I like making things: December 2018

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Update on the update

This was the still to do list:-

Put up inside decorations and little tree

Gifts for 5 grandkids and other daughter to order

Wrap gift for littlest grandchild and mail

Find another gift for husband

Get something for Maggie the dog

Get rest of food shopping

Make Christmas cake and shortbread

The first 5 things have been done.

Here is Fern in all her new clothes before I wrapped her to send to our youngest grand daughter

Undies and top first

Now with skirt

And finally with jacket, shoes and hat.

I have started making an apron I promised my good friend and neighbour I would make her for Christmas. I have been putting it off but today I bit the bullet and cut it out and started sewing it. It involves using a lot of bias binding but the sewing machine is struggling as it seems to be coated with something to stiffen it so it isn't going too quickly.

I am making View C

Wednesday, December 5, 2018

Christmas progress

Christmas cards all made, written and mailed.

1 gift for husband found and ordered

Family gift for one son and family found and ordered

Daughter's gift ordered and received (she better not be wearing them yet!!!)

Outside lights and ornaments put up and tested

Inside ones bought to house

Bought nice big piece of beef for Christmas dinner (husband doesn't like turkey) and fixings for Christmas cake.

Still to do:-

Put up inside decorations and little tree

Gifts for 5 grandkids and other daughter to order

Wrap gift for littlest grandchild and mail

Find another gift for husband

Get something for Maggie the dog

Get rest of food shopping

Make Christmas cake and shortbread

It is only December 5th though so should have plenty time to get the rest of the Christmas stuff done. There will only be the two of us and Maggie this year so no need to go daft.

I find that my enthusiasm for Christmas has wained a bit the past few years, I remember my Mum was the same at my age and I couldn't understand it at the time.......but I do now.

For our youngest grand daughter I have knitted the American doll clothes written about in a previous post (plus a top) and I have decided to dress Fern with them and send her too. I found another doll in another thrift store which I was going to send but decided on Fern because she reminds me so much of our granddaughter with short blonde hair and bright blue eyes. The new doll I have named Leigh, she has long brown hair and brown eyes and was made in 1995, she is in excellent condition for the age.

I seem to have become a rescuer of wannabe American girl dolls. I will still have the new doll Leigh and Peggy after Fern goes to our granddaughter.

We have had the usual unplanned expenses arise that we always seem to get just before Christmas. The furnace went out, fortunately the replacement motor was covered under warranty but we had to pay $190 for the labour. Husband needed new glasses and we had to pay $86 towards the cost of them, extra trips to hospitals and of course we have the expected property taxes but we had managed to save for those.

Two more hospital trips at least before Christmas too.

On a very different note, I watched most of the funeral today of George H.W. Bush the 41st president of the USA. It was a very dignified and profound ceremony, very touching and a lovely send off for him. Recorded the rest to watch later.

Glad you stopped by

I started this blog in 2011: Ever since my Mum taught me to knit at the age of about six or seven I have made things. Back then it was doll clothes. I was also inspired by Mrs Levitt an elderly lady who had a sewing room in a conservatory type room on the back of her house. I would sit and watch her in awe as she sewed.

When I was a child living in England the school system was such that you started at 5 years, did two years in Infant School, then four years in Primary School then five to seven years in Secondary School, depending on whether you chose to stay on after fifth form to get qualifications to go to University. I can't remember much of the Infant school other than making the standard square doily thingy from fabric that had holes in it so you could embroider patterns into it. A bit like the modern day cross stitch fabric but with bigger holes and spaces to make it easy for small hands to use. I also remember with great joy getting a toy sewing machine one Christmas which sewed only chain stitch but I did make doll clothes on it and that was before I started Primary school. I do have very vivid recollections of Primary school and having sewing and knitting lessons. In Primary school I knitted gloves and made a dress from scratch hand sewing it all.

Secondary school continued on with sewing by which time I had progressed to using full sized sewing machines and was making more intricate skirts and dresses. My parents bought me a proper sewing machine when I was thirteen. I used that same machine right up until I emigrated to Canada at age forty six years.

I have always had a fascination for sewing machines and knitting machines. I bought my first knitting machine at around age twenty one from an ad in a newspaper for twelve pounds. I had absolutely no idea what one was just that I wanted one. I trundled on the bus to the address in the advert and handed over my twelve pounds having absolutely no idea what I had really bought. Fortunately it came with a manual. It was an aged Knitmaster, very basic and I loved it. I wore it out. Next was a Brother push button one which I didn't keep because it was at a time in my life when things were difficult. Later on in my life, around forty, when things were better I bought a brand new Brother punchard machine with a ribber attachment. I loved it and made many things. Life took a different turn, I moved countries twice and along the way, regrettably I sold it.

Now, through the universe's blessing I now have another machine. It is a vintage one because they stopped making them early 90's but works perfectly and I love it. So I decided to make this blog to document my knitting progress and include sewing projects.

In 2013: we embarked on a new hobby, leather-work. My husband got started with it and it drew me in. It is something we can do together. We have a workshop so have plenty of room to work. We added another workbench for me to work on in 2013. We already had one but we were tripping over each other both trying to work at it. We only make things we want to make. It is strictly a hobby. We made some things for our good neighbours who help us out a lot. I am also working on Christmas presents. So this blog now incorporates the leather-work. Knitting and sewing will always be my first love though.

Fast forward to 2023 and now age almost 75 years. I have seven sewing machines, four knitting machines, several ribber attachments and a garter carriage for one of the machines. I am blessed beyond words, but I know that I have more than enough machines to keep me going in my lifetime so I don’t think I will be adding to my collection any time soon……….unless a nice embroidery machine manifests itself very cheaply.

I am a Brit living in the USA, sometimes I spell like a Brit and sometimes like an American. Sometimes I use slang and even make grammatical errors. I blog for the pleasure of it and to record my endeavours in the event that my memory fades, as I am sure it will with more age. I will be able to look back and remind myself of the things I have made along the way. So please forgive my mistakes when reading about my life making things here in the hinterlands and I hope you get as much enjoyment from my blog as I do from reading the blogs I follow.

Pages

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Update on the update

Wednesday, December 5, 2018

Christmas progress