Wednesday

Saturday when we had a birthday dinner for Rod and I, the grandkids donned their Halloween shirts and sat for a picture.  They love their shirts, and I love them.

It didn't seem that this week had been to profitable, didn't seem that I had accomplished too much.  And there's so much to do with less than 60 days until  Christmas.  Monday, I worked in the sewing room for only an hour and got the sewing cabinet cleaned off and put my embroidery machine and the embroidery thread boxes on top. I had re-positioned the sewing cabinet and now there's an outlet behind it.  I don't have to move the embroidery machine to use it now.  I think it will be a big plus.  Tuesday, I had a doctor's appointment and didn't accomplish much.  I did get all the remaining fabric pieces folded and sorted.  And I started to clean off the sewing table.  This morning I woke up with some energy for a change (to see why, check the Chubby Bee blog) and after a good breakfast, went to work in the room.  I finished cleaning off the table, picked some scraps up off the floor and deposited them into the trash, and then decided I needed to do something constructive.  I hunted up some leftover fleece from quilt backs and cut out two pullovers and a hat for the baby dolls.  I broke for lunch, and debated what I should do next.  Since the table was still empty, I went back and cut out 4 aprons for Christmas gifts.  I was using the 1 yard apron pattern that I have mentioned in previous posts.  Not bad for one day's work.  I have other things to do yet today, so my time in the sewing room for today has come to an end.  Hope your day was as constructive.

And the Winner Is. . .

Jake's Shirt

ME! All weekend I worked on Halloween shirts for the grandkids. Jake's was pretty quick, Izzy's was easy. And then I started on Bubba's. My goal was to finish all 4 shirts br Sunday night. But you know what they say about the best laid plans. . . I had only 6 minutes to sew on Bubba's design, and the thread broke. I rethreaded and restarted. 4 stitches and the machine stopped and told me to rethread and restart. I did, sewed 4 more stitches, and it stopped. Rethread and restart. Ugggg I was getting angry. That machine needed a time out! I turned it off and we went to get some dinner. I had taken it apart and cleaned it. I had rethreaded about a dozen times. This morning, I changed the needle and when I rethreaded a piece of frayed thread came out of the take-up arm. And voila, it sewed. I always tell the grandkids they can fight all they want, but Grammy always wins! And now the embroidery machine knows it, too.

This is Izzy's shirt.  She loves cats.  When I did the applique embroidery this time, I used heat n bond light on the back on the pieces.  I used my Clover mini-iron while the shirt was in the hoop and fused it before doing the final zig zag stitching.  Nothing pulled loose and it lays nice and flat.

This is the shirt I did for Bubba.  The design looks crooked in the photo, but I think it's the photographer.  I bought and downloaded these designs from Planet Applique.  They have some really cute designs, and they are very inexpensive.  I buy my tee shirts from Jiffy Shirts.  They have a great selection of shirts in all sizes and colors, and they are very good quality (and inexpensive).  Usually I have my order in 1 or two days.

Happy Birthday to Me

Yes, today it's my birthday.  I am officially 61 years old.  Does that make me a "senior citizen"?  Can I get senior discounts now?  Or am I just one year older?  Aren't birthdays supposed to be great?  I thought so, but so far my day as been pretty disappointing.  I woke up with a leg cramp at 12:15 this morning.  I got out of bed and walked the cramp out, but this morning the leg is still sore.  This morning is gloomy, it's raining, The leaf color hasn't reached peak yet, but with all the rain, I'm afraid they will fall before achieving full color.

I've been working on Halloween shirts for the kids.  Jake's is done.  This morning, I went back to the sewing room to work on Izzy's shirt, and discovered that I hadn't transferred her design to my zip drive.  So that went right out the window.  I have now transferred that design, so I'm good to go.  Except that George will be bringing the kids soon.  So the shirts will have to wait til tomorrow.  No cheese, please.  I just prefer my whine alone!  NO MORE WHINE,  promise!

