Craft Lady Strikes Again!

I'm at the grocery store last month when a little girl in a cart speaks to me as I pass by. 'I know you!  You're the Craft Lady in my class!'  I acknowledge her cheerfully and tell her that I am in the store, actually, to get supplies for the Thanksgiving Craft that we would be doing the next day.  She asks, so what will we be making?  I inform her that we will be making little Thanksgiving Baskets that will be filled with our thankfulnesses.  She seems pleased and I continue on to the discount meat section of the meat case.  The next morning, I enter the first grade class to a louder than normal voice than is allowed in first grade, 'There she is! The Craft Lady! And with a bit of an air of superiority, she says quite confidently, 'And I know what we will be making today!  Thanksgiving Baskets!  I know because I saw her at Jay C's last night!'  Thankfully, she did not mention that she saw me rummaging through the discounted meat section.

This month, the craft was Christmas Stockings that will be covertly filled with little treats from now till Christmas Break.  Lovely Wife and Pretend Granddaughter Sara helped Saturday with the cutting out of 40 little sockie shapes.  Hubby painstakingly cut three holes in each one.  And I volunteered more of my vintage sequins and goo gaws for the effort.

I am always well pleased with the artistic interpretation of each little creation.  This month was a hoot as this year's class warms up to this weekly visitor to the class.  Monthly, we do crafts, but once a week I go in to help their very apt teacher with the weighty paperwork of copy making.  Each weekly glimmer into the goings on in this very busy room adds to my admiration of the profession of teaching.  Magic is worked in the lives of these little people and if I can sneak in with my Craft Box chock full of sequins, buttons and yarn, then I am a happy crafter.  Nothing like installing the love of gluing and felt into impressionable pre artists and crafters.

I had stockings completely covered.  I picked the well glued sequins from many a little fingers.  I loved the courage of the minimalist.  I enjoyed the little girl in love with my vintage buttons.  One little toothless wonder asked me no fewer than ten times if we could use glitter.  She assured me that she NEVER made a mess with glitter.  I told her that glitter had a life of it's own and was known to remain in a room long after children had graduated.  She would pause a bit then approach with a new tactic.  Admittedly, I almost caved only to be relieved when the same little persistent girl's little red stocking was the only one dripping in glue and falling embellishments. One could only wonder what she could have done with three vials of glitter that she caressed in her hands.

I presewed most of the stocking but left about six inches on the perforated side open so that the kids could 'stitch' it closed with a bell laden piece of yarn.  I let them know that this was the first step in sewing; putting two pieces of felt together without benefit of staples, glue or tape.  They were impressed with themselves.....

And I was too.
Get messy with your favorite child today....

A Most Extraordinary Thanksgiving

When one gives birth to four children (not at the same time, silly!), one figures that once those small babies grow up, holidays could be tricky, attendance-wise.  Fortunate for me,  mothering four of my little progeny did enable me to become something I never was before - flexible!
I determined that I would roll with the plan that would work out best for children even when it works out that Hubby and I are by ourselves- like last Christmas. (Top Secret: It was a wonderful time.  But we acted like we missed everyone.  Well, we did, but we were quite comfy in front of the fireplace with our books and music....:D)
This Thanksgiving Eldest/Admin had their turn at the other parents.  Eldest Son and Lovely Wife have family in our town so they were taken care of.  Youngest Son jumped in the car with us and we high tailed it northerly in some sleety kind of rain to join Baby Girl and Her Hubby for a Thanksgiving that ranks up there with Very Memorable.
BG and Her Hubby live in the married housing on Purdue University's Lovely Campus.  Economically, fabulous for them, but square footage-wise, a bit on the short side.

When we first decided to join the Very Soon To Be Parents for The Day, there were the pesky worries about space for turkeys in an apartment size stove.  Concerns about sitting space and counter space.  So being so very flexible, I searched for just the right petite turkey recipe with the modicum of oven usage. BG came up with stove top recipes whilst I commandeered the oven.  It worked out swell.

