Swing-Sickness and Missing Phylly

Good afternoon on a steaming hot Saturday afternoon.  It must be 100 degrees outside today.  Even so, I have had two swing breaks so far today.  I LOVE my swings.

We have discovered, however, that Jerry seems to have swingaphobia or some other dread malady that causes him to get nauseous when he swings. 

NO WONDER he thought my swinging was "too violent".

ANY swinging is too violent for him.

The construction is still crawling along.  Jerry was out front trimming the hedges this morning, and he was doing his usual "stare up into the sky and study every square inch of the new siding act" when he noticed another area that is not straight.  He asked me to look up at it.  I couldn't even tell what part he was looking at, at first, but then I saw it.  He is totally right, and Todd is going to be totally upset when he finds out Monday morning that he has to redo it.  He has had to redo half of everything, so far.  He complains about not making any money.  What does he expect?!

I don't have much to talk about today other than I miss Phylly terribly. 

I don't know why her husband thinks she has to come home all the time instead of coming down here to play with me.  They are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary.  You would think he would be tired of her by now and encourage her to do MORE sewing and visiting with her best friend.

JUST KIDDING, Phylly -- sort of.

Happy Anniversary!

I'm going to figure out what I need to sew next.  Enjoy your weekend!

Hugs, Joy

Sewing Spree with Phylly -- VIDEOS -- "A New Dimension" Jacket UPDATE

Phylly arrived last Tuesday night.  She worked at the store all day Wednesday and Thursday, but FRIDAY, our Summer Sewing Spree began!  We were both so excited.  You would think we would have done more in two whole days, but we made a really detailed project with tons of topstitching.  Sunday morning, we attended church in the sewing room with Jerry, and then Phylly had to leave.  Her husband was missing her, and she had to be at work this morning, so she really had to go.  I missed her before she drove away!

We made FIVE videos for you!  They are all just 2 or 3 minutes long. 

This is Friday morning, June 21, 2013 and Day 1:

This is our Oreo cookie swing break after lunch on Day 1.

This is late Friday afternoon -- Day 1 -- and we are both worn out and cannot remember what anything is called.

This is Day 2  -- nearly noon because I arrived late due to a wet blouse issue.  I promise to take a video of us drawing Phylly's shoulder slope, but we both forgot.  We didn't forget to DO it.  We just forgot to VIDEO it.  Oops! 



And this is Sunday morning just before Phylly had to leave for Oklahoma.  We had so much fun even though my husband did find something drastically wrong with my jacket.



The garment is Louise Cutting's "A New Dimension" jacket.  I like it because it is V-neck and has a tab that you put one big button on.  I found out today that "one big button" takes one GIGANTIC buttonhole!  Good heavens.  My automatic function couldn't even make one that long.  I had to do it manually. 

It is NOW several days since I posted the 3 videos above.  I JUST finalized my jacket this morning.  I removed one shoulder pad -- put a 1/2" shoulder pad in the LOW shoulder - added a snap to the bottom front, and it is ALL DONE! 

Here is a video of me modeling it so I can see how it looks in "real life":

Phylly found a beautiful button for her jacket.  I will post a picture of hers "all done" as soon as she sends me one.  Hint-hint!!!, Phylly.  (-:

Here's some "stills" which are IMPOSSIBLE to get in any other form but a photograph with my ever-in-motion body.

I wish everyone could sew.  It is such a gratifying hobby.

Hugs, Joy

Testing My Swing and Phylly Arrives!

This is a TEST! 

Is it possible to type my daily -- or semi-daily -- blog post while swinging? 

This laptop is trying to slide off my lap as my swing is on the backward glide, but I find that if I hold my wrists down really firm on the keyboard front, that it doesn't fall and crash on the cement below my feet.  If it does, I will be running away from home and leaving Phylly here to cook and clean for Jerry.

Maybe I could get the hammer and nail crew to build me a tray for my swing!  Then I could just stay here all the time except for potty breaks.

Yep!  Phylly arrived about 7:30 last night, much to my delight.  She looked so good in the outfit she was wearing -- an outfit she made, of course, using gorgeous summer weight wool she got at The Cloth Merchants in Tulsa.  If wool didn't itch me to death, I sure would be sewing with it myself.  It makes such beautiful garments.

