Tuesday 31 May 2011
In Awe Of Annuals
... here's the fabric for my skirt. Last week, I said I was a possibility shopper and that I rarely bought fabric for a specific and current project. This piece would be the exception to the rule. I'd been eyeing it up at work for quite a while without a project in mind and then bought it for a skirt for my birthday. I'm sewing...
... Simplicity 2451, the pink version but without the pockets. I don't need pockets and the print is so busy you'd never see the design lines anyway. The yokes are interfaced and sewn in place. The facings are attached, edge stitched, pressed, and pinned ready to hand stitch. I'm sewing the front and back separately and will do the zipper and side seams next. This works well for fitting.
The landscaper never came back to correct his work. A few emails went back and forth. It was like talking to a teenager. He was full of I can't as opposed to what can I do. Lots of excuses. In the end, I'm doing the job myself. I wanted this done before the weekend. It won't be. It'll be mostly done.
Last night, Howard re-cut the line of the new garden straightening it out more pretty. They'd cut a jagged sharp line with an abrupt end. He planted this hydrangea bush by the back patio. It's hearty with lime green flowers which I think is fabulous. My son says it's a green bush.
Planting it we discovered that there is NOT a foot of fresh soil. In fact, after the grass was taken off, there was barely a 1/2" skim. Not what we ordered. We'll have to take the plants back out at some point, dig down, and add the new soil. FRUSTRATING.
In the front, we'd needed drainage added to the garden. As I split the Lilies to take them around the back, I added and dug in peat moss shifting plants from one end to the other until I finished the middle area of the front garden. There are still two other portions that need peat moss. The soil we'd brought in last year had too much drainage. Go figure.
All those Lilies in the front and all the ones around the rock wall in the back came from the same five plants. I must have at least fifty in the front alone now. I am in awe of annuals. I only discovered them less than ten years ago. Yes - I know they were around before that - LOL - I just hadn't figured out why those plants were worth so much more money. Now I know. There's also a Hosta and some Sedum to move around the back and some weeding to do. I'm not sure when I'll get to that but at least the wall is more pretty for this weekend. We can enjoy the back patio.
Today - breakfast with a friend and then grocery shopping for the weekend and other errands and hopefully knit night tonight. I haven't been there in forever.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - annuals
Monday 30 May 2011
The Fabric That Followed Me Home
I found shoes to go with the Mother of the Grad dress. They're an antique gold color. Not shiny. Not brown. $44.99 at Payless.
I also found this shades of blue necklace at Reitman's for $24.00. I wear this multi-stringed look a lot. The colors go perfectly with the blue and white paisley wrap top I sewed not too long ago. I wore them both to work yesterday.
There's an interesting thing about numbers. Take gas and weight for instance. Numbers that at one time looked really high start looking really wonderful on the way back down. On the other hand, numbers that keep rising steadily or suddenly jump are far more frustrating. There's nothing you can do about them.
The reason I mentioned the shoe and necklace price is because even though these are reasonable prices (in comparison) they're at least a third more if not double what the price would have been not too long ago. The price of everything has been rising lately just as "they" predicted. It makes you think, which is good.
I'm glad that I'm not much of a shopper - except for fabric. Here's the fabric that followed me home. I had finished cutting a piece for a customer and went to drape and put the bolt back only to discover there was an end in the middle resulting in a one meter remnant. I tried to roll and label it but it informed me it was "buying me" instead... at remnant price of course. I'm good at finding fabric deals.
The dark color is Millicent's cover showing through. I have the fabric draped over the dress form. The color is all turquoise with the burnout design. They asked me at work what I would do with it which made me laugh. Wash it and put it in stash? Maybe I'll sew something soon only it doesn't go with the skirt I'm working on at the moment. Not that I'm going to get much sewing done this week. It's a busy one getting ready for the events next weekend. We'll see how it goes.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - customers
Friday 27 May 2011
Possibility Shopping
Since brown isn't a "normal" color for me, I didn't want to spend a lot of money on special jewelry to go with this dress. I've owned both of these necklaces for several years. The green is much closer to the lining color than it looks in this picture and the amber is less orange in real life. Good and enough. Now, I need shoes. I have some green ones with brown heels but unfortunately it's a blue green. Doesn't go.
