited when we got a call saying they've just been really busy and they're going over the candidates.

And then we hear that we got it, and we barely had time to process it all before the ball really began to move quickly. I still haven't fully digested the fact that in a month or so, Texas will be home.

Well we started fixing things around the house to prep it for showings and get pictures for listings in the subsequent week. No more than 7 hours go by from when our listing hit the websites, and we got it under contract.

We were signing papers on Thursday of last week, and it was a particularly good day because it was my mother's last day of chemo, and her counts are all in the green. She now has radiation to do left, and hopefully all of this will be just a thing of the past. My mother has remained ever stubborn and strong.

In the meantime, I can breath a little. Other than all the house work, I have been a little overwhelmed by the fact I had to sew so many totes (these totes) for colleagues and friends of colleagues. I am currently on the last one; even though the last tote isn't done, I decided for a little mental break after all the constant work; I really needed something I could truly unwind onto/into.

Since we've still been budgeting all our expenses, I still haven't had full range to work on my own stuff... so my self imposed challenge seemed obvious. Create something that appears expensive, but having only $25 to spend on the supplies.

So off to Walmart I went-- even with my great discount at work, Walmart can still make my $25 stretch the farthest.


What I bought:
  • 2 yards of scalloped trimmed lace, $7 per yard = $14
  • 1 tube of fabric glue, $3.00
  • 2 spools of ribbon lace, $1.00 each = $2
  • 1 pack of glue-on silver pyramid studs $1.00
  • 1 New Look pattern #6286 $3
For a grand total of $23 before taxes.
If I went further into my calculations, I would have probably spent less, since I didn't use the entire tube of glue nor all the yardage of the lace... but that's reaching a bit, I think hehe.

I wanted to make something simple and light for the coming summer months; I may be a cold blooded individual who relishes in the heat, but there are still days when I feel as warm blooded as other homo sapiens living in the desert.


I chose view B; a sleeveless tunic with a hi-low hem. I don't know what it is about hi-low hems, but I love them and I can't get enough of them.


Since I was afraid the lace was too thin on its own to sustain the weight of the studs, I grabbed some of my scraps of black interfacing to glue them onto. It turned out to be the best thing for it, because indeed... the lace itself was too flimsy.


The studs were small, so it wasn't embellished quite to that point. So I used the thin ribbon lace trim to make a very subtle pentagram on the front. One you'd only notice if I turned at a certain angle. I probably should have stitched it on before putting the entire top together... but hindsight is 20/20-- at least it turned out perfectly.


Unfortunately I whipped this project out in a night. I didn't get the full immersion I was honestly half expecting. I didn't alter the pattern pieces after cutting out my usual size 14, so that probably had something to do with that. The only trouble the tunic gave me was of my own blunders.


It was fortunate that it turned out it needed to be done anyways because of how short my torso is and how long the finished garment unaltered ended up being. I just wish it was done in more ideal ways. 6 inches worth of fabric was chopped from the top portion of the gathered half of the top. First, I stitched the "flounce" backwards, with the long side facing front. Then I stitched it inside out. Lastly I didn't align the seams. After all that chopping and stitching back... the length turned out perfect, hahah!

My purple camisole has metal connectors, that confuse for misplaced studs.
Boy did I feel dumb having made that many mistakes on something so simple, but it was completely serendipitous. I almost forgot how short my torso was, having been so preoccupied with sewing handbags and totes.

I'd like to be able to make a waistbelt that goes with this dress, and I have the perfect idea... but lord knows when I will see that come to fruition, like so many of my ideas.

Monday, May 11, 2015

Fashioning My Cyber Microcosm: Talk to Spooky.

Source: I Feel Sick
I haven't been myself... I mean, I am trying but something doesn't feel like it's clicking the way it used to anymore.

Yesterday was mother's day, and it wasn't a happy one. Amidst all the wonderful wishes of children to their mother's and mother's to their mother's, I sat there bitter and resentful.
I phoned my mother; Sunday was a particularly rough day after her chemo. The pain was obvious in her voice-- as she struggled to smile over the phone, my heart broke some more.

I am not doing a very good job of staying strong for her.
I was never a strong person; prone to anger and resentment. I blame the world, and I blame myself, and I just get jammed, inevitably inert.

Her insurance has been giving her issues, and life has been made more of a struggle because cancer does not stop the bills from coming. I help her where I can, but it doesn't stop the feeling of helplessness.

I spent a week up there a couple weeks ago to see her. I met her on the uphill of another session of chemo, so we could not spend much time out of the house-- I tended to her burns caused by the chemo and all the usual household happenings. Doctor's weren't very clear as to why the burns happened, but with a little research it would seem that the chemo was simply administered incorrectly-- causing rashes and scorches on all the sensitive skin of her body, especially the injection point.
We managed to keep them from getting infected, and the swelling down; it healed well, with the help of green tea bags and aloe gel.

I came home and my husband tells me that the issue with the sink is much more severe than just a mucky p-trap... the issue resides under the house-- neither one of us are know or qualified to tackle.
Last week, I had to help my mother with some rather substantial help because of this issue with her insurance.
My own finances are starting to show signs of wobbling, but we're alright still and we can bounce back fast if we just buckle down tight.

We get a call this morning-- we owe an inordinate amount of money from our move here to New Mexico.

Fuck.
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