Sewing Weekend with Friends

Hey Everybody!

It was a busy weekend with lots of activity up here in my sewing room.

The guys left in the morning to fish with nothing but water and granola bars, and they returned in the evening for nourishment.  One day when it was too windy to go out on the lake, the guys fished in our pond.  Jerry caught an 8 1/2 pound bass which was VERY exciting.  Jim took a picture, but I don't have a copy.

Deb and Terry and I giggled, talked, ate snacks, drank coffee and sewed.

Deb and Terry actually FINISHED projects.  Except for finishing a little charity quilt for Diana, my project ended up in the trash.  Still, it was a blast.

Here it is for you to see:

I have got to get busy with business issues now, so I have to go.

I'll be back soon though.

Hugs, Joy

How NOT to Make a Blouse Video

It FINALLY uploaded to Youtube.  It took from 11 PM last night until 8:30 this morning.  INSANE!

It is about 20 minutes long, so grab a cuppa.

Terry came over today, and I took some pictures to show you the surprises from OUR sisters.

I am so touched DEEP IN MY HEART at how loving and sweet her family is to me.  I have always hated that I have 3 siblings, and only one even speaks to me.  It has been like that for many years.  Very sad and a huge heartache, and I know I'm not the only one of you with that situation.

We are here on Earth to LOVE GOD and to LOVE EACH OTHER.  Imagine what it would be like if every single person actually did that!  I guess that would make it HEAVEN, and not Earth.

It is Sunday, and I did go to church via the internet this morning.  I actually watched both of my preachers this morning.  Hagee is talking about the four Kings and Armageddon.  It is SO SCARY!  I have been unsettled for weeks.  He talked about how the King from the East -- China -- has already purchased hundreds of thousands of acres of land in AMERICA!  They are buying hotel chains now!

I KNOW it is Bible, and I KNOW it is all going to happen, but still.  So unsettling.

I decided to watch Duane Sheriff from Victory Life in Durant, OK.  That is our actual church but we don't go there because we can't stand what they have done to the music and the attire worn on stage.  I feel like I'm at a rock concert instead of in a church.  Duane is still an awesome preacher though, and I can always watch him on the web live -- same as Hagee.  He was much more upbeat.

Won't keep you.  A brand new week awaits us.  You all have a great one!

Only four days before Deb and Jim arrive.  I'm praying for lovely weather so the guys can catch a lot of fish for my freezer.  Jerry went out on the lake for about five hours today searching for fish and breaking the engine in.  It is now READY.

Hugs, Joy

Free and WONDERFUL for Seamstresses

I can't BELIEVE this is available,

AND

It is FREE,

AND

It is EXACTLY what we all need to help with our fitting issues.

You may recall that I STARTED with Palmer & Pletsch before I bought Sure-Fit Designs.  I honestly would not have had the success I have had with SFD without my prior knowledge from P&P.  That could be JUST ME, but this blog is, after all, about just me.  (-;

There are lots of issues that you still have to correct even after using SFD to make your initial pattern, such as:  Forward Shoulder, Low/High Shoulder on One Side, Thick Shoulder Blades, High Round Back, Low Round Back, Sway Back, Large Arms, High/Low Hip, etc.

Click on the purple link below.

Scroll down a bit until you see the FIRST OF FOUR videos.

Then watch them in order.

FITTING YOUR PATTERN PRIOR TO SEWING

Below the last video, you will notice a place you can click on for a FREE Body Map and Guidesheet.

This is in conjunction with Fabric Mart fabric.  I have a ton of fabric from them.  They have half-price sales very often, and even 75% off.  I had to make their emails go to SPAM to keep myself from ordering fabric every week!  They have lots of knits.

The pretty blonde is Patty Palmer's daughter, Melissa, and the other girl is a buyer for Fabric Mart Fabrics, Julie.  Both are lovely.

Enjoy.

I am TRYING to make a video for you about how NOT to make a blouse, but I am having major issues with too many clips.  I keep getting the same clip repeating itself 2 or 3 times!  ONCE is enough already!

Hugs, Joy

On a Color-Blocking Roll

I started this color-blocking thing many moons ago.  I made several outfits, and then I guess I got bored with it.

Remember these?

 I WAS going to wear these this Winter, but we are still waiting for Winter to arrive here!

Everything is blooming and every bug is hatching and hauling all of its relatives to our house!!!

I had a wasp as big as a hummingbird in my kitchen window this morning!

I whacked him over and over and over, and he REFUSED TO DIE!  I finally shoved him down the sink with the skinny thing that goes down the center of the percolator and gave him a hot bath.  ICK!

Watch him be up on the counter when I go back down there -- or EVEN WORSE, in my coffee in the morning!

So if you haven't already seen it, here is my latest color-blocked experiment in a video.  It is wrinkled and has white fuzz on the front after I had worn it two days in a row.  Black is so hard to keep UNfuzzed!

