Yes, we are back home in Kingston. Jerry is doing great. His hair is turning blonde again instead of snow white. His energy is returning. It is 7:30 and I just finished the dinner dishes. Jerry announced he was going out to work on his bulldozer. It has been quite a long time since he has felt good enough for that hard job. Some part broke on it, and EVERYTHING on a bulldozer is BIG and complicated and hard to get to, SO that means his knee has to be feeling very much better also! Praise God for that!
I interviewed two new girls for our store, and I hired them both yesterday. I believe they will both be great if I am there to help train them myself. I want to be sure they have plenty to keep them busy, and they KNOW the rules and regulations and tons of information required by Medicare/Medicaid. Both girls have great skills, and I am excited! And -- SO FAR -- not a tattoo in sight on either one of them. Our employees KNOW -- because I put it in writing -- how Jerry and I feel about tattoos. As far as we are concerned they belong in the underworld of gangs and drugs or in a bar or the Military or on Popeye -- not in a respectable place of business.
I am shocked EVERY SINGLE DAY at what walks into the doors of restaurants and grocery stores. Beautiful YOUNG girls with formerly flawless skin have tattoos covering their entire arms -- and their legs -- and their feet! It is truly the saddest thing. We saw a very young girl walking the "plank" as I call it to the Marina cafe a few weeks ago, and both her legs were covered with tattoos. She had on shorts, and I'm sure she was very proud of those tattoos. I wanted to CRY!
Look at this formerly very pretty young girl! I freak out over a tiny red spot on my cheek caused by blood vessels coming together and making a bump, and this lady has BLACK STARS all over her face! Who would hire her?
These people truly need something, and it ISN'T ink!
If YOU, dear reader, happen to be covered with tattoos -- or if you even have one tiny one -- and you are happy about it, that is wonderful. I'm just telling you how Jerry and I feel about them on our employees. YES, we are old fogies, but I think young fogies would be much more beautiful tattooless!
And HOW did I get off into all of that. Heaven only knows how my brain works.
Much more fun to talk about sewing or jewelry, huh?
You are probably wondering what "LIL" is. That would be Low Internet Land. It is a very distant relative of LOL! (-;
I better close before I get myself in deeper than I already am.
I just have one more thing to say:
GOD, PLEASE BLESS AMERICA!
We have a coterie of clowns running our government, and they could use an immediate injection of wisdom from above. They may not love you, God, but millions of Americans do, and I ask you to please bless America for all of us.
It just doesn't seem like Sunday because we didn't watch church yet. We decided to come home this morning -- back to the snail pace internet -- and watch the rerun of church tonight. After unpacking enough stuff to fill a small home, Jerry is snug as a bug in his office and I am snug as a bug in my sewing/quilt/jewelry room.
Yesterday was an all day long play day with Phylly. It was wonderful. We shopped at the fancy fabric store on one side of town and later went to Hancock's. In between we talked and laughed and sewed.
You will recall I was going to TRY to reproduce this darling Marfy pattern with my Sure-fit Designs Dress Kit:
With help from Rhonda and Phylly, I decided this was a wrap style in the front with the pink layer going all the way over to the other side seam. The white piece with the notch cut out of it was called a "panel" by Marfy, and I decided it was attached at the armhole, topstitched where shown, and open below that. The buttons may or may not have functioned.
There doesn't seem to be a zipper in the dress, so the lady must have slithered into it!
GET READY FOR A BIG LAUGH!
This is my FIRST muslin of this dress, and I used muslin. THANK GOODNESS, Marfy didn't use my colors or my pattern!
It looks like a giant street sign warning you to go another way or else you will fall off a cliff or something!
I kind of liked it though, and the fit was fine, of course, being SFD, but then I showed it to Jerry.
Jerry looked confused as though he didn't know if he should tell me what he REALLY thought or make something up.
He said, let me see that dress again.
I brought the picture to him.
