O, Kitty, Where Are You Now?

Bootsie - File Kitty

Archie - Hose Reel Kitty

It never ceases to amaze me the places these cats will find and claim as their spot -- at least for a few weeks. Forget about trying to dislodge them. They will leave and find a new spot when they feel like it and not before.

Bootsie - Tidy Bowl Kitty

Tonka - Sew Kitty

Precious - Sink Kitty

Archie - Headboard Kitty

Bootsie - Box Kitty

Archie - Printer Kitty

And then there are the Sew Helpful kitties.....

Bootsie liked it so well on the sewing table that Precious decided today to join her.

Archie - Tummy Kitty

Last, but not least....

This is still Tonka's all-time favorite napping spot

 

My Brother's Been Framed

The quilt frame arrived several days ago, but I was not ready to set it up. First I needed to clean out a hole in my studio (aka junk room). I started by unloading two large shelf units and stacking all the keeper stuff on top of my desk. Then the shelf units went outside so I had room to maneuver while I straightened, consolidated and put things away. What was left filled half the garbage can except for the two big boxes that went inside to be burned. My craft table joined the camping equipment in the shop. My desk is now my craft table.

At last, "the hole".

I could actually see more than three square feet of floor. Buck had helped my stack the two plastic units next to the china hutch (aka book case, junk-catcher). Next project was to take the two former medical file cabinets I use for fabric storage and move them to face the quilt frame.

By today, the fabric cabinets have been turned to form a false wall, the storage shelves had been returned to the building and "the hole" is even bigger. The jury is still out whether or not the file cabinet will remain where it is, but Buck and I began to assemble the quilt frame.

This is the second quilt frame he has helped me put together in the last three years. (I still have my wooden hand-quilting frame.) Please don't bring that up around him, though, because that is kind of a sore subject with him.

I ended up being the Allen wrench turner. Halfway through he got tired of waiting for me to use the hand tools. He brought in his power impact. Zip-zip! Done!

We left the cardboard and styrofoam trash outside. Trust me, there was plenty of it.

Three hours hours later, my Brother sewing machine was framed. Now I need to get busy and finish sewing the blocks for my next quilt.

New Sewing-Quilting Machine

Yep! I did it. Since I was not really thrilled with my Singer "quilting" machine when it comes right down to quilting, I have been looking for quite some for something better. But, I needed something that would not cost more than I paid for my car. I finally decided on a Brother PQ 1500S.

 To appreciate how much bigger the space between the needle and the motor housing is, you have to compare the two machines. When you take into consideration that the Singer 7469Q has a bigger opening than many sewing machines, the comparison picture say quite a lot.

So, thank you, Paypal for your six-months, interest-free program. And, please do not mind me while I rub my palms together in anticipation of the arrival of my new quilt frame designed to hold my new Brother.

The Year of the Pillowcase

Sewing Epiphany

Yup! I had one of those a couple of days ago -- an absolute insight!

It all started a couple of months ago when I got my sewing machine serviced. Just about the time I was ready to pay and leave, the repair guy fixed me with an accusatory glare and asked, "You aren't using one of those plastic tables with fold-down legs for your sewing table, are you?" Well, yes, I was. Or, more to the point, Yeah! It's a nice big work surface and is a lot more stable than my card table or a t.v. tray. "Get a sturdier table," he advised me. "Otherwise, the vibration on the table will knock your machine out of adjustment in no time at all."

That is all well and good, but where did I have a sturdy table floating around that would be the right height? The sewing cabinet with fold-out leaves I had purchased several years ago has a support bar across the bottom that does not allow my task chair to get close enough to the table surface. It does not take me long to develop severe back pain when I sit leaning forward at a 45 degree angle while sewing. That cabinet was quickly converted into a storage cabinet for my fat quarters and U.F.Os (unfinished fabric objects). My office desk was not available.

I decided a handcrafted computer desk we acquired would work. Very sturdy, a large work area, and some shelving for supplies and -- more U.F.Os. It took a major reorganizing my sewing area, but Buck and I got it in place.

There I have it, my sewing area, complete with obligatory sleeping cat and everything covered to keep the fur and dander off current projects so the area only needs a minor clean, not a major clean, anytime I want to sew. The only problem is that shelf hits me in the knees when the rest of me is about six inches away from the table. Buck is going to cut four inches out the shelf on the right, but until that happens, I find myself still leaning forward while I sew.

