The cherry blossom shirt.

Here are the pictures my friend took of the sewing lesson from the previous post. (They were taken with a nicon camera, not a phone.)



Here she is sewing the string tie for the top of the shirt.





She really did a great job. I am told that she didn't take it off for about a week. To me, that says it was a successful sewing session!

Sewing lesson.

Over the years there have been lots of people asking about sewing lessons, and I've always said, "Sure, give me a call and we'll set something up.", but it never quite comes together. A friend recently bought a sewing machine for her daughter and I went over the other day to do some sewing. It was lots of fun. I picked up a couple of easy patterns and she picked out a halter type shirt with a ruffle on the bottom. She cut it out and did all the sewing, I just did the pressing and helped her a little with the ruffle.

My camera battery died before we got any pictures of her actually sewing or of the finished project. It turned out really cute and she seemed pretty proud of herself. My friend took some pictures with her phone, and if I get them I'll put them up.





I'm looking forward to doing this more often.

Keepers

A couple of weekends ago a neighbor had some things out by the curb for sale, sort of a mini yard sale. Among his things was a cardboard box of old bottles that came from a local bottle-dig. He was selling them for 25 cents each. I love the shapes and subtle colors.

The dice and game pieces came from the Nipomo Swap Meet on Highway 101. I pass it when I go to Ventura to visit my daughter.




One of these days I would love to map out all the swap meets and flea markets between here and there and hit every one.

In Recovery.

Well, the trial I was serving on as a juror is over. It ended yesterday, and I felt okay, even though the outcome wasn't what most of us had hoped. Because one of the jurors couldn't be convinced that the defendants were guilty, the judge declared a mistrial. I think I was feeling relief that the whole thing was over, but after deliberating for three days in a very intense and, at times, exasperating atmosphere, today I feel extremely tired. I will try to get some work done, but first I might have to catch up on housework and buy myself some flowers.





This was the second time the case was tried. The first was tried as gang related, attempted murder, with the same 11-1 split. In this one the three were tried for assault with a deadly weapon. The newspaper says it will go to trial for a third time in August.
It was definitely very educational. I know a lot more about what goes on in my community.

Longing for my normal life.

I took these pictures of my workroom/studio a couple of weeks ago. Since I have been driving to the courthouse every day for jury duty, and mentally exhausted when I get home, I haven't spent much time there.








I am really appreciating the luxury of working from my home, and can't wait to get back to my normal schedule that doesn't involve traffic.

Loose ends.

When I make slipcovers I use upholstery thread on big spools, and toss them into a wire basket when I switch to a different color.
So, as you can guess, it gets a little messy with loose ends. I took them all out the other day and tidied them up with scissors and cellophane tape.





I found these great thread photos on flickr (below). I could spend all day looking at all the amazing photos that are posted on flickr, but you know how that is. I am doing my civic duty by serving on a jury and am heading into a second week of testimony. Thankfully, we have Mondays off, but that means I have lots to do today!

Spools, originally uploaded by lillergy.