I Read It On The Internet!

It must be true, right?  I read it on the internet!!





The other day I was having a conversation with Miss A, aged 10, and she was going on about aliens.  She said they must be real, because she saw a couple of videos on YouTube.


Well, that was a conversation that was just not going anywhere, and I let her jabber until she got tired, and then I said "there are no such things as aliens" and she said "Yes, there are Gramma, I saw it on the internet!"


LOL!!


But seriously, this got me thinking about what a lot of people believe, and believe strongly, even adamantly!  And where do they get these ideas?  Well, it used to be across the back fence, the old Rumor Mill.  Then it was email... remember the guy in Nigeria who had a million dollars for you, if you just send him your credit card number? 

Now it's news in an instant, whether it's true or not.  Someone's opinion becomes a thing on Facebook or Instagram or whatever and suddenly there's a protest group on Wisconsin Avenue throwing rocks at a State building or something!

My rule of thumb is:  Trust, but verify.

👽

If you see articles like "Human Remains Found in a Hot Dog Plant" or "Dogs Are Serving Coffee at Starbucks", you would think twice before you believe it.  I have un-followed a couple of people from FB because they're always getting upset about stuff that turns out not to be true. I don't need extra drama in my life!

But here's the thing, people can post anything they want on some sites, and nobody says "hey, that's not real".  Because if you DID, a million OTHER people would hate on them for disagreeing! 

👾

It's silly.  This week, someone made a comment on a social media platform about a certain fabric precut set -- just a general comment that the precut sets they had purchased had not been of very good quality.  Immediately, a couple dozen people started bashing the precuts and said they would NEVER buy them because they're always JUNK.

Well, if I were the manufacturer of fabric precuts, I would take exception to that!  And truly, there are some very good ones out there that do a great job and do not need the bad publicity from the one or three people who got bad sets and hated them.  (In this case it's true, you're only as good as your 'cutter'...)

 

But what kind of set me off was that someone chimed in with a remark to the tune of  'suck it up, buttercup, you got it cheap so get over it'.

That was a little mean.  People say things they wouldn't say in person because it's so easy to hit that "post" button if you don't see the sad face of the person on the  other end of the comment.

I like precuts.  I buy them at my local quilt shop.  I buy them on line.  I try to get them on sale, but if I like them, I buy them.  I have and will continue to buy quality fabric.  You get what you pay for.  That must be true, because I read it on the internet!

Rock on...

 

My Quiet House

It's SO quiet here this morning.  It isn't usually this quiet.  The girls are at school and DH has gone for his weekly coffee jaunt to a local restaurant with the guys across the street.


No one is mowing their lawns because rain is in the forecast.  The TV is off, as is the radio.


The cat is sleeping on the back of the couch.  No one is walking dogs or riding bikes down our short street.


It's kind of spooky! (But in a nice way.)  I was just taking a minute to think about the people in Texas again.  It looks so bad on TV, what must it be like up close and personal?  I can't imagine losing everything in a few minutes like that.  Those people who lost so much probably never imagined it either.


We are so lucky in this country to have so much, and then to lose it all is so hard.  I also was thinking about those in the tsunami a few years back who didn't have that much and lost it all.  It probably wasn't any easier for them. 


And yet they're just things.  If we have family and they are safe, we can get more things.  God has His eye on those in Texas and elsewhere who are hurting.  I trust Him that He has a plan.  Maybe it's to make us reach out to help our fellow humans, to exercise our generosity muscles and our loving kindness genes.


Be generous and kind but if you're going to donate and help make sure you give to legitimate agencies with good reputations, because the same human impulses to goodness are out there in the less than good, who could take this opportunity to take advantage.


The Bible teaches us to give generously to all who ask in the name of goodness.  I believe that those who use situations like Harvey to take advantage have a special circle in hell just waiting for them.


So my friends in the storm's path, my prayers are with you this quiet, contemplative morning.

Stay calm and carry on...

Hurricane Harvey

My thoughts and prayers are with all my friends in Houston and southern Texas.  My company has a very large office in Houston and offices in San Antonio and elsewhere.  We're getting involved in mitigation of the flood damage and other aspects of the storm.  Many of our employees are working with volunteer organizations, taking personal time off to help the Red Cross and others provide needed services.


American Sewing Guild headquarters are in Houston. I pray that all my friends there are safe.  The last time I was there the office was on the fifth floor so hopefully the physical property damage will be minimal.  All that matters is that the people are safe.


Don't mess with Mother Nature.


Praying on...

Back to School!

Time for the kids to go back to school.  How exciting is that?  The girls started school on Thursday this week, so they now have two full days under their belts. 

Miss E says the second year of high school was not as stressful to start as the first year. That's a good sign, because every time I ask her how school was, she replies "horrible".  I don't get that, because I loved school, and I still love learning things.  Oh well.

Miss A says middle school is confusing.  Evidently a lot of the fifth graders were lost the first day, which is normal in a new school, especially one that is larger than the one you attended previously.  She says she doesn't know too many people on her bus either, except the driver!  He's a man who goes to our church, and he's a good friend. 

I spent this weekend catching up on my retail therapy... I hadn't been to the green market in a while, so I did that today.  I bought three of the biggest tomatoes I've ever seen.  We had BLT sandwiches for dinner tonight.  I picked up some small cucumbers and some squash, and the year's first corn on the cob.  I just love the fresh veggies!

Then I did the rounds of some quilt shops, the Amazing Goodwill and the yarn shop.  I went to the office supply store and picked out a new printer which will be delivered next week by the UPS man.  I got tired of trying to figure out why the old one refuses to print anything no matter what I do.  Maybe it was just too old to function anymore... plus the one I'm getting is wireless so everyone can use it.

I hope.

 

On Friday I stopped at Patched Works and picked up some fun new notions from Moda.  The bag that says MAKE contains small clothespins that say things like "Measure Twice". 

 

 

This is the shop's 2017 Row
by Row license plate.

Then on Saturday I stopped at Quiltagious to get my free August yard of fabric.  I could not resist the colors in this three yard quilt kit!

I scored pretty well at the AG, picked up a lovely purple quilted jacket and two handbags, one a Vera Bradley.  I picked up a second jacket too, and promptly ruined it in the washer.  Duh!  Read the labels, miss!  100% polyester LINING, the jacket was SILK.  It had been pleated and ironed down to iron-on interfacing.  Washing the jacket loosened up all the pleats and made it into a balloon!  Oh well, it was only $5.  And I did salvage the larger pieces of silk fabric.  That will get used somewhere.

Now DH is watching the preseason Packer football game and I'm contemplating watching a few of the recorded Jeopardy programs before I go to bed.  All in all, it's been a good weekend.

My thoughts and prayers are with those who are suffering from severe weather in the south. 

Sew on...

That Was Then, This Is...

Some of you may be of the age to remember films in high school history class with Walter Cronkite reporting a history event as if it was a current event, like the signing of the Declaration of Independence, or the Battle of Concord.  He'd start out with the headlines and then go to the scene.  And at the end, they'd return to Walter and he'd say "And that's the way it was, July 4, 1776."

I'm not sure when they started saying "that was then, this is now".  I'm thinking about the kids going back to school next week locally, and suffering from a little nostalgia.

Preschool graduation

 

It wasn't horrible of me
to want to take a picture...

The backpack was
nearly as big as
the girl carrying it!

How did he get so big?

 How did we go from then to

 

drivers' license and hair up in a fancy do?

Miss A is going to Middle School this year.  Miss A is old enough to get her drivers' license learner's permit... Miss K and Master J are no longer cuddly toddlers either, everyone has gotten older and more mature including the G's -- Gramps and Gramma.

Oh well, I guess it's good to know that when it's time for someone to drive me to the nursing home, there will be people to do it!

Sew on...

Summer's Ending, Hello Fall!

I cannot believe I just said that!  Hello fall??  Whaaaattt??

Well, as much as I appreciate spring and summer in Wisconsin, I love fall.  September is the loveliest month... It's when DH and I got married, well EONS ago.  We used to take an almost annual trek up to Door County in September.  After all the flatlanders go back to Illinois but while the shops and restaurants are still open it's quite nice and you can travel around without fear of getting stuck in traffic jams everywhere.

Then in October the leaves on the trees start changing colors and it's sweater weather!!  Yay!  I love sweaters.  Can't have too many sweaters...

To all the sheep I say thank you!!

I think it's why I love knitting,
especially the small stuff!

 

And why I love packages that arrive
full of this fun stuff!  The bright
green skein is now socks.

Miss E is taking Drivers' Ed classroom training this week.  Next week Thursday she and Miss A go back to school.  DH's birthday is their first day of school, I have a dentist appointment in the morning and a church meeting that evening, so maybe I can convince him to go out to lunch with me to celebrate.  It's a major milestone birthday this year.  Of course he'd like to just ignore it...  My grandma used to say you're not old until you hit 100!  Well, aren't we both on the way to that, I ask?  LOL!