When the menfolk started moving furniture around for space to eat, BG's Hubby and Youngest Son discovered a very large leaf to their fairly new table, hidden conveniently and efficiently underneath.  When I say 'new table' I mean that it is new to them.  The story of how E/A and BG absconded with the find on the street of inner city Cincinnati and jammed into a smallish Honda, is quite good; the kind that makes a Thrifting Mama proud.  When we inserted the leaf, our counter space opened up and we were in business.
BG's Nine Month Pregnant Body settled in for a good rest and we listened to her as she delegated assignments from her perch on the couch.  We were all in the same room/rooms (Kitchen, dining room, living room are all the same) so we did all things as one unit which made things cozy, fun and lovely.  The Former Non Flexible Deb would have found this whole set up completely unsatisfactory, but the new, improved very flexible Deb, found it crazy fun and couldn't have asked for a better set up.  We set the tables with a vintage tablecloth, odds and ends of BG's Thrifty Finds and the ever flexible mama, even allowed Thanksgiving to continue without candlesticks or even candles!  It was my job to bring them, according to BG's very thorough list, but alas, candles did not  make my list.  And we had a most amazingly delicious meal despite a lack of candlelight.  The constant drizzle (and pounding down) of rain set an even cozier feel to the teeny apartment.   BG's Hubby, not one to sit too still for too long, decided early in the day, that he was going to build a bookshelf.  Having known this young man for nearly ten years, I didn't even blink.  He just knew, having known me for ten years, that he could not interrupt the cooking or the eating while carrying out his plan.  So while I chopped, sauteed, trussed and blanched, BG's Hubby was out in the rain, by the apartment's storage shelter, hand sawing large planks of wood that he had scavenged out of house that was being torn down.  He brought the shelves in after the meal was finished, the dishes done and the pie not yet sliced into.  The excitement of the feat brought on a complete rearrangement of the little space from the Main Room, sprinkling over into a hallway organizational coup that BG and I accomplished.
We sliced into the Squash Pie nearly at the end of our Thanksgiving Home Makeover and proclaimed the day one of the most interesting and productive Thanksgivings ever.

Recently, I watched a television program where this woman completely remodeled her home, a mansion of sorts, and throughout the whole show, she kept referring to the fact that it was necessary (this major overhaul on a home that looked just dandy to me!) because she was having family in for Thanksgiving.  I do so want to write her a note and tell  her how much fun and just a bit cheaper than her foray into justifying major indulgence, that we had and how I wish she could have been as flexible as I am.  I could have saved her a bunch of dough and the looks on her sons peevish faces could very well have been a bit happier.

Do not limit your hospitality by being 'prepared'; sometimes the finest times are those times where you are blissfully at the mercy of situations......
Enjoy your company this holiday season......                                                                                                                          

Young Daddy's Gifts

The Time is ticking away....
Baby Girl's due date is looming large and so is my Baby Girl...
All signs of imminent birth are beginning and Grammy is gearing up.
Even though I had other pressing things in the sewing room, anything for BG/BG's seemed to take precedent due to the time constraint. From the very beginning of the pregnancy, BG's Hubby has been insistent that he wants to be the very involved, very connected papa.  When BG started going through my Handmade Beginnings: 24 Sewing Projects to Welcome Baby, her Hubby was close by selecting  t appropriate accessories.  He particularly wanted a Mei tai baby carrier that reflected him and not someone else's idea of a Man Mei Tai.  Grammy Deb convinced him that he would be able to tote his newborn babe around comfortably with a signature statement.  We selected this one.
And to make it, I used some pretty nice heavy weight cotton in a blue not quite denim but not too light of a shade either. The lining, which was very important since Grammy's little sweetie will be surrounded by it, was a compilation of Hubby's old flannel shirt scraps, worn soft by years in the factory.

Young Daddy Young really needed a bag that would suit his mobile lifestyle.  Something that he could be productive with as well as being nurturing.  He sat down and wrote all the Bag Needs that he had.  I sat down and looked through Anna Maria's book and altered her Dad Bag pattern to suit my more demanding son in law.

The Daddy Bag is made of two colors of suede and is lined with the softest vinyl Crazy Don could share with me.  The pockets are lined with scraps of Unca Joco's trousers that suited the softness and durability requirement.  I used webbing from a part of an old belt to trim out the zipper and the side pockets.

