If It's Not One Thing, It's Another

It's been a long time since I was disappointed not to be going to work; but one of my favorite ladies, for whom I work, had to take a trip to the hospital last night.
I just love working in her company. We have a good time. I never know what she will be having me do. We just invent things as she pleases: dishes, refrigerator, mop, laundry, sit and talk, watch a movie she has been wanting to share!
I was up and ready and I always give a courtesy call ahead of heading out.
Her husband answered. I sure hope she is okay.
I was actually disappointed not to be going.
But, being "Ms. Jackie SpoolTeacher of all Trades", many other things were available to fill the schedule. There was the bed skirt to finish...
Another favorite lady who has me clean, had asked me to put a ruffle around her comforter so she wouldn't have to use a dust ruffle. I stated a price I thought I could manage.
When I delivered it today, I told her that if she ever asks me to do that again it will be $150!
I hugged her as I said it. But I really wanted to say, "$250"!
"Reverse engineering" anything is never what you think it will be.
Of course it didn't help that I pinned it on wrong twice. Twice!
The first time sideways. The next time with the raw edge not where I wanted it.
I've been sewing my whole life. Girl needs to get a clue.

And it was miles and miles of ruffle.
Not to mention that I tried two different ways of stitching it on and ripping it out while it was pinned on with the raw edge wrong.
So, already I had:

1. measured the bed,
2. measured the fabric (to figure the best way to cut it)(it was two twin bed sheets she had on hand), 
3. measured and cut the fabric,  
4. french seamed the pieces together, 
5. hemmed the lower edge with a 1/2 " double fold, by hand, on the machine,
6. gathered the upper edge with my ruffler foot, (actually, a gathering foot),
7. double fold hemmed the sides...

I didn't bother to count hours as I had already made the commitment to the price.

She was happy. She said, "It makes it look like a whole new room, now I need new sheer curtains."

It pays to be a perfectionist. It turned out just perfect in length. Perfect. Don't know how I quite managed that. And even though I thought the gathering foot left the fullness a little skimpy, now I can't imagine it being any more full.
Boy, that gathering foot was a lifesaver. I'd be working a month of Sundays had I not remembered I had it.

I did alarm her to be careful of the corner. Can't tell you how many times I have tripped over a dragging coverlet corner. I told her I'd take a tuck or something if it caused her a problem. I think it looks pretty hanging, but it is dangerous.
I sure don't want to be the cause of any trips to the hospital.

Another good day, although my back is complaining.

It's good to be a "Jackie of all Trades". If there's not one thing to do, there is always the other.

"Master of baby shoes, among other things."

Race To The Finish

"Sunny Afternoon"

..."These writings expressed a yearning for a simpler, more contemplative life. 'If you drive a car at 70 m.p.h. , you can't do anything but keep the monster under control,' he expressed." Krutch

Whenever I am driving on the freeway, it is inevitable that a pile of cars will come zooming up from behind. If I don't see them coming, I stay wherever I am and let them roar by.
I do resent it when I am going the speed limit and someone in the slow lane is going 30 miles slower and one of the zoomers starts tailgating or even flicking their lights; but most times, I just move on over. What's the hurry? I just don't get it. Of course that could be because I haven't had a "real" job in so long. I guess I have forgotten the drama, horrible stress and anxiety of conforming to expectations.

I did hear lately that people who suffer from guilt lead more productive lives. On the other extreme of that are those who suffer no guilt (sociopaths). They are at the top of the heap, (the 1%?). I wonder how they define "productive"?

The picture above is from a box of note cards I bought enough years ago that they were "made in the USA". The artist is Sally Rosenbaum.

“I like to show moments in time that invite reflection and celebrate the life of sensation, inner thought and contemplation."

This painting seems to sum me up pretty good. French country chair, aluminum teapot, cup and saucer, flowers, garden, purple, sun and contemplation...I try to keep a card nearby for viewing pleasure. 

I can't tell you how many times all the zoomers flew by me for us all to end up lined up together at the bottom of an off ramp. Not too far ahead they got; but I guess it made them feel powerful or something to race ahead of me.

All I know is that while the zoomers were racing to the finish line, I was toddling along, trying to suck in the scenery and enjoy the journey, not the getting there. I seldom, seldom have music on as nature seems to instruct my thinking in a better way. Maybe on a long journey, like from here to California, I will turn on some tunes; but invariably, I will start reminiscing and "wishing" to go back in time. Once in awhile I can stand a little of that, but mostly it's better not to trigger those emotions. And, it kind of eats up today.

So, as for eating up time...here is the image I just spent a good one half hour trying to figure out how to load. Finally, I resized it, which still didn't help. So, I went to "edit HTML" loaded it there. Voila! I cropped it about six time from the original before resizing, uploaded it to picassa several times, before, finally the HTML thing seemed to do the trick. As it turns out, I like this croppeddddd image the best. Just so glad it stayed horizontal! Now lets see if it's there tomorrow?!!!!

So, I was Ms. SpoolTeacher today, progressing along on the dust ruffle one of my housekeeping jobs commissioned me to devise to stitch around the perimeter of her coverlet so she doesn't have to try to scrunch that silly box spring ruffle under the mattress.
I was so delighted to remember that in my box of tricks attachments was a ruffler foot. Saved me hours of gathering by hand. Phew!!!!

It was a race to the finish, in slow motion... as Old Fool says, "A time traveler traveling through time at 1 second per second (sps)"