Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Lunchtime update

      Sewing week was fun, if not productive. I mended some clothes (that I had procrastinated on). My biggest project was kind of a joke gift. My boss joked that she needed a bib because almost every time she eats lunch she spills on her nice shirts. So I made the most upscale bib you ever saw. It is black material somewhere between polyester and satin. It is big and square cut so that when on it just looks like a shirt and not like you were going to the crab shack. The strap does not tie in the back but come around the back and snaps on the right shoulder. There is a pretty silver button as decoration so that you can’t see the snaps.

      In the process I learned how to make knife pleats. I learned about box pleats and fold pleats as well. I experimented with those techniques on scrap fabric and don’t have much to show for it. Even beginner lessons on pleating had terms too advanced for my skill set. I also worked on making button holes, but none of them actually became button holes. I’d like to remind you that this is all done by hand. I don’t have a working sewing machine. The non-sewing portion of sewing week was also fun. I learned to make cheap dress forms. What can’t duct tape do?  I will have to post the pics soon.

                This week is gratitude week. I have hit a rough patch again with news of an impending surgery (although they should be able to do it laproscopically) and my car needing repair, so I decided that it is best if I spend this week focusing on the positive. I am making lists every day of the top ten things that I am grateful for that day. I am trying to be very specific and be grateful for really small things every day. Of course I could say, “I am grateful for my family, for my friends, health, having plenty of food…” But those are too broad. To really feel the gratitude it helps to list specifics. For example, one thing on my list for Tuesday is that my sister called me at work to tell me that she loved me. It really made my day.

                As an added incentive for all of you to participate I am offering a deal. For each one of you that sends me a list of what you are grateful for this week I will send a dollar to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Unfortunately, my budget limits it to 30 people. But still, a dollar is a dollar. Let me hear your gratitude!
 

PS- because this is a little late I will run the offer through next week.

4 comments:

Dana said...

I am grateful that you write this blog and I am able to read your wonderful writing of all your new experiences!

cindar7@aol.com said...

I am grateful for:

my job, you, my family, my health, my GOD, my dog, good books I've yet to read, that I can cook, a farm in Tennessee, sunshine in the summer.

treasureislandcrafts said...

Hope it's not too late. I am grateful for reading. Reading has given me other languages, friends who share the same interests and glimpses into the way other people think and feel. If not for reading, this Kentucky girl would have never left the homestead. Yay reading!
PS-What letter of lists? The canteloupe bracelet is waiting for you in G-town. Hope to see you soon!

Unknown said...

I'm sorry about your car and surgery. Hope everything goes okay. I'm thankful for a surprisingly large amount of things. I'm grateful that I don't need to worry about my weight or cervical cancer. I'm grateful for my mommies cause they're awesome and always there for me and lots of other sentimental things, Steve's parents who paid for everything on our trip to Savannah,Steve for always being sweet and wonderful, nice customers because they are few and far between. There are more, but they get increasingly superficial.