I am finally catching up on all the swaps and charity items. It's time for a Give Away! So keep it in mind for after the Holiday weekend.
Remember the beautiful carpet I won on http://calamitykim.typepad.com/calamity_kim/, site? The Carpet is from CSN, http://www.csnrugs.com/, it didn't arrive yet but I understand it will be shipped after July 10th. Well, another arm of CSN has given me a chance to do a GIVE AWAY of my own!
ALL MODERN, http://www.allmodern.com/, allowed me to pick a gift from their Office Accessories department to offer as a Give Away!
The Give Away will end on July 21st, my birthday, so I'll be adding something to this gift! So click on the link and go see all the great stuff they have from some great designers! Remember...COME BACK and enter the contest!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Christmas Pattern Give Away
If you like Christmas Patterns, hop on over to Helen's and see the fabulous pattern she is giving away. Just click on the photo on my side bar.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Son's Macho Quilt
My friend Tom over at, http://quiltingandcarving.blogspot.com/, is making himself a Macho guys quilt. I'm posting this so he can see the Macho guys quilt I made for my son. The back is red flannel, but the top is made from patches I cut from Ladies wool skirts.
Son loves his Macho quilt because he loves being covered by all those Ladies!
This one I made for my grandson
Son loves his Macho quilt because he loves being covered by all those Ladies!
This one I made for my grandson
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Pay it Forward #3 and a Tea Party
A few years ago I made a sample crazy quilt box so I would have something to go by when making them. Since then I've made over 20 boxes and no longer need an example to follow. So, I decided to put the sample together and give it as my 3rd Pay it Forward gift.
Also in last weeks mail Nicki, http://cqnickilee.blogspot.com/, sent me this adorable tea set. The girls are gathered for a tea party!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Another Great Give Away!
Sherry, http://keepyouinstitches.blogspot.com/, is having a give away for a cook book & and apron! Even if you don't cook, go on over. You'll enjoy her blog. Sherry & her hubby ride Harley's and she has a great sense of humor too!
Learn how to Carve
Have you seen these cute little carvings on my blog and ever wondered how to make something this small out of a piece of wood?
Here is your chance to learn! There is a new blog for those who want to learn and a give away to get the blog started. Just click on this link or the one in my side bar and you'll be on your way to learning a new art! http://beginnerscarvingcorner.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Medical Rationary Board
Each day I feel more threatened with the bits and pieces of information that falls out of the mouths of news reporters with little explanation. Yesterday came the news of the "Medical Rationary Board", already in position, a group of people with NO medical background who might decide the worth of a patient under a new health plan.
I googled and found nothing. The small explanation given by the reporter only served to make me nervous considering I have 2 major illnesses, I'm almost 64, have high medical expenses and costly drugs each month.
I decided to look at my worth, without considering any of the value I put into life in the past. First question is my present medical problems.
Each month I cost Medicare $1000.00 for a weekly shot to enable me to walk, and walk only sometimes, due to rheumatoid arthritis. Add to that another $50.00 a month to control swelling and pain. Once a year Xrays are taken for about $1800.00 to track the damage.
Then add on the liver disease I contacted from a bad blood transfusion in 1980, something that can be chalked up to the lack of the FDA's screening of donated blood. Minor surgery gone bad after the birth of a child caused the need for a transfusion, thus giving me this killer disease. I've had this disease for almost 30 years without knowing I had it. Now that it stuck out its ugly head, this costs $2300.00 a year for one MRI with contrast to make sure nothing has to be done to control the disease. If I have to take the treatment it will be costly and might not work since it only helps "some" people with the disease.
Besides this, there are always some visits to the ER and some minor surgery to keep me going. These charges are always way out of line, in the thousands. Office visits every 3 months for each specialist range about $100.00 a visit and if they draw blood, it can triple the cost.
Lets not forget the Primary Care doctor that you must have for Flu shots and anything not falling under your diseases. My Primary Care doctor has held my pain medicine from me because I just don't want to go to him every 3 months for nothing.
Primary Care doctors do nothing anymore. They work 4 or 5 days a week from 9 to 4 and want to know what their income will be for the month so they line up people every 3 months and demand you show up so they can charge you. I have no control over this if I want to stay out of pain but in the end, this will go against my worth.
Second question would be what value does my life have on society.
I don't work. I can barely walk most of the time. I keep house for my son and sew. I do give a lot to charity, but put up against what large companies give, my little part has no real value.
