Basket Full of Projects

 

I finished a couple of projects today. Some that had been sitting in my project basket for a bit. My making process, especially for sewing, includes a cutting out day. Cutting out is my least favorite part of sewing, and I will usually decide on a variety of projects, and then spend a day or two cutting out those projects, and then when I feel like sewing, I can pick something from the stack and SEW it! 

Handy Dandy projects!

The projects are gathered together, and easy for me to find that way. When I cleaned my sewing room earlier this year, I found a few projects that I had set aside before I used the basket. The basket bunny dress was one of those projects. See it back in the basket, waiting on me to sew on the bottom ruffle?

These quilt blocks are another.

Blue star block

Evidently I had only cut enough of the background fabric for one block. but I had cut more pieces for the other parts and here is another version.

Same basic block, doesn't look the same

I got an accuquilt fabric cutter for my birthday, and I want to get some of the dies I got cut out and work on them some, so I thought finally sewing these together would get me ready for that.

Most of the projects in the basket right now are kid's clothes projects. One of the Charitable Crafting yearly projects has been making kid's clothes and donating them to a charity that had collected clothes so kids could choose them before school started. But the charity had to close their kid's room. Then they worked with schools to help them have clothes closets. Many of our clothes last summer were donated to helping families affected by a large fire here in NM. There were still several garments that hadn't been ready to donate when that happened, so I recently gathered those up and donated them to one of our local elementary schools. This week, I finished a little dress that will go in our next clothes closet donation.

Kid's Clothes!

I really like sewing for kids. I feel like fun fabrics are welcome, and I try to stick to "timeless" looks.

Having my project basket lets me have projects ready to work on when I want to work on something. Each part of the project in its own time.

Ready, Set Go!

 

I'm getting some new projects underway. When I post about a project I often have thought about it from beginning to end. SOMETIMES, projects can sit, waiting, for a while before I get to them, and whatever thought process there once was is gone. 

baskets of spring flowers

This dress, for instance. I cut it out a while back (I'm talking years back), and while I put the collar together, and put it in the bodice, that's as far as I got until this week. Now, it just needs the bottom ruffle to be ready for SPRING! 

This evening, instead of finishing it (it is nothing if not patient), I consulted my planning list, and cut out some bunny clothes. My aunt requested a bunny, and I am in the process of making a wardrobe for it. Why? Well, the wardrobe is part of the fun for me.

An array of bunny clothes to be

I've made bunnies several times over the course of about 40 years (OH MY GOSH!! Has it really been that long? Yes, yes it has!) and I think my outfitting of the bunnies has evolved. The dress at the top is definitely from a while ago. It follows one of the patterns I have just so. That fabric, too. And muslin accents. OK, to be fair, I can still go for some muslin. These latest bunnies have had some experimentation. There is something to be said for that super gathered dress. It is cute. But lots of things are cute, right? I've tinkered with the patterns. Turned bodices into shirts, turned bloomers into pants. Made a vest or two. So, now there are some separates going on. I experimented with elastic waisted skirts, but this time, I'm trying a waistband. Some pieces still have that extreme gathering, and some have less. It is fun to experiment!

I made a vest that has ladybug wings

Two different versions of ladybug outfits.

This bunny has a collar that is wings in the back

So, on with the creation! On with the learning process! On with the fun!

Oh, yeah, and on the crochet front, I started this cute dinocorn. A dinosaur unicorn? Yes, please!

Another request in turquoise!

Hope you can find your happy place too!

More Eye Monsters

 

It is time for another eyeball monster. This time, it isn't quite a spider, but maybe an eye bug?

Ever feel like something is watching you?