He agreed with me that the pointy part was TOO BIG and he said the part that went up into my armhole was too LOW. He said the dress in the picture had the seam much straighter and higher up.
To me, the princess seam -- IF that is even what it was -- landed about the same place in her armhole, BUT it was much straighter going down her body.
Now, it JUST SO HAPPENED that I had seen a video by Glenda Sparling just a few days earlier about princess seams and how to do them. Here is that video if you care to watch it. Notice the princess seam Glenda has her hand on. It does not curve into the armpit like mine does in the red and navy top.
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO,
I started over on my Sure-fit Designs remake.
I redrew the princess seam to be much straighter and higher up toward the shoulder. Phylly didn't think it looked normal. All the ones she has seen are more curved.
And that is true, of course. So I've decided to just call this a "Queen Seam". I really like it. It doesn't make your boob look so much like a water balloon about to burst.
Here is Muslin #2:
And I CAN HEAR YOU saying,
"JOY!, are you daft or what?"
"That isn't even a dress,
and it doesn't have buttons,
and it doesn't open with a flap!"
I knoooooooooooooooooooooow, but isn't it cute anyway?
Phylly thinks I should put buttons on it -- like in the Marfy pattern -- but I'm not sure. I asked Jerry, and he said that is stupid because they wouldn't unbutton anything.
So I pinned a couple on.
What do you think?
I have to finish putting a loop and button in the back, and then I can wear it. Maybe I should go do that now.
I would really rather go for a swing on the patio though.
BUT, WAIT
I just remembered that MG requested that I show her a picture of the whole quilt showing behind me in one of my videos.
That quilt is called "Oh, My Stars!"
I named it, and I quilted it, but I did NOT make it.
When I purchased my first longarm machine, I needed to do a LOT of quilting to get good at it. It takes me a year, at least, to make a quilt, so I knew I would never learn how to quilt good if I only quilted the quilts I made myself. Some of the ladies at the quilt sites I belonged to back then bought quilts from Ebay. I couldn't imagine that you could get a quilt that was made to my standards from Ebay, but was I ever WRONG about that!
I bought several quilt tops from Ebay. One of the most beautiful I've ever done is called Rose of Sharon. I gave it to my sister because she is in the ministry, and the moment I saw it on Ebay, I KNEW I had to buy it -- quilt it -- bind it -- and give it to her. She LOVES it! Let me see if I can find a pic of it real quick.
I have NEVER seen one even close to this beautiful applique on Ebay. Some guy had found it at an Estate sale or something.
Here it is. It is about 4' by 4' and is more awesome in real life. The applique is magnificent. The top and the applique were done by the Amish. The quilting was done by me. That is all I know about it.
And here is Oh My Stars. It is hanging on the wall in my Edmond sewing room.
I bought this quilt top from a lady on Ebay, and I wish she was still making quilt tops. As you have to know by now, I love bright colors, so I decided to buy this one to help improve my longarm quilting skills -- and it certainly did.
And now, I really have to go.
Have a MARVELOUS week. I go back to work tomorrow. That means I have to GET UP EARLY and I am officially UNretired.
Well, this is it. The Buttonhole Leveler I talked about yesterday. MG asked me what it was.
As it turned out, I had to take the buttonhole foot AND the sewing machine into the Bernina store today.
For a mere $175.00, they will service the machine and fix the feed dogs. It seems that after using the machines for so long, the feed dogs get scwooshed or something. Thankfully, I was able to return the $115.00 buttonhole foot since that wasn't the problem.
This was a really nice day. Phylly, Margaret and I went to lunch at TGIF. We now have our "own" table in the bar. The place was busy one day, and we had to sit up there. Ever since, we always go to that same table. The three of us could sit and talk all day long, but Phylly always has to go back to work.
I have started what I HOPE will turn out to be a really special project. I am trying to COPY that Marfy pattern I showed you a few days ago -- remember?
