Fool Resistant

On the real to-do list:

Finish both hats currently on the needles.
Pick out new kitchen vinyl and a new sink (whee!).
CLEAN ALL THE THINGS. (Indy is arriving a week from TODAY!)

On the what-I-wish-I-could-do list:

Draw out, make templates for, and start piecing a double wedding ring lap quilt with a chocolate-brown background.

I made a teensy golden-yellow sweater tonight, with a paperclip hanger. I'll post a pic later.

I found this fabulous black shirt with brown pinstripes. I'm wearing it right now with brown jeans and black Mary Janes. I want another shirt like this but different, something that ties together the old (black! gray!) wardrobe and the new (brown! cream!) wardrobe.

Wednesday, if we get around to it, marxdudek is helping me with making a.. well, not a dressmaker's form, but the pieces for one, using duct tape and a t-shirt and probably a lot of cussing. Then I plan on drawing lines, cutting it apart, and having a set of pattern pieces I can use to alter clothes.

This afternoon I sat down with a twin flat sheet, a box of safety pins, a 6" ruler, and a needle and thread. I got up and went to the store and bought a 7" zipper. Total cost of all materials, assuming I'd bought a single flat sheet, would be about $8 or less.

And right now I'm about an hour from having a custom-fitted side-zip below-the-knee skirt. With another $1 in cheap tea for dyeing, I'll have a custom-colored one too. Right now it's white with light lavender flowers.

Now that I've figured out the fitting process (pin side seam of skirt at top of waist and where bottom of zipper will go, then space pleats around skirt waist by hand until fit is correct, then sew in place by hand to an even depth of about 4-5") I can help out one of my co-workers who doesn't have any pretty skirts.

Even with buying material, this shouldn't run us more than 2 yards per skirt, which is still under $15 even with the cost of the zipper. (Good dress-weight fabric can run expensive, but you can find stuff on the cheap if you're not picky.) I could go cheaper if I liked buttonholes, but I don't.

I REALLY need to sit down and write up my ideas and stuff; I think our Benevolence committee might could use some ideas for helping people manage their lives on the money they have available.

The only thing I have left to do is put a handle on it, which I'll do by hand, later. This is a fully lined cotton bag with the final patch appliqued by hand and the rest sewn by machine. I'll probably use it for lunch...or set it aside for something else.

( I have pity on your friends list, cut for pic )

That's as good as it gets until I figure out the timer on the camera.

Also, in the category of blurry but good: the best ice skating I have ever seen.

( things I realized from this )

So, I saw these handmade napkins on the Purl Bee and had a huge fit of squee.

So, I bought already-hemmed napkins (cheaper than fabric) and a bias tape maker for half off and some stripey fabric for hems.

( and here's what I have so far )

EDIT TO ADD:
The Five Minute Skirt Pattern is about halfway down this page.

The best part is the disclaimer:
"*Disclaimer: The 5 minutes only apply if you have a serger, all the supplies at the ready, and are sober. Please allow for extra time if your personal situation deviates from this."