This time, it's mostly about those legs. I mean. THOSE LEGS! They are what's cool and what's creepy about this monster. You can't really tell for sure from this photo, but there are six legs. More of an eye bug than an eye spider. I thought I would go for eight when I started, but there are a couple of reasons that it worked out to be six. First, I used all of the skein of that variegated that I had, and had to fill in a little with some of the orange on a couple of the legs. And really? six was plenty to have to make. Not quite as repetitive as the dragon spines, and they got easier as I practiced making them, but I was definitely ready to move on to something else. Plus, they are placed pretty close together, here, aren't they?

top view for leg counting

The pattern suggested leg options, like stuffing them or putting in a wire, or both. I opted for wire. Pipe cleaners (fuzzy craft wire these days?) are what I used, and if you pose the legs, they will keep their position pretty well. I did not use stuffing, but if you did, you should stuff as you go, I think, and really a light stuffing, but stuffing and the pipe cleaners would fight and be hard to have both. I also bought some armature wire, which is more substantial than the pipe cleaners. I think if you really wanted the legs to hold the eye up more, you would want to use that, and you might have to have the wire travel through the body and down one of the other legs. The book suggested  a front right to back left sort of pattern. For this monster, I'm satisfied with the pipe cleaners, although who knows what the future of eye bugs may hold. I do still have that armature wire, after all.

This is the second eyeball I've made, and I was pretty happy with how the eye turned out. 

Ready for a close up!

After I did the iris, with the shiny plastic safety eye in the center, I did a row of the light orange, followed by a row of the dark orange, which dropped into the lighter color every third stitch. I really like the depth of color that added, and I'll try that again. I was surprised that the eyelid was a little loose this time, but not too bad, and I was careful to sew into the eyeball to keep everything in place.

I'm going to be working through this book for a while! SO MANY MONSTERS!

So Much FUN!

A Story With a Happy Ending

 

When I was 12 or 13, I got a sewing machine for my birthday. Or maybe it was Christmas... or... ANYWAY, my mom thought I needed my own machine, so I could make stuff that I wanted to make, and practice my sewing skills while leaving her machine for her to use. It was an old (even at the time) Singer machine that just did straight stitching and it was a work horse. It was in a wooden cabinet, that you could put the machine down into, and fold the worksurface over the top of, to make it more of a table. I used the heck out of that machine for a LOT of years. Finally, I got to move on to machines that would do more that straight stitching, and the old Singer kinda got pushed to the side. Then a few years ago, the cabinet - at 50 something years old, in NM with dry rot, and moving a few times - gave up the ghost. I took the Singer out of the cabinet before it fell out of the cabinet. It was a close thing. Sadly, I didn't have another good place to put that machine, so it sat. On the floor. Collecting dust and sadness. I needed to put it somewhere that would hold the machine up off the table so that the mechanisms could move as they should for sewing. But I didn't know what or where that was.

So then, I was talking sewing machines with my friend, and talked about the machine my mother had. The machine she had taught me to sew on. Mom had a Necchi, a pretty fancy machine for its time, it had cogs wheels that you could put together on a handle, and fit into the top of the machine, to create different stitches, like making button holes. When my mom passed away, I inherited her machine, but I never used it much, so I gave it to a friend before I moved back to Las Cruces. When I went through my crafting stuff a few years after that, I found the instruction manual, the case of cogs, and the foot pedal for that machine. OOOps. But my friend had already gotten rid of the machine (and I don't blame her). BUT my friend looked online, and found a Necchi Supernova, like my mom's for sale, and she bought it. When it came, it had been poorly packed, and the bottom of the machine case (the only part of the case in the box) had been treated roughly in shipping, and broken apart.  

(Do you like my story telling so far? Wish you could see the pictures in my head of my memories of these machines.)

Enter Cruces Creatives, the makerspace that I belong to. Well, besides the textile area, and art room, there is a woodworking area, and people who like to work with wood, like I like to work with textiles. We saw an old machine that someone had built a wooden stand for. UREKA!! I posted on the CC communication platform about needing some built for my machine(s), and a week later, I had them! WOOOO!!!

A new base, and welcome back!

Hello machine like Mom's!

