etienettebluet | Entries tagged with sewing space

Monday we ran up to Omaha for the day. Leofwyna had unexpectedly got her sleep turned around Sunday morning so we took advantage to go shopping. We both had some good luck at the many thrift store stops. I got what appears to be a Longenberger basket, several cotton cutters, some white shirts and a brocade vest for the camera key project, a preserving cookbook and a cute frame for the sewing room (which still needs to be re-assembled).

Monday, the last day of the year, and I finished two Nadelstern blocks I began a decade ago before my sewing room got packed up for the basement reconstruction. I can identify the problems I set up for myself but solutions are a problem. My resolution for the coming year is to finally put my sewing room back together so I can find certain missng items and so I can easily settle into projects, both old and new. Even Leofwyna misses the me I am when I can do this more regularly.

Meanwhile Leofwyna is enjoying Chez Geyer and the puppies and cat are highly entertaining. Snow dusted down during the night so New Year's day I'll be sweeping off sidewalks at both locations.

I guess Marty isn't wanting to deal with the little elm tree problems as the two branches are still hanging there. I may still have to figure out a way to get them down myself. I got a lot of stuff cleared off the sewing table and ran a bunch of it through the wash (and ironed). It's only a first step towards getting the sewing area whipped back into working order but its gotta be done if I'm ever going to get back in the groove. That being said, I still spent an inordinate amount of time working through some more of the 14th Century genealogy... Bohemia, Hungary, Russia, France.

Sunday afternoon I took the toile for Volkmar's gambeson over for a quick fitting. The paper pattern is right on so now I just need to get the first one done for him to use at Gulf Wars next week. When Leofwyna got up Sunday evening we went to see Acts of Valor, a movie made using real special services personnel instead of actors. We both thought it was very well done.

SUNDAY

I seem to have the motivation on better now. I spent the day working on the sewing area and made lots of good progress there before Leofwyna got up late in the afternoon. We both went out and did peripheral yardwork getting ready for winter. The maple tree is hanging on to its leaves so we can't do anything about that yet but I put the big compost cage back together and pulled plants from the veggie beds and front yard flower pot. We moved the futon onto the metal table in the garage and pulled out the wood tressle table so I can arrange to have it taken away. Full dark hit by 7pm and we haven't even switched to DST yet, blech! Back to the sewing area after supper sorting through piles of photocopies and magazine clippings.

SATURDAY

Oh so down in the dumps today but I did continue working on the sewing area trying to get it ready to do some work in. A friend of Leofwyna is sending me a quilt to repair and another friend of ours needs some garb done soon. I also have several pieces I need to get done for Leofwyna from the last couple years. They got buried in the piles and I ran across them today... oh the guilts!

Stirring up the dust has made my sinuses itchy... bleh.

FRIDAY

I put the bag of quilt bits back in the car but didn't go out in time for basting. Will I have this done in time? Instead I poked around in the sewing area awhile but it's so discouraging I kept walking away to the computer then making myself go back. This cycle went on all evening and very little was really accomplished. It does look a little different, piles have been shifted, but there's so much to be dealt with and nowhere to put them while I organize.

THURSDAY

Got sunshade canvas and poles, tub of ropes and spikes, tub of camp carpet, etcetra loaded up and ready to go for tomorrow in spite of the rainy day. While watching the weather channel weekend predictions shifted back and forth regarding the weather clearing or scattered thunder showers. I'm crossing my fingers, hoping for a nice day.

Sash wants movement and color so this evening I hemmed a couple remnant pieces of lining for banners Saturday. I'd found three slim bamboo poles in my garden supplies that we can use for banner poles before they go back for beanpoles this summer.

FRIDAY

Picked up Sash mid-afternoon to head out to JAV to set up for the faire tomorrow. We had a real nice turnout all afternoon so the division of labor wasn't too bad. As part of the early crew I helped raise... what? About five sunshades. A follow up crew [more men] arrived and dealt with two big pavillions. And another couple guys arrived in time to help put up the 'kitchen' tent. All that's left to set up tomorrow morning is the 'bumblebee' Saxon A-frame and the exhibits. Not to bad at all.

