Adventures in Sewing, and Hammering Grommets (of Death)

A friend of mine asked me to fix her bathing suit. The general premise was that I should slit it up the sides and put in grommets so it could be one of those sexy lace-up-the-side numbers. And thank goodness she gave me a deadline because I am a known procrastinator. So I had until Friday—that is, have it done and delivered by Friday—so she could take it on vacation.

So I did it. I took the challenge. I slit the bathing suit up the sides and put some elastic facing on with my serger, and then put in 24 grommets. Now, before I go any further, let me tell you why I don’t usually use tools. I don’t use tools because I usually manage to do physical harm to myself when I use them. And its not like I don’t know how to use them, or that I’m inept or clumsy or anything. Add to this the fact that I always forget this small detail when I decide to go use tools for some little task I need to do. And when I have adult supervision in the house, I generally get started, start hurting myself, and said adult takes over with me helping and directing while I suck on my bleeding finger.

But I don’t have any adult supervision right now. O_o

Cut scene back to me, pounding grommets into the side seams of this bathing suit. I couldn’t find a hammer, and one definitely needs a hammer to use the little grommet tool to weld the grommets halves together. And I looked and looked for the hammer, but all I could manage to find was a hatchet with a flat back side, flat enough to hammer with. Figuring this would be better than the heel of  a stiletto, which would be the only other option if I didn’t want to go the hardware store to buy another hammer, (we have at least six hammers, why I couldn’t find one is beyond me, I just have bad tool luck, remember?) I decided to use the back of the hatchet. No problems here. I’m smart and capable, right?

*sigh*

Now, just in case you, dear reader, are faint of heart, don’t fear reading on. No fingers were actually lost in the grommeting of the bathing suit. However, I did find the hatchet kept slipping off the grommet tool as I hammered and it just insisted on mashing my fingers dreadfully. The last straw came on the 15th grommet, when I actually mashed the side of my finger badly enough to set it bleeding. Oh, the curses did flow, they did.

So I found a wrench to hold onto the grommet tool with so I could spare my fingers, and yes, it did take longer to hammer them because the wrench made the grommet tool slip somewhat, but my aching fingers didn’t care. I just made it work. And yes, maybe it looked foolish while I was doing it, but now that I’m done, the bathing suit looks just fab.

So now that my fingers are bandaged and my project is done, I thought I would share a little bit of my pain, and of course, any commiseration or condolences for my bruises would be gratifying. Oh, and I took a little picture of my weapons of mass destruction tools. And also, the bathing suit. ^_^

Weapons of Mass Destruction

Gorgeous and Good-as-New Bathing Suit

Close-up of Grommets of Death

April 21, Microscopic

What an interesting prompt! The first thing I thought of was my microscope vision, which is what you have if you’re terribly myopic and take off your glasses! It has been invaluable in taking out splinters and in seeing tiny teeny things, like, for instance, the teensy screw that once held one of the earpieces on your glasses and that you’re now trying to put back together. At any rate, before I go off to a baby shower, here is my message of the day! Perhaps when I come back I’ll have another thought for this prompt.

###

Microscope Vision

Glasses, I wear them, it’s true.
(Be careful, don’t knock them askew!)
They are heavy and thick
but they do the trick
They help me simply to see you.

It ain’t fun wearing glasses, I’ll tell ya
Though contacts can help me feel less blah
Boys just don’t make passes
at girls who wear glasses,
But without I can’t see an inch from my jaw.

But there’s a benefit to being myopic
That you just don’t get just being hydropic
My unfiltered vision
Helps me see with precision
Removing kids’ splinters microscopic

And when doing embroidery fine
stitching a near invisible line
I just take off my glasses
and I can see passes
that make my work look just divine.

So when laser surgery’s suggested
When I go to have my eyes tested
Since my microscope vision,
helps me see with precision
I think I’ll leave my eyes unmolested.

 

April 5, Something Before Your Time

Oh, this was a fun prompt!! It hit on one of my hobbies, in my mind at least, so it seemed obvious which direction to go. Once I wrote mine, and went to see what everyone else had written, it was interesting to see how differently the prompt struck everyone else. But this is one of the cool, fun things about the prompt for the day; everyone has a different perspective, a different idea, a different take on the exact same prompt. Love it.

###

Anachronist

An anachronism
is something
out of place
in time.

An anachronist
is too.

Maybe that is why
I’m driven
to make
hand-beaded 15th Century
German gowns

or
Cotehardies with
buttons up the back that
would have been worn
in the 12th Century

or
horned-headresses complete
with embroidered veil
that could have
graced
any 14th Century
Burgundian
lady’s
head

or
the corset that
renders the 16th Century
Elizabethan gown
perfectly flat in the front,
just as it would have been
done in the
day.

Oh, these fads
and fashions
were from well
before my time,
but that does not keep me
from utter fascination
with (and,
admittedly,
a little longing for)
the complex
methods of
adornment
of people
of
old.

Addiction

Wow, today’s prompt was kind of a shock at first glance. Addiction? Seriously? But that’s because of my first thought: drug addiction and all the baggage that goes with that. So then I thought about other ways to be addicted. I think I’ve come up with a whimsical-enough solution to suit my nature. ^_^

My Crafty Addiction

It started with cooking

to help mom save time

helping with dinner

at about age nine.

