Sewing Machine Woes!!!

 

Oh my!!  I am in big trouble.  I have 3 sewing machines, 2 cheap singers and a Lena, a bottom of the line Husqvarna.  The Lena crapped out on me a couple weeks ago, started breaking needles, sounded like a freight train, okay so I have owned it for 6 years and never cleaned it or had it serviced, my fault.

Now tonight the other machine I use all the time, a Singer I got at Target (it worked really well, I loved it actually) just kicked the bucket, somehow. I have tried everything and it just wont work right.

So,  I plugged Natalie's cheapy Singer in and tried it, no go, my thread keeps breaking.  I guess it is off to handwork land.

I love handwork though.  If I wasn't in such a hurry to get things done these days I would hand piece everything.  When we first moved here I did just that.  I remember when I took a couple classes everyone was using the machine and I chose to still do it by hand.  I wasn't quite as fast, but I really enjoyed it.  I am not a "hand-only" nazi or anything but I miss those days or it not mattering how long it took to complete a project.

I was looking at someone's Flickr page a little bit ago and she made the cutest things - ALL HAND SEWN!!!  Loved it, thought about why I went to the machine and realized I did because everyone else I knew was working on the machine.  Sure it is nice and fast, which sometimes you need but maybe I don't want to be fast anymore, maybe I should just take a step back and do it the way I  LOVED to do it.

Or maybe I should just get my machine its much needed maintenance.

Off to happier things.  I received two great packages this week.  One is the first block for the Sue Spargo 2009 block of the month, it is called 'Silk Road'.  The fabrics are fantastic.  All different textures and colors, whoa!! lots of colors.  I took a photo (it didn't turn out so well):

The second is from Quilt Fabric Delights Pincushion of the month club.  You can find out about it here www.Quiltfabricdelights.com.au.  It is an Austrailian web store.  Very cute.  I have received I think about 4 or 5 (yes - you are correct I have not started any of them - they are just too cute in their packages).  Here is is:

Well I am getting harassed about still being on the computer.  I am being told I am not being productive while I am blogging.  One last shot to boost my mood and hopefully yours!!

TA TA for now!!!

Here we go!

Oh goodness, here we go with the sickness thing again.

Alice was up all last night, coughing real bad, throwing up. She finally fell asleep around 4:30am but was still coughing so I don't think I slept but a couple hours.

I had to work today so the hubby took her to the doctor and sure enough step throat. Yippee!!! The poor thing, she never complains which makes it hard to know when she is sick.

Now we can prepare for the other 2 or maybe us to get it. But I will try to think positive.

Well, I am exhausted and hungry ready to hit the hay, not that tha will happen but I can hope. I hope you all are getting your BOMs done, February is just around the corner!!!!

Running on NO Sleep!!!

Oh brother, I am back to this again.  Did not go to bed until 1am and couldn't stay in bed a 5am.  Got up, made a couple dolls and picked out fabric for their clothes.  I will post when I have them done.  I made 20 itty-bitty doll bodies last night and stuffed them for little Annie's' on spools.  I will embroider their faces while I am waiting at the dentist office today.  Natalie and Gordon both have dentist appointments 10:55 and 11:45, so Alice and I have a long wait.  The hubby wanted to know why I didn't make Alice her appointment, I guess if I let him take them all in one day he would know why.  We will probably be there as it is for about 3-4 hours.  Last time I felt like we were there all day.

The kids were supposed to be off today for Teacher Workday but because of the 3 snow days they decided yesterday at 4pm that they would go ahead and have school today.  Well, I had originally had their dentist appointment in December but rescheduled for today since they were going to be off.  I didn't want to have to reschedule again even though I could use a little break from them right now.  I have to work all day tomorrow so at least I will have my break then.

Well, guess I should get the kids ready to go - will post pictures later of the dolls!!!!

Have a super day!!

My 1st Block from Gail Pan Free BOM

Here is my first block. I finished it pretty quick. I am not doing the traditional Christmas colors, hopefully I will not regret that, if so, I guess I will just do another.

Gail Pan designs: A Christmas Wish - free BOM

I just found another one. Yippee!!

Like I need another project.

Here is the place: www.http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d8341bf9a853ef010536b5648c970b

I can't wait to start this. Gonna go trace it out now. I am stitching a Raggedy Anne but that can wait!

The kids have been in and out about 4 times in the snow. Laundry is piling up. I did start the bean soup though! Hubby should be happy.

Bunny Hill Designs Free BOM

Block #1

Yippee I finished block number one and how appropriate since it is snowing that there is a snowman in the basket. I chose to use my Japanese Diawabo and Lecien fabrics. They look just precious. Here it is:

Winter Wonderland

How beautiful. It did snow and is still snowing. The kids went outside and played in it. I took some photos but Natalie had already come inside so she is not in any of the pictures. It is not real cold, but with the snow much colder than we are use to.

 

The dogs are not happy. I put them outside but they just kept jumping up at me. They "tinkled" but then after I put them in the house one of them did #2 on the floor. Good thing it is Chihuahua poop, not very much. Okay gross!!!

I liked this one:

Even the porch is getting snow because of the way it is blowing around. Here is my seat view on the porch:

Some kids from the neighborhood:

They look like they are having so much fun!!

Well off to make hot cocoa from the snow we collected! Have a great day!!!

Snow Day Coming!

