Sewing Machines & a Kitty

 My sewing room is home to several sewing machines, but they all have a special purpose.  My current layout allows me to have 4 of my machines setup and ready to sew.  A couple have covers as I don't use them quite as often, but I would not want to part with any of them.  My kitty Butters can usually be found somewhere close by.  If I go up the stairs she is right behind me.  She wants to be on top of everything I do.  When not in use I have to keep the door closed to my sewing room because somehow she always seems to find another ball of yarn, or a multitude of other treasures she drags down the stairs to show me her new found prize.  Sometimes it is amazing the size of the treasures she can pull down the stairs, you can usually hear that she has something bigger coming down the stairs because she can make lots of noises.

My workhorse is my Juki TL2000.  It only does straight stitches, but it does them beautifully, and very quickly. I can usually find several tasks that I can compete better/faster using my serger, on the left.  In front of the other window, covered, is my Juki DX5 that does fancy stitches.  To the far right is my Juki Coverstitch... I forgot the # on that one.  I am still learning all its capabilities... I haven't had it too long.  It is a really cool machine with lots of possibilities, but sometimes I get too distracted with other things going on to take the time to really find this machine's full potential.

I have a couple antique sewing machines that still work.  Those are not typically setup all the time, but my Singer Featherweight gets pulled into service now and then when I want to use a ruffler because it has a really nice ruffler attachment.  I think that machine is older than I am.

Now I have a few other machines, but these are the ones I utilize most often.

Getting ready for another move...

There are lots of things you have to consider when you make a move.  When you have three kitties, it is important to try to minimize their trauma.  We have three cages to attempt to keep them safe during transit... but two days on the road is a long time to be confined to such small quarters.  I have their cages airing out, and thought it would be good to let them get some familiar smells on the blankets that will go inside.  Didn't take long for all three to be camping out on those new blankies that just happen to be on the floor just for them... mission accomplished.  Shorty definitely claimed the blue one.



By the way, in case you didn't get the update... Ohio turns out to not be where we feel we should be.  We are in the process of moving back to our great town... Floresville, Texas.  Six months of Ohio winter was enough to get the momentum going for our return to sunny south Texas. Spring is here in Ohio and things are greening up real nice, but winter will be back in a few months.  With our last move very fresh in our memory... I told Ron that I thought it would be good to have some cots to get us up off the floor.  Getting up off the floor, even with a thick fluffy air mattress to sleep on, is not fun at our age. Besides, the last time our queen size air mattress sprang a leak and we ended up on the floor.   Ron's memory of sleeping on a cot was not favorable, as he said it was like sleeping on the hard floor... that's where the new cot size air mattresses came in.  I got online and ordered our sleeping accommodations for our last night in Ohio and the first few days after we arrive back in Texas before the moving van arrives.  We could stay at a hotel, but that means the kitties would not be happy. I'm thinking we should be pretty comfortable.

We have been doing lots of running around as we are preparing for this big move.  Most the time when I go by the corner where this bike shop is, I am driving so I can't take a picture. Ron was driving yesterday when we stopped at the light at this intersection.  Not many bike shops can have a bike from this vintage on display.  Lancaster is a very old town with lots of history. 

Cinema Geese

We took advantage of the opportunity for tickets at a great price to go to an awesome movie this morning.  The movie was Samson and it was produced by the same people that made God is Not Dead. They did a totally incredible depiction of the Bible account of Samson.  The movie is only showing for a short time, so it is hard to get the word out there in time... but it definitely was worth watching. We got there early cause we didn't know what traffic would be like.  While passing the extra time in the almost empty parking lot... it was before 10 when the stores open, I watched a few geese wandering around, and was upset when a truck parked and blocked my view.  That is when Ron noted that I should look up over the entrance to the theater... I then spotted the Cinema Geese...

I think I have found my favorite theater of all the theaters I have ever been in.  Every seat was a recliner.  There was no such thing as a bad seat.  Not only was the movie spectacular, it will be difficult to find seating anywhere that is more comfortable away from home. OK, there was one other bonus item... Tuesdays are $5 movie days at this incredible theater. Doesn't get any better than that.  If you ever happen to be looking for me on a Tuesday, you might want to check to see if we have gone to the movies.  We don't go to the movies often, but there were a few previews of some good ones upcoming... Just Sayin'.

Sugar and her two sisters are adapting pretty well to being inside kitties.  We have a couple "thrones" for viewing purposes.  They are good at taking turns, but this is one of Sugar's favorite perches. Also, our back deck has lots of bird visitors, especially cardinals, but the greatest commotion is caused by the neighborhood kitties that like to taunt our poor captive felines.  When we hear the chorus begin, we know there is a kitty on the deck. Once I even saw a raccoon helping himself to the birdseed.  He left at my coaxing, but he really wasn't all that phased by my finding him there with his hand in the cookie jar.  I have to keep a heavy rock on the seed bin to detract the birdseed bandit.

I had fun making some curtains for my brothers truck.  Quilted and complete with Velcro on the back.  Went down to look through my stash of panels and found one I thought he might enjoy.