Neither of the two prototype dresses felt especially comfortable to wear. The blue one was definitely too small through the bust and the print one gaped considerably - too much information. While Sharon was pinning the lace hem, I had her trace my waistline and then...
... I cut off the bodice and added a waistband. It's only okay. I finished the blue one, tried it on, and decided not to bother with the print. It looked like a bowling ball on my hips with a dimpled side. By the time I took it apart to make all the necessary changes, I'd have sewn a whole new skirt. That seemed like a better idea. The fabric was $1.50, cheap for muslin material. I was going to call this posting Now A Skirt.... but now... NOT!
One thing I did learn - now that I know how to install invisible zippers - is to extend the zipper through the waistband and eliminate the need for a button. It's much neater, more fitted, easier, and less time consuming. The Burda skirt used this method.
The top of the zipper is extended about a 1/2" above the finished edge of the waistband and then the zipper is stitched in place. Afterward, the top edge is turned over and sewn to the seam allowance as illustrated above. Works like wonderful.
While I was hand stitching the binding around the lace hem the other night, I thought about Victoria's recent posting about one occasion dresses. Victoria sews FAR MORE dresses than I do. I have a lot of skirts and tops but not that many dresses. The ones that I do sew tend to be for an occasion - like my anniversary, or grad, or a wedding. They're very definitely one occasion and I rarely wear them again. At times, I've thought that was wasteful. At other times, I've been just fine with it because typically I do a lot of learning through the fitting of that garment and I sew it from quality fabric bought inexpensively. I seem to have two categories of clothing - one occasion wear and practical and interchangeable everyday. What about you?
I was talking with a customer the other day about our buying habits. She picks a project and then very slowly accumulates the necessary fabrics and supplies, hopefully on sale. I buy quality fabric on sale and then use it when the right occasion comes up. I call it possibility shopping. It's very rare for me to acquire fabric for a specific project that will be sewn immediately.
With my friend's sister's house burning down and her starting over, I've though a lot about what if it was me. How or to what degree would my shopping habits change? Would they change? Am I happy with how I approach things?
For the most part, I'm okay with my approach. The only thing that holds me back from being 100 percent happy is that I'm slightly over-stashed at the moment but not to any kind of "hoarder" level PLUS I'm making use of that stash as you've seen with the two prototype dresses. Soon, it'll be at a more acceptable - to me - level. Would you and how would you change your approach?
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - a quiet day in the studio
Thursday 26 May 2011
After The Fact
Only as I was hand stitching did it occur to me that I could have patched the low point and had the lace hang much lower - like I'd wanted. Oh well... a little late.
Finished, the lace hem is not much longer than the lining. Why is it that the right answer always comes to us after the fact? Hopefully, next time I need to know this, I remember. Either way, the hem is done, the dress is finished, AND... it's wearable.
There was some interesting learning with this dress that I'm not sure I want to explore. I've been tracing a size fourteen for the shoulders and armhole, tapering the side seam out at the waist and hips however, I often end up narrowing the back and flattening the sides at the underarm taking it in. With all the changes I'd made to the muslin, when I traced my final copy and compared it to the original pattern pieces, I'd sewn a size twelve at the side seams at the underarm. Now, I'm wondering if a size twelve with a D cup is "my" size. I may test that theory with one of Simplicity's Amazing Fit blouse patterns. Later. Right now, I don't need any new theories to explore.
AND... I seem to have lost a day. That's what happens with long weekends. I started sewing the Burda skirt on Monday night and finished it Tuesday afternoon. It really is quick and easy to sew.
On the news last night, there was an update on the situation in Japan and more information about the tornado devastation in Joplin including over seventy new toronados that formed across the mid United States yesterday. It's scary. And real. And makes anything else you could say seem rather trivial. I'm reminded to do what I can - to pray - to donate to the Red Cross - both.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - that even more people have not been killed or impacted directly
Wednesday 25 May 2011
No Pictures
I finished the skirt yesterday after work and then sewed the New Look 6734 t-shirt to go with. Both are done. Both are at work. There are no pictures. I literally finished in time to scoop them up and head out the door for the staff meeting. There was no time to dress Millicent or me - VBG. When I go in on Saturday, they should be on display and hopefully I can get a picture then.
