Grandbabies, Pheasants, and Mountains of Snow

 Anyone else just love sewing notions??

Besides double-seaming the satin binding,
I hand sewed the mitered corners closed. I've learned from experience that babies like to stick their fingers in the corners and undo them.

Hi friends,

I was sorry to miss Terri's Wednesday Medley because I was hurrying to get a baby blanket done for grandchild #12, due a couple days ago.  (The 11th was a great-grandchild, remember? I've still not recovered from turning 70 AND getting our first great-grandchild all in the matter of a couple weeks last summer.) It's kind of late, I know, but I had ordered the fabric from fabric.com and after waiting for it to arrive, I suddenly got a notice of a refund from them. No explanation, just a refund. Okay, so that means I need to go out and find fabric. When I chose this particular fabric (shown above) in a local shop, the lady looked puzzled and said, 'This isn't very babyish.'  I told her that as soon as this child is old enough to realize that he even has a blanket, he will like the moose and bears on it. Besides, it's a gorgeous shade of green and this flannel is of incredible quality. In case anyone wants to know, it's called 'Return to Cub Lake' by Holly Taylor. And of course the flannel and the satin binding couldn't be found in the same shop. That would have been just too easy. ANYWAY, it was a delight to make and I will look for that artist and manufacturer another time, Moda Fabrics.

Now on to the matter at hand, or the matter that everyone in Wisconsin is talking about: the long, snowy winter.  This is the kind of winter I remember as a kid.

I was only four years old in this photo, but I do remember that when we were kids, we would carve thrones and dishes out of the huge snowbanks, and also make tunnels. I'm wondering why my mom didn't make me wear a jacket. But at least I'm wearing tights and a sweater. It could have been March, Wisconsin's snowiest month, typically, and warm enough at times to stand outdoors for a photo.

 The backyard

 The backyard again

 The top of the driveway, having just been plowed
by
this
guy:
Son #2

And this is the pose he gave me first time:

 Very funny, Rob!

 On the way home from town today
I love our rolling hills!

 Good thing we know what that wee bit of red means.

 So you get the picture.
We've had a ton of snow
and more expected.

 But this morning's sunrise was beautiful.
I love seeing all the bunny tracks in the snow.

Besides feeding the birds their bird seed, we're putting out corn for the other critters too. It's been a harsh winter for those poor creatures. Everywhere we go, we're seeing pheasants along the side of the road, looking for food. A month ago, we were unusually snowless (for January), and they could find lots to eat. But now, everything is covered in far too much snow.

This poor (huge) fella was sitting on an old bird feeder just outside the office window. I think he was keeping an eye on the other bird feeders, besides eating cranberries in the nearby cranberry bush.  It looks like we won't have any cranberry bushes next year. The bunnies have completely girdled all the cranberry bushes. It's a pitiful sight to see them gnawing on the bark of the bushes. They are so hungry. And yet I know it will irritate me next summer when they're eating my peas and beans (IF I plant them).

 And checking in on the Christmas tree on the porch:
Still going strong. No needles dropped yet. It's been well below freezing.

 One more glimpse of the walkway.

 Tommy & Smokey
(Tommy looking rather sassy, wouldn't you say?)
:-)


*** UPDATE ***

In the wee hours of the morning, February 28, grandchild #12, Tobias William, was born.

Praise God for this new little one!

 7 lb. 15 oz.
and just missing his auntie's birthday by a couple hours.





***

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The Sausage Pillow Miracle

My first three pillowcase fabrics

The other day I was at Walmart, looking for some piping cord to use in making pillowcases. I had chosen my fabrics and took them to the cutting table. When I asked the clerk where the piping was, she said, 'You don't want to put piping in those.' I laughed and said, 'Well, yes, actually I do.' She said, 'No, you don't, and I'll show you why. There's a really easy way to make pillowcases.'

She went to the shelf and pulled out a pillowcase kit, opened it, and proceeded to try to explain the new, easy method of making pillowcases, except she couldn't find what she was looking for, and couldn't remember the 'easy way.' A customer behind her said, 'Oh yeah, there is a really easy way.' Since neither of them could remember what it was, I told them I'd go home and look it up on YouTube. After all, isn't everything on YouTube??

So, I did. And I found the most amazing video, making pillowcases a snap! It's called the Sausage Pillowcase. See YouTube video below. Which just proves that the customer isn't always right.

After pinning the cuff and trim, here's 'rolling the sausage'...

I should mention that I bought 3/4 yard for the body, 1/4 yard for the cuff, and used a 2" strip for the narrow trim. All fabrics were 45 inches wide. I pre-shrunk the fabric before sewing it.

 

... and sewing the sausage

After that, all you need to do is pull the pillowcase through and sew up the end and side seams. All the seams are finished on the inside, with no rough edges. It's amazing, and so simple! I wish I'd known this years ago!

My first three pillowcases, finished!
Notice that 'Fabric' and my name are both printed in Sharpie on my scissors! 

I made 15 pillowcases! (all but two are shown)

What was especially fun was that I was able to find fabrics specific to each person's interests. And now, here's the video I promised. (A different Judy, but I wish I'd been clever enough to have thought this up!)

This post is linked to Making the World Cuter Monday
and Just Something I Whipped up Monday
and Motivate Me Monday
and Making Monday Marvelous
and Thrilling Thursdays

Needle and Thread

Purchased in the mid 1970's, my trusty Kenmore sewing machine should soon qualify for antique status. Although I can't sew MaryJane shoe straps back on or mend a canvas tent as I could with my even older Singer, made, as I was, in the late 1940's, nevertheless my Kenmore has been a good sewing machine. Although it doesn't have all the abilities of the newer machines, I'm certainly not about to throw it out on the dung heap just because of its age. Let this be a lesson to my children. :-)

So now I have the old black Singer and an even older treadle sewing machine that we inherited from Kevin's mom which she, in turn, inherited from her mother. I was going to photograph it as well, but unfortunately it is currently buried under other items too numerous to move. I actually used it once, and remember that it has a really interesting bobbin/shuttle setup.

Although I managed to crank out several items of clothing for my children on both of my sewing machines, I really do very little sewing these days. Yesterday I located my much-neglected Kenmore (and no, my stack of life-organizing notebooks was not with it), dragged out an old jumper pattern, and began sewing as part of a church project.

I think the lovely fabrics available now are quite inspirational. What I purchased was a cotton plisse'. I still have no idea what plisse' means, but the fabric was lightweight, mostly cotton but enough of a synthetic to make it wash well, and the prints were gorgeous (see photo). A definition I found online for plisse' is: 'A puckered finish given to fabric by treating it with a caustic soda...' That sounds like it started out as an accident, but because I've been spending so much time lately making lovely, moisturizing soaps using caustic lye, I remain undaunted.

Yes, one can buy clothes pretty cheaply these days, but there's something really special about a little sun dress or jumper that's handmade, that has nice, wide seams, is well finished, and won't fall apart in the washer. I'm hoping to remain inspired until spring, when I'd like to make a few Regency-period dresses. How fun would that be!