What are you doing?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
I've seen them in movies where they pop the bottle open and it overflows all over the place. Seems messy and wasteful to me too.

Champagne is wine. And I don't know anyone who wants wine spilled all over their expensive carpet. It stains like mad and is hard to remove. And no matter how much you clean it, it leaves a sticky mark that attracts dirt like fly paper attracts flies.
 
not much, trying to decide if i want to make my oldest granddaughter a quilt or knit an afghan. haven't made a sunshine and shadows quilt in years. pretty easy pattern though. then again , i can knit whenever i sit down. decisions, decisions.
 
I went out looking for a new corkscrew, found it and got a new quilt for the bed, too. Shrek hasn't seen it yet...he's going to wonder why I felt we needed a new one...because I wanted it, that's why:LOL:
 
not much, trying to decide if i want to make my oldest granddaughter a quilt or knit an afghan. haven't made a sunshine and shadows quilt in years. pretty easy pattern though. then again , i can knit whenever i sit down. decisions, decisions.


it must be nice to have so many skills, babetoo! who wouldn't love the luxury of having to choose between sewing or knitting their next handcrafted project? many of us don't have your enviable talents. it must be so rewarding to create a beautiful afghan, quilt or dress--whichever you decide to lend your hand to!! :)
 
Last edited:
it must be nice to have so many skills, babetoo! who wouldn't love the luxury of having to choose between sewing or knitting their next handcrafted project? many of us don't have your enviable talents. it must be so rewarding to create a beautiful afghan, quilt or dress--whichever you decide to lend your hand to!! :)

There are some folks who are very crafty. I like to crochet and knit. I also do dome other stuff. Like I have been working on do a set of eight stenciled place mats and matching napkins. And then their is needlework, embroidery, etc. When you live alone, you have the time for all of this. The place mats are driving me crazy. I have to wait 24 hours between layers of paint. Then I have to iron them to set the paint. This is the fourth set I have done. Last year I did a set in gold for the church fair. They went very quickly.

Quilting is a talent I have not been able to acquire. You do have to be good at math for some of the patterns. My worst skill. I am lucky I can add one and one. And I have never like sewing. I know how to do it though.

I am presently also working on a fun fur afghan for my granddaughter. But I only work on that on Tuesday or Thursday. That is when the knitting club meets. And now it is getting too big to take with me to doctors appoint-ments. I will also make a matching pillow for her. It is for her bed.

Babetoo it appears has more patience than I do.
 
where did you learn how to do all these different hand crafts, addie? were you taught at home or school or a social club, where? my mom did crocheting, sewing and knitting, but i wasn't able to learn these skills from her. nor did she pass on her fabulous kitchen capabilities to me. what does it take, i wonder? i tend to believe that some people have innate artistic abilities that not all of us possess.--like some people are physically coordinated and are natural athletes, or are good dancers or drivers. and others are uncoordinated non-athletes with two left feet. i wish i had some crocheting or knitting genes....
 
I can understand babe's varied "crafty" interests because I pursue the same ones she does.

I've always enjoyed and been interested in sewing and, at a very early age, toiled over my paternal grandmother's treadle machine for hours. Before that I stitched anything and everything by hand. When I was 13 I made my younger cousin 32 outfits for her Barbie doll for Christmas. All without patterns or a sewing machine. I even knitted the doll a royal blue skating outfit complete with an angora "fur" skirt edge.

The only craft that's been taught to me was knitting. That I learned from my maternal grandmother. She used to visit us every winter and always had something to knit. I'd watch her with fascination and couldn't wait to do what she was doing. I asked her but she said she didn't have any extra knitting needles with her. I was 8-years-old and wasn't going to be foiled so I went to the family toy box and plucked a pair of pick-up stiks from the box and took a ball of string from the junk drawer in the kitchen. I picked it up right away and haven't looked back. I've even taught knitting classes several times in the past.

The remaining craft skills I pursue are all self-taught. Among them are crocheting, embroidery (all sorts), tatting (a very, very old craft), quilting, cross stitching, flower arranging (have worked off and on for an area florist), as well as all manner of sewing, including home interior sewing. For many years when I lived in the Washington, DC area, I designed and made wedding gowns. That was a blast, but scary because some of the fabrics I worked with were outrageously expensive imported pieces.

I love playing with thread, yarn, fabric, etc. and can get lost in my own little world when I work on a project. It relaxes me and, in the end, gives me a great feeling of satisfaction. I particularly enjoy creating beautiful things using sequins and beads, but the arthritis in both my hands is limiting my time doing that. I have a head start on a Christmas wall hanging for one of the children. I'd anticipated finishing it for this year, but "Arthur" had other plans.