It appears I have a Burda body. Actually, I've known that for a while. At first, I hated adding the hems and seam allowances. Now that they're included, I dislike all the different cutting lines with the potential for problems. However, the draft fits me so well I should get over that and explore this pattern line more as it has a lot of interesting styles.
I noticed in the instructions that the shape of the sleeve cap (as illustrated) mimics mine with the crown further forward as if for a tipped shoulder. Maybe this isn't from years of sewing and typing. Maybe this is part of my European build. Interesting.
ANYWAY... the jacket in this pattern intrigues me as well. It has soft structure and is more cardigan-like than jacket-like in my opinion. I'm debating it but first I'll need to finish the grad dress. Sharon is coming over this afternoon to pin the hem. If Wendy comes tonight, I'll be able to hand stitch while chatting to her. Perfect.
Before all that - this morning - I have a guest coming. She's a customer at Fabricland and was having fabric cut at the table next to mine, overheard me talking with another customer about my work and career, and asked to be invited over to see my textile art and to talk art. It's taken over a month to figure out a time and today's the day. Should be interesting. She's a furniture artist and creativity workshop co-ordinator.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - It's raining today. This is better than fires, floods, tornados, or earthquakes. I live in a very safe area of the world.
P.S. Sarah Y - if you're reading this can you email me please. When Howard updated my computer, the new email system lost some addresses. One was yours.
Tuesday 24 May 2011
Getting In And Out Is A Delicate Operation
The weekend was mostly spent working on my mother of the grad dress, which was far more labour intensive than I'd anticipated mostly because the lace was soft and stretchy. As a test, I cut out one of the bodice pieces from lining and attempted to match it to the corresponding lace piece only the lace piece was much bigger. It stretched. Instead, I placed the pattern piece under the lining, smoothed out the lace on top, pinned the lace to the lining, basted it in place, and then re-cut the pieces.
Individually. One at a time. It took forever but the results were far more accurate and the rest of the bodice came together easily after that.
I felt that the neckline needed the stability of the interfaced facing. I also felt that at a seamed neckline edge or a folded hemline would look bulky with the lace and planned to finish the edges with bias binding. For the neckline...
... I sewed the facing wrong sides together with the bodice using a bright pink thread so that I could clearly see the line. Then, I matched edge of the bias tape to the pink line and stitched it in place using a 1/4" seam. The original seam allowance was trimmed away up to the pink thread and the...
... bias was turned, pressed, and hand stitched into place around the neckline. The fabric is Shantung. I'd hoped to use silk dupioni because it presses so well only there wasn't any available. This was the next best choice and the color match was perfect.
The bodice pieces were sewn as one with the lining. The skirt pieces are detached with the side seams sewn separately in the lace and the lining. The lining is hemmed. The lace will be bound with bias tape. The sleeves are lace only and hemmed with bias. They're three quarter length. I made a trial version of an elbow length sleeve and didn't like the way it looked with those chicken drumstick dimples at the back of my arms and I'm uncomfortable with sleeveless without some kind of cardigan to cover. Since I don't have one that matches this dress, three quarter sleeves it is.
There is an invisible zipper in the side seam. It inserted just fine only the lace is a problem. It catches easily in the zipper and at the waist made it impossible to pull the zipper any higher. In the end, I had to restitch the area from just below to just above the waist insert with the stitching slightly further from the zipper teeth. That was the only way to do the zipper up and even so, getting in and out is a delicate operation.
The dress is complete except for the hem. Right now, it's hanging out and then a friend is going to pin the lining to the lace for me. I'll then cut the lace 1/2 - 1" longer than the lining and bind it with the bias tape. It'll be a long and labour intensive hemline however, I think it'll also be the best finish. The dress fits well although I can't really see the back so I'm waiting for pictures of it on me. It's an unusual color for me and seems a bit dull at the moment but I think I'm just sick of making it and it'll be perfect for the grad in a couple weeks.
Last night, I started on the Burda skirt for my "work" project. I'm working this morning, have the afternoon off, and then there's a staff meeting tonight. I'll either work on the skirt or garden in-between depending on the weather. I have a tree and a shrub that need planting and some lilies to split and move.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - a leisure long weekend home alone with my husband and lots of time to sew
Friday 20 May 2011
Free Fabric
One of the perks of my job is a project every month once you've finished your probationary period. Luckily, mine coincided with the inventory reduction and move when no one was sewing projects anyway. Twelve free projects is a great bonus. I received my first set of free fabric last night. A t-shirt knit for my favourite New Look 6735 and a light-weight, medium blue denim for the new Burda 7349 skirt. The project(s) has to be sewn and back in the store in two weeks and hangs up for a month and then it's mine. This two weeks is a bit tight but luckily...
