What in blue blazes

... was I thinking?

I have 33 yards of 45" wide (that's over 371 square feet) hot pink taffeta sitting there waiting to be made into can-can skirts for a baker's dozen of 5- to 7-year-olds. It didn't seem too terrible when I thought it was only going to be for eight or so. And when I thought I could get the fabric in town. And before I had the great idea to put a 4" x 50' strip of netting gathered into a ruffle on the bottom.

Since I couldn't find 33 yards of coordinating (much less matching) fabric at the Big Name fabric stores (even on-line!), I turned to eBay. The fabric arrived today. I've got the netting already cut and in a corner of the dining room. I made up a prototype tonight and figured out what changes I have to make. Thankfully the design was spot-on, I just need to tweak the execution a bit. And get them all done in a week. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

One project done.

Two down, one to go. But that one doesn't have to be done until September.

If the two recipients ever wear these at the same time in the same place ... I'll have to start calling them the Glimmer Twins. Or something.

These are en route to their new homes. Pretty close to the one below. Maybe the pom-poms could be a little bigger. Or not.

I don't remember where I found this picture. Sorry.

Derby

On Saturday, Sweet Daughter and Shorter Half participated in the local Powder Puff Derby (think Pinewood Derby for the Girl Scouts). The Boy Scouts had their Pinewood Derby two weeks earlier, and someone said they had 17 entries. The girls? Close to 80. Yeah. They weren’t prepared for that.

It's hard to focus when your subject is bouncing around like a squirrel on meth.

It was a single elimination tournament, and SD won her first heat, and came in second in her second heat. While she didn't place in the racing, she did win the medal for the “Most Patriotic” design. A flag in the front, and butterflies and flowers in the back – we called it “America the Beautiful”. But her favorite part? She insisted on a little round orange sticker on the back, with “Guns Save Lives” written on it.  Yup. Just like those on the family cars.

Projects

Let's see ... I've been working on these and they're almost done:

And there was this little project for Michael W. (cutler to the stars). Bless his heart ... if it involves a needle and thread, he figures I'm good at it. I haven't done any real embroidery work in ... um, I think I did something with yarn for my sister when I was in first grade. Counted cross-stitch just isn't the same. I won't tell you how many times I ripped those stars out and started over, but I quit counting after 6 or 7 attempts. Well, that and the fact he told me needed it at the end of January which translated into needing it in his hands on by today. The photo is horrid, but it hides a multitude of sins. I haven't decided if this has poisoned me on embroidery/crewel work altogether, or if it's now something I need to do more of to prove to myself that I can.



These are on the back of a Civil War sailor something-or-other.

Then there are the skirts ...

Sweet Daughter is in Daisy Scouts. In two weeks time, all the Girl Scouts in the county are getting together for "World Thinking Day". Each troop is representing a country, and is doing a dance and providing food samples, and stamping passports and the like. Her Troop is representing France. Their dance is the can-can. For some reason, I thought that by volunteering to make the costumes (skirts), I could help control the cost. Somehow, I neglected to see how many I needed to make. Look forward to more info on that as we get closer to the event as I'm having problems finding enough inexpensive fabric. Even Joann Fabrics online doesn't have enough in stock. Wish me luck, and send rum.

Just so you know ...

Just so you know this is on purpose, not just lack of content.

Image from here,  and here, and a bunch of other places.

Go read Peter and Alan to see why.

Tractor Pr0n

Tractor Pr0n for the Adaptive Curmudgeon.

I learned to drive a clutch on a 1930's Massey-Ferguson. But these have been sitting on the edge of my mechanic's lot for months and I think of The AC every time I drive past them.

Review Haiku

Uncle Oinker's Savory Bacon Mints

Image from here.

Dusty white gems taste

like Bac~Os® dipp'd in Colgate

Short answer: Just don’t.