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SIZE MATTERS — for Sewing Equipment, that is!

Many people have asked me what type of sewing machine I use.  In order to obtain the sturdy construction that I require on our bags, I use heavy-duty industrial machinery — the kind that will sew through your finger if you let it — and heavy-weight nylon thread.

Industrial sewing machine for Tapestry purses

My main sewing machine is an Industrial Juki DU-141 Walking Foot.  The walking foot moves the top layer of fabric while the feed dogs at the bottom push the bottom fabric. This prevents wrinking, bunching, stretching and all sorts of nasty seam stuff.  (Is this TMI — too much information?)

I also have a second Juki DU-141 that is set up with a binder attachment.  It’s probably overkill, but we bind all the seams in our purses.  This makes a nice finished interior with no zipper ends sticking out to snag anything and no possibility of fraying.  I like it that way!
Probably one of my major accomplishments in life is that I taught my husband how to use the machine with the binder attachment and now he does all the binding.  It only took me two years!  Really, though, the machines are not that easy to learn.  They have a power foot pedal that will run away with you unless you are gentle with it!  My husband is better with tractors and engines.  The words “machine” and “gentle” are not used in the same sentence in his language.
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Shelby, Mhelby, Ahelby, Bhelby – a cute story

When 5-year-old granddaughter Shelby was learning her letters and their sounds, she hadn’t yet grasped the concept of sounding out individual letters to make a word.  But she did know that her name had the letters S-h-e-l-b-y.  She also knew that Mommy’s name started with an “M”, that sister Avery’s name started with an “A”, and that sister Bailey’s name started with a “B”.  So one day she made name plates from scrap foam in Grandpa’s shop.

name plates
Shelby’s name plates

She wrote the letters that made up a name – S-h-e-l-b-y — and then wrote other “names” starting with M or A or B.  She thought that all names have the same ending letters — h-e-l-b-y and that only the first letter changed!

Is that cute or what?!!
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Three Ways to Maintain Suitcase Sanity

In general, I am a stay-at-home kind of person.  Most people love to travel, take cruises, tour and go places, but not me!  So the prospect of a road trip from Colorado to Houston left me cold.  A different motel almost every night … hauling my bags and the dog in and out … wondering where I put this or that … no, thanks.  But, the opportunity to visit family won in the end and away I went — with my husband driving and the dog in the back seat.

I did manage to keep sanity in my travel bag by using two Packing Cubes and one Packing Tube to organize my stuff.  It eliminated my rummaging through the bag looking for lost items.  Nothing was lost!!

packing aids
Three Stress-saver Packing Aids

The first Packing Cube is stuffed with lingerie…ten days worth.  I always knew where the clean undies were and I found that very comforting.

I put rolled-up  socks in the Packing Tube.  It was easy to find the color I needed.
The second Packing Cube kept my robe, nightie and bedside items.  This was incredibly handy!  I had my alarm clock, mini flashlight, lotions and aspirin all in the same bag.  Best of all, it was separate from other things and it was all there when I needed it!
Traveling for me is disconcerting, to say the least.  However, being organized saved my sanity.  And now that we are home again, I admit that I really really enjoyed the trip.  It’s a good exercise to expand out of my normal comfort zone and experience not only the joy of being with family, but the beauty of the scenery and the kindness of strangers.  I’ve now viewed the Gulf,  petted a stringray, and got introduced to a seawall at Galveston.  Not the typical experience for a Colorado farmgirl!