Wooden Christmas Gifts

Posted on December 27, 2019 by civilwarrose5

Every year Jay and I like to make a few gifts. This year we tried to make even more than normal. I will post about the gifts we made in a few separate blog posts so that they are easier to digest.

First up we have a coffee table that Jay’s mom wanted him to redo the top. There was some pretty heavy water damage.

Coffee Table 1

Jay had already started to clear the top of the table when he took this picture. You can see the water damage on the left side of the table. This is a chipboard table with a veneer finish. Jay decided to rout away the majority of the top and then he inlaid a piece of luan.

Coffee Table 2

I was away on my work trip when he started this project. I’m glad because I would have been fretting over the mess he was making in the basement.

Coffee Table 4

I am told that the mess in this picture was practically spotless as compared to the other messes he had made. Jay actually took the time to try to vacuum up a lot of the dust, but when you’re dealing with chipboard it just goes all over.

Coffee Table 3

I guess it was quite the process to rout out the top of this table. When it was finally finished he cut a piece of luan to size and stained it. Then he started to put poly on it. I was eyeball-deep into my own projects so I let Jay do everything on this coffee table. At one point, though, he told me that he was going to tear his hair out because the finish was splotchy and looked like crap. He’d put about a dozen layers on and couldn’t get it right. After sanding off about three layers and smoothing it out I helped him get the finish to a point where he could tolerate it. I think that it came out pretty good.

Finished Coffee Table

And there are enough layers of poly on there that it should be more difficult to mar the finish. We took this over to his mom’s on Christmas day and she loved it. Way to go, Jay!

The next gift that Jay made was one for me. I’ll show you a picture and see if you can determine its purpose.

DW Pedestal 12-26-19

He really did a beautiful job. He glued a bunch of scrap pieces together into a block and then turned it on his lathe.

DW Pedestal Top

Technically he has a metal machining lathe, but it turns wood, too.

DW Pedestal Profile

I love the finish. It really looks great in the kitchen.

Have you figured out what it’s for?

I’m sure that you could spend all day guessing and never get it right. Here, let me show you…

DW Pedestal Used

Yes, it is my Dishwasher Door Rest.

You see, I typically use my dishwasher as a giant drying rack because I hate how it washes dishes. I only run a load through it when I need to get the dishes off of the counter, but I don’t have time to spend washing them by hand. I know that I’ll end up re-washing some of them, but at least they aren’t on my counter.

Anyway, Jay was worried about ruining the hinges with the weight of the loaded bottom rack as I was washing the dishes and stacking them in there. For I don’t know how long I’ve had a can of polyurethane in the kitchen that I was using to set the door on each time. I kept asking him for something simple that I could maybe kick under the edge of the cabinet so that I no longer had to look at a can of poly on my counter.

No, I won’t be kicking this pedestal under my cabinet. Instead I will gladly display it on my counter. I LOVE this gift. It’s better than all of the jewelry I saw advertised on TV for Christmas (which was all ugly). Give me a utilitarian gift any day of the week over a piece of jewelry that will end up sitting in my jewelry box most of the time.

Posted in Wood Work, Workshop | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

A Manger for Jesus 2019

Posted on December 24, 2019 by civilwarrose5

Since it’s Christmas Eve, and I’m a Christian, I feel that it’s only right that I give you an update on the Jesus Shed that Jay has been building. Tomorrow we will celebrate the birth of our Saviour by being materialistic and teaching our children that Christmas is all about waiting for a magic elf to leave us gifts just because we were “good.”

I try not to get religious or preachy on my blog, so if this offends you then please skip this post and come back on Friday when I’ll have pictures to show you of things that we made for Christmas this year. Even though I’m going to get all Jesus-y on you today doesn’t mean that we don’t celebrate Christmas by exchanging gifts. After all, the Wise Men gave gifts to the Newborn King when they arrived after his birth.

Let’s go back a few thousand years, shall we?

Imagine a young teenage woman of no consequence. She lived an ordinary life and followed her faith. She didn’t have a title nor did she have any claim to wealth. She worked very hard every day just trying to get by.

Jesus Shed Start

She was betrothed to a poor carpenter who also struggled as so many of their neighbors did in those days. Just ordinary people, living their lives and following their faith.