Remember me telling you how wonderful the new contractors were?  Well, please erase all that from your mind.  The bloom is off the rose, so to speak, on that deal.   Turns out they lie -- they don't show up when they say they will -- they are doing other jobs at the same time when they swore to us they never did that, etc., etc.  They "told on me" to Jerry this morning.  Todd told Jerry that I called him "a bald-faced liar" -- which I didn't -- and his son, Tracy, said, "Yeah, I heard her."  The boy has AMAZING hearing considering he wasn't even there!

I've had it with them.  I won't let them back in my house.  The shower is just going to have to stay as it is, and the other jobs too.  I'm sick of the boss constantly complaining that he isn't making any money, and he underbid the job.  I have, in fact, already paid them MORE than what we owe them, and they aren't even going to do parts I paid for that I wasn't suppose to have to pay until the job was all done.  AARRGGHH!!!

Other than that, and the fact that the hammer and nail crew is off until next week because Todd is getting married tomorrow, although I thought the reason he was off most of last week was because he was getting married last weekend, I am enjoying having Phylly here.  She is actually working at the store today and tomorrow, but she is off Friday and will stay until Sunday.  Hopefully, I'll get some pics or maybe a video for you.

I've got to run.  Time to get the casserole out of the oven.

Hugs, Joy

Good Sunday Evening on Father's Day!

Hello friends!  How are all of you today?

This is Father's Day.  Not much happened around here.  Jerry did receive a 10-minute phone call from his daughter who calls him twice a year:  Father's Day and birthday.  No card -- no pictures of his grandkids -- no anything.  Just a phone call.  Other than that, he never sees or hears from her.  He tries to call her occasionally, but he usually gets an answering machine.

Jerry said she talked for a few minutes asking all the usual questions, and then just ended the call.  She is way too important these days; so we, of course, understand that she has absolutely no time for us.  I hope someday she realizes what an AWESOME man her father is or was.  I used to make excuses for him and tell him that it was because of ME that she didn't have anything to do with us.  But I haven't spoken to her -- written to her -- called her or seen her for over 5 years.  The problem isn't Jerry and it isn't me.  It is her.  She is an ungrateful, spoiled child as so many others are these days.  Very sad.

My own father, Richard Grant Clingerman, died many years ago.  He was a wonderful man, and I loved him very much.  He knew everything about the Bible, but he didn't know much about how to have a happy marriage.  He and my Mother knew you were married forever -- no matter what -- but they were seldom happy. 

He loved his four kids as best he knew how.  I was the oldest.  Whenever he would first see me -- when I was grown and on my own -- he would always say in a very cheerful, upbeat, happy way:

HellOOOOOOOOO the JOYree!  (Short for Joy Marie)

I loved it when he called me that, because it was his special name for me.  He was so proud of me.  He always bragged on me like I was the head of everything.  I could have been a scrub woman for some company, and Daddy would have told you that I ran the entire company.  I miss him a lot on Father's Day.  I hope Jesus will send an angel to tell my Dad how much I love him and give him a big hug from me today. 

We did go to internet church this morning.  It was another fun one.  Hagee had his wife talk for about 10 minutes because he said she was better at talking about women and sex than he was.  She had two boxes.  Out of one box, she pulled a darling, bright red shorty negligee that she used to wear.  She said she couldn't get one leg in it now.  Out of the other box, she pulled out full length long johns with a padlock on them.

The subject was still the Song of Solomon.  Mrs. Hagee was talking about how it isn't right for women to use sex as a bargaining tool or as a punishment. 

Do women actually do that? 

I was always so excited that Jerry actually found time for it, I wasn't about to use it for anything other than what God intended it for! 

I'm SUCH a saint!

I made another top today.  It is bright pink knit.  I'll show you when I get the hem in it. 

I have to get ready for Phylly to come.  I'm starting to believe she might actually show up!

Hugs, Joy

More About Buttons and Wrinkled Necks

Oh, my!!!

Guess what I just HAPPENED to see this morning. 

