Sunday, August 26, 2012

Pondering

It is Sunday, a day of rest, for some. Around our house it is catching up with the chores for the week, which means laundry. As we rent, we do not have a washer or dryer in our place, but we do have one next door.

I do have to admit that there is one in the basement of the house we live in, but the back stairs are down right scary to use and the people who live downstairs store everything they are not using down there so there is no room to move. That and the cat litter box for their two cats is in the basement and they do not clean it up on a regular basis is enough of a reason for me to refuse to go down there.

This morning, as my hubby was taking some laundry next door, the landlord stopped him to apologize for the  people downstairs having a yard sale on the front lawn yesterday. I am sorry, don't tell me the day of that you are having a yard sale on the shared front lawn, are going to block the driveway and porch, and wonder why I am pissed off... Are you that dumb?

Instead of ranting and raving I started working on some signature quilt blocks that I need to mail out this week. I also need to get the measurements of the picture quilt I did for my brother for his birthday. The quilt show will be here before you know it and I have to register my quilts. I also need to finish off my jackets to submit those as well. So I will be busy sewing up a storm in the coming weeks.

The best news I heard all weekend is that my younger sister will be coming up for the quilt show and be stopping to pick up my Aunt in NJ. They will all be coming this year! I was disappointed last year that no one in my immediate family, outside of my husband, could attend. It was, after all, the 1st time I had a quilt in a show. I had good friends come, step-siblings, in-laws, husband, but none other.

I think that being an artist is difficult, you need to self promote, self support, and continue to keep yourself in a positive space. It is not that easy. I find myself being rather hard on myself and ditching items that others would say are great.

Ok, so today is more of a rant than saying what I have been doing... but that is why I continue to say "Life gets in the Way...

I hope that you have a wonderful weekend and a lovely week :)

Off to Sunday Studio! Five hours of sewing with friends :) What a lovely way to spend a Sunday. Today is the 1st time at the new shop, and I will need to take some pictures!

Take care, thanks for stopping by :)
Ciao for now!

J :)

Monday, August 6, 2012

Sewing needles

Or, Maybe I should say, things you look at when your awake at 3am...


So I found this site when the description is:

Friday, August 3, 2012

Resume Redo Time

This was the most interesting article that I have come across regarding strong words. I really need to review my resume for some of these words and change it to include many of these words. It is a blog article about a study done by Yale University on the 10 most powerful words in the English language.

Resumes need to be powerful enough to attract attention, create some excitement and prompt a prospective employer to call for an interview. Some of the 10 like You, Love or Discovery may not fit in a resume, but I could fit in some into my resume, check out some of the proven words that I am going to change within my resume rewrite.

This is from the blog:


1. Results. Use the word and give specific examples. Education and experience are important qualifiers, but employers are interested in results. Accomplishment statements describe a problem, action taken and result. Each job listed should have at least one or two accomplishment statements, showing results.

2. Health. Have you found ways to improve the financial health of your company? What about healthy profits? Or instituted programs to improve the physical health of employees, clients or customers?

3. Guarantee. Everyone feels comfortable with a money-back guarantee. While you may not use the exact word, how can you show you guarantee results? Why will you deliver a guaranteed return on investment? Accomplishments that list specific projects are perfect interview talking points that show how you can deliver for a new employer.
4. Proven. I like to use this word in the summary statement at the very top of the resume, as in “proven professional.” If you say you have experience in an area, your resume work history and accomplishment statements are the “proof” of your ability. Past performance is a good indicator of future behavior. If you’ve proven your worth in the past, it’s a reasonable guarantee you’ll do the same in the future.
5. Safe. Again, you may not use the actual word, but companies want employees who are responsible, trained in workplace safety and have experience with compliance and problem resolution. OSHA safety training certification can be a plus for a manufacturing or industrial job
6. Save. Use this one liberally when describing how you were able to save the company time and money. Instead of just saying you saved money, use actual dollar amounts or percentages to make an impact. Were you able to save the company from negative media coverage, embarrassment or exposure to liability? Some things can’t be measured in dollars or hours.
7. New. Are you on the cutting edge in your industry? Up on the newest ideas, concepts, processes, software or technology? Have you introduced new, innovative ideas or products or processes that have saved (#6) money and delivered proven (#4) results (#1)? Whether you’re a new grad or have 20 years of experience, being up on the latest in your field or industry is a powerful asset.

Check your resume over and see if you can incorporate at least some of these power words. Have you come across other words that are just as powerful?

Time to go redo my resume! STAT!

Thanks for stopping by!
Ciao for now :)

J :)

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Canton Village Quilt Works - BOM

Just in case you think I forgot... Here is a list of the


Blogger's BOM Block Links
  • Month 8  -  Mrs. Schmenkmanquilts
Month 11Bumble Beans Inc. 

Thanks for stopping by!



Ciao for now! 


J :)

Where oh where is the time flying off to?

I have emerged! Oh, that's true, you all did not notice that I was stuck under a pile of stuff! I really am, I need to take a week off and just clean... Thing is that I'll just end up in front of my sewing machine (Smiling face) sewing up a storm, instead of cleaning!

I want to give a shout out to A, who just gave birth to a beautiful little girl named Emma. Congratulations to A & J! Yes, I am trying to finish the baby quilt for Emma... I am a tad behind in my projects... and BOM's...

So I found one project that I think I need to make about a 1/2 dozen of in the next two or three weeks...



I know y'all need one of these!!!  They are quite handy.  They can hold store cards, credit cards, business cards, and any other little card you might have. So grab your supplies and let's get to work!

Supplies Needed:
  • 4 Scraps of Fabric at least 8" x 8"
  • Medium Weight Fusible Interfacing
  • Ruler
  • Scissors
  • Thread
  • Sew On Snap
  • Sewing Machine
For the outside & lining:
Cut your outside and lining fabrics into 8"x 8" squares. 
Also cut 2 squares of interfacing 8" x 8".

Iron the interfacing onto the squares following the manufacturers directions.

For the pocket pieces:
From the other 2 fabric cut rectangles 4" x  8".
I cut 3 of each.

Fold each rectangle in half, WRONG sides together, so it is now 2" x 8" and iron.

To assemble the wallet:
Grab you lining piece. Starting at the bottom draw a line 1" up from the bottom. Draw 4 more lines each 1" above the previous line.

Starting at the line closest to the bottom lay a pocket piece with raw edge  facing AWAY from you on the line.
Sew it in place using a 1/8" seam.

Continue doing this until you have sewn a pocket piece on each of the 5 lines.
Don't panic! You should have 1 extra pocket piece.  We will add that in just a minute.

Starting at the top fold the pocket pieces up and iron in place.

Now grab that extra pocket piece and pin it to the bottom.
 This time the raw edge will be pointing towards you.
Baste it in place.

Draw a line down the middle (4") and then sew. 
TIP: ***  Sew from the bottom up to prevent folds or buckles in the pockets. ***

Now lay other square on top of the pocket square. Make sure right sides are together.

Sew using a 1/2"seam allowance.  Make sure to leave an opening to turn it right side out.
Clip the corners.

 Turn right side out and iron.  Whip stitch the opening closed.
Fold it in half and iron.

Sew on a snap as pictured above.

Fill it with cards.



Hope you get a chance to try this pattern out. It is rather straight forward and easy :) Just my kind of pattern these days!

Thanks for stopping by! Ciao for now :)

J :)