All in all, there is nine pockets, enough for solar chargers and cords of all types and maybe even enough for a few didies, wipes and clothing changes.
Hubby had brought home a passel of straps procured from Who Knows Where, complete with shoulder padding and open clips.  On my last visit to the Amish Leather Shop, (pretty awesome place indeed) I picked up some wonderfully durable brass attachments that probably belong to a horse bridle.  They became the attachment to the strap.                        
                                                           There was something extraordinary about making these things for Young Daddy Young.  There was the creative challenge.  There was the technological challenge.  There was the material challenge.  But aside from these practical things, there was the awareness that I was making these things for a man that is the father of my youngest daughter's child.  A man that had been prayed for and over and about for as long as BG took breath.   Knowing his deep love for BG and his preborn daughter, this task took on a more transcendental feel.  A grand thing to say about something so mundane as a diaper bag and carrier, but truly, profound things are usually spotted in the usual.  I truly felt honored to be supplying for this new daddy, tools that can help him provide nurturing for his newborn.  I felt pleased to be able to send the obvious message through the doing of it, 'I support you in how you support my daughter and granddaughter'.  I want him to know that I am here for him to help in whatever way, from babysitting to help in interpreting my daughter's needs and moods.  
So it was with great excitement that I delivered it to him on Wednesday as we drove to their home to celebrate a very special Pre Birth Thanksgiving.  I was overjoyed to be there and I think he was pretty stoked as well....
.Don't you think??                                                                                                                  

Profoundly Small Things

• I can turn my faucets and relatively clean water issues forth
• I can open my door and walk out anytime I want
• I have the privilege to walk into my kitchen and eat whatever I want
• If nothing pleases me there, I have the privilege to go to a restaurant of my choice
• I can launder my fairly decent clothes in my own washer and dryer
• I own four cars
• I have three toilets that flush
• I own a crazy amount of bibles and Christian literature
• I have a room just for my sewing machine
• I can worship freely
• I have school systems that have walls and desks, books and electronic equipment
• Each of my children have their own computers
• I have a room just for my computer
• I own two homes
• I can walk around my little town late at night and am not unreasonably concerned for my safety
• My closet is pretty full
• I have nearly two dozen pairs of shoes
• I have never lived in a car
• My legs work
• My daughter will soon give birth in a hospital with her husband close by
• I can still see the eye of a needle (with help)
• My pancreas works
• I can breathe pretty well
• My vision is correctable with glasses
• My hearing, though not great, still hears my granddaughter's giggle
• I have cash in my pocket yet I have not worked since 1978
• My adult children call their spouses Wonderful
• I have a dog that keeps me company and keeps me walking twice daily
• My pantry is full
• I can buy gasoline without waiting in line
• No one gives me a second glaring look when I use a check to pay for things
• I have never heard the words, 'I'm sorry, Mrs Cory; your credit is no good'
• My furnace is new
• My roof does not leak (much)
• I can converse with people globally, sitting in my library, in my jammies, on my computer
• If I had none of these things, I have people that would love me anyway

Whatever am I to do with such an overweening abundance?

When will I ever quit complaining?

Thank  you, LORD. 

May I utilize my blessings for Your glory.

May I hear your promptings to share what I have to who you would have me bless...

And the courage and selflessness to do it....

Blessings on this Thanksgiving......

Organizing

Eldest/Admin is a genius in organization skills.
She taught me how to fold my pants for the shelf in my closet, thanks to her retail management skills.
When I started on the venture of mama's collection, she was the one that sat in my sewing room, brain ticking away, setting up the most functional practical set up for the novice entrepreneur.  E/A set out pointing and dictating and mandating procedure and called in her father and brother to move furniture.  And we obey.  And I so appreciate her.

Without her daily presence, however, I tend to slip into my old ways.

Slowly, slowly, disorganization slips in.  Slowly, slowly, bundles of fabric appear without a place to reside.  Slowly, slowly, Sewist Paraphernalia sneaks in during the night and takes over whatever horizontal space that is available.  Then one day, I find myself unable to find the floor.  I find myself tiptoeing to find a space of old fir floor so as not to disturb whatever the Sewing Room Fairies have left from the night before.  When I get to the point when I say, 'Hey!  Where did this come from?!  I don't remember seeing this before!', I know it is time to channel Eldest/Admin and get myself organized.

