Post-fundraising drabble #5

She'll pull us both out, and lay us next to each other, and we think "Is this it? Are we going to be made?" We try to look tractable, reasonable, pretty. We try to look as if we'll get along. It's harder on the poor fabric than it is on me—if I get made once and it turns out badly, there's always a chance she'll blame the fabric, or fiddle with the fit, and try again. But once a piece of fabric is cut, there's no second chance. They're hardly ever recut into something else, at least in this house.

[Thanks to Jen at MOMSPatterns for the image ... and she's having a HUGE clearance sale to clear out some patterns before the end of the year! The sale is EXCLUSIVELY for her mailing list and people who read this blog and will last just one week, so hurry on over and grab yourself her best ones! Use coupon code 'merry25' and you'll save 25% off of any sized order! The sale will start the moment you read this and end at the stroke of midnight EST on New Year's DAY.]

Let's see, what else? Oh, THE WIKI IS OVER 3000! I won't give out the prizes until January, though, so keep on loading ... you guys rock.

I'll dole out the red-dress prizes after New Year's, too ...

And I had (completely unrelated to dresses) a piece in the Boston Globe yesterday, all about Christmas superstitions. I hope you and yours who celebrate have a lovely day (and that those who don't celebrate Christmas have a nice quiet day to do with as they please)!

If you have a sewing resolution for the next year, why not leave it in the comments? And then maybe next week sometime I will do a big roundup post about them. Mine is "Take the time to do things right the first time." We'll see how that works. See you all in 2008 ...

Post-fundraising drabble #4

Sometimes I wish she wasn't so loud. Red lipstick, red nails, red handbag, and even (I hate to tell you) red underwear. Sometimes I can't hear myself think, with all that red around. I just want to be quiet; to sit down and read a book or listen to the radio, not to go play bridge with the girls or spend all day shopping. And it's not like she really likes me, either: I heard her say "This old thing?" more than once. Even when I was new! Maybe she'll give me to her sister. Her sister's lipstick is pink.

From Alley Cats Vintage.

More linkingness:

This dress from the spring 08 Anne Klein collection is just marvelous. I want it, and I can't remember the last time I wanted something that went down a runway. (It's the white shirtdress with the colorful digitalish border print, if the link doesn't work.)

Thanks for all the pattern-envelope suggestions! Maybe I'll give it a shot on Monday ...

Post-fundraising drabble #3

Believe me, I've had a full life. I've been places, and I've done stuff. But there's been gaps. I've never seen a snake. I've never seen a peanut-butter sandwich. I've never seen an airplane. I've been told about them, but I haven't seen them. I've never seen snow. I have trouble even believing in it. As cold as ice cubes, but teeny-weeny and somehow fluffy? And it falls from the sky slowly, like feathers? And piles up like sand dunes, so high you have to shovel it away just so people can walk? I just don't buy it.

[dress, on ebay now -- click it to go to the listing -- from Jumbleaya]

Linkishness for today:

Elaine sent a nice link to a dress on London Daily Photo. What can I say to motivate you to click? How about "enormous polka dots"? That do it?

Advance warning: I'm going to take the days between Xmas and New Year's off from blogging -- a combo of not having a lot of internet access and not having a lot of leftover energy. But I'm planning to do some Serious Sewing in that time ... wish me luck.

Question: is it cheating to do a drabble from a pattern, and not from an actual dress? Or should it be in the voice of the pattern? Tell me in the comments, please, if you have an opinion either way.

Post-fundraising drabble #2

Look, I know I'm itchy, but is that my fault? Can't you deal with it, suck it up, wear a slip? You can do something, I'm sure. Wash me again? That might work. I don't mean to be itchy – I'm not trying to drive you nuts. You cut out my tag – that should have helped, right? And maybe if you lost a few pounds, my seams wouldn't be stretched so tight. I'm just saying, okay? Don't get huffy with me. It's not my fault you're so sensitive, princess. Wait! Wait! Where are you going? What do you mean, "cotton"?

{ETA: thanks to Kayleen for the link!}

Oh, and a few linkety things before I forget:

Mina has posted instructions on how to make what looks like a really pretty and comfortable skirt.

Bernina announced their Diamond Odyssey winners! If you like wearable art ... you like wearable art, so you should check it out. The winners all got the kind of sewing machines that do everything but walk your dog ... and I think one of the creations was optioned as the plot for a fantasy movie. (Not sure about that last part.)

