Back Home Boatless Still and Blouse Fix

YES!!!

We finally made it back to our Kingston home, which is actually our REAL home.  The Edmond home is really our offices that go with our business up there.

I wasn't home for very long when Terry texted and said her darling little granddaughter, Riley, wanted to "come see Grandma Doy".  I was in great need of a hug, so I was THRILLED to have this child come over and JUMP into my arms.  She brought me a picture she had drawn and 3 special rocks she picked up at a park.  I WISH I had thought to make a pendant out of one of them, but I tossed them after she left.  I could have given it to her next time I see her.

We talked and caught up, and I fed the starving child!  She ate nuts and chex mix and a banana.  I asked Terry if she EVER feeds her!

Terry knew I had a ton of clean-up to do, so they left.  I put groceries away, threw some fabric in the washer and drug boxes back upstairs to my sewing room.  Then I embroidered a jacket for my granddaughter.  She needed her name on it for work.

Now, I am sitting on my bed RELAXING and talking to "my people"!  My favorite thing to do.

Some of you probably don't see my videos on Youtube unless I put a link here, so if you want to see how I fixed the gigantic blouse, it is here:

 I had a request the other day to show you how I attach my scissors to my machines.  I took some pictures for you.

If I do not do this, I can never find my scissors!  They are very bad, and the minute I am not looking, they jump up and run away and hide!  One day, I decided to tie their butts down!!!  Haven't lost them since.

And we came home without the boat.  Bass Pro forgot to remember that the people involved were OFF on Friday and Saturday.  Insane!  Jerry's first boat did show up, however, and all will be finished sometime this week.  Jerry will go back up and get the boat without me.

Monday is the day I finally see the surgeon about cataracts.  I have no idea what to expect.  After that, I am going back to work part time at our store.  Terry is going with me to learn how to do the manager's job because she (the manager) is going to have to have major surgery on her back and may be out for months.  I need to be prepared for that because if I have to go back to work full time, I won't be blogging or vlogging.  It is a miracle that Terry is educated in office management, and she WANTS to work part time for as long as I need her.  NO WONDER God sent her here!

OH!  I wanted to tell you quilters about a comment I got involving a really fun quilt project.  It is called "The Splendid Sampler".  Here is a link.

www.thesplendidsampler.com

It has to do with making ONE HUNDRED 6" quilt blocks.  Each one is by a different designer.   An excellent idea for new quilters to learn 100 techniques for making quilt blocks.  I THINK it said 20,000 people were doing it from all over the world.  If I wasn't so busy, I would probably enter in.  I'm going to watch it just for fun though.  THANK YOU to the nice lady who told me about it.

I've got to go.  The dryer just dinged telling me my fabric needs to be removed and folded and put away.  I better go get a dress and heels on!

Be back soon.

Hugs, Joy

I Copied a New McCall's M7358 Spring Pattern

It is a nice sunny Wednesday afternoon here in Edmond, OK.  I am enjoying my new laptop very much.  The keyboard is wonderful!  The keys are flat, and I thought I would have problems adjusting to them, but I can FLY on this thing!

I made a new video of my latest SFD copy.  It is a new McCall's pattern, M7358.  So new, it isn't even in the stores yet.  I had to try to figure out the facings and finishing from the pictures I show you in this video and hereinbelow.   (I just made that word up, I guess, since spell check says it does not exist.)

It is so much fun to make up new designs with the SFD kits.  When you get a basic pattern to FIT YOU, you can slice it up -- add seam allowances, darts, pleats, gathers -- put it back together -- and it STILL FITS!

This blue blouse has NO DARTS.  I put the bust dart into the front yoke as gathers.  I think my yokes are a little higher than the pattern, but I can't tell for sure.  I don't intend to walk around holding these pictures of the original up in front of me.

I wasn't sure how to figure out how much to gather the back.  I think I added four inches.

I am FIGHTING the urge to go to Hancock's to buy some blue denim that matches the blouse.  I know I have some at my other house.  I'm making myself be still in this chair while I talk to you instead.

AND, my friend Deb just finished her first Fast N Fun knit top like the four I made a few weeks ago.  Terry is making one today also.  Hopefully, I can get pics of both for you.  Wait!  I might have one of Deb's top....

