July Stitches N Baseball

The unfinished projects pile has continued to dwindle during July.  In fact, I did not even photograph all of them I've completed.  But here are a few:

A beach cover-up, gifted

sweatshirt makeover, gifted

Hubby's denim work shirt

I also volunteered to sew for "Wrapped in Love" based in Douglas, Wyoming (but has chapters nationwide) which takes donated wedding dresses and makes burial gowns for stillborn infants.  A sad reality, but I understand the gowns are really needed.   I made micro and premie size gowns plus pockets for the really teeny babies.  If you sew you might consider donating some time to the organization.  Contact me for info.

And what would July be without BASEBALL?   We went in and watched the grands play several times.  Hubby (Grandpa) and I (Nana) really enjoy it.  

Catch it Grandson

Hit it! (and he did, he whacked it)

Granddaughter, run! (just hit the ball)

She's SAFE! (note the ball in upper left corner!)

#2 Granddaughter loves bugs.  She was enthralled watching these teeny ants crawl over the expose root of a cottonwood tree at the ball park.

Cows on hillside July 2017

They tell us even though we should get more precipitation with climate change, Wyoming will also be much warmer which is a net decrease in available moisture.  It seems like this July was hot, hot, hot after a cool spring with temps in the 90's most days.   Only the sub-irrigated pasture remains green, and our hillsides are burnt dry.   Fire danger is high and we have had several fires around us.

UFO's at the end of June!

Ha. Ha.  I bet you are thinking I am going to post about unidentified flying objects seen out here at sixty miles north of nowhere......well if you are a quilter you know a UFO is a Un Finished Object.

I finally ignored the lawn mower, dishwasher, vacuum, and other things to just spend a few days sewing!!!  I had one project I really, really, wanted to finish before July 4th for the grand kiddos plus I have a gazillion projects STACKED.

I started on finishing one of the orphaned projects when one of my learning to sew kids moved to Missouri.  I got the leopard print tunic done and gifted to a local kid, who was delighted with it.
Boom, done, outta here.  I forgot to a pic of it.....oops.

Then I started on this idea I saw on pinterest (gotta love pinterest, eh? tons of ideas, which I will NEVER EVER find time to do!!)  It was this cute little dress....

from pinterest  - orginally from heartbreakkids.com and made in a knit fabric as a dress.

I had to figure out the pattern and there is a lot I would change from what I did on a second attempt.
I made it into a cotton skirt, eliminating the top.  Since cotton wrinkles, I interfaced all the ruffles hoping it would eliminate the need to iron them.  I also tacked them down every so often to the base fabric under them so they won't get pressed UP when the kid sits down.  I interfaced the bow also hoping again for it to retain its shape during laundering.  For granddaughter #1 skirt, I used a really stiff double sided iron on interfacing and I know that bow won't budge!

And here's what I came up with for #1 granddaughter (who is 9) and #2 granddaughter (who is 2 1/2)

Fronts:

The fronts of the skirts.

The backs with the bows and ruffles.  BOOM. DONE.  Outa here.

To determine how wide to cut the blue fabric I doubled the size of the girl's waist.  Then cut off a wedge at the bottom for the V at the back.  Length of the skirt was from the child's waist to knee measurement.   I gathered the blue fabric to the child's hip measurement plus about 4 inches, made a white casing, and inserted 1" wide no roll elastic with a width 3" shorter than the waist measurement.

2 1/2" Ruffles were interfaced, hemmed, and the top serged, then gathered.  Starting at the bottom on a white V, ruffles were zigzagged at the top and layered upward with a 1" space at the edge of the V to attach to the blue.  I tacked the ruffles down every 4" or so to avoid having them pressed UP when the child sits down.  Bows were made and attached center back.

WHAT  I WOULD CHANGE if I ever make it again:  I would put a underskirt with a white ruffle peeking below the hemline and eliminate the white V for the ruffle.  I would extend the ruffles to go about 3 or 4" on either side of the blue and not attach it all but let 'flow' over the ruffles.

