Operation Pillowcase

Boy, talk about cutting it close. I managed to get 34 pillowcases finished and mailed out by the end of February. I shouldn't have started them so late in the month because I seriously under estimated the amount of time involved.

Just venturing downstairs and locating the fabrics I wanted to use took far longer than I had expected. I also came to realize that for all the 1000's of yards of fabrics that I have, I have mostly female oriented fabrics. I also discovered that I really don't have much of anything in blue. Probably because I don't really care for blue. But it would have been nice to have just a little of it to choose from. I guess I'll have to go shopping! LOL.

So, with my tables set up and ready to go, up and down the stairs I ran, bolts and totes in hand to begin this project.



Because I already had two totes full of pre-cut fat quarters, I used those fabrics for the top borders and accent pieces. The pre-cut pieces worked out nicely because I ended up with pieces left over to use for my next project: The Haiti Hope Bags.

Anyway, after I got the pillowcase body pieces cut, it was off to the washer, dryer, and later the ironing table.


Who would have thought that it would take a full day to measure and cut the initial fabrics? Another one to launder and iron them. Another day to measure, cut, assemble and pin the three pieces together. And a final day to sew, trim and turn them??? Certainly, not me. LOL.

But after 4 very long days, and being able to admire the finished product, it didn't seem so bad. And the best part was STUFFING them into a box and mailing them off. Knowing that I was able to do something special for our military put a lump in my throat and brought tears to my eyes.

This is a close up of some of the fabrics that I used. These are some of my favorites!




Just a final note here. The conditions in Afghanistan are deplorable. Our service men and women have NOTHING. They sleep in tents, water is scarce, and they are now required to purchase their own bedding and other supplies. Anything you can do to help is greatly appreciated!!!!

Think about what you can do when you tuck yourselves into bed at night, safe and warm, with a full belly and your most prized possessions around you. Then ask yourself....who fights for me so that I can have these things?


Until Next time...Happy Needling!!!

Gerry

Still At It.........

but at least now I can see the end of it! It can't believe it's been so long since I really scrubbed my house. I've managed to get the rooms upstairs cleaned and organized, including changing out a couple of light fixtures, closets, windows, screens, yada, yada, yada.

In our bedroom I did pull some old curtain toppers out of the closet and put them up but they are a little too ruffley (is that a word?) so they probably won't stay. The point was to have the curtain rods look like they actually serve a purpose. And also to help cover the tops of the roller shades we put in recently. At the time we paint in here, I'll probably put something a little more mature up. LOL.



In our bathroom I managed to get the closets reorganized and prettied up the bathtub area a little. I also put together this wall sconce and dried flowers. I'm trying to decide what color to paint in here. There is a sort of lime green in there now which isn't quite working for me.



In the "Jill" bedroom I finally got my favorite picture hung up, one of my dolls out (a 1950's, 21" Snow White), a 1889 antique wedding dress, and some vintage embroidered pillowcases and doilies out. In case you haven't guessed this is my girly room.



In the "Jack" bedroom, I made curtains. Yes, more curtains! The three small windows above the bed let in A LOT of light in the morning as well as a lot of heat on summer evenings. I wanted to do something that let some light in without closing them off completely. I made the straps so that they can be released and the curtain will drop when needed. I think this will work!



(BTW, we call these rooms the Jack and Jill because they have a bathroom in between them.)

In DH's office I also hung some curtains that I had in the closet. I'm not going to spend a lot of time in there because he will be moving his office downstairs and this room will become a bedroom and reading room. I did change the ceiling light fixture though.....all by myself!!

I wonder if I could get a job as a handy-woman???? Or maybe as an apprentice decorator/seamstress.

Well, that's it for now. I'm off to start downstairs. I need to have this all wrapped up by Thursday afternoon so that I can start shopping and cooking for DH's 61st birthday party on Friday.

I'm also working on cropping/editing some photos from our trip at Christmas, presents that I made my nieces, and some CQ pieces that have been finished/received.

And I haven't forgotten about the "Hope" bags for Haiti or the Pillowcase Project. No worries - I'll have those finished up and out of here by the end of the month.

Have a great evening.


Until Next time...Happy Needling!!!

