Posture moves

5 Must - Do Moves for Better Posture

Clothing patterns

I had some patterns in my sewing room under the stairs.

I had two boxes in the attic.

My husband went through the boxes from the attic out on the drive way.

If ever there were nesting mice in the attic, that is where they would have been.

No mice. No bugs. No dust.

They were in good boxes.

All the seventies and eighties and nineties women's clothing patterns went in recycling.

I kept all the nursing clothes patterns as well as all the Halloween costumes and kids' patterns.





What prompted the pattern clean out was my search for my original Christmas tree skirt pattern.

I knew one specific pattern piece would give me the right curve for the outside edge of my pie wedges (on the tree skirts I am making now).

I found the pattern and the piece.

It was very helpful.

I am going to draft my own pattern and take it to a local glass company to have it cut out of plastic. It will be my own rotary ruler, the perfect size and shape.





It took a deep breath to put dozens of patterns in the recycling bin.

I cannot picture clothes sewing ever again (other than nursing tops or dresses for one of the girls, kids clothes or Halloween costumes). BUT even if I do sew clothes again for some weird reason, it would not be with those patterns. I would get contemporary patterns.

As I packed a bin with the keepers, my husband very happily packed the rejects in the recycling bin. I was able to get all patterns, including some three ring binders with quilting stuff in one organized bin.  That cleaned one whole cubbie from my sewing room under the stairs.





And middle sorted the mess that is our bead bin. It moved into a bigger bin, is all together and organized.

And my husband moved all middle's children's books to the massive cupboards under the counter in the studio. Very good place to store them until she needs them. Books take up about 2/3 of that space.

My color friend took two of my old sewing machines. She has the exact same one. So now my two are parts for her one. That way her beloved one will keep going indefinitely. (They no longer make the parts for old metal machines, you have to selvage parts from other old machines, kind of like cars in Cuba.) I was so glad to send those machines to a good home where they will be useful.

Quilting in the days of the Internet

I had just realized this, then my color friend commented this week too.

It used to be that we had to buy inspiration.

Quilt guild/club memberships, quilt magazine subscriptions, entry into quilt shows, quilt books, quilt workshops.

Now all we have to do is plug key words into Google search engine and then click on "images".

One patch quilts, baby quilts, simple quilts are some of my recent searches.

I take screen shots. I bookmark pages. I sign up for email notifications of quilt blogs I enjoy.

My iPad was not free. But all my searches are very free.

It is just entirely different than it was.

Shocking amount of pictures, inspiration, details. I can look in my pajamas, falling asleep, each night. I do not have to go anywhere. I do not have to get off track by guild/club charity projects or other people's priorities. (This is a real issue.) I can have my own focus.

Follow ups

Here (below) is the next to the last Angel #6. (Working on last one #7.)  I have enjoyed them all.
http://baby-steps-v.blogspot.com/search?q=Angel&max-results=20&by-date=true
But on the seventh, nearly ready to move on, not actually tired of them, the ease of the same moves has made the multiples positive, so through to the very last one, it has been enjoyable. I stopped after the sixth (below) and put the floss/skeins from the first six away so I do not have a big clean up at the end. Very smart. It took over an hour.

Our driveway this weekend and First Christmas Tree Skirt

Our main two cars are in garage. College girt's boyfriend's car is on street. Middle's boy is last one in driveway. Then middle. Then two cars of our friends who are in Florida and arriving back here tomorrow.

Here was the first post on the tree topic.

Here is the finished product, under a tree.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? Be very honest.

Tracy Anderson

People tend to either love Tracy or not.

I personally like the fact that she does not talk a lot.

I like the fact that she is dance oriented.

I have done most of her moves in classes. 

So, I am familiar.

I do the videos with her, I keep them playing.

(I do not pause and do it solo like I do with other videos). 

If you are new, start very, very slowly. 

And in everything I do, I suck in my gut and hold it firm to protect my lower back.
I do not arch my back.

I keep my shoulders down and back.
Controlled moves, no swinging.
If something does not feel right, don't do it 
(thinking of lower back and shoulders specifically).

