After the workout I've given my sewing machines, I felt I owed them a spa treatment to get them back into tip-top shape. Spa treatments for sewing machines means you get Mike to clean out your trapped lint, and oil your many working parts, and tweak you till you run flawlessly.
I took the machines to the shop on Tuesday evening, about 4:45. The place closes at 5. Their usual turn around is one week, and I figured I could live without them for a week.
What a surprise I got when I got home the next day, at 10 a.m. the next morning, they had called me and said, "Your machines are ready to be picked up." What? The store was only open 10 minutes and they are ready? I must have heard that message wrong!
So I called to check out what was the real story. It turns out that Mike is not only an excellent sewing machine mechanic, he is also an early bird! He starts work at 4:00 a.m. So at least I know he spent a little more than 10 minutes working on my machines!
Now, I hope they are happy little machines for a while, and don't give me any trouble when I sew for the remaining costume gigs I have this year. It's the least they can do for me for giving them this super treatment! Their spa treatment costs more than a human spa does, hope it relaxes them and they work great now!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Giving it my all!
I'm working with a class of 15 English Language learners. They've been in the U.S for about a month now, and that is about how much experience with English that they have. So our class sessions have a very high learning curve. It is just as high for the teacher as it is for the students!
I guess I must admit that I'm not getting any younger. Yes, I did just have a birthday this week, deeper into the 60's and onward to the 70's! Yikes, how did that happen so fast? I love teaching, but after 1-1/4 hours of working so hard to be understood, and making sure that I am understood, I'm just wiped out!
Today the restroom was closed (couldn't take care of nature's needs), the elevator was broken, so I climbed up to the main level with my huge backpack, and realized just how tired I really was after my class! I remember feeling this tired last Thursday after working with them.
Now, these students are the loveliest group of people. They are amiable, hard working, willing to give maximum effort to learn. So, how can I slack off? I can't and don't want to! We make progress every time we meet, but we have a very long way to go! And it is hard work!
So, students, I'm willing to give it my all if you are willing to take the ride with me! Just give me and elevator and a working restroom when I'm finished, so I can make it home, OK?
I guess I must admit that I'm not getting any younger. Yes, I did just have a birthday this week, deeper into the 60's and onward to the 70's! Yikes, how did that happen so fast? I love teaching, but after 1-1/4 hours of working so hard to be understood, and making sure that I am understood, I'm just wiped out!
Today the restroom was closed (couldn't take care of nature's needs), the elevator was broken, so I climbed up to the main level with my huge backpack, and realized just how tired I really was after my class! I remember feeling this tired last Thursday after working with them.
Now, these students are the loveliest group of people. They are amiable, hard working, willing to give maximum effort to learn. So, how can I slack off? I can't and don't want to! We make progress every time we meet, but we have a very long way to go! And it is hard work!
So, students, I'm willing to give it my all if you are willing to take the ride with me! Just give me and elevator and a working restroom when I'm finished, so I can make it home, OK?
Kitchen Table Talk
There is no better talk than sitting at the kitchen table and chatting with your BFF. She and I chat online every morning (or nearly every morning). It is fun to keep up with her life, and she with mine, throwing a little gossip in every now and then. We sometimes talk on the phone. but today, we got a chance to engage in several hours of good ol' kitchen table talk!
It worked out that she and her hubby were coming up from Mid-Missouri for a doctor's appointment this morning, but then they were picking up their son from the airport tonight. What were they going to do with all the time in between?
They did a little shopping, ate lunch and then decided to check out the Museum of Transporation, which is a lot of fun. Being mature adults with no kids in tow, they did the perfunctory tour and then opted for the air-conditioned station house for a cool soda and a sit down. Then they came to my house for dinner.
Now, I don't really do much cooking lately, but for good friends, I'll make the effort. I was late coming home from school, and I had nothing in the house to feed guests, so I had about an hour to get to the store, get home, clean up the house some, and start the dinner before they came.
Her hubby spied the comfy recliner chair, and test drove that into slumber land after his busy morning and afternoon. She and I chatted and chopped at the kitchen table, preparing our dinner. When the dinner was ready, we enjoyed a delicious repast together. It was all the more tasty because it was shared with some very good friends!
