End of the year

So, here we are again at the end of another year. 
I sit here at my desk wondering where all the days went. 
What did I accomplish? 
What happened to all the grand goals? 
Did I fix any past mistakes?
What will the new year bring?
New clients?
New ideas?
Fresh perspective on the old stuff?
Will I be a better person, mother, wife, daughter?
At this point I do not want to review the past year for fear that I fell too short of my goals and  I am certainly not ready to plan the new year.

I think I will let things stew for awhile.  See how the new year feels before I go any further.  After all, I have all year.

Applique panels.

This week I am working on an interesting project.  The assignment from the designer is to take exhisting solid color panels and applique individual flowers to create a bold new look.  This is tedious but very satisfying work. Flowers are cut individually and arranged on each panel.  Once I am satisfied with the placement, I applique them by hand.  This is back breaking. I stand for hours at a time hunched over my sewing table making tiny stitches.  My fingers  feel like pin cusions! Yet, I am so content working on this project.  It feels so creative...artsy!  This is the type of project I really enjoy.  The end result is one of a kind.  I don't like repetive work.   I get bored easily.  I need variety and creativity.  I still have one more panel to finish but here is a sneak peak.  I hope you enjoy them!

Today

Today is a new day.

Today is a fresh start.
Today, I will find solutions.
Scratch that.
I will find one solution.

Today is a new day.
I will find courage.
I will not worry.
I wll be strong.
I will feel normal.

Today is a new day.
I will impress someone.
I will be creative.
I will be successfull.

Today is my day.

Good friends

I attended the Harvest Festival at my grandson's school last Friday evening. There were lots of games, great pumpkin pie, and a superb book fair.  While my family was volunteering at various booths,  my mom and I had the simple task of following the grandsons around. We were ready.  We did the ususal grandma stuff like taking pictures of them on the rock wall, feeding them lots of candy, losing them, getting the evil eye from the son-in-law as he brought one back to me.  (Oops! I was watching the wrong kid!-What?  It was dark!) 
What I did not expect was to find a Hot Rod show!  My husband and I love hot rods.  I love hot rods!!! My love of cars started when my husband and I were first married.  He had this awesome 1974 Dodge Challenger...318, Carter 4 barrel carburator, headers, Fairbanks racing transmission, traction bars...I can still hear that engine thumping!  Everyone on the block could hear that enging thumping!  I still get shivers when I think about that car. 

I, on the other hand, did not own a car.  My husband and my dear father-in-law (great wise men of the Vargas clan) decided to buy me a beat up, rusty, 1972 Volkswagon Beetle that they found by the side of the road.  No kidding!  Mind you, I did not drive stick and I did not like Volkswagon Beetles-EVER!  I hit the roof.  What were they thinking! This waaas war!  When the dust settled, the Challenger was mine! 

I loved that car.  I was hot in that baby-well, the car was hot.  It was so much fun to drive.  So much POWER.  You could hear that car roaring down the street from a mile away. Life was gooooood!  Unfortunately, we all have to grow up some time.  Silly me to think I would allways be carefree and young and drive a hot rod.  When it became apparent that we were spending our daughters college fund on car parts and gas (7 whole miles per gallon),  we traded in the Challenger for a family car.  A car with actual seatbelts and safety stuff...and boring!  Well, that daughter did get her college education but  I sure would love to get that Challenger back!   Maybe someday the lottery gods will look favorably on me...

Oh yeah...I suppose I should talk about sewing somewhere in this blog.  It was such a treat to run into my friend Sandy at the Harvest Festival.  She is one of my oldest and dearest friends and by coincidence also has a love affair with cars.  As we were catching up on family events and aquistions,  she remembered that she was my first window treatment customer.  I made a light blue balloon shade for her first baby's nursery.  That baby is now 24 years old.  I guess I have been doing this a long time. 

Cheers!

Sewing room update!