Yesterday, I had a goal to actually get the Singer sewing again. I have already had it cleaned and checked, and I plugged it in and put her to work! She's now part of the happy sewing place! She needs to use the templates I have to make some beautiful button holes soon!

New quilt block, old machine

As you can see from the picture of the Necchi, it needs a good clean, and going over, and a new cord (the plug on the old one was in a state. NOT a safe state), so she has gone into the shop for a going over, and probably won't be out until June.

The Turquoise Dragon

I finished another dragon. This one was a special request, AND my first time using a new pattern.

He's a cutie, right?

 

My cousin requested a dragon, for a friend of hers, who saw her dragon and wanted one too (I mean, not to toot my own maker horn, but right??). So when she brought out yarn for me, I couldn't say no.

I wanted to start fresh with a pattern I hadn't used before, so this is where I started.

Here's the book...

And here's the pattern

The pattern looked like it would be reasonably easy to make. SO I got started. I found the instructions to be pretty accurate, and could follow them well. Even though there were a lot of parts to assemble on the head, I got them in place pretty well. The eyelids were a little problematic, but ultimately, I feel like their slight wonkiness creates expression on the dragon's face.

fascinating (a Spock reference)

So what are my take-aways? 

One, the row of spikes on his back are BORING to create. Tiresome. They actually stopped me for a while. I got the head spikes done and sewn on, then FINALLY powered through the rest. 

Two I'm finding that sewing the parts on with a needle helps with more accurate - even if not always perfect - placement of those pieces, and I think it goes quicker as well. Tapestry needle for the win!

Three. Dragon toe beans!!!

Cute as heck!

In fact the construction of the leg as a whole. It was made it two pieces and I think the shaping allowed by that was good! Between the legs and the tail, this dragon is very stable sitting upright. I appreciate that.

Four, I'll be trying another pattern from this book SOON!

So, are those spikes worth it???

An Eye Monster Named Charles

 

Once upon a time, there was a bestie, who had a daughter (Ok, two, actually). Their family is definitely part of my family of the heart. I shared how I made the younger daughter an apple, because she is a teacher with a new teaching job. Now it is time to meet Charles.

Everyone, meet Charles

One of my Christmas presents was this book:

A very fun instruction manual

It has instructions for all kinds of monster parts, to let a crocheter build the monster of their dreams. It is not the first or only book I've gotten by Megan Lapp, and I have found their instructions reasonably easy to follow. So this would count as a recommendation.

Here's an example eye monster

This, then, is where we started. I didn't have much trouble with the eyeball itself. I did one with a crocheted iris, and then added a safety eye anyway. I used the biggest one I had, but wished I had a bigger one. Still it does give a shine. I didn't have trouble making the eyelid, but the yarn was bigger than what I had used for the eyeball, I think. Anyway it looked like this

Not the close fit I wanted.

Darn it! So I tried again with a little smaller yarn.

Better, right?

Still, I kept the green/blue eyelid, you never know what you'll need some day...

Then, came the arms and legs. I debated with myself whether I would even stuff them at all. Lapp does include instructions for putting wires in, in case that is something you want to do, but I left Charles soft and lightly stuffed.

In process with one arm

In process with feet and legs

I wasn't positive I had enough of the variegated yarn to make the whole monster, so I added a bit of grey for the eyelids, and at the elbows, heels and knees. I couldn't resist pinkie toes either. I mean!

I got him sewn together with the needle (Yep, I think that's a learning curve I navigated), and I'm pretty happy with how he sits.

So, this is not the only eye monster on my agenda. I think I have to make one for Ron, and maybe one that has spider legs. You know what else? They turn out the perfect size for a Christmas ornament! Would it freak you out to find your Christmas tree looking back at you?

What else will I find in this book of monsters???