Then we had a couple of hours to burn until they had to get to the airport. What a nice time we had, chatting about life, situations, kids, and activities, FACE TO FACE.
If I had a back fence, my BFF from Mid-Mo would be the perfect back-fence neighbor. Heaven help us if we were, because we'd never get anything done, we'd be chatting over the fence all the time.
But, until that happens, and one of us moves, we'll just enjoy these special times we have together, chatting it up at the kitchen table!
It worked out that she and her hubby were coming up from Mid-Missouri for a doctor's appointment this morning, but then they were picking up their son from the airport tonight. What were they going to do with all the time in between?
They did a little shopping, ate lunch and then decided to check out the Museum of Transporation, which is a lot of fun. Being mature adults with no kids in tow, they did the perfunctory tour and then opted for the air-conditioned station house for a cool soda and a sit down. Then they came to my house for dinner.
Now, I don't really do much cooking lately, but for good friends, I'll make the effort. I was late coming home from school, and I had nothing in the house to feed guests, so I had about an hour to get to the store, get home, clean up the house some, and start the dinner before they came.
Her hubby spied the comfy recliner chair, and test drove that into slumber land after his busy morning and afternoon. She and I chatted and chopped at the kitchen table, preparing our dinner. When the dinner was ready, we enjoyed a delicious repast together. It was all the more tasty because it was shared with some very good friends!
Then we had a couple of hours to burn until they had to get to the airport. What a nice time we had, chatting about life, situations, kids, and activities, FACE TO FACE.
If I had a back fence, my BFF from Mid-Mo would be the perfect back-fence neighbor. Heaven help us if we were, because we'd never get anything done, we'd be chatting over the fence all the time.
But, until that happens, and one of us moves, we'll just enjoy these special times we have together, chatting it up at the kitchen table!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Next Costuming gig
My next costuming gig is the play "Doubt". This was made into a movie in 2008, starring Meryl Streep, Amy Adams and Philip Seymour Hoffman. The plot is based on the idea in 1964 that priests who abused children could get away with it. Sr. Aloysius wasn't going to let that happen on her watch.
Here is the beginnings of several costumes.
This play is being presented by Clayton Community Theatre, and will be presented in November, 2009. Auditions haven't been held yet, but I wanted to get a start on costuming to see if this would work out OK and meets the directors approval.
The theatre that this is presented in is only lit from overhead, so the director asked me not to make the nun's bonnets too deep. They are much deeper than this in reality, but I think this is a good compromise.
The priest will wear a vestment made of the green cloth, trimmed with the cross applique. I was lucky to find this collection of embroidery patterns at my sewing machine store yesterday. It was only $40, and has dozens of designs. I will use at least 4 of the designs for this play. The piece of software I was originally looking at for cross designs was $99, and I really didn't like all the designs in it that well. I could very well use some of these designs again.
What do you think? Good Meryl Streep interpretation? Yeh, I know--NO WAY!
Here is the beginnings of several costumes.
This play is being presented by Clayton Community Theatre, and will be presented in November, 2009. Auditions haven't been held yet, but I wanted to get a start on costuming to see if this would work out OK and meets the directors approval.
The theatre that this is presented in is only lit from overhead, so the director asked me not to make the nun's bonnets too deep. They are much deeper than this in reality, but I think this is a good compromise.
The priest will wear a vestment made of the green cloth, trimmed with the cross applique. I was lucky to find this collection of embroidery patterns at my sewing machine store yesterday. It was only $40, and has dozens of designs. I will use at least 4 of the designs for this play. The piece of software I was originally looking at for cross designs was $99, and I really didn't like all the designs in it that well. I could very well use some of these designs again.
What do you think? Good Meryl Streep interpretation? Yeh, I know--NO WAY!
My mother's hobbies
I thought I knew my mother well. And she passed some of her likes and dislikes on to me.
We both loved Dr. Pepper. She took the original logo of Dr. Pepper to heart--it was a clock with the numbers 10, 2 and 4 on it, that is when you were supposed to drink Dr. Pepper. I definitely take that to heart, except I might hit it twice a day on those hours! Oh, and I like Diet Dr. Pepper--not available in the early days of Dr. Pepper.
