The "after" pix

Oh, I just realized I had neglected to post an "after" pix of Tink's wedding gown...her gown kind of evolved from asymmetrical and flowing to.... "Wow, I really like this dress"

and "can you do this for me?"

So, we took the original (which we found at DI)

and added ten yards of additional fabric...and took out a bunch of satin...and rearranged what seemed like hundreds of yards of lace....removed the zipper, added in a V'd lace up back....reshaped the neckline....got rid of the huge train...and the stupid bows and the dangling bead things....

And ended up with this...

Not My Day

Yep, that is right.  Definitely, not my day.

Yesterday was a lovely day, was my Marilyn day, my parts had come in for my serger, I had things to do.

Was absolutely lovely visiting with Marilyn.  Seeing the new booties she is knitting, way cute.  I found a magazine with some projects I really like, so I took pix (herein lies the problem); the mailman delivered my repair parts for my serger, whooo hhoooo!  I had a couple of diaper bags just about finished.  Are you understanding what I am saying here?  Everything was moving along nicely...friends to visit with, projects to do, dinner figured out, perfect...

The parts to my serger fit, but I am going to have to do a ton of research to see if I can even make them work together, timing, it is all about timing.  So on to the next, needed a piece of trim for the diaper bags, bought it, and didn't get to it.  Then, I needed one more diaper wipe case, this is absolutely the last part of the diaper bag set, twice I forgot to buy them; the pix I took wonderful to have this new quilt design, it looked very fun...however, I couldn't read the directions on my teeny, tiny phone screen...I really need to figure out how to download pix from my phone to the computer, that's right two hours later with a chat with a techie and a fellow who would love to help me if I just send him $28 and a bunch of sighs and an additional two downloads and good grief it is almost tomorrow I went to bed.

FRUSTRATED

I accomplished nothing physical yesterday.  This morning however, I went back to the phone pix download thing and figured out what I was doing wrong (those pix needed a home to go to, not just cyber space).  The pix are now downloaded and on my computer.  I can delete the pix from my camera.  Time to fix breakfast and maybe get the diaper bags done!

And maybe with a bit more patience figure out the timing on my serger.

oooooohhh, something new

As I was looking at the "blog" I was asked if I wanted to update...

OOOOOoooohhhh, something new.  So I see there is a new way to post and check out blog stuff.  Marlo informed me it was easier.   As with anything, most likely it is, but first you have to reteach yourself on how to apply the update.

About reteaching yourself the update....

  I remember watching my grandmother watch the washer.  She would stand there with the lid open and watch the washer agitate.  

I always wondered why?  

Is it going somewhere?  

Is there something she is waiting for to appear so she can snatch it up?

I would stand beside her and watch her watching the washing machine and wait for something to happen, something exciting...  Nothing exciting ever happened.  Usually she would notice me, close the lid, and smile.  Then go on with something else.  

But, if I went back in a bit...she would be standing there with the lid up watching the machine again.  

Some days later I was at a different grandmother's home and she was standing at the washer watching it.  This greatly puzzled me.  

My mother always tossed in the clothes, soap and walked away till a buzzer sounded or something.

However, I figured it out at the visit to my other grandmothers...

she was using a somewhat old fashioned washing system where the clothes went into a washer and then were hand fed and cranked through a wringer and tossed into a rinse tub, swirled around a bit by hand; then through a wringer and into another rinse tub for a repeat; then the clothes were hand cranked again through the wringer.  The wringer actually spun from one wash/rinse tub to another till it came back to full circle.  There would be a laundry basket sitting on a chair where the clothes fell, then the clothes went out to be hung.

  This clued me in on what my grandmother was watching.

It was actually "amazement and awe" 

she no longer had to handle the clothes while they washed, 

no more hand cranking, 

no more shifting loads and loads

of laundry around all day while laundry was being done (makes my shoulders and arms ache just thinking about it).  

The washing machine actually did the work for her.

Reteaching the update... 

Can you imagine how our lives would be different if we spent a day doing laundry? Not the way we do it now, but the way our grandparents did?

  No wonder Monday was wash day, and Tuesday was ironing day.  It literally took all day to complete a task we toss in and forget about.

Sighhhh---serger woes

Kaaa---thunk.
Yep, that was the sound. And the end of my serger for the time being.
Kaaa---thunk was the sound of my lower looper breaking in half. The looper was a piece of metal, it has had a long life--25 years or so, and has faithfully fulfilled its design purpose...but,
I am now again without a most needed sewing tool. My serger.
So, I have been looking on the internet, and as of yet, I haven't found a replacement.
I have found a replacement for the Kaaa---thunk piece, I even ordered it today. Sigh...
So now I will start harassing the post man, "Is my package here yet?"

Once it arrives, I may be clever enough to install the Kaaa---thunk piece, but I don't think I can cross enough fingers and toes for this one. To the shop, not so fun, I still get to pay the shop repair/replacement fees. However, I will have saved more than 75% on the parts...

A Frog woke me up

A frog woke me up.

How could this be?

