Happy Halloween

Well the big day is here. Happy Halloween to everyone. I am going to go watch Grandkids till dad gets off of work. So they will be wound up and ready to get going. I will do some more painting while I am there. Trim work needs another coat of white paint. We had 9 trick or treaters. So it was quiet here. Hope everyone had a safe and Happy Tick or Treat night. Chris

Almost Halloween

I went shopping yesterday for the month. I bought Halloween candy for the little ones and I got into it. Shame on me. I have been pretty good and I have lost 20 lbs. Well I hope I give it all out on Halloween so it isn't here anymore. I should have bought something I don't like. Can't change it now I opened it. I have been craving cake lately and I am a good baker but I have walked by the cake mixes and I have looked at the cookbooks for a cake recipe and I have been good over that, but the candy no. Well I am going to do a lot of walking today maybe that candy I had will be worked off today. Chris

Wish I could be sewing.

This summer I wallpapered my kitchen. I got a buy on the paper. It was a heavy vinyl and 8 rolls was $10 at a resale shop.

I made cafe curtains and valances for the windows. Plan on making long panels to compliment the red in the wallpaper and the gingham check has an ecru color with the red. I think it will be really country looking.

This is the North window and it will have the long panels also.

I went and painted more today. I am not going back until Friday now. I am so tired of using a roller over my head and using a paint brush to trim with. It does look nice and really clean, but it isn't my house and I wish I had more done here. I went to pick up my fabric for my kitchen curtains and it had to be reordered. So I wasn't happy about that. Won't be in until Nov 5th now. Not to far off. I will have that room done soon. I painted my husband's room. It is a cinnamon brown and I have a dust ruffle and the Ugly Quilt to finish for that room. Then it will be done. I washed walls in the living room and washed curtains. Maybe next year for that room. I have paint for my bedroom. But not sure that is really what I want in there. Maybe will use it in the sewing room. I would like to redo my bathroom and get new shower curtain. Maybe I should quilt one. Hey good thought! Another notch on my todo list. Maybe I should put it on my Bucket list instead. My todo list keeps getting longer and nothing is getting done on it. Mom needs to learn to say no I am not going to do this for her son. {Note to self} LOL. Tomorrow if the sun comes out I have to mulch leaves and pine needles up in three yards. So that will take up some of my time. Plan on getting up early to square up some blocks to get ready to quilt them. That day is coming sooner than we thing. Do I need to say what it is?? Christmas. Heaven help me I am so far behind. Each year I say I am not going to do this and here we are again. Shame on me. Chris

More painting today.

Replacement front door. Opened up the light in the house.

Replacement window and the walls are stripped for wiring and insulation. No insulation was in the walls at all.

The short wall is coming out to open up the space. No more small rooms

Three windows in a dining room. Neat looking but a pain to install. Then a bench below. Now have to make a cushion for the top of it.

Yes I am going back for more. I hopefully won't fall into anymore holes today. My hubby and son are going to wire and insulate today. Plus a radiator needs cutting down since a wall is coming out. It is dirty and hard work, but cheaper to do than hire it done at this point. Just takes a lot of time. This house it about 121 years old. I think it is about the oldest house in this little town. Also been added onto many times and the old ways aren't always the the best. So patch and repair to get it to be a comfortable home again. I think the outcome will be pleasing and more to the liking of the occupants. Chris

Bad day today

I got up and went to my sons' to do some more painting. He is remodeling his house. Well I got on the ladder and the paint try fell on the floor and red paint all over everything. The carpet is getting replaced so at least that was a good thing. Then I was backing up on my hands and knees to apint the along floor area on the wall. My leg slipped and it fell into a hole in the floor up to my knee. It got turned and I fell forward. My husband said your hair is in the paint I said I don't care about that I couldn't get my leg to move. Finally I got the right angle to move it around and I got up to my knees again. My shin is all scraped up and it is swollen in a couple places. So I will be black and blue and sore for awhile. I came home after that. More time to get some sewing done I guess. It is raining and I think a nap is in order. Chris

Busy couple of Days

This is the quilt I am quilting in sections.

