Busy, busy

I have been working overtime since the beginning of December and haven’t had any time to post. But here is what I’ve been up too on my days off.

July 4th spron

Valentines apron

I found vintage patterns at an estate sale! 1940s to 1980s. With two apron patterns from the 50s. The patterns were in a brown paper bag and I gave only $10 for them. When I got home, it was like Christmas morning! So many wonderful patterns and there were 106 of them!

Vintage apron patterns

I bought material to make the vintage aprons and can’t wait to get started on one tomorrow. I will be grateful when the overtime ends so I can spend more time in my craft room! Currently, I am getting one day off a week. (Very stressed and burned out right now)

Masks for an order I received

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Happy November!

Last month was stressful. Between work and my personal life, it was getting a little overwhelming at times. I had vacation last week and I really needed that time off to unwind and craft!

First off, I made some aprons for Christmas! I have had this pattern for years and I love making reversible aprons for gifts. I was given several yards of Christmas tree material from my cousin, so this is what I came up with.

This is another apron I created with material bought from Joann fabrics.

I have also created some masks for family members and friends. Fat quarters are perfect for masks. I can cut out three or four depending on the size of the masks.

Not only did I do some sewing over vacation, I was able to spend time with my grandson and was told I am going to be a grandmother again! (Looking for knitting and sewing projects for baby!)

Today I am planning to make a tote bag. I found the pattern when I was cleaning out my pattern box. Totally forgot about it and decided to make a tote with the left over Christmas material. I think it will make a cute gift to go along with the apron.

It’s hard to believe it is already November. Have a wonderful weekend!!

Dog Gone Crazy

I am obsessed with making dog hoodies! Over the weekend I made several of different sizes. I plan to make Xmas hoodies for all the dogs in my family. My daughter suggested we take a dog family photo! I love the idea. Here are a few pictures of what I made.

Finn

This one is for Copper

Front view

I won’t be posting pictures of the hoodies I will be giving out as gifts, just in case my daughters get nosey and read my blog!

Fast and fun to make

Along with my hoodie obsession, I have been sewing masks for Halloween. I started making masks because I have a small face and the ones I’ve bought are too big. And what a great way to use scrap material.

I made this for my daughter Kim

I thought Kim would love this as well

My husband stole two of my large masks and showed them to his best friend. Thanks to Danny, I now have a few orders! I am always grateful to him because he supports me and he loves to show others what I can make and create. He truly is my best friend.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week! Melissa

Still sewing!

I took some time off from social media because I realized that I spend way too much time online and not enough time in real life. I spent my time working, sewing and with my parents.

I made a couple of dog hoodies!

Copper is not impressed

These hoodies are fun and fast to make, less then 30 minutes. The pattern is from Green Pepper. I plan to make one for each dog in my family, as a Christmas gift.

The Brother serger that I bought in July has already quit running. The closest sewing machine repair shop is one hour away. I don’t have time during the week to make the run, so I ordered a heavy duty serger from Singer. I love my Singer sewing machine and thought I should go with the heavy duty Singer serger. I can’t wait for it to come in! I do plan to repair my Brother, once my schedule changes. I’d like to have a back up.

Love this sewing machine!

I hope everyone enjoys the holiday weekend! I will be on the phone working tomorrow but I don’t mind, holidays are slow and I didn’t have plans to go out!

Stay safe! Melissa!

A busy wonderful weekend!

I mentioned in my last post that I played hooky on Friday! So glad that I did! The extra day off was exactly what I needed because I am feeling myself again! I can go back to work Monday feeling relaxed and refreshed!

My weekend project

I found the material above at Joann fabrics! I love animal prints and decided to make a light knit dress. I haven’t sewn for myself in a while and decided that I’d like to get back into making clothes. I also found some new patterns that I haven’t used! ( I also have a pattern for dog hoodies that I must put to good use!) It didn’t take me long to put the dress together and it fits perfectly! However…..

