The Super Duper "Not so Big" Rod Pocket Incident

These are utility room curtains in progress.

They're going in a west window so 
they needed to be lined in order to

survive the hot Texas summer sun.

Minus the lining, this is a very simple curtain.

Actually, even with the lining, they're simple.

For normal people.

Did you know projects like this require math?
Sure do.

Math and I do not get along.

Nor do I want to get along with it!

I decided after I made the top sleeve for the rod that it'd be nice to have some fabric sticking up above the rod. 

I knew that the sleeve I created was rather wide so I could merely stitch a line lengthwise through the middle of that sleeve to make two sections--one at the top for sticking up and one just below it for the rod.

Wouldn't that look quite spiffy?

With this in mind, I checked the rod box for the diameter which was 3/4 of an inch. I figured that since the sleeve was rather big and the rod a mere 3/4 of an inch, I could make the rod sleeve/pocket about 1-1/4 inches and that would leave a sufficient amount sticking up at the top.

No measuring and/or math required.

After creating the lovely little rod pocket, 

I discovered that it was exactly that! 

LOVELY but LITTLE

as in

TOO LITTLE!
UGH!

Hubby advised me that I should have measured around the rod because the fabric takes up space when it wraps around it.

Measure?

Around?

Space?

What am I?
NASA

I just wanted this to be over so I decided to forget the "sticking up" fabric that my heart so desired. 

Instead, I'd just rip that line of stitching out and let these curtains hang from the top!

Hi Ho, Hi Ho,

off to seam rip I go!

Later, I needed more of hubby's math help but I'll skip the details of that mini adventure. 

You're welcome!

After lots of stress and fretting, 
the curtains were complete! 

I blissfully inserted one of the curtain 
panels onto the smaller end of the rod.

Though it was a bit snug, it worked.

Yes!

Great Joy!

Then, the other panel on the larger end of rod.

Snug indeed but it worked too.
Delight consumed me!
Until...

I attempted to insert one rod into the other.

I could barely slide the smaller side of the rod into the larger side because it made the curtains so BEYOND SNUG that they didn't want to budge!

Even after ripping out the lengthwise stitching line earlier to eliminate the "sticking up" part! I was certain that there was plenty of room in the "big" sleeve!

How could this be?

How could I be that far off?

Did a group of Sicko Sewing Thugs 
break in and altered them as we slept?

I decided to put the rod up in place and then try to slide them farther in until the entire rod reached the necessary length.

I wiggled and jiggled, pushed and pulled, moaned and groaned, and begged and pleaded until alas, success!

Now if I could just distribute the curtains evenly across the rod into their permanent resting place (for now), I would rejoice forevermore! 

Of course, they did not want to budge.

I employed various methods to slide those suckers:

Pliers were first up--Lots of yanking and tugging occurred but it did not move them.

With my knee in my chest and a foot on the wall for leverage, we awkwardly wrestled until I was red in the face and exhausted (which doesn't take much) but no dice!

Surely forceps would work on these babies but that was a bust too!

Finally, I carefully pinned one end of a rope to the curtains and attached the other end to the back of a pick-up truck.

Believe it or not, when I floored the pick-up, those curtains slid right across the rod!

SEE!

I hope I don't ever have to open them!

I just noticed from the pic above, they're the 

exact same length as the cabinet to the right.

I couldn't have done that using math!

It's a happy accident!

All kidding aside, I enjoyed the sewing part of making these curtains but that only lasted a total of about 15 minutes or so (maybe). 

The figuring, measuring, cutting, and stressing took quite a few hours!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Now I'm moving on to a small art quilt which doesn't involve stress or pick-up trucks!

Have a Blessed and Creative Day Y'all!

D~~~~

Table Love

I can't believe that it's been three months since I last posted but life has been happening and, unfortunately, creativity hasn't been a part of it. I am happy to say, however, that is changing!

For the moment, I wanted to share some delightful creativity with you. A new Chick-fil-A opened around the corner about five minutes from our house. 

"Yay," I say!

Aside from the tasty menu, the coolest farmhouse-style table rests in the midst of this wildly popular establishment.

It's a creamy white mixed with brown.

Yummy!

The texture felt smooth yet gently wavy 
when I brushed my hand across the top.
Spectacular!

I am in love with this 

wonderfully-crafted delight!

The brown section wrapped around the 

corner of the table (just below the top) 

is hammered metal, an embellishment 

that adds to the charm.

The tag below is on both ends of the table.

In case you can't read it, it says:

This table was built by artisans from A Better Way Ministries. The materials used were salvaged from unwanted and abandoned homes. The hands that built it belong to a person who also once felt unwanted and abandoned. Love, compassion and grace are powerful tools. www.abetterwayministires.com

You can click the link below 
to visit the ministry's site:

A Better Way Ministries

May your Thanksgiving table be blessed with family, love, and lots of good eats!

D~~~~

Done in the Nick of Time!

I started this table runner way back in the olden days, like maybe April or May. For some reason, or maybe many reasons, I haven't had much ambition to do anything creative since then but I think the times--they are a changin'!  

I'm not sure it'll stay on this 

table but it works for this pic.

I love the happy colors!

 It's the Barber Pole Table Runner pattern

which is on Craftsy and made by 

Sheila Sinclair Snyder at Licensed to Quilt.

I simplified it by making 

straight edges whereas the pattern had 

each section in alternating lengths.  

I'm so happy that I got this spring/summer 

table runner done just in time for fall!

Whew! 

Now I can start on a fall table runner and 

hope to be finished before spring shows up.

Tee-hee! 

Nah, I think I'll skip the table runner thing,

 and finish up some other UFOs instead.

Decision made!

Until Next Time,

May Your Days Be Happy and Bright,

D~~~~

I Spy With My Little Brown Eye...