And of course, grandson (he is 6 1/2)  wouldn't wear a skirt.   He got this shirt in matching fabric.  Rules for sewing for him?   No 'cute' factors and absolutely no Pink!! I pointed out to him his sister's skirt matched and he could wear both as an ensemble.  His response?  "NO WAY!"

 I used this Simplicity pattern #4760 for the shirt, View B (yellow).

It was well sized, and fit the measurements listed on the pattern back.  Grandson tried it on for me and it fit him perfectly!  BOOM DONE.  Outa here!

WHAT I WOULD CHANGE if I make this again:  Nothing about the pattern.  It was perfect. 

BUT I would NOT use my Bernina buttonhole stitches again.  I HATE the bernina buttonhole system.  It feeds the fabric at a different rate on the right side (reverse side) and looks wonky.  It took LOTS of tests to get the reverse side the right length even saving the buttonhole with the auto feature.  I had to find the 'right' tension to hold the reverse side fabric to get to feed to approximately the right length and then manually restitch EVERY blooming buttonhole so there were enough stitches to prevent raveling. The buttonholes look 'homemade.' PHOOEY on that.  My machine is due for a cleaning so I'm going to mention these problems to the technician.  Surely you wouldn't put that wonky system on a multi $$$$ sewing machine? It also quit doing the monograming well and it's wonky also.

I remember my mom's 1950's Singer that I learned to sew on.  It had a buttonhole attachment with a cam system that produced the most professional looking beautiful buttonholes each and every time.  I checked Ebay and they have them.  I'm getting one.  I already bought the attachment shank for the Bernina so it would work on it.  Good Grief.  If a 1950's was so much better, the people making computerized sewing machines couldn't have done something similar??????

My knitting projects continue on.  I usually have something on the needles - mostly socks.  I have discovered smart wool sock yarn and having been using it exclusively.  I read that if you insert a sewing thread into your knitting over the heel and toe it reinforces those areas.  Well that was much Easier Said than Done.  I tried on my current socks and found it was not so easy especially with two socks on a circular needle which resulted in four threads (2 wool, 2 threads) going to my needles at the same time.  Yikes.  Will see if it is now truly 'reinforced'.

Smart wool socks I knitted from a Mary Maxim sock surprise box.  I was well pleased with what I received for the price and will order again. I got enough for 3 pairs.

UPCOMING PROJECTS:

1) Do two more orphaned top projects from when the sewing kid moved.

2) Re-upholster the seat on a road cart and put on the new tires and DRIVE my mare.  OFTEN...

3) Fiberglass the water tank...it's getting thin and I would sure hate to lose it.  We use it for our swamp cooler and my 'tank garden'.

4) Make some denim shirts for Hubby.  At least 3....

5) Do the sofa pillows project that has been sitting in the sewing room for a L>O>N>G Time!!!

That should keep me busy for a while....

Next time I will try to remember to post the story of a True UFO (the flying kind) that happened to us when we were newly married in the 1970's.

Till then --- CRAFT ON!

Changes

It has been a long time since I've posted but now I'm Baaack!

The big news is I am now retired. Not exactly by choice but I was laid off April 1st due to low oil prices.  And I am soooo tired of the commute I decided to not look for another job.

We have had a new addition to the North of Nowhere family -- our 3rd grandchild, granddaughter #2.  She is a sweetie and loves her brother and sister.

 One of the my first retired projects was this baptismal dress for her.  Taken from the Sew Beautiful magazine it was a challenging project to say the least!  It was called the Winter Christening Gown.
Granddaughter #2 is six months old in the photo that was taken by her mother.  Her mom is quite a talented photographer!

This is the picture from the Magazine:
The magazine version had embroidery on the organza overdress but after trying briefly to replicate that I quickly gave up the idea thinking I would simply ruin the organza and have to start over on that layer.  I really did not think it detracted at all from my version of the dress.

I've not chosen my next sewing project yet.  I have so MANY Many many UFO's (unfinished objects) from the years of working that it might be hard to chose one!!

Next project on the list is to start a garden!  I want to do something in raised beds and am thinking about using some of the old leaky stocks tanks we have just laying around for the bed planters.  I have one friend who has tried this and says they work great!