I was all asleep and snuggle-y and warm in my bed. My toes were toasty and my ear was covered "just so". Perfection.
Who could ask for anything more.

"Grrrrriiiiibbbbiiit", I heard.
"Was nothing", I said to myself.

"Grribbiit, grribbiiit", I heard it again, "was something", I then said to myself.
So, I lay there in my warm, toasty bed with my ear covered "just so"
and listened...
and listened.... and listened just a bit more.

"Grrrriiiiibbbbiiiiiitt", I heard it again. And this time it was louder.
Much louder than before.

So I wondered "where is this frog at?"
as I wondered I listened and then....I heard it again.

Very, very quietly this time,
just a tiny little noise,
not quite a full grriiibbbitt, but a griiiibbbitt just the same.

So I wiggled a bit, and snuggled in deeper and thought maybe I had dreamed it. That grrriiibbbittting frog in my bed.
But then, I heard it again,

"GGGGGRRRRRIiiiiiibbbbbiiiittttt, gggrrrrrriiiibbbbiiiittttt, gggrrrriiiibbbbbiiiiitttt" oh my goodness "where is that frog in my bed?" I thought to myself.

Then, I uncovered my "just so" ear and kind of listened real hard.
And I waited a few minutes, listening, and waiting.
And then, ggrrriiibbbiiiit, that frog was in my bed!

In my bed right beside me!
Oh my goodness, who had put a frog in my bed?

And then, I heard that silly frog again, and as my ear was uncovered and I was a bit more awake
I found that frog which was sleeping in my bed.

"Papa's Tummy!" I smiled to myself.
And I just wonder,

"Did you know Papa's tummy had a frog in it?"

Machines...

So now I feel as if my machines are working as a tag team...one starts working again and another one decides to be difficult.
Success (as you already know) with my serger....then my bobbin winder on Invictus decides to stop working. Ever try sewing with no bobbin? Just doesn't work.
Thankfully Chaser came home for lunch and said,
"Get me a screwdriver"
then he said,
"Now I need a phillips head"
then he said,
"should be fine now".
And he was right!
And Invictus is working again and my serger has now let me know it will work on one thing at a time, after which, we get to start all over again with the adjusting.
Big Sigh....
Then after the adjusting, Invictus started acting up again.

I generally am used to this behavior from my machines in December (usually around the 23rd), but never in January. You would think they never get enough attention. I do spend time with them every day. And I read things to them.. And I talk with them about all kinds of things.

I just don't understand why they are being so sensitive right now.

Something to thank the internet for

Isn't the internet wonderful!
Not only can you spend hours upon hours looking at "stuff", playing games, watching video clips, learning new songs, observing movie trailers, checking out blogs; you can also ask questions about things which are bugging you...
For example, just yesterday I had had it with my serger. You know, it is like 25 years old, rarely goes into the shop, and generally never lets me down.
Not lately.
This is where I insert a sad face...
My serger has gone from stitching poorly, to not stitching at all. I have oiled it, looked at it, said not so nice words to it. Moved it around, unplugged it, replugged it, forgotten about it, and generally just plain ignored it. All to no avail.
I spent "hours" looking at replacement sergers, trying to find a deal I could afford (meaning less than $20.00), realizing this wasn't going to happen. Back to the internet, I put in my statement, "my serger hates me". And....lo and behold someone else's serger hates them as well. What does this mean? It means if you look hard enough and wade through enough "crap" you could possibly find a solution to your serger hating you.
Sometimes it makes me crazy when I am having a sewing problem and I receive the typical answers

• your machine is threaded incorrectly
• your needles are dull or bent
• your machine needs oiling

Really, do you think I would be that silly as to not check the above items before I wasted hours looking for a solution? Who is that stupid? In response to the typical answers, of course I did all of those things.
I even read where a repairman would "help" you online, his answers were actually quite insulting and rather rude (after trying his rudeness you could ship your machine to him for repair). I found another site where you could ask your question and they would respond to you after you told them how much you would pay for their answer....hmmmmm something to definitely think about doing.
Finally, I found someone not rude, or insulting, not determined to make a buck and willing to share their personal experiences with the internet. They even had a few different solutions for my to try. So I did.
SUCESS!!!
Their suggestions

• take a folded piece of cloth and wipe out the tension dials (sometimes thread and wax build up in there)

• take all of the tension dials to 0 and rebuild your tension settings

These were both things I hadn't thought of doing before and they allowed me to get my serger to stitch, I was even able to roll hem an item with it. I do believe my serger is most likely wore out and does indeed need to be replaced, however for right now, I just need a fix and someone to find one at a yard sale for a few bucks. (wishful thinking, I know).

However, we do end back up with one of the things I like about the internet...

Something....

Something to talk about....
School has resumed from Christmas Vacation...
My serger is being very particular about "its" vacation....
Mr. Poppers Penguins was entertaining (surprise!)
It appears all of my grandchildren have been growing like weeds this week...
It happens to be Katers' birthday today...
Cliff scored well on his tests
and Air did very well with her college grades...
And, it would be nice to actually "put" a quilt on the frames for an evening project activity...hmmmm....
Something to think about...