Lying About Your Age

After the quilt show last Sunday, my aunt and I went to Noodles for lunch.  If you've never been to Noodles you should try it.  Everything's on -- well, noodles.  Or pasta if you prefer.  Although they do have some salads and sandwiches if you are with someone who really doesn't want to eat noodles... but then maybe you should lunch somewhere else.

Anyway we were discussing the important issues of the day, like world peace, clean houses and shoes.  The question of health insurance came up.  Yeah, I think we were talking doctors or medical tests or something. 

I've always been on my DH's plan, because he always had free coverage, and really good stuff too, with his former employer.  When he retired, the coverage continued to be free.  Then he went on Medicare, but my coverage continued, although for the past two years we've had to pay part of the premium.

With one of those milestone birthdays coming up, I received a letter from said insurance company saying that my coverage will end the last day of the month preceding my birthday because -- wait for it -- I will be ELLIGIBLE for MEDICARE!

OMG...  My aunt's eyes got really big and she said "You're going to be 65?"

I said "Yes, I am."

I have never lied about my age... not ever.  Although I did consider it when I was 59 and you could take sewing classes at WCTC for $6 if you were 62.  But really, what's the point?  Maybe if you're a year below the drinking age, and I'm WAY past that.  It's just a number, like your shoe size or your height.  (Not going to the weight thing, I lie about that ALL THE TIME.)

My grandmother used to say you're not old until you hit 100.  I always believed her.  It's more a matter of attitude than years.

My aunt looked at me incredulously and said "You're lying!"

Sadly, no...

Live on and enjoy every minute...

Expensive Purses and Their Care and Feeding

I have a thing about purses or handbags.  Well, I'm cheap about them, actually.  I have never purchased a Coach bag at retail, or would I.  Unless it was from the Amazing Goodwill!

I like nice bags.  I like my purses to be nice looking as well as functional.  I just figure a bag from K-Mart carries your stuff as well as a bag from some fancy designer, and at a fraction of the prices.

I've made several versions of a purse called the BFF Bag.  I thought it was a Lazy Girl but I just checked their web site and if it is, it's no longer in print.  Or maybe I have the wrong designer.  It happens.

My cousins love handbags too.  They purchase a lot of Vera Bradley bags.  They go to the factory a couple of times a year for the sales and get all the pretty designs and colors.  I actually got a very nice brown and white patterned bag for my birthday one year from my favorite aunt!

Last fall I found a rack of VB bags at my local resale store... non-Goodwill variety.  I picked up a nice bag for $14.99.  Which is NO WHERE NEAR what they retail for, just in case you were wondering.

I am cheap about handbags remember.

The ladies checked on line and it was an old pattern for Vera, like 10 years old.  It must have been in someone's closet and got donated recently during a clean out or something.

I carried it most of the winter.  It was starting to show some wear on the handles.

The body of the bag itself was fine, but the straps were rubbed off.  And inside the straps was some sort of foam.  When I make a bag I usually line the straps with interfacing, whether it's the special stuff that's cut to size and slotted for folding, or just some regular interfacing.  I've never seen foam except in this bag.



I bought some webbing for new straps.



And some D rings.



Then I cut off the offending straps, sewed the D ring to the body of the bag, and added the new straps.





Clips held the straps so I could sew them to the D Rings.




After I replaced the straps there still were places where the bag was looking a bit worn, and I didn't like the look of that light colored foam peaking out from where I cut off the straps.  I zigzagged over the ends of the parts attached to the bag, but the yellow still showed.

 

Well, I guess that's why Sharpie Markers were invented!  I just colored over the light spots with a permanent black marker.  Voila!!

 

Here's the bag, all done, in all it's splendor, on my not very splendiferous desk.

 

 

 

I think Vera has a few more useful years in her life, don't you?

 

Sew on...



Quilt Show 2016

This weekend I went a local quilt show in Mukwonago WI.  It was sponsored by the Mukwonago Crazy Quilters Guild and I have to say it was amazing!

I meanwhile am still quaking in my boots at the thought of quilting my Lily baby quilt...

After seeing some of these beauties, I'm even more intimidated.

In no particular order:

Applique fancy

and plain (but not really!)



Beautiful poppies, and I love red.

A small shaped quilt, I think it represents and aerial view of Wisconsin!

Lovely strings

details showing prairie points and button trim, embroidery, wow!

This one was called Pickled Clam Shells.  Those points in the arcs are about an inch high.

Urban mania.  Fussy cut small pieces, in the lower row on the right the lady is about two inches high.

Down the center aisle.  Those wooden legs tripped up lots of us gawkers.

Lots of small flying geese made this one so cool and I loved the border.

Lots of amazing black and white plus color...

and black, white and gray

This one was called My Son's Shirts.  I hope he had a few left to wear!

This was a representation of the daily temperatures in 2014. 

Tulle poppies on a wall hanging.

This one is so tiny I missed it the first day, but check out that quilting!

It was so overwhelming the first day that I went back on Sunday to look again.  I'm glad I did because I saw things I missed, and that I didn't get a picture of on Saturday.  My camera on my phone also got overwhelmed on Saturday and the battery petered out about 3/4 of the way through.

Quilters of the world you are awesome!  Even the simplest quilts were gorgeous.

There were vendors too, and I managed to bring home a few treasures.  I bought three patterns, a small kit and one yard of striped fabric plus two charm packs of background fabric, and scoped out several shops for our next Fabric Acquisition Road Trip.

Sew on!!