It isn't completely done in this pic, and it looks MUCH BETTER on her, but you will get the idea:

SOMEBODY is talking to Jerry on the phone -- finally -- and they are trying to get his boat connected to its other belongings which have not arrived yet.  UGH!  They are hoping to have it all done Friday, so maybe we can go back home on Saturday.

I MISS TERRY!!!!

We have quilts that need to be quilted, and talking that needs to be talked, and laughter that needs to be laughed!!!

I will see Margaret tomorrow for lunch.  That will get me by, although Margaret doesn't quilt, and she has no interest in learning.  When you are as pretty as she is, you don't need to know how to sew!

'Til Soon --
Hugs,
Joy

Good Sunday Evening

This has been a lovely Sunday.

First, I got a new laptop computer yesterday, and Jerry has been setting it up for me most of today.

Second, Bass Pro called Jerry this morning and told him HIS NEW BOAT IS HERE IN OKC!!!!  We can't go see it until tomorrow, but, at least, it is here.  We are super excited and hopeful.

I have been TRYING to figure out how a Tablet/PC combo works.  I'm a pretty fast learner IF someone SHOWS ME what to do.  If I have to figure it out for myself -- then I may not live long enough!

Sooooooooooooo, I was trying to figure out how the camera worked on this today.  Here is my first really dumb video, but it was my first try:

No sewing today.  I am working on a new project though.  The new laptop and the new boat have usurped my brain today.

I've got to go.  It is late.

Hugs, Joy

Two Videos: Helping Hancock's Stay in Business and Sleeve Insertion

Good Friday evening my friends!

I'm guessing you are all out to dinner at a nice restaurant if your weather is as gorgeous as ours is.  I've been playing with fabric all day and sewing.

Being in the FAST internet house, I was able to make you TWO videos today.

The first one is about my newest SFD blouse and another spree at Hancock's:

The next video is for my readers and followers of my Youtube Channel that ask me to do tutorials.  I did one on SLEEVES several years ago, but it is really hard to see because my camera wasn't as good then.

Here it is for any newbie seamstresses, and KEEP IN MIND that this is how I do it.  It certainly is not the only way.

The blouse I am wearing in that video was made with the SFD SHIRT KIT -- I think -- because it doesn't have a bust dart.  I didn't care for all the ease in it, so I added waist darts to it. 

I've got to get some things done, so won't keep you.  

Be back soon though.

Hugs, Joy

New SFD Blouse and Tarzan

I finished my latest SFD blouse.  It is the one I drew out at Deb's house while we were staying with her in Missouri last week.  I have added a bit more room in the hip per my husband's instructions for the NEXT version, but other than that, it fits good.

Here it is in a video:

And here it is in a few snapshots:

Jerry says it looks "funny" in the back.  I can't really figure out WHAT is "funny" about it.  Perhaps a bit more of a sway back correction is needed.

I have another one cut out and ready to sew together tomorrow if something more exciting doesn't present itself.

Terry is sitting on some beach in Florida sipping some kind of cinnamon-flavored drink, so she is NO HELP AT ALL!

Our friend, Deb, is having her second cataract surgery tomorrow.  She has been anxiously waiting for the day!

Candi came home from the hospital last night.  She is going into the store for a few hours tomorrow to make sure I'm not going to be hauled off to Debtor's Prison for non-payment of my bills!

The wind blew SO HARD today!  45-mile per hour gusts!  There was a guy HANGING from a rope in the top of my trees.  I'm NOT joking.  He came down the rope -- holding a chain saw -- all the way to the ground.  I called him "Tarzan".  He didn't seem to care for that appellation.

I wanted to take a picture of the rope-swinger guy, but he didn't seem like the type of guy who would smile if I hollered "Say Cheese!"  There was another guy, but he stayed on the ground all day picking up all the stuff the other guy cut off from the top of the trees.  That job is done now, and I'm so glad.

That's all folks!

Be back soon.

Hugs, Joy

Home Again and Good News!

Hey everyone!

