On Line Again (Thank Goodness)

On Line Again (Thank Goodness)

Ah, to be back on line! Oh, bliss!

But of course, that means ... back to work.

As luck would have it, when the technician brought back my computer, there was no electricity in my apartment because of a temporary malfunction. So what did I do while waiting for it to be repaired? Instead of cursing Murphy’s law, I dyed two light-weight cotton dresses that I bought a while ago at a store downtown that specializes in the long, flowing dresses and skirts we see so much of in Jerusalem. Both dresses were pretty faded, so I got them at a bargain and figured that I would use them for comfortable home wear during our long, hot summers. But the dye came out so well that I think I can wear them outside now, too.

(Oh, rats. I could have taken before and after pictures. Oh, well. Next time.)

And dyeing a garment is so very easy. I’m too chicken to use my washing machine for it, but the bucket method is a lot of fun. It’s much more hands-on than the washing-machine method—you have to stir the garment in the dye bath for at least twenty minutes straight—but I love that sort of thing.

Yeah, I know what you’re thinking: Double, double toil and trouble. Well, you can relax. It was a plastic bucket, even if I was using a thick wooden stick for stirring. And it’s not that much toil, really, and no trouble at all as long as you take your time and follow directions.

Sometimes even being off-line for a few days can be productive. Instead of two faded dresses—one a slightly faded blue and the other a light green so discolored that I decided I would only wear it at home—I have two lovely new dresses, one a vibrant royal blue and the other a rich dark green. And all it took was a small investment and a little bit of work.

And it was so much fun. I really should do this sort of thing more often.