Ya know me? Janome!

Say hello to my newest toy:

So, you can probably figure out for yourself that I'm learning to sew. Call me domesticated if you will, but I'm doing this for purely practical reasons. The Craftsman is so big with SO many windows that if we don't make the curtains ourselves we'll spend upwards of a thousand dollars just on cheap curtains. This way I figure we can use nicer fabrics that will actually fit the type of windows in old houses (TALL). I love floor-length curtains, especially those that pool on the floor, so now I'll be able to have them for cheap. Plus, I can make everything matchy-matchy (or at least coordinate-y) from the curtains to the pillows to the upholstery fabrics in each of the rooms.

Aside from the monetary aspect it's just nice to have an additional skill. In case you ever need it, ya' know?

Our gracious friend Diane is teaching me (for free!). She's been sewing for sixty years, so she knows a thing or two. She's a big-time quilter and made this wonderful quilt for the Little One.

The baby woodland animals in it are my inspiration for the theme in his bedroom in the Craftsman. More on that later.

Diane is the one who recently oversaw the sewing of my first seam. (Say that five times fast!) She also took me shopping at Edward's Sewing Center here in town. The women there are super nice, knowledgeable, and helpful. Edward's mainly carries Janome, which I had heard previously is pretty much the best brand of sewing machine...as in they'll last forever, so that's what I got. They showed me the ins and outs of how to use the machine, including a demonstration of how it "will sew tissue to denim." (When I first heard this I got a mental image of someone lining their jeans with tissues and thought "why in the world would anyone want to sew tissues to their jeans??" Come to find out that the machine is good enough to go from sewing something as delicate as tissue to something as sturdy as denim without a hiccup.)

When I picked up the Janome Magnolia a few weeks later (it had to be ordered) they showed me how to thread it and all...surprisingly easy after a few tries. I brought it home and immediately sewed this:

A sort of miniature pillow case?

I bought the fabric at Jo-Ann's in the clearance bin. You can see my practice stitches.

See that red and white fabric in the background? It's a shirt I got at St. Vincent's Thrift Store for 50 cents. I didn't like it as a shirt, but I thought it might look cute as a pillow. So, the next day:

I just used the fabric to sew a pillow-casey thing with which I covered one of the two teal pillows I got for the Victorian's living room. Before and after:

I really have nothing bad to say about this sewing machine. It has tolerated me forgetting to lower the foot many times without freaking out on me. I've even knotted the thread up, and it didn't seem to be bothered. It's computerized and has around 30 different stitches that it sews, including button holes, with each having adjustable length and width. The other features I really love are: the drop-in bobbin, a little razor-blade thingy on the side so that you don't have to use scissors to cut the thread, and an automatic tie-off (you just push a button and it ties the thread for you when you're done sewing).

Drop-in bobbin:

Thread cutter:

The needle up/down, tie-off, reverse, and start/stop buttons:



Actually, there is one thing. It makes a weird buzzing sound after it's been going for awhile. I suspect it's the light bulb.

Also, a piece of purple and cream fabric followed me home which is going to look great in the new dining room under a centerpiece maybe:

Grand total:
Sewing machine: $350
Assorted fabrics: $4.50

Yep, I'm Cheap

A few days ago I made a trip to a thrift store here in Fort Wayne that I'd heard about years ago, but had never gotten around to exploring. It's called Cherished Again, and I would rank it as an 8.5 on a scale of 1 through 10. The store is enormous and has a great selection of deals. Now, these aren't deals like some stores where you can score a wingback for $5 (Salvation Army), but there definitely isn't junk hanging around mascarading as quality (again, Salvation Army). What I was really excited about, though, is that it's full of genuinely nice decor and antiques, but they don't charge antique store prices. Not even close.

I picked up this cobalt decanter for $10. I've been looking for one to be used as a stylish container for mouthwash in the bathroom. (I have to give credit where credit is due, and I stole this idea from the owners/residents of The Castle Gallery in West Central.) Hopefully, since it's out sitting on the counter it will inspire us to use it more. ;)

Similarly, I found this little jar to use as a container for astringent. ($2.50) Again, this serves as a pretty reminder to use it more often. Be warned if you do this your husband might mistake it for mouthwash. Labels will soon fix this.

Okay, I'm not sure why, but I LOVE these little white Christmas tree thingys. ($12.50) I'm not sure if I'll display any ornaments on them, but they're cute enough not to.

The most unique find of the day goes to this set of two candle holders and scales. ($14.50) They creep me out a little bit...in a good way. :) Again, not exactly sure where they'll go in the house, but I will find a place for them. I'm a bit inclined to think they should find their home on the huge dining room table (that has yet to be built)...but what should they hold? (The fruit will be going bye-bye.)

So, that all comes to a grand total of $40. Not a bad haul.

Any ideas on what to do with any of these things??

I love stripping!

Let's just discuss the original wood floors in the Craftsman's living room and dining room. When we bought the house the floors were covered with stinky, moldy, flea-infested carpet. At first we tried to save that gorgeous carpet....haha! Just kidding! We threw that crap out the first chance we got. (By the way, don't try to transport a truck-bed full of carpet without first tying it down. Bad, bad things happen when you're speeding down a busy four-lane street during rush hour.)

We were lucky in that the carpet was glued down so that there are no staples or tacks to remove. We were unlucky in that the carpet was glued down because we have to now remove glue.

So here's the deal-i-o. We're dying to keep the original floors because, well, they're original. How can you just throw something away that's withstood over 100 years of kids, pets, furniture, etc.? The floors are in good enough shape to keep, but in bad enough shape that we really can't use the big sanders to just sand them down and refinish. Instead, here's what we're doing:

1) Stripping off the glue (and spilled paint) with chemical stripper. Yes, this is tedious, messy, smelly, and kind of expensive.

2) We're then sanding the floors by hand. Yes, I said by hand.

3) Finally, in ten years we'll stain and finish the floors. :)

Pictures!

Aaron working hard:

Close-up:

1/3 how they originally looked, 1/3 stripped, 1/3 stripped and sanded:

You can see the remaining water damage here:

Stripping in the dining room: