New Motto; Work Harder, Hide Better!

This will be a shortened version of the post I previously wrote; I had it all ready and hit post and nothing! Yep.... nothing like loosing a post to waste a bunch of time. Oh, and it's mostly shorter because I won't be able to remember everything that I wrote before! LOL.... what do you expect? These are the ramblings of a seamstress, wife, mom, grandma..... daughter.... etc.!

I've been keeping out of mischief..... (just barely!) cutting out squares (of all sizes.... just to have on hand, so when I'm ready to use them they will be available). I have been helping my MIL clear out and clean out some of her closets of old outdated items..... make-up, lotions... things that she wanted me to donate to the local D.I. (Deseret Industries). But to be honest, most all of the stuff was sooo old, they just wouldn't want them. So, I saved the D.I. from having to chuck them into the garbage and did it myself! We went thru old sheet sets that they have had since they lived in their last home (some 15 plus years ago) and managed to do a very good clear out! Some of the sheets came home with me to pass onto others and then to the D.I. the ones that no one cared about!

Last week I helped out my friend Karma.... what with MSN e-mail changing over to charging people it had to be done b/4 the 1st of July! The poor guy was sooo hard to understand (I believe it was outsourced) I'm sure that when he was done talking to us.... he begged his boss/supervisor for a break! But, we got it done and after we took all the time to switch all of her favorites by putting them into new messages and sending them to her new email address.... (and it took forever!) What should we find.... when they switched her address book etc.... they switched her favorites too! Try to figure that one out? When we did mine, I had to change mine myself.... and the guy even told us that no, they would not be doing that for her! Weird!

Also took care of the grandkids a couple few times.... and we at one point walked over to a neighboring farm friends house to buy eggs. Grandson (oldest) asked how come we didn't buy them at the store? I explained that they are fresher this way.... plus I wanted the kids to see the farm a bit. They got to play with some kittens and I got to visit with my friend Linda. We talked about her wanting to learn how to make Crazy Quilts. So.... guess that's something we can work at later in the year when it's a bit cooler! Just when I was thinking that it was time that the grands mom should be showing up..... I get a phone call to tell me that she had been in a fender bender, but was fine. Fortunately they were not moving very fast, and she was in a Jeep! She needs a new bumper, and the guy behind, that hit her? I'm thinking that she said that his car was a mess! He was driving with Flip-Flops on and his foot slipped off the brake and hit the gas! I'm telling you... I love my Jeep! Our youngest daughter drove my Jeep Grand Cherokee to work one day and got smashed between two pick up trucks! She and the one in front were slowed down because of stop and go traffic on the freeway.... the truck behind her hadn't seen that traffic had slowed down.... he hit her pretty hard and pushed her into the truck in front of her!

It did total my jeep, (and yes.... I was very sad to loose it!) she had some whiplash, but that was all! If she had been in a little car like one of those small economy cars.... I don't think that the ending would have been the same! I love my Jeeps! I can drive them most any where, and flip a few levers and have all the cargo space that I need/want. I'm not very patient when it comes to waiting for my DH to haul something for me in his pick-up truck! I've had 4 Jeeps and DH has had one, our son has had one, and now one of the daughters has one.

I've been back at trying to loose weight again....working harder that is. It seems to find me again once I've lost it.... so I just need to Work Harder, and Hide Better! This is my new Motto/Mantra something like that! LoL...

I hemmed a pair of pants and altered a couple of blouses for our 2nd to youngest daughter, who is doing a great job working on loosing weight! Looking Good Heather!

Hmmmm, there have been tons of other things that I've been up too.... but well besides not remembering them all, and not wanting to bore you completely.... suffice it to say that I've been reading a lot of blogs and writing comments.... just not writing on my blog!

Best to get to the things I need to do.... make sure the sheets are almost dry etc..... and oh, yes.... I do remember one thing that I was going to post about. Have you seen one of these Rotary Mats? They swival? They are sooo cool!

Olfa Spinning Rotary Mat 17''X17'' : rotary cutting : sewing & quilting : Shop | Joann.com

Since I've been cutting out so many squares etc.... I thought one of these would be wonderful! So, I waited until Joann's had a 50% off sale and got a great deal on one! Now, there are other sizes, and brands but I liked the size of this one and am really tickled with it! It rotates so after you trim one side you can move it to the next side etc... without repossitioning the entire item each time. It saves time and well.... like I said before..... it's cool! Just something I thought I would pass onto you all.

Take care..... If you keep a spool of Black and a spool of White thread handy.... you can sew most anything!

This Is Just a Test!

This is only a test...... I wrote an entire post.... and saved it.... and it dissapeared off the face of the blog!!!

A Poem For Memorial Day... One Worth Reading

Since tomorrow is Memorial Day here in the United States I'm posting a Poem that two of my SIL's sent to my e-mail. One I feel is well worth reading and if the truth be told; I wish all of our politicians could/would read it as well. I didn't write this and do not know who to give the credit to, but it is worth your time... if you feel differently... that is your right! I hope that you all have a wonderful, safe and thankful Memorial Day. Please remember those who have given up their lives and those who are in far away places even now... protecting our rights to read/or not read this poem.