I am back home.  We were gone for sooooooooooo long.  I'm so tired of talking about Jerry's boat, I'm just going to skip all the details on it.  I talk about it in my new video, however.  I'm in fast internet land, so I was able to sit and talk with you today.

If you watched that video, you already know the good news.

Candi is getting better and may be able to leave the hospital tomorrow!  She is not really well yet, but she is much improved, and we give God all the glory for that!

You also know about my fun shopping spree at the new, improved, miraculously made-over Hancock Fabrics in Edmond, OK!  The manager told me that only the Hancock's in Shawnee, OK is going to be closed in this area.  That is wonderful news because it doesn't matter to me HOW MANY fabric stores are on the internet, I prefer to TOUCH AND FEEL the fabrics that I buy.  Looking for buttons on the internet is a nightmare!  Like trying to find a needle in a haystack.  I have a hard enough time finding what I want at a fabric store.

My new blouse is almost finished.  If my husband had not taken me out to dinner tonight and gotten me half-drunk, I would have finished it hours ago.  Usually, when we go out to eat and Jerry wants a drink; he just orders one for himself, and I take a few sips of it.  He decided he wanted his OWN drink tonight, so he ordered a whole one for me.  NOT a good idea!  I wish I had thought to photograph the HALF-FULL glass I sent back so I wouldn't drink any more of it.  The waitress thought I was kidding.

I had to HOLD ONTO JERRY to get out to our truck in the parking lot!



Anyway, my blouse is not quite done.  Jerry says it is too tight.

NO WONDER after eating Deb's popovers and waffles and stopping for three Freddie's custards while in Missouri.  And the alcohol I had tonight SURE isn't going to help!

Fortunately, I will be alone for awhile, and I can stick to my liquid diet.

IF I can get the blouse on tomorrow, I will surely show it to you.

Until then,

Hugs,

Joy

Hello from Ozark

Well, FINALLY, I figured out -- well, actually, Deb figured out -- how I can get into my own blog as ME and not HER.

Now, don't laugh, but I did not realize that my blog was part of Google.

It is no small thing that I can even DO a blog!

I KNOW!!!

My lightning fast mind let me down!

Probably that menengioma in my brain.

So now that I am finally back on my own blog, HOW HAVE YOU ALL BEEN?  I want to thank all of you who took the time to send me such lovely comments after the nasty remark I got from whoever it was.

Jerry and I are in Ozark, MO attempting to pick up his birthday boat.  Unfortunately, the boat STILL is not fixed right, and Jerry has told them he does not want THAT boat.  He wants his money back, or he wants a different boat.

Evidently, it takes an act of God to get such a thing accomplished, but FORTUNATELY FOR US, we are joint heirs with His own Son!  We have to wait until Monday for the higher-ups to get together to have a meeting to decide what to do about Jerry and his boat.  We offered to go stay in a hotel, but Jim and Deb insisted that we stay here with them.  We were quite concerned about HOW ON EARTH we were going to get payroll done for our employees, and then I had the most amazing idea.

What are BFF's best known for!?

Of course, it is for stopping what they are doing -- with company at their house -- and driving to your store while you are hundreds of miles away, and doing payroll for all your employees who they don't even know!

Yep!

My Terry did that.  Not just once, but TWICE in the same day.  If I could reach her, I would hug the stuffings out of her!!!  She totally saved the day for us and kept us from having to drive all the way home only to return here again for the THIRD TIME over this boat.

I have stuff to tell you, but Jerry and Jim and Deb are laughing their heads off in the other room, and I have to go see what is SO FUNNY!

I'll be back soon though.

Hugs, Joy

BEWARE of Killer Coffee Pots!

Thanks to Terry's Facebook page, I have found out about the latest KILLER of unknowing coffee lovers everywhere.

Watch my video for more information:

I HOPE that the following will take you to the article about the Keurig, and you can read it as it was actually written.

http://www.conservativeconstitutionalists.com/2016/01/alert-if-you-have-a-keurig-throw-it-out-immediately-your-life-is-at-risk/#

We are headed to the Neurosurgeon tomorrow morning (see video) and then to Springfield to FINALLY pick up Jerry's birthday boat.