Gerry

Pantipalooza Done

Wednesday I went shopping at Kohl's and found some wonderful sales. Some items up to 70% off - WOW!!! And you know me, I almost never shop without a coupon, so I took my 50% off entire purchase coupon with me. I was able to purchase several pairs of women's panties in assorted colors and sizes, several pairs of winter socks in assorted colors and sizes, and a bunch of darling, embroidered baby bibs. Next time I'll make sure I shop for children's and men's items. Also, since Borders Books was just at the end of the complex and I had another coupon (30% off) in hand, I picked up a bunch of Little Fat Learning Books.

With my shopping done, I set out to deliver my goodies to my chosen, local crisis/charity organization. This year I chose The Inn Between at 250 Kimbark Street here in Longmont. After my experience there I'm positive that I made the right choice. This center is an incredible asset to our community.

There were a number of reasons why I initially chose The Inn Between for my donation/charity but what really pulled at my heart strings was that:

1) They offer housing for men. So many shelters and organizations don't. I think that is so wrong and unfair. Men get cold, and hungry, and down on their luck too.

2) They offer housing free of charge for teenagers who for one reason or another cannot live at home, or don't have a home to live at. The only catch is that they need to attend school and further their education. They are given their own rooms with a bed, closet, small fridge and microwave. Mostly, they are given independence and security. These kids aren't forced to live on the streets, doing whatever that requires to survive. And they don't become prey before they have a chance to have a life.

3) There are a number of one, two, and three bedroom apartment units for families. It's so very important (when you are struggling in life) to keep children in a 'home setting' and environment. There is even a really nice, large playground area at the center.

4) They offer housing for extended periods of time (up to 3 years) so that people actually have time to get back on their feet. They have time to find work, daycare, schools. Those necessities that enable people to become part of a community.

Upon entering the office/reception area I met with Mike. We talked a bit, I met a number of the staff, including Donna Lovato, Executive Director, then Mike graciously offered me a tour, which I really appreciated. Googling a facility online, reading reviews, and learning about them is really only a small part of what you can learn about an organization and the good work that they do. Those are things you must do in person!

I was quite surprised by all of the common areas provided to residents. There are several really good size common bathroom facilities (bath tubs, showers, sinks, toilets) for residence in SRO (single resident occupied) units to use. The common living areas are very welcoming with comfortable furniture, televisions, card tables, etc. There are also a number of kitchens and eating areas for cooking and enjoying a meal, for those without kitchens in their units/rooms and for other functions.

I was also very taken by the fact that the staff is so friendly and informative, and that everything in the facility is so clean, neat and organized! They have done an exception job of providing a setting that really encourages and promotes social interaction, and provides a valuable sense of normalcy during difficult, transitional times in peoples lives.

During our tour I asked Mike about volunteering opportunities and he told me that they have been very fortunate to have a number of volunteers like local high school students and people in the community assist them with maintenance, cleaning, painting units, etc., at their facilities - they currently have three of them.

When we concluded our tour I left feeling so happy and fortunate to live in this community. To live in this little city. I am just overwhelmed by the generosity of our local grocery stores and citizens who donate food. To the many volunteers who are willing to give of their time and money. To the local business who sponsor and/or offer space for fund raising functions, etc.

I give a THANK YOU to Mindy for organizing this event, and for helping us to remember that there are others less fortunate, that just a little can go a long, long way, and that giving feels really good!


Until Next time...Happy Needling!!!


Gerry

That's Entertainment

It's no secret that I'm not much of a television and movie watcher. So when I do commit the time and thought to watching one, I really hope (and expect) that it is deserving. Which leads me to the subject of this post.

DH and I finally took in a movie yesterday. Our first 'date night' in a very, very long time. And we were not disappointed. We went to see Avatar in IMAX 3D. We were a bit worried that it just wouldn't live up to the hype it's been receiving. BUT....It totally did! And even though it's a 2 1/2 hour movie, it moves so fast that we didn't notice the time. Lots of action, great story line, and a civilization you just can't help falling in love with.

And dispite the initial shock, it was sooooo worth the ticket price of $22 (gosh, when did movies get so pricey????). Of course we had to have way too much popcorn, dripping with butter (and extra salt), and a gynormous drink. What fun! BTW, you should definitely go see this movie!!!!

We also watched Coraline the other night on HBO (no commercials - bonus!). It's very 'Tim Burton like' even though he really wasn't involved in the making of it. DH and I were split on how we felt about it. I thought it was really good - albeit bizarre!