Charitable Crafting and Community Quilt Building (update)

 

I'm a member (since it opened) of our local makerspace, Cruces Creatives. I get a lot of enjoyment from being a member there, and trying out arts and crafts without worrying about buying all the equipment and supplies related to that activity. This week, I took a friend to go try out the Art Room there, and we worked on embossing some blank greeting cards, with only limited success. Let me say, though, that the enjoyment of success of the project is really secondary to the enjoyment of the process and the doing, and the learning that takes place! We have some ideas to try next time, and we enjoyed ourselves!

Most of my time at Cruces Creatives is spent in the textile room. Sewing. I know, what a surprise. Sewing isn't the only activity that goes on there, though. There's a new crochet club, that I would really like to be active in, but I haven't made it there yet. YET. I am also very active in a group called Charitable Crafting. I think I've written about some of our various projects here. The group identifies a need for something and then makes and donates those items. We've made LOTS of bags, for different groups. We've made some comfort items for cancer patients. We've made kid's clothes so that kids who needed clothes for school could maybe even choose new ones, along with the gently used items that are often donated. 

Our latest project is a Community Quilt Building project. I'm super happy that the person that leads many of the children's programs at Cruces Creatives has adopted the project as well. I've helped the various groups she leads build quilt blocks, and I've volunteered at an elementary school so kids could work on quilt blocks in a safe and kid appropriate way. It was fun to see the various students so busy picking fabrics, and looking at colors, and feeling the various textures. We will be donating the quilts to a group that works on housing people who are struggling with homelessness and housing security, with the thought that a beautiful blanket will be a welcome addition to their new home.

Many of the people who regularly contribute their time and efforts with Charitable Crafting are quilters, and do projects for groups like Linus as well as Charitable Crafting. Many of the quilts they work on are kid sized quilts, not full sized. We wanted to do adult sized quilts for this project, though, since there would be the expectation of adults (or adult sized kids) would receive them. We decided on making twin sized quilts. We also decided that a quilt as you go project would be easier to complete, since it would already be quilted when the construction of putting the blocks together was done. We also wanted anyone who wanted to help to be able to do so, whether they were novice quilters, or even new to sewing. 

Here's an example block - my latest finish

The back of the quilt is a variety of fabrics, the edge of this one sticks out beyond the pieced block. There is a layer of flannel in this block for the batting. The first quilt we did had batting that we cut that was a similar weight, even though it was cut from different pieces. We work from donated materials, and found that someone had donated a lot of flannel that had been cut into squares already. The quilts turn out kind of crazy quilt-ish, and they are beautiful! And now, I'm questioning why I haven't taken more pictures of them!

Here's a pillow that goes with the first of our quilts. Someone also sewed a bag to hold the quilt and pillow.

That first quilt had a lot of yellows and reds in it!

The quilt building has been very educational for me, in terms of making projects accessible to more people who would like to contribute, AND for my personal quilting knowledge as well! 

Edited to add:

 I've asked some people for some pictures of quilts from the project, and I've gotten some to show you!

One of the student made quilts. BEAUTIFUL!

I think these blocks were made by elementary school students. AMAZING!

I LOVE this project!

Apple for the Teacher

 My bestie's daughter is a teacher, and she is celebrating a new and hopefully fabulous job. She starts her new classes this week. She's so very psyched to be in this job! What could I do but crochet her a little something?

I have collected several books in the Zoomigarumi series, so here's the one I worked from:

These books are full of fun!

I have made several of the very cute amigurumi animals from this set of books, so when I looked on the back of this one, and found this:

The perfect little wormy apple!

I mean, isn't it the perfect apple for a teacher???

I started with a darker red, with a little color texture in it. The apple itself is fairly simple, not quite a ball. It does have a tunnel or tube for the worm, though that you crochet first and then insert as you build the apple. There is a little "blossom end" on the bottom when you're done that helps the apple stand up. That's pretty cool. I like it when my creations are ready to pose!

The worm is pretty easy, and I put safety eyes in the white cups for the eyes. I forgot the antenna though. I don't think it looses much without it. I didn't have any lime green thread with me, so I used a variegated pink with little green stripes for my squirmy wormy.