I warm up, cool down, and stretch.

This is a Tracy Anderson arm only video.
Brenda found it a long time ago. We both really liked it.

http://youtu.be/I27ybiXgKck

(The music on this one will not play on my iPad, FYI.)
And her movements are very controlled. Be careful not to swing your arms. 

Again, me personally, I do my regular free weight work, using 5 and 8 pound weights, 

and then I do one if these short videos, switching to 2-3 lb weights, with already fatigued muscles.

ADDED LATER-
Another good set is to write the alphabet, in the air in front of you, one arm at a time, holding a light weight, big movements. One arm at a time, through all sets - upper case and then lower case. Then switch arms. Need more? Upper case printed, lower case printed, upper case cursive, lower case cursive. Keep arm up/shoulder height. This is surprisingly effective.



This next set I do as a stand alone workout.

(If you love the clips listed below, they are available on a DVD on Amazon, it is called her mat workout, I think. This (links below) is a good way to try her. I have no idea if the whole video is on the bootleg copies below.). 

Warm up

http://youtu.be/GAqmg3oZ5Qs

2.1 legs

http://youtu.be/aOfduIreS48

2.2 legs

http://youtu.be/5TD3Ux-KWmI

3 abs

http://youtu.be/5TD3Ux-KWmI

(FYI This one is hard to follow and tends to get bad reviews)

ADDED LATER - here is a standing abs class with explanation:
http://youtu.be/lDmouHToqf8

4 arms

http://youtu.be/4dQOBbLnk7o

5 arms

http://youtu.be/ExbZe7N-yFo

6 legs and abs

http://youtu.be/IjqIdOngjWA

7 cool down

http://youtu.be/Kuh8CM9-k5I

(I do major stretching after the cool down.)

I have to stare at them for a while

I sewed the skinny wedges into a Christmas Tree Skirt using the 1-3-1-3-1-3-1 etc layout. I serged and stitched all the pieces together. It was very quick. Hemming it with double fold bias tape was very simple. The wedges do something a little odd in the center that makes me think of a broom handle skirt (which I have never made, but somehow knew the term). I am going to have my husband get the big tree out if the attic. I think I have to see this one under a tree before I proceed with any additional skirts. I will take pictures

Meanwhile, my color friend and I picked out colors for last two cross stitch angels and I am finishing those this week. Yeah!

And my color friend gave me a pile of green and pink fabric (left side of picture). I bought two pieces of flannel (right side of picture) for backing. Everything in that picture is very happy together. Very. So right now I am staring at the grouping, waiting for it to speak to me. So far, I think I am hearing whispers of triangles (half square triangles). Lots of great designs can be made from triangles. They are very, very simple and easy to mass produce. These prints and colors will work well in those types of designs. I think I may have a couple similar pieces of fabric in my bins. So I think I am going to play a little game called sew baby girl quilts until the piles are gone. I know I can get at least two quilts out of stack on the right, maybe three (I will happily buy more flannel backing). It will be very amusing if I end up with five or six baby quilts from that pile. It is very unlike me to make girl quilts. I lean toward masculine side of gender neutral. I will be pinked out by the time I am done, but will then have a good stash of baby girl quilts.

The two Angels on the lighter background. These are numbers 4 and 5.

These 2 needed outlining for the hands and feet to show. I have never done outlining. So I did not know, my friend suggested. I listen well.

The star color had to be two shades darker than the other Angels, to show.

I used the cheek color, in the lines on the wings, for those to show. My friend suggested that, I never would have thought of it. Again. I listen well.

Two Angels left, both on the darker 10 count fabric. I have to run over to my friends to have her pick clothes fabric. I have the rest of the things (face, hair, wings, stars, doves) already complete, so those two will go quickly once I have the colors.

Christmas Tree Skirts - what do you think?

ADDED LATER - found pictures of some wedged Christmas Tree Skirts.

This was the first one, made many years ago for my mother. The picture shows it folded in half. It is regular cotton fabric. She has a small tree, so this is a small skirt.

