Coming Clean

It took the poor cleaning lady six hours...

...but our house is ready to show. We listed it on Saturday, 15 minutes before our first showing. In fact, the cleaning lady was still at work when the potential buyers came. Above is the dining room. Here's the living room.

One of the things we had to "come clean" about was all the issues we've had with the house, from squirrels digging up the driveway to the winter snow shearing the solar panels off the roof. We had to disclose all of that to potential buyers.

I'm almost afraid to use the kitchen now, it's so clean.

The cleaning lady did such a good job, though,I'm almost feeling as if I were in an episode of "Love it or List it," and I love it. I do miss all the stuff from my fiber studio, though.

The guest room looks lovely with Joanie's quilts and pillows on the bed.

The EverSewn Sparrow 15 arrived on schedule on Monday. Vroni was so anxious to get it out of the box,  I caught her struggling with the scissors. (The Sparrow 15 is available from Connecting Threads with free shipping.)

Those were much too big, so I had to help.

Mandy will read the instructions to Vroni, and I think it's so easy to use, Vroni won't have any trouble. I'll be reviewing the machine in this and upcoming blog posts as I have experience with it. The first thing I made with it was a new curtain for the downstairs bathroom.

Here's the machine with the tool compartment removed, which you would do if you needed to sew around a sleeve cuff. (Of course, they assume you're making clothes for normal human beings, not dolls, but I may find a use for this ability.) I really like that the accessories fit inside the machine, in this little compartment, so they don't get lost.

I also like that it has a built-in handle, a great feature, since it doesn't have a case, just a dust cover (with a hole in it for the handle, so it may not be such a great dust cover).

I wanted to disguise the (in my humble opinion) ugly glass bricks and mortar without blocking the light from the window, so I picked a very thin eyelet fabric. I like to baste along 1/4" from the edge when I'm going to hem something, so it's easy to fold over and press the right amount of fabric. I had a go with the needle and settings the machine came with, and it just gathered the fabric. I looked in the book, and found two possible solutions on the trouble-shooting page. I could either change the needle or change the pressure for the presser foot. I thought the latter was easier to start with, so I gave that a try. It worked like a charm. When I finished making the curtain, I reset to the original pressure.

Next I decided to try it out on flannel fabric to make pajamas for Jolena.

That also went well, including using the zigzag function to finish the edges of the seams. However, I did encounter a problem, at least it was for me. I couldn't figure out and remember which dial was for stitch width and which was for stitch length. I may put a sticker on the length dial, just until I remember.

Two other things I found mildly negative. The black foot pedal is difficult to see under the table. (I have the same problem with my Featherweight. I may have to put a glow strip on it. Until then, I'll just have to continue to feel around with my foot.

The other thing is the command to turn off the machine to thread it. Turning off the machine turns off the light, so that's a no-go. I promise not to push down on the foot pedal when I'm threading. On the other hand, turning off the switch turns off the machine as well as the light, instead of just the light, as with many of the older machines. They still recommend unplugging the machine if you aren't actively sewing. My solution is to use a power strip, which can be turned on and off, saving wear and tear on the plug.

I have the pajama top almost finished, but had to put it away to do other things. It isn't urgent, because it's too warm for it right now, but I want to finish it soon, because it's a good test for the machine.

All these girls need sleep masks, because their eyes don't close. I used fleece, because it doesn't need hemming. I used ribbon that ties in the back and trimmed it with lace. Jolena was very grateful.

She was able to sleep much better, especially among Joanie's quilts.

I wanted to try sewing on a stretchier fabric, so it was a good opportunity. Sewing on the fleece was easy, and I was able to use the zigzag function to sew the lace around the edge. I found the free pattern here, but there are other patterns available.

I have put the Elna away until we're ready to move. The sewing machine repair people told me not to transport it in the cabinet. It should be laid on its back to move. The outer box for the Sparrow 15 will be perfect for it, with lots of packing material.

I'm using the closed cabinet to put my Sparrow 15 on for the time being. I don't have a spare table that's sturdy enough, and I had to make the dining room look pretty.

We had an expensive and scary time Monday night. Rocky, who will be 14 in August, started having very messy and unpleasant digestive problems about 8:30 PM. (I won't describe the symptoms, but I'm sure you get the picture. We took him down to the 24-hr. veterinary hospital we have used before, a 40 minute drive. The vet there recommended X-rays, which were negative. She said he might need blood work and an MRI if the symptoms continued. He was given an injection and sent home with medication. I slept on the living room floor with Rocky all night Monday, just in case he needed something. He wasn't allowed any water, but he kept asking, so I didn't get much sleep. However, the old guy bounced back and had no further symptoms. In fact, he was so much better by Wednesday that we kept our scheduled appointment with the groomer. We have no idea what caused it, but we do have squirrels who keep their stash in our wilderness, so he may have found some peanuts and seeds.

Vintage Stitchers met on Thursday at a coffee shop. Most people were working on appliqué projects you've seen before,

It has been a while since I've offered some cuteness, so here's a double dose this week. Miss Daphne and Bella, who desperately needs a sleep mask. In fact I might make two, one for Daphne and one for Bella. (You can't tell, but Bella is wearing to bed that funny black hat she arrived in.)

As if that isn't enough, here's our younger son with his two boys and his nephew.

The second story in The Doll's Storybook came out on Friday. You can find it here. Feel free to share with anyone who has children who might enjoy a good story about dolls.

Carpet shampooing in the fiber studio/bonus room is next. I hope the carpet is coming clean, too.

Happy Independence Day, if you're in the US!

What's on my needles: Still the Kisu Cardigan for Jolena and the Coastal Skies shawl. Not much knitting done this week.

What's on my Sparrow 15: Some doll clothes. Using them to practice some of the functions of the new machine.

What's in my hoop: Still the Spring Flowers quilt, no progress done this week.

What's on my wheel: Stanzi is still in hibernation. 

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Still listening to The Secret Book & Scone Society by Ellery Adams. Not much time to listen this week.

What's in my wine glass: Charles Shaw (Two-buck Chuck) Pinot Grigio, in honor of my dear friend Joanie, whose celebration of life was held Saturday, so while the cleaning lady was working on my house, I was with other friends of hers, sharing stories of all the fun we had with her. Pinot Grigio was her favorite. I hope they're serving it in Heaven. Joanie, I lift my glass to you!

What's my tip of the week: Like English cucumber but find it gets squishy before you’re done with it? Take off the plastic right away. Wrap the cucumber in a paper towel and store in a plactic bag.

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals or dolls were harmed during the production of this blog post.