This apple is done!

This worm is your friend!

So, even if I that dragon is still waiting for his spines, I still got a finish in last week! I really have enjoyed the projects from the Zoomigurumi collection of instruction books!

Trying to Keep up with the Making and the Posting of the Making

 I've been doing several crochet projects recently, and it is time to catch up on them. Since the Sheep Ring Toy, I've worked from a few of my other crochet instruction books. This one was one of my Christmas presents.

Sounds like somethings I might like to make, right?

My cousin asked me about crocheting a dragon for one of her Eastern Star friends to have as a mascot. I had made her a green one (her favorite color) and this friend wanted one too. Since I have made several by that pattern, I though it was time to try something new.

I thought I would try out this fine fellow.

My cousin gave me yarn that matched her friend's favorite colors, and I got started. He is a bit bigger than the other dragon, but he has a lot of nice details. I think the eyes add a little character, and the ears and nostrils are adding some cute as well. He's got a nice tail. It was interesting that the legs were made in two pieces, the "haunch" and the foot. He's got some cute toe beans, too.

Mostly complete. Mostly.

Then there are the spikes down the dragon's back. Ugh. OK, they add something to the look of the dragon, but they aren't fun to make. It's a lot of little bits that then get sewn on in a (more or less) straight line. I got the head spikes done, but just haven't gotten to all of the back spikes yet. I will, but, sheesh! I'll get them though, so I can get the wings done too. When I finish, I'll update this post with a photo.

I do want to say that most of the time, when I'm crocheting a stuffed animal, I have just used the crochet hook to connect the pieces. I used a tapestry needle to close up the Sheep toy, and I've used it here to sew on the various pieces. I'm surprised to find that it looks a little cleaner, and that I actually get a little bit better placement accuracy. Sometimes I struggle with that, actually, so hmmm, learning curve activate!

While I really like the other dragons, I like this one as well. He's a little bigger, and a little rounder, and between the legs, and the tail, he sits up pretty well. And the toe beans ARE cute!

Button Down Shirts, a Learning Curve

 I have, in my sewing time, made MANY button down shirts. Not usually fancy dress shirts, but more of what qualify as a casual, camp shirt. I followed my mom's footsteps, and mad then for my dad. I made them for myself, and my brother when times were such that it wasn't easy to find clothes in our sizes. I made some for Ron, and Raine, both (with varied success. What do I mean by success? "Did they wear them?" is my measure of success). I have also used various versions of "kid's clothes" projects to make button down shirts as well.

Here's an example of a shirt I made for Carl

Historically, I have struggled with things like getting the collar centered, getting the fronts to lay flat, and pocket placement. I have a tried and true pattern that I have used so often that the newsprint remake of the worn out pattern pieces is wearing out, too. I have learned a lot about pattern adjustment working from that pattern. I have learned the value of using/not using the edges of the fabric in certain places. I've learned that interfacing is your friend, when sewing, and so is your iron. I've also learned, through using a variety of button down shirt patterns, some other lessons. I mean, practice makes a difference. I won't say perfect, because perfect isn't really my aim. Better, however, BETTER is something I DO strive for. 

I like to sew for kids. I don't know that kids like me to sew for them... many of the garments I make for kids have been donated to groups that provide clothes for children who need them, like to go to school in. Often those groups provide space for families to come look at the clothes, find what their child needs and wants, and what fits them, and I never hear comments about my particular garments, or see those clothes being worn. SO, there may be "other sides" to what I donate, and I can only go by my own experiences. When she was young, my niece liked the clothes I made for her. I let her pick fabrics and patterns as I could, depending on the time we had together to do such things. She loved trying them on, and giving me a "fashion show." With kids I didn't know, I tried to make practical garments, that were if not actually "in style" at least pretty commonly considered staples in a kid's wardrobe. Button down shirts work well in this category. 

