Fabric indecision

Yesterday, after two days of developing Conference Butt, I set out in search of a little retail therapy.

In hindsight, a trip to the fabric store for Wide Leg Lounge Pant materials might have been a misstep.

Normally, I love to stew in all the fabric choices that surround me in the store. I fondle them all, consider most of them briefly, imagine a million one-off projects that I'll never have time to do, etc. Typically I narrow down to a choice few and get in line with the bitties and wait for my turn at the cutting counter before making my final decision. Somehow that clutch moment when the muttering scissor-wielding marm waves me over (or rather sends an exasperated look in my general direction) provides just the right amount of adrenaline and scrutiny so that I can finally decide that the colorful batik is a better choice than the paisley cowboys.

Most of the time.

I knew that I had a difficult task in front of me: Find fabric for the Pants portion of the Wide Leg Lounge Pants to compliment the trim from a random silk skirt that someone gave me half a dozen years ago from Thailand that I've never worn and have secretly been hiding in the closet knowing that "someday I'll want it".

Unfortunately, this lovely silk skirt was woven in a color unknown to mankind. It is unmatchable. Sorta blue. Sorta grey. Sorta lavender. Sorta periwinkle. Sorta fucking annoying. Plus, the embroidered trim pattern is done in gold. Again, wildly unmatchable with normal fabric patterns and a challenge to pair with anything without looking gaudy, bizarre or just plain ugly.

Also, I am unwilling to mail it in by making the pants from plain black or white fabric. Which, frankly, would probably look retarded anyway.

What to do?

Why, spend a good hour squinting one eye while holding up the trim to every conceivable cotton in the store, of course! (Meanwhile, four inch heels get no more comfortable.) In the end, I had two possible choices: a nice open scrolling pattern printed on a varying gold (not metallic -ew) batik background OR some sporadic organic looking paisley-ish pattern on a muted reddish to whitish to brownish gradient background. Note: Some of the paisley-ish squiggles are a near exact color match to the unmatchable blue/grey/purple/periwinkle of the trim.

I hemmed and hawed a good bit, but when token scissor marm called me to the cutting table, I went with the paisley. The color match was undeniable and created a much more calming tone, rather than the TOO MUCH feeling I got from the batik.

Until the bolt was unfurled to reveal that the reddish to whitish to brownish gradient was, in fact, an interpretation of the sky at dusk and below said sky was a rambling scene in silhouette of a cowboy on horseback perhaps riding off into the sunset between mountain ranges and past cacti and other assorted western-type props.

The marm and I both gasped and "Ew"'d in tandem as she unfolded the bolt to reveal the full glory of this annoying hidden gem.

As much as I do not "do" or "enjoy" western themed things, in general, I knew that going back to the drawing board on the fabric choice was not an option. Not at this point with my 4 inch silver peep-toe slingback heels strangling my poor toes, for sure. So, instead of hobbling off empty handed, I had Flo/Clarice/Marge/Annabelle slice me off a four yard section rather than the 2 3/4 required for the pattern in the hopes that I might be able to trim the whimsical cowpoke from the bottom of the fabric by strategically placing the pattern pieces to cover only the Sky at Dusk.

Done! Right?

Now I'm reconsidering. Even though the color match is undeniable (using this term loosely) and the resulting combination *might* not be hideous, I'm just not able to imagine myself ever wearing this monstrosity. Let's be honest, most of my loungewear is either black, denim, white or army green. None of it is red, periwinkle, gold or cowboy.

However, when I was expressing my dismay and indecision to Bubba and casually mentioned the Surprise Cowboys, a look of boyish excitement came over his face that I could not ignore.

The man has a secret desire for cowboy pillowcases.

I know. It's a mite strange.

So, I imagine I'll be back off to the fabric store this weekend in search of new fabric which may or may not match the skirt trim since I'm not at all convinced that I love the trim that much anyway and plus, I don't want my pants turning out like some sort of textile border skirmish.

But first, for some Secret Fantasy Cowboy Pillowcases. Who knew?