I Sewed!

Yes, I did it; I sat down at the sewing machine this weekend and actually sewed! This is the sum total of two days' work, not much in the grand scheme, but it's HUGE after these last two weeks of being sidelined! Yay!! These were already precut and labeled before my little trip onto the brick sidewalk, if they hadn't been I'm not sure I could've gotten this far. I'm unable to use the rotary cutter just yet. 

The pumpkin blocks will ultimately become the borders for this table topper, it was a kit. I committed to three kits from my LQS last year (who offered the kit of the month program); October, November and December. Stay tuned for more, but be patient. My Dad has always said, in situations such as these, "don't hang by your thumbs waiting"! That most certainly applies here.

This is the current situation here, Mr. G is in the kitchen installing backsplash currently (out of view, to the right); Augie is sitting in the Studio (pantry is in view, straight ahead). I'm ironing and he wants to be part of what we're BOTH involved in. Such a loyal little friend. 💗

So, for those of you who've been following this cracked wrist saga; you might recall that I tripped over the garden hose, that was my fateful step. Unbeknownst to me, Mr. G removed that clunky big hose that was my downfall and replaced it with a Flexi-hose. I stepped off from the side porch the other day, taking Augie out, saw this and almost had a heart attack! For all in the world, to me, it looked like a coiled black snake! I grabbed up the dog, and jumped back; it's lucky I didn't trip, fall and break the other wrist. Fear not, my BP has returned to normal.

Life is Good!

Sharp Advice!

Your sewing space is fraught with dangerous, sharp, objects; you already know that. We always think that we're exercising caution around our tools; but, as quilters, we're so accustomed to picking up and handling the rotary cutter that it's almost like an extension of our own hand. We use them without always thinking about the risk, we become mindless to the fact that we really are handling a rolling razor blade...herein lies the potential problem; believe me, I am just as guilty of this lack of respect for the rotary cutter as anyone else. I've learned something this week that has changed my thinking however, a lesson that will haunt me (and you, too) for a long time to come.

A friend dropped her rotary cutter last week, it innocently bumped (blade exposed) on the edge of  a table, causing her to lose her grasp on the handle, and ended up blade-side-down in the top of her foot, her bare foot.  What she thought was a superficial laceration has turned out to be much more. She has suffered a cut to a tendon; at this point she's not even sure if the tendon is severed, there's too much swelling to know that yet. In the meantime she is sidelined; immobilized and awaiting surgery with her foot elevated.  She's out of work while this waiting happens; adding insult to injury, quite literally.

I'm posting these three rules today as a warning. Why? Because this could happen to any one of us!
1.  Pay attention to your rotary cutter, only expose that cutting blade when you have your cutter poised over your fabric to make that one cut and then slide the guard back into position. Every. Single. Time.
2.  Wear shoes in your sewing space, real shoes... no more bare feet, sandals or flip-flops; it's not worth the risk.
3.  Clean up your sewing/cutting area frequently: you'd be amazed at how quickly those piles of accumulating scraps can obscure your workspace and cause you to lose sight of your rotary cutter or other sharp objects... if you can't see them you don't have control of them.

Develop a heightened awareness and exercise caution around all of your tools; remember: they stay sharp, especially when we don't!  Please join me in a prayer for complete and speedy healing for my friend; she is eager to get up on her feet and back to work soon.

Life is Good!

Something To Take To Phoebe White's Party

Have any of you ever heard of Phoebe White's party? When I was a little girl I remember my parents, as well as my grandparents, breaking the news gently to me at bedtime that it was "time to go to Phoebe White's party"!  This was the signal for brushing teeth and crawling into bed for the night. Phoebe White's party was sleeping. I've researched the term and come up short, maybe it was only used in my own family, I don't know. I bought some fabric on Thursday while on a quick shopping trip with my sidekick, Quiltkeemosabe, for pillowcases for Lucy Ann. I had a few travel-sized pillows in the cabinet and thought that she'd enjoy a few pillowcases in her favorite colors. (What little girl doesn't love pink and purple?) My plan was to make them for her, embroider her name on the cuffs and slip them to her sometime during her brother's  up-and-coming birthday party so that she wouldn't feel too left out; I have a few weeks. But then, things happen and an abrupt fall into the coffee table at her house sent her to the hospital last evening, she came home with four stitches above her eyebrow. I could just cry thinking about her going through this; SEW... I got busy! Pillowcase #1 was finished and boxed up (with the pillow) and is winging its way to her in the Capital City right now. She can take it with her to Phoebe White's party, she'll need it as she rests and heals.

Life is Good!

Ready And Waiting

As soon as the weather cooperates Lucy Ann will have a warm weather wardrobe ready and waiting; you'd never know if you looked out the window today that it is, already, OFFICIALLY Spring; it's sleeting!  Our daughter brought some bright and cheerful fabrics with her during her recent visit and spent naptime and an hour or so after the kiddos were in bed for the night in the sewing room working on some cute little sundresses for Miss Lucy Ann. I had to smile at the way my daughter approaches her projects; instead of a paper pattern she consulted a downloaded PDF pattern filed on her I-pad which sat beside the machine as she constructed this dress, very efficient!  Her favorite mini-model was more than happy to try on her pretty new dress the minute she woke up the next day.

Please forgive the lack of focus on this photo, I simply couldn't resist posting it due to "the pose"!

The back is as cute as the front, don't you just love the gathered shoulder straps?

