What it looks like when I have to move my "stash"...

In March of 2017, we learned we had 90 days before trucks came to move us far away to our new home.  I was NOT going to let anyone else pack any of my sewing supplies, machines, or my "stash".

(Actually most of my stash was already in plastic boxes--I stored them that way, on a rack, on shelves, and stacking the big ones on the floor.)

First I took my original boxes and packed my good sewing machine and my serger.  Then I adapted a box for my old serger and cut out odd styrofoam pieces to stuff around it.  (Around each machine, I packed the parts and supplies that would fit--i.e., machine parts, bobbin collections, tools, etc.)

In other boxes I packed all of my sewing and serger machine feet, all of my thread-holder-boxes, and all the small boxes of things like zippers, elastics, velcro, buttons, ribbons, patterns, etc.  These boxes all had labels indicating the major categories in that box.

Pattern boxes, quilt backing, etc.:  (You can see the "Craft Room" blue tape labels on these boxes--every box was labelled.)


The smaller boxes ended up in this stack:  (The purple patterned duct tape was the designation for things to be taken to the Craft Room upon arrival.  You can see a lot of writing on the boxes indicating contents.)


The big (permanent) rack for fabrics (mostly quilting fabrics):  (These large plastic crates were moved "as is", in stacks on the moving van.)


Some of the other crates of fabric -- flannels, and many other kinds (anything large enough was also moved "as is").




I have no photos of the iron, steam machine, sewing machine, and two sergers in their boxes.

(If you wonder why I am moving my old serger as well as my newer one, it's easy.  It's a good one, but the kind that will make you lose your religion changing threads!  I keep it threaded in white, and use my other one for all other colors and the variety of other things for which I have feet.)

Upon arrival, all of the boxes were taken to the Craft Room and the boxes went straight onto the big rack.  Other fabric boxes were piled all over the craft table, underneath it, etc., waiting for final destination.

Eventually I spent a couple of hours finding boxes whose contents would enable me to at least be able to stitch up something needed (like a temporary curtain, mending things, sewing on a button, etc.).  The labels were so well done I was able to find critical threads for all machines, machine feet, and my "tools".

In a couple of hours on another day, I began organizing my portion of the (shared) Craft Room:  (By now, it was July 18, 2017--but I was  relatively "functional"!  This space felt like heaven!)


Eventually a home was found for the remaining boxes.  Yay!

Now the chore is to sew it all up, someday (when we have unpacked more stuff).

[This post actually written Jan. 2, 2019 -- there hasn't been any time!]

Labor Day Weekend - Not EVERY day is meant for sewing!

Raspberry trifle our family loves!

Change of Name for the Sun Dresses

Someone who received one of my Not-a-Pillowcase dresses (see previous post below) is an adorable 2-1/2 year old.  She named her dress the "Weelee Dress" and I like it!

Henceforth they shall be called "Weelee Dresses".

And just in case you think that all I ever do is sew....

For the fun of it, I thought I'd include some photos of some of my recent craziness...

Our neighbors are out of the country for three weeks--right in the middle of when ALL the plums are coming in, so they asked us to please pick up the plums.  This good pioneer lady can't stand to see wonderful fresh food going to waste.

At first I tried Plum Küchen. Slightly before it was finished cooking (in this VERY messy pan...apparently I drizzled a LOT of it all over as I put the plum slices in the pan.)

I used WheyLow in the first Plum Küchen, but there were lots more plums the next night, so I made another one. In that one I used WheyLow and I also used whole wheat flour -- less guilt.

There were leftovers, so I just messed around and put them into a pan. Next thing I knew, I had 2-1/2 pints of plum preserves  (I know the label says jam, but I didn't want to put a long word on the label--it's really preserves.)

Plum syrup (made from boiling the seeds with their bits of plum flesh attached, then squeezing in cheesecloth).  The one on the left is made with WheyLow Gold; the one on the right is WheyLow granular. 

