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Seamstress seeks Mice. Must sew.

So, there’s some sort of mysterious rule of small business that says that the second you get into some sort of flow with the business plan you’ve committed to (my eBookies and patterns), a side job will pop up to tempt you with money. So you take it, because you need some of that, and then another side job pops up. So you take that too, because you’ve been living off savings trying to make a business and you’re worried that your bank doesn’t think you know how to use a deposit slip. And then another side job pops up, but this one promises to be regular income and the other two are one time gigs, and, I gotta tell you guys, regular income kinda rocks, so you take that too. So now I’m stupid busy with side jobs, but I have a plan for getting things done….

my cat and a project
I am going to teach the cat to sew.

She seems interested in my projects, and she’s always been good at poking holes in things, so I don’t think hand (or paw) sewing is too much of a stretch. I mean, if Disney can get mice to do it, surely I can work with the cat.

the cat contemplates the request
I explained what I needed. I even promised to thread the needles. She thought about it.
cat, asleep on the job
And then she fell asleep on the job. Literally.

Next time, I’m getting a mouse. Darn you, Disney, for getting my hopes up! No fairy godmothers producing dresses with the wave of a wand, no sewing mice, I mean, what the heck? You sold me this whole think about how making pretty dresses was so easy that even a passel of pantless rodentia could manage it, and then I grow up and find out you liiiiiiiiied to me…..

But seeing as the cat does feel like helping, and apparently there are no special sewing mice-ies, I spent a couple days sewing shirts for All Dressed Up. (I’ve blanked on the show, but they go on a chorus of girls warbling on about love and wearing red ruffly skirts.) There were ten of them, each with 7.1666667 (what? me? math geek? never!) yards of bias tape applied for elastic casings and just shy of ten yards of turned hem. I believe in making sure things won’t all fray out if someone rips a hem, so all the raw edges are serged even through they’re hidden. (Also, serging makes rolling a hem go even faster – the 1/4″ serge is a built in guide to get an even hem. No extra ironing required!) I kid you not, but by the last few I had construction time down to an hour and a half. I can get all the bias down in a little under 15 minutes, but all the hemming slows me up.

all of the shirts
Look out! It's a flock of smocks!

I really need to clean out there.

Anyway, my new(est) boss thought they were quite festive and liked them a lot. Yay! The other two jobs are websites. I’d ask the cat if she’s interested, but she’s all curled up asleep, snoring contentedly.

6 Comments

  1. David
    David September 19, 2017

    If the cat won’t sew can it be trained to unpick? Now that would save hours.

    • missa
      missa September 21, 2017

      Sadly, no, but she was willing to be a very patient fabric weight while I was cutting.

  2. AmyCat
    AmyCat March 4, 2018

    I figure I’m doing well if the Feline Overlords don’t yack up a hairball when I’ve got fabric spread out on the floor to cut…
    However, if I could have a fictional thingie to assist my sewing, I’d take the Doctor’s T.A.R.D.I.S. (room to expand the sewing room so I can FIND everything!) and Hermione’s Time Turner (downside of that would be ending up 6 months older after one month of RL elapsed time).

    • missa
      missa March 5, 2018

      Lol!!!! If I had a time turner, I’d have been decrepit before I decided anything was done! It is worth minding the Feline Overlords – if they are not happy, you will suffer on so many levels. ;)

  3. Medievalnerd
    Medievalnerd June 23, 2020

    My dog enjoys sitting on any fabric I’m trying to cut on the floor (we have limited table space, so I just spread everything out on the floor if it’s a large project). Sometimes he even falls asleep. My kitten enjoys tearing up my fabric, chasing the thread whenever I try to hand sew something, and attacking the scissors. They’re both very unhelpful.

    • missa
      missa June 24, 2020

      Lol! Fur children are the best, but sometimes also the worst! They surely are cute, though. :)

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