Because there's never a dull moment, the next day our little model fell from a bed and suffered a small laceration above her eye; a trip to the pediatric emergency department had her put back together as good as new in no time but, naturally, it put her Mommy far behind schedule with her sewing projects.  They left right after lunchtime yesterday to return to the Capital City; since our daughter had the second dress already 90% completed I told her to go ahead and leave it and I would finish it for her. I took a quick glance at the instructions on her tablet before she left and was ready to go... or so I thought! An hour or so later, after doubting my memory and my retention rate I ended up purchasing the very same PDF pattern and printed out my copy on paper so that I could look at it (I'm rationalizing this action with the thought that I have another granddaughter who'll want one of these before too long)! There's more than one way to consult a pattern! Right? Groan.

I got it finished... it's ready and waiting!
Life is Good!

Life Happens...

...when you're busy making plans for other things. Today is "Gregory" day. I keep my youngest grandson on Mondays, I leave the house at 7 AM and arrive at his home at precisely 7:30. This morning was no different, I was in the process of bidding Mr. Goodneedle good-bye, armed with my "nap time" projects when the phone rang; the caller I.D. displayed "Mom". My heart sank, it was my mother-in-law, she does NOT get up early; this couldn't be good news. She had fallen, last night, she couldn't get up and she needed my husband to come; the details were sketchy. I went my way and he went his. I arrived at Gregory's home just about the same time that Mr. Goodneedle arrived at his mother's, our worst fears were confirmed. An ambulance was summoned and Gregory and Nana were enroute to join them. Mom's spirits were good, despite an eight-hour-plus detour to the carpet beside her bed. She fell at 11 PM last evening, she hit her head and her side against her bathroom vanity. She didn't want to disturb anyone's sleep even though she had access to the telephone and a life alert button... I firmly believe she thought she would eventually gain enough strength to climb up into her bed and be O.K. Unfortunately, that never happened. After a grueling day in the E.R. she has finally been admitted to a room. She has three broken ribs, that's the bad news. The good news is that her spirits are positive and she's looking forward to a short hospital stay and coming home to her little dog, Linus. He is living here with us temporarily and not any too happy about that; but, I didn't get any appliqué done today during nap time either. Why? Because, life happens when you're busy making plans for other things, that's just the way it is. Please pray for Mom, God is listening and there's power in numbers; I know there's an army of prayer warriors out there. She is feisty and funny and full of life; and, as I always say...

Life is GOOD!

Lucky Number 26!

There were 35 comments on my 900th blog give-away post. I went down the list and numbered them 1-35, in order.

Using the random number generator tool, it determined that #26, Marlene, is the lucky winner! Her comment:

StitchinByTheLake said...

I do believe the picture of the two babies "kissing" is about the cutest thing I've seen in a while. May God bless you all! blessings, marlene

I had mentioned that Mason would draw the number out for me today. Well, our plans have changed and we're not traveling to the Capital City today after all. Mason's Daddy had an accident last evening, a misstep off of the deck has resulted in an ankle fracture (possibly multiple fractures)*. I'm not clear on all the details yet, when I spoke with my daughter late last night he was still in the ER. His parents have arrived to help out for now. I'm thankful that it's not any worse and that my daughter's foot is healed to the point that she can move independently once again to take care of herself and the family. Please, be careful how you take the stairs at your house, watch where you step; that last one can be extremely hazardous to your health! I've heard that a ladder is the #1 most dangerous tool in any household, I know of one home in particular where steps have replaced the ladder in that ranking.

*Interesting (and timely) trivia: according to my Google home page
today is the 115th anniversary of the invention of the X-ray!

Life is Good!
Update: It appears that ligaments in the ankle were separated from the bone, taking bone along with it. He hopes to see an Orthopedist today for further evaluation/diagnosis. Please pray along with me for speedy healing!

One Wrong Step...

My very pregnant daughter missed the bottom step in her garage and broke her foot yesterday morning. She was on her way to the car and was carrying Mason on her left hip; he is just fine, and so is the baby. Her right foot didn't fare as well; she heard the bone break as she went down. I am helping out in the Capital City this week, there's lots to do when the doctor's order is no weight bearing for six weeks. Easy to prescribe but hard to do for a woman who manages her home, has an active two-year-old (who likes to hijack her crutches!) and has a nursery to furnish and prepare! I'll be here through Saturday and will relinquish my resident status when other family members move in to take their shifts with Mason-watching and general helping out; we're all happy to be here and do what we can, but no one will be happier than my daughter when she can relieve us on a permanent basis. Please remember her in prayer for speedy healing and patience along the road to recovery!

Life is Good!

Heavy Clothes

In the winter you should dress warmly, wear your heavy clothes. Just be sure that you don't hang them all together in the same section of your closet. This is a public service announcement, brought to you free of charge.

Life is Good!

Three Reasons

In case you need them, here are three reasons NOT to stay up late at night cleaning your house:
#1. A broken the blender jar, it's a brand new blender, too. Set it down, turned around, and crash.
#2. A broken coffee pot. Same scenario as #1, was moving it to clean under it, crash.
#3. A full-sized sponge, flushed down the toilet. Luckily, I was able to retrieve it.

Don't let this happen to you. Go to bed at a reasonable hour, even if you are having ten people in for dinner the next evening, they're family; they won't care if there's dust under your coffee maker.

Life is Good!