My poor, long suffering, husband

"Explain to me again how buying a belt sander comes out of the clothing budget?"

"Do you really need to ask that? You've seen cable ties for duct work, rolls and rolls of duct tape, plumbing tubing, soil cloth for septic tanks, washers, nuts, glues, window screening, painter's tarps and a whole assortment of general hardware go under the clothing budget. Power tools surprise you? I'm making wooden shoes with it."

"When did we become Dutch?"


He really puts up with a lot, does the man of the house. I sometimes think that there should be a support group for the significant others of costumers. It could meet at the hardware store so the little old guys in bright orange vests who walk behind me in bafflement when I inquire after supplies based on their color and shape as opposed to purpose can share stories. Or maybe not, there are certainly worse hazards of being in a relationship with a creative clothier. You don't get to dress yourself, every time you leave the house you have top check for thread trying to hitch a ride to freedom, you can't go barefoot unless you are on the alert for pins, you have to move piles of prewashed fabric aside to get clean pants and socks into the laundry rotation, and of course, the shelves installed for organization in the pantry, linen closet, and garage have all been filled with fabric leaving the same piles of clutter that existed before the shelves.

While he was still a bit bemused over the sander, I changed the subject.

"So, I'm making this dress."

"I noticed. . ."

"I was wondering, when I finished it, if you'd be willing to paint my portrait in it?"

"Do you want something Mannerist or more in the style of the Venetian School?"

And that right there is why I love this man!

In update news, I did some work on the zibellino yesterday. Added some filigree to her face, and attached the mask and feet to the fur. I still need to do the muzzle and chain and make a collar, as well as add the decoration to the feet, but its coming together. She's posed on my pretty roses I got for Mother's Day yesterday. I didn't get as much done yesterday as I planned to, but things are coming along. I really need to focus on the underskirt. There's also the sander to use so chopines should get some attention.