ANOTHER DAY AT THE SWEAT FACTORY

IT WAS ANOTHER DAY QUILTING, OR SHOULD I SAY MAKING THE PILLOW CASES WITH THE KIDS.  THERE WERE THREE KIDS THERE AND AFTER GIVEN A LESSON ON WHAT IS A VET, WE CONTINUED ON SELECTING MATERIALS TO MAKE OUR PILLOW CASES.  OF COURSE I NEEDED HELP BECAUSE I'VE NEVER MADE SOMETHING SO TIME CONSUMING AND KIND OF CONFUSING BEFORE IN MY LIFE.  BUT I GOT THROUGH IT AND IT CAME OUT REALLY CUTE.  THEY EVEN TOOK PHOTOS OF THEM.  THESE CASES WILL HOLD THE BEAUTIFUL QUILTS BEING MADE FOR THE VETS OF QUILTS OF VALOR.  WE MADE FIVE OF THEM ALTOGETHER AND TOOK ME A COUPLE OF HOURS.  SO TIME CONSUMING.  IF IT WEREN'T FOR THE PATRIOTIC MATERIALS, THEY COULD HAVE PURCHASED THEM FOR PROBABLY LESS MONEY AND TIME.

SO I ASKED FOR HOMEWORK.  A LADY THERE WHO HELPED ME WITH MY PILLOWCASE, HAD SOME LARGE SQUARES TO BE PUT TOGETHER AND THEN PRESSED AND SQUARED.  I'M AT THE PRESSING STAGE.  I'VE FINISHED UP ALL THE SQUARES BEING PUT TOGETHER.  I GOT ON A ROLL AND AFTER ABOUT THREE HOURS MY MACHINE STARTED ACTING UP, SO I DECIDED THAT WAS IT FOR THE DAY.

I'LL START UP AGAIN TOMORROW.  HOPE MY MACHINE IS OK.  TODAY WHILE AT THE QUILTING GROUP, MY FEED DOGS WOULDN'T GO UP.  WE FUSSED WITH THAT FOR A WHILE UNTIL I REALIZED INSTEAD OF A STRAIGHT STITCH, MY MACHINE WAS SET ON A ZIG ZAG STITCH WHICH I USED THE OTHER DAY TO PUT IN SOME NEW ELASTIC IN SOME SHORTS AND FORGOT TO SWITCH THE STITCH TYPE BACK TO STRAIGHT.

AFTER GETTING BACK INTO USING MY NEAT LITTLE SINGER MACHINE, I KNOW NOW I WOULD WANT TO DEFINITELY GET A NEW MACHINE WHICH HAD NEEDLE UP OR DOWN CAPABILITY ALONG WITH A MORE AUTOMATIC NEEDLE THREADER.  LOOKING FOR ANOTHER MACHINE IS FUN, BUT REALLY WANT AN EMBROIDERY/SEWING MACHINE.  THEN ALL MY BASES WOULD BE COVERED.  I'VE STARTED THINKING HOW AND IF THEY'D ALLOW ME TO EMBELISH THE QUILTS BY EMBROIDERY AND/OR FABIC PAINTING INSTEAD OF THE SAME 'OL, SAME 'OL I'VE BEEN DEALING WITH IN MY PHOTOGRAPHY, BUT PHOTOSHOP CAME TO MY RESCUE THERE.

THE LEADER OF THE QUILTING GROUP BROUGHT ME A HALF SANDWICH BECAUSE SHE DIDN'T HAVE MY E-MAIL AND THOUGHT I'D BE WITHOUT LUNCH.  I THOUGHT THAT WAS VERY NICE OF HER.  THERE IS ALWAYS PLENTY OF FOOD AND DRINK THERE.  PEOPLE BRING THINGS AND I GUESS I'LL HAVE TO DO THE SAME.  I LEFT AFTER ABOUT THREE HOURS, BUT THEY ALL STAYED ON UNTIL 5:00.  I WAS REALLY FRAZILED AGAIN, SO I NEEDED TO GET OUT OF THERE.  QUILTING IS SUPPOSED TO BE RELAXING, BUT IF YOU'RE WITH A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO KNOW HOW TO DO EVERYTHING FAST AND YOU'RE JUST ABOUT A NOVICE/BEGINNER LEVEL PERSON, IT CAN GET TO YOU.