Helena Handbasket

By Tivoli

After I had blipped on Saturday my downstairs neighbour popped up to see me with a huge pile of clothes. She is losing weight and could do with having some of her garments taken in at the waist, but there were some more interesting and less complicated jobs to do as well.

There were a couple of tee-shirts which she does not wear but likes the printing on front and back. Could they be turned into cushion covers? Yes they could!

She has extremely narrow shoulders but has one or two scooped neck neckline items which fall off her shoulders. Could I do anything about that? Yes I could!

She is also very short and so these new trousers with integral (non-adjustable) braces needed their braces shortening. Was that achievable? Yes indeed!

So on Sunday I bought a couple of cushion pads, some appropriately-coloured sewing threads and some buttons and then began the cushion covers. They were complete by Sunday evening and I meant to blip them but she was so pleased with them that she scampered back downstairs with them to show her friend and that was that.

She is also taking part in an Irish dancing competition and her outfit is one of many that has the shoulder drop-off problem so that was a priority. I fixed the narrowest imaginable black ribbon from shoulder-to-shoulder with a small loop at the centre to hold it all in place with the little button at the back of her dress. And then I took the dress in just a tiny amount. So, no blip on Sunday but a very happily productive day.

On Monday after work I removed a foot of braces tape from these trousers (having measured very carefully) and then I attached some crossing red ribbon to the back of this dress to stop it dropping off her shoulders.

It will be a while before I have a chance to do any more but I thought I would at least get the easy and fun ones out of the way and think long and hard about how to fulfil some of the other requests.

I'm not charging her for the work, only the materials. I am grateful to have something to think about and to work at and she is grateful to have restored whatever I can restore. So no pressure either way.

Of course these hangers do not do the clothes any justice at all.

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