The only real value I see is the possible value of what they have and can learn with the xrays they take and the effect the medicines have on my disease that they can learn from. BUT, none of the people on the panel have any medical experience, so I doubt that will even be considered.
My own conclusion about me is that I don't have any value left. Up against what I cost to be alive, on paper, I'm not worth keeping around.
If you are older, have medical problems, need an organ, diabetes, dementia or anything that puts pressure on the "new" medical system, you might fall into the catagory of "Little or no worth", with a panel who has no medical background.
This could turn into a form of genocide.
*******************************************
Thanks to my friend, Shogun, http://shogunsworld.blogspot.com/, I have been able to read the following, which I feared.
Stealth Rationing of Medical Care Sneaks Into the 'Stimulus' Bill, Says the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS)
WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Unwanted "change" is coming to senior citizens and all those needing medical care if the stealth rationing in the "stimulus" bill becomes law. Rationing of medical care has nothing to do with stimulating the economy, but it was inserted into the bill before the public realized it.
As the disgraced Tom Daschle planned, the government will gain control over medical care incrementally. The stimulus bill seeks to lay the foundation for rationing and denying care to the elderly and the infirm by setting up the infrastructure for monitoring the treatment of all Americans. Doctors who are not "meaningful users" of the system will be punished by fee cuts.
Americans do not want to imitate Canada and England, where patients are told they are too old to receive a necessary operation or must sit on a long waiting list. It can take over a year in those countries before someone sees a doctor for treatment of a life-threatening condition, such as cancer.
But under the rationing inserted into the stimulus bill, Medicare will no longer pay for safe and effective care. Instead, it would apply a standard of cost-effectiveness in order to ration or deny care to the elderly and those who are sickest.
The stealth provisions of this bill create a massive new bureaucracy for controlling medicine, giving this new bureaucracy more money than the stimulus bill provides to all of our armed forces combined.
The lynchpin of this government takeover is to start building a national electronic database of medical records. Patient privacy will be impossible, and mistakes in medical records will be nearly impossible to delete.
This plan will lead to enormous new costs for doctors' offices and patients, but insurance companies are determined to have full access to patients' medical records, and the stimulus bill will enable that. Employers also want access to private medical records to prove fitness for work.
For more information, see: http://www.aapsonline.org/
NOTE: AAPS is a non-profit, professional association of physicians in all specialties, dedicated since 1943 to protection of the patient-physician relationship. It accepts no corporate or government funding, and its board members and officers serve without compensation.
I googled and found nothing. The small explanation given by the reporter only served to make me nervous considering I have 2 major illnesses, I'm almost 64, have high medical expenses and costly drugs each month.
I decided to look at my worth, without considering any of the value I put into life in the past. First question is my present medical problems.
Each month I cost Medicare $1000.00 for a weekly shot to enable me to walk, and walk only sometimes, due to rheumatoid arthritis. Add to that another $50.00 a month to control swelling and pain. Once a year Xrays are taken for about $1800.00 to track the damage.
Then add on the liver disease I contacted from a bad blood transfusion in 1980, something that can be chalked up to the lack of the FDA's screening of donated blood. Minor surgery gone bad after the birth of a child caused the need for a transfusion, thus giving me this killer disease. I've had this disease for almost 30 years without knowing I had it. Now that it stuck out its ugly head, this costs $2300.00 a year for one MRI with contrast to make sure nothing has to be done to control the disease. If I have to take the treatment it will be costly and might not work since it only helps "some" people with the disease.
Besides this, there are always some visits to the ER and some minor surgery to keep me going. These charges are always way out of line, in the thousands. Office visits every 3 months for each specialist range about $100.00 a visit and if they draw blood, it can triple the cost.
Lets not forget the Primary Care doctor that you must have for Flu shots and anything not falling under your diseases. My Primary Care doctor has held my pain medicine from me because I just don't want to go to him every 3 months for nothing.
Primary Care doctors do nothing anymore. They work 4 or 5 days a week from 9 to 4 and want to know what their income will be for the month so they line up people every 3 months and demand you show up so they can charge you. I have no control over this if I want to stay out of pain but in the end, this will go against my worth.
Second question would be what value does my life have on society.
I don't work. I can barely walk most of the time. I keep house for my son and sew. I do give a lot to charity, but put up against what large companies give, my little part has no real value.
The only real value I see is the possible value of what they have and can learn with the xrays they take and the effect the medicines have on my disease that they can learn from. BUT, none of the people on the panel have any medical experience, so I doubt that will even be considered.
My own conclusion about me is that I don't have any value left. Up against what I cost to be alive, on paper, I'm not worth keeping around.