Late summer garden and flowers

It is amazing how quickly things can grow in your garden when the conditions are good. If you scroll down, it was just a few short weeks ago that these tomato plants were hardly visible, now they are popping out the top.  I added a bigger shade screen to all the beds because the sun really does get hot up there in the garden. 

I have beans coming along and bell peppers at the other end.  All of these beds were planted at the end of July. In a couple weeks I will begin planting my Fall and Winter plants. 

Moon flowers are beautiful.  Even though their blossoms last less than one day, new blossoms open almost every day.  This is a volunteer.  I'm hoping the seeds I spread closer to the house will take hold.

My Angel Trumpets have many of the same characteristics as the Moon Flower, but I have these in my flowerbed by the patio.


Shorty is trying to stay cool on a hot afternoon. Totally relaxed.

Almost Friday again

Sometimes it is difficult to remember what I did yesterday.  Not to say that anyone else would think I have an interesting life, but my days just seem to blur together at times... was that Tuesday or Wednesday... or maybe it was Monday.  We had a good group at quilting on Monday and among other things, I did a demo on a paper pieced block.  A couple ladies were not sure just how that was done.

On Monday, everyone was busy with one project or another. Baby quilts are always fun to see how creative we can become... and how beautiful. 

Tuesday was a road trip to Giddings where five of us gathered to visit three different quilt shops.  Of course we had a wonderful lunch at a little cafe called Reba's.  I am not sure just how much fabric had a special purpose... a designated project, but lots of fabric was bought and a whole lot of it found its way to my sewing room "stash".  That would mean that I did not buy any fabric for a specific project... just fabric I encountered that I just had to bring home.

I bought a few neutrals that I am always needing for sashing or whatever, and a couple for possible backings, but the three, kind of on the right, I thought were super finds.  I don't know what I will do with them, but when I saw them and the tag said they were bamboo, I had to feel what bamboo felt like, and then I just had to have some... it is sooo soft.  This fabric would make some awesome pillowcases.  I didn't get to bring one of the tags home, but the selvedge said the fabric was from Hoffman California.  Looking on their website I could not find this fabric... I was hoping to find more so I could buy some coordinating solids to go with these.  That is OK, I will work with what I have.

The colorful striped fabric on the left is not especially pretty, but I saw it and thought it would make interesting binding. 

 All I know is that I found alot of really nice fabric and all of it was on sale. That was why we went to Giddings... all three shops had a good sale happening.


Tomatoes that you want to have in your Fall garden are supposed to be in the ground by the end of July.  I guess I was pushing it to the limit... but I made it... my tomatoes are planted, and I even got the sun shade put up over them.  Ron reminded me that it was good to get the cages around them while they are still little.  Now all I have to remember to do is the watering.


Fluffer doesn't always get alot of attention, but then that is usually because she is typically in the background staying pretty aloof. Every so often she curls up next to me and is real lovey.  She can purr as loud as any kitty I have been around.

August just ahead

Big things are happening at our house.  We ordered my new longarm that will not be arriving for another couple weeks, and I am not excited or anything.  One of the first things we had to do was make room for the new machine which will take up much more space than my previous machine.  We had to actually change from one area of the shop and clear the space around the corner where the room is much wider.  My new machine will have a 26" throat which is only 8" more than I had, but it will be close to the difference I saw when I moved from my original  domestic machine set up on a Grace frame to my Tin Lizzie that was on a different Grace frame. The new machine is an Innova.  The frame has no wood like the Grace frames.  It will be a totally new experience.

After our almost move back to Ohio it was a little late to get into gardening.  It was the time it took to unpack and re-setup our household that got in the way of any hope of a Spring garden.  We did a really good job of reorganizing and having the house start to look familiar again, but weeds and heat seemed to get out of hand.  Well the end of July is when it is time to put in your Fall tomatoes. Getting into pulling weeds was not a fun thought... but I knew I had to get started, so I gave it a good shot this past week. Still a bit to go, but you can actually walk between the beds now.  The weeds in the back were so high you couldn't see the fence on the other side.  We bought some good compost to amend the soil with and a few tomato plants... maybe by the end of the week they can be planted in one of the beds.

This little cart was a really good find at Sam's.  We have 4 big rainwater tanks that will allow us to keep up on our watering, but a pump is necessary to get the water out efficiently.  Gravity feed works very slow.  We put a quick connect on the pump which will allow me to move the hose where I need it and with this cart, not worry about kinked hoses and tripping over the pump.  Never know what you might find when you go into Sam's.

We actually sold my Tin Lizzie, so I am not able to get any quilting done right now, but I am trying to organize the quilts I have done that have been waiting to get quilted.  I will have lots ready to get going on that new machine when it arrives.  The dinosaur quilt will be among those I get to first... of course it won't be the very first as it takes a couple quilts to get used to a new setup and wouldn't want to mess up on this special quilt.  This isn't a very good picture, but it does show the progress.


Boston and Shorty are enjoying the comforts of the deck.