 (For those of you who have never heard of WheyLow, it is a safe, natural sweetener made from whey, sugar, fruit, etc.--NOT a chemical such as Splenda, etc.  (For more info, :  http://www.wheylow.com/ )  When I use WheyLow I can feel safe and enjoy a bit of sweet stuff without having to feel guilty or in fear for my life.

Then there were LOTS more plums, so I made 8-1/2 pints of plum preserves and two jars of plum syrup from the seeds (above photo, on the right).

The next time I visited the tree, someone had PICKED A BUNCH OF THE PLUMS!  At first I was irate, but I realized it was probably the actual owners of the house, so that's ok!  It was July 4, so I was relieved not to have to make more jam after such a wonderful weekend.  Instead I put 4 quarts of plums into the freezer, sliced for whatever.  If they don't work well for Plum Küchen after having been frozen, I'll just cook them up into more preserves this winter. The only thing I did was sprinkle a light layer of powdered WheyLow about every 2-1/2 inches as I filled the jar. There is probably a total of 2 tablespoons of powdered WheyLow in each jar.

I did say it was the 4th of July, didn't I? How about a Flag Trifle? (There are raspberries down under where you can't see them.)

Those plums kind of got my ball rolling, and today after my class ended at 4:30, I bought four boxes of nice organic strawberries and made no-cook, no-pectin, freezer strawberry preserves with Whey Low and lemon juice.  There were 14 6-oz servings. I had run out of jars, so I put it all into snack-size plastic bags.

After a very long search for my old recipe and online, I ended up making up my own syrup, cooling it quickly by putting the pan in a bowl of ice cubes and water, slicing the strawberries, pouring the syrup over them, and freezing. [This was NOT what I wanted at all, so I unfroze them the next day and made proper "freezer preserves" with pectin.]

I also stopped by a heritage orchard and bought 10 pounds of small, wonderful apricots. I wanted to experiment with the freezer preserves and no-cooking, so I put one jar into the freezer overnight. I don't think it will be a truly great test if it's only a few days, but before the apricots are all gone, I'll check and see if I should do some more that way. I will probably do the rest of this batch as cooked preserves.

[I don't imagine the apricots will have worked much better than the strawberries, so the next time I did a couple of jars properly with pectin.]

On the next day, I had to go to FOUR stores before I could find pectin and jars. And look what I found--thanks OSH!

I was SO happy to buy something that was not made in China! I took them home to clean...

In the same trip I went back to the orchard for 10 more pounds of apricots, and got 4 more boxes of strawberries, 4 pounds of plums (when the neighbor's tree seemed to have pretty much stopped producing), and 4 pounds of peaches. I decided to get it over with and turn my whole kitchen upside down and make it incredibly sticky and muck up the cooktop all at one time!

I purchased 3 dozen pint jars and 1 dozen half-pint jars. (I left all my jars with a friend in Tennessee--I KNEW I would want some again one day.) I restrained myself in the purchasing, and THEN I RAN OUT OF JARS! As you will see below, after I had used all of those jars, and all of the marinade, etc., type jars I had kept for various reasons, I ended up putting some of the syrup into a quart jar, and a bunch of the other stuff into refrigerator containers!

and...

Ah so.... back to the sewing machine--my daughter's jeans need hemming.

More Confessions

I really dislike personal whining on here, but it might be a good idea to explain at this point that I am extremely sleep-deprived, which explains an awful lot of the dyslexia and stitch removal going on in my life at this point.

It also explains the fact that I did a great job of correcting her "butterfly dress", then took it to her house without getting a photo (after I had pressed it, too!)  Hopefully I will still get a photo sometime.

I am not QUITE as idiotic as I sound, really...

Hopefully I can soon go back a dopamine balancing supplement that was doing a great job of helping me rest.

'Nuf said re my health issues...

Thinking Out Loud

This afternoon, while my daughter and granddaughter enjoyed the beaded things, the new purses, and outfits, I changed all of last year's shorts elastic to the next larger size.

Each year I make the elastic at least 3 inches longer than required.  Then I sew where it is right for this year, and add 1-2 more sets of stiches about 1/2-in. apart.  All I have to do when she grows is go in an clip the tightest set of stitches and close the waist back up again.

