Sewing | Up a Creek in Lower Slower Delaware

Archive for the ‘Sewing’ Category

New Feet

March 9, 2012

No. Not me. Although, I have mentioned to break my little toes a few times, they still work well. I’d say my hands and feet are the only things that still work well on me. If anything ever happened to my hands and I couldn’t knit or sew, do the humane thing and just take me out and shoot me. Please.

It’s my cutting table. I have one of those cheap folding kind with rollers that wear out quickly. I could get one of those fancy expensive ones, but they don’t fold up and move easily. This one I can stick in a corner and I can move it around without any help. I think that we can all agree that I am a bit independent. But that’s why Sweetums loves me.

And this is why I love Sweetums. The new leg fits over the old and the caps slide easily over the floor. I’m so happy!

Tags:cheap folding kind, cutting table, humane thing, Sweetums
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Mending Sucks

November 30, 2011

When I think about all the great stuff I could be making, it really frustrates me. It’s so boring!!! It all started when Sweetums found some zippered sweat shirts that he liked. The sleeves were about an inch too long. “No problem”, I said. As long as I was mending, I might as well fix some other stuff that has been laying around. I went to the ‘Wall of Shelves’ nd started pulling things out. Boy, was that a mistake. It’s been about two weeks so far and I’m still working on it. I should be finished and on to something fun. The problem is, I keep putting it off. There’s always something else that needs my attention. I am such a procrastinator. Is that a word?

I have also decided to give lampshade making a try. I tried fixing this eighty or ninty year old one, but it kind of fell apart. Since it looked homemade to begin with, I decided to give it a try.

I could only find an appropriate weight and texture paper in white or black, but it’s hard to tell what the original color was anyway. Cutting was hard, but punching the holes is worse. About six or eight is all that I can manage at a time.

Tags:appropriate weight, great stuff., making a lampshade, mending clothes., procrastinator, something fun, sweat shirts
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Kitchen Fabric Came

September 28, 2011

It should be enough for a curtain, appliance covers and whatever else comes to mind. I’ve all ready got watermelon fabric for a tablecloth. And there’s those tea towels to embroider. I have so many ideas. The kitchen is going to look like Martha Stewart on drugs. Poor Sweetums.

Now. When do I start? Beats the sh*t out of me! It’s a bit hard to get excited about it when the kitchen is still in two rooms. We have to wait for Frank to have time. It may not be until Winter when he can’t work outside.

I’ve got this to keep me busy in the meantime.

Tags:fabirc, kitchen, Martha Stewart on drugs, tea towels, What's Cookin'?
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Trying to Find the Right Fabric for my Kitchen

September 23, 2011

My original plan was to make covers for this:And this:

Simple. Right?

I visited no less than three fabric shops and bought fabric for six tops and five pants. Well. If I’m going to have new blouses, I need new pants to go with them. This was getting to be far too expensive. Now, I believe that I mentioned getting rid of blouses and making new ones. I may also get rid of the old pants that I haven’t gotten around to taking in. I’m not sure about that yet. They are nice. I’d better not die anytime soon. I’ve got too much stuff.

So, I went on-line. Well, duh. After about four hours of driving myself crazy, I finally settled on three coordinating fabrics. I might as well make new curtains. And pot holders. And, maybe, placemats. It’s all going to look so CUTE!!!. I hope Sweetums doesn’t puke.

Tags:blouses, Cusinart appliance covers, new curtains, pants, placemats, pot holders
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My Son made his Girlfriend a Dress

September 14, 2011

He called last week and asked me to bring my sewing machine. Did he have some mending? No. He wanted to make his girlfriend a dress.

“Why?”

“I just do. Will you teach me?”

A hesitant, “OK”.

Friday evening, we went shopping. He found a pattern, a simple wrap dress. The fabric he fell in love with was a shiny polyester. Not a good idea for a first project, but I couldn’t sway him. We also got interfacing and thread and headed home.

Saturday, we cut and started sewing. My son is 6′ 5″. It was easier for him to sit and cut.

Even Biscuit was amazed at his progress!