I am working on many more designs for Spring/Summer.  WHERE are those weights for my arm exercises???

I HOPE color-blocking is still "in style".  I didn't like it -- and still don't like most of it -- but I am getting used to it if not too weird.

I need to get back to the one I am working on today.  Only an hour before time to fix supper for the Master.

I'll be back soon with a TUTORIAL on how NOT to make a blouse!

Hugs, Joy

Boating at Last

This was a really nice day.  Not very windy and about 80 degrees outside.  Jerry actually took off early from work!  That hardly EVER happens.  He stopped someplace in town to buy a fishing license for each of us, and then he headed home to pick up his new boat and his old wife.

I guess it was about 3:00 by the time we got on the lake.  It was refreshing and peaceful.  Jerry was very happy with the birthday present he hasn't been able to use since he got it.  He wanted to try out his new depth sounders (fish finders).  Just looked like a bunch of strange marks to me -- like all the others -- but he seemed excited about it.

I fished for awhile, but I didn't catch a single fish.  So WHAT is the point of the fish finder???  Just because you find them doesn't mean they are hungry.

He got a call from his daughter, Jeree, who lives in California. 

That is a VERY RARE treat.  We stopped the boat and talked to her for quite awhile.  

And if you have ever wondered what my Mother looks like, here "she" is!  That could be a picture of my Mother several years ago.  Scary!  Of course, it is me in the boat today.

Here, you can see the new fish finder.

Please be impressed. (-;

There are two of them in the boat, and one wasn't working.  He has to call to see what the problem is.

I made a new blouse.  Not sure if it looks really good or really ridiculous.  I color-blocked it.  I'll take a picture if I wear it tomorrow.

Be back soon.

Hugs, Joy

Saturday Night

Hello everyone!

I am TOTALLY frustrated with this new computer insofar as how the tablet works.  I tried answering your questions under my videos with the tablet side of this device, and I can't figure out how to get a keyboard.  I know there is one.  And I know where the icon is for it, BUT the icon disappears and the keyboard won't come up.  AAAAAARGH!

I guess I need to search for some tutorials on how to use a tablet.  I have an IPAD, and I assumed this would be like it.

I am making a new blouse, and I am having the CRAZIEST problem.  I need a VERY SIMPLE thing, and I am shocked that it seems to be MISSION IMPOSSIBLE!

I have searched all over the internet, and can't even find this.

What I need is six buttons exactly alike.  5/8".  Four of them black.  Two of them red.  2-hole.  Who EVER would have thought that would be a hard thing to find?

Other than that, I have made two new videos.  Here they are if you are interested in bat wing capes and oreo cookies.

And I have to go.  Just talked to Deb on the phone.  She and Jim will be here the 24th.  I will do videos and take pics.  I don't know WHAT we will be making, but we will make SOMEthing.  Deb wants to spend time with Terry.  Maybe Terry will have a quilt ready for the longarm.

Hugs, Joy

Gooooooood Morning!

THIS is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it!
(Ps. 118:24)

Don't you LOVE IT when you wake up energized and happy?

I have some exercise equipment upstairs, and I do use it, but not for long enough.  I jump on my trampoline almost every day, but only for a few minutes.  I have a thigh machine that is really nice, and I use it most days.  I also have a real nice Elliptical because I was told that treadmills were too pounding on my spine.

ANYWAY, I have never been able to use the Elliptical for over 3 to 5 minutes before it starts hurting my legs.  I figure that is "good enuff" and I should really be sewing or quilting, so I get off of it.  And I may do that 3 times a month.  NOT GOOD!

WELLLLLLLLLLLLL, last night -- after work -- I was upstairs messing with a video or something, and I was feeling fat because I ate too much for lunch.  I picked up my cell phone and walked into the Elliptical room.  When I stepped up onto the giant step platforms and started to put my phone down into the "stuff" receptacle, I noticed a couple holes in the Elliptical.  One had earphones above it, and the other had some other icon.  There was also a cord with two pokey ends in the receptacle.

So I started Ellipticalling my feet.  I pushed the music player icon on my cell phone, and GUESS WHAT HAPPENED?

My music not only started playing, it came out of two speakers at the top of the Elliptical!  Loud and clear!  And when music is playing, my feet are moving.  I just walked and sang and walked and listened and BEFORE I KNEW IT, I had been on that thing for THIRTEEN minutes!  I was so proud of me, I wanted to give me a hug!

And, yes, I realize that in a little while when I start to climb the 17 steps up to my sewing room, my legs may feel like aching rubber bands, but that will pass.  I'm going to try to do it again tonight and tomorrow night and forever.   Music seems to be the "key" for me.

And here is Video #2 from this new computer, and it is much, much better!  You can click the cog and raise the quality all the way up to 1080!  I am so excited!