If you are older, have medical problems, need an organ, diabetes, dementia or anything that puts pressure on the "new" medical system, you might fall into the catagory of "Little or no worth", with a panel who has no medical background.
This could turn into a form of genocide.
*******************************************
Thanks to my friend, Shogun, http://shogunsworld.blogspot.com/, I have been able to read the following, which I feared.
Stealth Rationing of Medical Care Sneaks Into the 'Stimulus' Bill, Says the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS)
WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Unwanted "change" is coming to senior citizens and all those needing medical care if the stealth rationing in the "stimulus" bill becomes law. Rationing of medical care has nothing to do with stimulating the economy, but it was inserted into the bill before the public realized it.
As the disgraced Tom Daschle planned, the government will gain control over medical care incrementally. The stimulus bill seeks to lay the foundation for rationing and denying care to the elderly and the infirm by setting up the infrastructure for monitoring the treatment of all Americans. Doctors who are not "meaningful users" of the system will be punished by fee cuts.
Americans do not want to imitate Canada and England, where patients are told they are too old to receive a necessary operation or must sit on a long waiting list. It can take over a year in those countries before someone sees a doctor for treatment of a life-threatening condition, such as cancer.
But under the rationing inserted into the stimulus bill, Medicare will no longer pay for safe and effective care. Instead, it would apply a standard of cost-effectiveness in order to ration or deny care to the elderly and those who are sickest.
The stealth provisions of this bill create a massive new bureaucracy for controlling medicine, giving this new bureaucracy more money than the stimulus bill provides to all of our armed forces combined.
The lynchpin of this government takeover is to start building a national electronic database of medical records. Patient privacy will be impossible, and mistakes in medical records will be nearly impossible to delete.
This plan will lead to enormous new costs for doctors' offices and patients, but insurance companies are determined to have full access to patients' medical records, and the stimulus bill will enable that. Employers also want access to private medical records to prove fitness for work.
For more information, see: http://www.aapsonline.org/
NOTE: AAPS is a non-profit, professional association of physicians in all specialties, dedicated since 1943 to protection of the patient-physician relationship. It accepts no corporate or government funding, and its board members and officers serve without compensation.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Kim's Fairy dust has made magic in Pennsylvania!
It must be magic, fairy dust magic! There is just no other way to explain winning something this wonderful!
I entered this give away only because I hadn't seen Kim's Gnome table runner in her posts and wanted to make sure she hadn't put it aside in the unfinished project bin. Maybe it was Gnome dust???
Kim, from http://calamitykim.typepad.com/calamity_kim/, offered a 36 x 24 hand tufted 100% wool rug, make in India. The Rug Company is: http://www.csnrugs.com/ . Now click on the link and go check out all the beautiful rugs...and they are having a Sale right now!
I WON! Can you believe that? I can't believe it!
Well now I have to make something in crazy quilting to match this and of course paint my toe nails in preperation for standing on this the first time!
I entered this give away only because I hadn't seen Kim's Gnome table runner in her posts and wanted to make sure she hadn't put it aside in the unfinished project bin. Maybe it was Gnome dust???
Kim, from http://calamitykim.typepad.com/calamity_kim/, offered a 36 x 24 hand tufted 100% wool rug, make in India. The Rug Company is: http://www.csnrugs.com/ . Now click on the link and go check out all the beautiful rugs...and they are having a Sale right now!
I WON! Can you believe that? I can't believe it!
Well now I have to make something in crazy quilting to match this and of course paint my toe nails in preperation for standing on this the first time!
If you haven't visited Kim's blog take a run over and enjoy her blog. She IS an artist. I enjoy everything she makes. She never makes just your plain jane and I've come to expect the unusual from her. She makes me smile! Today....she put Stars in my eyes! Thanks Kim & Thanks CSN Rug Company!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Sunday, work and play
After reading the blog of a friend yesterday, http://keepyouinstitches.blogspot.com/, and seeing her wonderful oatmeal cookies, I remembered I needed to use up a lot of chocolate before the heat hits, if that ever happens. Last night it fell to 39, not what you would call melting weather.
Once that was out of the way I started on sewing machine covers for a Christmas swap I am having. I never realized how many different sizes of machines there are. I am making 6 of these covers. Not one is the size the cover calls for and not any of them are the same size! I just hope they all end up fitting the machines after I adjusted the pattern so many times.
I was very lucky in getting washable cotton velvet in almost the same colors as the pattern shows. I did go for a darker brown on the cat for more contrast.