... my Mother of the Grad dress is finally cut out. The lace wasn't slippery and the details could be clearly seen and lined up on top of each other so I was able to cut two layers at once. I should have cut out the lining first so the pattern would have stayed pinned to the lace until I needed it BUT, I didn't. Now, I'll cut the lining pieces out one at a time as needed and baste them to the lace before moving forward. The bodice pieces will be treated as one and the skirt pieces added separately.
The sun is shining - again. It's wonderful and supposed to be 27 degrees today. Hot. YES YES. Howard phoned last night and he's in Canada, about three hours away and anticipates being home around noon, which means the first thing I need to do this morning is get beautiful and then I can work on the dress for a bit. Can't have my hubby coming home to a frump. Have a great - long - weekend.
Talk soon, Myrna
Grateful - free fabric
Thursday 19 May 2011
A Wee Small Green Eyed Hissy Fit
Progress IS being made. I'll start the real real thing this weekend and hope to have it finished up by Tuesday. Since it's a long weekend, that'll help although I am working tonight and Sunday.
Yesterday, I made a semi-real dress using a linen-look fabric from stash. It's a gorgeous color, has beautiful drape, and - unfortunately - snags like the dickens. Just in case it was wearable, I did everything properly. By last night, I knew it was a muslin so now I'm moving differently.
In the last class with Ron Collins, he taught me how to insert an invisible zipper. It's so quick and easy. I wish I'd known how sooner. In class, we interfaced the seam allowance supposedly because my fabric was lightweight however, I've found it stabilizes the opening and makes inserting the zipper even easier. These are 5/8" strips of fusi-knit with the stretch going across the body and the non-stretch running up and down.
I still pin the zipper in place. That leaves me two hands free to guide the fabric and make sure the zipper teeth are rolling under properly. It also allows me to match up any seam lines first, ease the remainder in correctly, and make sure that the ends stop and start in the same place. For all that, I'm okay with a few pins.
The C-cup was too small. The D-cup fits nicely over the bust although the neckline gapes slightly. I know why. More about that in a minute. With this draft, I cut super wide seam allowances AND used darts at the waistline so that I had more than enough fabric and could pin out the excess and determine exactly what was needed. It worked. I feel confident moving forward. The real version won't have waist darts and I'll cut center back and center front on fold to avoid breaking up the lace pattern as much as possible.
Here's a detail look at the bodice. It gapes and I can pin out a tuck but if you look closely, you can see above that the edge of the overlap does not meet the French seam on the bodice while below in the instructions, it does. That's about the same distance so I'll pick out that seam, move it over, and see if that positioning works before going on. If it does, perfect. Center front is obscurely marked on the pattern piece and then hard to find again when you're sewing.
Some days, it feels like I can't sew and then I click on a blog entry like Kay's from the other day where she cut on the lines, sewed an untested pattern, and ended up with two dresses that look amazing on her and I have a wee, small, green eyed, hissy fit and I know I can't sew and I wonder why I'm doing this to myself... and then I keep on doing it. Sewing gets in my mind and the current project becomes all I can think about.
Last night, going to bed, my mind was contemplating how to move the bodice over and how to remove the skirt darts and keep enough hip ease. I know I have to split it in the middle and not at the side so the curve is graceful and the fabric doesn't pool at the edges because someone - Robin I think - learned that on one of her projects and I read about it on her blog and I learned too. I thought about length and finishing hems and... and... and... My mind gets onto a topic and won't let go. I have to know can it work and how will it work and what would make it work better. I watched a video yesterday that said "intellectual pursuits" like knitting and sewing are anti-aging. I'll take that. YES YES
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - several muslins and two prototypes later, I can now make the dress.
