Happy Birthday, Marion

Yppee Kayee Five Guys

One of the many NEW THINGS during my Epic Road Trip with Marion -- was eating at a Five Guys Restaurant. I DID NOT KNOW WHAT I WAS MISSING...

Marion almost NEVER eats french fries....

So she didn't know how BIG the serving would be...and the burger was AMAZING...

We ate at a Five Guys several times -- and when I came home, I looked them up. Here's what Wikipedia has to say about them:

Five Guys was founded in 1986 by Janie and Jerry Murrell, Jerry and the couple's sons, Matt, Jim, Chad, and Ben, being the original "Five Guys".[9][10] The Murrells had a fifth son, Tyler, two years later. Today all five sons, the current "Five Guys", are involved: Matt and Jim travel the country visiting stores, Chad oversees training, Ben selects the franchisees, and Tyler runs the bakery.

The first Five Guys was in Arlington's Westmont Shopping Center. Buns were baked in the same center by Brenner's Bakery. This location closed, in favor of another in Alexandria, at the intersection of King and North Beauregard Streets, which closed on September 21, 2013.

More followed in Old Town Alexandria and Springfield, Virginia, making five by 2001. Their success encouraged the Murrells to franchise their concept the following year, engaging Fransmart, a franchise sales organization. Former Washington Redskins kicker Mark Moseley, who had gone to work for Fransmart after his football career, played a key role in Five Guys' expansion and went on to become the company's director of franchise development after it ended its business relationship with Fransmart.

In early 2003 the chain began franchising, opening the doors to rapid expansion which caught the attention of national restaurant trade organizations and the national press. The expansion started in Virginia and Maryland, and by the end of 2004, over 300 units were in development through the Northeast. Over the next few years the chain rapidly expanded across the entire United States and into Canada, reaching over 1000 locations by 2012.

The interior is simple -- the menu is basic...

I LOVED THE FREE PEANUTS...

My friend Sharon

This is a picture of my friend Sharon Stone....

No -- wait -- THIS is a picture of my real friend Sharon Stone....

At Sew Expo last year, I met her at the gate to HELP HER BRING IN HER BAGS OF PILLOWCASES...

Sharon and I had been emailing before the show -- and I knew she was bringing a gaggle of pillowcases for the children at the Mary Bridge hospital.

Sharon is one of the many people who have been keeping up with me since I left Sew Expo.  It is exciting for me to see the projects you're working on, and hear about the places you go, and the things you do.  And I appreciate all your emails and phone calls, ladies.  You have brought nothing buy joy to my life.

The other day, Sharon forwarded this email message.  Maybe you've already seen it...but it is worth repeating. And it is EXACTLY how I feel about my life...

**************

"Good friends are like quilts-they age with you, yet never lose their warmth."

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world, too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it, if I choose to read, or play on the computer, until 4 AM, or sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 50s, 60s and 70s, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love, I will.

I will walk the beach, in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves, with abandon, if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And, eventually, I remember the important things.

Sure, over the years, my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break, when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength, and understanding, and compassion. A heart never broken, is pristine, and sterile, and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.
So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be.

And I shall eat dessert every single day (if I feel like it). MAY OUR FRIENDSHIP NEVER COME APART, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART!

Make your own labels

I have never actually MADE labels for myself....but for some reason, I suddenly think it is a GREAT IDEA.  Then -- I saw this link on Mark Lipinski's Facebook page...he is always on the alert for GREAT ideas...

It is from a blog called Dolls and Daydreams:  Dolls and Daydreams Fabric Labels

And she did a GREAT job of showing us how to make fabric labels, using our ink jet printer...using the really ordinary stuff we have in our kitchen...

I AM DEFINITELY going to try this. 

Lazyboy Blanket

Last year, my daughter-in-law, Emily, MADE Christmas gifts for John, Ross and Elliott. They all got hand-tied blankets made out of their favorite football team polar fleece. Polar fleece is 60 inches wide. As recommended, Emily bought two yards -- so each blanket was 60" wide and 72" long.

During our recent Polar Vortex, every blanket in the house was much appreciated -- but the NFL blankets, altho warm, were not the right size. Because the width is almost the same as the length...if you pull it on wrong, your feet are sticking out...

So, BIS -- (Because I Sew) -- the answer to this problem is EASY PEASY. I'll make a blanket that is long and skinny. Of course, I just HAPPENED to have a leopard print flannel sheet in the closet (no matter how cold it gets -- nobody in my family likes sleeping on flannel). I'll pair it with that ugly piece of polar fleece (a pine cone pattern? yuck...).

To make this warm prototype SUPER FAST -- I ripped the flannel to the right dimensions, then laid it down on the polar fleece (wrong sides together), cut the fleece to match the flannel, then serged around the four sides.(yep -- another 20 minute sewing project)...

The finished dimensions ended up: 88" long x 40" wide.

NEXT COMES the real genius. The leopard flannel sheet came as a set -- so I had a perfectly good leopard flannel pillowcase to sew on the backside -- creating a foot pocket.

I pinned the pillowcase to the bottom edge (more or less) -- and sewed the two sides and the bottom...