My mother was a seamstress. She sewed some very awesome garments. I remember several things she made for me, like my graduations dresses from 8th grade and from high school. She was very precise with her sewing. When she tried on the 8th grade graduation dress, a beautiful 50's shirtwaist, with a very full skirt, made of pale blue gingham, it was too short waisted. She figured out a way to make it longer in the bodice by putting a false belt in, covered by the real belt. She was clever.
I also remember a beautiful purple wool dress she made for me for a high school "dress up day". We picked the most difficult pattern, and the most beautiful fabric, and of course, we chose this very close to the designated day. I remember her staying up very late the night before, but when I woke up on dress up day, there it was, finished to perfection, and I felt like a Vogue model wearing it to school.
I recently viewed some photos of her when she was just married to my father. He was in the army, and was ready to be sent to the war. She went with her mother-in-law to visit him at his camp on the east coast. She was wearing a beautiful plaid wool suit, with MATCHING HAT. I know she made it, and it was totally awesome.
I remember many of the lessons my mother taught me about sewing. When I take short-cuts and don't do it like she would do, I feel her presence over my shoulder giving a disaproving eye. I answer her back, sending my message up to the heavens, "Yes, Mother, I know, you wouldn't do it this way--but I'm short of time, and IT'S ONLY A COSTUME!"
Last night, I got out a couple of books that had been on my shelves for years about quilting. In the books were some other signature items of my mom--namely, magazine pages cut out with more project ideas on them, and oh, by the way, the receipt for the book I was reading tucked inside of it. (She did that with all of her "fun" purchases--for what exact reason I don't know, but it is somewhat interesting to see these in retrospect.) She did like the idea of quilting, although I know she never did a big quilt project. She did do some very exquisite patchwork projects, and her work was in great demand, especially by her sister.
Her sister was a real quilter, and had a button posted in her basement fabric stash that said, "She who dies with the most fabric, WINS!" Both my mother and my aunt passed away in 1997, and I got to be the judge of this contest. My aunt won! But Mom made a good run at the prize? I still have the button attached to the wall in my sewing room,--girls, you will have to be the judge, I'm not sure who I'm competing with, but I'm giving it a run for the money!
So in the quilting book, I got a lot of ideas for future fun quilt projects. It would be fun to sew for the fun of it, rather than having a deadline. But without a deadline, I would probably start and never finish. But I have ideas for a wall hanging for my sewing room, many of these ideas came from the book of my mother's, and it melded with another idea I saw at the sewing machine store yesterday. I'm going right now to play with stuff, and I'll let you know what comes of it.
Oh, as for dislikes, Mother disliked rubber bands in the kitchen. Can't say I've acquired that dislike, but I do remember her disgust when one would turn up near food. We all have our wierd ideas, don't we? I don't like mayonaise (real stuff, the fake stuff is OK). My youngest daughter has acquired that dislike. So some of this stuff does pass on.
We both loved Dr. Pepper. She took the original logo of Dr. Pepper to heart--it was a clock with the numbers 10, 2 and 4 on it, that is when you were supposed to drink Dr. Pepper. I definitely take that to heart, except I might hit it twice a day on those hours! Oh, and I like Diet Dr. Pepper--not available in the early days of Dr. Pepper.
My mother was a seamstress. She sewed some very awesome garments. I remember several things she made for me, like my graduations dresses from 8th grade and from high school. She was very precise with her sewing. When she tried on the 8th grade graduation dress, a beautiful 50's shirtwaist, with a very full skirt, made of pale blue gingham, it was too short waisted. She figured out a way to make it longer in the bodice by putting a false belt in, covered by the real belt. She was clever.
I also remember a beautiful purple wool dress she made for me for a high school "dress up day". We picked the most difficult pattern, and the most beautiful fabric, and of course, we chose this very close to the designated day. I remember her staying up very late the night before, but when I woke up on dress up day, there it was, finished to perfection, and I felt like a Vogue model wearing it to school.
I recently viewed some photos of her when she was just married to my father. He was in the army, and was ready to be sent to the war. She went with her mother-in-law to visit him at his camp on the east coast. She was wearing a beautiful plaid wool suit, with MATCHING HAT. I know she made it, and it was totally awesome.
I remember many of the lessons my mother taught me about sewing. When I take short-cuts and don't do it like she would do, I feel her presence over my shoulder giving a disaproving eye. I answer her back, sending my message up to the heavens, "Yes, Mother, I know, you wouldn't do it this way--but I'm short of time, and IT'S ONLY A COSTUME!"
