Putting up a Bracket... what a pain!

Today's extremely challenging task is putting up a simple hanging plant bracket. Right... simple... sure... First off, this is how we've been storing our potatoes, ginger, garlic, and onions. In a broken box sitting on the floor. Oh my... how lovely is that?! I wanted to mount a bracket to hold a wire basket set.
Maybe it would be easy if you have a normal wood beam home. However, when steel beams and steel plates are involved... an otherwise simple task becomes a painintheBEEP! Amazingly, I put up a few curtain rods, drilling through the metal several years ago. But I forgot how I did it! Drats. After struggling for an hour to make the first hole, I'm halfway through the project (one screw in and the bracket is dangling) and can't drill through to get the second one in. There must be an easier way.

So it's research time... And after asking friends, checking the internet, and seeking help from the sales person at the local hardware store, this is what I decided. I need a new and better drill bit, some oil, and to slow down a bit. I bought this one, tried it out and it still didn't go through. So I tried moving the bracket down and drilling another hole. Maybe there are just too many layers or something else where I was initially drilling. And yes! Success! I managed to get the bracket up quite easily after that. My shoulder was tired and achy, but it's perfect. Here's the miracle bit I used.


And take a look at my new bracket, with the hole I tried to drill still looking ugly up there. But hey, I realized there was a reason for this hassle. If I mounted the bracket that high, I would need a step stool to get my ginger (used very frequently here) everytime I want it. At this height, it's just right without it. And now I have another lesson to learn... how to patch holes in drywall. Hmmmm.. that should be simple.... right....

Dryer duct cleaning

A few weeks ago, I did the job of cleaning out our dryer duct. I had ordered one several months ago from ebay, but had never used it. It's one of those "AS SEEN ON TV" kits I got on ebay for about $11.00 (includes shipping).

I watched this video recently and decided it was a necessary chore. Take a look: http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-us&vid=3272d5d9-69cd-4846-bab9-6f135d161b89&fg=rss&from=34

It scared me enough to finally take action. It was Tom's mission of the week on flylady.net , so I was all the more motivated to do it. The link to the video was part of their reminder email. It was simple enough to do, though moving the dryer is a bit difficult, mostly because the space is a bit cramped. But I did it myself, while my DH was working and it took me about 1 hour 30 minutes to do, from start to finish. Instructions are in the box, and can easily be found on the internet, but basically all you're doing is vacuuming up all the lint that collects in the duct from the lint filter opening in the machine, around and under the dryer, through the tube and to the opening that blows the hot air out of the house. One tip... wear a dust mask or wrap a damp lightweight towel around your nose and mouth. And have your tool box ready to remove the duct tube attached to the dryer.

According to my internet research, the job (including travel time), can cost between $65- 199.00. $65.00 would be if they were doing several in the same area on that day, and of course $199.00 would be what the manufacturer's technicians would charge you. Wow... that's a pretty hefty markup from $11.00.

Our duct was pretty dirty, and I'm glad it's done. The clothing was taking a little longer to dry and it definitely made a difference. Not to mention I feel much safer now.

Planning a REAL garden

I've finally decided that I have 2 actual, permanent homes. We don't plan on moving for years (if ever) and neither will my mother. I spend half my time at my mom's anyway, so I consider it my second home. And someday I expect we will have to move back there to help take care of her as she gets older. Soooo.... It's time to settle in to some real serious gardening.

The goal here is to use mostly organic techniques and create a garden that will suit our needs and requires as little care as possible. We need a minimal care, high pleasure garden to relax and play in. Kids of all ages, from 6 months (my brother's littlest child) to 46 years old like to spend time in the garden, though we can never enlist much help from any of them. We have lazy, non-gardeners living with us... I think they're allergic to physical labor.

Mom's garden will have to serve the following purposes:

• Play area large enough to set up a small swimming pool for the kids.
• Grilling and chillin'
• Providing an escape from the heat of the day during summer months.
• Fshpond for guppies.
• flowers for leimaking

My garden's purpose:

• Play area again.
• experimental garden (for trying out plants I like before committing... kinda like relationships)
• Growing veggies/fruits
• Herb Garden
• Cutting flowers (just cuz I like em)
• child's garden to grow stuff in
• Grillin' and chillin' again
  

Gosh...I sound so organized. Don't let this post fool you.

Some stats:

• Zone 11 (yes there really is such a thing!)
  
• Most areas are hot, sunny and dry. A few pockets of dry shade.
  
• Red Dirt hard soil. Needs amendments to grow the stuff we like.
  
• Womanpower: 2 weekend gardeners. No real muscle power, just smarts and persistence. Possibly able to enlist a slave or two with a bit of bribery. (Child labor- the laws don't apply to family members.)
  
• Not much money to spend on a garden. Let's budget $10.00/month (or $120.00/year) per garden.
  

Resources we can tap:

• Occasional brute strength (if we feed The Man).
• A big heap of mulch, located at a nearby Community College. (Haul your own, but it's free.)
• A pickup truckload of compost. We have to wait till uncle is available, but the wait is worth it!
• The library of course... for ideas, inspiration and knowledge.
• An empty, undeveloped space in the back for extra filler (soil, just as bad as ours). Will have to explore to see if there are usable rocks there.
• Mom's gravel pile.
• Plants from friends and family... (probably have to make our own cuttings.)
• Bunny poo from the family pet.