I am using my Sure-fit Designs Dress Kit to duplicate this style. I am making a BLOUSE -- not a dress. I worked on it all afternoon.
I wanted to call Glenda SO BADLY, but I made myself try to figure it out.
What I wasn't sure about was IF the white part is faced and top-stitched onto the pink part,
OR is there a seam down that princess line including the pointy parts,
OR do the buttons actually work and hold the thing together,
OR is it a wrap dress and the pink part goes all the way to the other side?
I have both sides drawn off, and I will cut it out of something tomorrow morning. Wish I had that piece of bright green fabric that matches the green daisies. It is, of course, at the other house.
I finished what I am calling my MUMS blouse. Remember, Jerry said, "Do you always use the same pattern?"
I think it looks quite a bit different with the longer sleeve. The v-neck is a little different, although I wanted it to be the same. Plus, the print and the colors are different.
ANNNNNNNNNNNNNND, I did use the red buttons. It is no small miracle that I EVER got the buttonholes in the blouse. I have two old Bernina machines here, and the automatic buttonholers on BOTH machines decided to croak at the same exact time!
One would think I was fortunate to be at my Edmond home where there actually is a Bernina store 20 miles away, wouldn't one?
WELL, one would be WRONG!
I went to the store and I purchased what was supposed to be the right foot. Since the Bernina store is right up the street from our store, I called Phylly to see if she wanted to meet me for lunch at Johnnie's. While I was waiting in my car for her to arrive, I decided to OPEN THE BOX and compare the foot inside to the foot I had brought with me from my machine. TOTALLY DIFFERENT!
After lunch, I went BACK to the Bernina store. I returned WRONG FOOT #1 and purchased another foot that was guaranteed to be the right one. I wasn't going to be fooled twice -- no siree! -- so I got my foot out of my purse and compared it to the new foot the lady sold me. They looked pretty much the same, but the big eye on the top was different. She assured me that didn't matter.
I drove home to FINALLY put the five buttonholes into this blouse, and GUESS WHAT?! I found out I had purchased WRONG FOOT #2. I started to sew the buttonhole, and it sewed the first side practically the whole way across the sample I was using and never did switch. AARRGGHH! I was SO MAD!
I called the Bernina store. The service guy, Robert, answered the phone. I told him my problem. He informed me that the MACHINE and the FOOT have to be calibrated.
I asked him HOW I was supposed to do that.
He said, "You aren't!" "You have to bring both into the store."
Can you believe it?
ANYWAY, when I was in the store earlier today, the sales lady brought me this little plastic device that was $4. I immediately assumed that some clerk had priced the thing wrong, as EVERYTHING in a Bernina store is $100 plus! The buttonhole foot was $115. She assured me it really was only $4. So, I bought it.
THANK GOODNESS, that little $4 doohickey allowed me to finish the buttonholes on this blouse. They are a bit strange looking, but nobody but me will know. The buttons cover up the buttonholes.
Someone posted they like the green blouse the best.
So do I. I just love that bright green.
I am TRYING to show you the slit in the sleeve here.
It isn't very slitty, is it?
This is a two-piece SFD sleeve with a dart in it for the elbow.
Very comfortable.
OH!
I also changed the bust dart from a French Dart to a regular bust dart.
And that is it for today.
Jackie is QUITE INSULTED that I haven't put this laptop down and come outside to play with her.
It is hotter than a firecracker out there, but I will go throw the ball until one of us wilts.
I had such a LOVELY day that I was in the mood to make a video instead of typing a chapter in my Blog today.
We were supposed to leave this house today, but as it turns out we have to stay for another week due to Jerry's post op and removal of stitches in his knee.
The weather is pleasant today with sunshine after several cloudy days, and sunshine ALWAYS brightens my day. It seems to brighten everyone else's too because everywhere I went, people were smiling and friendly.
