It has been awhile

 What can I say. Lack of motivation is part of it. Still dealing with the Achilles issue but definitely not as it was. It is much improved. The right hand is really the issue. Hard to be motivated when there is lots of pain and limits for use, especially that I am right handed. Just back from he surgeon. In a few weeks he will do surgery to correct the problem. It is Dupuytren's contracture. It has affected my middle finger...yes, I sometimes look as being rude!!!

This is the latest henna tattoo...had it put on my left hand and in the blue. Lisa and I are keeping up the visits. We average going about every 3 weeks. We look weird waiting for them to thoroughly dry! Our hands are held as still as possible for the 2-3 hours. I think I already know which I will get next. 

Last week Alan had  oral surgery. The tooth roots were into the sinus cavity area so it was a big deal.  He was sedated and as soon as his head hit the pillow when Lisa brought him home....zzzzzzzz. He had a follow-up and the surgeon had him take a few days off work. All is healing well now. 

I saw something on Pinterest and showed Alan and explained how I wanted one and voilà, he made it for me. We designed it to meet my need and use.

Here are all the parts..... it is currently waiting for me to do the finishing. That is my plan this week. Just need to think it out and gather supplies. Happily I have everything in my craft storage. 

The early morning temp of 74 was wonderful...Murphy enjoyed having the slider open so he could go in and out. It is getting warmer now. Still have a couple more weeks of Monsoon weather then wonderful lower temps.

Thank you for spending time with me today. Thank you for your kind words and friendship.

Note...if you read this yesterday, I needed to edit it to make sense...thank you Lynda Ruth for letting me know!

The footstool and sewing kit

I am getting pretty handy with the electric screw driver.

the footstool is finished and looks really nice and is more comfortable to the feet with the new batting . I also replaced the inside lining.  I think this was a good choice of fabric. Somewhere along the way of pins and staples and screws, I lost a couple of pins on the carpet and have not stepped on found them yet. Guess they will come out of hiding when I vacuum today. Someone had asked me what was inside the storage area...nothing...yet. I guess I could make it a sewing box/kit. It sure would be handy. Speaking of sewing/kit boxes----

I was given this small kit back in the 1980s and it has all the original pieces. The top of velvet is still in tact and there is the gold thimble and needle too. This has never been used.

The inside of the lid is a mirror which is also in perfect condition.

The case is metal of some sort and has a little decorative marking around the lid and bottom. On the bottom

It is stamped "Made in Occupied Japan". I hope you can see that clear enough. All items imported after the WW II (1945-1952) had to be stamped with this mark. The hat pins are from the 1950s or so . Can not remember who gave it to me or where they got it or how old it really is but I keep it with my treasures and now it sits on the new shelf.
I did a little stitching on Alice, not enough to deserve a picture, but will get more done today. I thought I maybe would do a bit of yard cleaning but I think I will just stitch instead. Tomorrow will okay for that. You haven't forgotten have you? Alan and Lisa arrive on Tuesday. Just a few last minute preparations to get things ready. the weather forecast is for great temps in the 90s. Better than those triple numbers and excessive humidity. Our week will be busy but with plenty of us time. There is never enough time when they are here.....
It is time for me to grind the beans and brew some coffee. Thank you for stopping by and for the kind words. Most of all, thank you for your friendship.

Slow and easy does it

I must admit to some stitching...

I took my time; cutting using a rotary cutter, ironing, and started the stitching of the pieces. This will be a Pentagon Sewing Box from
Penny Rugs and More. Colleen has a wonderful blog. Her work is lovely and great tutorials. I chose to use flannel shirting for the outside and paisley cotton for the lining. Colleen's method for assembling the pieces is easy. Still have to think about the trim for the top of the box. The stitching is easy and I am taking my time with this. I am finding the hand sewing a bit easier right now, less on my hand than the cross stitching. Yesterday our monthly stitch group met and look what I got from our stash table...

Of course I can not tat right now, but look at the books and did you notice the price on the shuttle that is still on the card?! Can you remember such a price~~~39 cents! There is even a little drawstring bag to hold the shuttle and there are a few practice pieces inside. I did try to work on my started motif from eons ago, but I can not get the right feel/tension with the shuttle. So many things and not able to do.... Today is therapy.... I guess I will have to admit to some needle in hand since I last saw Jake. I just looked at the time! Here it is 4:15, I have my second wash on, a post for the day. I guess it is time to make a cup of coffee and settle down to The Thin Man movie that is on. Glad you stopped by to visit. Thank you for the kind words of encouragement and most of all your friendship. Have a great day.

A sewing box

Last week The Brother Alan sent an email asking what he needed for  a sewing box that he wanted to put together using a cigar box.....of course I emailed back, let me and of course he said I was hoping you would say that....we do know each other so well. Wanting to keep it masculine, I found this in my stash of cigar boxes (yes I have many waiting)

found this wonderful southwest fabric at
 Jo Ann's and gathered my supplies....thread, scissor, tape measure, needles and trim and it began...







a pocket of sorts for the thread, fussy cutting for the top and a charm for the steer skull.... again wanting to keep it manly, I left the inside of the box unfinished except for the fabric...I just love this fabric and bought a full yard.

the top and the base are two different cuts...great design! and of course I made a needle book complete with some narrow raw hide for the lasso on the front and a horse charm. The inside has a page for needles and closing pins as well as a pocket for needle threaders. The seams are sealed with a nice braided trim I bought him Gutermann Threads but I think he will replace them when needed with regular threads so I left some wiggle room in the pocket.  I sure hope he likes it. I am not sure if he will know how to use the needle threader, so I will include directions. The tape measure is by Singer and looks great for a guy as it is black and plain. I love using cigar boxes for projects.
My Angelina threads arrived so I tried a small sample....

I hope the picture is clear enough for you to see the sheer piece of "fabric" made....I bought the opalescence and gold threads. I also bought the pressing sheet to use with it. Of course I was not sure about ironing right on it, so I used a piece of muslin on top. I can't wait to use my new fabric for bumble bee wings!
We are having a very cloudy day but the temp at 6 AM was 72. Possibility of rain so it will be sitting on the lanai instead of the yard today....maybe I will just stay inside to stitch with a movie.....I am off work until Saturday so plenty of time to stitch. On Monday whi9le sitting outside having my southwest hash browns and egg with toast for breakfast, a commotion over head interrupted the quiet....

A group of 5 Harris Hawks were flying and squawking  above the yard....making quite a show of it. Finally landing in the nearby trees before departing to hover over some other place. It appeared to be a family of 2 adults with 3 youngsters.  Such entertainment with breakfast! It is just about time for me to have today's breakfast---in the house--- so I will thank you for visiting and hope the pictures were not too many for one post. There is still time to join the April Card Exchange... just email me your mailing address...if you have participated before and all is the same, just let me know you want to join in by March 31st. Have a great day.