Once that was out of the way I started on sewing machine covers for a Christmas swap I am having. I never realized how many different sizes of machines there are. I am making 6 of these covers. Not one is the size the cover calls for and not any of them are the same size! I just hope they all end up fitting the machines after I adjusted the pattern so many times.
I was very lucky in getting washable cotton velvet in almost the same colors as the pattern shows. I did go for a darker brown on the cat for more contrast.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Finished- Second Pay it forward gift
If you read my post you know no one signed up for my pay it forward so I picked 3 people to send gifts too. The first one was Barbie clothes for Katelyn. I've just finished the second gift that I will be sending out soon. I'll be glad to get the last one done.
Place mats
Reversible back side
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Thank you Wendy for the Fabric's
Today the box came from Wendy over at http://farmhouseaccessories.blogspot.com/, my win from Sewmamasew's give away day.
Forty years ago I bought a decons bench to keep by the front door and house my 4 kids hats, gloves and bookbags. I still love this bench that now serves as a place for fabric storage. A few months ago I purchased a nice piece of Maple to replace the seat. The project plan is to refinish the bench and after replacing the wood seat, make a cushion for the bench.
Orange is my least favorite color but Wendy sent a very heavy mohair fabric in pale peach along with a light weight fabric. I think I will line the light fabric with batting and use both fabrics for the bench and pillows to pull it together in the livingroom. She also sent wonderful trims that will make the pillows stand out!
Thanks Wendy! I'll put it all to good use!
Friday, June 5, 2009
Sewing Machine Meme
This is Sewing Machine Month on Sewmamasew's site. 
This is my Sewing Machine Meme.
What brand and model do you have?
What factors do you think are important to consider when looking for a new machine?
Do you have a dream machine?
This is my Sewing Machine Meme.
What brand and model do you have?
I have a Viking 150E, Singer 301A & Euro Pro that are my main machines, but I also have older singers and a cheap serger I use all the time.
How long have you had it?
I've had the Viking since 1992, Singer since 1958 & Euro Pro since 2000. These were all new purchases.
How much does that machine cost (approximately)?
I think the Viking was about $400.00, the Euro Pro about $150.00 and I have no idea what the Singer cost.
What types of things do you sew (i.e. quilting, clothing, handbags, home dec projects, etc.)?
Yep! I sew all of those things.
How much do you sew? How much wear and tear does the machine get?
I am retired & disabled, pretty much a shut in most of the time. Sewing is my life now. I sew everyday. My machines only get to rest if I am reading pattern instructions or cutting out fabric!
Do you like/love/hate your machine? Are you ambivalent? Passionate? Does she have a name?
I LOVE my machines. They make me smile when I look at them. We have been wonderful friends for many years. No real names. The Viking is my "good" machine, the Singer "the work horse".
What features does your machine have that work well for you?
My Viking has the best button hole maker. It also does the nicest satin stitch. The Singer just keeps sewing through anything I offer it. The Euro Pro has a walking foot that came with it. This was a cheap up grade for the extra's not offered on my Viking. It has served the purpose well.
Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine?
Nope, I really love my machines!
Do you have a great story to share about your machine (i.e., Found it under the Christmas tree? Dropped it on the kitchen floor? Sewed your fingernail to your zipper?, Got it from your Great Grandma?, etc.!)? We want to hear it!
I was introduced to sewing in 7th/8th grade. After spending the first year learning the machine, the 8th grade girls set out to make their graduation dresses. I spent many days after school working on my dress. My graduation gift was the Singer 301A slant needle.
That's me sitting at the machine by the teacher
8th grade graduation dress
Here is my wonderful 301, still doing a fine job today! I do have a 221, the machine quilters brag about if they have one, but the 301 is a much better machine because it is gear driven.
The first major project on my Singer was my prom dress
The 301 sewed everything in my life for the next 34 years, without ever needing repairs!
In 1992 when my grandchildren began to arrive in the world I wanted to advance to zig zag and a better way to do smocking and button holes. The Consumer report rated the Viking as #1 so that's the one I bought. I was in heaven!
In 2000 I had an accident. That ended my years of working and allowed me more time to sew. I couldn't afford to upgrade my Viking but I really needed a walking foot so I bought the Euro Pro. It was cheap and came with lots of feet, including the walking foot.
In 2000 I had an accident. That ended my years of working and allowed me more time to sew. I couldn't afford to upgrade my Viking but I really needed a walking foot so I bought the Euro Pro. It was cheap and came with lots of feet, including the walking foot.