...at Home Depot in Denton, Texas

Nothing like a little 

VERY CREATIVE 

advertising!

The three bumper stickers read:

Crazy Chicken Lady

I Heart Sewing

WARNING 

This Vehicle Stops At All Garage Sales

I'll bet this lady is a lot of fun!

~~~~~~~~

May Your Day Be Blessed 

With Such Wild Creativity,

D~~~~

Talk About A Barn Quilt

Check out this wonderful barn quilt!

It's from the 

Sunflower Rag Works 

page on Facebook.

Cool stuff!

The quilt is painted on.

I love it!

Do you think that maybe 

quilting goes on inside the barn?

May Your Day Be Blessed With Creativity,

D~~~~~

Line and Repitition

On a recent trip to Indiana,
line and repetition caught my eye.

Legends Restaurant
French Lick, Indiana

The Overlook Restaurant

(It overlooks the Ohio River)

Leavenworth, Indiana

Antique cars on a downtown 

street in French Lick

The historic West Baden Hotel Steps

West Baden Springs, Indiana

Entrance to the West Baden Hotel

A second-floor patio 

at the West Baden Hotel

I guess I'm drawn to line and repetition.

They were all really cool places!

Peace, Line & Repitition,

D~~~~

Easter Cross

When my Mom passed away in July, my sister Sue bought this cross. I want to call it a wreath but I guess technically it's not since it's not a circle. Anyway, Sue told me that after the funeral, she wanted me to have it. Thanks Sue!

I made it into this Easter cross for the front door. You can't tell but there's a tad bit of red on some of the edges of the word Jesus 

which, of course, represents His shed blood.

Maybe it needs more on it.

Maybe not.

But this is the "wreath" for 

now because it's on the door.

I see that I need to fix the right side of it.

Nevertheless, I wish you all a very Happy Easter!

D~~~~

Pillow Power

My dear friend, Faye, just had a birthday. A few weeks ago, she mentioned that she wanted to add a yellow pillow and some yellow and white daisies to her living room.

With that in mind, 

I made this pillow for her.

She loved it!

Mission accomplished.

I had a little leftover fabric and a 

travel pillow that needed a new 

pillowcase so I made one. 

Ms. Travel Pillow will be right at 

home in Wander Woman (our RV).

May your day be Blessed with Creativity

and more!

D~~~~

Chair Recovering~Another Before and After

See these chairs?

With the old, ugly, beat-up fabric?

They go with this table.
It's the worktable where I paint, etc.

They were long overdue for a makeover.

Here are the NEW and IMPROVED
chairs covered in a pretty batik.

They're vibrant and happy now.

The pictures don't do them justice!

Wonderful hubby did 95% of the work.  

He's awesome, don't you agree?

If I were to spill paint on them, it'd 

blend right in! Hopefully, I won't 

do any spilling though.

I love them!

May Your Day Be Blessed With Creativity!

D~~~~

Before & After Studio

In my last post, I was beginning to sort through and re-arrange the studio. I'm pleased to say that the job is now complete.

Let's take a before and after tour.

BEFORE
The Sewing Corner

The two layers of tubs atop the left shelves are mostly full of yarn with the exception of a few. They need to be moved. All that fabric on the four shelves on the right will be moved as well. I'll show you where they end up later.

A closer look at the sewing corner

 

AFTER

Sewing Corner

All the shelves were sorted through, and some 

items were relocated, others were tossed.

With the yarn relocated, this shelf 

mostly houses ribbon and fat quarters--mostly!

My wonderful hubby made this peg board so I could hang all of those embroidery hoops (and more). They have been begging for a home ever since I got my embroidery machine and now they have one. I heard them whisper a happy sigh when they were gently placed on their designated pegs!

BEFORE

Drawing and journaling corner.

Hubby extended the bottom two shelves 

so that the electronics could be moved

and for more space in general.

AFTER

The electronics are directly under the TV now
and out of the way. There's a lot more space.

BEFORE

The painting area next to the door.

And the messy worktable!

AFTER
The worktable was moved out from in front 

of the window, turned, and moved to the corner.

It's much cleaner too.

Take a good gander because it 

may not stay that way for long!

We moved these white shelves to the right to 

make room for the table on that corner wall. 

It made the entire area more spacious.

Oh, and that's sweet Chewy passing through!

The tubs of yarn I mentioned earlier 

are on top the white cabinets.

BEFORE

Inside the cabinets.

The paint & collage cabinet.

 That paint caddy on the 

second shelf has got to go!

The sewing cabinet.

The containers on the top shelves are out of 

there and so is everything on the second shelf!

BEFORE

Both cabinets.

AFTER

I love the change!

The paint caddy (left) is gone and everything 

has been rearranged and pared down. 

The fabric I showed you earlier in the sewing area was moved to the top two shelves in the sewing cabinet (right). Those fabrics are all bigger than fat quarters. The containers that were on those shelves are now on top next to the yarn.

Finally, the desk.

There's no before and after 

because they look similar!

When I finished with getting the room together, 

I was still faced with this mess!

 This pile consists of unfinished projects, new projects and some completed projects. It all amounts to sewing, mending, sanding, painting, collaging, a little of everything.

Here's a broader view.

Some of the items in those plastic 

drawers should be in that pile!

I did get all that stuff sorted.

Here's the evidence--a clean sewing table!

 When I said the room was completed, I lied! 

Can you ever forgive me?

I do have to work on projects 
from the sewing table pile.
In addition, see the file cabinets 
below the sewing table?

They need to be cleaned out.
 So do these top two drawers below!

I'm in no rush to do the file cabinets and 
these drawers but I won't put it off too long.

These plastic drawers are going away too!

As you might imagine, I'm a happy woman! 

May Your Day Be Blessed with Creativity,

D~~~~