My new dress

I forgot to buy an invisible zipper so I have to wait to finish it! I can’t wait to wear it and will post a picture when I do. I had enough material left to cut out a pair of pants and make an infinity scarf.

My infinity scarf

I had made another scarf last weekend after I finished my top. ( Made from material I bought years ago!) I plan to use the rest of the material for a skirt to match the scarf. It is thin material so I will need material for a lining.

I love scarves!

My finished top

I really didn’t like working  with the floral material, but I do love how the top turned out. There was enough material left for a skirt but decided against making it. I will probably make a red skirt to go with it. (I have some cotton material that may go well with it.)

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Soap

Three weeks ago I made coffee soap. It has been over a year since I have made soap. My shelves are still stocked with all the soaps I have created in the past five years and I won’t need soap for the next two years! I ran out of my favorite soap and I wanted to make more.

Turkish mocha soap

I had a shop on Etsy and closed it because online competition is tough. (Also, I am not a great sales person!) So I sell to family and friends and I will make soap for anyone who makes a request.

Turkish mocha

The following weekend I made chocolate espresso soap! The scent is divine! I purchased it on Brambleberry. (Along with the Turkish mocha fragrance) While I was waiting for my fragrances to come in, my oldest daughter made vanilla latte soap! (I believe we have a psychic connection!)

I meant to post more this week but I am still under the weather with my sinuses and then I have diverticulitis. (Why can’t it be one thing at a time?) Yesterday I played hooky from work. A three day weekend is what I need to recover so I can be at my best come Monday!

I am hoping everyone is staying safe and enjoying their weekend!

Under the weather

This week started out great! I was recovering from the sinus infection from last week and the calls at work were slowing down. Then, out of the blue, I developed other issues. Oh well,  that’s life!

This morning I am feeling better and up rather early. I lost a lot of sleep this week and was really looking forward to spending my weekend sleeping in! But here I am at 6 am writing this post! I plan to crawl back into bed after I finish my cup of coffee.

While I wasn’t feeling well, I did have some bright spots in the past week. My serger came in and I love it! I have always wanted one but felt it would be a waste of money because I am able to do an over lock stitch on my sewing machine. Because my birthday is next week, I decided to splurge on myself and buy one. (I usually buy myself a nice handbag for my birthday) I want to do more home sewing for myself and my family. Sewing is very relaxing and gets rid of any stress I have.

My new serger

My new sewing machine

Last month I had to replaced my sewing machine. Instead of going with another Brother sewing machine, I purchased a Singer. When I find a product I really like, I usually stick with it but finding one online was difficult. I knew I wanted one that could  sew lightweight and heavy material and I found one on the Singer website and decided to purchase the one model they had available. It was a bit difficult to find sewing machines and sergers online because of the pandemic going on, it seems everyone sewing. But I am very pleased with the machines!

I did go back to bed and get some much needed rest. Then I put together a craft table and rearranged my craft room and set up a home office in one of the guest bedrooms. I was working in my husband’s mancave but I felt bad taking over his space. So I bought a 100 foot ethernet cable and ran it to the other bedroom. There is no set date for us to return to the call center, so I expect we will be working from home till the end of this year. I love working from home! It saves me gas, wear and tear on my Jeep and being my husband’s caregiver, I am here if he needs assistance.

Enjoying the night air

I started this post at 6 am with a cup of coffee and finishing it with a glass of wine at 11 pm on the patio! I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

Melissa!

Weekend of crafts

Last weekend I made soap. I haven’t made any in over a year and forgot how much fun it was to make. So this weekend,  I made more soap!

Turkish Mocha soap

My new apron

I also made an apron last weekend. I was really in the crafting mood and it carried over to this weekend! I started sewing a top and had enough material to cut out a skirt.

I love floral material!