Then the young woman is visited by an angel of God, Gabriel, who tells her that she has found favor with God. Now, imagine that you’re suddenly confronted by this being that tells you he’s an angel of God and has been sent with a great blessing. That blessing? She is to “conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:31-33)

Yikes! What?! Panic would set in, right? Not only has Mary never been with a man, but in those days even though she was betrothed to Joseph they weren’t yet married in the full sense that we know it. However, it was highly frowned upon if a woman was betrothed to one man and carrying another man’s child. That would bring great shame to Joseph and Mary was an honorable woman. But she was also a woman of great faith. More faith than most, and so she trusted in the Lord and of her own free will agreed to carry the baby who would be our Messiah.

Jesus Shed Framed 11-8-19

Joseph is troubled by this whole situation and decides to divorce Mary. However, he is also visited by an angel who explains, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20-21). Joseph was a man of deep faith, so he did as the angel told him and took Mary into his home.

At this time the Emperor decided that they needed to do a census so that he would know just how many people he had dominion over (it was a power issue). In those days you had to travel back to the town from which your father came. Joseph was of the house and family of David, so he had to travel to Bethlehem to be counted.

When they arrived the town was filled to capacity because everybody else had traveled back for the census, too. Joseph had been unable to make reservations ahead of time. You see, back then ‘mobile service’ meant that you traveled there and hoped for service. It had nothing to do with cell phones. And ‘mobile service’ was not good. At this point Joseph would have been happy with a cheap one-star roach motel on the outskirts of town. Mary was very close to giving birth and they needed to find her someplace to do so quickly. Unfortunately, Motel 6 did NOT leave the light on, so they had to make do with a stable.

Jesus Shed 11-15-19

Now, Mary had been told that she was going to bring forth into the world the Son of the Most High. And here she was, in labor, in a stable. Little did she realize at the time that later on as Jesus was growing she could not use the phrase, “Were you born in a barn?” in order to get him to shut door behind him or clean his room.

So there he lay, in swaddling cloths, in a manger with hay. The Messiah. The Prince of Peace. The Son of God.

“And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

Jesus Shed Installed

The miracle of Christmas is this: In that humble, dingy, smelly stable was born a man who would give sight to the blind, feed the hungry, make the lame leap, raise the living from the dead, turn water into wine, walk on water, and love all of us so much that he willingly died in order that we might live with him in his kingdom. And he did ALL of it with great love.

I want to leave you on this Christmas Eve with the image of Mary cradling her newborn infant. She has no idea what is in store for this child, but her faith tells her that he will do great things. Most of which she probably can’t even imagine.

Jesus Shed in Place 12-20-19

“Mary, Did You Know?”

Mary, did you know that your baby boy would one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you’ve delivered, will soon deliver you.

Mary, did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy will calm the storm with his hand?
Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
When you kiss your little baby, you kiss the face of God.

The blind will see, the deaf will hear, the dead will live again.
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the lamb!

Mary, did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy would one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy is heaven’s perfect Lamb?
That sleeping child you’re holding is the great I am.

 

Posted in angel, Catholicism, Faith | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Traveling Monitor Bag

Posted on December 21, 2019 by civilwarrose5

At the beginning of December I had to travel for work. I had to go to our facility in North Carolina in order to help with the physical year-end inventory count. I was taking my laptop, but our ERP software is super tiny when viewed on my laptop screen. In order to work from home Jay purchased a second computer monitor for me. I decided that I was going to take this monitor with me on my business trip. Luckily I was driving so I didn’t have to worry about getting it on a plane. All I had to do was get it to North Carolina in one piece. I decided that I would make a bag for it. Now, I’ve tried to make a monitor bag before, but to be completely honest it really sucked.

I decided that I wanted to have solid sides with cushioned interiors. I knew that Jay had a lot of extra luan laying around, so I drew up my plans with that in mind. Here is the drawing that I created for this project:

Monitor Bag Drawing

Art was not my best subject in school.

I gave Jay the dimensions, and with his assistance, I glued some foam to one side of the luan.

Monitor Bag - Luan Pieces

The thin piece on the right is for the bottom. I wanted a sturdy bag.

I used a fairly dense, but thin, foam for one side of the luan.