Things we can NOT do to the garden (I have to remember this because my big ideas are too costly and we haven't enough strong slaves to help with the heavy work):

• Tear up the sidewalk to replace it with a flowing path around the house.
• Replace the old shed.
• Building rock wall terraces

I think I will have to start a gardening blog... so future posts will be on my gardening blog.

Replacing screens

Sorry... no pictures this time. I inherited a new camera and am still learning how to use it.

Time it took: Me? I spent over an hour doing 1 window screen. Then my son took over and finished the job. It took him maybe 20 minutes per window. Note below why it took me so long...

My mother needs to have several screens replaced. This one's a very doable job and I've done it before. When my kids were very small, they poked holes in the screen door (several times) and garden mice occasionally chewed through her fiberglass screens.
This time, I'm using the metal screens to keep those mice out. Of course, the kids can still poke holes, but now they're old enough NOT to do it.

So... Starting with the list of supplies, you'll need:

• Window screen - comes in fiberglass or aluminum at Home Depot.


• screen tool - Don't try to use a screwdriver or something else... This is worth the investment and only cost a couple bucks.


• GLOVES if you're doing the aluminum screen, unless you're very careful and adept with home repairs (which we all know I'm NOT).


• x-acto knife or very sharp tool for cutting the excess screen.


• Rubbery Screen Spline - Bring a bit of your old screen spline so you can pick the correct size.


• Tape

If you read the back of the Spline packageyou'll find the instructions for replacing the screen. It's a rather simple proccess, basically remove the spline/screen. Cut a new screen piece abou 2" larger than the frame. Secure the frame by taping it to a table or something so it doesn't warp while you... um..."spline" it. Place the new screen on the frame, and push the spline in using the tool. Simple right?

Note: This job is not for weak hands. My fingers were tired and achy from doing lots of handsewing and gardening over the past weekend and the spline was a bear to push in. Eventually my son took over, but I did manage to get 1 screen done quite neatly. If you use fiberglass screen, the job is much easier. Metal screen'll fight back.... with teeth and claws, so use your gloves.

Working again at last

Up and running again!

I've been busy working on work things lately, not much time for the sloper adventure since I've had some work to do. But I'm happy to say I can get back to my blogging. We bought a new computer and are now free of breakdowns and crashes.

I just realized what an unorganized mess my blog is becoming, and will start a new section for my sewing adventures. It's the biggest part of my blog life and deserves it's own little address, so future entries will be at http://justsewit.blogspot.com/

The computer's down...

I'm sad. My computer is down and we can't get it working. So I just have a quick minute to update my blog while visiting my mom.

We hope to be up and running again soon.

Stay tuned for more adventures in fitting. I found my old patternmaking/drafting info from the classes I attended at Fashion Center Sewing School. It's run by an older Japanese lady who still does everything the old way... paper and pencil. I'll have to try that one again later. The old sloper fit great when I went several years ago and may I can make a new one now...

Next time (soon I hope): Moulage fitting adventures.

Bonfit Fitted Shirt #2: The last Bonfit Bodice Adventure

Nothing worthwhile comes easy... This proves it. I'm getting closer to a nice fitted shirt. Here's pics of the changes I made to the last pattern. You can see I've overlayed the new pattern over it and used a red pencil to make changes. On the front piece, I've done the following:

1. Added to the front hem.
2. Moved the bust point down about 1/4"
3. Removed 1/4" from the shoulder slope.
4. Cut in the front armhole about 1/4"
5. Reshaped the dart.
6. In addition, after I tried it on, I reshaped the dart making it straight from the waist down to the hem.
7. Took in about 1/4" from the area below the dart. I reshaped the side seam a little and tapered it back out at the hip.

On the back piece, I made the following adjustments:

1. Made the upper part of the dart almost 2" longer.
2. Added a tiny bit to the across back width.
3. Removed 1/4" from the shoulder slope.
4. Did a sway back adjustment, thus added a bit more to the bottom hem as well. (might be a little too much).
5. Added 1/2" extra back hip space at the side seams.
6. Also took in an additional 1/2" at the center back. Give it a little more shape.

Okay, now here's the worst part. After I did all this redrafting, I decided to use the instruction sheets from a drafting class I took several years ago. It was taught by an older Japanese lady famous for her skills. The sloper I made then fit very well and I designed quite a few things from it. Then I had another baby and it got lost at my mother's house, only to be recovered this past week.

Anyway, I took the instructions for the sleeve (I was terribly disappointed with Bonfit's version and could not see how I could improve it) and drafted the sleeve from that. I got a comfortable fit, and only slight problems. The puckering is my fault, there is just enough ease in the cap, but I wanted to get this done so I quickly sewed it in. The twist in the front? I'm not sure yet, but it's not too bad and I'm sure I can figure it out. Any suggestions?

The back has a few wrinkles and I'm not sure if it's just caught up on my jeans or if more work needs to be done. But I'm a bit fed up with this shirt and would like to move on already.

So... Bonfit's bodice patterner works well enough for a loosely fitted garment, but I will never again use it for anything fitted. It's just way too much work to make all the adjustments for a decent fit.

I'm giving up on Bonfit Bodice and will return to the good old fashion dressmaker's rule, big sheets of paper, and a good sharp pencil. Oh... I have to make at least ONE shirt from this mess. Just so I have something to show for all this work.