Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Help, What I did in Phoenix, and How fast they grow!

Before I get to my other two title topics, can anyone help me with this? I have the worst time getting bindings the right size. Either they are too skinny, and I fight with them, or they are too wide. Look at this:

I put the binding on the front, and turned it over to the back. I didn't want to hand sew it down, and I wanted the stitching on the front to be straight, so I sewed threw the binding on the front side after pinning the binding to the back. I really pinned it tight, but you can see, I missed catching it in several places. So the strips I used here were 2 inches wide. I'm going to cut new strips for the second valance that are 2 1/4 inches wide. I'm hoping that will do the trick. So what type of hints do you all have, that will make my binding easier, and not be too wide (which then flops all over the place on the back) or too narrow like this example??? Help Please!!

OK, last post I let you know that I was going to be in Phoenix and was looking forward to several hours to quilt, sew, what ever. So what did I do.... You aren't going to believe this. I spent the ENTIRE afternoon in two different eye doctor offices. All of a sudden on Monday I noticed a larger "floater" in my eye than normal. Now most people have floaters - when you close your eyes, and there is a bright light in front of you, you can see little pieces of "dust" floating around. They move with your eye movements. Those are floaters, and very common as I understand it. But this was a large thing, and I noticed it with my eye open. So to the Dr I went when we got to Phoenix. My regular Dr could not find any damage to my retina (a common cause of these bigger floaters!) but sent me to a retina specialist to be sure. The specialist determined that I had had a small bleed in my eye, and that is what I can "see". He could not see where it happened, and will check me in another 4 weeks again. In the mean time, I'm to watch for signs of my retina detaching, and call him immediately if that happens. I have great doctors, so I feel pretty good about that, but it is a little scary, and I won't mind a few prayers. I've said several myself already.





How fast they grow!





OK, I know both my boys are really men now, but you know how it hits home every so often??? Well I messaged my oldest this afternoon, and in conversation, asked him if he was at work or at home. The answer - NEITHER!. He was at the San Diego airport, waiting for his connection to San Jose. He was on a BUSINESS TRIP! Going to the main office to do some testing with people there. HUH! He flew on a plane on a business trip. Now I know this happens all the time. I made a few business trips myself in the past. And I certainly feel that both my boys are capable. But yikes! it just sort of hit me. And my youngest son? he is Student Teaching at a middle school. I saw him Tuesday night, he came to the camp meeting we had. He had come right from teaching, and still had on a button shirt. (I can probably count how many times he wore a button shirt in High School on my two hands) LOL Next year, God willing, he will be TEACHING High School. Wow, just WOW.

And I just heard from my Uncle back east. My aunt is having breathing problems, and is in ICU. Please include her in your prayers too.

Thank you so much for listening to me ramble on. Hugs everyone!!

4 comments:

Carol in Sweden said...

wow...I'm glad you shared that story of the kids growing fast...I realize it all the time. I see my 6 year old LAUGH...it 's the same laugh she had as a baby..throwing her head back so the giggles become gutteral...very hardy laugh from the deep. Tonight at dinner when she did it, I was thrown into the memory of her babyhood! At this point I'm so AMAZED with her activities...she goes to swim class with her school...does it all herself, hasn't lost any clothing in the locker room! takes a shower and sauna by herself! And now you're reminding me that soon she'll be on a Business trip! I hope she still laughs the same way! Do you see your boys as the babies they were sometimes?

KateKwiltz said...

Try 2.5" and put your pins through the seam line on the front. Make sure you have at least an eighth of an inch of binding on the other side of the pin (toward the folded edge). That should give you enough so that you won't miss it when you sew from the front. Good luck!

Anonymous said...

binding tip - sew it onto the BACK of the quilt first then fold it to the front and top stitch.
i cut mine 2 1/2" wide (press them in half) and sew them onto the back with a seam that is slightly bigger that 1/4" then i fold to the front and top stitch - top thread matches the binding and bobbin thread matches the back of the quilt, then pin the binding down (when you pin: pin where you plan to stitch and check that the pin is showing in the correct spot on the back of the quilt).
i get a nice neat top stitch on the front and on the back there is a neat line of stitching next to the edge of the binding (looks like a quilting line!), yours Viki

Simone Fam said...

Hi Vicki, I love your blog, tremendous work! I did not have time to read everything but the binding one caught my attention. I always do my binding by machine. Come by the store and I'll show you.

See you soon

Simone