And here comes my happy face!  After all, the day can only get better - right.  Tonight Rod and I are going to dinner with Kris and family, and Pat and Pam.  We're going to Harmony Inn, a restaurant that we've always wanted to try, but never have.  They have quite an extensive menu, so deciding what to have will be a tough decision.  And hopefully, the weekend will be full of sewing!

Secret Santa Soiree

While reading Pat's Blog this morning, I saw that she is participating in a Secret Santa Soiree.  It sounded interesting, so I clicked on the Santa photo and read all about it.  And, I've decided to participate.  If you're interested in learning more about it, click on the Secret Santa button.

I worked the last two mornings on the quilt that I'm making for the Vet Clinic to raffle for their free care fund.  I decided to use the "Simply Charming" pattern, and the blocks are well under way.  Will post photos later this week.

Another Monday

How is it that weekends go so fast, and the week doesn't?  We're here at another Monday.  The weekend was sort of constructive.  I finished the little purses I was working on.  And will post a picture sometime this week.  I hunted out patterns for other items I want to make.  And that made me realize how much I need to get the organization of my sewing room finished.  I found patterns that I didn't know I had.  I have 4 patterns for fleece hats - for all ages.  And they're so cute.  I had a great idea for embellishments, and so went to Clotilde's site and ordered a book on making embellishments from zippers. I also ordered the zippers.  And then I went to Joann's site and ordered fleece and elastic -- yea about $100 worth.  So, maybe I didn't accomplish a lot, but boy did I spend money.  Rod's only comment was, "It's OK we'll make more tomorrow."    Don't you just love that attitude!

A Wasted Friday?

There are so many things that I could be doing, should be doing, but I'm sitting on the back deck doing nothing. It's a beautiful day - bright, sunny, and warm. I don't know how many more of these days we will have. One neighbor is cutting hay, probably his last cutting for the year. Rod is on our tractor cutting grass, hopefully for the final time this season. And I love the smell of freshly cut grass almost as much as I love watching my hubby on the tractor. Call me a pervert if you want, but I like watching him and it makes me feel young again, like 35 years ago when we moved into this house. We were so young then and had no idea what life held in store - probably a good thing. Life hasn't always been kind to us, but we've survived all it tossed our way and been stronger for it. When I married this man nearly 37 years ago, I thought I knew everything about him, loved him as much as possible, and had all the answers to life's questions. Boy was I mistaken! I didn't have any idea what the questions were, knew very little about Rod, and didn't love him nearly as much as I do now. I haven't accomplished anything today, but I have spent the afternoon appreciating what I have in life, being thankful for all God has granted me, and anticipating what the future holds. To some, it might be a waste Friday, but to me it was a much needed day of reflection.

Monday Bits and Pieces

I'm a little put out this morning.  Normally I don't turn on the heat until late October or early November.  It's a big attempt to save money.  But with daily highs in the 50's and lows in the 30's and 40's combining with a cold rain for the past few days, the house took on a chill.  Rod took out the window air conditioners over the weekend, which helped some, but last night he got the heaters ready to turn on.  I haven't done it yet, every time I go the the thermostat, my hand just won't turn the dial.  It's not too bad in here this morning.  And by the weekend, it will be back in the 70's.

Isn't it funny how one simple word can make a difference.  Yesterday I worked on some little purses.  I know the room isn't finished, but I had an itch to sew.  And since I'm the boss . . . Any way, I decided to finish one completely before finishing the other 8 that I had started.  Good decision.  It's all done, and I hate the way it looks.  Zippers have never been my strong suit, and this was no exception.  However, the pouch just looked wimpy.  I reread the directions, and discovered I missed one simple word - interfaced.  According to About.com, the definition for interfacing is:  a usually unseen interior addition to various parts of a garment which adds body that the fabric alone would not add.   Yep, makes a big difference.  So now I have to tear the zippers out of the 8 that I didn't finish completely.  And add the all-important interfacing.  I guess it could be worse.  I'm off to rip!  Have a good day.