Miscellany of a Cheshire Cat

Hot days like these call for polar bears.

I borrowed slyppi’s shopping karma today, sort of in exchange for some zen I loaned her earlier in the week. I had extraordinary good luck at Kohl’s and Fashion Bug. I ended up with a dress for the wedding next Saturday without too much trauma! I also found 2 fabulous tops for work, 2 casual tops and 2 piratey tops (one is even pink to help me embrace my “pirate chickness” - I even have a flag). Finally, I snagged an awesome dress - black lace over red slinkyness. It wasn’t an awesome dress when I tried it on a few months ago and it was $70. But, at $14 this dress qualifies for awesome status.

I have also achieved a great deal of pleating in the past 36 hours. Stupid Fop pants. They still need buttonholes, but the cuffs and waists are pleated into their appropriate sizes. I hope. Can I mention one more time that I hate pleats? Yes? Good. I hate pleats. A lot. They tweak the little OCD chick in the back of my head and I end up using a zillion pins when I probably shouldn’t have to. There’s probably a better, easier and faster way. In fact, I expect an e-mail from my mother in the morning telling me there is indeed a better, easier and faster way to put in pleats and that I’m a silly goose for not realizing sooner.

I also finally got around to doing a mock-up of a Viking apron dress. I’ll be having Gertrude help me tomorrow with cutting the hem right. Then I’ll rip it apart and cut one or two out of real fabric. The apron dress does not involve any pleats. I’m excited by this. I’d rather do dags than pleats. The apron dress doesn’t involve dags either, it’s okay. I have a ridiculous list of things I’d like to get sewn for Pennsic. I think if I get a quarter of it done, I’ll be doing well.

This weekend has been stupidly hot. I hope all the folks at EKWC are drinking their water. Well, at this hour they’re probably drinking something else, but I hope they drank their water all day! I have been chugging ice water today. I was reminded earlier why I don’t usually drink ice water - I drank 2 big glasses very quickly. Ugh. Oops. I’m glad I could spend the day being productive in air conditioning. I am a wimp when it comes to heat. I skipped war camp this weekend in the interest of not starting Pennsic already cranky about heat. I’d be fine with a cold Pennsic this year - days in the mid-70s, nights in the low 60s or 50s… Yeah, that would be lovely.

Right, now it’s time to go to bed, but not to sleep… I haven’t finished Jhegaala yet.

tags: clothing, garb, heat, pennsic, sales, sca, sewing, shopping, weather

In an unscientific poll of some people over on LJ, I discovered I’m not alone. That’s right, other people keep stashes of clothes that don’t fit in hopes that they will someday fit!

What prompted this was a fairly major purge of my closet over break. I ruthlessly went through my stash and only kept a few things. Really! Some things had been in the pile for 5+ years which means I probably moved them twice without wearing them. Large piles are destined for new homes and getting the heck out of my closet.

This poll was comforting in many ways. First, pants were revealed as the most common thing in all our stashes. I purged an embarrassing number of pairs of pants and jeans from my stash. So embarrassing I’m not even going to tell you because I was too scared to count. Really. Now all that’s left in my pile is a couple of shirts that are the Right Color Green and Too Soft To Part With and several (okay, 6) pairs of pants and jeans. I didn’t ask any questions about the volume of people’s stashes - that’s way too personal.

Second, for some reason I didn’t expect guys to keep stashes too. Stashing clothes fits so well with the female psyche that I didn’t expect it also in the male psyche. In fact, of the guys who answered the poll, most of them kept stashes too. I guess it’s human nature to hang onto something that’s still perfectly serviceable but that only a few pounds or pesky trends in fashion are keeping us from wearing. Of course, that stash grows as a few pounds becomes a few more pounds and fresh “just a few pounds” items get added.

If you’re a procrastinator (like I am), that means eventually you end up with a stash of epic proportions that really just isn’t worth cluttering your closet with. I do in fact still have a beautiful green chamois shirt that’s just waiting for me to shrink a little and for embroidered yokes to come back in. I really should send it on, but I love it so. (Triple whammy: “just a few pounds”, waiting for it to come back into style, and emotional attachment. I’m doomed to keep this shirt forever.)

It’s nice to have a large chunk of the shelf space in my closet back. For my next trick maybe I’ll cull my shoes.

tags: cleaning, closets, clothing, stashing