Only 90 today!!!

Yesterday I got to spend the afternoon with a friend. It was so nice just sitting visiting with someone. Especially her. She lives 8 or so hours away so don't see her often. She's here caring for her mom, and I have a lot of experience and sympathy for THAT.... as has been documented in this blog. 

Today I got a package from Debbie in Nevada City, she sews doll clothes and other stuff on Etsy. The shop is Grizzly Creek, if anyone is actually reading this and wants to check it out. Here's the latest thing I got... kind of a bland photo I guess but the dress is cute. 

I've also gotten tiny clothes from her, for 4 to 5 or 6 inch dolls. She also makes other things, check out her shop

https://www.etsy.com/shop/GrizzlyCreek?ref=yr_purchases

Hope the link works. 

It was nice not to be so hot today, but tonight it's smoky, haven't heard why.

Bland picture, bland post. At the moment, trying to get back in the habit of posting. I'll try to be more interesting. And catch up on what I haven't posted about crafty-wise.

Musings on 107 degree days

Thursday....to figure out where stuff goes. Some goes places I can't reach because of what is piled up in there, some go other places, and some I have no idea.

I have read several things about how to not procrastinate, and why it is hard to make decisions, but there doesn't seem to be a magic thing that I could do (which is what I would like) that will solve everything. Going through stuff triggers everything. Trauma stuff. How can I possibly toss stuff from my kids' stuff... But they don't want it. It's only my own feelings that stop me. I am not rejecting anyone when I let go of the stuff. But sometimes it feels like it. 

More to be added.

Today is Friday. So far, it's "only" 104 but it's only 3:30 pm. Today I was trying to print an A4 pattern on US letter size paper. So far so good. We will see when I actually make the pattern. It's a Barbie dress and a Barbie asymmetrical  romper, it has only one shoulder. Both patterns are from Jhoana Dolls. They are in Spanish, which isn't really an issue, the videos have no words anyway. But the patterns are on cm graph paper, and are supposed to print out A4 size. So a bit of a challenge there. Also printed out a crocheted finger puppet by @paradise_amigurumi. 

I really like Jhoana Dolls' patterns. They are simple, well fitting, and elegant. I know enough Spanish to kind of get by, and the videos don't have words, just a demonstration. I think it will be fine. I did ask a question before I figured it out by myself, we will see if someone answers.

Back to the sewing/craft room. Need prayer, LOL

Glitter Girl and Barbie

Two dolls jumped into my hands yesterday. One, a Barbie from 2015 and a newer glitter girl. Barbie has this impossibly long hair, black on one side, rainbow on the other. She has cute lavender shoes and sunglasses. She is called "Totally Hair Barbie". The Glitter girl is Dayna, in her original clothes except no shoes.

I think the only way to stop collecting dolls is to not go to thrift stores. 

And I need to give some away. Get sewing, girl. 

yarn planning

It feels, somehow, that I am at the end of my LEARNING where knitting and crocheting are concerned. I don't really want to bother with complicated patterns, and I must admit that I am a forever novice yarn person. That's ok. Mostly, I've made afghans, hats, scarves, tons of wash cloths and such. I've been seeing patterns for little coin purses and such that don't look super complex, I am more proficient at crochet than knitting. I have more confidence when I crochet and have made items "by ear" meaning, just hold it up and start crocheting and adding stitches where I want to. Doll dresses mainly. Lately, I've wanted to do only little projects instead of afghans. I only knit one sweater in my life, and my mom finished it because I got frustrated. I took a class on pattern drafting, and made some small sweaters for dolls, but there was a LOT in that class. It was called Needle Arts, and included needlepoint, knit and crochet, and crewel embroidery. I loved trying out all the different skills, but mainly focused on crochet. I'm left handed, so that has complicated learning for me. I end up crocheting left handed and knitting right handed.

I do have a set of looms that I have made MANY hats. I enjoy the repetitiveness and the fact that I don't have to think much. 

Right now I have all projects that I started finished. I did abandon one, since I couldn't tell where the  pattern was, it was really nubby yarn and so I frogged it. I am thinking about doing socks out of some lovely variegated stuff like the first socks I did. 

Then I'm down to scrappy things, odds and ends, odd skeins that don't match with much. I'm thinking that I will pull out the doll sweater patterns and get going. They are pretty small and quick and something I can finish, and no new stitches to learn or anything. And I love that the dolls have sweaters, too. Feeds two addictions, yarn and dolls.

