Mentionworthy items

I enjoyed the weekend, working on a baby sized or lap sized quilt . . . I decided to use the leftovers from layer cake and invented my own pattern. Of course, it was a process of experimenting, correcting, and all. I also used that opportunity to develop my skill in making squares to line up well. I still am still far from it because I am learning. Here's the result of three days worth of work with a good working sewing machine.














A few cute pictures to laugh at . . . As some of you may be aware- Timmy always hates sleeping alone. I usually was finding him cuddling up on someone. Here's a few of his pictures with somebody else.
















We had a lot of wonderful moments- bowling, celebrating Anakin's birthday, hanging out with family, and seeing little Abby's baby blessing. However, Clint and I were getting worried- all of those filled up weekend with family activities have been making it harder on Clint to finish upstairs. He is in mudding/sanding stage right now and I have just a month or so left before little Julianna is coming. So last weekend, I gave the quilting class up so that I can watch the kids while Clint can put his full focus to the project. It is okay because it was nice being with my family anyhow.

I used my time last week cutting fabrics, cooking, and doing house chores. I also typed down over 50 recipes for the family cookbook project. I still have a few more to look for and add. I am pretty content with my life and feeling fulfilled which is a great blessing. Of course, I still feel anxious about upstairs being done in time. That's the same feeling I had for a year. One nice thing about upstairs not being done too quickly- an assessor came by our home one day during the week, asking me if we are done with upstairs. I said no. He told me that we won't have to pay additional taxes for the extra space for the rest of year. Isn't it so nice? A small something to count blessing on.

Quilt finale!

I am so happy to say that I am DONE with Anna's quilt. It is a quite project . . Took me forever- thanks to the uncooperative sewing machine I have. I took it in for service but the thread from the bottom won't go up into the sewing thread. It was very frustrating. I finally sent the machine back to the repair shop and the man was able to repair it and don't charge us for it.

Quilt looked pretty good for a beginner like me as long as you don't inspect the backing. The adhensive spray were fading away while I was in middle of the project. So the backing is a little wrinkled. I will use both spray and safety pins next time to perfect my skill. I hope to make a baby blanket next time.

News and some thoughts.

I have been enjoying listening to what is going on with everyone else. For some reason, I have thought that other people's news always have been interesting than mine. Ha. But I know that it is not always true meaning that everyone's news being interesting in their special ways. We have been doing some things that we have been enjoying. As I have said in the past, I am fascinated with the world of quilting . . . I am nearly done with the book, "The Quilter's Catalog: A Comprehensive Resource Guide" . . . It is full of fascinating details and facts about the world of fabrics. I enjoyed it immensely! I learned from the book how to do quilting precisely-
1. Don't IRON the seams . . PRESS. Don't use steam but keep it at med. or low heat. It causes stretching of the fabric.
2. When you want perfect corners- you need to make sure that seams go in opposing direction . . . so you can flush the lines in front.
3. There's a such thing as sewing with your machine and making embroidery. You just need free motion foot for that. You also need to lower the feed dog.
4. While you do free motion sewing, use rubber gloves that you won't have to press down too firmly.
5. As you purchase fabrics, there are high ends and low ends . . . Low ends will bleed, have the feeling of dyes on top instead of within the fabric . . . I learned about the brands that only will sell to small scale shops - like Moda, Michael Miller, or Heather Bailey. They also are very expensive. 8.99 to 10.99 per yard. In long run, it will be worth it. You get what you pay for. I have been going to clearance racks and getting them for half or more the price.
6. I learned the names of certain cuts- Some fabrics come in certain precut shapes . . . Jellyrolls are 2.5 X 44 inches fabrics bundled in big roll. Fat quarter is 1/4 cut of a yard, charms are 5X5 squares, and layer cakes are 10X10 squares. Don't buy jelly roll or layer cakes if they are at 30 or above price. Go for 20 or less dollars. Charm squares are best sold at 5 dollars or less. There's an advantage of purchasing those- they save you cutting time.
7. There are rules concerning rotary cutter . . a- never cut towards yourself, b- keep it closed when you put it aside, and c-dull blades will slip and cut you. Keep them sharp.

There are loads much more! I am still working on sudoku quilt. I am nearly done with it. Now, I need to use temporary spraying adhesive to attach the batting, front and back together. I then need to sew them together as I am able to get the package that has free motion foot, presser foot, etc.

A couple of days ago, we went to Fun Family Classic Center to participate in our kids' cousin's birthday party. Kids bounced, ate junk food and played for three hours in row. It is not something that you have very often because of its expensive price tag. They charge 15 dollars each kid and it doesn't include meals. I sort of think it is a bit overrated. I prefer to do it cheaper way like always.

I urged Clint to help me to decide what is going to our little girl's name. I really am the one who take a bit assertive move in this decision. I settled on the name, Julianna Trudy. I liked how it sounded out and it is not used too frequently. It continues our family's tradition in naming our girls with something that has Ann in it. I also am able to use something from our family to carry something on. Julianna means "youthful" so it doesn't have a bad meaning. Ha ha.

I am done with wet cannery shifts now. I am grateful to Kim for her willingness to help in watching the kids. I hope that her kitchen is restored to her daily uses.

Last thing I would like to post for just fun . . I sometimes like to read some useful tips in anything and I found something on how to be economical. Here's the link:
http://www.drphil.com/articles/article/596
I have read some and am very happy to say that we have been doing some of those. There are some areas we can use some improvements. Ha. Don't we all?

There's no particular plans this week excepting some medical appointments. Anna will need some of her school forms completed at doctor's and Timmy is going in for his free child eye evaluation. Even though that Timmy's eye doesn't wander badly like mine did but I always thought it is a bit off center. I wanted to double check and make sure that he doesn't have the condition and it always is best to have it corrected ASAP.