Last night, I got out a couple of books that had been on my shelves for years about quilting. In the books were some other signature items of my mom--namely, magazine pages cut out with more project ideas on them, and oh, by the way, the receipt for the book I was reading tucked inside of it. (She did that with all of her "fun" purchases--for what exact reason I don't know, but it is somewhat interesting to see these in retrospect.) She did like the idea of quilting, although I know she never did a big quilt project. She did do some very exquisite patchwork projects, and her work was in great demand, especially by her sister.
Her sister was a real quilter, and had a button posted in her basement fabric stash that said, "She who dies with the most fabric, WINS!" Both my mother and my aunt passed away in 1997, and I got to be the judge of this contest. My aunt won! But Mom made a good run at the prize? I still have the button attached to the wall in my sewing room,--girls, you will have to be the judge, I'm not sure who I'm competing with, but I'm giving it a run for the money!
So in the quilting book, I got a lot of ideas for future fun quilt projects. It would be fun to sew for the fun of it, rather than having a deadline. But without a deadline, I would probably start and never finish. But I have ideas for a wall hanging for my sewing room, many of these ideas came from the book of my mother's, and it melded with another idea I saw at the sewing machine store yesterday. I'm going right now to play with stuff, and I'll let you know what comes of it.
Oh, as for dislikes, Mother disliked rubber bands in the kitchen. Can't say I've acquired that dislike, but I do remember her disgust when one would turn up near food. We all have our wierd ideas, don't we? I don't like mayonaise (real stuff, the fake stuff is OK). My youngest daughter has acquired that dislike. So some of this stuff does pass on.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
One more thing...
That little lonely water lily actually bloomed this summer, that is before it was taken over by the creeping invasive plant that is growing all around the pond. This is the first time it bloomed in 3 years. It was beautiful. They only bloom in high sun, and if you blink, you'll miss the show!
Speaking of gardens....
Early summer, after small impatiens plants were put in corners of the pond
September 5, the impatiens look like wedding bouquets!
Last year a friend and I went on something called a "Water Garden Tour". You could tour any number of about 60 different people's water gardens on Saturday and Sunday in late June. Most of these people were members of the St. Louis Water Garden Society. The inspiration for my own water garden took shape during this tour.
Many of the gardens we toured were absolutely awesome. Some took up the entire back yards. One family had an artesian spring in their yard. They took this liability and turned it into an asset, as it became the source for the water for an entire backyard of water garden pools. They threw some tiny catfish in the pond the year before, and when we were there, the fish had grown into huge 20" long monsters!
Some of the people we visited were vendors of the products that water gardeners use, and their yards were a display for their products. One guy's yard was so absolutely awesome, with huge waterfalls, deep pools, and a shallow wading area for the kids. That is where I got the idea for impatiens growing right next to the water, with their little roots tucked into the rocks. These posies obviously like it, because they've grown so huge in my water garden right now.
So, it gives me great pleasure to go out on a daily basis to feed my fish, admire the flowers, and hear the waterfalls flowing. It is my zen garden, and I love it.
September 5, the impatiens look like wedding bouquets!
Last year a friend and I went on something called a "Water Garden Tour". You could tour any number of about 60 different people's water gardens on Saturday and Sunday in late June. Most of these people were members of the St. Louis Water Garden Society. The inspiration for my own water garden took shape during this tour.
Many of the gardens we toured were absolutely awesome. Some took up the entire back yards. One family had an artesian spring in their yard. They took this liability and turned it into an asset, as it became the source for the water for an entire backyard of water garden pools. They threw some tiny catfish in the pond the year before, and when we were there, the fish had grown into huge 20" long monsters!
Some of the people we visited were vendors of the products that water gardeners use, and their yards were a display for their products. One guy's yard was so absolutely awesome, with huge waterfalls, deep pools, and a shallow wading area for the kids. That is where I got the idea for impatiens growing right next to the water, with their little roots tucked into the rocks. These posies obviously like it, because they've grown so huge in my water garden right now.
So, it gives me great pleasure to go out on a daily basis to feed my fish, admire the flowers, and hear the waterfalls flowing. It is my zen garden, and I love it.
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