Sunday, March 7, 2010

Playing Catch Up

First off, I wanted to let everyone know that I survived my aunt's closing on Thursday - and so did she! Trust me, it was touch and go for a while there.

I'm just about over it now, but I have to share one detail about the closing. The buyer is about 25, a nice young guy who works as a contractor and is planning to live on the 1st floor of Betty's while fixing up the upstairs, and then eventually fixing up - and renting out - the downstairs and buying another property. A little Donald Trump in the making. With better hair.

At settlement, as he's signing page after page of loan documents, his dad joked that he was signing his life away. At that point, my aunt, who'd been pretty well under control until then, sniffling into her tissues and muttering under her breath, comes out with, "Signing his life away? What about my life? That house was my life. Why don't you just kill me?"

Poor kid looked like she'd stabbed him in the chest. I caught him on the way out and said that with everything he was going to have to deal with in that house, he was going to need something to look back at and laugh. I hope he does.

But it's over. And after I left, I took the train right back into town and got off at 5th Street, with every intention of going to Fabric Row and buying myself a treat. I deserved one, after that, but could I find one? Not a thing called out to me. I went in 4 or 5 stores, and nada. So I bought myself lunch and tried again, but feeding the hungries didn't help. Still nothing. I went home defeated and took a nap, which was probably what I really needed.

Saturday made up for Thursday. It was half price day at the thrift store. Maybe I didn't find any fabric I liked for a reason, because I cleaned up. Pale aqua suede skirt (destined to be a bag), pleather snakeskin jacket (probably at least 2 bags), 2XL orange boucle skirt (cut down to fit me), another 2XL skirt, this time in a brown/tan/blue print (also being cut down) and random other goodies. How cute is the camel print shirt?

And speaking of other good parts of the weekend, it's WARM. Well, not warm, but 50-something, so all the poor frozen plants in my garden are waking up at last. Today we went for a long walk in the cemetery, then I came home and got up and patched the porch roof, which has been leaking. I also patched the bay window roof, which hadn't begun leaking yet. This is in preparation for next week, when I get up on the main roof. I'm not afraid of heights so long as I feel secure, but I have to remind myself of it every year. The worst part is actually coming back in through the trapdoor into the attic, sun-blinded and feeling for the ladder with one foot. I hate that part.

After that, I spent almost 3 hours cleaning up the back yard. I'm sore, I'm happy and my hands are a wreck. I was actually too stiff when I came in to sew, but after a good stretch, I managed to go into the workroom and turn the boucle skirt on the right into the boucle skirt on the left. I'd intended on completely dismantling it, but it had a neat waist treatment and a back slit with a nicely done lining, so I just cut it up both side seams, brought it in until it fit, and sewed it back together. A few anchoring stitches and the waistband and it went from a 22 to an 8(ish). And it's getting worn to work tomorrow.

I got some fabulous inspiration in the mail the other day - something I'll share later in the week.

10 comments:

Beangirl said...

Congratulations on a job well done.

Elaray said...

I've had days when I couldn't find a thing on 4th St. Very disappointing!

KID, MD said...

That's great!! I'm glad the house is off your hands and the skirt looks awesome.

Nancy K said...

Sunday was 3 hours in the front garden cleaning up and yeah my hands are pretty scratched up too. I hate wearing garden gloves.
Glad you managed to get trough the closing. You earned some real points on the karma scale.

Carolyn (Diary of a Sewing Fanatic) said...

I'm always in awe of your ability to refashion your thrift store finds. And I'm glad you made it through the closing too!

Little Hunting Creek said...

I think everyone worked in the garden on the East Coast yesterday. Those are fabulous thrift store finds - I love the camels

judi.0044 said...

Love the fabric - a great find into another great skirt for you. 50's here too and lovely on the porch for our kitties - they love the sunshine.

Gretchen the Household Deity said...

Nice job on the skirt! What a gratifying project for a quickie after a long day. So glad the closing went well and is OVER.

meredithp said...

Poor Aunt! Did she WANT to go to the closing? Yikes! It's too bad she can't feel the relief that this brings. And it is absolutely thrilling that the thing sold! Hurrah and good luck to the young buyer.

This hits really close to home for me, but luckily, my mother moved about 14 years ago to a townhouse, and then just moved to the "home", which she likes very much indeed. So...not a lifetime spent at one location.

Love your finds! Hey, maybe if I lost weight, I would find great things to cut down ;-)

Anonymous said...

Love the refashion! And in your colors! What did you wear with the skirt?