I  have three paint swatches on the wall...
Humh...This is going to take longer than I thought.  Oh and husband complaining that I moved his stuff.  He can't understand why we can't have Harley memorabiblia in my sewing room!  Well, I can't understand why I have to have him in my house...Isn't there a law about husbands having to move into the garage after 30 years of marrige?  Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could just put our signficant others in a little cottage behind our houses and only have them come out when we need something? You know... when the house needs painting or the dog threw up or the car needs an oil change?  One can dream...

Office Chair

If you are like me, your office chair is your best friend.  Whether I am sitting at my computer writing or busy at my sewing machine, my chair is always there quietly supporting me. Sure it creaks and groans occasionally but it faithfully hugs my butt all day long never asking for anything in return.  (Unlike husbands-but that's a different blog)  What more can I ask for?  Well, here's an idea to make that old friend look refreshed and stylish.  All it takes is one yard of fabric and voila!  A glamorous companion to any office. 

Favorite Chair

I have a really old wing chair in my living room that I just can't part with.  It was a cheapie.  I bought it back in the 80s when Montgomery Wards was still alive.  Pink and blue country style was all the rage!  I cringe now as I think of it.  Pink velvet.  Still, I love my chair.  It has been reborn a few times.  Most recently with an off white canvas slipcover.  Comes right off and into the wash and dryer.  No need to iron.  It looks fabulous.  I'm so proud of myself...my head barely fits through the door!  I saved the chair yet again!  I'll show you, crazy husband, who wants to take my chair to the dump.  Ha! Unfortunately for me, our dogs Daisy and Harley, also think the chair  is fabulous.  It's their favorite hangout.  Yes, Daisy and Harley are black doggies. What was I thinking??? But the chair looks so stylish in its off white outfit.  So chic.  To save   my sanity and minimize the doggy dirt (and drool) on the arm rests, I whipped up some smart little arm covers that can easily be thrown into the washer without having to clean the entire slipcover.  Again...brilliant!  So I thought.  I came home from work yesterday to find Daisy happily chewing on the shredded arm rest covers!  I think we all know who the smart one is.

Cute Pouf!

Here is a fun project that I just completed.  It's a little pouf that I made for my friend (designer extraordinaire) Susan.  It is about 12 inches inches high and 30 inches in diameter.  It is made from natural canvas that I put through a rigorous wash.  These are great to stack in the family room and can be used as seating around the coffee table for casual meals or snacks on movie night.  Great for the playroom!  Let me know what you think.

Welcome!

Hi!  Welcome to my blog!
This is all new to me but my daughters instist that I need to have a blog to be successfull and I had better get to it because I am not getting any younger!  I must continually remember that children are a gift from God.

Just a little about me...
I love to sew.  I love fabric.  I love color.
I love to be in my (so called) sewing room...by myself. 

This, of course, is news to my husband of 32 years and our Boston Terriers. 

My sewing room is the smallest room in the house yet this seems to be the only room where the family congregates.  Doesn't matter that we just spent thousands of dollars building a mancave in the garage with a computer that has an ear splitting sound system. Nooo, not good enough.  He still instists on using my pitiful sewing room to surf the net, play his music and generally be a nuisance. Of course, if humans are in the sewing room, the dogs must also be in the sewing room.

But...I have a plan.  A sneaky plan. 

It seems he will be away training for a whoooole weeeek!!! Sorry, did I sound a little excited? Anyway...here is my plan.  While he is away I am going to girliefy my  room.  Gone will be the Raider memorabilia, the Harley collectibles, motorcyle manuals and most of all the silver and grey paint scheme!  Anything faintly reminiscent of sports or motorcyles will be permanently relocated to the attic.

I chose a palette of lime greens, pinks and yellows.  Man repellants.

So, I will take you thru my journey.  If it is anything like the mancave fiasco, it will provide you with lots of laughs and what-not-to-do information.

Stay tuned...