I've Abandoned the Crochet Dress

I have to say one of the many wonderful things about working with yarn is how easy it is to undo a garment. If you don't like how a sweater is shaping up, you can rip it back. Ditto a crochet dress, which you can undo faster than you can run upstairs and downstairs in a 2-story house. I wish I could say the same about sewing. Last night I decide to pre-shrink this lovely super-pinwale white corduroy with these big massive black flowers and curlicue leaves (think of some those large floral prints that you've seen waltzing down the runways lately, and you'll get the idea). Just beautiful fabric, the stuff of dresses and skirts.

Well, the dye ran. Actually I think it did a marathon on my fabric. There are gray shadows behind many flowers!! I can't believe the fabric's ruined. Sure, I can cut around some of it. I'm not sure I can do the dirndl skirt I had in mind though. Might be more like funky bermuda shorts. But I can't toss it, especially after I spent mega-bucks on it at Metro Textiles in New York City. No sirree, I can forgo projects, but I cannot, absolutely pitch expensive materials. Never. Unless my mother wants them for a quilt she's making me. Then in that case, she can have them. That said, I have been known to pitch pricey textiles after the scissors attacked them in the wrong spot. Don't tell all my finds in my fabric bin. The less those babies know, the better. You know how it goes!

I actually discovered the dye problem while I was at Arcadia Knitting starting the sweater you see above. The fabric was peeking out of my tote while it was resting on a brand-new pink couch there. "Could it be? Oh no, it can't be!" I muttered to myself, while another knitter admired my fabric. "Did you make that?" she asked.

I had to tell her no, (I wanted to tell her weaving isn't one of my many strengths just yet, but I was fretting about my fabric.)

I brought the fabric with me to Arcadia just in case I got to Vogue Fabrics before they closed the doors at 9 p.m. I went to the knit shop because I just decided that the crochet dress wasn't working for me. I tried on the upper half, and I didn't like how the shoulders practically fell off of me. I despite it when that happens. I have wee shoulder-blades and I have trouble enough keeping anything with regular straps from falling off my body. So the dress went bye-bye without any regret and I began stitching this top. With luck, I'll have it done in time for the Sewing With A Plan deadline at the end of July. (I've already made three things. I have 9 to go. Do you think I'm working hard yet? No way. I'll wait til the due day approaches and then panic. Then I'll just make a bunch of easy-peasy clothes.) I haven't forgotten about my black- and -white floral textile. What do you do when fabric cries and leaves stains behind?