The 'Skirt Project' is not going so well! After unrolling some yardage on the table I decided the fabric needed pressing. With high steam going, I began to press over the fabric and noticed that water from the iron was trailing over the surface. So I pressed it in. Wrong choice. A watermark appeared that would not leave. What do to? I tore off a meter of cloth, dumped in the wash with a "Color Catcher" sheet to see what a water immersion would do. Not really sure, but I suspected rayon fibers combined with cotton (or mohair), might be the problem.
An hour later I pulled a heavy, wet lump of fabric from the wash and proceeded to dry it. Then I pulled formerly white socks out and a blush-colored pair of formerly chino pants out of the machine. The ColorCatcher totally saturated with bright red dye! After another ten minutes I pulled the still damp yardage from the dryer and returned to the ironing table.
The solution was not all bad, nor good. I could press and even with steam the fibers reacted better but wrinkles and creases from the wash and from previous folding are not going away. What to do now? I have the circular skirt pattern all measured and ready to cut but do I need this skirt? Perhaps rather than a circular full-length skirt, I should broom-stick it [wash, roll around a broom handle, tie it securely at several intervals, wait several days for drying and then un-roll and accept the permanent creases that follow. Only the cross-warp sheen will no longer shine. Bummer.
The red, over-dyed clothes [nothing valuable] are being re-washed with more sheets of ColorCatcher and likely will be relegated to 'paint clothes.' BUT the experiment is not over yet. Tomorrow I will take another look at both the washed and the unwashed fabric and think about steaming the whole bolt, or washing, or not. I have already been called Scarlett O'Hara, using drapery fabric for fashion sewing. And tomorrow is another day...
The dreaded DMV driver's license renewal is done! A major birthday is coming within a few weeks and North Carolina requires re-newal AND a vision test. Sure, I know how to drive but the vision test is the worry. My ophthalmologist had already verified that my right eye would never past the test but that I should request a form, return to his office and proceed to petition for a 'Special permit.' No need. I wore contact lenses, passed the left eye with 20/20 and the right eye doing as poorly as ever. For the fee of $20, and with 'optical restriction 1' on my new license, I am good for another five years. And I was dreading - absolutely DREADING - this test. In and out in under twenty minutes wondering what was I so nervous about?
Heading to Squids Fine Seafood for dinner. Ed had OLLI board meeting this afternoon, so his Monday cook-night means we eat out. Tomorrow after dancerCIZE it will be my turn to shop and fix dinner. I go more for the 'fixing' part rather than the 'cooking' part, lots of fresh, raw and salad bar stuff. How bad can that be?
bb
