This Doesn't Happen Every Day

I was leaving a store this week, walking across the parking lot to my car, when an older lady (read: older than me) who was backing her car out stopped and rolled down her window. I thought she was going to ask me directions somewhere or if a certain store was close by. Instead she said, "You look so trim and neat. You really do." I smiled, thanked her, and proceeded to the store. I was wearing navy capris; a button-front, navy-print shirt with a white "pseudo shirt" underneath (made to look like two pieces but really just one); and my white tennis shoes with white "foot-ee" socks. I think it was actually the french braid that inspired her comment, though.

Not Ready-to-Wear

Here's a warm-season church dress that I really like, although I never really liked the jacket that went with it.The original jacket was made from a peach-colored crepe, and it had iron-on interfacing that shrunk the first time it was washed while the jacket fabric didn't. I was continually trying (with an iron) to make the front of the jacket lie flat. Finally I gave up and tossed the jacket. After a fruitless search for something to take its place, I decided that I'd make one. Here's the fabric I found (the only thing in a matching color) and the pattern I will use, specifically, the collarless version that's hot pink in the picture. Except for a couple of vests, I haven't made myself anything to wear in years, so I decided it would be prudent to make a test garment, generally known as a "muslin" since it is generally made out of muslin. I didn't have the necessary yardage of muslin on hand, so I used this inexpensive fabric purchased several years ago when the Joann store closed.It took very little time to stitch together since I didn't do all the facings and lining that are required in the real thing. It fits just fine, although I think I'm going to shorten the three-quarter sleeves to regular short sleeves. Since the jacket is lined, I think it will be too hot otherwise. The final version closes with one snap at the top, and it will have a single decorative button. But a diaper pin works just fine on my muslin.I'll show you the finished product down the road, and I'll find someone to make the picture for me.

More Fabric Postcards

Here's the most recent batch.I got smart after a while and did some strip piecing so that I could make several postcards at one time. They're still all different -- one has green stitching, one has pink, and one has an applique applied on top of the pieced area.

This one won't be mailed. It's going to be a gift enclosure card.

Lost in Space

You probably think that I've fallen off the planet. No, I've merely fallen off the blogosphere. This has been a busy week as I've done a good bit of work for the two companies who use my Quickbooks expertise, spent a day with two high school friends, finished my last school day of babysitting, and worked some more.

Today marks my one-year anniversary of blogging and also the demise of almost-daily blogging. I've determined that this is not what I want to do with my time, at least not so much of my time as it takes to think about what to write, actually write, make pictures, etc. So, starting today, I'm going to update my blog only on Saturdays. I may actually write earlier in the week, but I'll always set the posts to hit on Saturday mornings. That way you won't waste your time checking in except for once a week.

So long, cyber space. Hello, real world.

Latest Creations

I love making fabric postcards. Here are a couple more that I actually mailed, hoping that the recipients would be pleased to receive them.

It's a Frenzy

I've started making fabric postcards (some using selvages, some not) and I can't stop. I made some while watching a Braves game.
Some were creating while watching A Baby Story.
This is a warning. Do not attempt to do anything creative while watching Mystery Diagnosis. The result could be uglier than a dog's breakfast (a descriptive phrase learned from a Canadian friend many years ago).

Connect the Dots - 43 (Pictureless)

Find the common bond of three things and leave a comment with your answer.

• Band
• Solid
• Crocodile

Happy Mother's Day - Part 2

Another of my humble creations has made the Selvage Blog. Check the Selvage Blog tomorrow as well. I think I'll be getting name mention for spotting some selvages with typos and sending them to Karen, the Selvage Blogger. Murphy's Laws of putting anything into print: You often can't spot a typo until you've printed mega-quantities; and, it's easier to spot a typo in someone else's work than in your own. Ask me. I know.

Thursday's Fun

Thursday is my usual baby sitting day. Here are Caleb and Alexa playing trains, and this is about the only thirty seconds that they played nicely together all day!Caleb made a goofy nose out of a play ice cream cone...... until it fell off, and then it looked like an old-fashioned hearing device. And then it became a thumb.Who knew you could have so much fun with a fake cone?

Here's Alexa singing and dancing to the alphabet song.

Connect the Dots - 42

Find the common bond of three things and leave a comment with your answer.

Connect the Dots - 41

Find the common bond of three things and leave a comment with your answer.

Vintage Toys - Part Two

I can't believe I forgot to put in the video of the record player in action... if you can really call it action.