My husband (and I think oldest) does not care for the point ends. I like them on this small skirt where there are just a few. I am not at all sure I would like a lot of them on a large skirt with lots of narrow wedges. What do you think?

Here is the fabric I collected for this round of Christmas Tree Skirts. These are all upholstery weight. (I added more after this picture was taken.)

First of all, I would like to note that these wedges are too narrow. I ordered a rotary ruler to make cutting easier. I did not realize how narrow these strips were in comparison to my mother's (above). When she dug out her skirt (above) for me to compare, I realized the error of my ways. However, since these pieces are all cut, the first skirt is going to use them. Future skirts will be wider strips.

My husband came to lend his eye and told me it was too chaotic looking. He was right.

He told me to keep the ends straight and make a traditional round skirt (not the pointy ends like my mom's quilt) for this one, for sure.

This is the next try (at layout). I cut more of the lightest strip and placed them every fourth piece. Better. (Yes, this picture is out of focus. I didn't realize it until I saw it full size here. I was standing on a slipper chair with one foot on the arm for balance, holding my iPad out as far as I could over the floor. It is a wonder they are not all out of focus. Sorry.)

The lightest strip is now every third piece and the three/between pieces now follow a blue - green - red pattern. It is all about the eye having somewhere to "go", in my opinion.

The strips on the top of the picture are every other one with the light strip. The bottom half the picture shows the every three variation. 

I think one of these is the best option. Sometimes I look at it and think one is best, then I look again and change my mind.

Which do you prefer?

And do you like this skirt in general?

Pleased to get it as a wedding gift? 

Baby quilts

ADDED LATER - when I am trying to remember, yes, I machine wash these in cool water on gentle cycle, then hang them over dirty clothes/plastic bins to air dry for several days. I do not zip them in plastic just in case there is still moisture (they would mold).


Middle called on Sunday with a baby shower date. And sent me a link to the (baby) registry.

I am still not used to babies coming with a color palate and a theme. The colors here were light yellow, gray, white and very light green.

Honestly, not colors I normally use.

I dug through my stash for the lightest kids prints I had.

Then I looked for the lightest color I had for the plain blocks. Not really anything.

And no working color flannel for the backing.

I took what I gathered over to my color friend, we put our heads together and decided butter yellow (a red based yellow vs a green based yellow) was the best bet. She had a couple tiny pieces I could use as a guide.

I went to the fabric store with a plan. And I found yellows that pleased me and a flannel backing that really pleased me.

So the print blocks are the very lightest I had. And you can see that by going with an even lighter yellow between them, they pop. I am in the habit of setting colors in diagonal rows. Here there are green rows, white rows, blue rows and yellow rows. (Even if you do not realize they are diagonal rows, it gives your eye/mind somewhere to go.)

And this is a pairs quilt. There are two of each block, so can play a matching game with them.

The backing is monkeys on a gray background. The binding is white with gray dots. 

 These are 5" cut, 4 1/2" finished squares. 13 x 9 rows. I cut the binding at 2 1/4".

I sewed the squares into rows and then sandwiched the backing and white flannel, I was using as batting, together. I then sewed the rows to the backing/batting in a quilt as you go manner. After all the rows were added, I went back and stitched in the ditch vertically and also cross hatched the whole thing. I used light gray thread for everything. Binding, the hand sewing part, is very hard on my hands. I put this binding on totally by machine.

Here (below) is the quilt I made for another new baby last year.
Same size blocks/quilt.

Help please - Fitbit???

Middle is considering a Fitbit.

I know very little other than tracking sleep (which would be good for her), steps, and exercise.

My first question is - does it tell time like a watch, can it replace a watch?

My second question is - which version of Fitbit (considering wearing it like a watch, a small one which is not too big in her wrist)?

Yes, she does have an iPhone. I think that is what it syncs with, yes?

Tell me everything else you know please.

ADDED LATER:
Alta looks like it would be THE one. Do you agree?

Apartment insurance

Somehow we did not think of this when Middle moved into her apartment last fall.

In my defense, I (vaguely, in the very back of my mind) thought she was covered under our homeowners insurance.

