DOCS roundup - 3/16

Plot summary for "DOCS - 3/16", in which two women finish projects unexpectedly and a third revisits an old friend.

The scene opens on a cozy sewing room with early afternoon winter light filtering in through sheer curtains and a fire dancing merrily in the background. In the center of the room is an arrangement of tables abutting the windows on one side. Three sewing machines sit facing the center, one on each of the three remaining sides. A woman sits at each machine with various fabrics and patterns spread out before her. The women chatter in gentle tones while working on the machines. A nearby table holds various snacks.

Donna - Donna deftly fingers the previously-cut black cotton with vertical patterning, holding it up for the other two women to see. She then holds up a pattern that was purchased two years ago (or more) and points at one of the drawings on the front. The drawing shows an impossibly thin female figure modeling a button-front, puffed-sleeve blouse with attractive ruffling around the bottom. The other women exclaim delightedly as Donna bends to her work.

Chelsea - Chelsea sighs unhappily as she reaches into the sewing bag at her feet and withdraws a partially completed dress. The dress is beautifully finished, with gathers and simple ties around the waist line and hoop closures for the small, round buttons that will adorn the front. She dejectedly pulls the dress over her head for her companions to view. As the other women proclaim the various merits of the dress, her countenance gradually lightens as she contemplates the project anew. With confidence now enlivening her movements, she removes the dress and begins work on the hem. Little does she know that her new found confidence will be severely tested as reworks the hem throughout the afternoon.

Cyndy - The grim cast to Cyndy's features tells the tale. She contemplates the sheer, pin-tucked blouse that has occupied so much of her time as of late. Her companions lend sympathetic ears while she regales them with tales of seams unravelling, stitches bunching, and fabric floating every which way. Bolstered by their compassionate utterances, Cyndy turns to her task with a fatal look of determination, knowing that by the end of the day, the unfinished project will have either perished or finished.

As the afternoon wanes, light fades from the windows and the day draws to a close. The fireplace has long since gone dead and the snacks have dissipated. At the table sit three now-triumphant women. The bodice of Donna's blouse has flourished under her tender care and now stands ready to move forward to the next stages. Chelsea's dress appears to virtually glow as she tries it on again, gloriously finished but for a few remaining buttons. Cyndy's exultant posture as she wears the finished pin-tucked shirt proclaims to the world that she has emerged from her ordeal victorious.

In the background, the sound of children's voices bubbling with excitement can be heard as the lights close on the happy scene.