Sewing Sunsets

I still have very little time to sew, so I’ll continue sharing sewing reviews until I actually get to work on a sewing project of my own.

Sewing reversible flannel blankets: www.sewseamless.com/Page46.html  , www.sewseamless.com/Page47.html , www.sewseamless.com/Page48.html , www.sewseamless.com/Page49.html , www.sewseamless.com/Page50.html , and www.sewseamless.com/Page51.html

Sewing simple pillowcases: www.sewseamless.com/Page41.html , www.sewseamless.com/Page42.html , www.sewseamless.com/Page43.html , and www.sewseamless.com/Page44.html

Happy Sewing!

www.sewseamless.com

Life is still hectic and busy,w hich leaves me very little time to sew. Since I am also having trouble finding time to post here regularly, I thought it might be nice to have a little sewing review in the meantime. 

Here are some sewing project tutorials that can be found at www.sewseamless.com

Sewing shorts and pants: www.sewseamless.com/Page33.html , www.sewseamless.com/Page34.html , www.sewseamless.com/Page35.html , www.sewseamless.com/Page36.html  , www.sewseamless.com/Page37.html , www.sewseamless.com/Page38.html and www.sewseamless.com/Page39.html

Sewing Pillows: www.sewseamless.com/Page22.html , www.sewseamless.com/Page23.html and www.sewseamless.com/Page24.html

Sewing Neck Pillows: www.sewseamless.com/Page52.html , www.sewseamless.com/Page53.html , www.sewseamless.com/Page54.html , www.sewseamless.com/Page55.html and www.sewseamless.com/Page56.html

Happy Sewing!

www.sewseamless.com

Yesterday was a good day.  Nothing special happened, except that I finally had a little time to sew!  Yay! I really only got to sew for a few minutes, but that felt sew good to be back in the sewing room at the sewing machine.  I’m working on making an apron for my daughter’s roommate.  When I started this project, I didn’t have my camera unpacked or the computer set up, so I haven’t had a chance to take pictures.  However, I plan on making a second apron and I’ll take pictures of that project and share them with you here.

Today, I hope to do a little more sewing, even if it is only for a few more minutes.  I’ve learned my lesson about planning to sew; Real Life always seems to have other plans for me when I plan my sewing time.

Happy Sewing!

www.sewseamless.com

Life has really been hectic for the past six months or so.  As a result, I haven’t done any sewing and I’m having serious withdrawals.    We have moved to another state and then moved my mom as well.  Three days after she moved into her apartment, she fainted and life has been very hectic since that time.  My mom is 83 and in fair health.  She fainted as the result of a urinary tract infection.  She had the same problem back in December and I don’t think she ever really got well from the initial problem.

In taking care of my mom and taking her to doctors, I have discovered that there are so many reasons that my mom is not doing as well as she could be.  Because I took about a year and a half to get myself into shape and to get healthy, I have learned many things about nutrition, healthy eating plans, exercise, and drinking lots of purified water.  My mom became malnourished because she wasn’t (and still isn’t) eating very well.  At this point, I take her some fresh organic foods of some type every day and try to make sure that she gets at least three good meals each day.  However, she is going to have to start making some effort to do this on her own very soon because I still have my own life to live as well.

In dealing with my mom’s health issues, my frustrations with American doctors have  increased.  My mom has thyroid issues, which can cause memory issues and a lot of other physcial and neurological symptoms.  The nurse practitioner who saw her seemed to understand this, but when we saw the doctor himself, he simply did about a five minute so called mini mental exam on her and proclaimed that she had early Alzheimer’s.  Personally, I think we need to look at her Vitamin D levels, which are probably depleted, her overall nutrition, and in her case, especially the thyroid.  I know, based on her recent blood work, that it is not functioning correctly. Also, I believe my mom needs some physical therapy to help regain her strength, but the doctor already had her labeled her as demented and wouldn’t consider it.  Unfortunately, here in America, doctors seem to know how to treat symptoms and want to give medicines, that have lots of potential side effects, instead of looking for the root cause of a problem or disease.  I am going to continue my quest for finding the root cause of my mom’s memory problems and not take some doctor’s opinion, based on a five minute oral “test”.  Even I got some of the answers wrong–does that mean I have the same problem he thinks my mom does?!

