Burda 7126 and the stranger


It was a dark, moody night, I’d been chasing dead leads like a dog with a broken tail chases a rubber shoe down a blind alley full of tears and cynical calicoes.
She stood there in the gloom- her eyes told stories- stories of mystery- broken needles and empty spools. Stories that drive a man mad. I would have followed her anywhere- all the way to the remnant bin and back. She had that kind of power.

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My eyes scanned the faux wrap bodice of her crinkle chiffon blouse. I could tell she had used a self- bias tape on the neckline- she was obviously far too clever for me, but I kept looking. She turned and gave me a look at the raw silk obi wrap that gripped her rib cage like a fat man clings to a full rack of baby back ribs that he spent his last sawbuck on. I liked it and it liked her.

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Her shoulders moved sinuously beneath the heavily darted kimono sleeves- daring me to ask about her facings. I knew, sure as I knew that God made little green apples and a sinner loves an unguarded collection plate that beneath that exterior, she had French seams.

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As the smoke cleared and a lonely train grew near, she turned and in a breathy whisper- a whisper that told of late nights working the graveyard shift and trying to wring tips out of too many tables of travelling salesman with nothing but Blue Plate specials and Poughkeepsie on their minds.
‘Burda, Burda –7126′
‘Wait’, my heart cried out like a baby cried for a kewpie doll at a cheesy carnival – what did it mean? Don’t strand me, Angel Face- tell me the story!’

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The trains lonely whistle shrieked like a poodle with its belly fur pinched tight in an argyle sweater- she turned once more and gently gnawed on her lower lip, while I gnawed on my past.
Finally she spilled- like a snot-nosed punk kid with an overfull glass of moo juice reaching for the last of the flapjacks.
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‘The story never changes, Baby- I omitted the collar and the side zip, left the sleeves to hang like broken wings-  the rest is by the book, Baby.’
I never saw her again, but I’ll never forget that night as long as the cruel Gods of Fate and J Ed Hoover let me keep riding this God-forsaken kiddy car of a planet.
What did it all mean? I’ll never know, but whatever, it was Buffalo and I needed an egg cream.

 

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Psst- color pics on Pattern Review.

Photo credits: meadhawg. All images remain the property of their original owners.

84 thoughts on “Burda 7126 and the stranger”

  2. I have tears in my eyes….I don’t know why you are wasting your time working in a hospital when your true calling is writing…and writing about sewing. Sultry, sexy…siren-like…you have it all going on in that top!

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  5. Shar says:

    I loved it all – the intrigue, the moody pictures, and the changes you made to this pattern! I may not have started breathing again until the part about getting egg creams.

    Liked by 1 person

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  8. Ahh – took me back to my very first Philip Marlowe novel all those years ago… those were the days. Loved the post and the top. Very cool pics. Great fabric and love the green accents.

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  16. I think I read that first sentence three times just because it was so amusing! I laughed out loud the whole way through (much to the annoyance of my husband, I might add).

    Love the photos! What a fun top!

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  19. Brilliant post, I particularly like the photo with the hook, I suspect there is a snitch off shot, tied to a chair getting slapped at your bidding!, and all whilst you are looking sultry and alluring. A femme fatal of a top, lovely job.

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  20. Crikey, you’ve outdone yourself on this post. Hats off to you, ma’am, loved reading this. Self-made bias, kimono sleeves, raw silk, so much cool in this garment. Now I’m going over to PR to see your colour pics.

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  23. Brilliant.

    And since I’m not brilliant (very not brilliant at the moment) I need help finding the color pics on Pattern Review. Do I have to be a member?

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  28. Total classic movie moment!! Where is Bogart in your pics?? (Ooooh, you coulda dressed up dog in a trench coat and shades…) The top looks so expensive and silk-like in the b&w pics. I like it! Will have to go see the colour version now.

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  32. Nancy Sartanowicz says:

    I think you need to book yourself into some nightclubs (or sewing guilds) to let more and more people laugh and be light-hearted about things. Get an agent. You are terrific!

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  33. Oh man! I can’t decide which I like better–hilarious Anne or her darker side…why must you torture me so?!

    Seriously, this post was awesome, you should be a writer! The pics were pretty awesome too, and I like this blouse a lot, but the voice…it gets me every time. 🙂

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