Isabella's Project Diary

The start of a weekend always feels so hopeful. Most of the time. Boss and coworker wanted to go to the Oilers store near the arena and I tagged along for funsies. It was hopping! But when we got back and I checked my phone, there was a message that my partner in crime N's dad had passed away not long before. He was admitted to the hospital the day before and eventually diagnosed with an obstructed bowel, but the doctor was not hopeful AT ALL that he'd even make it through the night. The family was hoping to buy enough time for a cousin to be able to make it in to say goodbye. He lived about 10 years longer than anyone thought he might, and he will be dearly missed.

Hockey game went to a second overtime period. I fell asleep before the second one started and woke up an hour later to find that the series is now tied. Game 3 tonight in Florida, obviously rooting for my guys! And I won't fall asleep again hahaha. Thursday is game 4 and M and I are going to the watch party at the arena. Gonna be fun.

On Saturday I said YES I am GOING TO CUT OUT TROUSERS. And then cut out a dress instead whoops lol. While opening bins for bottomweight fabrics, I found the massive chunk of chambray and said yes, this is perfect for a swooshy ruffly dress! I got the bodice all assembled but for lack of bra rings/sliders to finish the straps, and ripped all of the panels needed for the skirt. An unfortunate slub in the warp had me rip a long section vertically D: Not a complete waste of time/effort, it was sufficiently almost centered to be used for the back panels. I calculated the length of the hem and then divided by the width of the material to get the panels to be full-width rather than cut and having a loooooooooooooooooooooooooong leftover strip, plus then I didn't have to finish edges by using the selveges.

Aforementioned lack of bra hardware. The straps etc. are of course inset before the lining is done which means I can't really continue on that until I have them. But it was OK because the zippers arrived! So the green dress is now all done minus a hook and eye at the back neck. Photos to come bc so far I've only put it on my dress form and the background items are horrid lol.

Sunday I decided to work on the skirt. It was exactly as boring as 9x 44" wide panels can be. I thought that I'd rather try out the ruffling foot before stitching a gajillion gathering rows, so out came Jenny the Janome and the modern (c. 2011) ruffling foot. First test was quite tight, and second test was inconclusive bc the little blade that controls the ratcheting motion snapped off! GDI! FINE well I have two more, one older than the other. Honestly not sure which one I grabbed, but only one small adjustment had the gathers pretty much perfect. Charm helpfully included the gathering ratio of 2:1, and it was 3 and 6 panels so. Pefect.

Did the lower tier first, and then the second, which got squirrely at the end bc it wasn't gathering anymore. I shortened the stitch length which did work but I wasn't assed to do the entire last panel AGAIN and ehhhh it's fine. I'll fudge it along. That ended up being just as annoying as it sounds, and the gathers (which are tiny pleats, really) still needed some fussing to lay properly even when the foot was working well.

Probably would have been smarter to do the hem before everything was attached but... whatever. That worked out just fine too even if by then I was running low on the main thread colour and could have avoided that entirely by doing it first lol. Would have cared less what colours were in the seams as they wouldn't be visible.

Even busted out the serger to finish raw edges galore, who is she!! I've been wanting to move it from its home to be closer to where I do most of the work, and it still needs some adjustments to the stitch length and ratios as I STILL get skipped stitches, but it was fine for this. Probably needs a new blade too, it's been probably 18 years since it had a new one.

But for the upper gathering, which I WILL do the "regular" way, the skirt is done. I am considering a line of navy rickrack along the seams ala the pattern photos (which is piping) and that would be easier while it's all still separate. Just holding the skirt up against myself, it's delightfully fluffy. Very excited to wear it.

So tonight, being game night, will be the usual round of dishes and dinner while I listen. I need a singular can of coconut milk to make my planned meal, which is a Thai curry soup. I got kale and bok choy in my veggie box this week, plus with the carrot and peppers and onions I've gotten in the previous boxes will make a fine soup indeed! I pulled out a length of teal twill for the trousers but am, of course, doubting that as the best choice. Also waffling on sizing bc trousers don't fit like skirts do! I really ought to make a mock up first and I'm so tempted to just #yolo it but if it's WRONG then its WASTED. Thanks brain, for that unhelpful line of thought. Jury is out on that for the time being.

Speaking of the veggie box, this week's "mystery item" was no less than THREE heads of garlic. WTF am I going to do with three heads of garlic (before they go bad) lol. I recall a recipe of some sort of basically baking them in oil. That shall be a project for my looong day at work doing... not much.

(Post is nothing but excited screaming as Cup finals game 1 was won at 19:29 of overtime by our boy LEON DRAISAITL!!!!!!)

I was reading during the game last night, happily pretzeled on the couch with Calcifer on my legs or feet. And since we had a full overtime period* it was rather late by then and I was already in bed lol.

*regular season hockey is a short break and 5 mins of overtime before going to a shootout. Playoffs overtime is the full 15 minute intermission and full 20 minute period, for as long as it takes. Memorably in 2006, when Edmonton finally won a game in one of the earlier rounds at 1-something in the morning, in OT period 3.

I must finish and expect to finish my book today. Back to regularly waffling about sewing anon.

I am covering the front desk today so lots of alone time with minimal supervision or interruptions.

Nothing to really talk about lol. I played games for a bit. Dinner was a spinach salad with chicken that I liberated from a meeting yesterday. Then I sat down to read and it took me forever to just f'n do it, while I noodled about with games (again) and various internet searches (forgetting what I was looking for, picking up my book, remembering, and looking again). I went to bed around 9, but mostly so I could read there. Had to pause to "scrub" the cats (they both like short intense sessions where I mess up all of their fur and smooth it out). Around 11 I hit my self-imposed "goal" of roughly 1/3 of the book and a good place in the story to pause.

( Book megrims )

Tonight I plan to tackle the dishes while the hockey game is on, eat a food, and then possibly attempt trousers again. Maybe I will hem the dress instead. Either way, I need to read another 3rd of the book (I have brought it with me to read on my lunch break since I rescheduled my therapy appointment and I don't feel like trekking across the street to fetch my knitting).

Yesterday I did indeed dye my hair. It is all the same colour again woohoo! While the dye was setting, I prepared my noodle salad and I had *just* enough time. I'd set the timer for 35 mins and it had 3 mins left when I finished prepping. Since I had taken time after the immediate dying to clean the bowl and sink, I figured that was close enough and it was time to rinse and condition and rinse.

As predicted, I was then very tired. Shave/shower will be a future me problem. I was already ready to stay in bed but the kittens were very brrt? brrt? brrt? and in my face, so I scooped the box for them. I don't think that's what they actually wanted but it's done now.

I did absolutely nothing except play video games. Not even read my library book which is due back Friday and I haven't even started. Eep. I noticed it more in the way my hands and shoulders ached so I really need to stop doom-playing. That is the plan for tonight, no doom-playing, more reading. I can def get it read without staying up late if I start pronto!

Making pants are back on my mind. I've been wearing my green ones bc they are less stretched out than the black ones, which I really cannot tolerate putting back on my body. They are always slipping down but tight on the calf and thigh and GRRRRR its becoming a sensory nightmare. So that's gonna be happening soon.

I forgot to mention it, but when I saw the friends on Sunday, I brought the two heads of icky celery and made others take them home. They kept asking "are you sure?" and I really don't think anyone understands how deeply I dislike it, except other celery haters. TAKE IT, PLEASE!!!