Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Sewing in the Foothills...among other things

Hello from the foothills where we had very mild weather around the new year so that the daffodils  tried to bloom this month, but our recent cold wave only allowed one to bloom.  It froze in place for a few days then wilted.   Ah well.

On the other hand my new Christmas Cactus made a fair show for us.


I've been experiencing a bit of crafty deja vu.  Back in the 80s I made some macrame handbags and a few other things that were in vogue at the time, but I'd never made a plant hanger so I gave that a whirl since we last visited.  In the 80s macrame was just macrame - now it's Boho style.  
I'm now thinking about making a hanging chair, lol.  I'll let you know if that works out.

I've since been sewing with the fabric beneath my mug of Chai tea, but first the tea.  Did you know that adding a couple of star anise pods to your tea gives you a small,.natural dose of shikimic acid which is the precursor to the pharmeceutical anti-flu drug contained in Tamiflu?  Cheers!

I made a Toaster Sweater by Sew House Seven.  It's a comfy little top that is fairly easy to sew.  Mine is the dropped shoulder version on the right.  The pattern is super easy to make with only three pieces to sew.

Here it is all finished.  I'm still debating if I want a matching skirt.

I've sewn for years, but only last year did I buy a serger.   I got the Brother 1034D, and my only regret is that I didn't get it sooner.   Over-locked seams are a real time saver.

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Don't Ever Have A Heart Attack on Medicare....
That's a little something to remember in case you may start to have a coronary episode when you're older and on Medicare.  I hear that if you have other insurance not connected to Medicare you'll be okay to proceed with the attack and be treated well at a hospital, otherwise you may regret the whole business. Here's why I've drawn this conclusion:

True $tory
A former elementary school teacher had a heart attack just two years ago and found herself in the hospital.  She'd had trouble breathing and was experiencing chest pain so her sons took her to the ER.  She was examined and sure enough had had a heart attack.  She was admitted and taken to a room where the air-conditioning wasn't working.  This was in the South in the middle of the summer.  It gets really hot here y'all.  The sons demanded a fan and one was brought to her room.  The next day someone came to get the fan to take it to another room, but the sons told them the fan was staying where it was.  The former school teacher is diabetic, but the food that was brought to her room were things she couldn't eat, very high in carbohydrates.  When she told the nurse she couldn't eat the food she was told to go ahead and they'd give her a round of fast-acting insulin.  I won't go into all the sordid details of the actual medical care, but that part is not a happy story, either.  The former teacher had dotted all the I's and crossed all the T's when she signed up for Medicare Part A and makes monthly payments for Part B to cover everything Part A doesn't cover.  I'm as baffled as everyone else, but it seems to me that times have changed drastically in the past 15 years.  Where the elderly were once cared for in the hospital, they don't seem to be important patients unless they have additional insurance that charges can be submitted to.
Eat healthy y'all.
Gluten free Mediterranean omlette


It's a high-dollar world out there that you may not want to have to deal with.

18 comments:

  1. That top looks classy! And I like my surger for sewing clothes also. I am just getting back to sewing a few clothing items as I need a new whatever - mostly because so much of what's in the stores is indecent 😉

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    1. PS - I didn't know that about anise. I like anise.

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    2. Thank you, I love the top, and exactly, decency is the motivation behind garment sewing for me. I'm peeved that we as a country settle for so little and yet pay so much.
      I didn't appreciate anise years ago, but now, I could dump the whole bag in my cup, lol.

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  2. Hello, The sweater top is so cute. The tea sounds great, anything to stay healthy is good. I remember making the macrame plant hangers. Your Christmas cactus is beautiful. Medicare sounds awful! Happy Thursday, enjoy your weekend ahead.

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    1. Thank you, Eileen, I love the Christmas cactus.
      Thanks for stopping by.

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  3. The blouse is lovely though i would probably just pair it with a black skirt or a black pair of pants.

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    1. You're right about pairing the top with black, but I bought sooooo many yards of the fabric, lol.

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  4. Oh what a scary story :(
    My DH is on Medicare only and I will be in a few years. I guess I need to go back to the drawing board on my research. The only thing I knew for sure was that even if you don't take any prescription drugs, you had better sign up for Part D right away or you could face steep financial penalties later.
    I have some macrame plant hangers that were my mom's. Good luck with the chair - sounds like a big project!

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    1. Hi Jo, I had not heard that about the penalties for not signing up for Part D. The whole business is a nightmare. Thanks for stopping by.

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  5. My goodness what a story, hope I don't end up in a hospital like that! Anyway, thanks for visiting my blog. I LOVE chai tea and I have to remember to add star anise pods next time. Your sweater turned out very lovely!

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  6. Your new blouse looks nice! Every sewing lady I come across says that having a serger changed their crafty life —and now you too! Maybe if I keep learning how to sew I'll buy one in the future too. ;-)
    Enjoy your winter garden, that Christmas cactus in bloom looks amazing!

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    1. Thank you, Alhana. You'll love a serger when you're ready for one, and no doubt you will be. Thank for stopping by. :)

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  7. You have been busy!! beautiful floral top, I like it!
    I always love Christmas cactuses...mine are blooming now. And, yes, milder around here too. My bulbs have shot up and I hope they're not killed.

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    1. Hi Deb! Thankfully, the daffodils here made it through the freezes and are blooming.

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  8. I found your blog today, and wonder where you are! I live in Lenoir City, outside Knoxville, and we consider our area to be foothills! I am also a seamstress and crafter, so I will enjoy following your adventures!!

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    1. Hi there! Thank you for stopping by. We are near what is termed the "peaceful side of the Smokies". Do you have a blog or media account where you share your crafty endeavors?

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  9. I remember macrame from my younger days. I owned a few instructional books and all the models were wearing tye died clothes, heavy eye-liner and peace symbols. Thank goodness the good-ole-days are gone! Although, I would like to macrame a hammock for the front yard.
    Jeannie@GetMeToTheCountry

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Thank you for your comments!