The art of ironing

To me there is an art to ironing. It helps to go a certain way when ironing your shirt so that you have the least amount of wrinkles when you are finished. In today's world many people do not even own an iron with so much wash and wear clothing. But for those who would like to learn, here is my way of ironing a shirt.

Start by setting up your ironing board, turn on your iron and have either a spray bottle of your favorite linen water (which I am out of at the moment) or your spray starch handy.

Once your iron is hot, begin by placing your shirt collar down first, then spray and press with it open. Turn shirt over and spray and press again with collar folded down.

     




yoke





Next do the yoke of the shirt, keeping the collar as straight as possible. Spray before ironing each section as needed.



Now you will do a sleeve making sure the seams are lined up properly and the cuffs are close to how you would wear them when buttoned up. Press, turn over, press again making sure to get the folds nicely pressed. Do the other sleeve the same way.

Next you do one front side of shirt.

 

  

As you finish the front side, slowly pull around the back and begin by spraying and pressing the backside.



back

 

 

You can put a crease all the way down the shirt or not. Some prefer it where others do not. To make the crease, simply fold under a bit of material  and hold at the bottom of the shirt and press.

Now pull over the other side of shirt and spray and press, making sure you are careful around your buttons so as not to wrinkle the shirt more, or cause a button to come off.

Congrats! You have just completed ironing the shirt.
 



Place your shirt on a hanger and button every other button to keep it well pressed while in your closet.

I hope some of you learned a little something and that you also enjoyed the art of ironing. After 40 years plus experience, I found this way to make the job more pleasurable and rewarding. Thanks for visiting.

No spring chicken

I got this brainy idea that I could put the chicken wire under the floor of the craft room. So I start by shoving the roll of chicken wire under the wall and push it with a rake to unwind it, as it keeps winding back up I use the rake to hold it in place while I proceed to go and crawl on my elbows and my huge bousom, inching my way up to where the roll of wire is, then pulling on it to try and get it to the other side of the building. I would then roll over and try to tack it along the way while waiting for my dizzy spell to stop a sec, then only to realize where I am and start breathing rapidly because I am also claustrophobic, and when this settles just a bit I attempt to staple up some wire only to have the gun shoot out 3 to 4 staples at a time.

By now I'm getting so exhausted from the struggle of trying because no matter how hard I tried, I was not going to be able to do this. As timimg has it, I get a call from my hubby asking how I am doing, and as I explain that I am no longer a spring chicken and tell him of my failed attempts at trying, he and his buddies at work are laughing their tails off as he is sharing my dilema with them.

This is why the insulation company sent two young hotties to put the stuff in, which is why it only took them 30 minutes to do. Oh... to be young again.

After finally giving up the underside, I proceeded to go inside and paint the walls. But with my arthritis aching up again, I was only to finish two walls this day and the other two the next. By Wednesday it was just the floor left to paint and it is now going to be a couple of days for that to dry as our nights are once again down in the low 20's.



finished walls



This shows a touch of the floor color, I just need to finish a small area by the door and wait until it is all dry before I move in the big stuff.

So for now I think it is time for another cup of tea and come up with a plan on how I am going to sneak the new, old desk and cabinet I purchased at the Antique Mall last week, into my studio without my hubby's knowledge.

Stay tuned for that one. Bye for now from this.... not so spring chicken anymore.

Warmer days of Winter

What a beautiful day we are having today. It is in the mid 40's and has been for several days now. My girls and guy are loving being able to munch some grass and find a few critters along the way.

They look so pretty when their feathers are all fluffed up and they get to have a dirt bath. My poor little vines under the tree don't like the disturbance much though.

Little Jade was out doing her business with sister Pearl when Ol Henry (rooster) decided he was gonna teach Jade a lesson. Boy she was up the stairs lickety split and wanted nothing to do with him. Now she just stays up on the deck and watches from afar.

Hubby has been putting in the wallboards today. With luck my daughter and I will get the inside painted tomorrow. Just keep the sunshine coming, at least for the next few days so things can get finished inside my crafting studio.

Now I think I will go and soak up some more of that good ol' vitamin D myself. Hope you all are having a warm and wonderful day. Tootles..........

Good finds today

Today I was to shop for some more wallboards but got busy thrifting instead. Look at these great finds I got for the craft room. The chairs are really comfy for sitting in for sewing, they were both for $3, the lampshade I found at Goodwill for $6 (love the frilly feathers)  and the lamp I found at Restore for $5 and it looks like crystal and has a brass bottom. I figured the baskets are always good for storing small items in, and the plastic thingy I figured colored pencils and such. No one knew what it was used for. I all, I got everything for a total of $25. Not bad, huh?

The chairs will be easy enough to recover, although the one on the right is in good condition so may leave it alone. The tall baskets will be great for holding scrapping paper and such.

These particleboard shelves I also picked up at the Restore. All 9 for $27. I think that is an awesome deal as they will become my shelves for holding my materials and baskets. If you have priced bookshelves you know they are'nt cheap. The ones I would have liked were for two, $300, so I think this deal is much better. Besides I get to reuse and recycle which is what we all should be doing as much as we can now anyway.

I am getting so ansy to finish my room, but with hubby working days we only have a couple hours in the evening before it gets too cold outside for working in the room.

Tuesday, I have workers coming out to insulate under the room, which will help keep more heat inside. All day Saturday, I spent insulationg the inside walls. I cannot do the ceiling as I still get too dizzy looking up. Have you priced lumber lately?  I had to go with the cheapest for wallboards as most everything was $20 a panel and up. Whew! I don't know how any construction is going on with these prices. But by the time I throw some paint on the walls, it is going to ook just fine. I could always add a trim or two later on.

I'll keep you posted on how things are going from time to time. It may be awhile before it is completed to my liking but it will be functional soon, I hope.

 Just wanted to share this beautiful sunset with you.

God sure knows how to put a smile on my  face.

Hope your day was as nice as mine. Have a great evening.

Tiny Bubbles and lots of them

 I am still trying to learn to crochet..........  I think it's time to find someone who has been crocheting for quite awhile themselves to really show me the ropes.            

    I some how make it work when I am not quite sure what the pattern is asking of me. I stop and look through several books hoping I have found the answer and then I move on. I still have'nt learned how to get a good clean edge...............Even when I use pins to mark my starts and finishes................... Honestly, I cannot figure out what I am doing wrong.

But here is what I just completed.

The pattern for this baby blanket and hat is called 'Tiny Bubbles' and I made it for my granddaughter's friend who is about to have her first baby any day now.................

 It took me approximately 37 hours to make and that is not including how many times I had to pull out several rows and begin again..................I get frustrated with myself because I know I need to take proper lessons to make it right the first time.

Hopefully she won't notice any flaws and will use it for her soon to be Son.

Notice there are no booties with this. That is because I am attempting to make them, but not sure how they will come out. lol

Wish me luck!