I did about 8-9 pairs of shorts and two pairs of capris pretty quickly.  Her mom brought everything I had sewn for her last year so I could pull out what I needed.  It was an impressively large stack, most of which she can still wear.

Her last year's "butterfly dress" was not right to begin with, so in order for her to wear it again this year I will open up the shoulders and try to remedy that.  She LOVES it and will wear it too small, which will really bug me, so I'll just fix it.  That will take a bit of time to figure out and implement.

Now my question is this:  since she can wear all of those clothes, and all of the new ones I have made her this year, just exactly what else can I make.  Her closet is bulging!

I have already promised a pair of jamies so those will be first, but after that--maybe PRINCESS DRESSES from my latest find (yes!)--or maybe I should just get on and finish the quilts!!!

Last year I made her brother "cowboy" jamies and she really wanted some, but "with cowGIRLS Nana!"  The only soft fabric I could find with cowgirls was Betty Boop.  She saw the fabric today and told me straight away it was Betty Boop.  I asked her how she knew it was Betty Boop and she said "from Popeye, of course!"  She went on to tell me a long tale about stuff Betty Boop did on their Popeye video...

I do have some light weight knit I want to make into jamies for her brother (and maybe her as well), but it's summer and the Princess Dresses COULD wait until I finish the quilts--ummm..... is my conscience screaming yet?

And then there are grandkids to play with and pools to swim in if the weather ever warms up...  Oh my, I can think of a dozen things!  So if I'm not on here too much this summer, you might want to check my quilt blog and see if anything's happening on there.

Today I received my "photography" lighting and I am hoping to make better pictures as soon as I figure out what to do.  (I am sure everyone will be pleased to no longer hear my whining about my photography troubles!  I especially hope the lights and umbrellas will help me make some better photos of all my quilts, but that will mean I have to steam press NINETEEN quilts--did I say it was summer???!!!

I'M OUTTA HERE!

I finally put the first shipment of things for Korea into the "mail" today!  I sent only the things for our one little girl at this time.   I have two other finished quilts ready to go, and only the binding to put on two others, but I decided to hold those until I get back from vacation.

I want to do at least two more "juvenile" themed quilts before shipping any more if at all possible.

I had never decided what to do with my first class-project quilt--the reversible baby quilt.  I decided to send it for a lap robe for our little girl.  So I sent her big quilt, the lap robe/baby quilt, her dolly and it's quilt and outfits, the yellow and black 2-piece outfit I made for her, etc.  Then I stayed up until 3 a.m. this morning writing a story for her about her "American Family".  (oh my.....)

Isn't she adorable?


Our shipper is from Korea, so he was an amazing help to me.  He checked all the options to see whether I should ship them to someone to take back with her in August, or whether to use Korea Express to ship them directly.  I will decide for sure when I see how big a box it takes and how heavy it is.

I decided to go into the educational store almost next door to search for a very simple "sticker book" to include.  I was delighted to discover they had sticker books in Korean--as well as other books and games, etc.  So I got a book, plus an educational toy/game to send at Christmas.  The lady kept saying, "they have the BEST sticker books in Korea, you don't need to send them THERE!"  I explained that I didn't know if the orphanage had a great deal of money to spend on such things.  I think she was so excited about what I was doing, that she gave me a Korean alphabet book to include in the shipment!  What a nice lady!  I will definitely patronize her store...  (I should "yelp" it, shouldn't I?)

I think there are about 20 residents in the little girl's house, so I plan to make at least that many quilts.  Then I found that a lot of people could use "lap robes" as there are many in wheelchairs and they have to move long distances between buildings in the winter.  It gets very cold.  So my work is cut out!

[I am also supposed to be getting on with my family history/family trees projects, and transcribing my husband's "book" from his letters mailed from a 5-month trip to the Middle East in 1965-66.  Where will I get the hours and still have time to spend with my precious grandchildren???]