Personally, I find the creative disorganization quite stimulating.  I am a quasi tidy person prone to somewhat slothful cleaning habits.  In my younger days, I had scheduled cleaning days and scheduled cleaning routines.  Now, not so much.  Matter of maturing priorities, I suppose.  But I do have to get realistic every now and then and admit that I need an intervention.

Yesterday was the day.  I pulled everything out to get a look over, mentally cataloging all the new acquisitions that somehow slipped under my inventory radar.  It was kinda like my own personal Christmas, finding so many new finds.  I guess that's what happens when you're memory slows down; everything seems new.  I had a good book to listen to while I set out sorting, filing and finding places for some pretty swell fabrics and notions.  I did realize that when we remodel our basement space soon, a significant amount of space might have to be taken up with extra fabric stock.  Rolls of upholstery fabric and interlinings take up a bit o' space.  And if my goal is to grow, business-wise, it would behoove me to make some room for growth.  I had Hubby come in now in then for some grounding and advice and encouragement.  Miss Dixie gave me several looks that told me that her bed was getting a bit crowded and she needed some more space as well......

While I would have rather spent the day working on Baby Girl's Baby Girl's Christmas Stocking, Or BG's Hubby's Daddy Bag, or Special Order Bag from Church Friend, or 2G's mama's Christmas Order, I knew, I knew, not much could be done in the chaos I had created.  The thrill of accomplishment must have been cathartic for me because I slept like a log last night, exhausted from all the brain work that it takes to overhaul my mess.

I do believe that there is a moral to this story, but, alas, I am too pooped to learn it today...

Tidying Up for the Holidays

Back in the day, before oak furniture was frowned upon, it was highly valued.  I'm talking way back in the mid '70s when the Antique Awakening took place.  Furniture formerly relegated to Grandma's attic, received their Glory Days.  Antique Stores were swamped with Newby Collectors eager to have the raging trend.

And I was one of them.  I lovingly caressed the legs of an old buffet discarded by Hubby's dad.  We had a huge table with carved legs and matching buffet that Hubby's father had found in a garage sale coup and took it to a furniture restorer while we awaited it to be dipped and stripped for our refinishing.  We waited a- l-o-n-g time since other Newby Collectors were dragging their estate sale finds there as well.  It got to the point that we would 'visit' our table and buffet, just to make sure it was still there.  While we waited, we collected bits and pieces of solid oak furniture, stripping some and (gulp) painting those things that were too far gone, finish wise.

In the mean time, by Grandfather passed away.
He had lived by himself for nearly 20 years after my Grandmother died.
A jolly, loving, practical joking kind a grampa, his housekeeping skills were a bit....um, lackadaisical.
He only had one eye and the remaining eye was a bit bad as well.  Needless to say, we would be hard pressed to guess if anything was moved from the time my immaculate grandmother died to his own demise.
Grandma and Grandpa had acquired some lovely pieces of furniture throughout their marriage but what was swell in the early twenties, was sadly dated in the early 70's, before the resurgence.
It was at his wake that I came upon this conversation between my uncle and my aunt, sitting in front of me.
"What in the hell are we going to do with all that damn furniture in dad's house? Who in their right mind would want that stuff?" (Their words, not mine.  Sorry)
I nearly bounded out of my chair to interrupt them.
Hubby and I had purchased a home the year before and we had the perfect dining room for this now, Very Desirable furniture.  Being on the Cutting Edge of Trends, I knew what the table (with six leaves) six chairs, large buffet with matching china cabinet with the original glass, was worth.  I knew it was more than I could afford.  But it was Grandpa's and my dad had played ping pong on it and hid his Easter Candy under it and all of our extended family suppers were shared on it.
I had to have it.
Estates being what they are, legally, the dining room set had to be sold, the price shared equally among my father, my uncle and aunt.
While Hubby scurried around to come up with the asking price, my benevolent relatives agreed to give us their share of the sale so that the three pieces could stay in the family.

So this amazingly strong, sturdy table has seated copious amounts of guests for over 35 years.  While no ping pong has been played like in the days of my drunken Irish uncles, there has been a fair share of painting projects, nails hammered into it, myriad hours of home school and countless patterns cut out upon it, including Eldest/Admin's wedding dress.