And finally to round out this post, I highly recommend Legend of the Seeker, which is on ABC on Saturday nights. Sadly, we only just discovered it in its second season. Not to fear, the first season is out on DVD!!!! I ordered it through Amazon and it should be delivered any day now.

This weekly series is based on Terry Goodkind's twelve (12) book Sword of Truth series. This is such a wonderful series because the author's presentation truly develops and defines the characters, and brings them to life. Which is after all, what a reader reads a series for!

I have an extensive list of "Books I Like" on my sidebar. Just click on the arrow and you can scroll through the drop down menu. I have serveral more books/authors that I need to add and will try to get to that shortly.

Most of the books listed are part of several book series and/or companion type books. For that reason, I highly recommend that you start at the beginning or you might very well end up lost and/or not enjoying the story or author at all.

Well, I guess that's it for now. I need to go find something to do while DH is watching the Super Bowl. Have a great week!

Until Next time...Happy Needling!!!


Gerry

Charity Events

Part of my 'back to home and hearth' journey will include participating in a few charity events. I have 3 slated for now:

Mindy's Pantipalooza;


Cat's Hope Ditty Bags for Haiti; (edited...I simply ran out of time and energy, so I made another cash donation!)

(Mail to: Debbie Woodward, 1500 Jackson Street NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413)

and

Operation Pillowcase (official site?).

Debra has a wonderful post on her blog. You might also want to see Robin's How-To video or visit her website HERE.

If you're interested in helping out, please pop over to any (or all) of these blogs to get the additional information, mailing instructions, mailing deadlines, etc.


Until Next time...Happy Needling!!!


Gerry

Tinkering Around the House

In light of recent events I've decided to take some time out and tinker around the house. Thinking that maybe if I get back in touch with home and hearth I wouldn't feel so disconnected.

For those of you who don't know, we completed a major remodel in April, 2009. Not that there isn't a lot still to finish. LOL. But I can now check off main floor window treatments off of my "list".

(These window treatments were surprisingly easy and inexpensive to make. I'll give you a tally at the end. You can also click on the image to enlarge.)

You will notice in some of the before photos that there are no window treatments. Despite the fact that the original/existing fabrics were/are really nice quality Waverly Home Interior fabrics, they were just so NOT MY STYLE in the way they were combined/used, so I jerked them down almost immediately. I did however, keep most of them to mix/match and repurpose at some other time.



I did repurpose some of the original/existing window treatment fabrics in the kitchen. For the pantry door I used fabric from the original living room window treatments. It's a cute red and off white checkered pattern that just screams "BISTRO" and I love it behind the glass in the pantry door.



And for over the sink area I used a piece of a large floral print from the Master Bed/Bath to make a cafe curtain. I just added the contrasting stripe fabric from what I already had in a box downstairs. I also repurposed the rod and corner/bay connector piece from another room, and I already had the cafe curtain clips, making these no cost window treatments.





In the eat-in kitchen area I used the companion ivory and sage sheer fabric that matches the solid home decor fabric on my chair cushions (that I made in Texas). Finding enough of this sheer fabric at my local JoAnn's (after 5 years) was pure luck! The secondary layer is a sage/moss green sheer. Both of these fabrics were on sale clearance for .99 cents per yard, marked down from $9.99 and $12.99, respectively. (Don't look at my window sills - I still have to sand and stain them or maybe add granite like in the kitchen window.)



In the close up you can see (or maybe not) that the sheers are customized and attached directly to the rod. This translates into many, many hours on a ladder with needle and thread in hand.



The original window treatment in the family room consisted of a fabric wrapped piece of foam placed at the top of the windows with matching dummy panels flanking the large window. I actually love this fabric and have started hacking it up to make window treatments for a room upstairs.



Because we get so much light in this room, I just cannot seem to get a better photo of these window treatments. If I don't 'dim' the photo, you can't see anything for the LIGHT! Again, I used the same ivory and sage sheer fabric from the eat-in area but this secondary fabric layer is a beige sheer (somewhere between the new wall color and the furniture) and was also on sale clearance at JoAnn's for .99 cents per yard, marked down from $9.99.



