New Year, New Shirt

Well, I haven't started the year off the way I wanted to - I'd planned to do a bout of selfish sewing, to clear my head and give me something to talk about here.

After a week-long dredging of the workroom (honestly, you wouldn't believe some of what I found in there; if I'd found Jimmy Hoffa, I'd only have been surprised because I haven't been in the house long enough), I started back in on re-stocking the Etsy shop.  Nice that the inventory went down so low because of the holidays, but on the other hand, the more items in your shop, the more likely you are to turn up in Etsy search results, so restocking was a necessity.

Today we stopped on Fabric Row/4th Street on my way to get my hair cut.  I was almost completely out of grosgrain ribbon, which I need for neck bows for both teddy bears and the smaller knit critters.  PA Fabric Outlet has the best color selection and the best price, and they had a few other things I needed as well.  Why does my house eat small gold safety pins?  Especially when I need them to pin pairs of mittens together?  It doesn't matter; I bought 2 bags.  I also got 4 yards of fusible interfacing, which I sometimes need to reinforce sweater knits (and I'm not using my good shirting stuff for that), and a few other odds and ends.

As I was standing at the cutting table, Mario approached with a bolt of fabric in hand.  "Would this," he asked, "make a good shirt?"

Do you not love a man who doesn't fear color or pattern?  I sure do.  I said I thought so.  He wavered a little, thinking maybe we shouldn't spend the money (it was $4.98 per yard - I also love a man who thinks that's expensive fabric).  I talked him into it, and also into a half yard of coordinating mustard gold for the undersides of the cuffs and the inside collar band.

I asked what struck him about the fabric.  I'm always interested in what he sees, because it's usually not the same thing I get when I look at something.  It reminded him of the intricate textile and drapery designs in a Gustav Klimt painting, which I totally get, though I didn't see it until he mentioned it.  There are even tiny specks of metallic gold and copper in some of the swirls, so it really is reminiscent of Klimt.  If Gustav Klimt made long-sleeved dress shirts with solid gold accent bits.

This fabric is actually in the wash as I write this.  I think starting the new year off by making him a new shirt is a very good thing.