Back To It

So happy to be sewing again. I used 3 different machines over the past month trying to finish this quilt for Cheyenne. I’m kinda amazed the seams fit together correctly. 😜

It still needs borders - the same grayish blue that’s in the top and bottom row. Hoping to have it finished by Friday so I can drop it off when I see my longarmer buddy. 

Princess Kokopuff

Meet Princess (because everything Jac is involved in naming is either ‘Princess’ or ‘Rose’) Koko (Kokochi is the model name) Puff (because how could I not??) Her friends call her ‘Koko’. 

My main sewing machine - an 8 year old Janome 8200QC - has been glitching since before we went to Maine, skipping 2 stitches here and 3 stitches there, just often enough that I have to double check every.single.seam. for problems. So annoying.

Three separate visits to the repair shop spa, 30+ minutes each way, with no resolution, has been frustrating (they are very nice but have no idea what’s wrong*).

I’d been daydreaming about a new machine for awhile, especially with sister Teena singing the praises of her Juki, but probably wouldn’t have followed through because $$$ and learning curve and inertia. The repair saga changed that. 

I narrowed my choices to 2 models each for Janome and Juki, contacted a few shops to see what they had (not much ☹️), and had hubby talked into a day trip to a shop in Huntington Beach on Saturday so I could test drive a Juki, even though they didn’t have the models I wanted (they’d ship it to the store from the warehouse next week and I could drive back again to get it, since they didn’t ship …. Oh joy). Then I found a new-to-me shop, only 45 minutes away who, when I called, said they didn’t have the models I wanted but they did have the next model up (top of the line), on sale for half price since a woman had returned it after 3 days to buy a different machine. (She did that 3 times with 3 different machines. I can’t imagine!)

Good news - the price was $1000 lower than the less expensive models I’d been interested in. Bad news - there was only a 90 day warranty since they were selling it as ‘used’. But… they offered a 3 year warranty that was basically the same cost as having the machine serviced/cleaned each year. Add in the tax and it was still cheaper than the others! I feel like it’s Christmas. 

Learning curve is going to be steep - I’ve already broken a needle and jammed the machine - but this is going to be fun!

* I’ve a feeling repair issues are only going to get worse. The old repair guys are retiring, taking all their been-there-fixed-that knowledge with them. The new guys mean well but if cleaning or re-timing the machine doesn’t work, they have no idea what’s wrong. 

Planting Bug

For Mother’s Day, Matt & family gave me a plant, 

a nursery gift card and offered to go plant shopping with us - who could resist???

We filled the back of the SUV - and put a hefty hit on hubby’s credit card - but came home with some very pretty plants (that I hopefully won’t immediately kill…)

Jac and I spent a few hours Monday 

making our own dirt mix (Matt’s special recipe)

and repotting succulents

while Leo took charge of the wine barrel planter*. 

She did such a good job**!

We finished up today, so hubby could have the garage back, and all but one plant are either in the ground or repotted. 

Hope the lizards enjoy their new plantings!

*See the smallest round pot at Leo’s feet? We needed it to be deeper for the plant we wanted to put in there… so we smacked the bottom with a sharp tool until it broke (Jac was shocked 😂)… then put it back in place with no one the wiser (until Leo snitched me off to Pop 😂). Instant DIY deep-dish planter! 

** A local cat decided Leo’s plants would make a good bed and slept right in the middle of the red one, crushing it. 

So… Pop and I put flower lights and wood stakes in and around it to discourage further naps. Hope it works!

Sneaky Math

Jac wanted to know how many days there were until her birthday, so we sat down to figure it out…

then made a calendar to count down the days. 

Shhhhhhh, don’t anyone tell Jac we did **math** while we were having fun. 😂

Back To Normal

My back-seat squad, waiting for the teenager to get out of school.

Lego girl, building her first underwater adventure.

The box was a gift from Uncle Mike and Jac is thrilled. She’s never shown much interest in Lego before, but she worked on this for hours the first afternoon and again today. So cool. 

Jac’s pretty easily distracted so I’m surprised and very happy that this is such a hit. Hooray!

Newport Mansions, For The Wrap

 Last day was a great day. 

It took almost 3 hours to drive from Salem to Newport (maps app said it would be 2….glad we left early.) but we arrived with a whole 15 minutes to spare before the trolley tour started. 

Jay Leno’s east coast house has 6 garages

Trolley Rob, the tour guide, made sure we got our $$ worth with some great stories to go with the crazy big mansions everywhere.

We did a walking tour of two homes, The Breakers and The Elms, both owned by the Newport Preservation Society (along with 9 or so other properties.) All were “summer cottages” for wealthy New Yorkers who spent about 6 weeks there each year. 

Breakers was built by Cornelius & Alice Vanderbilt between 1893-95 and totals 70 rooms and 138,600 square feet. (It’s just a cottage, remember ??😜) 

A few of my favorite pics:

I love sparkly crystal chandeliers

 Music room

 My favorite thing in the house - the wood doors are *curved* to match Mrs. Vanderbilt’s circular bedroom. ⬇️ Amazing craftsmanship!

 Stained glass skylight

 Note skylight ⬆️ and tapestry/portrait ⬇️

 What a kitchen!

 Oven door

 Double-decker butler’s pantry 

 Making her pretty for the summer season

 Entrance gate

The Elms was built from 1899-1901 by coal magnate Edward Berwind and wife Herminie for a cost of $1.4 million ($49.7 mil in 2023 dollars.) 

Mr. Berwind’s sister Julia, the home’s last resident, died in 1961 and the home was on its way to being demolished in 1962 when the Preservation Society purchased it. 

Almost all the furnishings had already been auctioned off; the Society has been tracing and re-purchasing items as they could since then.

 Back of the house

Some favorite pics:

 Second floor hallway

 Drawing room

 In the ballroom

 Dining room ceiling

 Double-decker butler pantry 

 Marble stairway

 Mrs. Berwind’s bedroom 

 Rose Room

 Grand-niece

 Best organized linen closet ever. Want!

 An actual vault to hold the family’s silver service

 Kitchen and zinc prep table

 Front doors
 Look at the trunk - wonder how old this tree is? Bet it fabulous in the summer

And that’s it! Tomorrow we head for Boston and start the journey home. It’s been great but I miss my cat!