It does feel good to be all caught up with yarnish projects. Now to use up the stash. No new yarn, there's still a couple bags. Lorna gave me a BIG bag of all sorts of stuff, acrylic. I have enjoyed making little things with it. My favorite was the Shawlette with some sparkly white yarn. 

It does seem that life is winding down. I'm not old, but I really do not want to keep collecting yarn and fabric and paper, but use up what I have already so I don't leave so much junk for my kids to have to sort through. 

But I'm not dead yet, at least today.

clouds...

Sometimes all I have is enough energy to admire the clouds, so there you are.

Still Collecting Dolls after all these years...

I watched Encanto, and then found Mirabel at the thrift store, and then I found Luisa. But she had no shoes. I have shoes of many dolls, but the only thing that fit was some too big blue tennis shoes that looked really odd with her dress.  While waiting for my sewing machine part, I decided to try making her shoes. I was inspired by Chelly at chellywood.com who has made shoes. I however didn't use any of her patterns, because there weren't any Luisa's size. 

So I traced around her feet and cut it out of light card stock and glued it to felt and cut it out. It was hard to cut because I was lazy and didn't go get my good shears. But I got it, and then glued felt to the other side of the card stock and cut it out, one left foot and one right foot. 

I then made a loop of felt to go across the top of her foot, and hand stitched it together. They looked really plain so I embroidered with a teensy blanket stitch and a little flower. 

Things I would do differently: 

DON'T be lazy, go get and use good shears. 

I used rather thick felt, it might be easier with lighter felt. 

Make a pattern for the cross piece, and embroider it before assembly. 

Put the loop between the layers of felt. I don't think the card stock was necessary.

Have black elastic thread on hand so I could make a strap to go around the back.

Not bad for the first try. When I get the elastic I will add the strap to these. I will make another pair, maybe red like her original shoes. 

Still sewing after all these years....

Plan. Right now, I am all caught up on yarnish projects. I am not caught up on sewing ones, but one would think that with the amount of sewing machines I have, that ONE OF THEM  would be working properly. Treadle... the head is in a box in the garage. Singer... is in the treadle's case. It is missing the post for the thread. I don't know what else is going on with it. Riccar.... is in the Singer's case, has been having tension issues for a long time and ought to just go out. It is 50 years old. It has had extremely hard use. Maybe I can steal the thread post from it. Or maybe from the treadle? Should I set up the treadle properly ? It is so great for tapestry and denim. I learned to sew on it. Sigh. 

The Brother is actually L's machine, it was having tension problems. I sent the new Singer with her and she moved it to Idaho. It runs, but I hate that it has only one speed, fast. Really hard for sewing doll clothes. The Janome. My favorite by far, but the bobbin case is wearing out,  and I've ordered one but it won't get here for awhile. My little mending machine won't run either. I've made doll clothes on it, but I sure can't figure out what's going on.... So SIX machines, and NONE are in prefect running order. 

GRRRRR.

So, the plan. Investigate the old Singer, see if I can find a thread post on some other machine, preferably the Riccar. Take the Riccar out of the case, see what I can salvage, such as the thread, needle, accessories and such. Put it in the OUT pile. Take the Singer out of the Treadle case and put it back in its own cabinet. Find the treadle head and reassemble. Work for a bit on the mending machine, see if I can get it running. Otherwise, put it OUT with the Riccar. I bought the little thing so I could do mending at my mom's. I don't need it any more, so I have to decide if I care enough to get it running.

Timeline goals... Tonight, look at the mender one more time. If I can't get it running TONIGHT then toss it. Look at the Riccar, see if the post will fit the Singer. If not, see if one can be ordered. If not, let it go. It is also elderly and has had hard use. It was my mom's main machine for many years. 

Sentimental thoughts.... The Treadle was my Grandma Mills' machine. Talk about well used workhorse machine!! It was what I learned to sew on. I even sewed my finger when I was seven. It has made and re-made clothes for my aunts and uncles, my brother, my mom, my dad, me. My mom was an excellent seamstress. It works well for heavy duty fabrics, and made slipcovers for many couches and chairs. Purses. Replacing zippers in jeans. It has a beautiful case, so maybe it is worth restoring. 

The Old Singer. I found it at a yard sale in 1974. It had never been used! It was an early Singer, with a gorgeous cabinet with drawers. I would have kept it, but I had just purchased the Riccar. So I gave it to my mom, and it continued what the treadle had started. 

The Riccar. Before I got married, I had a long time boyfriend and his mom helped me get the Riccar. When I got married (not to her son!) she paid it off as a wedding present. I would have loved to have her as a mother in law, but just didn't think that was a good enough reason to marry her son. That machine sewed my clothes, my kids' clothes, blankets and quilts, mending, shirts for my husband. It was a wonderful machine until it just wore out. Until now, I couldn't bear to let it go. Now I'm ready.