Kid's sized button down shirt

There are some reasons that I like using kid's clothes as practice for "adult" sewing. One, kids are smaller, so it takes less fabric, and is cheaper. When I'm making things for Charitable Crafting, at Cruces Creatives, I have access to donated fabric, which I can use at no cost. Even a yard of fabric is often enough to make a garment for a child. I also have a rather large collection of patterns in a large range of sizes, so I don't have to spend more money if I have a pattern already in stock. A basic pattern like a casual button down shirt is pretty common, and perfect for school.

Button down shirts can be fun!

I've gotten to experiment with various elements of these shirts, and have discovered some things. When it comes to front facings, it is easier to make a front facing with a separate piece behave, and change fit if needed. Use the curve of the armhole as a guide for placing your pocket, but don't get too close to the front facing. A set in sleeve is more common, but there are some patterns with a cap sleeve (I think that is what it is called) that you cut when you cut the shirt fronts and back. it is usually shorter than a set in sleeve, and a lot quicker to finish. That being said, there will be people (even kid people) who want the set in sleeve, because that is what they commonly see. It is something to think about. I will make either one, but usually leave the cap sleeve for a smaller size shirt (younger kid).

This shirt has the cap sleeve

Getting to make this variety of patterns, helps me when I choose a pattern for Raine, or anyone else. I ask things like how fitted or loose? How fun can we go for fabric? ( I love, love, love a fun fabric!) and I use the tips and hints I have found to help me through the process of creating a nice, casual, button down shirt.

Stacking Ring Toys

 I've got a finish to celebrate. Here is my latest stacking ring toy make:

Cute sheep stacking ring toy

This blog serves me in part as a portfolio. A look back on things I've made. A lot of what I make, I give to family and friends as gifts. I would REALLY be a hoarder if I tried to keep it all. But that means I don't have it around me to remind me what I've done, Or what I've learned from it. The blog also serves me as a record of what I've attempted, successful or not (or somewhere in between) and what I've learned. It flavors choices I make when I'm planning future projects, whether that future is tomorrow, or years from now.

This sheep is the fourth of the stacking ring toys that I have made, and while each toy is different, there are some basic similarities, like making the rings, and the stacking pole. My previous efforts were made from acrylic yarn, which is readily available to me, and reasonably inexpensive. This one is made from cotton yarn. A couple of years ago, I made many, many small birds, and I used cotton yarn for them, so I had quite a selection in my stash, so I didn't have to go buy more yarn. (Hooray for having a stash, and being able to grab something from it and start a project without going shopping!)

I like to share the patterns that I use, to give credit where it is due, and let anyone interested in creating something from that pattern be able to find it, too.

There is a website at the bottom of the page if you like the pattern.

In the pattern, the creator suggests using cotton yarn, and I decided that I would give it a try. I really liked the cotton yarn because it isn't as stretchy as the acrylic, and so the stuffing doesn't show through as much as with the other ring toys I made (and a lot of the other stuffed toys I've crocheted through the years). Although you can't really tell from the black and white print of the pattern that I made, the sheep is in a variety of tans/browns. I didn't use the exact colors that are listed, I used the tans and browns that I had, and I made notes so I would know which color was going where. A lot of the decision about which color went where was determined by how much of that color I had, and how much I would need for that part. I also used a smaller crochet hook than I did with the acrylic yarn, because I wanted the finished toy to be a bit smaller. I decided not to make the Easter Egg this time, as I wasn't making this specifically an Easter toy, and I would need more yarn to make it than I have right now.

Basic ring stack

Having made the ring stack a few times already helped that part to go pretty quickly. I placed the eyes as suggested, but might space them a little further apart if I make it again. Maybe even just one or two stitches further apart. And use bigger eyes, if I have them. What is it about bigger eyes??? They are just cuter, I think.

The facial features are pretty basic on this toy, especially when I compare it to the baby yoda ring toy that was the first one I made. He was quite the challenge for me, when it came to all that face building.

Getting some character!