Monitor Bag - Foam Side

I then took a flannel sheet and cut pieces out of it to fit the padded luan, plus the bottom piece. Then I serged around the edges with the luan in the flannel pocket. This was a bit tricky at some points!

Monitor Bag - Cushioned Sides

It is definitely not the prettiest serging job, but it worked.

Next I dug through a tote of fabric to see what I had that would work. I wanted something sturdy that wouldn’t stretch. I came across a corduroy jumper that I must have purchased at either Goodwill or Salvation Army. The skirt of the jumper gave me plenty of material with which to work.

Monitor Bag - Corduroy Material

If I remember correctly, I doubled up the pieces to give it a little more structure. Again, I didn’t want anything happening to the monitor in transit. I then added a snap closure and some handles. Within a short amount of time I had a decent shell.

Monitor Bag Shell

I placed the luan bottom and padded sides in the bag.

Monitor Bag Clearance

I started to get nervous at this point. I had spent all afternoon working on this and HAD to have it done that day. Would that be enough room for the monitor without squishing it? I worried about the screen and what damage might get done if it was squished incorrectly.

Monitor Bag in Use

There definitely wasn’t any wiggle room, but I was able to get it in and out without too much of a struggle.

Monitor Bag with Padding

It worked! The monitor traveled over 1100 miles and worked perfectly every time I turned it on. When I had my hands full and it was banging around my legs I didn’t have to worry that I was ruining the screen. This was definitely a good use of my time!

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A.C. (No)Moore…

Posted on December 17, 2019 by civilwarrose5

I know that by now this is old news, but I felt like I needed to blog about it.

If you haven’t heard, A.C. Moore is closing. ALL of their stores. ALL OF THEM.

Recital Kimberly Up Close

My sister is perfectly modeling the despair I felt when I heard the news. “No! It can’t be! Tell me it isn’t so!” The only reason why I didn’t throw myself on the floor and throw a good ol’ fashioned temper tantrum was because I was just a few minutes away from leaving for work. I couldn’t get my clothes all messed up. On the inside, though, I was child-in-a-candy-store-not-getting-what-she-wanted screaming. It was bad.

Why am I so upset? As I stated to Jay, “A.C. Moore has the best yarn!”

“There are other places that sell yarn,” you may be saying. Yes, there are, however, the A.C. Moore brand was THE BEST.

Project Linus Blanket #22 - Yarn

They carried the Nicole brand of yarn. It’s so much softer and plumper than your regular acrylic yarn. It was a dream to crochet with and the blankets were always snugglier. It was slightly more expensive than Red Heart, but completely worth it!

Project Linus Blanket #21 Detail

It even looks softer. So when Jay told me that A.C. Moore was closing, my heart broke! Why couldn’t it have been Michaels? They have an okay selection of yarn, but a lot of the affordable acrylics are scratchier than Red Heart. The regular brands that they carry don’t appeal to me because I feel that they are too expensive for what you are buying. I’ve just never been inspired by Michael’s selection. They like to carry a lot of the ‘trendy’ stuff and none of what people are actually using. At least, that’s my opinion.

I do love Hobby Lobby yarn, but it’s even pricier than the Nicole brand so I only used it when I couldn’t find the right color any where else. I guess that once I get through my current stash I will be purchasing my yarn from them.

I have purchased yarn online from Ice Yarns, but there are times when you really just want to touch and see the yarn before committing to buying it.

This whole situation put me into quite the conundrum. On one hand, I really don’t need more yarn and I had said that I wasn’t going to buy anymore until after the 1st of the year. On the other hand, this yarn would no longer be sold and it’s my favorite. “What am I going to do?” I asked Jay. Because he loves me he said, “I guess that you should go stock up.”

Jay Dressed Up

(Sorry, ladies. He’s taken!)

So that’s what I did. It was the day before Thanksgiving and while everybody else was making last minute trips to the grocery store in a panic, I was making one last trip to A.C. Moore in a panic. What if all of the yarn is gone?! What if I never get to purchase another skein of Nicole’s yarn again?? They were having a heck of a Black Friday sale on the one pound skeins plus they had sent me a coupon for $10 off the purchase of $40 or more (including sale items).