Vintage Toys Live Here

Fisher Price makes good stuff. I saved just a few select toys but they've held up well, and now Caleb and Alexa play with them. This record player still works, although for reasons I don't understand, some of the records play better than others. In today's digital world, most kids don't even know what a record player is. At their house, Caleb and Alexa have toy iPods, so this really is a novelty to them.We've also managed to keep up with all six of the coins that came originally with the cash register. What kids doesn't like to push buttons?Most of these Little People were Phillip's and he loved them when he was little. At some point in the 80s or 90s Fisher Price did away with these little Little People and began making them a lot bigger and chunkier. Upon visiting the Fisher Price website, I learned that Little People are 50 years old this year! I also learned that we just missed the Little People Live Musical Show at Zoo Atlanta this past weekend. Here's my all-time favorite. What I've shown is just a sampling. Here's the rest.

You'll Never Work Alone

...if you have a cat like mine. Even though she doesn't like the vacuum cleaner, Blinky still won't leave the room. But she does stay out of the way.My washing machine sprung a leak on Saturday. I took the sheets out of the machine and then James started pulling the machine out from the wall and taking it apart. Since I wasn't sure if or when I could get to the dryer, I hung the sheets out on my clothesline -- no mean feat, since the line is only about five feet long. Here's Blinky coming in from "helping" me.Footnote on the washer: James found the source of the leak and I ordered a $30 part online. When it comes on Wednesday, he should be able to fix the machine, thus saving us potentially $200 for a service call. Gramps fix it.

Happy Mother's Day

I made this postcard and sent it to my mother. It was lots of fun to make, and I'm sure more will follow. This selvage project went much faster and easier than this one.

Connect the Dots - 40

Find the common bond of three things and leave a comment with your answer.

Treasures

Some time ago, my aunt mentioned that she still had several afghans that my grandmother (who passed away five years ago) crocheted. When I said that I'd like to have one, she invited me to come and see them. So earlier this week my sister and I headed to her house. We ended up choosing one for ourselves and then one for our other two sisters. For my oldest sister, we chose this one. It is actually my favorite because this is the kind I remember most from childhood -- multi-colored granny squares joined in black -- and I like the size of the squares. However, this one needs some repair that only a person who crochets could do, and my oldest sister has that skill. (My youngest sister who went with me chose one very similar to this but with larger squares.)
This is the one for my sister in South Carolina. There actually wasn't much of a choice left. It was this or one other that my aunt wasn't even sure that my grandmother had made. This afghan is lap-sized and is shaped like an hour glass.
This one will live at my house. It also needs some repair, but only where the blocks are joined together, and I can do that by hand with some yarn and a large needle. The inspector once again has to check out anything new coming into her house.
I brought one other thing home that was sort of a surprise. My grandmother lived a number of her retirement years up in the mountains in Hiawassee, Georgia. James and I made frequent trips up there as newlyweds, enjoying the beautiful scenery and mountain air. While there, she took a quilting class, and made a few squares. I did not know that she had ever quilted. My aunt offered us some or all of the squares, and my sister and I each took one. I have no specific plans for it, but I collect fabric, and this counts!
This was my choice because of the quilted turtles that you can see better in this close-up.
I never knew my maternal grandmother (she died when my mother was a teenager), but I know that she was a seamstress and quilter. Some years back, my mother gave me two quilt tops that she had made, and asked me to finish the quilts. I did, and Mama kept one and gave me this one back.I had a difficult time deciding how to finish it because, as you can see, the Sunbonnet Sues are not evenly spaced. I ended up quilting around each of them and then tying the quilt in the sashing. Neither this quilt, nor the square made by my paternal grandmother, are anything special in terms of artistry or workmanship. But they are heirlooms that I treasure, simply because my grandmothers held this fabric in their hands. And the touch of family is really what it's all about after all.

Connect the Dots - 39 (Pictureless)

Find the common bond of three things and leave a comment with your answer.

• Upper
• Ring
• Act

Connect the Dots - 38

Find the common bond of three things and leave a comment with your answer.

Connect My Synapses

Obviously they're not all firing, or they are firing randomly and not talking to one another because I totally forgot to post a puzzle this morning. I remembered as I got my camera to photograph some strawberries that I was cutting up for my lunch. Below, there's a quarter pictured in front of the strawberry so you can get an idea of how big it was. Cut up two or three of those, and I'm done.