I didn’t finish the top because I am waiting on a sewing foot to come in. I made more soap and I worked outside. We have been sprucing up the yard after we had our new back porch built. We are almost done. I just a few more bags of rocks and mulch and new cushions for the patio.

The past two weeks of work have been rough. I made sure to have some quiet time for myself! Dealing with back to back calls can be very stressful, especially when customers are screaming. I never take it personally but at times I do give the stress ball a good workout! (Wine is definitely a must have after work!)

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend!

Visit to the vet

Yesterday was busy. I woke up early to take Finn, our Shih Tzu, to the vet for teeth cleaning and xrays. I got back home about 8:30 and was able to get more sleep before I went to work.

I suppose I should tell you a little more about myself. I never how to start, but here goes. (Hope you can stay awake during this!)

Born in Kentucky and lived there till I was 19. Went into the Army, got married, became a civilian, had three children, got divorced, single mom for ten years, moved to West Virginia, got married and now you are up to speed! (Short and sweet version)

Some of my interests are sewing, knitting and crochet. I make soap, bath bombs and lotion. When I do watch TV, I watch Kdramas, history documentaries and anything on the paranormal. My favorite movies are horror, comedies and classic movies.

My three daughters grown and out on their own. I have one grandson and many granddogs! My husband Danny is a retired nurse and disabled Army veteran. I am his caregiver. I have a full time job at a call center and thankfully I am able to work from home during this pandemic.

My husband and I have three small dogs. Their names are Copper, Patch and Finn. Finn had two teeth removed yesterday, so we are keeping an eye on him because he has a patch on for pain and taking medication. He is doing good and I am surprised that he is not trying to chew the patch off.

Today was also busy. Calls are back to back at the beginning and ending of the month. Everyone is calling about their bills and sometimes I lose my voice talking for eight hours. It is stressful at times, but being able to work at home makes it better. And I will say that I am much nicer when I call customer service for any company because now I am on the other end of the call and I know how it feels to get a bad call.

I hope everyone is having a great week so far!

A Night at the Drive Inn

Judy’s Drive Inn, Mt Sterling, Ky

My husband and I stained our new back porch last month and there was still some places that needed finishing. I only lasted outside for twenty minutes till I was ready to go back inside! Once indoors, I cleaned up, kissed my hubby and dogs goodbye and drove the hour to my parents.

My middle daughter, Kirsten, bought tickets to the drive inn and they were playing The Jungle Book and Star Wars, The Force Awakens. I haven’t been to the drive inn for years and my two year old grandson, Oliver, had never been. This was a great opportunity to get out of the house and watch movies while social distancing. In my opinion, there needs to be more drive inns. I love going to the movies but I don’t like being packed like sardines in a room and having the person behind me kick my seat or the person beside me talk throughout the show.

Someone stole my sunglasses

We arrived early to listen to Denim James. We set a blanket on the ground and got out our lawn chairs and enjoyed the movie. Time flew, of course and I was fully present in each moment. It wasn’t the movie that kept me smiling, it was the time I was spending with my mom, daughter and grandson. During intermission, they had a fireworks show. We didn’t stay for the second movie. It was late and we were all getting tired.

New way of visiting the doctor

This morning I had to call off work so I could go see a doctor. Normally, I go to the VA for my health care but my doctor is on vacation and I didn’t feel like sitting at the walk in clinic for hours. So I drove to a clinic 5 miles from my house and I am so glad I did. We sat in our vehicles and called in. The nurse called us for information and then came to our cars. A few minutes later, the doctor came to my window for a checkup. Five minutes later, I had my papers and drove to a local pharmacy for my medicine. I must say, whenever I get another sinus infection, this is the place to go! I was home and back in bed sleeping an hour after I left the house. I am not saying I don’t get good health care at the VA, I do. I just don’t enjoy the thirty minute drive there and then waiting for what seems like hours when it feels like my face is about explode from sinus pressure.

I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday weekend and stayed safe.

Melissa!