Xmas Bow Tie o’ Yesterday and Xmas Tie o’ Yesterday are most likely siblings. They are certainly twinners-in-fabric. Sometimes a bow tie is the right cherry atop the ensemble you’re wearing. Sometimes it’s a necktie that works best. I doubled up my style by wearing both to Sunday brunch.
We hadn’t eaten an actual meal since Tgiving, because we hadn’t gotten hungry yet. But by Sunday brunch time, we were hankerin’ for food again. We didn’t go anywhere that serves a real brunch menu, but we still called it brunch. We ate at Buca di Beppo, in SLC, which ended up being a no do-over experience.
First, the hostess seated us at that one table every restaurant has, which is the table where they banish the patrons they deem unworthy of being a consumer in their establishment. They don’t want anyone to see you and conclude you’re the kind of person who eats there. Being relegated to the “bad” table, implies you are bad for business. That table is usually located by the restrooms and/or kitchen, and windows are nowhere in sight.
I could have requested for us to be seated at a better table, but when I try a restaurant for the first time, I like to experience what the restaurant thinks I merit. If the staff treats me like I’m a welcome regular, I will most likely become one. No worries about that happening for me at Buca di Beppo.
And then, when our meal came, Suzanne’s Brussels sprouts were set down in front of her looking like roundish charcoal briquettes. Back she sent them, so then we shared my saltimbocca, which we both liked. The calamari was not a do-over, but the desserts we brought home were yummy and made for a fantastic supper.
As if our Sabbath wasn’t exciting enough, we embarked on another JOANN’s shopping spree. I stayed in JOANN’s the entire time Suzanne was there, which was not my regular behavior. She wanted me there because she wanted me to peruse the fabric in the 70% off section. She wanted me to choose cape material. I think capes are what she’s giving me for Christmas, which is a-ok with me. The shopping was a success: I found enough designs for 7 capes. But I guess it actually counts as 14 capes, cuz Suzanne makes them reversible for me. [The cart behind me in the second photo holds my fabric booty.]
When we got home, Suzanne dragged out the JOANN’s receipt and proudly announced she had saved $473.83. That got me pondering. How much money do you have to total up at JOANN’s in order to save nearly $500? The answer? $724.75, to be exact. With all the savings, the actual cost of fabric for 7 capes was a “mere” $250 bucks and 92 cents. Thrift wins. We love us our sales.
HOLIDAY TIE TALLY: 22 Bow ties. 53 Neckties.
I know the cape tally will never equal the ties, but I hope everyone knows that I make them by hand, carefully spinning the cotton, weaving, dying and printing the fabric, then I have to cut out each pattern piece (there are 393 in total), finally I make each stitch—evenly spaced—painstakingly with a needle and thread. I work far into the night by candlelight, occasionally I use the lantern, then I fashion a specific ribbon for the TIE closure at the neckline. I’m pretty sure the selling price would run well into several tens of thousands of dollars and instead of quitting my day job, I donate each and every cape to the one, the only, tie o’ the day founder, H.E. Wright, who, coincidentally gave me the BEST. SEWING. BOX. EVER.