Wednesday 18 May 2011
My Mind Is Still Stuck
... last night, I packed up this "stuff" for my friend's sister who lived in Slave Lake. Her house is one of the ones in the 40% of the town that was burned by an out of control forest fire. Lori Jane asked her sewing friends for donations as her sister is an art quilter and she thought having the start of a stash would be comforting. YES. You know what? Giving her this - a box and a bag full - didn't even make a dent. It's amazing what we have. We're so blessed.
A few days ago, Howard was able to visit our sponsor child Evelyne. She's sixteen. Yesterday, he went to visit...
... Slyther who is four. Howard said he kept hugging and hugging him. Evelyne seems to have been a bit more shy. I don't have a picture of Ronnie, my son Kyle's sponsor child. They were sent to his computer. We sponsor these children through Impact Ministries for $34.00 a month. That's less than the price of pizza. I think it's something everyone should do. I can't remember what motivational speaker said something to that affect - that the least you can do is sponsor a child - but it's so true.
I didn't sew at all yesterday. I did prep the pattern for the next prototype in-between coats of trim paint. I know that I said I was moving on to something else but I can't. My mind is still "stuck" on finding the best way to do this and time is running out. I think it was those wrinkles yesterday. The only difference between the two back drafts was the addition of sleeves. With the sleeveless version, I raised the armhole and cut off the seam allowance. With the sleeve version, I kept the armhole and sewed on the sleeve BUT...
... I did remove a lot of the ease from the sleeve to prevent puckering in the silk. I didn't measure to see how much was left, if the minimum was there. When I sent the pictures to my friend Caroline - the one I travel with - she said that she thought it had something to do with the sleeve and that made sense. It also made me want to try another sleeve muslin and, if I was doing that, I may as well try everything I'm contemplating.
I'm sewing the bodice, sleeve, and waist inserts of Simplicity 2217 above to the skirt of Vogue 8571 below. I used the C cup version of the bodice so I'm testing that as well. I'm between sizes on their chart. I compared the new pattern pieces to the pattern pieces from the previous prototypes and have widened the waist and hips accordingly. The Vogue dress is supposedly for knits only. It was the shape I wanted.
Aligning the shoulder points of the back bodices, the Simplicity 2217 has a 1 1/4" longer armhole so I took out my standard inch and will determine if more is necessary after the muslin... which I'll be making out of the geotextile fabric that Katie recommended... which is see-thru... so you won't be seeing it on me - maybe Millicent.
Yesterday, I ran errands, checked and double checked my hours at work, drafted the pattern, painted trim, and put together the box for my friend's sister. It sounds like so little and took all day. This morning, I'll clean up the painting supplies and then I intend to sew - this dress - all day although the sun is shining. It's calling me. I make take a break to go for a walk.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - finished painting, for all that we have
Tuesday 17 May 2011
Prototype Two
My son took pictures of prototype two. When I asked him whether he liked this bodice or the other one better, he said I don't know. It's not finished yet. That's why he automatically cut my head off. He thought this was a muslin. When I asked him why, he said it's plain blue. LOL - apparently, it looks like broadcloth even though it's silk with embroidery. Is it too plain or prissy? What do you think?
In the front, do you think I need more room in the bust or is it just the nature of this type of pleat to pull like that? I was wondering if I need slightly more length or should I widen the one pleat a bit?
In the back, what's with those wrinkles from the shoulder to the underarm? I can't decide if there's too much or not enough. Does the underarm need to be longer or the shoulder higher? The silk makes it hard to photograph. The light captures every dipple and dent. (And it needs a black slip)
Because I'm in danger of over fitting, I'm trying to stand back and evaluate before jumping to conclusions. I do need to alter the hip area and raise the curve up higher to prevent that flat dimple on the side. Otherwise, what do you think? Feedback - please - before I move on to the real thing.
Sunday night, I had the urge to clean my closet. This fur collar was originally on a sweater I bought second hand. It pilled horribly so I cut off the collar and threw out the sweater. I put the collar on Millicent to figure out how I'd apply it to a new garment and thought she looked elegant enough to have her picture taken.
This is the downstairs hallway. I'm taking the picture from part up the hall near my studio. The guest room is at the far end. In-between, on the right, is my husband's office. It was a windowless room and, as you can see, that made both the room and the hallway dark. I love light so I have been wanting...
