florine’s blog

Have you ever been so disorganized that you are paralyzed when it comes to getting things done?  Don’t know where you are and what to do next?

I’ve been through 3 house moves and become unglued.  Now I’ve begun a massive reorganization of my business office, home office and sewing room.  It’s an exhausting process, but also an exhilarating feeling to  get a handle on all that paperwork and those projects.  I can’t wait to get to the stage of maintaining only when the creating patterns can began again.

Here’s my new rule:  If it take less than 2 minutes, do it now!

I’ve decided I need to blog more often and, after thinking about it, I would like to add a hint as often as I can.

Today’s hint:  Orvus soap.

Did you know you can purchase Orvus W A Paste (soap) at a business that sells horse supplies?  It is actually a horse shampoo but is the same soap sold for quilts.  A (120 oz.), 7.5 lb plastic jug costs around $20.00 +/- plus tax.  I have been using it for gently soiled clothing/sheets, etc. for years in my washing machine.  I only use one (1) Tablespoon of it per load.  At 120 ounces, if you divide it by the 8 oz. in a cup, you have 15 cups of the soap.  As there are 16 Tablespoons in a cup, you have a total of 240 wash loads per jug.  The paste can be liquid if warm or like a soft fluffy consistency when cold.  Sometimes you’ll use more or less than a Tablespoon.  But, if you could do 240 loads of clothes per jug, it would cost you approximately $.09 per load. Compare that to your detergent cost!

I met some really good people up in Bulls Gap, Tennessee, this weekend.  If you are ever in the area, go visit  Olde Towne Quilt Shoppe, and Gail Wise, at 153 S. Main Street.  It’s a great shop with friendly people.  Tell them I said, “Hey!”  (If you’re not a southerner, Hey is the same as Hi.)  Until next time, Florine

Teaching is fun.  Learning is more fun.  Tonight I learned how to shorten my T-shirts.  I just completed my first one.  I’ve never used a dual needle before and, at my age, it’s about time.  The type of needle is long lost, so I’m not sure if it’s a sharp or ball point.  Seemed pretty sharp to me.  However, it worked fine with my Janome 6600 P with the Dual Feed system in play.  Now I only have a dozen more to do.  Why are t-shirts so long for me and my husband’s too short for his liking?  Hey, could be because I’m 5′2″ and he’s 6′ 3″, ya think?

I haven’t done much posting but hope to do it on a fairly regular schedule.  I’d like to pass along tips and information I think would benefit anyone, quilter or not, and maybe make a comment about the world in general together with any quilting, designing, etc. I’m doing.

Now all I have to do is learn more about how to blog.  There’s so much to learn.

Bon Applique!

Florine

We did some traveling in July for 10 days.  First we flew from Atlanta to Minneapolis via Delta.  We left on time and arrived 20 minutes ahead of schedule!  Great service.  On arrival in Minneapolis the cabin attendant advised everyone to pick up all personal items around their seats.  Then she announced that any personal items left behind would be for sale the next morning on EBay.  You should have seen the passengers scramble to collect their stuff.

We collected our baggage and rental car (it cost a month’s mortgage payment and it wasn’t even a luxury car) and headed into the middle of Minnesota.  Next day we had brunch with a cousin from mom’s side of the family in Motley, MN, then on to another cousin’s farm for a reunion of my generation of cousins from my dad’s family.  We had a wonderful lunch there, then took a 5 car caravan to our grandparents former farm (no longer occupied basically) and  then on to their retirement house in Staples, MN.  That house is now for sale.  The neighbors became concerned when our 5 cars pulled up in front, all these people jumped out and started walking around the house, peeking in windows and pointing out where the garage, garden and cellar door used to be.  Good thing we’re all over 55 or the cops might have been called.  One neighbor came out and asked what we were doing.   We also visited several cemeteries to take pictures of our ancestors’ graves.

One of my sisters married a man with our same last name.   She never had the  problems/pleasures of changing her last name.  Her husband ’s family had a reunion in Alexandria, MN, the next day so my husband, Ed, and I went to that also.  It was our first opportunity to meet our brother-in-law’s sister and brothers.  We knew his parents from other visits.  Once the reunion was over, we headed for Watertown, South Dakota, where we were to stay for 3 days.

There’s a brand new quilt shop in Watertown called Dakota Quilt Shop.  When you pass through Watertown, stop and say hello to Dorothy Speiker, the owner.  As she knew I was going to be in the area, she arranged a class for me to teach.  There were 12 pupils and they all had a good time learning my precision method of fusing using that Radical Rooster, Ralph.

From Watertown we drove to Valley City, North Dakota, for an All 50’s class reunion.  Everyone from 3 high schools in a town of about 8,000, graduating from 1950-1959 were invited.  It was quite a group, although we have lost a number of classmates.  Only one school survives.  St. Catherine’s and College High (practice teaching school) no longer exist and now all the kids go to Valley City High School.  It was a wonderful place to grow up in those years, despite the sometimes very cold and snowy weather.  I prefer going back in the summer!  When you pass through Valley City (and I know you will, won’t you?), check out the bridges.  It’s known as the city of bridges.

Now I’m back in Georgia and trying to catch up with life and work.  I hope to pass along hints and information and even learn how to post pictures and such.  My web master needs to teach me how!

Florine

I have a new pattern titled “Sailing to Nod.”  It’s an easy pattern of a crib quilt and/or wall hanging.  There are only two fabrics needed and 3 pieces for this silhouette of an old sailing ship.  The directions are written for a beginner at fusible applique and include directions for hand applique also.  I’ve even included cutting layouts just like you see in fashion patterns to make the best use of your fabrics.

There are options such as adding rigging using embroidery.  But wouldn’t it be fun to make that rigging out of beads?  How about adding some sparklers on the waves and the sails?  I can see this ship with different fabrics on the sails.  Each sail might be cut out separately as I’ve included implied lines of each edge where they overlap on the silhouette and there is a small drawing in the directions showing which sail should be sewn or fused down first, second, etc.

Of course, the pattern can be done as shown on the cover, minus the rigging, for a contemporary graphic look.  Do you have a sailer in the family, or a little boy or girl who might like to dream of sailing away to nod?

Go to the website and look at the pattern.  I hope you like it.

Florine

Hi, this is my first blog. I’m learning as I go. I won’t be doing this every day, but will try to do it as often as I can or have something to say. Florine