≈ So I’d like to know where…♪ she’ll get the notions…♫

Current Notes: Selected contents of my Madeira Treasure Chest - embroidery thread. 
Too lightweight for durable clothes. 

Got interesting news today – along with another inch of snow. It was so beautiful early in the morning, pristine and clean and sparkling gently from several still-working streetlamps. Undisturbed until I let Ginger outside at her demand, then only her tiny paws marked the passage of any time at all.

News was, MIL wants to sew clothes for her toddler grand-daughter. I bet Beloved Hubby’s glad I talked him out of tossing that old sewing machine now. ‘Cause she ain’t getting near mine. Sorry, I’ll give anybody the pillows off my bed, but KJ and Brody are off limits. I don’t like it when Beloved uses my machine to patch a tear on a work shirt, to be truthful. He tends to pull fabric and break needles. Don’t tell him I told you.

She asked if I knew where to get inexpensive patterns, since all the ones she saw were nearly twenty bucks ! I quickly clued her in to 99¢ pattern sales and how I’d long ago found many simple styles online. Mostly infant patterns that I’d altered to doll clothes, but within 30 seconds, I’d found about a hundred for toddlers. Wonder what search terms she used. I also advised her to research Simplicity, Buttericks, and McCall's current patterns online, then write down the numbers of the ones she likes, to save time at the tables. Be glad to take her out shopping, or pick them up for her, her choice. Our Hobby Lobby still has pattern file cabinets – but the table and chairs and pattern books were gone last time I was there. Maybe they’ve ordered new ones, but I never count on anything returning once it’s gone.

I wondered about the status of yard sales and thrift stores where B & SIL live – I’d given up making clothes for Baby Crissy when I found gorgeous ones second-hand for pocket change – and at least twice I had to turn down offers of boxloads of infant dresses for free. Once I accepted, and donated the lot. Things must be different up North – and I doubt anyone’s having big yard sales with all this blinkin’ snow. Still, it’s usually cheaper to buy second-hand than buy fabric and notions…ah, but she had a plan already. She’s gonna use those old clothes of hers that I had her pull out of Dearest Son’s closet !

Well, I wish her luck. I’ll go through my stash, since she has no notions at all, and I have enough pins for a dozen quilting bees. Hornets, too. But she’ll need to invest in some herself, as I pared down my supplies before we moved, and most of my thread is old. Wooden spool old. Fine for doll clothes, not trustworthy for people clothes. Plus, I don’t want anyone else digging through all my stuff looking for a certain shade of pink thread. I can tell her a good place to buy Velcro ™ online, or take her to Hobby Lobby, but my ultra-thin stuff was expensive ! I hate to sound so selfish…but I am !

Still, I’m gonna wait until she actually asks me to pull her sewing machine out of the closet my desk currently blocks. No sense in tearing through stuff and giving her more clutter until she’s ready to use it. Without a sewing machine, there’s only so much she can do, or prepare. Plus, I honestly don’t know if she even has good scissors !