When I arrived at the store I was shocked. The news had only been out for two days (I was a little late to the party), but the yarn selection had already been decimated! A good portion of the bins within arm’s reach were already empty. I began to despair. Then luckily I found some skeins that were up higher where I could reach. So I filled my cart.

ACMoore Yarn Haul 11-27-19

I brought home two giant bags. I think I counted 30 skeins of yarn. I wanted just the basic colors that I use a lot: black, white, brown. I found a few burgundy and green skeins, so I grabbed those. I spent more than I would have wanted, but to be fair I ended up saving slightly more with the sale price than what I actually spent.

ACMoore Yarn Haul Skeins 11-27-19

And it was worth it. I told Jay that this could count as a Christmas present. After all, I would love to get premium acrylic yarn for Christmas. I even offered to let him wrap each skein, but he declined.

So now what’s the plan? First, I have to finish pouting.

Pouting Kimberly-Recital

Then I saw that Glenda over at Creative Grandma is getting some help from Premier Yarns to try to get the big box stores to take notice. Premier Yarns has set up a survey to better understand the needs of the people who use yarn. If you knit or crochet please take a moment to fill out the survey.

I would love to see more of their yarns in the big box stores. Michael’s and Wal-Mart have some of their yarns, but not nearly the selection or variety as A.C. Moore carried. Maybe if enough of us make our voices heard we will get a better variety of the reasonably priced premium acrylic and won’t have to walk past the shelves of the icky stuff. One can dream…

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Woodworking – Stocking Holders

Posted on December 14, 2019 by civilwarrose5

‘Twas the day after Thanksgiving and all through the house,

not a Chester was stirring, and Bob was a grouch.

Sorry, I thought I would try to get into the holiday spirit. It didn’t work.

The day after Thanksgiving I spent most of the day getting the Christmas stuff out and trying to get it all put up. I had to leave for North Carolina for a work trip two days later, so I wanted to get it all done before I left. I ran into a problem, though.

I tried to hang up our stockings, but they wouldn’t stay put.

Side Stocking Hanger

Between the little hook on the holder and the garland pushing at the stocking, it wasn’t going to stay. If the stockings were just decorative then I wouldn’t worry about it. However, I usually put a few things in Jay’s stocking and I didn’t want it to be always falling.

I didn’t blame Santa. I blamed his designer.

Stocking Hanger

I ran into this issue last year and decided that I needed heavier hangers. If they were heavier then they could hold the stocking a little better. I looked ALL OVER, but everything felt really light. When I weighed St. Nick I found out that he weighs 1.2 lbs. Seriously, Santa? I would expect a man of your dimensions to be a bit heftier.

So, I took my problem to the best designer I know.

Jay's Broken Foot 5-30-19

He was kind of disappointed when I told him that all I wanted were some heavy boxes with hooks. I didn’t want anything fancy because they are going on the mantle surrounded by lights and other fancy things.

These are the boxes:

Unfinished Stocking Boxes

They look like square cat butts, don’t they?

I wanted a simple finish, and since they are oak I went with Danish Oil to just highlight the color and grain.

Finished Stocking Box

Isn’t the change amazing? I really love how the finishing oils work on woods to bring out their natural beauty.

I had to let them dry, but then they were finished.

Completed Stocking Box

How pretty is that?!

You’re probably wondering how Jay weighted them. Let me show you.

Stocking Box Assembly

The box is hollow and two of Jay’s workshop weights fit in each one.

Weighted Stocking Box

I weighed this and it is 2.4 lbs. At least, according to my electronic scale. I was too lazy to carry them downstairs and use Jay’s scale.

Let’s see how they look on the mantle.

Stocking Box on Mantle

Oooo… pretty!

The real test was to add the stocking.

Stocking Box Hanger

That holds better than Santa, but I might ask for some design changes for next year.

In the meantime, I wish you and yours a very blessed and Merry Christmas.

Fire Mantle 2019

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Dear Santa – 2019

Posted on December 10, 2019 by civilwarrose5

Dear Santa,

This year has been rough. Plans were waylaid.

Gettysburg: Day 3

Projects took longer than expected.

Lean-To Revised 9-28-19

And beloved pets were lost.

Not all was bad. We did have an engagement and wedding that helped us remember that love will prevail.

