Stitch in Time - July 2012

**DrDebby** · #1 07-01-2012, 08:16 PM

Gosh, it's July already. Hope Martha is doing well, but since it's late and she hasn't started the Stitch, I have.

I've been taking it easy today. Had some friends over. He's an electrician and had him look at the bathroom fan situation. He threw up his hands and said he couldn't figure out what was going on.

Now DH is talking about putting off re-doing the kitchen in favor of re-wiring the entire house. He has a point. We've been fighting electrical issues since before we moved in. It started with the electrical panel being a recall item and having to be replaced. It wasn't done with much attention to detail. They just did a one for one and I don't think they double checked their work. We've had the oil stove, the water heater and an outlet in the bathroom mis-wired from the panel. Add to that the panel was not labeled. Not sure who I can get to do the job since the friend is disgusted with residential wiring jobs and one of the "best" in the area screwed up the panel job.

Aral · #2 07-01-2012, 08:23 PM

Debby it's a good thing your DH will rewire the entire house. One thing you do not want to have and that is a faulty electricity. Good thing you had your friend look at it.

Possible wall hanging order in the pipe lines !!!!!!!!! Insde I am jumping with joy.. out side I am cool as a cucumber

EvaJ · #3 07-01-2012, 11:53 PM

Sigrun, YEA!!!!!!

Debby, electric problems, sounds like it should be a complete rewire

I sewed again today. 4 flannel pj's for dolls and one pair of slippers. I finished up the wool and mink coat last night. Not really pleased with it but I am sending it to my friend who I exchanged a doll for the coat. Because I don't think the coat is good, I ended up making her a dress and panties for the doll too. I took a picture of the coat before I sent it but even the picture makes the coat look bad. I think the hat is the best part of the whole outfit. The boots fit but not liking them too well. I think part of my problem with this outfit is it was so frustrating to do and hard to work on and I just wanted it to get out of my house. So now it is packed and will be shipped in the morning. On it's way to Kodiak Alaska.

poochemio · #4 07-02-2012, 12:49 AM

Ick electrical problems! Never good.

I sewed a bit this weekend on another bag, and now I'm packing for another week of class. Showed the man the drawings and he was pretty wowed. Money well spent. Seems a rare thing these days and wonderful when it happens.

Have a good week all.

EvaJ · #5 07-02-2012, 07:21 PM

Have fun at your classes all week. So glad they are great classes.

Today made two doll dresses. One for a customer and then made up one Chatty Cathy dress just to sell.

Forgot to take the package this morning to the post office so will have to make sure I get it out tomorrow. Now with finishing the other customer order, I will have two for the morning.

**rue d'oak** · #6 07-02-2012, 08:42 PM

Happy July to all! Any particular plans for the 4th? I'll head to my mom's for a bbq, and if the fog allows, watch fireworks over the bay.

Several projects going at the moment....frustrated that I completed an afghan and then found SEVERAL skeins more of the yarn. Oh my. Now am contemplating adding a border. This is the yarn that I dyed with walnut hulls several years ago. I have another mixed media mask going, and have been deep in more of the costume work for the Japanese theater.

Jen

**DrDebby** · #7 07-02-2012, 10:35 PM

Sigrun, congrats on the order. You should be jumping up and down carefully. Don't want you hurting yourself.

Eva, you just keep making doll clothes. It's amazing.

Margo, so good to hear your class was such a success and fun. Have fun again this week.

Jen, sorry about your extra yarn. Borders are good. As are other projects. My plans for the 4th involve spending the day in the park selling my candy.

DH is so jazzed to go cut wood with his new truck that we ended up scouting out a location today, recommended by the ranger station. There is a lot of downed trees. Now, he wants to go cutting tomorrow.

I had all three days planned. Both scouting and cutting wood was not in the plan. I've been trying to get everything done today after the scouting trip, that was going to be spread out over 2 days. Obviously, the 4th is not available. I also reminded him that I had wanted the bathroom done before wood cutting commenced. Like a neutrino, went right through and out the other side without phasing him at all.

I appreciate his enthusiasm and the savings heating our home in the winter with wood he cut himself. But, well, it does take time. I think I have everything figured out so he can go cut wood tomorrow. I go with him so he's not alone. For the last 2 years, he keeps talking about guys at work that want to go cutting with him. Yet, for some odd reason, these guys never materialize to go with him, so I go, for safety sake.

EvaJ · #8 07-03-2012, 07:39 PM

Hope you got your wood cut today. Good luck at your show tomorrow.

I have done very little today. Did get the kitchen all cleaned up. Sorted and put away a box of different laces that I traded for some doll clothes (not ones I made). Have lots of new laces to try now on doll clothes. Then chatted with the gal on fb and we are trading some more stuff. She gets a box of fabric and I get a Chatty Cathy doll which my friend in Canada wanted and couldn't afford right now so I am getting it and then will give it to her. I won't miss the fabric and she will be tickled to get the doll. I am going to surprise her with it. She is having a hard time right now because the city is coming in and taking all the houses in her neighborhood and of course at below market value. They thought they would be retiring in that house. Her hubby has not been able to work the last couple of years so money is very tight with them and she is in love with Chatty Cathy dolls.

**DrDebby** · #9 07-05-2012, 08:18 PM

Eva, you are so sweet to send something that will bring a smile to your friend.

Ended up not going for wood after all. It was raining when we got up.

Spent the day fussing with last minute things instead. It probably would have been better to be out of the house. Seems I forgot to stop by.

Yesterday's show was fine. The crowd was less with 4th of July being in the exact middle of the week. Not many people from out of town. Then, the parade was at 11am. Of course, they toss candy off the floats.