The Janome. I love this machine. I will keep it. The bobbin case is just plain worn out, being a plastic piece. I am hoping that I can just put in the new piece and all will be well. It sounds good, but the bobbin case is just loose, and I think a piece chipped off.

The Mender. Seemed like a good idea at the time, and worked well for ten or so years, probably longer than it was designed to work for. Its bobbin case is also worn, but since it only cost me $20 in the first place, not sure it is worth spending more than that for a part. Not sentimental about it, just haven't dealt with it. It came with a bunch of bobbins, they will fit the Janome. 

The Brother. I need to check with L first, but I think that could just go. It runs, but it is not variable speed, it's fast or nothing, and impossible for doll clothes sewing, which is what I do. Since I gave her my "new" Singer, maybe she will let it go. Will see. 

K already went to bed tonight, as he is recovering from surgery. I took a nap today, due to a 2 am ER visit in the night with him. I am looking forward to recovery and no more emergencies. However, it's only 7 pm so I stole the thread post from the Riccar, to see if it will fit the Singer. That's tonight's goal, to see if I can make the Old Singer run at least until I get the part for the Janome. 

The eventual goal is to only keep the treadle, the old Singer if I can get it running, and the Janome. Riccar can go, mender can go, if I can't get it going, it's useless. I might fix it and see if a grandchild wants to learn how to sew. 

Yarn. I try to let some go, but... at least I have no more hanging projects. I gave up on the socks.  I am so excited to have finished up the UFOs. (Un Finished Objects)

So just a ramble. I don't really think folks read this any more, but it helps to write this stuff down and it helps me prioritize what to do next. Otherwise it just stays "fix sewing machines" and I don't know where to start.

UFO assessment

Just re reading some posts, trying to figure out when I started the rectangular blue afghan that I found deep in the closet. To my shame, 2015. I guess when my dad died, I shoved it in the closet. 

Well I've been working on it in the evenings, and it's getting there. Right now, it's 36x44. If I add another 5 rows, or six if I do an edging, then it will be about 40x48 or so. I guess that will be a good lapghan size... I do not, however, know why I was making it, or who I was making it for. I didn't realize it was there, I don't really remember it. I kind of vaguely remember buying the yarn, I think I was with my daughter and son in law. But did I have a recipient in mind? Don't know. I do know that was a time of life I was kind of on autopilot. I was spending weeks at my parents' place, trying to take care of them when I really should have had them both move to assisted living. Hindsight is 20/20 though, can't go back. It's hard to do self care when you are caring for everyone else. 

The trouble with cleaning out to the very bottom of that closet.... so much I don't know how to deal with. All of Mom's quilts. All well worn and well loved. All need patching. Not in good enough condition to donate. BUT..... how can I just toss them in the trash??? 

I did let go of more of mom's clothes. Only took me almost 5 years.

So one UFO almost done, maybe a couple more days of evening crochet. 

One day at a time.

January musing.

Usually I try to have some kind of goals for the year. I'm not going to do that this year. I am just going to call them "hopes" and not "goals"

The next word I think of after hopes is "dreams". I'm feeling to old for this sort of thing, when my goal seems to be Get Up sometime today, do what you can, and then Go To Bed. My energy level is really low and I was hoping it was from the medication I got to quit a couple weeks ago. But... still low, although slightly improved. 

And so my mental state qualifies as "depressed". Both my parents lived to their 90s so I was hoping to at least 80s. But I barely started 70s. 

I don't talk to people enough. This pandemic has made it far worse, because I have always had to push myself to be out there and now I have no energy. 

So. My hopes and dreams are to regain energy and strength, climb out of the depression hole, and get stuff done. I did get all the dishes washed and most of the Christmas decorations put away. The tree is still up, the wonderful porcelain houses, and the lights/ Tomorrow is the 6th so it's all good. I think January's theme is a snowy village and some snow men. And one angel candleholder. 

It's colder tonight. Possibly a brush of frost. I covered the vulnerable ones. I can't believe I harvested 8 tomatoes yesterday. That's in its own little greenhouse with hopes that it at least stays alive this winter. I did forget to put a hot water bottle in there, so hopefully it won't be TOO bad. 

It helps just to write and I need to do that more. I'm hoping for some pictures of finished doll clothes in the next day or two. Hoping. Dreaming. They are on the list. But I must still be gentle with myself. I'm sure that Granddaughter A would like these clothes soon though. Before she grows up LOL