Friday, May 31, 2013

Tip On Singer Serger, The Cheap One. It's Glorious



 I've been throwing fits about my serger. Why did I ever want one? I should have saved my money for a Baby-lock. Well, now I know....you don't need a fancy serger unless you're going in to business. This one works great but I went through a lot to learn it. It's better to know exactly how the serger works without the blown-in threader. It's just like learning basic HTML at the beginning and be able to find the tags and adjust your blog or website yourself. The foundation is needed. I have this compulsion to want to just start anything without thoroughly knowing all the directions and honest, even with my camera, I wanted perfect pictures without reading the manual. Directions read the manual, just like The Scriptures.

Taking Notes and Reading The Manual-Sewing a Little, Too
I started out and I did all tensions with each, both 
needles and both loopers. Same big fat stitch.




 I was using plain, easy cotton fabric that matched what was recommended. By the way, I did all the combinations of 50 different tensions, one end to the other. Steve made the most gorgeous tables for my machines. Each brace and legs are from old treadles and all metal bottoms. I even have a singer seat with metal legs to match. These things saved from the old recycling days, never knowing we would have a chance to use them. Well, maybe. I have to know how to use this. Not only was it a gift, but my husband made my sewing room truly fancy with the most gorgeous sewing tables a person could want.


So frustrated...I've spent most of today between our newborn puppies and trying to learn how to sew with my serger. Errrrrr! Is the second needle on for flat felted seams? OR do I use the three thread/one needle, maybe called the first needle? I know it's used for finishing frayed seams, if the 2 needles out, it makes a good seam-with it the seam is like this: |||||||||||| on the outside. This event has made me cry, I feel so completely "no can do." It's so HOT as H-E-Double Hockey Sticks in my living room. Steve finally aimed a fan at me--about the time I was resting my head in my arms and thinking crazy-stuff about my serger. I'm filing this experience under expanding my horizons

Great! No wonder they can't teach Sergering, Jo-Ann's doesn't care. This was my daughter's change that she received from Jo-Ann's yesterday. Made me giggle, but gave me an idea to call them, sometime.

Real Change To Bree From JoAnn's in Oklahoma
My cousin in Utah and so wise said to me, "Susan, your situation reminds me of when one of my piano students was having an especially hard time learning a certain technique. When I tried to encourage him be telling him that it wasn't that hard he said, "Nothing is hard if you know how." I thought that was really profound and I've never forgotten it. Hopefully, someone will show you how and then it won't be hard for you." and she said,"When I can't figure out how to do things, I find myself, asking, "How hard can it be???" or saying" It can't be this hard!!" but it is if I don't know how. Wish I could help you but I don't have a serger, so I am no help."  My husband LOVED our cousin's quote. He said that's worth writing down. Definitely passing on, "Nothing is hard if you know how." He agreed. That IS profound! Pat Patten Cowley is awesome.

Of course,THEN figured it all out. I did call Jo-Ann's and this simple things fixed my problem. It did! And, it took 3 whole days and where I was about to give-up. Here's what I had to do....I had to really "floss" the thread in the tension dials and push it in there very hard. Weird, but it works now...perfectly and I love it! There's one big thing I learned. I now know every button, lever, looper, needle, how to really thread easily (and it's fun!) This all forced me to learn-and then I called. It didn't even cost me a class. Hurray! Read and practice. Don't be in a hurry to learn it all and most of all call someone that can help you, Jo-Ann sells my serger so they were happy to give me help and told me to call back anytime I had a problem.

Don't wait...call a store and talk to someone, you may just sit forever trying to see all the You Tube videos ever made and read manuals that never address the problem. Find someone. Our dealer knew exactly what my problem was and was ready to talk me all-the-way through it, if I needed. I'm so happy. On my messy table there's a little strand of black material that I'm keeping with the settings and is going to be part of my sampler book. I will know from my book every stitch I need for every job. Now I'm using my gift card for extra presser feet. I need a corder, a ruffler, etc. and also some great thread in groups of four. I already have material, but I'm thinking even a pattern or two.

Monday, May 27, 2013

Sunday Fun Day



Birthdays are always special especially we can share our birthday with another family member. I had Dustin on my birthday and I've always thought he was my greatest birthday present ever. My Steve and our grand daughter Eirely, share a birthday and it's always fun to celebrate together. I wasn't to thrilled with the Chucky Cheese Birthday and it was fun in the beginning... but there were a lot of screaming kids when the "Cheese Rat" wanted to hug the kids. It when Eirely was about four, but all the other ones have been wonderful. Steve's thoughts were, "I will be entirely happy if I don't go to that place again."


