PIN-A-LOT

Sewers are often afraid to work with shiny, slick or squirrelly fabric. They love the look of silk charmeuse, silk chiffon or a slinky knit, but are afraid to give it a try because, quite honestly, it does slip and slide. Some sewers will baste the fabrics together. That is probably the most reliable, but I do not enjoy basting. It is like filling a hole twice. Hand me a needle and thread, and I'll rush through the stitches as quickly as I can to move onto the next step. But, pinning, I love to pin. I think it is because whenever I am on a project that requires me to pin-a-lot, I think of Moseley.

Moseley was a maniac. In the rain, you could see him driving down the street, making the largest splash wave from his truck he possibly could. When he tested products for my designer husband, we would call it a submission to the "Moseley Destructo Test Facility". If it was physically possible to break something, Moseley would find a way. Then he would laugh. He always laughed.

When my husband and I felt stressed with business, or life, or just like we were having hard times, Moseley would call with just one word.... Jaaaa....laaaaa....maaaa. We would jump in the car, drive 1-1/2 hours north and meet him at the secluded surf beach. Somehow, whatever was causing the stress mattered no longer. That was Moseley's gift. He was a party animal, who made everyone else feel as if their life was one big party every time he was around.

My husband and I were in Paris when Moseley died. Our office called to give us the message that we were returning for his funeral. What a funeral it was. They had to open a side chapel at the Santa Barbara Mission to hold the overflow crowd. The Highway Patrol led a procession along Highway 101. On duty emergency personnel, firemen, paramedics and police, stood at attention at bridges along the way. I do believe Highway 101 was shut down for Moseley's procession.

Along the entire length of Gaviota Pier, firemen in full dress uniforms held their gloved hands to their head and saluted to Moseley, while on the beach a Shaman from the Chumash Indian Nation sent Moseley on his way through the Western Gate.

What I remember most of the entire event was when one of Moseley's pall bearers was tying the coffin to the back of his fire truck. My husband walked up to him and said, "If you can't tie a knot, tie-a-lot." At first the fireman looked angry at my husband, and then he smiled because we knew the code. Moseley had a lot of sayings and that was one.

When working with slippery fabric, it will slip and slide while basting too. So, the best thing to do is grab a whole box of silk pins. It is very important that they are silk pins, so as not to leave holes in fine fabric, and PIN-A-LOT.