Where is the epiphany? I realized, after hours of pain from rolling my back that one of the reasons I could not sit up straight while stitching was not because I could not get my body close enough to the table. I could not see.

I have bifocals, but could use trifocals. I prefer to use an old pair of readers for my middle "focal". I need to lean forward to get my face mere inches above the presser foot for a clear view out of the close-up part of the lens. On the other hand, if I sit up straight, I cannot not see the detail clearly with the distant part of the lens.

I shoved my bifocals on top of my head, put on the old readers I usually use for computer work, and -- instant-presto! Problem solved.

Shoulda Been September

Has it really been since July that I have posted an entry?  This news should have been in September. I told Buck at the start of the year that with all his purchases he makes, in 2011 I expect to get a new toilet for our master bath. Very indignantly, he told me that it was not as simple as that. If we get a new toilet, we also have to get the rest of the stuff to lay down a new tile floor because he is not going to set a toilet twice if he can help it. Fine with me. Here is a shot of the new toilet and floor.

We got a Jacuzzi brand that is about 2.5 inches higher than a normal toilet. Buck thought that with his weak knees, it might be easier on him as time goes on. At first when I used that toilet, I felt like I was a little girl sitting on her grandpa's potty. But, I am adapting.

I do love the look. How can I get so excited about a new toilet? There is a reason there is no "before" picture. The floor, those horrible vinyl tiles that pull apart at the seams on a wood floor, were trash. The toilet was probably about the same age as the house, circa. 1945. It was impossible to clean, even with a pumice stone.

Archie likes the new toilet, too. Air-cooled in the summer -- the soothing sound of rushing water. He claimed it right off, which means that we have to fight him to use it or give up and use the hall bath. He let us use it for a little while. Now that it is cold enough that we have fired up the wood stove, the front room is too hot for him. So, back to the toilet -- air cooled.


At least Tonka does not switch his favorite sleeping place all that often. He tends to stick to the high ground -- the top of Buck's recliner.

I Remember Why I Don't Love All Tupperware

Tupperware is a great product. I even sold it for awhile until I figured out that (1) I did not really make any money doing so, and (2) I did not like changes the company made to their marketing program about the time the national economy went downhill. While I was a consultant, I used my discount to purchase a lot of pieces I wanted for myself. But, now I remember why I do not love all Tupperware.

Take, for instance the refrigerator produce keepers. Yes, you can set the amount of humidity to preserve your produce, and things do keep a long time in them. Notice the onion I picked and put in there about two months ago. The bulb end is still edible although the green stems are beyond anything I would want in a green salad. Although the orange did not fare so well after two months, I know it was, after all, old and almost gone when I put it in there two months ago.

So, why am I just now getting to these after two months? Because I am a visual person when it comes to my refrigerator. If I cannot see it clearly, it does not exist or me. And, instead of keeping their products clear and see-throughable (Okay, I know that is not a real word.), Tupperware is always changing its color schemes. I guess they figure that if someone loves this year's color scheme better than last year's, they will throw out that piece they paid a small fortune for a year ago and buy a new one in the latest color.

Not me. Back to using the plastic bags from the grocery store produce department. Once I realize I have food spoiling because I do not see it, I vow to never spend money on Tupperware again and I start using the Tupperware I have for other things where I do not need to see what is in the box.

That is my sentiment. But, I am going to give it one last college try. I was able to shuffle things so that I could get about half of the peaches I was gifted with a few days ago into one of the keepers. A few more -- not as many because even though this keeper is longer, it is shallower (the blue one that is long enough or celery). Both -- together or individually -- take up an inordinate amount of space on my refrigerator shelves. And, the only way I will remember the peaches are there, since I cannot see them through the color, is to make appointments on my smartphone calendar every 2-3 days to remind me that I have fresh peaches in the frig .

What I really need to do is make a peach cobbler. Also, I should get some of that stuff that keeps fruit from turning brown and then prepare the peaches for the freezer. I could use my freezer containers by Tupperware.

Now, those I like. Even if I forget to label them I can pretty much see what is in them.