I made hats for the snowmen ring toys, too, but this little bonnet is going to stay on a lot better than those do. I did change a couple of things, first the last two rows before the edge are in pink thread, making a little hat band. The other thing I changed, was to make the brim from a shell stitch instead of a bobble stitch. I don't know that it changes anything esthetically, but I'm really practiced at making the shells, and not so much the bobbles.

A little spring bonnet

Finally, the legs. The snowman had arms and legs that were similar lengths. This sheep has long "arms" and short "legs". I was expecting the legs to be longer, and it kind of threw me off that they weren't. To be honest, though, I would probably leave the legs as is, next time and maybe shorten the arms a couple of rows. I might also make the choice to make them the same color, which I would have done if I had enough of either of those yarns do that (but I didn't).

All in all, my take-aways are that the cotton yarn did well. The smaller toy is maybe a better size for display than the bigger one, but then it depends one where and why you're displaying it and how much room you have. I think I'm going to look for a couple cute flower buttons to add to the bonnet as well. I have really enjoyed making these toys, and will probably make more, although I'm probably ready to move on to some other crochet project at the moment. There are quite a variety of stacking ring toy patterns available at ICANCROCHET.COM if you are interested!

I won't be surprised if a couple of these end up entered in the fair this year...

My Happy Sewing Place

 I've been organizing my craft/sewing room. I've talked about that in previous posts, and I've gotten a lot done. Organizing and labeling and finding long forgotten projects. Some of those found projects have gone the way of whatever, and I've tossed them in favor of projects that I know what the heck I was trying to achieve. If I go back to one of those projects, it will be because I'm ready to start it fresh. 

It will come to no surprise to anyone that organizing can be a messy process. You have to sort and make piles (at least I do) and find places to put those piles, and then find places to put those piles away. With a label on them this time. So, there was not much sewing getting done in there while there were piles, and boxes, and containers of various sizes, sitting around waiting for their places.

I have had creative outlets, like sewing with my cousin, or at Cruces Creatives. If have been crocheting stacking ring toys, and have one in process ( an Easter sheep, in fact). But there came a point where I really needed to spend some time at my sewing machines. I mean, through the organization process, I looked through all the projects that have been patiently (or not so patiently) waiting for my attention.

I got enough stuff put away to clear off my sewing table. It's an old library table that I love. It came from my mom, who also used it for a sewing table, alternating as a desk when she was typing something.

This is my happy sewing place

And I got to sewing. I did some alterations for Ron. I started a kid shirt for donation at some point and place. But wait! I plugged in my iron and the "on" light lit, but it didn't get hot. Bummer! I moved on a bit, but I really do like ironing as I sew. I have learned through trial and error that it makes a big difference. Sigh. So I put that project to the side. Then, I fretted about the iron, and getting a new one, and where, and when and a bunch of other frets. I even have projects that would not need the iron, but still, it just was an anxiety producing issue.

Now here's the place where I was going to go into all the anxieties that I'm worried about currently. There are some. I've rehearsed in my mind what I would say about them. But now, while I'm typing, I feel like I won't. There are anxieties. I feel them. I worry. Like almost everyone. Let me just say that the iron thing was the last straw. It was, however, a straw that I could do something about. Yes, I have a new iron. And I'm not even going to post a picture of it here. It is a very nice iron, as far as I can tell having used it a little now. I hope it will last as long as the other one did (20+ years or so?).

My friend, Lillian, helped me shop for it, and we brought it home and then worked on a jacket for her. One that we had cut out a while back. It is a fleecy, soft fabric, and an iron will do that fabric no good. No good at all. But HAVING the iron helped with the sewing mentality. So we worked on it a bit.

Then, I pulled out the shirt that I started the day the iron failed. 

Cute glitter splash fabric

Cute glitter splash kid's button down

All that is left to do on this shirt, is to attach the sleeves, and do the button holes and buttons. I'll get to look through my button stash cube to find the perfect ones!