That turned to baking.

I just love to bake:

cookies and candy

bread, pie and cake.

As a young woman

I learned how to sew

I worked at a theater

making costumes to go.

Then I took up knitting

and crochet and more:

Yoga and ceramics

and camping galore.

And writing, wow, writing

Now that is so fun!

Novels and poetry;

I’ve only begun!

Lately I’ve looked at

making jewelry too.

Cliff diving? Gardening?

I’ll just add a few.

But I have a question

It’s not that hard to see:

Am I running my life,

or is it running me?

Weekend Adventures

This weekend was not as productive, sewing-wise, as I had expected it to be. Saturday and Sunday Ted went to visit his brother  and I opted to stay home to sew. However, Saturday morning, I spent much of the time helping Ted get ready to go and making pie for him to take with him. Once he had gone, I started working on bloomers. (Yes bloomers. They are not necessarily “period” but they are more comfortable than people give them credit for. Plus they prevent chafing.)

Of course I picked the more complicated pattern, because I’m a glutton for punishment, I guess, and so I got stuck.

So when my son Chris and his girlfriend Ashley came over, I was ready to be distracted. We went to a party my friend Susan was having. (Her Artist Coming Out party) and then went to see the new Harry Potter movie. Got home late, ate pie, and went to bed totally late.

And of course, got up late in the morning. Resolved to do better, I started cooking bacon to go with bacon and eggs, and went outside to get the paper, and of course, got distracted. So when I came back in, the house was full of black smoke and the bacon was charred.

Waiting for the smoke to clear, it seemed like an excellent time to go check facebook, so I logged on and as soon as I did, my friend Elaine invited me to lunch. (Yes, I woke up that late. I never do that unless unsupervised. Same goes for burning bacon. Apparently, I am not a good person to leave alone and unsupervised. Now that there are no kids at home, if Ted leaves, I am completely irresponsible. Hello, old me!)

So I got dressed and went to lunch with Elaine at this really good restaurant in Chandler, La Casa Blanca. The food was mag and the company was fun. I got home about 3:30. And started back with the bloomers. And after an extensive search, discovered I had no flat lace, so had to run to JoAnn’s Fabrics to get some.  Of course, by the time I got back, it was time to feed the kitties, and warm up leftover mexican food from lunch… and then I got bored with the bloomers and started making cord for lacings and watching TV.

No, not quite the sewing weekend I had envisioned, but to be honest, I did get a lot done on other projects. I let out a dress that was too tight, and added lacings to another one that was too loose. Finished one coif, embroidered it and started two others. Then I decided I look terrible in a coif.  I showed off all my projects to Ashley, who was remarkably patient and kind through it all. (My son was more prosaic. “I’ve already seen that one, mom. Yep. That one too.”)

Ted got home around 10:30 on Sunday night. And sure, I looked busy and composed and such, but secretly, I think I was glad I was no longer an unsupervised menace to society.

Busy, busier, busiest

 

No, not a lesson in grammar, etc., but that is the way my life is sometimes. I am busy from the moment I wake until the moment I plop my head on the pillow and try to chill enough to sleep. (And the sleep hasn’t been all that forthcoming lately, either!)

I feel just as busy in my sleep because I have been dreaming and dreaming, all crazy warped-up-from-real-life dreams. On the other hand, my last beta reader of my novel is finding it just as addictive as the other beta readers. I think she’s gotten the juiciest version because everything that can be edited has been edited, at least as far as I can tell.

That reminds me, must submit queries to a bunch more agents this week so I can continue the progress in the right direction!

Which also reminds me, I am going to Pensic War this year, which is a huge gathering of historical reenactors with the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) that meets in Pennsylvania for two weeks.  I am a member in name mostly as I don’t always participate, but I do love making “Garb” which is to say, period costumes from various time periods. (Yes, another hobby. So kill me.)  I have been especially busy making garb for war. And no, I don’t care how much of a dork that makes me, love me or leave me, pals. ^_^

Ah, good times! Back to work!!

More Corsets

Work is progressing on the corset. I have completed the actual parts, and have added the boning, and am in the process of putting the edging on–a royal pain I might add–and that is taking much longer than I think it should. After this, I will put in grommets and lacings and it will be done.

I discovered that the sewing pens out there that look like markers and say they are disappearing ink–yeah, they really are disappearing ink. I marked the pieces last week and never got to finish the sewing. This week I had to remark the pieces. It seems the ink disappears under heat, like when you iron the fabric. I guess being in a sunny room in an Arizona home wreaks havoc with disappearing ink. LOL

I really had no idea I was going to use so much thread. But there is a lot of back and forth and up and down stitching to strengthen the garment. Just as an indicator, I have made a full length gown with a full skirt and used perhaps two bobbins, maybe three, worth of thread. This corset has devoured four and a half bobbins so far and I think I will probably get to five full bobbins at least, and it is an undergarment. But it will never, ever break. The sheer weight of thread alone will keep it from ever breaking, guaranteed.

When it is done I will take photos and post them.

Good times. ^_^