Our son-in-law's in the bishopric and he didn't remember that my Steve's birthday was Sunday. He wanted him to speak in Sacrament Meeting. I got the same request. I was sick! How could I do that? My topic was on Family Search (my link works) and how to find your ancestors without paying a dime. The newest version-out really lets you find names fast and easy plus a super-short source popping right-up with the name. So easy and so fun learning genealogy when it's simple.

Both of us did the preparations on our talks, all last-minute because we were so busy. We had a week to look things-up we wanted to include and it was pretty much already done in both our heads. I hadn't slept in two nights anyway because I was sick. And....I was completely wide awake, why not just use that time and I did. I couldn't NOT go to church because I am going to a party. Besides, if I do what I was asked it just might make me feel a whole bunch better, and it did. How could I stay home from Church and then go to a Birthday Party? That's the me telling my kids, if your sick there's no playing outside. It's not going to happen. And getting-up and going-out and it WAS really good for me. I also received another calling in church in the Primary. Oh, do I love it!


 See what just getting-up and doing does for you. My best days at Church or at the Temple have been those days I really had a good excuse to stay home. Endure to the end and you will be blessed. 

Steve's talk on Memorial Day was wonderful and as
 soon as we got home after church Steve set-out our flag. 

One of My Favorite Artists Jim Shore
 We grabbed our home-made (is there any other kind?) rice-crispy crunchies and headed for the beach house. We had great time! The neighbors right next door, were celebrating three birthdays on that day and we ended-up a bit... being together. The kids loved the crabs running all over and this crazy octopus that wouldn't go away.



After lunch the kids did "stand-up paddle boarding" and played in the canoe until it was time for cake and other fun goodies. So fun and so sweet we stayed way past dark. I sure love our family, it's like we never see them.  : )




 I think our family just loves the beach, even if it's raining and stormy or sunny and or foggy. It always smells wonderful and nothing is more relaxing than sitting on the back patio and watching sea-life and all the crawlies all around.... and that would be my grandchildren.

Sunday, May 19, 2013

It's Been a Month? I have Kept My Journal. I Need To Fill In The Blanks

I've been quite busy! We have lambs, boy this year we had lots of them. Boy is right. We have only 2 ewe lambs. And a couple buck kids. But no a waste of money for breeding because the milk we're getting is divine and I love watching those little buck kids playing together while I milk. It's goat milk. I didn't make myself too clear on that, but one ewe I could milk. Our white ewe *sheep* had four lambs and she didn't designate one as a bummer this time. The sheep has the biggest udder I've ever seen on a ewe, ever!

We still have pregnant dogs. Darby is helping me so much with milking. I can't explain it, but trust me. That dog doesn't say a peep, but she's is everywhere and then again, right with me. She as good as my daughter's helping me and my right-hand girl. Laney is actually looking more and more like she took. We still aren't sure on her being pregnant. My husband is positive she's going to have puppies.

I've had pneumonia and it started with a tachycardia (Atrial Fib.) episode and a low-grade fever--that day was my marathon. It all started after I had cleaned-out some pens the day before. I haven't had a fever in years and I'm still am so congested. I think I may have inhaled some baby mice or something. Honestly sick and not a bit of giddy-up in any my steps. That all happened about the first part of May. I do have a heart defect, but it's all controlled with medication. A Firefighter husband is the best partner in the world.

Captain Steve Lazenby
This is an example of one day... like Yesterday and still Saturday, we went to see a parade, after all the morning chores including milking--we went to see my grand-daughter, Hannah be Miss Teen (photos coming) in the Fillmore Festival Parade. We saw a whole game of our grandson, Dallin pitching, hitting and winning his Little League game, then over to Ventura to pick-up some crazy yarn I've been yearning for and then off to my son's, to see my other grandson, Tanner and his new 12 string guitar and we were blessed by being serenaded and listened to him play acoustical guitar arrangements by others and his own songs.  We also returned lost keys and phone chargers from their camp-out the night before celebrating The Priesthood Commemoration. And on top of that, we even watched off-the-dock at the house (the beach house) and they all saw a shark (not so cool) and we watched an octopus chasing shrimp and all these crazy-colored crabs. Their dogs licked my Nike Cross-Trainers to a brilliant, bright white because my shoes were covered in goat milk. They almost look new again. hahahha with dog slobbers. I know that's sick, huh? Honest, they look great now. I'll add more later, it's late ... and I hate to cough and type at the same time.