The less I go to the office, the less I want to go to the office.  Working from home has its advantages, and its disadvantages.  No one to commiserate with when the red tape gremlins get to you, no big printer or scanner for those monster jobs, but then again, the commute is very nice and the price of lunch fits my budget.  :-)

Last week at my local quilt guild meeting we had schoolhouse night.  Four tables were set up for four demonstrators, me being one... I showed the ladies how to do our strip pieced blocks.  I was amazed at how many of them had never heard of strip piecing!  There were about 50 in attendance, and I'll bet there were only a handful who admitted to knowing what it was.

I'm certainly no expert, but our church group has been doing these blocks for a very long while, using up the scraps or trying to... it's funny, but no matter how many quilts we make from our scraps, the size of the pile never seems to shrink! 

There are lots of tutorials out there to show you how to do this type of quilting, but I like to call it the no stress method.  Your foundation pieces don't have to be anything special, or cut to a specific size other than larger than what you want your finished blocks to be.  Your seam allowance doesn't have to be a quarter of an inch, or a scant quarter, or even consistent, as long as you sew straight lines.

Sew, press, sew, press, trim.  Repeat as often as you like.  Make them any size you want, put them together in any way you want.  Use all string blocks, use with other blocks.  Sash if you want to, coordinate your colors or don't.   It doesn't matter, the finished product is always pretty.  No worries about the right shade of anything.  Don't be too matchy-matchy, it's supposed to be fun, remember?

You don't have to carefully cut all your strips the same width either.  Some say don't go below 3/4 of an inch, some say the smallest you should use is one inch.  (The strip width less 2 seams = the total exposure on the right side.  How small do you want that to be?  It's your block!!)  

The strip has to be long enough to cover the foundation square with some 'overhang'.   Is your strip too short?  Sew on another piece, and it doesn't have to be the same fabric!  Even and 8 year old can do this, if her feet hit the foot pedal of the sewing machine.

Our church quilters meet this Saturday.  We took July off but now are anxious to get started again.  I miss our fellowship when we're not meeting.  And we have some work to do -- since our new pastor started doing services in June, we've had a spate of baptisms that doesn't show any sign of stopping.  Blessings abound! 

On the opposite end of our mission there doesn't seem to be any slowing down of people with illness or surgery or other kinds of needs either.  We're viewing the option of partnering with a hospice in the area to provide quilts for their patients on a regular basis.  We view the end of life as just as important as the beginning, and blessing to be shared there too.

On a happier note, the State Fair ended yesterday with wonderful weather and a good time had by all.  I didn't get there this year (Mr. Crabby declined to take me and I hate going by myself...) so I didn't see the wonderful stuff in the family living center.  But I understand that several of our LQG members took home some ribbons for quilts and other crafts.  Congratulations, everyone!

Time to get going on some projects in real life!  My giant blue quilt is ready to have its rows sewn together, and I finished the back for Miss A's project, started so long ago she lost interest.  Ha!  She's 10, more interested in Minecraft and Spotify to pay attention to her UFOs I guess.

The pattern is Yellow Brick Road. 
Mine is blue because my blue bin is overflowing.
Because, well, blue...

 Sew on...

Brrrr... It's State Fair Opening Weekend

This morning when I got out of bed a rather frigid wind was blowing in from the open windows.  Yesterday we turned off the air and opened up windows after dinner because it seemed so nice out!  Some sort of front moved in, causing several hard but brief showers through the afternoon, and cutting the temperature down by nearly 15 degrees within a few hours.

So 72 down from 86 isn't bad.  I like 72 degrees.  72 is a good room temp -- you rarely need a sweater indoors. 

Then this morning... when DH turned on the TV it said 57.  It's August!!  This is late September weather!  Oh the joys of living in Wisconsin.  If you don't like the weather, hang around a little, it will change.

I think it was a 'take that' moment from Mother Nature for the opening day of State Fair.  A lot of folks got wet yesterday!

 

There's a lot to do and see at the Fair.  When I was a member of the American Sewing Guild I used to sometimes work a table there to encourage people to take an interest and maybe join.  We would sit in the Family Living Center, hand out leaflets, sometimes sew something.  The last time I was there I could have sold about a half dozen sergers because I was using mine.  Now I just go and look.