It was this video:

How AWESOME!!!

I don't know if I have any buttons as pretty as Whitney's but I sure am going to look.  And I think it is time to start going to Goodwill and Salvation Army thrift stores to find buttons!

I do know how to make jewelry because I took several classes on Craftsy to learn how, and then I spent nearly $3,000 buying stuff to make it with.  Who knew all I had to do was put some buttons together!

I finished my Silhouette blouse yesterday, and Lucy is wearing it.  It has a lot of fullness in it at the bottom, but I don't care.  It is slinky, and it just hangs in pretty folds.  Another success, and I will definitely wear it.

AND, I will definitely make a button necklace, even though I never wear big necklaces, but with the ever increasing amount of wrinkles appearing at my throat, I may start to. 

This lady must feel the same way!

And she must have a very looooooooooooooong neck!

But why replace flesh-colored wrinkles with gold wrinkles?

Looks like she got her head stuck in a spittoon, to me.

It must hurt a lot because she has all those cloths stuck inside the top of it.

I'll stick with the buttons.

Gotta get.  Phylly is coming and I have to CLEAN and ORGANIZE so Phylly won't think I'm a slob.

Hugs, Joy

Button Candy Video and Another New Blouse

I had such a fun morning playing with my button boxes.  For some reason, I decided to make a video JUST FOR YOU to show you what a neat thing I learned from some lady on her video quite some time ago, which is why I can't remember her name, and I'm too tired and in too much of a hurry to go find it. 

Her video had hours of information, and this is just one itsy-bitsy portion of what was on it, so I hope I don't go to button idea theft jail or anything.

I have to go because I have to meet Jerry so we can go to Lowe's and buy some stuff the electrician was supposed to buy -- in my opinion -- that the hammer and nail people broke, but....

Here is the video I made for you.

Even if you don't sew, you might like this video.  I bet all women can sew on a button. 

Yikes!  My alarm just went off.  I really have to run!

Be sure to notice my duckie!  And be sure to notice how I dressed that clipart girl in MY blouse!!! 

And just so you can appreciate all my PhotoShop lessons, THIS is what the jail girl looked like before I turned her into me:

If you want to learn something really fun and interesting, try PhotoShop Elements.  I LOVE what I can do with it, and I am a major beginner -- I'm talking "diapers and passifier" beginner!

And I almost forgot to show you the button combo.  This is the blouse without hem and without sleeves and without me having time to finish it right now.  And a close-up of the button combo.

Hugs, Joy

Armpits, Construction and Perfect Patterns

Did anyone see Gertie's armpit besides me?

I find her so strange, although I admire her and like her very much.

She says she has all kinds of terrible thoughts about different parts of her body.  The only strange thing I see on her body is that she has covered her beautiful skin with tattoos.  She has -- or had -- beautiful everything from what I used to be able to see before the pink hair, tattoos and the new anchor on the top of each foot.  Gorgeous brunette hair, perfect skin and teeth, and smart as a whip.

Goodness!  I just don't see how she could NOT LIKE anything about her body. 

If you never heard of Gertie, check out the post I'm talking about here:

http://www.blogforbettersewing.com/2013/06/that-fleshy-armpit-bit.html

Go back to some of her old posts, and you will see how pretty she is with brunette hair, and not quite so many tattoos.  I find it shocking and very sad that so many young people, including one of my grandchildren, are finding some kind of contentment in that heathen practice.  Actually, I've seen a lot of older people doing it too.  I just don't get it.  I can sort of see the men that are in the different military services getting tattooed as some kind of honor statement or macho thing, but not young, beautiful girls -- or old ones either.

Please don't be offended if you don't agree -- and I doubt many do -- but this is my blog, and that is MY opinion.  I will love you if you have a tattoo or you don't.

I've been watching the very slow patio project.  The workers have decided to store all their saws and hammers and levels and saw horses and tool boxes and lunch boxes and water containers, and shingles, and metal, and siding and even a pack of cigarettes under the new cover over my patio.  I bet there are, at least, 8 ladders.  Three of them are Jerry's.  These guys just walk over into Jerry's barn and help themselves to anything they might need.  They asked us at first, but now they just go get stuff.  Even though they are now working on the front porch, all their paraphernalia is on the back patio.  I'll be so glad when it is all gone.  Then I will take some pics. 

