Warning |
| Right leg finished, left leg not |
When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick flowers in other people's gardens
And learn to spit.
You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.
But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.
But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.
by Jenny Joseph
Stats:
Pattern: Pattern Runway Sweet Scalloped Short, size XS
Fabric: 0.7m purple cotton velvet from Mandors, Edinburgh, £9, purchased at the Crafters' Ceilidh - woo hoo!
Other: 7 inch zip (far from invisible); lots of purple gingham bias binding (eebaay) and a Jane Austen quote label from a UK seller at Etsy.
Process:Not without incident.
This fabric frayed like crazy. I was compelled to bind every raw edge with bias binding, including the edge where the zip was due to go. As a result, there was some purple prose when the lapped edge of my non-invisible zip came un-lapped and caused a side-flash of gingham.
See it?
It has since been top-stitched within a millimetre of its life and no longer shows. Ditto the droopy hem in this picture.
I ended up binding the hem-facing with gingham tape and applied two rows of machine stitching, top and bottom, creating a double row of stitching at the hem.
It looks pretty darned sharp now, but I can't prove it because it is too dark for pictures!
Verdict? Utterly Roobeedoo, whoever she is! They fill me with optimism and self-confidence and they make my dear FL laugh himself silly... and right now I cannot ask for more.
17 comments:
I had a feeling these would be great, and they are!
Thank you for that wonderful poem. I just sit here smiling, but soon I shall start looking for a purple dress and a red hat!
That poem always makes me smile, especially as I sometimes get the urge to pick flowers from other people's gardens! The shorts are fabulous and look beautiful inside and out.
Ohhhh, very nice! And love the label and gingham - those extra little finishing touches. Glad FL likes them too. :D
Those are brilliant shorts. I think I have been practising to be that old lady in purple and red all my life!
I love that poem. Thank you for sharing!
Wow, you have done that fabric proud. I am so thrilled to have been there at point of purchase. These shorts are so perfectly you! Well done for sticking with it, despite fraying seams.
I love those shorts - and they do seem very *you* - whatever that means. :) I'm sorry the fabric was such a pain - turned out beautifully in the end though.
I am thinking an absolute nightmare to bind every raw edge, but that binding is lovely and the shorts are beautiful. They look great on you.
My rubydoo at home also has purple shorts but hers are denim with white hearts.
They are fab - look worth the effort x
Love them, especially the gingham binding as far as the eye can see! Nice cardigan too. x
And they do not disappoint! I am in love with them and they are shown off to the max with those colours....like your label which extends the poem's mood!!
Whoever you are, I like your style :D
And the poem.
Ooh yay! Very you indeed. Efficient work on using your CC fabric too.
I love that poem, The crazy thing about these shorts is that they look "just right" on you! I think you have been practicing for the purple shorts—with the pink pants perhaps?
Hooray - so glad you like dthe poem! I didn't remember the red hat in it until I had already taken my pictures - spooky!
Sigrid - I love the idea that the pink trousers were me getting into training for the purple shorts! :D
Awesome poetry, awesome shorts! The gingham binding is very pretty, too. :)
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