Anyway, my bags have been packed for three days (except for one liquid med and this computer)!  My paperwork is nearly done (I would be finished, but one website is down tonight), the shipments to Indonesia and the Congo are done, the stuff for Korea has gone.  I still have a note to write for our cleaning lady (seems a silly thing to call someone who is a "friend"), and I will not be able to finish some sewing projects I had hoped to complete before leaving, but I'm doing pretty well.

Speaking of our sweet lady, she is now raising six children all on her own.  Her husband passed away just about the time her last baby was born. She is godmother to three children whose mother abandoned them.  So she imported the children, for a total of six.  I don't know how she is doing it.  What a great lady!  My Christmas sewing includes three quilts for their beds as well!

My hand became really unhappy because the "steam" button on my fabulous iron began to stick (I think it got tired of ironing and steaming quilt fabrics!).  My thumb especially was unhappy--so I aim to give it all a rest for three weeks and have some fun!

You all have fun while I'm gone,and do some sewing or quilting!

Fitting a Wide-Shouldered, Long, Lean Guy

I have now figured out how to fit Mr. P with a long-sleeved shirt (I had done the short sleeve version at Easter). You wouldn't believe how many places you have to fold, angle, cut, splice, and dart a pattern to fit a little guy who has broad shoulders, small rib cage, slender body, and long arms.

Store-bought shirts don't fit well at all, which is why I started this shirt-madness in the first place. (I had sworn I'd never make long sleeved shirts again!) Patterns are just as bad as store-bought tops, if not worse. One can sort of understand why everybody puts their kids in tee shirts!

I am working with "Sm-Med-Lg" patterns. They are WAY too wide in the body--beginning right under the arms, too narrow in the shoulders, WAY too short in the length and sleeves, and about 4-inches too wide in the waist/hips. So I am pretty much using the shoulder width of a size large, the body width of size small (or less, depending on the pattern), adding an inch to the sleeve length of size large, and adding 1-3 inches to the length of a size large--all for what the stores call a size 7.

(As I understand it, "small" should correspond to 7-8, medium 9-10, and large 11-12--and I am having to add length to size 12????? And take away width from a size 7???? He is NOT disproportioned at all--in fact he will have an enviable physique I think!)

You can't just "do" what I described above; you have to fold, dart, taper, splice, tape, etc., to get in those wide shoulders above the narrow body. Then you have to remember the effect of all this on the armhole depth and curve. You have to start from scratch with each new pattern--which is why I will work mostly from one short-sleeve and one long-sleeve pattern, vary materials, and add trim pieces (as in Western), etc., to achieve different looks.

2010 - March - New Machines!

Oh, my goodness gracious, I bought two machines! Each of them came with a 6-hour "machine" introductory class, plus 3 years of 1/month sewing project/classes. (That's 74 classes all together. So it's back to 'school' for me!)

My first computerized sewing machine is a BabyLock Espire (Quilter's Dream Series). It does quite a number of stitches I never knew I needed, plus decorative stitches which look like embroidery. (You can't call it embroidery though--it doesn't have a "hoop"!)

It is FABULOUS! Perfect tension on the stitches, automatic threading and cutting, automatic bobbin winding and stopping, sewing without using the foot or knee pedal, automatic buttonholes, automatic tie-tacks, the list goes on... (and I think it might serve me breakfast if I can figure out how to tell it to do so!)

I have already found very useful a number of those stitches 'I never knew I needed'! yipee!

And a 6-year old, refurbished BabyLock Evolve serger which has automatic threading! (Am I in heaven??? after spending two hours at a whack pouring over diagrams, threading and re-threading my old Bernette, it feels like it!) The Evolve can do everything the new Evolution can do except one decorative "wave" stitch, which I can't imagine ever using anyway.

The Evolve can use up to 8 spools of thread. (I doubt I'll ever do that, but I regularly use 6 spools, even though they tell me 4 is sufficient and 5 is definitely enough. I got used to my 4-spool serger's stitches, and now that I've added the chain stitch for the seam, I prefer to retain the security of the 4-thread overlock stitching. However, on light weight knits I might use only 5 spools to have less potential for stiffness or buckling.)

In class they showed us using just the 4-thread overlock for seams, but my old one pulls apart a little at the seams when you do that. It looks very ugly and makes me think the garment will fall apart, so Miss Nail-it-Down likes 6-spool serging!

