Jest Another Day in Pear-A-Dice - Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm in Alberta

[scottcaddy]

You are so right about the right tool making the job easier!
When all of your notions are looked at in that light, Do you have enough of the right tools to do what you want?
Scott (who didn't think of notions as a set of tools before)

 

[CanuckBock]

Nice ham​

Gives me sliced ham for Rick's lunch sandwiches and as said, LEFTOVERS worth a few days delight.

Dog play this morn...

Watch out Lace...an attacker from ABOVE is watching you chomp snow fer a drink! ​

Hyena backed Lacy grabbing snowy drinks during play time...or is she eating gazelle guts??

Emmy taunting Lacy!

<<blip blip>>

..."Come get me!"​

Cripers...they know not what they ask for, eh!

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ATTACK...DOG ATTACK!!!

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One of Em's fav holds...the chew on the chubbins cheeks!

Lacy to Em..."Oh Emmy...a whoo whoo! Gnash that mouth fulla teethies at me! Whoo whoo!"


Barred grimace of teeth from Em as Lacy sings the blues to the blue gal!​

Emmy is fine...so fine indeed she is charging right back for more! Brutes for punishment!

Quote:
Originally Posted by scottcaddy

You are so right about the right tool making the job easier!
When all of your notions are looked at in that light, Do you have enough of the right tools to do what you want?
Scott (who didn't think of notions as a set of tools before)

Right tool and the new innovations...having taken a leave of absence from sewing for three decades, changes have happened. I am sure I have missed a few trends and that's OK too...sometimes new ways are not always better and time takes its toll on any new fangled screw ups eh.

Take for example pins. Pretty simple one would expect...

But there has always been like different width of pin shafts, lengths...most often with each project, you can search a suggested pin that is perfect for the job at hand. Bulky fabrics would swallow up a small pin, more delicate like this satin would get all holed up if you used an oversized pin...even told to be careful about marking up the fabric in the satin with bad pinning techniques.


But past width and length...then what does a sewer need past the run of the mill, old stand by nickel-plated normal pins (metal head...used often as a reference as to size..."big as the head on a pin")??

Well being as my grippy fingers have worked an additional thirty years...I don't grasp as well as I did when I was originally sewing. So while I have some regular nickel plated pins, I also bought some round headed ones...I can SEE them easier and obviously insert and remove them well...but then I purchased two kinds...


Two types of round headed pins:

1) One type is plastic headed and pretty various colours (good to SEE so I don't miss a pin and find it sunk into the cheek of my butt the first or third time I wear the outfit...great dinner conversation with me sitting and immediately squealing like a PIG 'cause I poked me ample butt oxes...). Why a blobby rounded headed pin? Because I am old and don't pinchy grip so good no mores.

2) One type is a white roundy headed pin BUT the head is a blob of round glass instead of plastic. Why glass? Because if you IRON plastic, it usually melts and makes a huge mess. The glass ones won't melt and can take an ironing (iron the seams or whatever while the stuff is pinned together in the making of it). White is a good colour to see too...so long as it is not a light colour of material you are working with. I thought I had bought yeller coloured GLASS pins too this weekend but found out when I got home, plastic ones--baby crap yeller too...AGH (not my fav and not all that pretty)....no matter, only flub up I did do and considering how many decisions I had to make, not too shabby.


Which brings to light that I can forget and the round headed pins of contrasting colour are more likely to be noticed by me, so I can remove them and easily too. So explained the forget a pin and easier to handle aspects of the blobby round headed pins.

So in the violet holder, top is plastic headed pin, glass headed pin below, T-shaped pin, and regular run of the mill pin​

What other pins did I purchase...the large thick T-headed ones. I have used these before and work fab on material like denim.

Also bought a handful of purply alligator clips...again, great for holding thicker materials. I might not have the dexterity I once had in my fingers and hands but I think more about having devices to make me even better than I was at sewing previously! I make up for being old and forgetful and less adept with better TOOLS.


