Friday, October 22, 2010

Vacation Fabric, Part 1

I'm back. I've had a little trouble getting myself re-acclimated; work's been busy, the cats missed me and I missed them, but I did manage to find some time to get reacquainted with my sewing machine (someone else was re-bonding with MSNBC, so I don't even think I was missed).

Because it turns out fabric prices in Belgium are pretty frightening, I only ended up with 2 pieces, both knits, both prints. One was a remnant (washed but not yet photographed), and the other was a panel intended to be made into a tshirt. I obediently turned it into yet another KS 3338 tshirt. Their idea of a shirt seemed a little short, so I cut the fabric from the bottom and pieced some extra up at the top, right below the shoulder seams. It doesn't show, and neither does any part of me I don't want showing.

My purchases were made in Bruges, despite my intention of meeting up with other sewists in Brussels. No such luck.

Apparently the French are not the only ones who strike. When we got to the train station on Monday morning, the trains weren't there. The employees were, and a few policemen, but they were all clustered around a case of beer and with no intention of driving a train anywhere. Maybe after the beer that was a good idea.

Long story short(ish), there are no direct buses, probably because the trains are so good - when they're running. 3 buses later, we arrived in Brussels over 4 hours late. No meeting, no shopping, just finding our hotel, doing some sightseeing, eating one more seafood-heavy dinner and bed. With fingers crossed that the train would be there to take us to the airport in the morning.

They were running, but not on time, and it was raining, and I was over the whole public transportation thing. I blew my last euros on a taxi to the airport. Sometimes enough is just enough.

All this is not to say we didn't have a fabulous time. Belgium (especially Bruges) is gorgeous, the people are friendly, and the food was better than good. What can you say about a country that specializes in beer, chocolate, french fries and waffles. Plus they're so close to the coast that the seafood is fresh and almost constant. I ate well, and often.

There will be vacation pictures, once I finish uploading them. Hopefully sometime this weekend.

I enjoy going away, but I'm always glad to be home.

13 comments:

Bethany said...

I couldn't agree more with you last sentence :)

shams said...

What a striking textile! We sure don't have anything like that here... I like how you pieced the top - it looks very RTW, in the best way. What a great souvenir from your trip!

Marie-Christine said...

At least you can't possibly have regretted the relining of the coat :-). Nothing like standing by wind-swept empty platforms to appreciate the important things in life - chocolate in the belly, and a warm coat.

Nancy said...

Wow! What a great print! I love the shirt- can't wait to see the other fabric you bought..

Connie said...

That print is cool! Fabric always makes the best souvenirs in my opinion. Welcome back. I third the last sentence!

KID, MD said...

Fabulous tee!! Amazing fabric.

Lisette M said...

What a great t-shirt, fantastic print!Looking forward to your vacation pictures.

Lisette M said...

What a great t-shirt, fantastic print!Looking forward to your vacation pictures.

Rose said...

I love the print and I like how you placed it on your blouse.

Welcome home!

Gail said...

Very interesting print.

Annette said...

Great print, Karen. Can't believe you have already finished the shirt. Let's catch up soon - maybe a sew-in?

SEWN said...

Welcome back! Love the top. Now get sewing! ;)

Linda L said...

Always nice to take a vacation and to come back home refreshed. Love the top.