He was getting old and paunchy
And his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion,
Telling stories of the past.

Of a war that he once fought in
And the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies;
The were heroes, every one.

And 'tho sometimes to his neighbors
His tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened quietly
For they knew where of he spoke.

But we'll hear his tales no longer,
For ol' Bob has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer
For a Soldier died today.

He won't be mourned by many,
Just his children and his wife.
For he lived an ordinary,
Very quiet sort of life.

He held a job and raised a family,
Going quietly on his way;
And the world won't note his passing,
"Tho a Soldier died today.

When politicians leave this earth,
Their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing,
And proclaim that they were great.

Papers tell of their life stories
From the time that they were young
But the passing of a Soldier
Goes unnoticed, and unsung.

Is the greatest contribution
To the welfare of our land,
Some jerk who breaks his promise
And cons his fellow man?

Or the ordinary fellow
Who in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his country
And offers up his life?

The politician's stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Are often disproportionate,
To the service that he gives.

While the ordinary Soldier,
Who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal
And perhaps a pension, small.

It is not the politicians
With their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom
That our country now enjoys.

Should you find yourself in danger,
With your enemies at hand,
Would you really want some cop-out,
With his ever waffling stand?

Or would you want a Soldier-
His home, his country, his kin,
Just a common Soldier,
Who would fight until the end.

He was just a common Soldier,
And his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us
We may need his like again.

For when countries are in conflict,
We find the Soldier's part
Is to clean up all the troubles
That the politicians start.

If we cannot do him honor
While he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage
At the ending of his days.

Perhaps just a simple headline
In the paper that might say:
"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING,
A SOLDIER DIED TODAY."

-"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, it's inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery."-----Winston Churchill

Yikes! May Is Flying Past!

Hello all.... I do need to prioritize don't I! Seems that I've been doing things and forgetting to post. So, I will try to play catch up... I re-did Lois's jumper and got that back to her... It wasn't too bad, I didn't have to re-make the bodice... which was nice. Only, well... I had already purchased another yard of the fabric so that I could re-make it if I had too! Oh, well... guess I will find some little simple something to make for one of the grand daughters!
I finished a quilt that I was making for one of the humanitarian projects my friend Karma and I were working on. I wanted to finish it so that we could get it tied last week! Several of us worked from 8:00 a.m. until 8:10 p.m. (with a late break for lunch/dinner around 3:30) and we managed to tie 3 double/queen size quilts. So with working the night before on several baby quilts with the Relief Society we were able to finish 6 quilts altogether! Nice! We will deliver them plus 1 more that our friend Donna is tieing to make it a total of 7 quilts this time. What with all the things that are happening in the world, there are plenty of people that are in need of quilts.
I managed to get some mending done... some of my DH's shirts are looking the worse for wear, so I flipped the collars and also the cuffs on some of his button the front shirts and they look almost as good as new! He is a supervisor at a machine shop so, he doesn't have to wear a tie but wants to look nice and a bit dressy.... picture casual Friday wear with out a tie! Something like that anyway.
My DIL's birthday was yesterday and so we sent out a couple of fun things for her.... (can't say what because she may not of gotten them yet!). I tried really hard to get her gift/gifts to her on time.... but, well I was waiting for a sale on one of the items.... and no one had them in store and then I thought (later than I should have) that I could just order them on line and I got free shipping to boot~ Not bad.... she had forgotten it was even going to be her birthday this week end! So, no high expectations on her part... just on mine!
Hopefully she had a wonderful day.... and our love goes out to her! Always!
I have been busy gabbing with the gals too.... I went out to eat with some of the ladies from the ward... we went to Naturally Chinese. It's a great Chinese Place that is local and is as it says; all natural foods.... no msg... etc... really good. And if you have at least 7 in your party.... birthday girl (or guy) gets to eat free!
I also went with the SIL's and MIL to lunch two days b/4 that to Olive Gardens... it was time to take MIL out to lunch.... we know that if we are going out to eat.... we are going to the Gardens!!!
She loves the Chicken Alfredo.... which she orders each and every time.... very predictable... but since she is easy to please it makes it nice! She bought us lunch! Go figure.... it was just b/4 Mother's Day... we were going to buy her lunch! It was fun... we finally got in to eat at around 1:45 and didn't leave until almost 4! Yikes... we yakked and yakked.... It was very enjoyable. Just goes to show we need to get out together more!
Checkbook and bills are calling my name.... guess I had better get things done... don't want anyone going without because I didn't get the bills paid! LoL....

On With The Jumper Saga...