Have I told you that Phylly may -- or may not -- be coming next week?  It depends on the grandkids' father who may -- or may not -- show up to take them for a week so Phyllis can have a break.  I don't know how she is supposed to make plans, and I don't dare get too excited -- just in case she does't get to come.

HOWEVER, if she does get to come, we will be doing lots of fitting and sewing.  Maybe I'll get a new video.  Don't know what I can show you that we haven't already showed you though.

According to one patternmaker lady, her patterns are PERFECT and changes are never necessary.  I beg to differ with her and so does Phylly.  MAYBE I'll take a video of the changes she says aren't necessary that we always have to make.  Patternmakers will defend their patterns to the death!  Nobody can make a pattern to fit everyone.  Not even Surefit Designs can do that.  Even SFD blueprints can require further adjustments, and Glenda will be the first to tell you that.




And don't think I dislike this patternmaker lady.  I think she is a LOVELY, FRIENDLY, VERY HELPFUL lady.  I just don't agree that her patterns never have fitting issues. 

My contacts have decided to dry out and stick to my eyeballs like a bug on a windshield.  Not comfortable.  Time to go get them out -- put my glasses on -- put my jammies on -- and sit on my fresh sheets with a computer in my lap so I can read something.

Hope everyone is having a marvelous week.  So nice to not have a tornado warning every night!

Hugs, Joy

Sunday Sermon and 3 Videos of SFD Lace Top

Today's sermon was all about sex.  You really should listen to it.  Unless you are dead, you will crack up laughing.  It must be really hard for preachers to preach about sex, but it surely is needed.  Jerry and I had heard the exact sermon from our own preacher -- well, former preacher -- Duane Sheriff. 

They must get their information from the same source -- other than the Bible, that is.  I don't think the Bible says men are brain-damaged at birth. 

The sermon is taken from Song of Solomon where Solomon describes his love's hair as being like "a flock of goats" and her teeth are like "a flock of newly shorn ewes".  (A "flock".  Yep.  Check it out in Song of Solomon 4:1-2.)

Hagee said, "That is like saying "You don't sweat much for a fat girl.""

GOOD HEAVENS!  The overweight ladies in his church must have a great sense of humor.  He and his wife both fill that bill, so maybe that gives him the license.

But, really, Hagee said, everybody had awful teeth in those days.  The animals actually had much better teeth, so it was a great compliment to say your teeth were like the ewe's teeth.

Fortunately for me, I heard this sermon many years ago, and I was able to understand that Jerry and I had the very same problem as most married couples:

We were perfectly NORMAL! 

It's the whole Mars/Venus thing, you know. 

If you are interested, go to GETV.org and look up this morning's sermon.  You will love it.

I started a 3-part video "series" yesterday.  Mainly, because I'm not good enough with video editing to stick it all together, and even if I did, it would take three years to upload to YouTube.  So there are three little videos about my Comfy Cardigan by -- who else -- Sure-fit Designs™. 

Pardon the PINK jeans.  I tried to paint them black with PhotoShop, but it didn't work.  Play like they are black, okay?  In Video #3, I do have on black top and black pants.  Looks much better.

Glenda sent me the pretty lace fabric, so I wanted to use one of her patterns.  This one is from "Beyond Bodice Basics".

Video #1

Video #2

This 2nd video goes in and out of focus a lot at the beginning.  It quits in a few seconds.  Don't know what is causing that. 

I finished making this garment this morning.  There was one part of the construction that was a little tricky.  I figured it out okay because I've done that type of thing before.  You roll part of the garment up like a sausage, and then you wrap some other part of the garment up over it and sew it together.  Then you have to pull all the "stuffing" out.  Kewl, really, if you can figure it out.

Video #3

That is all for today.  Tomorrow, the hammer and nail crew returns to finish the work on our house.  It is turning into a much-longer, much-more-complicated job than first-thought.  You would think these guys had never done this kind of work before as everything that happens seems to be a surprise to them.  Right now, the wonderful ceiling is almost all up, BUT, when it rained this morning, the rain came right down the fireplace bricks anyway.  Now, we go backwards again for awhile, and I have to be the big meany to get it done right because Jerry had to leave again.  AARRGGHH!