 

There's also Fair Food... like anything on a stick, or deep fried on a stick.

 

 

 My favorite fair treat is the lemonade from the small stands that make it with fresh lemons and fizzy water. Oh and a cream puff.

In doing an internet search on the Fair I came across this poster from 1900.  Parking was not a problem because you could get there by rail.  I wonder how close it was to a train station or stop?

 

I hope your weekend is wonderful.  Miss A and I are going to Walgreens and maybe for a little trip to the Amazing Goodwill.

 

Rock on!

August 1, Can You Believe It?

Since I've been working from home for the summer and reducing my hours by 25%, I haven't spent as much time in front of the computer as usual.  Summer in Wisconsin is very short, compared to some other places in the world.  I know, not as short as some others, but that's not what we're discussing!

It seems such a waste of time to sit indoors if the weather is nice and you have somewhere to go... yesterday I took a short jaunt to the public library.  Just being outside and now having to wear a sweater or a coat was wonderful.

Not that I don't love sweaters!!  And I love making them... especially the small ones, like these American Girl sized things.

 

I've spent some time in the sewing room too.  I'm determined to get some of those small pieces out of my stash, or at least organized.  I found a big stack of blue that were somewhere between quarter yards and half yards and cut out a Yellow Brick Road kit.  I sewed the blocks and then some rows.

It's going to be pretty big when it's all sewn together.  I'm glad this one has no borders.  I am still thinking about rearranging the columns a bit, there seems to be a dark area at the bottom and the parts that don't show off to the right and left are also a little dark.  I can't back up far enough in my workroom to get it all in one photo!

On my way home from somewhere a couple of weeks ago I stopped at Michael's and bought three skeins of pink yarn from Loops & Threads.  It's very soft, but because it has nylon in it, it is VERY slippery to knit.  I just need to finish the sleeves on this size six month sweater.  It's ready for the next baby girl I encounter.

I'm working on a two to three week crock of dill pickles too!  It's only a one gallon crock, so I only have $8 worth of pickles fermenting.  My whole house smells like vinegar and dill!  I'm working from a canning book I bought in 1970.  Well, to say working is kind of a long stretch -- every morning I check to make sure there's enough brine in the crock.  This is one week into it.  Next Monday I can test one for taste.

Last project completed is this embroidery.  It's all backstitch, with a few lazy daisy stitches for the leaves.  When I saw this sampler at the quilt show in Mukwonago I knew I needed to get it.  I had to special order it because they were sold out.  When it came I was so happy I got right on it, jumping over a couple dozen other projects.  It was fast to finish too.  On my Michael's trip I picked up the frame and mat kit for $8 on sale.  Now I just need to decide where to hang it.

Hope your summer is going great.  I've gone on a few fabric junkets, eaten some great Chinese food and done some craft projects with the grands.  The less I go to work, the less I want to go. 

Maybe we can win the lottery this week!

Stitch on...

Reflections on Time, Life and Other Things

Two weeks ago I came to the realization that my summer is half gone and I'm not sure where it went!  Not everything has been summery.  We've had unexpected serious illnesses at work, and the weather has been very fickle giving us lots of rain, even flooding here in southeast Wisconsin.

Last week there were two funerals.  One was for our former Lay Minister from church, a lovely man who had retired a while back and had some medical issues.  The other was my cousin's husband, 54 years old, who passed away unexpectedly while at work.  Neither was what I'd call an enjoyable experience, but they certainly were a study in contrast.

 

The Lay Minister had been ill for a while.  He had suffered several medical setbacks recently and from what I understand had decided to forgo more medical treatment, choosing to "go home" to the next life.  He went to hospice and was an active witness even while he was there.  It's a fine example of how to live out the end of a person's days on this earth.

 On the other hand, my cousin's husband had a sudden and unexpected passing.  She probably left for work that morning while he was sleeping after working second shift.  He went to work while she was at her job.  She arrived home after her evening activities to find a message on her answering machine from his job, and shortly thereafter a visit from the local police department to say that he had collapsed at work and could not be revived.

My poor cousin, trying to cope with the unexpected passing and make arrangement and deal with fractious relatives, I can't even pretend to understand what she went through.  All I could do was try to be supportive and attend the funeral.  And pray, for her, for her family... you can always pray.

 

I remember being in a lunchtime discussion at work a long time ago after a coworker's dad had passed away suddenly from a heart attack.  It was a silly discussion of the sort people have at a time like that: what's the best way to go, suddenly or lingering?