Will keep you all posted!

When did Summer Happen?

Time really got away from me this summer.  It seems like I was sooooo busy yet do not have much to show for it.  Actually I had to go from part time at work to full time (and then some) and that really threw me for a loop.

The Civil War vacation was wonderful and we both so enjoyed the two weeks.  I will try to get some posts up on that.  Learned a lot!

Rebecca wants a picture of a calf so here you go ---

Most of our cows are about 3/4 angus now even though they might have a full belt.  Our bull is angus so we don't get too many belted calves anymore.  Occassionally a spot or two but the full belts are becoming rare.  Which for us is good as they dock you severely at the sale barn for white spots let alone a fully belted calf.

I did manage to do a little sewing this summer.  These were changing pad sheets I made for a gal I work with.  She had an adorable baby boy.

We went to a driving clinic in Gering Nebraska in May and had a great time! (Highly recommend the city campground in Gering.)  I fell in love with this mule who was the nicest boy ever, and his owner was a very nice person.  I believe his name was Festus and she would not part with him for love nor money and I can see why!

Course what's summer without baseball (or T-ball)?  Here #1 Granddaughter is at bat.

#1 Grandson had already had his game prior so he & Grandpa were playing catch.

AND BIG NEWS!!  We have a new granddaughter arriving late fall.  This is the little bib outfit I made for her recently, lined with green flannel and little hat to top it off.

And that pretty much sums up a summer that was way too brief.  We never even got up to the mountain this year.  But in addition to work overload, we've been busy trying to find a contractor (and are going with Morton Buildings) for a 60 x 100 arena/barn.  This is on five acres next to our #1 son near town.  A retirement place.  We will still spend spring/summer at 60 miles North of Nowhere but last winter, we decided it was no place for old people. 

Who wants to deal with this when they are retired??? Not ME.

So we will become snow birds.  Ha Ha. and go 60 miles SOUTH for the winter.  Horses will go with us, but we feed big round bales so we can set enough for the cattle for a week and come check them and feed them.  But retirement is still a few years off.  In the meantime we will enjoy that riding barn immensely.

Fall is really upon us.  In a few weeks the calves from the 'herdlet' will be shipped off and we will bring in two semi-loads of big bales of hay -- 44 tons.  Each bale weighs 1300 lbs and have to be moved with the skid-steer (tractor type machine).  I am not ready for winter again.  We had snow clear up to April and then just last week.  It seems it snows most of the year the past few years but boy did we have the GRASS this year.  And that is good.

Okay next posts have got to be about our vacation and what we found out and what we saw!

Oh it was a Memorable Christmas...

The Grand kiddos got a new puppy for Christmas...a minature schnauzer.   He is the 3rd family schnauzer that our #2 son has had.  First he had his little boy Schnauzer, Harvey.  Then when #2 Son was in high school, we got Charlie after Harvey had passed on at 14 years of age.

Charlie in 2011

Charlie passed over the rainbow bridge last winter at the age of 15.  Our place has seemed awlfully quiet without a schnauzer to keep the rabbits in line on the farm.  We are thinking of trying to obtain a new 'farm' schnauzer from rescue but first want to get a radio controlled dog door and yard fence up.  Somehow I do not think it would be cool to come home and find out Mr. Skunk or Mr. Racoon had invited himself into the house through the doggie door.

The grandkids combined the names of the first two schnauzers and have named the new one Herley.  Herley seems to be thrilled to have 2 kids of his own for Christmas also.  Course Herley will only get to visit us out on 60 Miles North of Nowhere.  Hence the need for another schnauzer still.

We spent Christmas Eve with the kids and grandkids and sure enjoyed it a LOT.  We were surprised to receive a new 32" LED TV so we can get rid of the Nine Ton Tessie television we currently use and have had it for almost 10 years.  So it's probably at the end of it's use anyway.  Christmas Day was spent with Hubby's family and we got to meet Herley over there.

I find I don't post as many posts to my blog because I only have Windows 8 which I absolutely loathe.  It's hard to find my photos or just navigate.  I bought a 'new' old desktop with Windows 7 and am going to get it set up.  I think I will be much more comfortable.