The young man at Sonic who brought my 1/2 price UNsweet Tea with EASY Peach -- the drink my husband always growls about and acts as though I have ordered some impossible mixture -- was in SUCH A GOOD MOOD, I almost offered him a job at my store. I think there was a 30 cent tip in the change I gave him for my $1 drink, and you would have thought I had given him a $20 bill. If he hadn't walked off when he did, I probably would have tried to find one.
Anyway, let me pop my video in here:
And here is the blouse that awaits buttonholes and buttons.
I better go make sure Jerry has gotten his dinner figured out.
He is SO GROUCHY today. I know it has to be horrible to go through all the chemo, and doctor appointments, and the knee surgery, and now the pain pills; BUT, I don't see why he wants to take it out on me??? Oh, wait! It's because he LOVES me the most. I keep forgetting that! (-;
Honestly, I am really spoiled in that he is almost ALWAYS in a good mood. That just makes it so much more shocking when he is really grumpy. This too shall pass, of course, but for now, I'm hiding out as much as possible.
We had a bit of a scare, but honestly, I wasn't scared. So many scriptures ran over and over in my mind, and somehow, I just knew this wasn't going to be a bad thing.
WHAT am I talking about????
When I went to pick Jerry up yesterday -- after he woke up from his knee surgery -- the nurse called me over to show me a bunch of papers and give me all kinds of directions. She handed me one sheet that said, "Have patient go see his PCP right away about a 6 mm nodule in his lung that showed up in his chest x-ray."
Most of you know that Jerry, my husband, just went through 6 chemo therapy treatments for cancer, so we didn't just throw the paper in the trash. I called Jerry's cancer doctor -- who is the NICEST doctor in the whole wide world -- and his nurse told me to drop off the chest x-ray at their office. I did that this morning.
It is now almost dinner time, and we just got a call from the doctor. He said it was nothing to worry about. He said it has shown up on all of Jerry's prior x-rays and scans -- which are numerous -- and whatever "it" is did not soak up any of the dye that would indicate it is cancer. The doctor said it is probably calcification and has been there for a very long time.
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, I am doing a happy dance -- praising God that Jerry is healed and is going to live to be an old man that loves living with an old lady -- who makes her clothes and her jewelry -- and her dog.
And speaking of making my clothes, I finally wore my bright green daisy blouse for the first time today. I went into the den to kiss Jerry goodbye before I went to get his drugs and deliver the chest x-ray to his doctor, and he did a double take, and said, "WOW!"
I said, "Wow, what?"
He said, "You really look nice in that blouse. I like that a lot on you!"
So ANOTHER HAPPY DANCE!
And here I am in my bright green daisy shirt, made with my Sure-fit Designs Dress Kit:
This one is to show you the notch in the sleeve.
For some reason, I really like that.
I am cutting out another daisy print right now. This time, it is black, red and gray. I figured since Jerry likes it so much, I might as well make another one.
Time to go make supper. Jerry is on crutches, but is doing fine. He has pain pills and has to take an aspirin every day for 30 days. I get to take the bandages off tomorrow and we will see what they have done to him. He had a torn maniscus (sp?).
Be back real soon, and MIGHT make another video as we found out we have to stay another 10 days because Jerry has to go back to the doctor to get stitches out and be counseled about physical therapy.
Good afternoon friends. Trust all of you are having a lovely day as we are here with a break in the heat. A truck will be here shortly to cut down a dead tree and trim some other trees in our front yard, so I can't stay long.
I made a video per request by one of my readers about Sure-fit Designs™ tank tops, and I also show you a fantastic product you may not know about.
The rest of the video is just me blabbing about my new knit top, but I wanted one more time to ENJOY having internet that FLIES through the air with the greatest of speed! I will only have that for a few more days.
Here it is:
Guess What!?
Tonight is the night we FINALLY found an open spot on the calendar of our friends, Robert and Deanna. If you don't like a lot of talking and laughing at the table next to you, don't go to Louie's on the lake tonight!
I better get ready to supervise tree-chopping-down to be sure the guys don't chop down the wrong tree!
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