After I dropped the baron off I swung through behind the mall and found a nice, clean [really big] pallet which I managed to wrestle into the van and take home... wrestling it out and into the garage alone, too. We'll be outloading the downstairs storage room into the garage, onto the pallets. Then we'll set up the guest bedroom and sewing room and start sorting the boxes out one-by-one and putting away what we'll keep and pricing for rummage sale the rest. By fall after a September rummage we should have everything all nice and tidy at home. My bedroom will be getting some of this treatment too (it really needs it) and I'll finally be able, then, to get into some real, creative quilting again.

When I finally settled in downstairs tonight I found a note Leofwyna left for me there. We get Maggie from The Cat House... either Sunday or Tuesday I'll pick her up. Open hours are rather tight so we have to wait for 'em, then kitty love returns to The Wee Bluet!

MONDAY

I totally forgot my appointment with the mechanic at eleven. About one I thought of it and called to apologize. They were busy enough not to be annoyed and we rescheduled for tomorrow. Instead I spent time with laundry and trying to sort out my sewing room. Leofwyna has voiced a careful complaint about my taking over too much of the rest of the space downstairs which I have to admit being guilty of. Tonight after supper we watched "Avatar" on a rented DVD... this was really a good, imaginative movie. I kept sorting through my sewing space stuff towards being able to move back into my little corner.

SUNDAY

Stitched together the trim and wound it up. Looked into the pile of boxes at the foot of the stairs wanting to move them so I could start working in my sewing area. Found several items Leofwyna asked me to watch out for that she was missing (SCA journals and cotton Indian throws). I picked up and dealt with a couple things to begin my part of the process. Boxed up several magazines that'll have to be sorted and shelved later when other things have been dealt with first. Dismantled Little Sister's crazy quilt to harvest the brown calico backing, discarded the nasty poly batt and reassigned the already ratty top to the animal shelter for disposable bedding.

When Leofwyna got up she suggested a movie; she wanted to see 2012. We had a quick supper at KFC to get to the last movie and enjoyed it hugely. It's a very active armageddon-type movie that had decent character development so we were able to get involved in it. It was also rather long.

So to start a summary of my summer... Lost my job in June, gained back most of the ten pounds I lost last year and missed Lilies again. Little sister came home from eleven days in the hospital last Thursday so the three of us tubing down the Niobrara next weekend is postponed for another year. That's all the moaning allowed. I intend to keep this journal as upbeat as possible for my own sake.

Hmm, thinking positively... I want to get a few things accomplished this summer since apparently I have some time available. 1) Finally getting my sewing room set back up after two years in storage. 2) Sorting through all my 'stuff' so I can have a rummage sale this fall for some cash in hand and space in home. 3) Then the guest room can finally be completed so we can do our part as crash space for local events. 4) And lastly, clearing the weeds and roots out of the ten raised garden beds and re-carpeting the walkways between.

To expand on One and Three, two years ago we had to pack up everything in our downstairs activity room and store it in the newly refurbished but not yet assembled guest room. Apparently our home was built just before city codes changed to require sturdier foundation standards and one corner of our basement was bowing in. We had had problems nearly every other year with water coming in with the Spring rains so finally we had 15' of the south and 30' of the west foundation rebuilt. We haven't seen the least sign of moisture and it's time to finish settling completely back into the basement living areas. Fortunately the rest of the foundation is protected from the hydro problem by concrete aprons, entryways, driveway and garage.

Two, once the basement living areas are cleared, redressed and liveable there will be much 'stuff' to move along with a rummage sale. This will also help clear a lot of 'stuff' from my bedroom upstairs also. Since I haven't been very productive this last four years due to losing my 'best' job in 2003 when the economy went south there has been a build up of interesting 'stuff' that has been under utilized. I'm sure some of it no longer inspires if only I can get it sorted out. The money will come in handy as well to carry me through the current job search, the third in five years.

And Four, I really miss my fresh produce from the garden but I haven't done much more than tomatoes the last four years. This means the weeds have invaded in a big way which makes Leofwyna very unhappy and she talks about removing the gardens altogether since grassmowing is easier to get accomplished. So that has to be done this year and maybe soon enough to get in a fall garden as well. [That reminds me, sometime this next month the iris beds need to be removed from the front so grass can be seeded there this fall as Leofwyna cannot get down to weed any longer. Then it reverts to me with my lawnmowing responsibilities.

Getting all this accomplished this summer would go a long way towards making a happy household. The only better happy making thing would be a new job with benefits! Please, make it so!