Pauline and Remi 8-3-19

Santa, it’s the time of year when we are bombarded by marketing campaigns telling us how badly we need the latest technology. Or they make us think that if we don’t get our loved ones really terrific gifts then we will ruin their Christmas. And yet, while we sit in our warm houses agonizing over the decision to upgrade from an iPhone 8 to an iPhone 11, there is somebody out there shivering in the dark without a home.

My Christmas wish is not for me. I have everything that I could ever desire. I have a wonderful husband.

Me and Jay

A terrific family.

Family Picture

Wonderful friends and a very spoiled cat. So, Santa, there isn’t really anything that I need this year. I already have it all.

Instead, I ask that you please feed the hungry,

Veggie Beef Soup 10-9-19

please clothe the naked,

WEC All Sewed Together 9-13-19

and shower love on those who need it the most.

Project Linus Blanket #21 6-2-19

Santa, on Christmas Eve please deliver love to all those who are filled with hate so that we might finally find peace on earth. That is my Christmas wish.

Quilted Nativity Scene

Posted in Blankets, Charity, Faith | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Crocheted Christmas Gifts – 2019

Posted on December 6, 2019 by civilwarrose5

I have a confession to make. I haven’t worked on a Project Linus blanket for a little bit. I’ve been working on crocheted Christmas gifts. There are some that I can’t show because I think those friends read this blog, but I can show you some other projects.

I decided that I had a lot of crochet cotton so I made some dish cloths.

Christmas Dish Cloths 2019

I decided that since I’d made some dish cloths then I also needed to make some scrubbies.

This fall JoAnn Fabrics had a really great sale on fleece so I bought some yardage for lap blankets. I then found some border patterns and crocheted around them.

Christmas Fleece Blankets 2019

I think they turned out okay. I’ll give you a closer look at the borders.

First we have the Atlanta Braves blanket.

Braves Fleece Blanket 2019

The pictures are kind of dark due to my poor lighting, but you get the idea.

Braves Fleece Blanket Border 2019

I did more of a ruffled border for this blanket.

Next, I worked on a Steelers blanket for my friend’s husband (and kind of for her, too).

Steelers Fleece Blanket 2019

The interesting thing about this blanket is that on the reverse side it’s got a faux wool backing so it’s extra cozy. I found an angular border that I felt went really well with the Steelers’ logo.

Steelers Fleece Blanket Border 2019

In this picture I was trying to show that there’s also a black toothy border along the very outside edge, next to the yellow.

The last one to show is an Air Force blanket for my step-niece. She just graduated from Air Force basic training and she is being assigned to a base in Colorado.

Air Force Fleece Blanket 2019

The colors in the yarn that I used for the Warm Embers Cardigan were perfect for this blanket so I used it even though it was chunkier than the pattern really required.

Air Force Fleece Blanket Border 2019

It’s a nice ruffle, though, so I left it. Also, I don’t think that the recipient will really mind.

As you can see, I’ve been slightly busy, but then I decided that there was another project that I needed to do before Christmas. As a special little treat to myself, I decided that I wanted a sparkly top for Christmas Eve. I looked through all kinds of patterns and then finally found one.

Abundant Motifs Tunic Picture

This appeared in the Summer 2017 issue of Crochet! Magazine. I knew exactly what yarn I wanted to use…. Hobby Lobby’s I Love This Yarn in Metallic Black.

I can picture it with a black skirt and a red turtleneck. Won’t that look great??

To make this I have to make 12 large motifs, 32 medium motifs and I don’t know how many connecting wheels. A few weeks ago I posted about substituting yarn in blanket patterns and I mentioned that when it comes to garments you have to pay closer attention to gauge. I want to show you why.

Abundant Motifs Tunic Lg Motifs 11-28-19

Here are four of the twelve large motifs that I have to make. Can you spot the obvious issue?

Motif Gauge Difference

This might be a better picture. I tested my gauge and it matched. I changed hook sizes because the pattern called for a #3 light yarn, but my choice is a #4 worsted. I crocheted the left motif with a tighter stitch. The finished motif is suppose to measure 6.25″, but lacking the finished round you can see that the motif on the right is almost that size already. If I don’t pay attention to the gauge then it’s not going to fit like the design shows in the picture. What I’ll probably end up doing it pulling out the larger motif and recrocheting it with a smaller hook and a tighter stitch.

