A Hard -Won Success

     I got a nice early start this morning . I found this design and used Embird to rotate this design to go two different directions - on each side of the zipper and this white is the topper that I used on top of the fleece so that the stitches do not sink down into the fleece.

    

     I was studying the instructions that came with the pattern and as I studied it - I got a wild idea about the zipper?? They had you putting the zipper in pretty close to the end - BUT- I kept thinking IF I put the zipper in first I could lay both sides of the front on the table and make sure both sides line up?? And , I normally line the zipper up with pins - LOTS of pins- but this time I thought I would try out basting the zipper in -for a different experiment. Those Big white stitches show up nicely and they were really easy to remove and they really did help me keep the zipper seam nice and straight.

    

      This was after my first attempt with the "zipper foot" that came with my machine . I was not pleased at all and I got to searching until I found a zipper foot from a different machine !

    

     This was my second run and I am very happy with it ! No drunk sewing this time. That holding your breath gets "tricky" though! LOL  I was making good progress for me because for some reason the pieces were just falling into place like they knew where they belonged. BUT then DH hollered and said we would have to leave IF we were going to sneak in on older son while he was at his job. He was doing some welding for his boss on a dump truck . Shoot ! I hated to leave when it seemed that for the first time In my life I knew what it felt like to have something behave like it was suppose to. So, I gathered up the 3 shirts  that I had made for him and off we went. It was a fun visit and little short visits like that seem like the only way that families have to see each other in these busy times.

    

      This is my first born son and he turned a big 36 today. I told him I would like a picture of him in his "birthday cap"! LOL  Sometimes I think it feels odd to have children that I can remember being that age?  I think God gave me the two boys to teach me that there are good men around and when you have grown them from the beginning up it is like watching a miracle unfold right in front of your eyes.

    

     I was trying to capture a picture of one of the dams that we drive by going home. We couldn't get any closer because the snow in the lot was up to the bumper on my little Tracker and with the hard ice on the top I didn't want to scar the little vehicle up. But next we pass another little dam on the opposite side of the road!

     Here is other dam  and IF you can see down at the water were two gentlemen fly fishing! I had to laugh - they Must really love fishing. I could not even figure out how they made their way down to the water as walking was treacherous! 

 

      Well, we finally made it back home and ate some beans and cornbread  and then I retreated to my sanctuary. But, I was not having the same luck as before .

     This was my first lesson - I know it is hard to see, but the back of my project turned out to be considerably shorter than the front. So, I sat and pondered how I was going to remedy this obstacle ???? I did not have enough fleece left to cut out a whole new piece, plus I did not want to lose all that embroidery work! I could not cut the front down to match the back on account of the zipper???? SOOOO - I decided to cut a strip to make a band out of to make it the same length as the front.

 

      This shows better how much shorter the back was from the front. I had to rip out one of the pockets so I could sew it back on the band to match.

  

      This shows that I removed the green pocket and still shows how much difference the front is from the back.

    

     I laid it out on the table to make sure everything was lining up correctly. Since my sewing room is small - and we all know how nice it is to have something to cut on  . My DH took a piece of plywood that is 4 x 8 feet and two hinges at the back and screwed the hinges to the back of the plywood and to the wall. Then he added two little legs on the front with hinges. I really love it because I end up chasing fabric all over the surface and if I Need to get under the table to clean I just pick up on the front and the front legs fold up and the table top folds up also to be flat against the wall. It takes up just about half of the room's space.

 

     This shows that I was successful in placement of his name on the sleeve. (More holding breath!)

     I was really getting tired but was determined to complete this project so I put the hood on and finished up the hem and this is the front  and the name on both of his arms.

    

     This is the back view with the dragon in the center and the writing above is his name in Japanese. I thought that was really cool.
     Now everything is in place and it took four days to complete and I am good and tired. Then I realized that I had to spray the topper with water so it would dissolve and only leave the stitches, But, it turned more of a mess and was like glue- icky - sticky! Yuck , so I gave up and put it in the wash machine! And, more holding breath! I am very happy that another project is successful . It never ceases to amaze me at how you can take a flat piece of fabric and turn it into something that someone can get some use out of  - or like the quilters - they take a flat piece of fabric and turn it into a piece of art. But to be able to preserve our craft is very precious to me , as I know it is for you too.
     Well, we get one more day of nothing falling from the sky - and then they say we will get 3 more inches on the first of the week. . Since I can not do anything about it - I just won't worry about it. I will count my blessings and know how truly blessed I am .