These window treatments were made and attached the same as in the eat-in area, with only slight variation to set them apart in their custom look. And also to accommodate the different sizes of the windows. I really like the way that they look so soft and flowing in the way the ends hang loose and uneven. BTW, all of these sheer fabrics come in 54" width. I simply split them in half widths, added a rolled seam and instantly doubled the amount of fabric I had to work with. Most of the rods were repurposed from other rooms.



As you can see the dining and living rooms have their own very distinctive styles. Granted, what we've done might not work for everyone but since our style is basically eclectic-traditional we think that we did a nice job of getting them to blend and join together through color and repeating/similar elements.





In the dining room we took down the wooden blinds and replaced them with ivory, linen roller shades from Budget Blinds. Over that I've made the matching linen sheers and added an additional layer with the dummy drape panels.



When I ordered the drapery rods from Swags Galore, I bought a few extra corner/bay connectors so that I could avoid issues in this corner. I have the same corners in the kitchen and in the master bath areas. What I didn't do was order a double rod. Luckily, I was able to find the items that I needed (J-hooks and cafe curtain rods) at our Ace Hardware to tweak it out and make my own double rod!



In the living room we took down the existing wooden roman shades (not my favorite!!!!) and replaced them with a one piece roller shade to match the dining room windows. And as you might expect, the roller shades were on sale, combined with a 30% coupon and mail in rebate they totalled $516 installed. Fairly pricey but well worth it! Especially when you consider that the large window is 93" wide, and that all 3 are extra long.

The only real difference between the living and dining rooms is that we removed the finials in the living room so that the drape panels would go up against the wall. Oh, and I DID remember the double rod for there. LOL. The last detail to address in this room is the odd shaped window above. I'm thinking some sort of tension rod and a very gathered sheer.




The drape panels are made from an Oyster Pearl colored dupioni silk that I got at Fabric.com. Needless to say, I ended up getting 16 1/2 yards of beautiful, luxurious, dupioni silk during a promotional sale, with an additional 30% off coupon, and free shipping for an unbelievable $92. How cool is that? I love Fabric.com!!! And the bonus part is I still have a couple yards left over (YAY!!!!).



The sheers in these rooms were made from a really nice linen that I got on sale clearance at JoAnn's for $1.99 per yard, marked down from $16.99. The great thing about this was that it came in a 118" width. Not so fun to work with but finished, they are gorgeous! I them pulled them back with a decorative ivory rope cording and the drapery panels are lined with a wonderfully soft, light defusing, linen lining all of which I picked up at my local Hancock Fabrics. After the sale price, clearance price, and in-store coupons I paid $1.99 each for the cords, marked down from $8.99 each and the $6.99 per yard lining (54" wide) was only $2.99 per yard.

Looking at it all now, I've very pleased with the way the sheers and drapes turned out. I had to cut the silk to 115" in length so that after folded edges and 4" hems they hung at 103" long. And the drape pleats weren't nearly as difficult as I thought they would be. Although I am really surprised that after trimming the salvage edges (1" each side), adding the double folded edges and hems, and the 6" pleats that the original 56 inch wide fabric shrunk to only 16" wide finished - WOW!!!! The only really difficult part of the drapes was having to hand stitch everything except the 2 seams across the top hem for the pleat placement.

**TIP** Wrap the finished drapes with twine from top to floor and leave on for 24 hours to shape. This gives you a wonderful even shape and fullness from the pleats to the floor without those nasty, stiff looking ironed lines.

Now for the cost of DIY custom window treatments for 10 windows:

$ 62 - Designer drapery rods, hooks, etc.
$ 35 - Lining fabric (12 yards)
$ 39 - Sheer fabrics (27 yards)
$ 78 - Dupioni silk (14 yards)
$ 8 - Rope cording
$ 8 - Thread, hardware, and other misc.
$230 - BASIC TOTAL DIY COST as compared to contracting a designer, which would have cost over $3,000!

AND WITH THE $516 - Custom roller shades (splurge)

$746 TOTAL DIY COST...........not bad, huh?!?!?!?!

Please let me know if you decide to take on your own DIY project. I would love to see what you've done.

Now it's time to spend some time cleaning and smudging. Odd as it sounds I don't mind doing it and it's a great way to get reacquainted with HOME. I also have some herbs and oils to mix for Imbolc tomorrow. And maybe end the day with a cleansing bath.


Until Next time...Happy Needling!!!


Gerry