Over the past couple of years, I have learned that we can be healthy and in many cases, regain our health, but this takes effort and hard work.  Because of my own health issues, I was willing to do that hard work and it paid off for me.  I feel better than I have for years!  I eat well, take nutritional supplements, exercise, and drink lots of water, and a little black tea and green tea.  As much as possible, I eat only organic foods–not to be trendy, but to be healthy.  Organic foods are not sprayed with pesticides, which are chemicals that are not good for us to ingest. Many of our foods are genetically modified and our meats contain hormones and all kinds of other things in them that may cause health problems for us. 

The bottom line here is that in order to become healthy we need to get back to the basics–good nutrition, proper portions, exercise, drinking water, and getting some sunshine and fresh air every day. 

I want to continue to be sew healthy so I’ll keep doing what I’m doing. Now, it would really help me continue to be sew healthy if Real Life would just settle down long enough to let me sew again.

Happy Sewing!

www.sewseamless.com

Life has been extremely hectic lately, which is why I’ve neglected this blog for way too long.  Although life hasn’t settled down, yet, I’m hoping that it will soon start to calm down a bit so that I can get back to sewing.  It has been far too long since I’ve been able to sew and right now, my soul needs soothing with lots of fabric and sewing therapy.

During the past six months or so, we traveled from the east coast to the west coast and back to the east coast.  My husband was a candidate for a new job during that time, so phone interviews were being conducted while we were on the road.  After arriving back home (east coast at that time), we got the word that my husband had been selected for the job, but we were not moving yet.  After asking questions, we thought that we had some time to get ready to move, but very quickly after that, we got the word that we had to be in our new destination very quickly.  Unfortunately, we could not sell our house, due to the economy, so we have had to rent/lease it, which is not our first choice, but it was the only choice we had at the time.  Thankfully, someone recently rented it and may have an interest in buying the property in the near future.

During the last month, we have moved to another state, moved my mom down here as well, and traveled to Tennessee to attend our youngest daughter’s college graduation.  My mom became ill before we left for our trip, so that meant a lot of my time has been spent in caring for her.  Thankfully, the doctor took her off of some of her medications, which may have been contributing to some of her other health problems, but the weaning process was a bit confusing, and due to my mom’s infection, I had to monitor that closely.  Yesterday, I got to spend some time with her and she seems much better, but she is still not back to her normal self or decent health yet; I think that is going to take some time.

We have ended our time in Virginia, and that ending is a good one.  That area of the country is beautiful, but it’s too cold and a very different lifestyle than I like.  Our daughter has ended her college career and is entering the new beginning of her own adult life. My husband and I are experiencing a new beginning in Texas in an area that we both like, and in his case, a new job, which he seems to be enjoying at this point.  Life seems more promising here and that is a very good thing.

I am hoping to return to sewing soon, but there is still a lot to do because we haven’t really had time to settle yet.  Another very good new beginning is that I have discovered that there are three good fabric stores here in my city and when I have time, I will definitely be engaging in that much needed fabric therapy that I mentioned earlier.  My sewing room is going to be set up soon (I hope to accomplish that this weekend) and maybe Real Life will stop being so demanding and allow me to also engage in a little sewing therapy as well.

Happy Sewing!

www.sewseamless.com

I have been very frustrated during our move from one state to another.  First, I have not been able to do any sewing since early December and I think the stress of that is catching up to me.  Also, it seems that this particular move has been especially difficult in so many ways.  For both my husband and myself, we have had delays in just trying to get on the road to get here.  That was also our experience in trying to get my mom on a flight to move to our new city as well.  She finally got here yesterday afternoon, but not without a lot of frustration in the process as well.  The person who accompanied her to the airport couldn’t find my mom’s ID and that created a lot of confusion. When we got to my mom’s apartment last night, I found the ID in the purse, exactly where I said it would be.  In this particular case, I think the language barrier may have played a role.  The caregiver (my mom is 83) has been wonderful and is super sweet, so I’m not upset with her, but it would have been nice not to have dealt with that particular issue.