BUT, I am  VERY, VERY grateful that I HAVE a roof and a fireplace, unlike so many who lost it all in the tornados.  How unbelievably awful it must be for them.  I shall STOP complaining now.

Hugs, Joy

Sure-fit Designs™ Fit and Burda Style

I am finally ready to show you my latest creation.  It is not another blouse, I promise!  If I was built like Sarah of Goodbye Valentino or Glenda of Sure-fit Designs™ or Peggy Sagers, I would make a dress every day.

When I was young, I was built like that; but let's face it, the clock isn't turning back any time soon. 

BUT, I did make this dress just because I wanted to see if I could change my SFD blueprint into this style.  I received an email a few weeks ago from someplace, and it had new Burda patterns to look at.  I usually dislike Burda patterns immensely for a myriad of reasons, not the least of which is that they are usually displayed on young girls the size of a toothpick.  Then there is the way the patterns come with colliding railroad track drawings and no seam allowances.  Good heavens!!!  I do good to get my garments to suit me without those issues.

This is the first video I made for you.  It shows HOW I turned my SFD blueprint into the Burda style.

Not ONLY did I make a dress,
I tried the color-blocking thing.
I don't really like color-blocking most of the time.  Peggy Sagers has done some that looks really nice, but she is really good at figuring out what looks good.

I recommend her video from this past Monday night on "Sewing Slim".  It is very informative.  She talks about how to wear a long necklace. and she is so RIGHT about that.  I was surprised at the difference even on her.  She is very tall, and you would think nothing could make her look less thin than she is.  The idea is to DRAW THE EYE.  I am going to have to watch my own eyes and see what they are drawn to when they look at other people's clothing.  Just because I love to sew, doesn't mean I have a clue about design.

HERE is the shift dress from the Burda catalog.  Don't you think I look JUST LIKE THAT in mine!?  LOL! Let's hope that darling child NEVER sees my version of her tiny little shift dress.

Here are some pics of mine.

This one is BEFORE the pockets were added:

This is AFTER I added the pockets this morning:

Here's a pocket-sampler I did to see if I should make the pockets DARK or LIGHT.  I may have made the wrong choice.  Oh, well.  I still learned a lot.  If I didn't have to go back to work tomorrow, I would whip up another one -- a SOLID one.

ANYWAY, here is the video I made for you just a little while ago.  The dress is all done, and I think it is nice.  It is very comfortable.  Not sure if I should shorten it or leave it alone. 

If I make this again, it will NOT be color-blocked.  I think my bust dart looks a tad too high, but so does Blondie's in that picture which is quite a shock since when you are young, your boobs are up under your chin.

I've got to get up out of this chair, and get SOME form of exercise!  Think I'll start on the trampoline.

Hugs, Joy

My Newest "Peggy" Blouse

I have something else I really want to show you, but I can't yet.  It takes more time than I have tonight to blog.  I worked all day at the store -- came home and fixed supper -- cleaned up the kitchen -- and I'm ready to go to bed! 

Not really, but the thought did cross my mind.

I managed to get this new blouse ironed and on my body to wear to work this morning, so I very hurriedly made you a video of me wearing it.  A video says so much more -- good and bad. 

I tried something new with the shoulder slope, and I think it really worked!  I'll tell you about it after you watch my video, so you can tell me if you think it worked.

I have a subcription -- very cheap, if I remember right -- to Threads Insider.  Following is the link to Shoulder Slope lessons.  VERY helpful.  I had to watch it 5 or 6 times before I could follow what she was telling me.  Then, I finally just tried it, and it made sense.  I think it did a great job of pulling all the folds out of the back of my blouse from my shoulder to under my arms.  If you sew, this is MOST IMPORTANT THING #1 you need to know how to do -- in MY opinion.

http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/29839/teach-yourself-to-sew-season-3

Gotta run.  Will try to find time tomorrow.

Hugs, Joy