Well, there is no best way to go, but absent that, we all DO go... eventually.  If a person has time to prepare, that person is probably suffering and in pain, whether undergoing treatment or not.  And the person's family/support system is suffering at the same time.

If the person goes suddenly, they may suffer for a short time, or they may not, no one can be sure unless they were there.  But it's certain that the family left behind suffers both in the shock and sorrow, and in the regrets of things not done.  There's the why and the how to answer.  It hurts and there isn't any relief of suffering now over to help get over it.  And the "didn't get to say goodbye" to deal with at the same time.

In church we're told that we need to be ready to go at any time.  1 Thessalonians 5:2 says "for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night".  We don't know the day or the hour when our time will be over, but we need to be ready.

No one knows what is in the heart of anyone else.  I trust that these two good men are now in the New Life.  Maybe they'll meet and enjoy conversation while in perfect health and safety in heaven. 

My mom always said to us "I'm going to heaven when I die, and you'd better be good while I'm gone so you can come too.  I'll be waiting for you to join me."

From your lips to God's ear, Mom!

Carry on...

Lost, and Found

Since returning from Philadelphia on June 13 life has been just a bowl of

Not!! 


First thing was the jet lag... I must be getting a bit too old for the rush-rush of trips like this, because I was absolutely DEAD when I got back.  I didn't sleep well at the hotel.  Not that it wasn't nice, but I was worried about sleeping too soundly through the six alarms I set and not making the early meeting setup or getting back to the airport on time.


Silly me...


They didn't really need much from me at the meeting, that's how well the setup had been arranged before we got there.  All I had to do was connect my computer and make sure the coffee was delivered on time.


Then Tuesday I arrived at the airport with a full two hours to spare.  That wasn't bad, I did have a book so I had a croissant roll with wonderful Philly Cream Cheese filling and sat for a while before going through security, which turned out to be quick and painless.


Elena, the lady who was there actually running the meeting got home and ended up in the hospital on Friday and had emergency surgery.  She'll be out for a couple of weeks but thank GOD she was home and not in Philly when the emergency came up!


She is recovering at home and doing OK so far, expecting to come back in a couple of weeks.


This week I started reduced hours for the summer.  I have my eyes on a retirement date, and I'm trying to ease myself into things.  Working from home 30 hours a week might create enough separation from DH to help us both adjust.  Every day this week he has asked me "so you're not going downtown today??" when I shuffle into the kitchen in my fuzzy slippers and no makeup!

Not that I wear a lot of makeup, but applying it generally comes with combing the hair, and you can truly tell if I haven't done that!

I presented our church budget at a recent congregational meeting.  That was a little nerve-wracking but turned out fine.  I only had three slides, the questions were gently presented, and the budget was approved.  Whew!


Now I am trying to catch up on home stuff, fun things like cleaning closets and washing windows, scrubbing the bathroom floors and the shower stall, stuff that you hate to do but you love it when it's done.


The grands are having a summer.  Miss A went to spend a day with a friend on Monday and ended up with a two night sleep over at the friend's house.  Bless that mom!!  Miss E has been going to summer school in the morning and entertaining me with teenage drama in the afternoons. 

Hair in a bun so it fits in a bike helmet,
since Miss A loves to ride.

I did do some sewing of sorts -- hemmed some shorts, made a tee-shirt fit the teen to her satisfaction, mended a few items and finally bound a table braid that I started about a billion years ago.


Ahhhh, summer!


Sew on...

City of Brotherly Love

I just finished up two days in Philadelphia for a conference for work.  I was here once about 15 years ago for a convention with the American Sewing Guild.  I remembered the airport when I go there, the baggage area looked familiar so not ALL of the grey cells have lost it!

I remembered being in a hotel which I believe was called the Adams Mark.  I remember that the elevators weren't working very well, only about half of the 8 were operating.  There were 800+ women at the conference, and the lines in the bathrooms were unbelievable, so lots of us tried to use the room bathrooms, only to find the lines for the elevators even more unbelievable!

Needless to say, times have changed.  I found out through internet searches that the Mark was sold to Target Corporation in 2005 and demolished in 2006.  I stayed at the downtown Marriott, which is adjacent to the Pennsylvania Convention Center. 

On Sunday night we walked a couple of blocks over to a place called McGillin's Olde Ale House for a  client appreciation event.  The bar bills itself as the 5th oldest in the US.  Their web site says they started serving beer in 1860 and have been pouring it out ever since.  They even survived prohibition.  I didn't ask how they did that!