And, here we have the finished dress. He was rather pleased with himself. And I cannot say that I was not proud of him. OK. I will admit that I did some of the harder parts, but it’s mostly his work. We only had two days. And, you know what? He wants to do it again!

Tags:biscuit, friday evening, interfacing, polyester dress, sewing machine, son can sew
Posted in Family and Friends, Sewing | 3 Comments »

Going to Reistestown for a Few

September 8, 2011

I haven’t been all summer so it’s time. I hope it’s not raining like this tomorrow. Ordinarily I would have all ready left, but I have an appointment with the GP in the morning.

My son wants sewing lessons. We’ll be looking at patterns and buying fabric, cutting and sewing. He has my old Brother, but I’m bringing my Sapphire anyway. I am not certain what all is at the house so I’ll bring some basic notions. This should be fun. I’ll let you know.

I’m trying to picture him making his own placemats.

Tags:appointment, buying fabric, fabric, notions, placemats, Sapphire, sewing lessons
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Spending Time Indoors

July 22, 2011

I’m making placemats to go with the table quilt. I had a fair amount of a cream print left and cut six decent sized fronts. I know. It’s a bit boring. My intention is to embroider coneflowers on them. It should help. I’ll bind each one in a different fabric.

These are three-inch sample squares. My crazy ex-girlfriend was going to throw them out because they were “too old”. How does cotton fabric get to be too old? She used to throw out all the left-over fabric from everything she made. Whole yards of fabric would go in the trash. I got some great stuff off her. Fabric is just something else to play with.

I took half the stack, flipped it over and sewed two together. I can’t sew them all because they should be nine squares wide and a little over five high. I’m hoping that they will look good enough to use on either side—-especially when I forget to flip them during shedding season. Luckily, Cora loves to be combed.

I thought I’d make some hats to sell. Since I’ve had about six thousand hits on Victoria”s Cloche, that’s what I’m going with. I’ll make a few then go back to socks.

Tags:cloche, coneflower, cotton fabric, crazy ex girlfriend, great stuff., placemats, shedding season, tabletop quilt, Victoria's Clche
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The Joys of Quiltting! It’s Like Being Handed a Big Box of Crayons and Told to Color Whatever You Wanted

June 28, 2011

I started off being neat.

That didn’t last long. I got out lime, purple, orange and turquoise thread and had a blast!

Did I ever mention that our main bathroom had red shag carpeting? Oh. And red white and blue wallpaper. I will admit that I am patriotic. It’s hard not to be when you work for veterans for thirty-five years. Anyway. It had to go. It just wasn’t right in the bathroom. We have been looking at flooring forever. Then we got Frank for a whole week. Yea!!

Should we get new lights?

Tags:outside the lines, quilting, red shag carpet
Posted in Sewing, Stuff | 1 Comment »

Hot and Humid…..and Feeling Old

May 31, 2011

It was almost 80 when we got up. Barf. I stumbled around and dressed while Sweetums made coffee. I drank half a cup before we left for our walk. You know, I will never understand why my children don’t drink coffee. It amazes me that they can function in the morning without it. It’s not that they don’t have jobs. It must be nice.

Where was I? Gus, as usual, was ready to go. I could whisper,”walk” at 3AM when he is sound asleep and that dog would be up and out the door in a flash. He spent a good deal of time in the river up to his belly, walking around and drinking the water. I should get a longer leash for the summer so he can go out further.

I felt like dying or sleeping, when I got back. Pain woke me up twice during the night. My other hip was bothering me and my knees, as usual. What did I do yesterday? Nothing out of the ordinary. OK. Enough whining.

My new phone will not fit in my little carriers. It’s too skinny and too long. I need to make new ones. They’re fun to make, although, digging through my fabric stash can be downright scary.

I have to finish this first. I haven’t gotten much work done on it due to the nice weather. Now, it’s too hot out and it’s really coming together. The cutter has been a big help. I always feel good when I complete a project.

Here’s Cora, holding down the dining room table.

Tags:cel phone holder, Cora, whining
Posted in Family and Friends, my pets, Sewing | Comments Off on Hot and Humid…..and Feeling Old

Up a Creek in Lower Slower Delaware