Day 1 or 2

I sewed today — actual seams? Or were they darts. Sheesh! I don’t know. The directions were confusing. I marked with a white pencil the places I needed to sew. I was feeling pretty good, especially after I’d cut up my fabric and figured if I screwed it up, it was toast. You know, if you cut fabric, you can’t uncut fabric. Anyway, I went to bed last night figuring that everything was a mess because of the Burda patterns lack of seam allowances. I should have gotten my sorry ass out of bed and actually checked for sure that there were or were not seam allowances because this morning, first thing, I found out that yes, there were seam allowances in Burda patterns. So, no worries there.

So, I began the process of constructing a dress. Construction is a pretty good word for sewing. After about 10 minutes, I realized the iron-on “interfacing” I thought I purchased was for nothing. I needed actual IRON-ON interfacing. I had to go back to the fabric store to purchase the right thing. So, I went back and decided that yes, I also needed some new ball-point needles. I wanted a pack with “14’s” and “16’s” — it’s been a long time since I sewed anything where I needed to be concerned about the needles. So now I need to go back to purchase needles that aren’t for a serger. It never ends. I keep purchasing things I don’t need. And why does anyone who is shopping for iron-on interfacing need directions for non-iron-on interfacing? Asking for ME!

I ended up talking to a somewhat knowledgeable person about my project today. I asked a few questions and now feel better about what my final project will look like. My question was about the fabric that will cover my “slip” on my dress. I wanted to know if I sew seams onto the fabric, what will it look like? Will it be noticeable? Because, it is see-through, transparent really. I don’t want noticeable seams all over the place. Well, in light of that, I ended up buying yet another pattern (it was only $1.99), just in case. After I got it home, I felt good about the decision. I explained that the instructions on the pattern I had said that I should sew “rolled seams.” I understand the concept, but what if I have to sew like 4 seams all over my dress. And what if I have to hand sew seams? There goes my weekends for the next 48 weeks!

My four lines of stitches (darts) are sewn. They are perfect. I’m proud of this first step. But when I finished, I realized I was exhausted. EXHAUSTED! How can that be? It was just a lot of brain stuff going on. I guess I was nervous too. I don’t want to mess up my fabric. It wasn’t the cheapest thing I’ve ever purchased, nor was it the most expensive, but my day wasn’t as interesting as the day before when I found that my shoes perfectly matched my fabric.

Then, around 4:30, Mike asked me if I wanted to go for a walk, so the work was over for the day. I accomplished very little in the grand scheme, but a lot toward my final goal, which is now exactly 48 weeks away. I can do this. Forty-eight weeks. It will be here before you know it.

If you are a beginner and just thinking, “What is she talking about?” please, please hang in there. I tend to talk things out a lot. I just want to make sure I’m doing it right. Also, when there is a lot going on in the world (and there is), my outlet is writing and thinking. I’m pretty sure I will be doing a lot more of it.

We had steak for dinner tonight. It seemed time to celebrate, even though I’m not sure what we were celebrating exactly. I need to drop a few pounds, but still. It was a good meal. We had some corn from our garden that we ate. It made us realize that next year we are not planting corn. It’s too much work for too little. We had two pieces that were about four inches long. The rest were shorter and less kernal-laden.

So, onward. Have a great week! Tomorrow is Monday and my brain is spinning. I’m planning a new curriculum and making sure my classroom is ready to roll. We can countdown to classes (September 16 is our first day). Hang in there, all. Stay positive and I will do the same.