Adding to even less people was the rodeo starting at 2pm. All the vendors were there till 4pm. However, I did as well as I did last year. So, I shouldn't complain.

I've only got a few things to make for next month's show and I've got all month to get that done.

Today, I've been taking inventory, counting money, putting things away and cleaning the kitchen from last night's dinner. DH had invited a friend over from work. We visited late and I never got to the dishes.

With all that done, I pulled out my supplies to make the little dolls. I sold one at the show and my SIL commissioned me to make her a little witch doll. That's what I'll be working on this evening, or maybe tomorrow.

EvaJ · #10 07-05-2012, 09:07 PM

Debby, I would say that wasn't bad that you did what you did last year with the 4th in the middle of the week this year.

I have spent my day with laundry, dusting and a bunch of little things around the house that never seem to get done. Got a doll and 3 pair of shoes for dolls in the mail from ebay so had to clean the doll plus one I got yesterday from Goodwill. Just about done buying the dolls that I want....well unless one comes up I just can't do without

Back was giving me fits all day so I did a lot of sitting too and decided to go through all my old fur scraps. I had a garbage bag full. Found enough large pieces to make 19 pairs of slippers for dolls so cut them out and threw the rest of the scraps away. I have sewed some of the slippers and the rest will be for tomorrow.

Time to go watch some tv, I think.

**DrDebby** · #11 07-06-2012, 09:53 PM

That's a lot of slippers, Eva. Sorry your back was giving you fits.

It's getting warm here. We actually went past 80F today. Tomorrow is supposed to be near 90F. I'll be asking DH to put the AC in the window soon. Today I worked on making kombucha. It's a fermented tea. I've been looking for a food (or drink) that would give me the probiotics without me having to take supplements and that didn't involve milk products. Even sauerkraut uses a bit of milk product to get it started. At least in the recipes I looked at. Anyway, a friend of a friend makes their own kombucha and gifted me with a starter. It wasn't hard, it just took a while for the hot tea to come to room temperature.

I got started on the witch doll for my SIL. She requested red shoes. I had to try to make black and white striped socks above the shoes. Took me a couple of tries to get the embroidery floss to wrap correctly. The body is done and the wig is started. I'm working on purple trim for the black dress/robe. I'll have to remember to take a picture before I mail it off.

EvaJ · #12 07-06-2012, 10:11 PM

Well here are the slippers all made to fit the regular 18 inch dolls. Then after I have all these, someone asked for ones of the Chatty Cathy doll and guess what..these don't fit because Chatty, who is 18 inches tall has fatter feet and legs so now I am making some for her. Also she requested they be boots and not slippers so they are taller. She is a good sweet lady or I wouldn't do it. They are cut out but I got tired and didn't get them sewed up tonight.

Had kind of a bad night as I woke up with a muscle cramp in my leg sometime during the night and had to get up and walk it out. Still bothered me all morning but we did get some running around done. No grocery shopping though and we will have to go do that tomorrow. Down to one roll of TP and that will never do.

Well I am so sleepy tonight and sure hope that I can sleep the whole night.

poochemio · #13 07-06-2012, 11:47 PM

Hello girls. Crazy cool bunch of slippers Eva.

Glad your show went good Debby.

Today was the last day of my 2 week portrait workshop. Tony Ryder is worth every penny I spent and then some! Kevin Wuest the mod over on the drawing and sketching group will be there next week for the painting workshop. A bunch of my new friends were staying for that. I am going to draw my little fingers off so I own what I learned in the last 2 weeks. I already have a couple of models lined up, so I will be drawing portraits for the foreseeable future. It's amazing how much you can progress in 2 weeks with the right teacher, and we had 3, all following Tony's teaching format. I was so exhausted every night I didn't take a single stitch on my projects I carried along with me. I'm glad that I waited for the right teacher, but still drew every day on my own until he came along. Plus The Man came in too with his own car. Now all of our cars are spotlessly clean, my Jeep has brand new tires and a wax job, his has a new windshield, a radio & speakers. As much time as we spend in the car music is a must for me, so the radio has sirius which is good, in our immediate area we only get one station worth listening too and it's not really worth much!

Well that is what I did this week, draw and draw and draw and watch fabulous demos every morning for 3 hours. The man is a master what else can I say. After some rest maybe I'll get something else done, the house is what you might expect after a couple of frenzied packing jobs and then unpacking. There is a path though and the rest will find it's home again sometime soon. And for now...good night!

**DrDebby** · #14 07-07-2012, 06:50 PM

Eva, that's a lot of slippers. Nice display too. Sorry about your bad night.

Margo, sounds intense, but in a good way. Glad you got so much out of your workshop.

The little witch is a done. I'm waiting for glue to dry, then will add the eyes. I was thinking that I would give her a prop in the form of a little broom. Now, I'm trying to figure out how to make one that small.

I've got a toothpick for the broom handle. I've got a couple of ideas for what to use for straw, but won't know until I actually try to attach the string and make it look like straw. Other than that, I'm trying to keep cool.

EvaJ · #15 07-07-2012, 06:58 PM

Glue the little broom all together. Hot glue would probably work best because it dries instantly.

Margo sounds like you had fun and learned a lot from your classes. I am happy for you to get a great teacher and assistants.

Today was grocery shopping

and then we stopped at Goodwill and I picked up a couple of cheap dolls. Came home worked on 3 pair of boots for a friend and they will get mailed on Monday. How are working on a dress for one of those dolls, I so long ago put wigs on. I think this one is going to turn out cute. I am putting a lot of work into the dress so will have to charge more than usual for a doll.

Well just took a break from sewing to see if anything new was going on on the computer so it is back to work.

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