Oh, and in the "free stuff for bloggers" category, NARS sent me some makeup. (I know, I know, I had to have someone pinch me.) I'm not a huge makeup fiend, but NARS is soooo nice. I got the new Multiple (in Orgasm) and a lipgloss/stain combo in Sayonara/Turkish Delight. If I may channel my inner Jean Godfrey-June for a moment: wow. I had avoided the whole NARS Orgasm bandwagon when it was just a powder blush, since (due to many, many extremely messy experiences with shattered powder compacts) I only wear cream blush. But this stuff, well, it does what they say it does. With a teeny-tiny amount of glitter -- not so much that you really notice it, it's like a homeopathic dose of glitter -- almost subliminal. It even made me look healthy in the doldrums of the cold I had last week, and that was saying something. (I had to wash it off or else my husband would have thought I was malingering.) The lipstuff is also nice -- it goes on a bit thick (although that may be my inexpert application), but it wipes down well to a pretty color. I've kind of given up on real lipstick, and instead rely on the blind application of tinted lipbalm, but this may get trotted out for special occasions. They also sent me something called Monoï Body Glow, which is a "lightweight, multi-purpose beauty oil for daily moisture." It smells really nice, but not in a nice-for-me way, so I think perhaps someone I know who collects perfume (Hi A!) is going to get this. Also, it solidifies under 72 degrees, which would make it a solid block of congealment in my ill-insulated Chicago house until oh, April. But thanks, NARS! Your blush has changed my life, or at least my attitude towards products with "Orgasm" in their names!

Post-fundraising drabble #1

I didn't think the rutabaga dress would get bought before me. The tomato dress, yes, everyone knew she'd go first, in all her sizes, and that's exactly what happened. The eggplant dress went next (in the smaller sizes first). Some people like purple. Then it was the carrot dress (in the bigger sizes). And then it was just me and the rutagbaga dress. Nobody knows what a rutabaga is! One girl who tried her on called it a "dirty turnip"! We hung on, pretending we didn't see the coats creeping closer. She got bought, finally, at $3. I'm still here.

[This is an actual deadstock dress, click on the image to visit the eBay auction. Thanks to Julie W for the link!]

Other Business
Hey, does anyone know where to buy the Nancy Drew fabric? The web site of the original seller (www.nancydrewgirldetective.com) is down and their phone's out, and a couple of people have emailed me looking to buy some! Nothing on Etsy or eBay, either. Any help greatly appreciated ...

Incentive Drabble #2

It's not terrible not to be worn; it's disappointing, and it's boring, but it's not torture. It's not painful. It's just -- dispiriting. I miss feeling alive by being next to something alive. And what I really miss, more than anything, is laps. You can't have a lap without a body to give you one. And I miss having a lap, a lap full of sticky little boy holding an even stickier lollipop, or a lap anchored by fifteen pounds of purring cat, or a lap full of mending. I'd even take a lap full of dishtowels to fold right now ...

Thanks to Claire for the link ... click on the image to visit the eBay auction for this dress.

I cannot figure out what happened with that darn Paypal button from yesterday. Obviously Paypal hates me, but if you still want to donate via Paypal, you can use the email address on this page ... and because of an "off-widget" donation, we're really at $1320 (not $1220) right now! Less than $200 to go!

and here's the link directly to the ChangingThePresent page ... Thank you!

Incentive Drabble #1

As promised, here's an "incentive drabble" to help push this year's donation campaign (for homeless women veterans) along ... once we hit $1500 in donations (and due to donations outside the widget, we're at $1250 right now, so there's not that far to go) there will be a full-length Secret Lives posted *and* drabbles every day from the day we reach the target to Christmas.

I thought she wasn't going to be bold enough, when she chose me. She should have chosen my sister, in red, or even had me dyed black. And the bows ... I've always been self-conscious about those bows. So when the time came, and they were at her door, I was surprised when she invited him in for "one more drink." And even more surprised when I was ditched for something "more comfortable." (I am comfortable!) So, no, I don't know what happened next, but, then again, even if I did, a lady never tells (and a gentleman never asks).

[Thanks to F.Baer for the image!]

In the meantime, if the widget below doesn't work for you, here's the Paypal button:

and here's the link directly to the ChangingThePresent page ... Thank you!