My Blog

Friendships

There are people in our lives for which, I believe, God gifts us. Sometimes these gifts are not ones we asked for but they were exactly what we needed. It's like a birthday or Christmas present that when you open it you say, "Wow, how perfect! I didn't even know I wanted one!" I actually have a friend who has this gift giving skill. It's divine to be on the receiving end!

Even more divine is when God gifts you with people whom you can be your true self resulting in people who know you a little too well. I have one friend who can tell from the tone in my voice over the phone that something is not right, even when I am trying to keep it light, and she will ask me what's wrong. I have another friend that can pull things deep out of me from out of nowhere, sort of supernaturally. Then there's the friend I work with that if I want to hide something from her, I better just physically hide from her. She has a remarkable gift of reading me like a book! I wonder if I am just easy to read. Maybe so, but I do try sometimes with all of these friends and almost always without success. I can assure you, I never asked for this gift but I am incredibly thankful for it most of the time.

I have a very special group of friends that I meet with once a week where we share the good, bad and the ugly of each of our lives. The group keeps us accountable to taking care of our spiritual lives which bleeds into every other area of our lives. I love this group for many reasons but mainly because of the closeness that has come out of it. Even though we admit what we do that is not living our lives as Christ taught, we are growing closer together. This is another one of those gifts I received that I never knew I needed.

Last week, I was very angry at God which is another story for another time. I have never been mad at God, at least not that intensely. This happened to be the day our group was meeting and I did not want to deal with it nor "burden" my friends with this...yet anyway. I emailed the group to say I wasn't feeling well and was going home so would not be meeting. We meet where I work so it's very convenient for me except for this day. I went to leave a little before our meeting time and realized that I locked my keys in the car. In comes one from the group who knew I had been upset and thought this (the key situation) was funny and a sign that I should go ahead and meet. I did go and I was so glad I did.

Every one of these friends can hear a dilemma I may have and know precisely how to solve it. Every one of these friends will ask me later if I did what I was supposed to do. Every one of these friends will offer to help if I don't ask. They see things in me that I never would have found on my own; mostly good but sometimes not so much.

Then there are the new friends I made recently by moving to a new town as well as the the new/old friends and family made/found on Facebook this past year. These friends are also a surprise blessing for which I never knew to ask. I'm loving getting to know so many better and being privy to parts of their lives I would never have been able to without this awesome bit of technology.

I know this sounds very one sided and I do try to be the kind of friend they need, but I felt compelled to write because I find myself so very thankful for these precious gifts more and more lately.

A Tale of Three Sewing Machines

Ever since I started working at a quilt shop, I have been dying to get my sewing machines out and put one of them to use. I own two machines but I also have my mother-in-law’s machine because I am in the process of reupholstering a chair but neither of my machines are working. As it turns out, my MIL’s machine is not working either.

 

Today I decided to see if I could take my MIL’s machine apart to see what the problem may be. Big risk, I know! Between watching my husband take things apart and seeing machines waiting repair in the shop, I figured I could at least take it apart enough to have a look around. The problem with this machine is that it seems stuck; the motor makes noise but nothing visible is moving. After looking around inside and putting some oil any where metal is touching metal, I can’t tell what is stuck or why. I did go online to see if I could get some help but so far no luck.

 

One thing I did learn about this machine is that it is called the Singer Slant-O-Matic 500A, aka “The Rocketeer.” This machine was top of the line in its day. The slogan on the cover of the owner’s manual says, “The Slant-O-Matic – the greatest sewing machine ever built!” The machine was purchased by my in-laws back in the ‘60s and was used to make clothes for Bruce’s sisters and Halloween costumes. According to Bruce she did not use it much after they moved into the house his parents have owned since he was five and where she still resides.

 

What is different about my MIL’s machine, other than its sleek design, is the fact that it is gear driven where most sewing machines, my two included, are belt driven. As a matter of fact, when I opened up the first of my machines, it was clearly a belt that was the issue. It had deteriorated and gummed up part of the gear which is why I sometimes had to turn to wheel when it would stop randomly.

 

So right now in two rooms of my house, lie three sewing machines that I’ve taken apart and await either a part, a cleaning or a revelation.  Two are sitting on the dining table and the other is in my office because it has its own cabinet. The one in my office was my grandmothers and I believe, was also made and purchased in the ‘60s. The only thing wrong with it is that it needs a tune up or actually just a good cleaning. My other machine was also my grandmother’s but it was purchased in the ‘80s, and is a Montgomery Ward brand. This is the one that needs a belt.

No fancy names for my two models. Simply, a Singer 237 Fashion Mate and a Montgomery Ward UHT J 1957.

 

If anyone knows anything about any of these machines, I’d love to learn more about them, either the history or how they work.

Playing Around

This week I started a new job that I absolutely love. I am the equivalent of a child working in a candy store and I have never practiced more self control than I have in the 10 or so hours I've worked this week. The quilt shop that I now work part-time is a quaint and charming place on the square in Rockwall called Texas Quiltworks. It is owned by a sweet couple, Glen and Judy, who have been in business for about six years.

Part of my new job will be to maintain the store blog. The store website is about to be revamped, so Glen also wanted the blog revamped. That's how I found typepad.com. They currently use Google's blog product but think typepad may be better. So we've started a free trial for the quilt shop and I also decided to try it out on a personal level. This is my very first attempt at a blog so I wanted to at least somewhat know what I was doing before putting together the store blog.

That's really what this first blog is about. It's something that I can put into the blog and see what else happens. I am struck at the similarity of the the new blog to my new job. I'm learning so much in more than one area and I am really excited about how much personal growth I will gain in the process!

By the way, be sure to check out the store website and keep checking back for the latest and greatest edition!

http://www.texasquiltworks.com/