Only problem is, I haven't the slightest idea of HOW Video #2 go to be so much better than Video #1 in quality.  Maybe my computer warmed up or something.  Who knows!

Gotta get.  The day is calling.  Still raining, but just softly.  Have a WONDERFUL day yourself, my sweet friends.

Hugs, Joy

Hello Friends on Torrential Tuesday

It is supposed to rain all week here, but I'm not sure there is a drop left in the heavens after today.

We got SO MUCH rain!  I am happy for the water in Lake Texoma because whoever is in charge of water levels in these parts thinks all the rain should be dumped over the dam every time the lake gets full.

Crazy!

At some point, we must have had some very high winds because when I came home from work today, I was shocked to see broken limbs all over our yard.  There were several trees broken completely in half.  One had fallen on our fence. We must have been at the doctor 20 miles away when that happened here this morning.

Thank goodness, there was no damage to our house.

I am "talking to you" tonight on my new laptop computer #3.  The first two were returned to Best Buy because they had issues.  After Jerry's boat fiasco, I wasn't taking a chance of getting stuck with "lemon" computers.  I now have an HP Spectre X360.  It is thinner than a pencil!  No CD drive, and no 10-key.  Love the keyboard and the fact that it lights up at night.  You can put it in a zillion positions, and it is a tablet.

I bet you can guess what tutorials I am looking up now!

I made you a little video on this new computer.  It looks terrible because the lighting was all wrong, although I didn't realize it until I did video #2.  I'll show it to you tomorrow.

I learned THREE NEW THINGS that I tell you about in this video:

I'm in bed, and Jerry is already sound asleep.

Jerry can sleep sitting up, standing, on a bed of nails or a soft mattress.  I told him he needed to roll over to his left side and take off his t-shirt and his briefs.  He groaned that he has never had trouble sleeping, and immediately fell asleep!  (Watch the video if you wonder what on Earth I just said.)

I'll be back soon.  I don't have to go to work tomorrow, but I do have to start cleaning this house.  Deb and Jim will be here in two weeks!  I do hope the weather is nice when they arrive because Jerry and Jim are going to break in the new boat.  I'm sure Deb and I can find SOMETHING to do in the sewing room.  Terry should have a baby quilt to put on by then.

Hugs, Joy

Fast N Fun by Saf-T Pockets Times 10

We are having SEW much fun making these Fast N Fun tops.  Terry is getting ready to make at least four of them as maternity tops for her daughter who is expecting in May.

I collected all the pictures from Deb and Terry, and I am going to show you TEN tops here.  We all LOVE this pattern!

Every time we wear it, someone asks for either the pattern or the actual blouse we are wearing!

I only have a minute because I must go fix some supper.  Jerry will be THRILLED that we are eating actual food tonight and not Herbalife shakes.

Here are Terry's tops:

I WOULD like to point out that the two HEADLESS pictures were taken by the PROFESSIONAL photographer, Terry!

Here are Deb's tops.  The first one was just cut out, but the second one is finished and some lady said she would love to take it last night while Deb was wearing it.

And you have seen all of mine but the pink one, but here they are again.

The collar is supposed to be OFFSET so it does not open up at center front.  Some of the tops look like it was done differently.  Terry caught her mistake and removed a collar.  I think the dark blue one of mine may be wrong.  It looks good both ways.

Gotta get.

Hugs, Joy

Pillow Cases and My Latest Doctor Story

Hey everyone!

It is 3:49 AM, and AS USUAL, I am awake half the night worrying thinking about stuff.

I decided to come upstairs to see if the video I STARTED uploading at 7 PM last night was done yet as I am back at sloooooooooooooooooooow internet land.  The price you have to pay for living in the woods, I suppose, along with coexistence with every bug and critter in Oklahoma!

After this VERY mild winter, I am hoping the critter parade this Spring isn't even worse than usual.

I heard on the radio yesterday that this is the mildest February since the BEGINNING of someone keeping track of it!  WHAT is going on?  The trees all bloomed down here yesterday.  On my way home from work, I noticed all the Redbuds were fully bloomed and so were the Bartlett Pear trees.  Crazy!

Several of you know that I have been concerned about driving at night and why I have to keep adding MORE light and MORE magnifiers so I can see.

Here is the latest video about that, along with some other stuff:

Guess I'll go back downstairs and try another attempt at sleeping.

I WISH I had a switch on my head that I could flip to OFF so my mind could REST.

I have a lot of bad history with doctors, and it is hard for me to trust them.  Hence, I shall trust in God to get me through this next step of aging.

AND, as my husband said as we were leaving the doctor's office the other day:  "Look at the bright side, Joy.  At least the doctor didn't say you have a 50/50 chance of surviving!"  That is what the cancer doctor told him in 2013.  I feel like such a wimp!

Until soon,

Hugs,

Joy