... to add a window for years. Plus, all the computers are in there and sometimes there's four boys playing and it's hot and starts to smell like a locker room so... fresh air has great appeal. It's a different time of day but you can see the light coming from that window and how much brighter it is now. YES YES
I tried a new patching product. It goes on pink and turns white when it's dry. For deep patches like this 1" x 2" hole, it's perfect. I would have thought it was dry already when I took this picture. The pink spot told me otherwise. It sanded off nicely too.
When I met my husband, I'm not sure that he knew there were other colors in the world besides beige and brown. Last time I painted his office, he didn't want it too dark. This time, he asked me to paint it darker. The color (left wall) is Benjamin Moore 824 and the lighter one is 821, the color it used to be. We had almost a whole gallon of the 824, paid for, ready and waiting. With white trim and cupboards, it'll be perfect IF... I get the painting done. Last night, the carpenter was STILL finishing up at dinner time and is coming back for something this afternoon. What was supposed to be a one day job has been three and a bit. I'm very tired of people in my house.
Carrie wrote - Tell Howard he has one fan who's impressed with his shopping abilities. What a man! The closest my dear husband ever got to buying fabric was some boat canvas for his Bayliner. LOL! It's a rare man who will shop for fabric for his wife.
Howard has many fans. He's an amazingly nice man. Shopping of any kind is not really his thing, hence the pictures to chose from. Typically, I "help" him buy my presents with phrases like I thought you might like to give me this necklace for Mother's Day. He finds that a lot easier. It would be more that he was looking for something he knew I'd like in the market. Last time he was in Guatemala, he tried to find some interesting wool and there wasn't any. Eight meters is a lot of fabric. I assume they don't cut the pieces and that's a standard length for something or he's a tourist and he doesn't know because he surely doesn't shop for fabric at home. We'll find out when he gets here - soon - Friday - YES YES
Since I have today off - I think - I'll paint the trim and then sew something for our anniversary and/or my birthday next. Now that I have two prototypes, the "mother of the grad" dress shouldn't take too long to finish when I get to the actual sewing. A palate cleanser first will make it more fun.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - a window, light, paid for paint, the ability to apply it neatly
Monday 16 May 2011
The Burda Bodice
... my dear darling husband. He emailed photographs of fabric from the market in Tactic and asked which one I'd like. I picked the purple/pink piece center of the above picture. Most likely, it's a cotton weave that will - hopefully - be suitable for an unstructured jacket like Burda 7401 or a vest like Burda 7399. Matching won't be fun. I may incorporate other fabrics to mix with and break up the pattern. There's eight meters. I should have options.
The cotton-silk fabric that I used for the second prototype dress - Burda 7378 combined with Vogue 8409 - has an 8" wide embroidered border that worked great for around the bottom of the skirt but was too wide for the sleeves. I cut off the very edge to re-applique to the sleeve hem.
I think it's important when you're doing something like this to make a sample - to see if your idea works and to determine how you want to execute it. I pinned the edging in place and then used a zigzag stitch to hold it before...
... cutting away the fabric underneath. At the last workshop that I took with Ron Collins, he mentioned that the finer the fabric, the more difficult it is to prevent puckering. I noticed that sewing this dress. I used a smaller stitch length and a finer thread. Pressing helped. The fabric presses like a dream, which is a good thing since it wrinkles easily too.
Here's the finished sleeve. I think it's quite pretty. I haven't tried the dress on yet to see if the final fit is good. I'll let you know tomorrow.
All I did for this version was swap the front bodice of Vogue 8409 with the front bodice of Burda 7378. Don't you love the pleats? I do. The neckline is rounded. The depth and width is good. Next time, I will make it more of a V shape.
Look at the waistband match-up through the invisible zipper. YES YES - I love invisible zippers now that I have the right foot for inserting them. It makes all the difference. This match up happened first try using the trick that Ron Collins taught me of securing the "to be matched" portion of the zipper first before stitching the rest. I was glad. Picking out silk didn't seem like a good idea.
Carrie wrote - If you want to look at one more pattern with a similar look to your Vogue one, check out Simplicity 2217.
WOW - that is so close and it comes with the different cup sizes. I'll probably buy it just to compare the lines of the bodice and see if the change that I made are good or if they could be fine tuned. I may be swapping more bodices - LOL. Thanks.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - to have my house to myself this morning and time to do the chores even though I don't really want to do chores - I just want them done. I'll enjoy the results.