I thought I remembered oldest needing renters insurance and getting a letter from our insurance that he was still covered under ours because he was still in college.

Either I am remembering wrong or things have changed, because middle is not covered under ours. (They did say that if she was on university property, she was still covered, but the apartments oldest was in were not university property either, so I am not sure what I am remembering. And every insurance company may be different, should always check.)

I honestly did not think seriously enough about her apartment, because we should have checked with our insurance agent. We were negligent.

No, nothing happened, no fire/flood/theft, but a conversation on her fish tanks and the possible damage they could cause sparked the need. The fact that her apartment contents are valuable (kitchen stuff, clothes, shoes, art supplies, etc) stressed the need, when we sat down and thought about it.

So my husband took care of it, first thing, the next day, after we realized.

I did have renters insurance, long ago, living in apartments. I think the apartments all required it.

It is smart, it is a reasonable price.

I mended for four hours straight on Saturday afternoon

 I think it was four pairs of jeans for middle's boy. I reinforced four back pockets. I mended two or three knees. I mended one thigh. I fixed almost all of the hems/slits up pant legs. I fixed one belt loop.

The pile that is closer is jeans to be mended. The pile that is further is saved hems and legs out of old jeans that I use as patches. There can be a very big hole in a knee, on a pair that is no longer worn, and the whole back side of the leg is still very strong, perfect for a patch.

This first one is a torn belt loop. Not only is the belt loop hanging loose, there is a hole where the loop was attached.

Here it is mended from the outside.

Mended from the inside.

Mended inside from distance. 

I fixed many, many torn hems. I only took a picture of the worst one.

Before.

After from the outside.

After from the inside. Notice I did not take the patch all the way to the bottom of the hem. That would have been too much thickness for my machine. Instead I butted it up against the hem. And notice I doubled up/folder over the patch at the bottom. I also sewed around and around the orginal hem to further reinforce. Straight stitch and zigzag, around and around.

R.A.D.

Rape Aggression Defense.

You might remember middle took this class about four years ago.

Youngest is taking it soon.

Here is the website to see if it is located in your area.

I think several of youngest's friends are taking it with her.

The response of youngest and the friends was pretty much - hell, yeah, we want to pound on somebody.

(They practice/beat on a heavily padded guy. Middle loved it, maybe a little too much, she wanted to come home and practice on her dad. He was not willing.)

Youngest might actually be a beast in this class. And as I write that I am wondering if she should have taken martial arts classes. If they offer that as gym option in college, my guess is that would be for her.

Middle's first boy, long ago, was taekwondo instructor. Two black belts at that time, I think. She did not take classes, but went with him one time for fun. And she chopped a board in half with one whack. She still has it.






And I remembered I ordered two books for Middle as part of this RAD process -

The Gift of Fear and Other Survival Signals that Protect Us From Violence
by Gavin de Becker

Protecting the Gift: Keeping Children and Teenagers Safe (and Parents Sane)
by Gavin de Becker

Angel update

NOTE - I shoved several posts back in time this week, lumping two exercise ones in one day and two cooking ones together in another day, and moving everything back in time.


Angels -

Reminder - these are the cross stitch stockings middle requested, she has seen them, I am doing the cross stitch part and then putting away to finish for future grand kids.

Three are finally done. Two of them had darker stars that did not show, I unsewed those and redid in lighter thread color. I don't think you have seen the curlie cues on any of them. One of those was in too light of purple and I unsewed and redid those too.

In this picture, both the star colors show, but in real life the darker star color on the far right did not show.

Three with the cross stitch part finally finished!
(I was almost finished before I realized they had feet.)
Really pleased with all the colors.
Four more (Angels) to go. All four are in progress.
Then on to snowmen and  Santa's. I think I am going to do two or three of each because I now really understand it is fast to do multiples at the same time. And that means I will go back and make more of the reindeer too. Still doing a very good job of spacing this out, many days off, so I limit the stress on my hands, no issues of any kind so far.

Muscle relief

Sore Muscles? 8 Tips to Ease the Pain.