So there are choices...probably many of these different pins existed when I sewed but maybe were too expensive or were not accessible to the likes of me who has always lived way out in the boonies--I still recall if you wanted say a set of new cutlery, you had four or five choices of patterns in the small town I grew up in...never mind that you could (and some did) show up in the same SEARS dress at the high school dance (one of the reasons I sewed, I am big and I wanted not to be bobbsie-twins with someone!).

So a good way to even up the differences in the genders is to explain the sewing notions as the tools of the trade. A sewing machine is a huge part of the hobby but the tools to compliment the machine are also important. Like having a table saw without a good extension table or dado blades or simply crappy or dull blades in a table saw. You can be skilled but alot of the crafty-ness of doing a good job is the quality of the tools you have to use too.

And taking care of those tools too. I have caught Rick using my good sewing scissors to cut paper...ACK! I paid like $65 for those darn things way back when and I never EVER cut anything but fabric with them...but serves me right for storing them in the kitchen drawer, eh! Scissors are scissors, right!!

One thing I did do was buy extra sewing foots as they could fail and later may be harder to acquire to fit the model of machines. I did forget to get extra light bulbs, so still need to do that.

Doggone & Chicken UP!

Tara Lee Higgins
Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm, Alberta, Canada

 

[perchie.girl]

Fuseable interfacing does wonders too. ON all sorts of fabrics.

Its been about thirty years for me as well.

I used to sew in highschool... But once I found out I could sew heavy materials I started making Saddle pad for my horse. Fleece covers for wear points on halters and Girths. Even sewed on leather Carefully

I reallllly want a leather machine... that can sew through three layers of harness leather.

deb

 

[CanuckBock]

Fuseable interfacing does wonders too. ON all sorts of fabrics.

Its been about thirty years for me as well.

I used to sew in highschool... But once I found out I could sew heavy materials I started making Saddle pad for my horse. Fleece covers for wear points on halters and Girths. Even sewed on leather Carefully

I reallllly want a leather machine... that can sew through three layers of harness leather.

deb

Yes, recall the interface and the iron on kind was wonderful.

I was pressed (ha ha ha, pun intended) for time with Rick waiting in the Suburban for me. I did bend and touch the interface...some was really thick and I thought...OK, the few projects I have on the go currently does not require interface, so I skipped it. They did have iron interface 30 years back because I remember using it.

I too wanted a leather sewing machine because of the dog collars and such but I think I have widgeoned my way past having to have my own since I found a place (western store) that has an old guy in the back with all the lovely smelling leather goods on the go...and harness machines!

The Janome 625E can sew 9 layers of denim I was told...not like I am going to test that on my own machine, but what I was told. And then can sew satin...so a real middle ground choice, I think. See how it goes!

 

[perchie.girl]

Here is one I was looking at day dreaming

http://www.leathermachineco.com/products/cobra-machines/

But there is another I need to locate. The interesting part is IF you can locate a canvass machine it too will be good for leather.

Now you have a dual purpose machine...

OK this is the one I was daydreaming about because at the time I was handstiching and doing repairs on Harness. Some of that leather takes HUGE needles and lots of muscle to get through Even with the holes that already existed.

http://www.tippmannindustrial.com/tippmann-boss-leather-sewing-machine-p-29.html
this one is hand operated. but will go through Three quarter inch thick leather.


deb

 

[CanuckBock]

Heel low:

Dogs were EXTRA goofus this morn...EXTRA!

Emmy taunting Lacy to "come get moi!"

"OK, I got vous!"
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One of Em's fav's is to lay there with her belly exposed..."See how easy to come get me! Already down (but not out!)..."

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Emmy can be downright mean at times too...

But Lacy has a really good laid back attitude...

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Lacy has to...gotta remember the girls love REVENGE--fed OLD & COLD...and recall what Lacy did to Emmy not long ago!

Freeeeeeeeeep...."There!," says Emmy, "Now YOU guess what I had for breaky!" Lacy figures Emmy had the same thing she had!

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Told you the girls were EXTRA silly goofuses today...EXTRA funny faces indeedy.

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Oh yah Deb...the first leather sewing machine...jest pocket change to get it eh? The second one seems reasonable, but you have to make it run...but guess a needle and thread and yer running it too. Bwa ha ha.

Deerskin vest​

One of the reasons for the new sewing machine is me looking at the projects I have piled up over the years...I have a white deerskin vest that is partially hand sewn and partially scotch taped (yeh) together...jest waiting to be sewn up by a sewing machine (nope, no harness leather in that project!). It has been so long now I forgot I even cut the pattern and assembled it. Argh...now at least I can think about sewing it together and actually wearing it.

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Got a buncha scraps leftover so gonna fashion a matching purse...all possible because the machine I have will be able to handle sewing light dress leather.

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The rabbit skins (again had these forever) will go as nice accents if the deerskin scraps aren't enough to fashion the entire purse.

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Spent last night taking the waist band outta a black skirt (with matching top I made ages ago) and decided it will have a second life as a slip. I really enjoyed seeing how absolutely TERRIBLE the machine I had, had sewn up the skirt. Blick! High hopes I won't hafta ever endure a bad seam like those ones again!

I am laughing at myself...forgot SO (sew?) much stuff about sewing...thank heavens for the internet and quick searches. I want to put a gathered valance (see, forget the correct term! I think valance is for curtains...ack! Ruffles is what I want, me wantum rowfuls...ROWF like a dog says!) at the bottom of the satin skirt I am sewing up.

Not sure I ever have used this technique but now it has me trying to recall where I stashed all the crochet/cross stich thread that I own at.

http://thefamilyhomestead.com/gatherfabrictutorial.htm

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Scott, I get the feeling you need Santa to pay attention to the fact that you might require a few "notions" under the tree fer yah this year. A few future projects made easier to do!

With Rick, he's at the point in his life where we are in dire need of him getting that cabinet shop up and running. No more farting around with parking buildings (OK, maybe one more small one; a two seater right by the garage??)...but I DO get what he meant when he needed to house the vehicles safely outta the way BEFORE we could cut ground for his shop (well actually we cut ground back in 1998 when he stripped the area down past the clay and loaded it up gravel as the base...I think the area has somewhat settled in during all that time passing).

Rick calls himself the "Tool Baron" and last weekend spent a few hours at Home Depot (nfi) and came out with nada for himself. We'll go into places like Rona (nfi) and again, come out with nothing period; almost embarrassing as the people bid you a cheery goodbye--no, not stealing nothing...simply they had nothing we wanted to get. We have a whole cabinet shop in storage here awaiting his shop completion. We need the building, the facilities, not the tools (notions!) to outfit it. Some of the stuff is hilarious, near like vintage, new in the box awaiting the place to house it. Cripers, some of the items have never been turned on or even assembled...can only imagine what could happen IF the item is a lemon right outta the box...and twenty/thirty years in existence but never been used! Things like I made him buy a whole vacuum system for the shop...the kind that hangs from the roof and has stations at each work place...hook ups for planer, jointer, table saw, etc. Some of the dust is toxic in the exotic woods and last thing I wanted was him to muck up his lungs making the sawdust fly.

Yeh, Tool Baron Ricky...never mind the other handle he has; Rick LENO...hee hee. Rick doesn't have the cutester Jay chin but he sure has the Jay smirk down pat. "Now which unit shall we drive to town today to bug the locals with??" I can say with full endorsement...the BEST vehicle to go to town in is the '80 Suburban...yeh, Rick and I up front and seven of our imaginary friends (fiends?) in the back. So many windows, so a smooth boat like ride...yeh...and no worries period about what to do with what we buy...how we shall load up in her. Rick was ever so right...it is a shopping haulers dream boat machine.
Baaaaaaaaad man...BAAAAAAAD!