This is the back of the quilt. I have decided I will not quilt on a quilt with a plain back again. I think the prints hid any little mistakes better.

This if the middle of the quilt I call the Ugly quilt.

The yard work is on going. I have about two more days to get everything cut back for the Winter. I have little cuts on all my fingers from cutting back ornamental grasses. They have sharp little blades and it feel slike paper cuts. I want to get to the sewing room and need to but I also need to get the outside work done. Drawn between the good and the bad. While I am waiting for the sun to warm things up some today I plan on squaring up some quilt blocks. I need to get some batting cut to do quilting first assembly last. I have seen a new procedure on the TV show Simply Quilts. Which I taped a couple years ago when it was in reruns. It is Betty Cottons technic of taking traditional blocks and quilting then using connecting strips to piece the quilt together. She has several books out and also a website. http://www.quiltyard.com/. I really don't have a large table to wrestle a large queen sized quilt on. I have machine quilted king size quilts in pieces and then sewn together and they are very strong and you can't hardly tell they are pieced together in sections. Marti Michel has a book out on this method. http://www.frommarti.com/. Machine quilting can be scarry for most. It is a task that makes or breaks the over all look of the quilt in my opinion. Well I am not getting anything done sitting here on the puter. Chris

New pillow top

I found the cutest picture in a coloring book and I made a new pillow top. These are so much fun to do and they are fun for the kids when they get them. This one will be fun to look for scraps to match the color choices I used. What Grandma's don't do for their Grandchildren. Need to find some boy things now and get started on them. Three grandson's to make some for. Chris

Embroidery Pillow Tut

Here is the top with the borders on it and the pieced border being the last one.

I made the ruffle with the ruffler. It gathers it to the length you need.

The ruffle has been sewn onto the top at the seam edge.

Here you can see it being sewn at the 1/4 in. seam allowance.

Then the back is sandwiched on wrong sides together and the ruffle to the inside of the sandwich. 1/4 in. seam allowance is made and a slight curve taken at the corners. Makes it easier to turn the bulk when you turn it right sides out. Remember to leave and opening big enough for your hand so you can stuff it after turning it.

Here is the stuffed and finished pillow. Hopefully my Grandaughter likes the finished pillow for her room. This method can be used on regular pieced tops also and if you own a ruffler get to know it you will use it a lot.

Here we go a how to. I like a pillow with a ruffle and I have an attachment for my machine which is a generic piece will fit most sewing machines on the market. I think they cost about $20-24. I embroidered the pillow top and then pieced squares of 30's prints around it like you would if you were putting pieced borders on a quilt top. The ruffler can make a double folded ruffle like I have made or a single ruffle with a hemmed edge. The width of the ruffle is your choice. I use this a lot and also the next project with the ruffler is the sides to a dust ruffle for my queen size bed. Caution No.1 you will get hooked on using it. Will work wonders for apron ruffles if you are into them and also for little girls dresses and ruffled curtains. Caution No.2 this one is important make sure the screw is tight on your needle and on the post where the ruffler is attached to your machine. This tool will be your best friend. If you have a lot of little girls in your life. Chris

Been Busy

I got my painting done and my living room all cleaned up. Now on to the subject at hand. Christmas is around the corner and I am sitting here with UFO's and none of them are done. There is little or no yard work left to do so I had better get my act in gear and get going with some of it. I have quilting to do and pillows to make and some pj's for the grandkids to make also. The embroidery is for a small pillow for my Grandaughter's room. She is 10 and into all the cute little things girls at ten like. I think I am going to use my 30's prints and make borders and a ruffle on this pillow. Plan on showing the progress tomorrow. Chris

Fall House cleaning

No sewing today. The living room is in need of major cleaning. We have so many windows doors and a fireplace and it all is over due. I have the sliding glass door drapes in the washer and going to start on that side of the room. The fireplace needs cleaning inside and out. The stone collects so much dust over the Summer and it takes a good hour just to vacuum it off. I have been neglectful with my duties in the house. The yard was more what I wanted to do so it got done first this Summer. I am getting a recliner tomorrow and need to get the room rearranged to place it in front of the picture window. The Loveseat goes over by the fireplace. More cozy there anyway. I have to get started so will be back after I get some of it done. I don't work as fast as I use to. LOL Chris

Sunday Dinner at Grandma's

This is my Son and Derek. They look alike and even act alike. Heaven help us.