As for cooking, again self-taught. At age 8 I was thrust into the position where I had to cook for my entire family. My mother wasn't available, my daddy was too busy with his "doctoring" and I was the oldest. I never questioned the situation and simply stood on my little stool and made it work.

I'm always curious and interested in learning something new. Sometimes my curiosity gets me in trouble...but it doesn't stop me. As they say around here, "I'd rather wear out than rust out."
 
where did you learn how to do all these different hand crafts, addie? were you taught at home or school or a social club, where? my mom did crocheting, sewing and knitting, but i wasn't able to learn these skills from her. nor did she pass on her fabulous kitchen capabilities to me. what does it take, i wonder? i tend to believe that some people have innate artistic abilities that not all of us possess.--like some people are physically coordinated and are natural athletes, or are good dancers or drivers. and others are uncoordinated non-athletes with two left feet. i wish i had some crocheting or knitting genes....

I had an Aunt Viola who loved to crochet. She taught me that. And then I learned to knit from a school teacher. The first thing I ever knitted was a pair of socks. My mother wore them until the day she died. Her feet were always cold. I learned to embroider from my father. He did beautiful work.

I do think you are right. I have always been interested in the arts. No matter what they were. Whether they be crafts or physical like ballet or playing the piano. (Another skill of mine along with playing the trumpet in the school band.)

You can develop the skill. But you have to have an interest in what you want to learn and willing to make mistakes. I have found over the years that doing crafts is a great activity when I am alone. It was difficult to find the time when the kids were young. But as they got older, I was able to start embroidery again. They were surprised that I knew how to do it. They knew I could sew. I mended enough of their clothes. Then when they started to get married, they were asking me to make different things for their home. I embroidered a beautiful clock when my youngest was five. I had major surgery and all I could do for three months was sit and do nothing. (Thank heavens for housekeepers.) My youngest now has the clock and a piece I did called "Bless This House" after I finished the clock. They were both very complicated pieces. He has that also. Then a couple of years ago just after my sister died, I did a picture of a Victorian Inn. There was a sign in the front yard and after you sewed the outline of it, you could put what you wanted on it. I named it after my sister. "Lorrie's B&B. My oldest child has that all framed and mounted. I do have to say that came out beautiful. The other crafts I do, I mostly taught myself. If I saw something I was interested, I would make an attempt at it. Another skill I have is writing. You can tell by my long posts) You have to be proficient in English. The one skill I have never been able to conquer is drawing. I couldn't draw a straight line even if I had a set of 12 rulers. I even took classes. I can't even draw stick figures.

If you really want to learn something, there is always your public library. They have dozens of books on any craft you might be interested in doing. :chef:
 
Last edited:
Katie, I learned to sew on a treadle maching. And if I had the room for another piece of furniture I would be hitting all the antique shops looking for one.
 
Finally got the bottle opened. This is the best wine, bubbly whatever you want to call it that I have ever had, white, sweet and fruity. It is called Santo Moscato d'asti and it was $8.99 a bottle. I'm headed back out to Costco tomorrow to pick up some more.
 
Katie, I learned to sew on a treadle maching. And if I had the room for another piece of furniture I would be hitting all the antique shops looking for one.

Funny you should say this. After moving out of the house Buck and I shared, I don't have the room for a treadle machine...the same one I sewed on as a young girl. I'm looking for good, new home for it.
 
I went to a gun show earlier today.
I may go back again tomorrow.
I did pick up a really good find today though.

Pac, this should probably go in the Stray Thoughts thread, but since it's a gun question....can you tell me what gun it is that they used to call an "ack-ack" gun? TIA.
 
Pac, this should probably go in the Stray Thoughts thread, but since it's a gun question....can you tell me what gun it is that they used to call an "ack-ack" gun? TIA.

I just got into collectible guns, but I think it's a big WWII gun used to shoot at airplanes or tanks maybe? No idea where it got it's name. I think I saw it on the Military channel. Like one of those guns with wheels on them.

You should see the beauty I picked up yesterday :) It's about 100 years old and looks like it was made yesterday. The craftsmanship is outstanding.
 
Well this morning I packed away the Christmas knick-knacks and dusted. I was proud of myself I found them all on the first pass. Usually I miss a couple and then have to haul the boxes back out to put them away. Now things look a little depressing. It happens every year!
 
Eyeing the massive piles of vacay laundry to be washed, and nursing a nasty "achoo" cold while stuffing a box of Puffs Plus up my nose. Too wiped out to do much else.
 
Unwinding. Was planning on yesterday as unwinding from the holidays day, but wound up meeting people for lunch, having a few over for afternoon snacks/drinks. So today it is making some poke and steaming some rice. A load or 3 of laundry. But mostly sitting around drinking wine, reading, and snacking and this and catching up with friends I regularly email with.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom