72 years old and still...................

.................going
.................intolerant
.................pretty
.................strong
.................relevant 
.................in demand

I hope I am just like that when I am 72! ha!

This little piece of thread totally locked up the bobbin area, hence the intolerance.

And with help from the hubs and his arms of steel, the hook assembly came apart and got cleaned.

These puppies were made so well and the tolerances so minute 

that little bits of nothing can bring things to a grinding halt.

My newer machines will still sew with dust bunnies the size of Rhode Island..lol

But there is nothing like the perfection of a "straight stitch only" topstitch....nothing.

I put things back to rights then ran two rows of stitching

With no adjustments at all.....perfect

That is why the "perfect portable" will always be in demand.
Now, I have some topstitching that needs to be done.

Just Stuff

First off, a big thanks to one of my grocery bag swappers for her 'stellar' bag.....I sent her chickens, she sent me Trek......

Now, this is the way to "transport" groceries!

The whole inside is the Starship Enterprise!! 

Thank you Karen!

Next up, a little sewing for me....and I do mean a little. lol

One of my nightgowns. It has onseam pockets.

In theory, it's a great idea.

In practice, no so much.

They flop around, they get all bunched up, they make me look hip-py and I have no hips. lol

So off they come......

And a little something with linen. 

Still big stitch quilting the baby boy quilt.....the end is near.....so close....yippee

Just finished a little something for an upcoming blog hop(may 12-17)...you'll have to wait and see that.....Trek themed...shocker, I know...............................not!

And if I can make the time, a little something for a steampunk blog hop on May 8th

Let the count down begin......................

Oh wow, the opening is an insignia! I just now noticed that....doy!

Tiny Stitches

I have always appreciated the skill and patience required to work in miniature. It's amazing, to me, how people can get such precise details in such a small work area.

After working on something mini myself, my appreciation is even greater. My project, for an up coming blog hop, is only 3" by 2"......totally mini by my standards.

A sneak peek:

Wow, my stitches look ginormous up close. lol  And not so neat either. :-)

Have you ever made something in a "mini me" size?

"Sammy" Time

Been working on a little table runner with Lucy's Crab Shack fabric.....I like it!

It's a good size, this is a full size bed and it goes almost all the way across.
It's laying on the backing fabric.....all names.

Got a few other things in progress too.....the baby boy quilt is still slowly being hand quilted and a book review for embroidery. So far, the patterns that come with it are worth the price of the pdf....even without all the other stuff.

A Blast from the Past

My mom was going through a bunch of stuff and she gave me some old pictures of myself and a few objects d'art. LOL

Circa 1971 and 1973  Wow, just wow. lol

What do you do with stuff you don't want but just can't bring yourself to toss? hahaha

Kitsch at it's very best

O M G I just realized that is 40 years ago!
I have stuff that is 40 years old...that is mine....when did that happen?
Looks like I still got my craft on. :-)

April Showers MugRug Blog Hop!!

Welcome to day three of the April Showers Mug Rug Blog Hop.

Erin at Sew at home Mummy is our cheerleader for this hop!

April may have showers that bring us the flowers that bloom in May, but I never think of rain...I think of my wedding anniversary. This year is a biggie......25!
I know, right.......forever, in the blink of an eye.
We have had our ups and downs, thank The Lord, more ups than downs.

I used some sweetwater fabric and found all the 1988's I could to surround this embroidered block. I got the hands pattern on etsy from becgroves and added the dates in my poor handwriting.

A tiny bit of handquilting around the flowers and it was done.

Here are the other blog hoppers....
April shower them with a little hopping around.
A few of them even have giveaways!

Hayley @ Mrs. Pickles

Karen @ Sew Much 2 Luv

Mélanie @ Les passions de Cliodana

Cindy @ Quilt Doodle Doodles

Jamie @ Busy Bee Quilts

Judy @ That Other Blog

Regena @ The Distracted Domestic

Amy @ Domesticity and other Ponderous Things

Denise @ My Whittle Adventures

Heather @ a Reformed Heath'n

Marica @ ~Englating~

FUN....WANT....SMOKE RINGS......

dOES THIS LOOK LIKE A GREAT TOY?  Just say yes, you know you want to! LOL

http://www.amazon.com/Zero-Fog-Blaster-Red-Fluid/dp/B000FE9AT8/ref=sr_1_3?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1365182499&sr=1-3

FriXion Test....Complete

Well, the results are in and they aren't too bad. Perfection? Nope, but pretty close.

I drew some lines in all three colors 

Just did a simple running stitch so you could see where the line was

Iron on low

Dang! Not a trace!!! Nothing...nada....nyet!!!

into the freezer 

for ten minutes

The lines came back

See...all the way back

Hot water rinse

A little bit of the line is still showing on the black

Just barely on the red (yes, you can see the stitching line in the back)

Back to the freezer for another 10, only wet this time

A little bit of the line came back, especially the black  but not to bad, really.

Another quick press......lines alll gone

I've labeled my fabric for  30-60-90-120 test dates to see how the ink holds up over time.  I am betting a warm press and a warm wash will keep the ink away permanently. I think I will use this on areas where I know the line will be covered, but it ain't a bad little pen. 

Maybe the super fine ball point, if I can find it, will be my next test? 

I will keep you updated on the longer tests.

I will try it on a dish towel that will get a proper washing machine type wash and then freeze it. 

Will I use it?  Yep.

Will I use it on art of a lifetime? Probably. lol But not in areas that will show.

I say give it a go!! 

****update***

forgot about it for several months in the freezer. Lines did not come back

Product Testing.........

Tune in Tomorrow for a test on Pilot FriXion heat erasable pens. 

    If these things work well, I may have a new embroidery tool!!