This summer, before the mama's collection First Annual Collection of Friends Retreat, I started scrutinizing things.  One of the glaring items on my To Do list for the retreat was to clean the dining table realllll good.  That little chore did not happen due to the humidity and oppressive heat.  You don't want  your table oily when company is bringing fabric to lie upon it.  The Ordeal of cleaning the table would wait till Holiday Cleaning .(She says as if she does this every year....)  With Hubby home this past month, we started working on the mile long Honey Do lists for Home Upkeep.  The cleaning of the table was right up there near the top.
During a long road trip this summer, I sat in the co pilot seat devouring all my magazines that had been sorely neglected.  It was then that I found this very successful recipe for wood cleaning. As you can see, it works just dandy.  And so that your dining table shall shine forth this Thanksgiving, I'm going to share it with you:

Wood Cleaner:
1/4 boiled linseed oil
1/2 cup turpentine
Mix in a closed jar.
Clean surface with warm water (very little) and wipe with a dry cloth.
Spread the mixture by dabbing with a #0000 steel wool pad.
Work with the grain.
Wipe off with a dry soft cotton rag.
Wait a few days (this is tricky) before adding a soft paste wax, carnuba, or bees wax to the table top.

Do not use this on questionable finishes or veneers or shellac.  When in doubt, try it on an unseen spot.
I have also seen 'recipes' with white vinegar included in the mix for extra cleaning power.
You decide.

Hosting Hint:  Always set your Thanksgiving Table the night before.  That gives you time to decorate without pressure while the pies are baking.  It also helps delegate out the chores from the busyness of the T-Day!!

Purposeful Patterns!

 Mostly, when I make purses and totes, I design my own patterns.  That way, I can flourish, alter, and appease my own purse like needs.  I love the fact that there is no copyright worries.  I love the fact that I work out bugaboos and stretch my skills by design needs.

But then, every now and then, I need to do Obedient Sewing.  Taking the skills of those with more experience or sewing knowledge and utilizing it for just the right project.
Recently, I seemed to have stumbled into several opportunities to need actual patterns.
And I just love it!
Pictured is the random assortment of projects that I've been working on.
My project board is getting a bit crowded with Baby Girl's Baby Girl's arrival imminent and baby things to be finished.  First up: Baby Girl's Baby Quilt. sonowiknow.blogspot.com/2010/11/sewing-sidetracks.html. .  That got me into a quilting mode and high on my to do list, was to make a quilt for Pretend Granddaughter Sara.  In between big projects, I just L.O.V.E. working on this amazingly fun and creative Patchwork Style log cabin quilt pattern! It allows ample room for the more Rebel Sewist, letting you call the shots on the size of the pieces that you assemble.  Did you hear that?  NO measuring except for the size of the batting that you start with. Fab-u-lussss! The most timid of sewists will not be daunted by the simplicity of it all.  I have a feeling that many a quilt shall come forth from this pattern. (And the rest of the book is pretty dang awesome as well.)

 Then came Baby Girl's Hubby's request for His Own Mei Tei Baby Carrier!  (He also has an order for Anna Maria Horner's Daddy Bag, but I haven't started that yet!:D)  His request was for it to be manly yet little girl comfy.  A sturdy home decor fabric in a solid, will back the softest of flannel, provided by Pappa Pat's old factory used flannel shirts of long ago.  I just cannibalized his old shirts and had enough to use on the pattern. Actually, the green and blue pattern flannel, I remember wearing when preggers with Eldest/Admin!  This kind of info really tickles Baby Girl and endears her to the item.....

 Of course, it is time to think about keeping Miss Viv warm this winter.  It's fun to make her little coats since Cincinnati doesn't get wicked cold, but certainly enough to make this soft, soft fleece helpful on those cold trips to the Cincinnati Resource Center for her weekly classes.....Cannot wait to start this!

Last but not least, Crazy Dee's purse!  She saw this pattern made up in a tiny fabric shop on our vacation in Gatlinburg and insisted (demanded) that I make it for her.  I tried to tell  her that I could come up with a similar design, but she insisted (demanded) that I make one just like the one at the sewing shop.  The batik material for the bag was not sold in the shop (odd?) but after looking around my stash, I found this previously eBay purchased skirt that I could never figure out how to operate, to be perfect for the project......

So as I stock up on audio books and great tea, it's off to the sewing room!
By the looks of my To Do Board, I might be there a long, long time!
Yay!!