These are just a couple of pictures from my back yard.  It's so nice being back home.  I will admit everything is topsy tervy at this point in time.  Not being able to sew.  Everything is in storage in Minnesota......do I miss being back there...........no way!   Just being able to look at the mountains and water is like therapy.   The beauty of Washington state really is beyond description.

  Right now I am trying to get use to my surroundings.  Of course the first thing I did was try to check out the nearest sewing places.  Right now I am in Bremerton, and I will see how this goes.  So far it's not bad.  Very laid back and slow type of town.  The most important thing is that I've been out and about more.   So far I am learning my way around by bus, transportation is really good here.  The down side is that you have to get everything done between  10 to 5 pm.  The bus stops around seven.  I am close by to the Silverdale mall and every store imaginable is over here.  So I don't ever have to go to Seattle if I don't want.  My friends are all glad I'm back, and a few have been by this way.  

It's going to be at least until April until I get half way situated.   Quality sewing is still going strong here.  It's a sew and vac place.  It is now selling Janome, Brother, Elna, Babylock machines.   I just checked in to see if there were any changes.   The next thing I noticed.....more quilting shops.  JoAnnes  just not my cup of tea, Hancocks is in Lynnwood, so I won't be going there, and there were no sewing places at all in West Seattle. I guess a lot of places have gone out of business.  In the mean time I am going to just play things by ear.  It looks like ordering on line will be the way to go.  There is also Pacific fabrics in Bremerton.   There is going to be a sewing exp in Pualllup.    I will not be able to go,  can't get there by bus.   So I will wait until maybe next year.   It is still going to take a whle before I am up and running.

This a photo I took on the train coming into Washington State, although not really a good photo, you can kind of get the idea.  The mountains are just so majestic coming in, and put ones mind at ease.

This is one of the views that I see in the morning from the window of my girlfriends house in the morning while drinking coffee,

I tried to get a clearer view, it looks good while I am taking the pictures, however it is different when I put them on line.

I think I mentioned that I couldn't take my sewing machines on the train.  They did arrive thanks to a friend in Minnesota who sent them by snail mail.  It took a week, but the girls got here.   I had to leave the Bernina , and all of the notions.
I found an apartment in Bremerton but won't be able to move in until January 10th so that's just a ways off, but it can't get here fast enough for me.  In the mean time I am getting aquainted with the bus system and places again.  it's so good to be back home.
Folks have been spoiling me rotten since I got back home.  Last saturday through monday I spent at the LaQuinta inn.  One of my friends decided that I needed to be by myself, and so she put me up in at the inn.  Everyone knows that I've been by myself for such a long time, and sometimes being around people on a 24hr. basis in transition could be overwhelming.  The fact of the matter is that I enjoy my girl friends company.
  The other friends are all want their time spent with me as well.  So you can imagine how that is going can't you?   I don't mind it though.   Can't wait to set the girls up.  That will be a while though because I put the Janome sewing table up so well, that I couldn't take it down.  Isn't that a hoot?    Well I will write again, but in the meantime I am going to have to take a break........since things are all over every where.  Still looking at other sites for deals and more notions.   Ciao for now

Okay I said was going to post the pictures of my boxes.  But then I found out I packed away the battery part to my camera, and left the plug in part to the computer.  So I am not going to be able to take any pictures for months.  I don't which box I put it in...........oh please don't laugh.  I thought I had some type of system in writing on the boxes.  Of course six of them are marked S for sewing, but  I didn't bother to write down everything in the boxes.

In the mean time I've been trying to find the Elna Exquisit on line.......I'm interested in this machine because it is the same as the SingerXL6000  in that it changes to the next thread.  I didn't know that embroidering could be tiring.  Don't get me wrong I love watching the machine sew out the patterns.   As soon as one color is through my Janome 300 stops and then I have to switch colors.   I don't want the singer, as one of my friends has one, and I really don't want the same machine she has, kinda like sewing machine rivalry lol, but in a good way.   I just wanted to check out the Elna.   As it stands now.  I am just down to two working machines.  One old.....Bernina 160, and my Janome 7700.  

  This is not going to be a deal breaker for me.........but three is really all I want, because when I get home there are a lot of sewing clubs and places to go to, and I plan on going to meetups.   Already people are planning on what to do when I get there, and I am not going to relax until I get back home.   So back to the drawing board..  Also another machine I checked out is the Toyota, which is big in AU, however they don't sell it in the states.  It is said to be a real workhorse, and comparable to the Janome 1000.   It has very few stitches on it, and that's not really important to me at this point and time. So many choices.  I keep checking on Ebay.  Really I won't make a choice until around February, that is unless something magical happens. I will be busy until the end of the month, and more than likely will not post again until after I move.  So there will be a two week break.

  I am going to make really knuckle down and make more posts which will prompt more sewing.    I would like to have pictures along, but with things packed up I am going to have to go commentary for the time being.

Well guess I will let you know the reason I've not blogged anything lately.  I am preparing a move back home to Seattle, but in the a town called: Bremerton.   I am traveling by train, and there are now so many restrictions about what you can carry on.  I will have a room on the train.  I have packed up my Janome 7700 and my Bernina is travel case.   The agent thought it best that they be in the room with me.  I agreed to that, as putting the machines in on freight or where the other boxes would be is not a very good idea. 