The new Lazy Boy blanket is SUCH A GREAT thing...

This is a gratuitous picture of Lilly, doing her favorite thing -- making cupcakes. This winter, we did a little sewing, a lot of decorating, a little cooking.  She has become very good company...

Lillian is so easy to entertain -- we've had a great year.  I am gonna miss four...

My Charity Work

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know all about my Epic Road Trip with Marion this fall -- and our stop in Hershey, Pennsylvania. We took a tour that included the Milton Hershey School...

Originally established for orphan boys, Milton Hershey did amazing things with his money...

AND his legacy is still on-going.  During our visit, they were creating this candy house, entirely out of Hershey products .

When Santa arrives at Chocolate World, the children can get their picture taken in the chocolate house -- and their parents can make a donation.  The money they raise goes to the Miracle Children's Network, one of Hershey's charity partners.

Hershey is an amazing company.  They encourage their employees to give back to the community, and even pay them two days a year to volunteer at any charity of their choosing...

In an effort to be supportive -- my consumption of Hershey products has increased ten-fold...I am doing everything I can...

Marion made this perfect polar fleece jacket for me...she designed the pattern, and, well -- there is another story (as I'm sure you guessed).  Yes, it did involve a little Ritaluck...

Ahh...Christmas 2013

When I was looking for pictures of my 2013 Christmas dress, I realized I hadn't actually blogged about what I did for the holidays.  Obviously, I didn't post much original stuff for a month or so. 

Hey -- HOLIDAYS ARE EXHAUSTING!!  Every day for weeks, it felt like I was trying to stuff ten pounds of flour into a five pound bag.  So much to do, so many places to go, so little time...

The best thing about writing this blog is that I get a chance to go back and RELIVE the best moments, y'know??  That didn't used to happen for me -- and it's because I'm taking more candid photos -- MOSTLY SO I CAN BLOG ABOUT IT...lol...

So I love looking back at the pictures.  My Tuesday Sisters all enjoy cooking (okay, three of us do)...and I loved our potluck couples' Christmas party.  Here we are, at Lin's house, setting up the food...

That's my veggie pizza on the counter. A girl can never go wrong with cream cheese...

The lumpia was the BEST I ever made...

Sandy used that wrap and stick stuff...she walked in the door with eight salads already on the plates...genius...

And Lin's table was BEAUTIFUL.  I think the boys enjoyed themselves.  Note the stockings holding our silverware...

Oh, yeah, it was a GREAT TIME, LADIES...

Lilly Projects

One of Lillian's favorite activities is to go "treasure hunting" in my basement. Believe me -- she NEVER knows what she might find. One day, she was delighted to find some brand new (looking) water color paints.

It was a simple thing to find some brushes -- and there are always books (or paper)....to paint...

The paints had never been used -- but they were COMPLETELY DRIED OUT. No matter how hard Lilly tried, she couldn't coax any color out of this palette...

I set up a work area, using the foot rest of the Lazyboy, but Lilly was frustrated...

With nothing to lose -- I decided to try the microwave. I put a drop of water onto each color -- and then gave it ten seconds in the microwave oven...set on high...and -- THEN THE MAGIC HAPPENED...

Soon, she was a regular little mini-Picasso...

This is a close up of the PERFECT t-shirt for Warren's new carseat blanket...

Lilly was delighted with her role in this project.  And Warren is LOVING IT...

2013 Rita's Random Rags

Here's the thing about sewing. More than any other hobby  -- it is different things to different people.

My sister Deb makes extraordinary embroidered quilts, garments, jackets, etc. My sister Ronda almost exclusively sews ragged edge flannel quilts.  My cousin Jackie recently sewed some home dec projects for a winter lift. Sandy spent weeks working on a memory t-shirt quilt for her son Dave. Many women sew because they enjoy making gifts for other people. Some of us sew because we can't buy clothes that fit or we simply NEED to be creative.

AND -- every now and then -- depending on circumstances -- some of us sew to relieve stress.

For all those reasons -- I think sewing is the best hobby anybody can have.  Because your sewing can morph and change...as your needs or interests change.  Last year, I made dozens t-shirt maxi dresses.  And this year -- I am hooked on RAGS.

Yes.  You heard me.  Rags. I'm actually calling them "Rita's Random Rags". I love making them. Seriously...I am addicted.  It is mindless, tedious sewing.  WHICH IS WHY I LOVE IT.   I've made hundreds of rags -- and I have given away boxes and bags of rags, yet my supply keeps growing...

We all know the benefits of 100% cotton. Absorbent, washable old terry towels make GREAT rags. But, you seldom need a rag as big as a bathtowel.  But if you cut the towel into smaller pieces, the edges will fray like crazy.  Every time you put them in your washing machine, the bits of rogue terry will cover your other clothes -- and the rag becomes smaller with every wash...

It started with a single old, tattered bath towel....I cut it up into 16 pieces...

 I sat down in front of my serger and zipped around the outside edges...

At first, I made only rectangles or square corners...then I figured out it would be quicker to round the corners...