Anyone who knows me well knows that I do NOT fly–EVER!!  My theory is that if God had intended for me to fly, he would have given me some wings.  The last time I looked, I had not sprouted any wing.  The next frustration involved the airport on this end.  Once again, we were delayed in trying to drive to the airport, although we did make it earlier than we anticipated.  Most of the time, the airlines only allow one person to go back and meet a passenger (my mom had wheelchair assistance to make things easier on her and everybody else as well), but the lady at the ticket counter was sweet and allowed my husband and myself to get a pass to go through. And then we came to security.  As I stated before, I do NOT fly, so I don’t really know all the rules–I know them, but I”m not familiar with them.  At any rate, I was trying to follow my husband’s lead through security and he got through just fine.  Of course, I didn’t. Without thinking anything about it, I had thrown a topical gel cream that I knew my mom would forget to pack, into my purse.  I did this at the last minute because I was afraid I would forget to give it to her last night.  At any rate, at the airport, I kind of forgot about it, and then the security guy got frustrated and loudly announced “people, take your liquids out of your bags”.  Of course, that was me, and I never even thought about this topical gel (which also comes in an oral supplement form)  being considered a “liquid”.  They then called for a supervisor and I told her I had no intentions of getting on a plane; I was simply there to pick up my mom. She told me that I could take my belongings back to the car, but my husband had chosen the most convoluted way into the airport, so I didn’t even think I could find my way back to the car myself.  Of course, my husband was standing on the other side of the security gate (having made it through ok) staring at me.  He kept motioning me to come over to him and I kept having to yell that they wouldn’t allow me to do that.  To say I was frustrated, embarrassed, and yes downright angry is an understatement.  The whole day had been frustrating from beginning to end.  The dog misbehaved; I had to field phone calls that initially scared me and turned out to be totally unneccessary at the end of the day; and then it didn’t help matters that upon arrival at the airport I saw an ambulance (with lights flashing) parked in front of one of the gates near where my mom’s plane was arriving.  Stressed out is a mild way to put how I was feeling. 

I finally wound my way back to the baggage claim area, where I should have gone in the first place, and sat down to wait.  My husband went to meet my mom and then we all finally arrived at her new apartment.  I had hoped to sleep well last night, but I barely slept.  Part of the reason for that is that I kept thinking that the room that will be my sewing room is full of boxes and I NEED that sewing room put together and I NEED to get some sewing therapy–and SOON!!  I did get to engage in a little fabric therapy a couple of days ago, which was nice.  JoAnn’s keeps sending me coupons and I still have some money on gift cards.  I think I really need to pay a visit to the fabric shops in town, right?!

By the way, I have already told my husband that if he decides to move again (other than to move from this apartment to a house), he will be on his own.  I’m not moving again.

Hopefully, I will be able to start sewing again soon and can start posting about important things like sewing sleeves and gathered skirts and aprons–you know–important things–like sewing.

Happy Sewing!

www.sewseamless.com

I have finally arrived at my new destination and have somewhat moved into the new apartment.  My hubby starts his first day of work this morning.   We still don’t have all our furniture here–it is due to arrive later this week.  Unfortunately, we are going to have to put quite a bit in storage for a while.  We are hoping to get storage close to us so we can start going through boxes and donating lots of unused items. 

In the meantime, I still have to coordinate getting my mom down here into her new apartment and trying to find a few pieces of furniture for her until her furniture can arrive.  This has been a very difficult move and it’s not over yet!

The really bad part about this move is that I haven’t had time to sew at all.  However, I have my sewing machines, fabric, and patterns here with me and my sewing room will be set up in the very near future.

The good news is that there is a JoAnn’s less than five miles away from my house and I think they are having a sale; I have a 40% off coupon; and I still have money on my JoAnn’s gift cards.  I think some much needed fabric therapy and sewing therapy is in my future.

As a result of everything that needs to be done, the traveling halfway across the country, and the stress of trying to make sure my mom’s needs are met, I find myself being sew tired every day.  Somehow, I think that when I get that fabric and sewing therapy, I will have a new burst of energy.

Happy Sewing!

www.sewseamless.com

Real life just seems to continue to enjoy limiting my sewing time.  Actually, I haven’t been able to sew for months because of real life’s other plans for me.  This is not a good thing at all.  I am having serious sewing withdrawals and this situation must be corrected very soon.  And it will be when we finally get moved and somewhat settled.

