Earthquake/Blouse Almost Done in Still Listening to Spirit

Well, well.... when I left the blouse several days ago, I was certain I had messed it up completely. I had not thought through the process and began by applying iron on adhesive web to the collar, intending to stick fabric to it. Bad idea once I got it ironed on but I continued anyway. As I said in previous entry, it was an experiment, an old blouse, and good practice.

I returned to the quilt trailer and took another look and it wasn't half bad and I muddled my way through it to the point where it looked pretty good.

So, I went on to the sleeves, which were that stupid length that hits exactly halfway between the elbow and the wrist... I cut the sleeve off about 4 inches then sewed together fabric scraps matching the collar. It took me several minutes and a couple of tries to figure out how to attach it so when I turned up the cuff, it would look right and so on.

I have never sewn clothes other than a few baby outfits and 2 maternity dresses. It takes me a while to figure out what I want to do and longer to figure out HOW to do it!

So, I thought I was finished 2 days ago and brought it in to try on and show Bill. Well, there's a whole lot of plain old fabric that's just there on the front (and back) of the shirt. What I did was great, but it needed more. If there were less of me, there would be less fabric ... but...I have what I have to work with.

So, I spent 2 days thinking and went out there today. I began by working with diamonds of fabric sewn together (for those who quilt, a 3' wide strip sewn angles like binding).... anyway, when I pinned it on, it wasn't right, too big, too, I dont' know what.

Despairing, I was about to give up when inspiration told me to work smaller. So I took small squares of fabric to make a 4" 4 square, (like four same sized boxes of color sewn into a square) and then placed them at an angle--3 of them down one side of the front of the blouse. I found that the too big things I made made a nice decoration across the back yoke of the blouse.

All is pinned but not sewn. The squares and yoke pieces are all ironed edges under 1/4 inch so I can top stitch them to the blouse. I was finished pinning these to the blouse when I heard Dolly calling my name across the alley. She had come out to put some trash in her garbage cans and have a cigarette... So I went out and we talked in the alley for about half an hour in the sunshine.

Sunshine continues and it was 45F today. Lovely with little to no wind.

Bill and I have decided we can add another cat to the family. Copy will be terribly lonely when I go back to work. So, I got on Haines Animal Rescue Kennel website and found "Fiddler" a black and white small young male for adoption. I filled out an adoption application and Bill took it to the airport to fly it over to Haines.

This rescue center is where we got Lou a few years ago. I had checked with Katherine at Paws and Claws, Skagway and she had no kittens or cats for adoption.

So, we shall wait to see. He is chipped, altered and current on vaccinations. Cost will be $50 for the adoption, reasonable for the medical expenses alone.

Blessed be!