Deb has to work, so I may not get to go to FM Fabrics.  Maybe I can find it by myself.  That lady in my phone might know how to get there.

My computer doesn't work at Deb's house, so you probably won't hear from me for a few days.

Hugs, Joy

The Girl Retreat

It is Sunday, and we did listen to church this morning, and Matthew Hagee was AWESOME, as always, but I'm not going to recite the sermon to you today.  I think I will listen to it again tomorrow though, so watch out!

Our "Girl Retreat" was a TOTAL BLAST!

Only two girls showed up, but we thoroughly enjoyed our entire day.

Here's the video, if you care to see it:

Here is a picture of Terry's quilt as it is today.  She ran out of the dark brown she is using as her frame around the pics, so has to go to Joann's to get more fabric before she can finish hers.  She and Doug have a total of SEVEN children, so she has a bunch more pictures in her quilt.  I put dogs and cats in mine, lol.

The quilt pattern is called BQ3.  Terry bought it from Nancy's Notions.  You can arrange it in a pinwheel format also.

Terry's new sewing room is wonderful even though it has NO bricks on the outside yet.  It is so hard to get any kind of construction done in Kingston.  It has taken way more time to finish the inside of the room than it should have.  They have no idea when the brick crew will show up.

I went to Homeadvisor.com myself two weeks ago to find a contractor to do some remodeling at our house.  I got two names.  One guy was a preacher on Sunday in Denison, TX.  The other guy was from K&M Remodeling in Ardmore, only M was gone, and K was looking for help.  Both the preacher and K came to our house and measured everything.  I was supposed to get a quote from both.

K supposedly emailed a quote to me, but I didn't get it.  I called and told him.  He supposedly sent an email again.  I never got it.  I called him the THIRD time and told him.  He told me what the total amount was, and promised he would send the email.

TWO DAYS LATER, I got a text telling me K wasn't interested in our job.  He had suggested a granite company in Marietta, OK.  Jerry and I had already been to the granite company -- found some we really liked -- and ordered it.  The granite guy came to our house and spent several hours measuring.  We had to call the granite guy and tell him to please cancel the order as we have nobody to put it in.  The preacher did send a quote, but it was $2,000 higher than the one K never sent, and I was suspect of a contractor that was a preacher on Sunday.  Didn't seem to go together.

I decided remodeling is WAY TOO MUCH TROUBLE and I went back to my sewing room.

Time to make my supper shake.

I'll show you the quilts again when we complete them.

Hugs, Joy

Two More Fast-N-Fun Tops and Girl Retreat

Hey Everyone!!!

My GOODNESS, the weather is so gorgeous here.  It has been 60's and 70's for over a week and continues.  Our "Girl Retreat" at Terry's house this weekend will be so nice if the weather stays like this.  I may sew outside on her steps!

OHHHHHHHHHHHH!

I have to go look for a sewing machine.  Hold on a minute for me ..............

Okay, I'm back.  I found it in the guest room closet.  YAY!  I need to set it up and oil it and get it ready for our weekend.  Terry has gone silent today.  She is probably doing something at the church with her husband.  She came over last night to look through my fabrics for something to go with her new quilt.  She took home several pieces to try.

I made a video yesterday to show those of you who care the two OTHER Fast-N-Fun tops that I made.  Here it is:

Jerry and I went out for a steak dinner last night to celebrate our 41st wedding anniversary.  The waitress who waited on us had an extreme hair problem that was about to set me off.  I did really good, however, remembering how a former friend told me that if you correct someone, they will be mean to you.  I didn't want her to poison my steak.

IF I go back to that place again, I will REQUEST a server whose hair isn't hanging over his/her face from forehead to chin!  She kept WACKING it back across her face over and over and over but, OF COURSE, it kept falling right back down.  I wanted to see if I had some masking tape in my purse so I could go tape it to the side of her head!  Dinner was good in spite of the unkempt help, although I did keep checking for stray hairs in my food!

I did just come across this excellent piece of advice:

I have to go.  The ladies will be coming here sometime this weekend, and I need my sewing room to be accident free, lol.  If you knew what I was working on, you would understand.  I'll tell you all about it next week.

Hugs, Joy