There really isn't just one story to tell. I can connect items in photos to my sewing experiences all through my life. My children grew up in flannel gowns, my grand children in sweat suits. Every wedding photo or party dress carries it's own sewing memory.
Would you recommend the machine to others? Why?
Would you recommend the machine to others? Why?
I sit behind the latest Viking Model every few years. The "test drive" isn't any different for me then if I were sitting behind the wheel of a Corvette, it's the same thrill! If I could buy a new machine, it would be the Viking with all the whistles! My Viking has a story. It was the new model 600. Sewers demanded the 150 return so off came the 600 tag and it was replaced with the 150E tag, a better E-lectric pedal. I think it must be another gem of machines, just like the 301 was. How lucky can a girl get! I own both!
What factors do you think are important to consider when looking for a new machine?
Do you have a dream machine?
A new machine needs to meet YOUR needs and YOUR budget. I no longer have "New machine dreams", but I am looking for a refurbished Viking up grade with lots more fancy stitches and embroidery.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
A Win, A gift & some special carvings!
I'm so behind because of the cold, damp weather we are having. The report for the next 15 days doesn't go above 75 with cold nights and lots of rain. This is just not good weather for someone with Rhuematoid Arthritis.
I wanted to post about my win on the SewMamaSew day. Over at http://farmhouseaccessories.blogspot.com/ She asked for stories about aprons. If you have followed my blog you have seen the tiny aprons I am making. Recently the aprons brought about a very nice day at the nursing home. So this is what I posted and I WON!
"I recently found a Simplicity pattern for tiny old fashioned aprons to be used as ornaments. First I turned them into pin cushions, barbie aprons, recipe holder, etc.One day I was going to the nursing home to visit and needed something to take along to put a smile on the ladies faces. The gift of the day was bottles of hand lotion. I quickly sewed elastic on the little aprons and slid them on the bottles.The sweetest thing happened. A little old gentleman turned down the glass case offered to the men and asked for an apron because it reminded him of his mother. The stories of his mother & her apron flowed for the next 2 hours and kept everyone entertained, many jumped in with a story of their own. I learned an apron is not just an apron, but a world of memories!"
I won a box of non quilting fabric and beautiful trims. Since this story doesn't really belong to me, but to the fellow in the home, I decided I owed him a nice lap quilt and set out to find some nice blues, perfect for a gentleman.
This brings me to today's mail. My friend Tom, http://quiltingandcarving.blogspot.com/, sent me the most wonder package today. He must have an inside line with the fellow at the nursing home!
Just perfect for this lap quilt, of course, I think I'll add a little red!
I had put in an order with Tom for some special carvings for my Christmas bags. I thought he would just screw in a hanger on some ark animals and that would be that. I should have known better. These are the smallest little animals. Just perfect for a tiny tree! It's just so exciting to have these special gifts for some pretty special people! Thanks so much for this wonderful box. It certainly made my day!
I wanted to post about my win on the SewMamaSew day. Over at http://farmhouseaccessories.blogspot.com/ She asked for stories about aprons. If you have followed my blog you have seen the tiny aprons I am making. Recently the aprons brought about a very nice day at the nursing home. So this is what I posted and I WON!
"I recently found a Simplicity pattern for tiny old fashioned aprons to be used as ornaments. First I turned them into pin cushions, barbie aprons, recipe holder, etc.One day I was going to the nursing home to visit and needed something to take along to put a smile on the ladies faces. The gift of the day was bottles of hand lotion. I quickly sewed elastic on the little aprons and slid them on the bottles.The sweetest thing happened. A little old gentleman turned down the glass case offered to the men and asked for an apron because it reminded him of his mother. The stories of his mother & her apron flowed for the next 2 hours and kept everyone entertained, many jumped in with a story of their own. I learned an apron is not just an apron, but a world of memories!"
I won a box of non quilting fabric and beautiful trims. Since this story doesn't really belong to me, but to the fellow in the home, I decided I owed him a nice lap quilt and set out to find some nice blues, perfect for a gentleman.
This brings me to today's mail. My friend Tom, http://quiltingandcarving.blogspot.com/, sent me the most wonder package today. He must have an inside line with the fellow at the nursing home!
Just perfect for this lap quilt, of course, I think I'll add a little red!
I had put in an order with Tom for some special carvings for my Christmas bags. I thought he would just screw in a hanger on some ark animals and that would be that. I should have known better. These are the smallest little animals. Just perfect for a tiny tree! It's just so exciting to have these special gifts for some pretty special people! Thanks so much for this wonderful box. It certainly made my day!
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