More Baby Robins — Janet Szabo

I heard a noise on the porch outside my office yesterday afternoon so I went to investigate. I found Yet Another Baby Robin; this one must just have fallen out of the nest because it seemed a bit disoriented.

I kept an eye on it for a while. I did not hear Mama calling, which surprised me. The baby toddled over to the corner by the wall and sat down to wait. About an hour later, I heard Mama calling it and eventually, it flew off.

I thought we might be done with baby robins, but I spotted another adult sitting in a nest in the porch rafters—on eggs, I presume. I can’t remember robins nesting so late into the summer.

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My one goal for yesterday was to cut out the Lou Raincoat. Cutting took me about an hour and a half. I wasn’t rushing, but I also had to be a bit careful because I can’t use pins on the dry oilskin or they will leave holes. Even if I had could have used pins, the fabric is thick enough that pins would not go in easily.

I spread out the yardage on the floor of our bedroom and laid down the pattern pieces. I used large clips to stabilize the pieces before I cut them, and added smaller clips to keep the cut pieces together.

It was slow going, but it worked. The pieces for the shell are all cut and stacked.

I cut judiciously, so all I have left is a small pile of scraps and a large one-yard remnant that I can use for another project.

Assembly cannot begin until I cut the lining pieces. I am trying to decide what to do about interfacing. The pattern instructions call for interfacing the outer shell pieces. I would have to use sew-in interfacing—fusible is not going to stick—although the dry oilskin certainly doesn’t need to be beefed up. I could interface the lining pieces. I will cut the lining pieces and make a decision. I don’t want the raincoat to be too stiff to wear comfortably.

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All that rain made the grass grow, so yard duties are on the list for this morning. Robert and I are playing several piano-trombone duets for prelude at church on Sunday and I need to practice my parts this afternoon. If I have any time left, I’ll work on cutting out the raincoat lining.