I sewed fleece bathrobes for the grandkids this year, and a matching one for their little cousin.

The Girls Robes

The Boy's Robe

Fleece sews up so nicely into something like a bath robe.

I did discover mid-project that once you break a needle on your serger, getting a new one into place without the proper needle inserter tool is NOT an easy task!!!  I finally gave up and just used a three thread overlock instead of a four.

I also made four matching stockings which match a tree skirt I did years ago for my daughter-in-law.

and then last, but not least, made a jacket and dress pants for my special little fifth-grader girl....

She had chosen the material and the McCall's pattern and I thought it came out cute as a bug's ear.  So I will probably make this pattern sometime again for the granddaughter.

And I sewed right up to we almost left for Christmas Eve!!!  I need more sewing time I think or less procrastination time.....ha.

Have some projects in mind for next year already.

Hope your Holiday was as great as mine was!

Onward to 2014 and Spring!

Springing into Wyoming

I think this guy was Under Our Bed

(You can find this here at toonpool.com)

Been busy 'spring' cleaning and had every intention to walk on my treadmill over the weekends but after I'm done moving furniture so I can clean under it, I'm too pooped!  Well maybe when I am done cleaning.....

Spring has almost sprung - snow in the am today but that will help the green stuff just barely peeking out of the ground.

These have returned to raise their young down at the ponds: the Canadian Geese.  All of our dogs have learned that Mr. and Mrs. Goose are not to be trifled with and have short fuse with those of the canine persuasion.  Each new dog had to have the lesson impressed upon them, which Mr. Goose has quickly supplied.  We have about two nesting pairs that return each year.  Did you know geese mate for life?

Yesterday, Hubby spied a Sandhill Crane in the pond.  They pass through twice a year on their migrations north and south.  Another sure sign of spring.  And he saw an otter that day also, but they are year around residents of our pond.  Sandhill Cranes are very common along the North Platte River which runs 60 miles south of us into Nebraska.  The Oregon Trail followed the North Platte through Nebraska into Wyoming until just west of Casper, Wyoming where they left it near Independence Rock.

One of the perks living north of nowhere is definitely seeing the wildlife.  These guys are so used to seeing me open our gate in and out to the house, they will stand within 30 feet and not move - just watch me to make sure I'm not going to do anything else.

This large bunch of pronghorn antelope are a 'winter' bunch.  They group together in the fall to form large herds, but then scatter in the spring to have their fawns and you see them in groups of three or even less through the summer.  This is the hill they watch me from near our gate.

I have promised myself TODAY I will start sewing my casserole carriers...I'll try to remember to take pictures and post in a blogpost so you can make one too!  I find them fun to make.

Fogwaugh's Life Biography

Fogwaugh's Originator, aka Hubby, is having a 40th High School Reunion this summer.  He needed a biography and I give it to you in it's entirety:

" I went to the Senior Kegger and Woke up with A Wife and 2 Kids."

The One and The Only Mr. Fogwaugh - several years AFTER the Kegger.

Always the kidder ain't he?  Once a Fogwaugh, always a Fogwaugh.  Or a Fogwaugh Never Dies.  Fogwaughs Forever...I'm sure there is a logo there for him somewhere. I must admit, though, life does go by fast.  Way too fast. Sigh....


Found the cutest little girl's purse pattern on Ottobre Magazine's website that I do believe #1 Granddaughter just must have! It's under the Free Link. I might have to get a couple of issues of this magazine.  It's from Finland but they do have an English version.   Hope to get the purse done this weekend and maybe one or two of my casserole carriers. I promise to post all this later when they are finished.


The casserole carrier came about because I needed a gift for a wedding reception and decided I wanted to MAKE something.  But I sure could not find any pattern I liked on-line so made my own pattern.  It turned out well but I neglected to take a picture of it before I gave it away.  However, Daughter In Law, said SHE wanted one so I am going to fire up the sewing machine and make several. 


In the meantime, check out Ottobre Magazine.  There are four children's issues a year and two women's.

