Joys and Frustrations

Thursday is mail day.  This is by long standing tradition here on the Canadian prairie.  It is how we do it and I had mail!

Cassie wants to sew something and so I ordered fabric to suit.  It took a bit of a search.  If you want anything just a wee bit different than average, here in Canada, you have to go looking for specialty.  I had to find a fashion fabric retailer.  

My usual online vendor is great but its selection of 4 way stretch fabric is dismal.  Only swimming or skating type fabrics were available and that sort of thing would not do what Cassie wanted.  Plus its slippery nature would make it a very difficult sew for a competent beginner.

Once I found a place with the fabric Cassie and I desired, we ordered and mail day!  It arrived.  

I had to laugh.  The whole thing was wrapped in packing tape.  Every single bit covered.  I get that.  This package was not going to be caught on a machine and ripped open and the goods damaged beyond use.  I get that, but it reminds me of Christmas past and sneaky, snoopy little boys birthday gifts and the struggle to keep things a secret. This feels just like that too.

I was a little worried about cutting the package open till I saw it.   

One wee corner was not sealed below the impermeable packaging.  The fabric is going to be perfect and knit though it is, will be manageable for her skill set.  They sent a catalogue of what they normally stock and sent a really nice pile of samples...

which makes me desire to order all kinds of things.

No.  I have enough.  I am going to go dig in fabric this morning to remind myself that this is the truth and to find suitable fabric for the skirt I am trying to make. There isn't enough of the fabric I picked out initially.  I have tried every way I could of laying out the pattern but nope.  It will not work.  I need a bigger piece of fabric.  The really frustrating thing is that it isn't short by much.  

Between joy and frustration with fabric, knitting was great.  I managed to get the Tolsta Tee down to under the arms, so I am officially a third done.  Ish.  On a short sleeved top it may be more than a third.  

It is starting to look like a good serviceable tee too.  I love this part of a knit  It always feels like the hard part is done and I can settle in and just enjoy going around the circle. The 6 and 2 stripe doesn't feel as natural to me as a 7 and 3 stripe but it looks really well balanced and proportional. 

I am off the play in fabric and yarn and string.  Time for the second cup of coffee too.  That first one went down really easy.  The day looks good and I hope the lords of sewing are rooting for me today.  Wish me luck.