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.

Spring approaching

The snow is going away very slowly. We did get some snow from time to time but they didn't stay long. It has been so long ever since I posted something. I was struggling with flu for two weeks. It began out with sore throat, achey neck and headaches. Then I found myself coughing constantly. I couldn't sleep with having to cough. It was terrible. Ironic thing is that I am the only person that ever got sick in this family. Normally, everyone already has been sick BEFORE me. While I was sick, I barely was keeping up with chores. Dishes, laundry, and all were kept up with. I was meaning to do house cleaning . . . But it came into last on my priority list. No regrets.
I got better around Thursday and was able to get back to normal things. The first thing I did was to clean kids' bathroom! Ha ha. This week, I did the remainder. I am telling you one thing: I can't wait till Clint is done with upstairs. I will be able to organize things and there will be so much less clutter around the house.
Last Monday, I took kids out to visit their cousins in Syracuse. They played all day long together till after dinnertime. I took them back home and arrived at 7:00 p.m. It was very hard for them to get back to the routine next day. Some grumblings and disciplining before we settled into the routine. On Tuesday, I went to Lindon Bishop Warehouse to do some wet cannery shift. It was so different from dry cannery. I just stood there, watching the rows of cans going pass by me with that overpowering scent of tomato soup. It just took me an hour. Ha. It is very interesting! Next Tuesday's shift- I won't be using nice clothes that can get stained very easily. I will be doing diced tomatoes. I talked with my sister in law about it and she told me that doing jams are the best- the scent is sweet and pleasant. Ha.
On Wednesday, I took Anna and Timmy with me to midwife appointment. I had to go in for ultrasound first. They were checking my little girl's kidneys because some time ago- they were swollen with fluid. I was happy to have good news- they checked it this time and found them to be smaller- like slits. That's improvement. There's still some fluid there so they will check me again during 36 weeks. That will be six weeks from now.
My sister in law just had a little guy two nights ago. His first name and middle name is Parker Clay. I heard that he is so BIG. (9lbs and 7oz). Chris is very proud and happy. I am happy for their sake. They have been through so much and childbearing is not an easy thing. As it sounded like, it was a good birth. It took Tracy two days to get in hospital though. She had to wait since that she needed to be induced. The women who are in labor usually get priority over her.
Other days, have been spending purely on cleaning and doing laundry. LOL. Laundry piled up so badly that I had to spend an hour and half folding the clothes on Wednesday. I am washing other load today now to keep up with piles of dirty clothes.
Tomorrow, I am going to learn how to do a pattern at quilting class which I am looking forward to! I went to JoAnn yesterday night to purchase some stuff on sale and am very excited about it. I am disappointed about the price of batting. I will have to wait till I get 50 percent off coupon before I can get that.
Clint's scar is healing nicely. However, there's small part of it that won't go away. I think he is developing infection in that section. I have been worrying about it. Good news is that Clint is done with physical therapy sessions and is able to bend his leg completely. He is able to return to the work upstairs. He has been mudding and is done with the first coat. He will be working on second coat this weekend.
I hope to concentrate on some of my projects next week- scrapbooking and quilting. I am done with Annalise's book and will work on Suzy's. Anna will be excited to know that I am planning to register her in this Monday for school kindergarten next fall.