Wednesday, May 04, 2011

The House that Ellery Built

This week has been tense. My dress for the wedding isn't completely altered. Because I have a "woman's" figure on a petite frame, I had to order a size cut for an amazon. They are having to remake it. The first woman I brought it to couldn't make it lie nicely on my chest. She was trying to preserve the cut of the dress. I say who gives a fuck about the intention of the designer? We have to make it work on my body! I called for an appointment with a local seamstress but she won't be in until Friday. Her son assures me she can remake it in five days. Let's hope!

I had an interview today, and I'm not happy about it. (The dude says I always say that.) I hate telephone interviews! I can never think of how to respond. I take the most literal tack and never think laterally. Suppose they ask what makes you a unique candidate. They just want to know what you think you bring to the position, what your strengths are; they don't literally want to know what makes you unique among men. Do I think of this while I am on the phone? And you wonder how come I don't have a job. I'm excellent at what I do, and I look fantastic on paper (I write a great letter) but ask me to talk about myself and I'm a blathering idiot. {Sigh.} Still waiting to hear on the job I interviewed for a month ago as well. Well, I did write to the hiring manager and she's having a time since her second in command is out on maternity leave. I have a feeling I'll get another interview for that one; it just may take another month!


I have been watching old Ellery Queen mysteries and stitching in order to maintain my balance. Jim Hutton may have been my first celebrity crush. I never wanted to miss the show when I was a young girl. He was smart and cute and tall and thin and a little bit of a dufus. Hmm, come to think of it, that's still my type!

I continue to work on Willow Trees Sampler. I've built the house and have started on the other alphabet. I also picked out this year's anniversary sampler. It's from Just Cross Stitch April 2003 and is by Brown House Studio: "A small house can hold as much love as a large one."  There's a lot of love in this small house!

10 comments:

valerie said...

Good luck on the interviewing! It's tough out there. It's finally getting better here so hopefully it's better out there too.

Cindy's Stitching said...

your post made me laugh. I am sure they will make the dress fit. We are not all designed the same. We don't all fit into the same box. We will get a job soon, keep pushing forward and keep praying. I like the piece you are working on.

Miriam said...

I had a similar issue with my wedding dress. I was actually not happy with the final alterations. So do we get to see the dress once done?

Sarah at Leisure said...

Who is the seamstress?

Needles Everywhere said...

Oh my word you poor thing. I get so annoyed at the 'fashion' people and seamstresses and the like. I feel lucky that I am now a jeans and T shirt kind of gal and love it. Hang in there, and keep stitching. Your work is truly inspiring.

Jennifer said...

I too had to fight the seamstress with my wedding dress. Vertically challenged and busty does not a proper wedding dress make! The lady altered it so much that my left boob looked deformed. I ended up making her redo it. Unfortunately, on the day of the wedding I kept having to yank up the dress to keep it from falling down.

I guess you can't win them all!

KarenV said...

Good luck with the dress and with the jobhunting. I had wedding dress woes instead, being petite in height and narrow-shouldered. I bought a beautiful dress and when I went to have it altered a few weeks before the wedding, the seamstress told me it just couldn't be done and still look right. Cue meltdown and frantic search for new dress, plus argument with store where I bought the first dress (they assured me it could be altered) for a refund (I won). Hope you don't have too much (more) hassle with your dress.

Alice said...

Sorry about the bridesmaid's dress... it isn't fun stressing about that so close to the wedding.

Sorry also about the job interview woes. You must feel very frustrated.

Your stitching is very pretty and I too love Ellery Queen. I used to spend many hours in the University library reading archived copies of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine.... a very guilty pleasure as it wasn't exactly on my reading list.

Chocolates4Breakfast (Terri Malinovich) said...

I hope the dress gets altered to your satisfaction. I'm sure you and the bride will both look beautiful.
I am sending good vibes for your job hunt.
Love the stitching and the color of the house. Can't wait to see the sampler all finished.

Jenna said...

I hope that the seamstress is as quick as her son is promising. There's nothing worse than not feeling your best in a fancy dress. Great work on Willow Trees Sampler and I can't wait to see the dude's anniversary piece.