This is my grandaughter Taylor she is 10 she helped make the meal.

This is Derek. He is 8 years old and loves Grandma's cooking

Yup, we had fried chicken mashed potatoes and gravy green beans and butternut squash. The grandkids were in seventh heaven. Home cooked meal. Taylor and I did some sewing and we made a couple neat things. One was a purse from a jean pocket. She really liked it. Taylor can't wait to get involved some more with the crafts and sewing this Summer. She will be able to be with her dad and me more then. Chris

Gloomy Day

I got up early and heard it raining. They are talking about frost tonight. First for this season. The forecastors say it is early, but I remember snow before Halloween many years in a row. I worked in a Grade/High school as a night custodian and more than once had to shovel snow before a Basketball or Volleyball game was over with. It was going to come sooner or later anyway. I got out some bright fabrics and made some pumpkins from a pattern I made back in the 70"s. I will try and post a picture another time. The ones I made were for gifts and all are gone already. I want to make some shoe skates for Christmas ornamants for the tree. Will have to find all the parts to get them made. My Grandmother made them for all of us. The holidays are approaching fast. Others have their projects started but I just keep fiddling and not getting anything started. The holidays for me have lost their glory. This will be the first year that the Grandkids have moved away and it is hard to think about that. I know other Grandparents have gone through this and I am not the only or last one to face this, but it still bothers me. My want to do list gets longer and I am running out of time. Well take care. Chris

Been sewing up leftovers

Well I have been sewing up leftovers or UFO's. I got some things done I have not finished in two years. Yippppppeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!! Funny how you get tired of some things and just lay them down. I have had a stressful couple years and I decided I wasn't going to live this way anymore. I am picking myself up and doing somethings for me. I have no clothing anymore and I have never been this way before. No weight change just not interested. So I have to do something because the World isn't ready for me to wear a barrel. So I am off to the sewing room to make buttonholes. Two shirts one for me and one for hubby. Chris

Hope to get into the sewing room today

My hopes are to get to the sewing room today. I have a dust ruffle to make for a queen size bed. Thank goodness I own and use a ruffler for my sewing machine. I think it was the neatest invention of all the sewing parts for machines. I use it for ruffles for pillows, little girl's dresses and for dust ruffles. I even used it for a ruffle for a quilt. They make a generic model for most sewing machines. I have a goal to get a small sewing business going soon. My intentions are to get a product that will be easy to use and something that most people will use in their daily lives. Maybe a bunch of small things but you will have to stay tuned to see what the outcome will be. Chris

Sewing is a freedom for me

Sewing whether it be hand sewing or machine sewing has become and escape for me from the things going on around me. The colors and shapes that are sewn together make my day go by with a better outlook on the World. The news and the everyday things in life sometimes can make things drag. Sewing has a satisfaction for me that I can make and be happy with my accomplishments. I have recently painted my husband's bedroom. We sleep in seperate rooms because he has Parkinson's Disease and is very restless when he sleeps. I painted it a Cinnamon Brown. He teases me and says it is really brown. Tonight he will sleep in the room for the first time since it was painted. I am going to make new sheers for up at the window to deflect some of the light during the day. I have heavier panels at the window for the cold winter nights that are approaching fast. An extra layer at the window never hurts. I did my Fall cleaning at the same time so it is freshly painted and all the bedding and furniture and windows are clean. I feel pretty good about my accomplishments. Now onto the next three rooms one is the sewing room. OMG it is a mess. I need to really sort and organize in there. About the time I get it cleaned up it will be time to get the Christmas sewing on the road. Well I should have started it all ready. I am bad about putting it off. Pressure sewing is more fun Right??? Chris