LIMBO WEEK

Well I think I'll drop last week into limbo and never think about it again. I keep doing a Scarlett O'Hara and say "Tomorrow is another day" but that day turns out to be just as bad. Sleeping 8 hours a night is supposed to be good for you but just as good is sleeping with your head against the shower wall at three in the morning. I've tried boring books, soft music and aromatherapy but getting up in the middle of the night to sew one of my dresses is the best.

The house is strewn with unfinished projects. Bags for the op shop are still in the hall and I keep dropping the odd book or video in there, any pair of shoes that have given me blisters and believe me if they're still giving me blisters after two years, they're never going to be good and bits of material.

Which brings me back to the sewing. I almost threw in a beautiful piece of cotton from the after-Christmas sales last year. My autumn colours, soft and quality fabric good for at least 20 years of wear. I'm really into economic sustainability where clothes are concerned because it gives me more money to put into shoes that don't give me blisters. So this material was cut out, sewn up and put on.....eeeeeeeeek. The red roses that were so nice in the background suddenly looked like a posse of pustules in search of a disease and so it ended up in the bottom of the 'unwearable' basket. Sometimes a dress costing $15 isn't that much of a bargain.

I don't like to give up on a fabric though and I decided to re-cut it. A rummage through the patchwork stash brought a brilliant red with dark holly leaves, perfect match to tone down the roses. a remmant from Big W meant a greeny yellow flounce (holly leaves and red berries) and I was on my way to a Christmas season dress.

This isn't the only midnight to dawn article being sewn. Two nightdresses (still at the bottom of the basket), two nighties, three sundresses, two dresses, one summer, one autumn and three of these have flounces (also 6 pairs of blessed knickers which will be 'un-blessed' when I darn the holes in the interests of economic sustainability). All straight sewing which is good for boring oneself to sleep. But halfway through the glow-in-the-dark Christmas rose, I decided to measure how many metres I'm actually sewing. Bad bad idea. I'm sewing my way through enough yardage to get the Cutty Sark to China and back on the tea run. Now I've started to worry about about the bargearse which is going to stop me sleeping after all the sewing.

I might have to resort to a bit of chemical assistance to get back the sleeping pattern. A few hours a night is playing havoc with the face, the wrinkles are starting to have a life of their own. Another thing to detest about daylight saving. Walking into a bathroom flooded with sunshine really doesn't do much for early morning vanity.

Anyhow, I've tried on the dress. It fits. It is bright. Children will be looking for presents underneath my feet. Reindeer will think I'm fodder. Forget the latest comet, I can be seen from Space. Bow to me, I am the Christmas twit. (I said TWIT, you low minds)