I got myself over to Lois's house and had her try on the jumper. The bodice at least at the bust isn't too big... it's just the shoulders are a bit too long, so I need to take them up a little and then in the back.... I need to take it in just a smig at the top of the zipper area. But since I have to take out the zipper to do all this anyway, I'm going to replace it with a longer zipper to make it easier for her to get into. My friend Lois is going to be 91 this year... and what ever I can do to make life a tad bit easier for her, I'm going to try to do it! The front has a little bit of a sagginess in it... not a lot so I may try to do a little gather stitch.... to see if this will do what it needs to take care of the problem. It's not much, but since the neck is rounded it draws attention to it not being nice and crisp! If you know what I mean.... basically it also needs to be taken in a little bit... only like 1/2 inch at the very top down to like a 1/2 inch in length. Hard to explain... guess I should have taken pictures. But then, I'm not too sure she would have wanted me to post pic's of her on my blog.
Ooops.... I need to let the dog into the house!
Hope your Saturday night is enjoyable... and your Sunday is very nice too!

Sooo I Made A Little Mistake Or Two

Yeahhh.... so much for just trying to use two patterns to pull off the jumper for my friend! I must say... I don't usually have these types of problems... but, you know things go wrong sometimes! So Lois called and we played phone tag all day yesterday and this a.m. and finally she got a hold of me. Apparently the jumper is too big in the bust! Yep... and she will be busy for a few days so I can't get at it until next week some time! I feel bad... I wanted to have it all done and out of the way! But, then this is what happens when we don't have a fitting! I'm sure we can work it out... I will just have to take in the side seams and possibly take out the zipper and re-do the back. She said that the shoulder straps fall down! So this tells me that the shoulder measurements are too wide. Say la veee! I'll let you know how it goes! Oh.... and it has snowed all day yesterday and most of today! Spring Shming!!! Spring is definitely not here!

Is It Spring Yet?

Although the calendar says it's Spring, you surely can't tell from looking out the window!

It was as they say.... It was a dark and cloudy day...... and then all of a sudden, BOOM, BOOM...... and the Hail came down and the winds came up and BOOM, BOOM, BOOM.... the thunder raged and the Hail came down again..... and then it tapered down to a hard pounding rain and then a sprinkle... til now... a little lightening and next to nothing moisture wise....

If you look hard enough... these were taken while it was coming down and you can see the hail before it lands! Hard to believe it was a beautiful Spring day yesterday and "we", Missy and her kids and I all went to SLC for the day!

No pictures... what was I thinking! The flowers in Temple Square were wonderful and so bright and pretty. But, with 3 kids 5 1/2 and under... yes... we had enough to do... Missy took pic's... maybe I will have to try to get some from her!

Alright... onto another project that I did for my DIL's sister! DDIL's sister just had a baby girl 3 months after our dear little Kate was born! Sooo,

If you take this,

+Plus this;

add some of this....

=And you get this! Have you made these before? They are called

"Ragg Quilts".... they are all made of flannel (the better to ragg with.....) and the seams are sewn up facing the outside and not enclosed! You can make it with either 2 or 3 layers of flannel and no batting. I almost always have some sort of flannel around! This is a great way to use up odds and ends. And super simple too!

The hardest and most time consuming part of the entire quilt... is that after you have sewn it all together.... you snip the seam allowances... and I mean alllll of the seam allowances! Your hand can get a bit tired but it works! ( You will snip almost to the seam stitching.... get the quilt wet and then dry it to fluff it up! ) You do need to make sure that when you make these, #1 if you have flannel that you are afraid will bleed (the dye may run) set the dye with either a soaking of vinegar or salt with water for a while before you start to cut out the blocks. This way it won't run all over your other fabrics. Of course if you do this step; then you must do a quick wash before you dry it.... (don't want your quilt smelling of vinegar!)

#2 When you wet and then dry your finished quilt for the first couple of times.... there will be a mass of lint; (it's important to clean out your lint trap several times before it's finished drying; believe me..... you will notice a difference! And the quilt will dry faster too!) Also... you may want to wash/dry it by it's self the first times. If after you are using the quilt it still seems to drop a lot of threads.... toss it into the dryer a few times with either an old towel and this will help get rid of the excess threads. If you look at this picture closely you may notice that it seems some of the white printed blocks are show thru as different colors. This is because I made this as a 3 layer quilt, I used odd blocks on the inside layers. Oh, and just like any other quilt.... the back can be any color or pattern that you want. I forgot to take a pic of the back side. I have seem Ragg Quilts done in all sorts of patterns.... Log Cabin, Around the World.... etc... and any size and shape! They are really soft and cozy. Make one from your scraps today!

Oh, I also forgot to take a picture of a jumper that I made for a friend of mine.... Lois. She is a sweetie... wanted me to make her a new dress for Church. I finished it the other day and delivered it. She was quite pleased. All in a few days work!

Ooops.... it's Raining again.... so much for letting the ground dry out a bit so we can till the garden! Can't say I mind too much though... it sure does "Green" things up around here!

On to other sewing projects.... my sewing room is calling me!!!

After you make these Ragg Quilts.... make sure and take time to clean out the underside of your sewing machine; these create lots of lint!