As I whittled down my pile of worn out bath towels -- creating a drawer chock-full of hand-sized terry cloth rags...

Of course, no one person actually NEEDS hundreds of rags....

And it was Christmas. It's nice to have a little gift to give to somebody. Maybe my friends and family would enjoy some new rags in their lives. So -- THAT'S HOW IT HAPPENED.

Rita's Random Rags....became my 2013 GIFT.

Who got them?  Well, my Tuesday-morning-breakfast-sisters...Sandy, Lin and Linda.  A breakfast guest -- Sharalan.  My real sisters -- Ronda and Deena.  My boss, Rhonda Pierce (when I went to Chicago to help her sort out 30 dynamite jam-packed GIFT TOTES -- she and her husband Dick got the gift of RAGS.)  My friend Bert, and also Marion (I delivered hers when we finally arrived in Florida!), and my friend Jeff, who was visiting from New York City, and my cousins Kim and Chris, and my Aunt Ada, and my Uncle Melvin and his wife Kathy, and of course, Emily and Elliott.  To make him feel special, I packed John's rags into a small cooler....

Actually -- anybody who visited me during the holidays GOT A BAG 'O RAGS.  It is surprising how good it feels to have a big box of rags sitting at the ready -- because whether they know it or not -- absolutely everybody CAN USE SOME NEW RAGS.... 

Finished FIXED Yellow Quilt

I was pleasantly surprised that nobody sent me a judgmental email about using strips of t-shirt fabric to bind my damaged quilt. But I did have several questions about my "right sides together" instructions. You are right, Diane -- there IS NO real right side to t-shirt fabric. It simply does not matter which side you like -- but you want to be consistent. The fabric strips will curl in one direction -- so make sure they're all curling the same way.

After I put a new t-shirt binding around the yellow quilt...

And it looks amazing...

I had to deal with that one worn-out square. It's a big mess. I could shop for a year and never find suitable old fabric to make the repair...and all those little pieces will take so much time...it's not worth cutting up another quilt....

YOU GUESSED IT...I decided to use the front of my tie dye t-shirt instead!!

So, with the help of an iron, some stitch witchery -- I started by just IRONING the patch over the bad square...That really is the best way to deal with it.  AFTER I ironed it in place, I zig-zaged around the edges...

AND I LOVE IT...LOVE IT, LOVE IT...

This quilt brings back so many wonderful memories of when my boys were small. I am glad it will be a part of Lilly's life now...

I wanted to make sure you knew THERE WAS T-SHIRT FRINGE...

AFTER I sewed on the new binding and repaired the bad quilt block -- I soaked the quilt overnight in the washing machine with some Oxi-Clean. It washed up BEAUTIFULLY. I was very pleased with how strong and vibrant the fabric was after a decade of being packed away. Bringing back this beloved quilt is one of the best sewing jobs I've ever done. And I consider the use of the lowly recycled t-shirt to be nothing short of BRILLIANT...

BUT, make no mistake -- I KNOW THIS IS NOT AN ACCEPTABLE QUILT RESTORATION. Remember...I am not pretending to be a quilter.Quilters are amazing. They are truly fabric artists. (I got a comment the other day from Quilting Susie, and I am afraid of her...)

Most of the sewing I do is mending, recycling t-shirts, making funky long dresses -- I enjoy the utility kind of stuff.

I have always thought sewing is like playing the piano.  Every single person who took piano lessons as a child developed in their own way -- some of us liked it, some of us couldn't wait to quit. Those that stuck with it eventually were attracted to the music that moves them -- be it jazz, or pop songs, or the classics. But only a few will be invited to Carnegie Hall. The rest of us do it strictly for our own entertainment...and isn't that okay?

I sew every day...today I might restyle some t-shirts into new pajamas for Lillian, tomorrow I might mend some blue jeans for John...and there is no way I can tell you how much joy it brings me...

Really -- isn't that the whole point?

There is no end to my sewing joy -- but tomorrow, I'm going to share my 2013 sewing guilty pleasure....and you might be surprised...

Yellow Quilt T-Shirt Binding

Okay -- you HAD to know  my "quilt repair" would start with a dig on t-shirt mountain.  That really is kind of the whole point, y'know??

RITALUCK!  These tie-dye colors will be the PERFECT match.  I cut some 2" strips...

Right sides together -- I serged the strips onto the quilt edge.

The beauty of using t-shirt fabric is you don't have to worry about a bias, or seaming the binding...just overlap the pieces as you go along. 

The next step is a simple stitch in the ditch...fold the t-shirt around to the backside...and stitch next to the binding on the top of the quilt...

Then trim off the excess on the backside of the quilt...

This is the back side, after trimming.  It looks great. I am loving the tie-dye...

This is the front side. I did the two long sides...then the two short sides...(easy way to deal with the corners)

This is what the new binding looks like....IT IS BEAUTIFUL.

And, hey  -- aren't you curious about how I repaired that tattered, worn-out quilt square?

Hummm...It started with an epiphany...

P.S.  If you are a REAL quilter, thank you for reading my blog.  If you are offended by my t-shirt binding...you need to brace yourself for what's coming next...