I just wanted to give you a visual of how important gauge can be when making a garment as compared to a blanket.

Posted in Blankets, Crochet, Garment | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Warm Embers Cardigan – Finished

Posted on December 3, 2019 by civilwarrose5

To be fair, this garment has been finished for a while. I just had to find the time (and daylight!) when I could get Jay to take pictures of me modeling it. Unfortunately, I can’t afford a decent model so you will just have to tolerate me in the pictures.

The last time you saw the cardigan I was still in the process of sewing it together.

WEC Sewn Sleeve 9-4-19

I actually finished this before the end of September.

WEC All Sewed Together 9-13-19

The pockets don’t match, but they are sewed on and look okay. Once I had the cardigan at this point I had to do a single crochet border all around the edges.

WEC Finished No Buttons 9-18-19

I worked on this in the morning and was excited to fasten off after the last stitch. While I was at work I was thinking about the edge and how it ruffled like a leaf of lettuce. I thought that maybe the pattern was wrong, and then I suddenly realized that I had placed too many stitches along that one edge. Except, at this point I decided it wasn’t worth pulling out. My sister will just have to deal with a ruffled edge. I sewed some buttons on and called it good enough.

As I’ve stated earlier, this cardigan is meant to be worn and not babied. If it doesn’t look perfect then maybe that will help. Or, if that fails to do it, how about seeing it modeled by this very grumpy-looking model:

WEC Modeled 11-29-19

Please excuse my frumpy-ness. I was in the middle of cleaning the house and wanted to get pictures taken so that I can get it washed and wrapped.

This is super baggy on me so it’s going to be especially big on my sister. I hope she doesn’t mind. The good thing is that it’s very warm. It was quite chilly the day that we took pictures, but I was definitely warm enough.

WEC Hood Modeled 11-29-19

I wanted to show this buttoned up, so of course I quickly buttoned it off-kilter. *sigh* This is why you should always hire a professional model. Also, I’m not really fond of the hood. It will definitely keep the weather off of your head.

WEC Hood Back Modeled 11-29-19

The back looks okay. The hood looks really pointy, though, doesn’t it?

WEC Back Modeled 11-29-19

It definitely looks better with the hood down.

Overall the pattern was decent. It was easy to follow and understand. My biggest issue was due to the yarn that I chose. The next time I might leave the hood off, but then I’ll have to do something with the neck because it looks goofy without the hood. I would give the pattern a 3 out of 5.

Posted in Crochet, Garment | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Chester 2005 – 2019

Posted on November 29, 2019 by civilwarrose5

Chester's Bed 1-17-16

I wasn’t sure that I was going to post about it here on my blog, but there might be somebody who follows me and might wonder why they haven’t heard about Chester in a while. Unfortunately, I had to have my dear little Silly put to sleep last Tuesday, November 19th. She had a growth in her throat that was very big and very deep. I knew when I first felt it back in September that there wasn’t going to be much that could be done. You see, when Chester was fixed at the age of 6 months our vet told us that she didn’t handle anesthesia very well and he wouldn’t put her under again if he could ever help it. Couple that with the fact that she was 14 years old, and I knew I didn’t want to put her through all of that just to end up in the same place. My sister kind of had the same decision to make this year with her beautiful Himalayan, Joey.

joey024

Joey had a gastrointestinal tumor, which she treated for over six months with steroids and other medicines. Finally in October he wasn’t able to walk very well and was having difficulty eating and using the litter box. So now, Chester is keeping cousin Joey company.

Chester on Blanket 7-6-19

Two weeks ago she began having difficulty breathing and eating. My fear was that she would possibly suffocate while I was at work. I couldn’t let that happen.

I miss her SO MUCH.

Yes, I still have Bob. He misses her, too. They are the same age and he’s never been without another cat in the house.

bob-and-chester-7-24-15

I never realized just how much I looked forward to her companionship. In the last two weeks I’ve realized just how much time she and I spent together.

She supervised me in everything I did: folding laundry, picking out clothes to wear, putting groceries away, and organizing my choir music. There wasn’t much that she didn’t help us with.

Wing Walking

She was really good at opening packages, too.

Chester Helping 7-16-19

She was always there to be my Quality Control. She wanted to make sure that she personally tested everything before it went out the door.