As the person in charge of registration I didn't see a lot of the place, but the music as loud and the conversation was too.  People seemed to enjoy it.

On our walk over we saw the statue of William Penn on City Hall as we crossed blocks.  I think there were tours back in 2000-whatever that took in the historic sites.  I went on an evening walking tour called Liberty Lights or some such thing.  We put on headphones and walked around listening to history read by actors while we saw lights displayed on the buildings.

Last night while walking to McGillin's we went through an alley with bunches of guys standing around smoking and talking, and broken glass on the ground and two dumpsters.  We kept saying "are you sure this is it?"  Gone are the days...

The skyline is great though.  The two shiny buildings in this photo are One Liberty Place and Liberty Two.  They sort of looked Chrysler Building-ish from the air.

I was right smack dab downtown, like right where this pin is... but it was 95 degrees, and too dang hot for sight-seeing.  The other lady with me wanted to go see the liberty bell.  I said OK you go and tell me how it was because 95 is too hot for this old bag!

Philadelphia was the birthplace of W.C. Fields.  Other famous people moved here or died here, like Theodor Kosciusko of revolutionary war fame and the guy the high school and park on Milwaukee's south side are named for. 

Some that came up in a Google search were Grace Kelly, Marian Anderson, Lionel, Ethel and John Barrymore, Alexander "I'm in charge" Haig, and Legs Diamond.  Also George McClellan and Jack Klugman, and the famous Eds, Bradley and Fisher (OK he was an Eddie).

 

WC Fields was very irreverent about his home town, and was known to quip things like "I spent a week in Philadelphia once, I think it was on a Sunday".  His tombstone epitaph is purported to be "I'd rather be living in Philadelphia".

This week I just found it to be hot.  But then, the inside of one hotel could be just like the inside of another, as long as the elevators are working!

Next, we go back to our regularly schedules programs...

Sew on!

To Err is Human...

To really screw up, you need a computer!  
😢

I've been trying to work on transferring my old programs and data to my new computer.  For about a year.

The data transfer program that came with my new computer didn't recognize my old computer.  I had used the same program to transfer my data to my old computer from my even older previous computer and that went just fine.  This time, not so much.  The program on my old computer says it's out of date, which shouldn't matter if I'm using the new computer with the updated program.  Or so say I.

The computers do not agree with me.

 

I'm not sure what to do next to solve my problems, but in the meantime I have a new computer that isn't plugged into my printer, doesn't have any of my embroidery designs on it or any of my favorites or shortcuts, and I have an old computer that decides not do things, or decides that it will do things but very slowly.  Very, very slowly.

All I can say is, where is the ten year old when you need something!  Probably playing games on her Nook. LOL!

Carry on...

Happy Birthday, Miss A!

Well, that's actually happy BELATED birthday, Miss A.  Her birthday was Monday.

She's into double digits now.  Yes, she is 10!  I think they call them Tweens now, not exactly children, not yet teenagers.  Although she wants to grow up fast, too fast in my humble opinion, like all children these days.

Her mom says it's double digit trouble. 

Miss A and DD

Today is her last day at her elementary school.  Next year she'll be in a middle school somewhere.  Fifth grade is in a separate group in the middle school because all of the elementary schools were running out of room.

Last full day in elementary school

So next year it will be getting on the bus almost an hour earlier than this year, changing classrooms and teachers more frequently, and more homework.  But guess what?  This girl is looking forward to more homework!

That is the total opposite of her high school sister, who is allergic to homework.  Although she does very well when she finally sits down to do it -- at the 11th hour!

two of five...

Gramma's birthday gift to the Tween was a couple of knit night shirts, courtesy of the stash.  I had to brush up on my garment sewing techniques but after the first one, it got easier.  Each one took just one yard of fabric, minutes to cut out and minutes to sew... two pieces, both on the fold.  Sew the shoulder seams, neck finish, hem the cap sleeves, sew the side seams, clip, hem the bottoms.  They were knit so I didn't even press.  (Don't tell the sewing police!)

Easy-peasy. 

But you have to remember to remove the quarter inch quilting foot with the single hole before you zig zag...  ask me how I know this.  And you have been warned.

I'm off to Philadelphia this weekend to spend some time with engineers, scientists and planners at the American Water Works Association annual conference.  DH will be holding the fort, and no sewing will be happening from Sunday to Wednesday.  Poor me! 

 

Sew on...