Monday, September 2, 2013

Sewing Diaries: FI-NAH-LEE

I think it's safe to say that I finally have mastered sewing culottes.  I don't mean this to sound braggy. I should not have said "mastered."  It's not like I mastered the balance beam & will be joining the 2016 Womens' Olympic team or that I have mastered the art of French cooking.  Kuddos to Julia Childs.  No.  I've mastered sewing a simple pair of culottes.

The first two "test" pairs received an "F"!  You read about (and saw them) in yesterday's blog post.  I hope you have recovered from the Sponge Bobbish incident.  I am about 94% recovered. 

The third pair fit but fit well...not acceptable to the loose-fitting requirements of the school.  (Sigh.) 

The fourth pair (navy, in case you were wanting a little detail) fits fabulously.  Fabulously - meaning they will pass for school camp. 

In the parable of the prodigal son, Jesus shares about a young man who squandered his inheritance and returned home - only to be welcomed with his father's unwavering love.  (Stay with me.)  The father gathered his friends and had a party.  Even though the culottes were never LOST, I wanted to celebrate tonight when Audrey tried them on and they fit.  They fit!!! 

Halfway through sewing these culottes, I was pretty sure my sanity was slowly leaving me. 

Here's something I don't understand -- Butterball has a 1-800-Help Line during the week of Thanksgiving.  Granted - turkeys are kinda the crux of the whole holiday.  On the back of the New Look Pattern, there was a 1-800 phone number under which had the words, "HELP LINE."  Imagine my sadness when I dialed said number and listened to an answering device say the office was open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and if I wanted to leave my name and number someone would call me back when the office opened.  I remember standing in my kitchen, near tears &/or nervous laughter, thinking, Call me back?  It will be too late!!!!  Why is it that Butterball (the turkey people) can run their hotline 24/7 for a week and the 1-800-Help Line for the pattern people is only open Monday through Friday from 9 to 5 Eastern Standard Time.  9 to 5?  Don't people tend to work from 9 to 5?  That's nice.  Have an 1-800-Help Line and then don't have people there on the weekends.  Talk about break a girl's heart.  All I wanted to do was talk to a human who could explain, in simple terms, the third step of the pattern. 

Too leave you on a happy note:  I will say this - I have had several blessings throughout the course of this culotte-sewing adventure.  First - all serger thread was $1 per spool.  Had I not been sewing for Audrey, I would have missed out on this sale and paid $3 per spool.  I, also, would not have learned that it's ok to "try-on" the garment you are sewing so that you don't have two left legs.  I mean, two left legs would be fine if you for real had two left legs...but since I don't and I think it's safe to say "we" don't, it was a blessing when I realized I could "try-on" the culottes.  If I had not been sewing for Audrey, I might've ended-up with a sunburn from sitting out all day at Lake Geneva.  I've saved my epidermis!!!  I saved money on thread!!!  And I learned a new sewing lesson.

All in all, it was a great weekend!!!

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