The hotest day so far this year and I think I am losing my touch. I went to a carboot sale this morning and it was too hot to shop. I love hunting through all the stuff people have cleared out looking for that bargain, but not today. I did get some new fabric off a stall who has rolls upholstery fabric and 4 rolls of liberty print cottons. He wanted £4 a metre. My daughter and I chose 3 and discovered that he did not have a tape measure. He unwrapped the roll about 4 or 5 times and said that was a metre. I was not convinced, but my daughter doesn't like it when I complain so I help my tongue. Then proceeded to cut it with the bluntest sheers I have ever seen. My kids had sharper plastic scissors for paper when they were little. The guy would have been better off starting the cut and then ripping the fabric; it was painful watching him trying to use the scissors. When we got home I checked it by holding one end and stretching it across my chest and the piece we bought that was supposed to be 1 metre measured 1 yard on one side and just short of a metre on the other. My son got a tape measure out as he doesn't like my guestimate methods and I measured 36 inches on one side and 97 cm on the other. Mum's guestimate wins again;)He then decided to check all the others too. Despite the dodgy cutting and the guys obvious lack of metrication in his optical estimate measuring, I think we did ok. If I hadn't been so hot I think I would have spoken up and haggled more over the length of a metre and because of his lack of cutting skills. I probably won't get to use much myself as my daughter has plans for 2 pieces of the fabric. I will definitely get a blouse out of it though. I have a great wartime pattern that promises you can a blouse out of 1 yard of fabric. So I am off out into the garden on this wonderful hot and sunny British summers afternoon to start cutting out with proper sharp dressmakers scissors.

The Prom Dress Fiasco

Wow! After a very stressful day my daughter looks stunning. Today is prom day and the dress she designed and wanted to make was not finished; it needed flowers to be sewn to the train and the lace skirt trimmed to the correct length at the front. I had to work in the morning and half way through I got a panicky phone call - It had all gone wrong. The front of the dress was ruined and the lace was all cut wrong. I suggested added in the scalloped edged of the lace to hem at the front of the dress then no-one would know that anything had gone wrong. She was distraught, so I said that she was to leave it until I got home and I would fix it - no problem. I left work and arrived home at 1.30pm. There were three and a half hours to go before she had to go for prom photos. I carried out my suggestion and the remaining flowers were sewn to the front and all was finished with half an hour to spare to do her nails. Here is the dress.... In the morning she was talking of not going because everything went wrong, but thanks to mum's rescue plan, it all came out right and she had a great time.