Chester Sleeping 9-1-19

Yesterday I was walking through the living room and saw a couple of mourning doves perched on the bird bath. Mourning doves were her favorite. We used to sit and watch them all the time.

Chester Just Chillin

It’s silly, but the house seems so quiet without her here. I miss her greeting me at the door in her woodchuck pose, pawing at me to hear all of her adventures of the day.

And I miss her company at night while I crochet. She wanted to be right close to me.

chester crochet

You always know that this day is coming. You try to tell yourself that you will be strong and be happy that you at least had them in your life. And even though you’ve experienced heartache in the past, you’re never quite prepared. So please make sure to give those special pets in your life an extra kiss and hug so that they know just how much you love them.

Chester Bowling

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Bodycon Dress – Continues

Posted on November 26, 2019 by civilwarrose5

It’s been a little bit, but I posted about the bodycon dress that I am attempting to make for my friend, Jamie.

Bodycon Dress and Fabric

When I last posted about this dress I was at the point where I needed to grade from one size down to another.

Two Sizes

I decided that I was going to attempt to fit the pattern to Addie and pin out the extra that way. Luckily Jay came along and helped me, so that when I was finished this is what I had:

BodyCon Dress Outline

If you look closely you can see that I have pins in this. They marked where the seam would actually end up if I sewed the dress together.

Bodycon Dress Pattern Revision

What I did, with Jay’s help, was to hold the pinned pattern on Addie as if she was wearing it. Using a pencil I then traced the shape between the two points where the pattern would need to be graded between sizes. I included the seam allowance and drew the line that I would need to cut against in order to get the right shape.

Bodycon Dress New Line

The result is the blue line in the picture up above.

I transferred this line to the other part of the pattern so that the line was the exact same for the front and the back.

Bodycon Dress New Shape

Then I cut away the extra. That was all the adjusting I was going to do to the pattern. Next I would need to cut the pieces out of the fabric.

Bodycon Dress Pieces

This picture is fuzzy, but it shows you the front and back pieces. Fairly easy, right? You just sew them together at the shoulders and sides. I decided to do a sleeveless version of this dress. Then I realized that it’s very difficult to tell the right side from the wrong side of this fabric. So I picked a wrong side and marked it.

Bodycon Dress Marking

The knotted side of the thread is the wrong side.

I used a basting stitch to sew it together in case I needed to remove it for any adjustments. But I had been so careful that there shouldn’t be many adjustments to be made, right?

Bodycon Dress 1 Front

To say that I was disappointed would be a huge understatement. As you can see, this is WAY too baggy almost every where. *sigh*

Bodycon Dress 1 LSide

The only part that seems to fit like I wanted is the hip area. Otherwise, there’s just too much fabric all over.

Bodycon Dress 1 Back

And after seeing this, I’m not sure that I needed to add the 2″ of length.

I could have posted this after I had figured out where I went wrong and fixed it, but I want to be up front and real with you guys. This first attempt, as good of a try as it was, really sucked. So much that I wanted to just throw the whole thing in a pile, pout, and tell Jamie that a bodycon dress is way out of the question. Yet, that’s not how we learn, is it? Before you get something right you need to fail a LOT so that you learn all of the ways not to do something.

So was this really a fail? Maybe not. I learned how to do pattern grading one way. I learned that this process isn’t going to be as easy as I’d hoped. And I also learned that I was terrified to make any adjustments to the dress until I knew for sure that Addie is very close to Jamie’s measurements. Luckily I received pictures from Jamie a few weeks ago so when I have some time I can compare them to Addie and figure out what parts might need tweaking. That will allow me to feel a little more confident that the adjustments I make on this dress will more likely help the fit on Jamie.

Also, it gave me an excuse to buy this pattern:

Bodycon Dress

McCall’s #M7999

I feel that this dress is much closer to the type of bodycon dress that Jamie actually wants. I will need to lower the neckline a little, but I think this might be a better pattern to attempt. I’m still going to try adjusting the first one that I made, but I needed a back-up so that when I get irritated with one I can work on the other.

So that’s where I stand with this dress. Once Christmas is done and I have more time to work on projects that aren’t gifts, I will try to jump back into this dress with more gusto.

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