  

The last time I traveled by train I had a Viking and the put the machine in the luggage department.    When I arrived in Seattle, and after I got situated, I found that the timing was off, and had to pay 100.00 to get the machine back on track.   The Amtrak agent told me that the boxes had to be so high and so wide, and not over 50lbs.   Well I planned on traveling with some of my pots and pans, but of course you know that the sewing machines are the most important.  If the Janome box is to high or wide, I am going to have to unpack it at the station, and carry on.  Trying to get your sewing machines to safty is really important. I will take a photo when I am ready to go.   I will be leaving on the Nov.20th.   At least that is the plan.   

It's almost hilarious how people disappear when you say you are moving.   When I get back to Seattle, I will be starting all over again for the third time.  My saga is long, but to shorten it... my moves: from Chicago (family oriented plus medical)  you know how you try to do the right thing for family, and then they don't show and then they get amnesia and have no knowledge of things they promised, and how they were going to be there for you!  So I made the right move for the right reason, but for the wrong people!  The Minnesota move: fabric locations, and for medical again.  I had done my research on medical choices and found out this place was tops in taking care of people of age.  That part is true, however the fabric part.........places were closing right and left.   So now there are just a few fabric stores.  SR fabrics is the only and best place to go.  I've never seen a place that is so huge and with such a large array of fabric.  On an earlier post you can see me grinning from ear to ear touching fabric.   That is the only highlight of my moving to Minnesota, and the rest is all down hill.

So now I am going back to Seattle, and I will be happy to be back home, and wild horses will not drag me out of there.  This time I will leave feet first lol!   Have other info about more sewing machines.   Still searching the web.  Talk to you later.

This is a beautiful brown, most of the time I don't get this color, but I thought I would make an exception.  The pants fit perfectly, however I believe this is the wrong fabric, in that there isn't enough give.  Also the way the pants fit in the back make me look like I have no behind at all, I look like my behind is flatter than an ironing board.  So I was a bit disappointed.  I will chalk this up to another learning experience about choosing fabric that has a better drape.  As we get older it is apparent that certain kind of fabrics look better on you than they did 25yrs. ago because our body changes. I think I am going to invest in getting knit fabric.  Who knew my behind would change so much lol!  Well it's back to the drawing board.  

It may be that the crotch is too short.  Although I did measure and had to add two inches in the hip area, when I find a mistake like this I tend to be hard on myself.  I will put the loops on the waist band and blue jean button on.  I noticed when I put on a panty shaper the pants look much better, without the shaper the back crotch like it is separating my but cheeks!  I know this is not the right description, but I don't know any other way to put it, the only thing that would hide what I can see, and no one else can is a long shirt or sweater that would hide the back seam.  Other than that I tested them by sitting and it feels comfortable.  This is a Peggy Sagers patter that I call myself altering.  Again I will go back to the drawing board. So so frustrating.

The quilt was for Avi

This is my great grand daughter Avionne.  Last Tuesday she arrived with her mother, and uncle.  This child is a character at two months old.  This is the one I made the blanket for.  I can tell you I enjoyed them, but was ever so glad for them to return home yesterday.  One week with a spoiled baby who definitely is running the entire show, make no mistake about it............but none the less her mom loved the blanket.  My grandchildren ate me out of house and home, and I think I was wearing an invisible chef hat the entire time.  They woke up talking about food.  While eating breakfast they were discussing dinner.  Too funny.

Done at last, done at last! Thank God almighty I's done at last!

Finished at last, boy was I glad to be through with this quilt. Have not developed a since of direction, hadn't a clue where this was going to take me.  I really had to improvise with this quilt.  This as you know is my first quilt.  I tell you....I left two safety pins in there and had to take the saftey pin out, and hide it with a letter J that I appliqued.  Genius!  I was determined I was going to make this work.  

This the back of the quilt and it is in flannel.    I thought this would be warmer for Avionne.  I hope her mother likes this and appreciates the truly hard work that went into this quilt.  Sooner or later I will get to the point where things run smoothly, when I know what the samhill I am doing.  Over all I am proud of myself in making this quilt. I really had no choice as I opened my big mouth up and said, "oh I will make the baby a quilt"   The next time, I will put more focus into detail.  Can't say I've not been busy with myself this month.  Letting my creative juices flow.  Then a brilliant idea came into my mind...........why not make a pillow?  Never made one before.

I think I am going to result to applique when all else fails.  I decided to just put some stabilizer on the back of the material and then cut out the shape I wanted, "why pay money for cut out pieces of plastic shapes, when I can do it myself?   Of course this is my first pillow.   What my grand daughter doesn't know............this crafty person, unzipped the pillow from one I already had......and just made the casing.  That's all and there you have it!   Primarily the work was spent just embroidering the initials and cut out of shapes.  Not too shabby.   I  didn't have any of the lime green fabric left, so I made do with this scrap of fabric.   I fixed it so that the stuffing removed.  Didn't put a zipper on this,as I had no zippers long enough.  So I enveloped the pillow in the middle. That way..........when it's time to wash just pull the stuff out of the case.  I'm too lazy to show the back of the pillow.  Over all I'm satisfied.  Not going to beat myself up, because both items didn't turn out perfect like I wanted them to lol!  I'll just do better.