Julie Barrett is a freelance writer and photographer based in Plano, TX.

It's A Dirty Job...

Fresh when it gets here from Julie Barrett
Thursday, July 26, 2012


Yes, I have been cleaning and reorganizing, and I have a couple of pictures to prove it. The deed is not finished, but things are looking a lot better.

This is the new and improved sewing area:

sewing_area1.jpg

Note that I new have an embroidery machine! And yes, that's a Steam Cat logo on the hoop. And those are fezzes on top of the cubbies. The fez form (far right) is coming along, but it still needs a little work. 

I still have lots of little fiddly bits to finish, but this is a big improvement. And oh, I'm loving all those little drawers you see at the far right in the rear of the table. I admit it: Paul was right. He told me early on I should get one of those, and I kept resisting. Well, resistance is futile. The cubbies are Closet Maid organizers from Target, on sale this week. That big brass thing? Well, you can't see the top of it. It's a vase we inherited. On top of the vase is a large grid. The proper term is flower frog. I took a couple of plastic tomato stakes I was no longer using, cut them in half, painted them brass, and stuck them in the frog. (Ouch.) They hold spools of ribbon and lace.

Now, the spot where the embroidery machine sits is also work/sewing space, so where does it go when I need the room? Here:

sewing_area2.jpg

Yes, there is room to place one machine or the other there - I checked. 

This nifty cart was purchased at OfficeMax the other day. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth and uttering of swear words involved in its construction. As you can see, the lower drawer is not flush. That's not my mistake in putting it together. The drawer face is too large! The files hold patterns. I'm thinking seriously of getting a file box for that space in order to protect the patterns. I think the box will end up holding more than the rack will, anyway. Why yes, the sewing room is in one end of the dining room, which is part of the kitchen.

Today's fun kitchen problem: smoke!

I stopped at a local thrift store this afternoon looking for wool hats I can use on the blocks we're constructing. I'll end up either using 100% wool felt (as in the white fez above) that I'll dye or ordering wool hoods, but while I'm practicing I'd rather buy cheap 100% wool felt hats and work with them. So why the smoke? I found a very cute velvet pillbox hat. I brought it home removed all the metal bits, and put it in the microwave to sanitize it. Less than 15 seconds later, the oven was filled with smoke. I'd forgotten to remove the combs. They were broken anyway, but the plastic immediately began to smoke. Uh, oops. Spent an hour  in this heat airing the place out to get rid of the smell. And my lungs are not happy.

The lungs are especially not happy since I started the day with the Annual Changing Of The AC Filter. That means cleaning and vacuuming dust out of various areas. And while I was at it, I shut down the AC compressor and hosed down the coils. We have a cottonwood tree in the front yard, and the coils get clogged with fluff. Well, that was special on the lungs.

And after I filled the place with smoke and opened the doors and windows, a fire truck sped down the street. Now, I was very careful not to set off the smoke alarm. So whoever in the neighborhood set off theirs: I hope you guys are okay. 

Back to finishing fiddly bits. I can't wait to get down and sew. And have a drink. I so deserve it. 

Tags: Life

Filed under: Life   Sewing         

 

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