Cell Block H

     I'm a thrifty person by nature, so when my favorite summer nightie more or less disintegrated in the washer, I decided to make a new one.  I scrounged through my pattern box and discovered a 99 cent special from a Joann's sale and then headed to my stash for a big enough piece of cotton.  I had about 2 yards left of a small green plaid that I'd used as a quilt backing.  I got busy cutting it out.  My first clue that something was wrong was the strange opening in the front.  After carefully reading the directions, I discovered it was a maternity nightgown!  At 59 I sure don't need one of those, but I like roomy nighties so I sewed up the gap and continued.  When I tried it on, it was not only several sizes too big (obviously pattern sizes do not equal regular clothes sizes), but was the ugliest thing I've ever put on.
     I showed it to my daughter, who smirked and asked for a fashion show.  After about 10  minutes of laughing, she said she couldn't decide if it looked more like a table cloth with a hole cut in the middle or a dress from one of those B movies from the 50s about women in prison. We promplty dubbed it the "Cell Block H Nightie".  Thrifty definitely wasn't better - but I just can't help myself - I see a strip quilt in its future.