'Git Along, Little Needle

Needles & Cowboys
When I went in to the procedure room on Monday morning and lay down on the table the nurse came in to put an IV in my arm and I told her that I have very difficult veins to tap. She tapped and drew blood twice, but couldn’t thread the tip of the IV and went to fetch some guy in scubs who I believe may have been my anesthesiologist. While the first nurse had been very gentle and tried not to hurt me, the man in scrubs pulled a stool up like he was about to milk a cow, wheeled himself over to my arm and declared, “Ain’t a horse that can’t be rode, ain’t a cowboy that can’t be throwed. I used to ride rodeo and this is what we said.” I was pretty certain that I should have been worried, but by this point I was about to faint and was begging for a Valium. Yee-haw.
I looked the quote up but even though I found it buried in some Foghat lyrics, (There Ain't No Man That Can't Be Caught,) the quote itself looks to be older than this. I don’t know if I had an anesthesiologist who listens to Foghat (something I gave up for my eighteenth birthday,) or if he really rode rodeo at some point. Oh, yeah, and he tapped my vein on the first try. Ouch!

Surgery & Pattern

Monday morning, quite early I might add, I had surgery for carpel tunnel on my left wrist. Sewing, playing guitar, etc. was increasingly difficult and I had lost about 10% of feeling in my middle finger. At this point, three days out from the surgery, I can't say whether or not I'll regain all feeling since I am now dealing with the recovery process. I am supposed to have the right wrist done two weeks from now, but I may cancel it to focus on healing the left first. I would not recommend to anybody having both done simultaneously, not unless you have someone who can feed you, brush your teeth for you and drive you everywhere for about two weeks. This is a fairly painful process.
On my way back from the procedure I stopped at the fabric store and grabbed an intriguing pattern for three corsets: Butterick B4254 for late 18th c. stays, laced two ways, and two 19th c. corsets, one with cups, one w/out, (for four separate looks in total.) It's a lovely pattern and I can't wait to be able to sew again! If you are asking yourself why I don't simply draft everything, the answer is simple: I've learned most of what I know from commercial patterns and highly recommend using them as you begin your own corset-making journey.
This weekend I also picked up another antique, hand-carved dye block from the Indian import boutique.
Still waiting to hear the verdict from the arts committee regarding studio space.

Black Self Draft ~ Ivory Civil War Simplicity

Ophelia's and Studio Space

We are awaiting acceptance by the arts review committee for studio space. We will then be able to make a mess and not have to clean it up very often, stay up all night long, if need be, but not disturb anybody and be available to clients for special orders. It seems like a terribly long wait: Over two weeks, now. There are plenty of ideas on paper for using unique materials for expressive corsetry and we are itching to get started!