Oh, how I love you. I have not seen a real snow in a number of years and now that we live in North Carolina I wonder if we ever will. We have a chance to tomorrow. Yes, they have already canceled school in our county so the kids are very excited. Last year schools were canceled and nothing happened. But they are happy about this. Well until they have to go with me to work, then they will probably not be so happy.

I hope it snows a foot (they are only calling for 1-4 inches) but I would love the kids to play in real snow. Have a snowball fight, sled down the hill, make snow angels, come inside and not be able to feel your fingers or toes, warm snot running down your nose (ha-ha - ruined that fun thought didn't I). Well, we will have to wait and see.

Anne Sutton - Free BOM

I am very excited to start this free BOM from Anne Sutton, Bunny Hill Designs. I hope you guys will do it with me. I am picking out my fabrics now. I put a link to it on my blog, so go there and check it out!

Brain Age

How depressing. My daughter has the Nintendo DS game "Brain Age". I use to do pretty well on it but I have not used it for a while and I tested my brain age this morning - it is 61. The optimum brain age is 20. I feel 61 so that makes complete sense. I love the game though. If you have no clue what I am talking about it is the little Nintendo game, like the Game Boys from long ago but much more advanced. The 'Brain Age' game has a test you take to test you brain power. It also has training exercises for your brain that you should do everyday, I am not sure where that falls on my list of things to do. It has math, memorization, sudoko, other types of exercises for different parts of your brain. Kinda neat, I like it, just don't have time to do it. Last year my brain age was down to like 30 so I have aged quite a bit.

OH MY GOODNESS!!!

I am devastated. Why have I not heard of this and why on earth would they do this. Do they want to do away with handmade or better yet, I hope I do not offend anyone, handmade in the USA. The handmade movement has been so awesome and now the government is going to end it. I just found out about this CPSC Law that goes into effect Feb 10, 2009. I went to the Linda Walsh website and learned she will no longer be selling her dolls. Check it out at Linda Walsh Blog . I am crushed. I don't know exactly what this means for me but I guess I need to find out. From what I understand anything that could be considered a toy of for a child has to undergo 3rd party testing and lead paint testing and so on and so on. I need to check out the CPSC website and find out, I think it is www.CPSC.gov. I am going there now, I am so upset!!!!

I am a real bad blogger!!

I have not been keeping up lately. I have been busy though with projects. I took a load to the Rusty Bucket yesterday. I took a lot of pictures, trying to get the right ones and they just weren't coming out right. I look on Pam's blog today and she has two pictures of everything together and they look great. I am hoping it is my camera and not my skills. My father was a photographer, it seems I would have gotten some of that talent. So here they are:

I did a stitchery from a Need'l Love book (I think those gals are brilliant I love just about everything they do) here is a close-up of that:

I finished up a couple dolls tonight. They are cute. I made a bunny and a Annie doll. I cannot get the smell of Sweet Annie out of my nose. It smells good but I think I have had enough, getting a little sneezy!!

I started making some tiny Annie's and Natalie is working on a wool applique from the new Need'l Love book. I will probably be finishing that. I believe she has gotten bored.

I had to make her a pirate flag tonight also. She is studying about pirates in school and for extra credit they could make up a story about a pirate and her Pirate is Rosanne Parks, she made up a very cute story about her on Power Point (man, she loves that program). We have many Power Point presentations from Natalie on that thing. I don't think I would even know how to use it. I wish I could attach the presentation here, but again, I don't know how or if I can.

Well, I am off to stitch a new Raggedy Anne and Andy pillow, a special request (so I need to get busy)!!!

Project Updates

Jan came over again on Friday and we completed another block for our Buggy Barn quilt. We are doing so good on this. So here are the Angel blocks:

I like how they turned out. We still have so many to go but I am having a blast working on them.

I received another block for my Friends of Christmas quilt. I thought I was caught up but I got side tracked with my stitchery projects.

I wanted to show a stitchery I did from the Japanese magazine I get, "Cotton Time". They include a stitchery on the first page of each issue. They are very sweet. So, I decided I am going to stitch them up and eventually they will all end up in a quilt. I am trying to use my Mrs Marsh's fabrics as the backgrounds. Here is the only one I have finished. I started another one so hopefully I can post that one in maybe 6 months or something - HA HA!!

I had stitched a stocking last year and never finished it, so this year I completed it and we gave it to the kids grandparents for Christmas. I absolutely love this stocking, it was very hard to give away. I think that is why I never finished it. I like looking at it. I forgot post it so here it is:

I don't like the date on the picture, I couldn't figure out how to take it off once I put the date stamp on. I lost my manual for my camera and only have the Spanish copy so that doesn't do me much good, but I eventually figured it out.

Okay, so everybody work on your projects, I will finish another doll tonight hopefully. I am excited, tomorrow I am going to a friends house for a little "stitch-in" - YIPPEE!!!!!

New Years Eve Dolls

The kids had fun on New Years Eve. We had Sparkling Grape Juice and watched the ball drop and made dolls. Yes, I was feeling creative and started working on a new doll, Natalie had a friend over and she was very interested so I offered for her to make one, which led to four kids making dolls. It was fun!

Yummy!!!

Alice made a little prairie doll, but she wanted it to have a face, so I stitched that on for her.

Gordon made a Soldier Snowman with a rusty nail nose and rusty shotgun.

I liked this picture!!!

Natalie made a Raggedy Ann, very cute and primitive. Love the hair!!!!

Natalie's friend made a snowman but didn't have time to dress it. They stayed up until 2:30am. Maybe next time we can finish hers. Needless to say I did not finish my doll. But we had a lot of fun.