We recently found out that my husband’s new job wants him to report for work very quickly, which leaves us very little time to get things in order here.  We have a house to sell, but the realtor doesn’t think we could list for what we paid for it three years ago.  What really stinks is that we did everything right–didn’t buy more than we could afford, put money down, and we have spent money making some much needed improvements to the house.  I believe housing prices are increasing in this area, but at this point, we don’t have time to wait and see if/when the house will sell.  This puts us in the position of having to rent/lease  this house and become renters ourselves in our new destination.  I don’t mind renting if I can rent a house with a fenced in back yard.  The dog really needs a yard!

We have two weeks to get everything together and move to our new state.  What is adding to the stress level is the fact that we also have to move my mom, who is almost 83, and getting her and her furniture in her new apartment at the same time is proving to be quite a challenge.  Her apartment won’t be ready quite as early as we need it to be, so that is making things a bit more difficult as well.  Thankfully, we are all happy about this move, but the challenges are sometimes throwing cold water on that happiness.

Would somebody please tell Real Life that all I want to do is sew and ask that I please be left in peace do do lots and lots of sewing?!

Happy Sewing!

www.sewseamless.com

I am sew overwhelmed these days!  If I could just engage in a few hours of sewing therapy, I think I would be fine.  Instead, I have to concentrate on helping hubby get this house ready to be put on the market and pray that it sells quickly.  After not knowing when we have to be in our new state for a couple of months, all of a sudden, it’s now “hurry up and get there yesterday”.    We have less than a month and not only do we have to move ourselves, but we also have to move my mom.  Thankfully, I have found her a new apartment and all of that is in process.  Our own living situation is another matter that needs to be sorted out and things seem to be moving along slowly in trying to get this house ready for the realtor to see.

One of my biggest chores is getting the sewing room sorted out.  I would sew much rather be sewing than tidying it up.  One of these days soon, I am going to sew, no matter what is going on around me.

I did get to engage in some fabric shopping therapy recently, and that did help my stress level a bit.

Due to all the upheaval around here, I haven’t really had time to keep up with this blog, but I promise to finish the tutorial on sewing the skirt with in-seam pockets and sewing it to the bodice soon.

Sewing in-seam pockets and sewing a skirt to a bodice: www.sewseamless.com/Page9.html and www.sewseamless.com/Page18.html

Happy Sewing!

www.sewseamless.com

I am sew not motivated to do much of anything these days, but I have to force myself to get motivated soon because I have lots to do.  Because hubby and I are moving to another state, we have to get this house ready to put on the market and this house is full of clutter (with no place to put anything because there is no storage) and the house itself needs lots of updating.  We have chosen to concentrate on the master bath  because we already rennovated that downstairs half bath and the kitchen about a year ago.  If we could hire this done, the house would already be on the market, but to save money, hubby does the work himself, so it takes longer to get finished.  All I really want to do is sew, but now I’m finding that I have to clean out the sewing room and try to sort through fabric scraps and determine what to donate, throw out, and keep.  Groan

One of these days, we’ll be moved and settled and I am going to spend lots and lots and lots of quality time in my sewing room and do lots and lots and lots of sewing.

In the meantime, let me finish the tutorial about sewing the skirt with in-seam pockets.  The last time I posted, I think I told you about sewing the side seam of the skirt, starting at the bottom of the skirt, and pivoting at the pocket.  After this  seam has been sewn, the top of the skirt (at the pocket area) is still open and must be sewn closed as well.  The way I do this is to measure from the top of the skirt to the pocket area.  (There is usually a dot marked on the tissue pattern piece itself so it’s easy to get this measurement.)

I start sewing at the top of the skirt and sew close to the seam until I reach the pin that I’ve placed on the skirt to mark the stopping point.  This closes the top of the side seam.

After sewing this seam, the next step is to clip the stitching under the pocket, making sure to clip to the stitching.  This allows you to press the side seam open.  Personally, I like to press the seam over a seam roll and press from both the right and wrong sides of the fabric.

At this point, the skirt is almost ready to be sewn to the bodice.  More about that later.  Frankly, I’m rather tired of this one project because I started it in early December and it still isn’t quite finished.  I found myself becoming frustrated with it early on, so now I’m anxious to finish it and move on to another sewing project–if real life ever decides to give me time to sew, that is.

Sewing a skirt with in-seam pockets: www.sewseamless.com/Page9.html and www.sewseamless.com/Page18.html

Happy Sewing!

www.sewseamless.com