I got both my daughters' inexpensive machines (which I had been using) repaired and maintained. I happily gave up my old Singer which hadn't worked for several years, but I was very sad to find that my Singer Featherweight could not be repaired. I was NOT, however, sad to see the departure of my buttonhole attachment!

Of course I had to get cutting boards, rotary cutters, quilting rulers, and all sorts, not to mention they told me NEVER to use Coats and Clarks threads in my Espire (I only have 100-200 spools of it!). I tried to comply, but I've reached a compromise. I will use C&C when I need an EXACT match for top stitching, etc. (I just can't deal with a less than perfect match.) Otherwise, I will stick to my new Aurifil. And I will vacuum EVERYTHING very frequently. So far I'm doing well.

I needed extra feet for the serger, and embroidery threads... you know how it goes! Major investment time!

Of course, each new class is another bunch of $ for patterns, fabric, and supplies...

I prefer to sew mostly "by inspiration", and my inspirations often "hit" when it is not convenient to go to the store, so I like having most of what I could conceivably need on hand so I can do whatever I want whenever I want. Sometimes I simply stand and ponder my inventory, which stimulates my creativity--and sometimes cute things happen!

And I've lost some sleep because I kept waking up with new designs for stuff in my dreams, but it's so much fun!!! Now if I just had time to sew....

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P.S.: I really should share the data on the best iron I've EVER owned!

I read a bunch of reviews and the consensus was that an iron needs to weigh at least 4 pounds for good results. I bought the most highly recommended. I found a deal for $89, as I recall. After using this one for maybe 8 years, I absolutely concur!

One also needs great control over the "steam" and "spray" functions of the iron. This one gives the greatest surge of steam I've ever seen, and sprays really well, too.

It is a Rowenta Professional Luxe (DM-80)

Not every Rowenta fills these specs, so do your research on current models.

It automatically shuts off fairly quickly, but re-heats amazingly fast! It has no "off" switch; you unplug it at the wall, which may be a German safety feature. That took a bit of getting used to, but I do think it is safer than a switch. Anytime I walk into the room I can readily see whether or not it is unplugged.

Dolly Clothes - Guidelines

These jamies were for the 2008 Shoebox dollies.

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When I was a child, I remembered how frustrating it was trying to dress dollies in set-in sleeves, etc.

Later when my mother began to teach me to sew, I started with a "Ginny Doll" by Vogue, which is an 8-in. doll. (Just imagine setting sleeves in those tiny clothes--I still have all the outfits I made, and I don't plan to make any more!)

Much later when my children were small, I rarely had time to sit and dress their dollies for them. This made me feel guilty and I was continually frustrated with the difficulty my kids found in applying those clothes.

In 2008, I set out to design dolly clothes that were both easy to make and easy to put on and remove.

First rule: All outfits shall strive to be able to be removed and put back on by most 3-yr olds.

Second rule: NO set-in sleeves

Third rule: Garments will be "closed" with velcro. (All buttons will be purely decorative--kids can't button them.)

Fourth rule: Hats shall always be "attached" because they are always getting "lost". Ribbons may "appear" to be tied, but elastic or velcro should loosely hold the hat on the dolly's head.

Fifth rule: Ribbons shall be firmly "tied down" using zig zag or other stitching which does not allow the ribbon to "roll" when laundered.

Sixth rule: The appearance of many different "patterns" will be created by using decorative stitches, trims, etc.

Seventh rule: Blankets for dollies should not be so long that the child trips when trailing them about.

Eighth rule: Dress only 10-12-inch dollies and above. The design is flexible enough to "go around" most dollies--whether they are slender or chubby.

Ninth rule: Check the outfit on the dolly before cutting! I.e., always keep at least one outfit on hand--it should consist of a top and pants. (I prefer to use the same dolly, but I need to start buying them in bulk!)

And lastly--maybe I should consider copywriting my patterns, which are "modular" in design, and have grown to include quite a number of variations, beginning with the first pair of jamies, shown above.