1980 GMC Suburban - bought May 1st​

Of all the vehicles we have taken on, this one had the least amount of work to get her road worthy (in Rick's perspective of what "road worthy" is)...a few pimper items like front bottom black cowling with amber lights, hood deflector, summer/winter front...Rick did change out the rad but after 35 years...yeh, something had to rot out in that many years, eh. Only thing that was missing is a matching pair of Tilley hats (anniversary editions; Tilley hats were made in Canada starting in 1980, eh!) to go with the persona of the Suburban family group.

http://tilleyfans.blogspot.ca/2011/10/tilley-fans-blog-company-history_3364.html

For a good laugh, lookit the second photo on this blog. Oh my...maybe the Tilleys ARE a bit more raunchy than Rick and I wanna be...like who knew, eh!!

Oh well, there are FAR worse addictions to have (yeh, from looking at the Tilley clan...hee hee...yeh, nothing like an ol' Hippy to lead some astray!)...no substance addictions on us and since we have none of those (clean as the new fallen snows!)...why not have a collection of handy dandy man tools or as I do now, sewing notions. At least with the notion addiction...I can only pretty much be harming myself, eh. Pretty much sew my excess flesh into a hem line or some such hilarity. Oh no, using the stitch ripper to unbind meself is gonna make it three times as painful...and plum bloody messy!!!

Doggone & Chicken UP!

Tara Lee Higgins
Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm, Alberta, Canada

 

[perchie.girl]

Bought a diswasher took me a year to find someone to install it. Wouldnt work... Warrenty gone worker gone so now I have a 500 dollar dish cabinet.

At least critters wont walk over my dishes.

deb

 

[CanuckBock]

Heel low:

Purdy expensive cabinet, eh Deb!

We have done the call in and tell them we started using an appliance for warranty purposes. In some cases like five years later and it has been OK. Course we never did ask them to come good on the warranty period because the items have worked. Mighta got the "too late" spiel then, who knows!

I ordered a copy of Tippmann's catalogue and got an e-mail they are also sending along a DVD...I can day dream along with you too Deb!

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Dogs this morn...

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Absolutely incredible lovely winter's day (moon up high in the sky glowing on down)...and bestest part is that December 21 is coming up...so soon enough the days will begin to get longer instead of shorter...more time to play outside in the light.

Laughing now because the pet store canary that Rick's Mom had us take (quit singing...go figure!) is bathing in his cage right now...springish behaviours abound!

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Nothing but blue skies with wispy clouds...do we see!

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Lacy has been feeling a bit off so I have a pot of rice cooking on the stove. Nice bland rice for her tummy tum.

This weekend, should see us picking up a ton of cracked yeller corn we had to order in. Mostly for if'n we do get some serious cold weather...and an additive as the chicken candy...oh how them Chooks love their corns. See a few roos too that are a tad shy on the yellow legs...so that addition should help enhance them leggies of theirs. Cartenoids I think they call the red/yellow pigments and if they don't have it in their diet, they cannot express the yellow colour too well.

Off to sew...

Doggone & Chicken UP!

Tara Lee Higgins
Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm, Alberta, Canada

 

[perchie.girl]

Yep. But its all stainless. so when I loose enough weight to be able to kneel down I may pull it out of the cabinet and see if there isnt a locking pin somewhere that needed to be pulled out.

so providing it hasnt corroded I still have a teeny bit of hope that it will work.

deb

 

[scottcaddy]

Yep. But its all stainless. so when I loose enough weight to be able to kneel down I may pull it out of the cabinet and see if there isnt a locking pin somewhere that needed to be pulled out.

so providing it hasnt corroded I still have a teeny bit of hope that it will work.

deb

If you have/can find the model number google for the install instructions, maybe something was missed or not hooked up properly.
Scott