So we part with a high-five to Fogwaughism!

Well That Certainly Did NOT Take Long....

The weather co-operated and we made it to grandson's baptism in Small Town Wyoming. We did opt to drive the four wheel drive pick-up rather than the car under the theory better to realize we could have taken the car rather than sorry we had not taken the four wheel drive vehicle on bad roads!

The church is such a lovely church built in 1912 with imported stained glass windows.  I did not catch any of them in the background darn it.

AND the pinafore/dress I made for Granddaughter at Thanksgiving??  DIL reported it almost did not fit her in the waist - it's tight!!! Wow - the lil' pumpkin is growing like a WEED!  But the pinafore is fully adjustable so all I have to do is make a bigger dress every year.  I think she can get a good two years out of it that way.

The dress needs some adjustment here Nana! Don't get your undies in a knot over it!

This is a Girly Bonnet!  TAKE IT OFF! TAKE IT OFF!

I had extra material left over - enough to make a matching blanket for Grandson.

I really enjoyed the music they had for the Sunday services in this church.  They were ALL upbeat tempo and cheerful!  Wow - being raised in a German-American Lutheran community I never knew hymns could be like that.  I always thought they were all mournful slow dirges with weird notes NO ONE could sing and lyrics NO ONE could understand written by a Johann Mendelson Straussberger in 1789 or thereabouts!  I always get a BIG kick out of Garrison Keillor and his Lake Woebegon Lutherans.  That was MY childhood!

This year's two fillies are in the weaning pen and were decidedly UNIMPRESSED with the arrangement at first. As soon as the ice melts out of their pen, we will start working with them.  Hasn't happened yet but suppose to be 40 degrees tomorrow so soon they will sporting purple halters.

Brida the Buckskin and Hi Note the liver Chestnut - both Morgans of course!

I am ready for spring, to heck with ice and winter.  Bring On the MUD!

It FID DIT! erhhh Did Fit!

Oh Man I was worried the Baptism Outfit I was working so hard on would not fit the new Little Wee Guy so we traveled 300 miles from North of Nowhere and tried it on him!  IT FIT!  Whew.  I can breathe now as he is being baptized next weekend.


I did some creative 'sizing' on this one.   I knew his current weight and length thanks to his Mother and then I modified the pattern to a long sleeve.  But not knowing how long his arms were, I googled the sleeve length for a baby of his weight and the pants length for the same -- and got results!!  Who knew you could get THAT information from the internet.  Well you can.

 

The finished suit.  The little bowtie tends to push the wings of the collar up so I think we will probably take that off.  But it looks cute doesn't it?

 

A matching bonnet.  I doubt he will spend much time in it, but when we tried it on we discovered (to my absolute horror and embarassment) that I had sewn a straight pin inside the lining. Yikes, poor Grandson almost has a new meaning for MEAN Grandma!  I brought the bonnet home and opened up the lining and removed it.  Bad Grandma!

 Grandson with his mother.  He's a stout little boy.  Since I never had a daughter, my granddaughter always felt 'frail' to me.  Like I was going to 'break' her.  Well this little guy feels normal, just like his Daddy always felt in my arms - like a little bear cub.

 Granddaughter needed to show us the new bike Santa Claus brought for her.  I am happy to say she is an excellent bike rider, although she needs a little alley oop/catch on occasion from her Daddy.

She and Grandpa had fun making snow balls and throwing them at Grandma and the camera!!  Fortunately they all landed just a tad short!

I got a real kick out of Granddaughter.  Her mother told her to go get her glasses and mittens so she went into her room and took out 'just' the right pair of sunglasses and then looked over about 3 pairs of mittens till she picked the color-coordinated pink striped ones.   My gosh, do little girls become fashion conscious  that young???  It was cute watching her decide.

It was a fun weekend, thanks to my daughter-in-law and son for the great time; and since I have enough material left over, I do believe I will make a matching quilt to the suit, and line it with blue flannel.  Putting a kid dressed in satin into a satin quilt would be like putting a greased pig into a greased tube I believe.  Tooo slippery.  They would shoot out of there like a rocket and across the floor...............