Fixing a Bird's Nest

My Pfaff 1222E was working just fine---until it wasn't. All of a sudden, I had a "bird's nest" on the underside of my stitching.  When the bird's nest is on the bottom, it means there's something wrong with the upper tension.

First, I completely unthreaded my machine with the presser foot up, then re-threaded it without threading the needle. I pulled on the thread and it moved easily through the machine.

Next, I lowered the presser foot and pulled on the thread. I met with resistance. So that was good.
I tried stitching my fabric, but I still had a bird's nest.

Next, I changed out the needle. No change.

I changed out the spool of thread, thinking it might be a mismatch between the spooled thread and the bobbin thread. It seemed to me that the labels on the top and bottom of the spool were affecting the free flow of the thread. There was a slight improvement, but the bird's nest was still appearing intermittently.

Finally, I thought about what I had been sewing before the bird's nest happened. I had used a zig zag stitch. So I cycled through the zig zag stitches (a large zig zag and a small zig zag) and attempted a button hole. It was a fail.

I then went past the 4mm stitch on my dial---it's a very small zig zag. I didn't get any bird's nests!

I then tried straight stitching and everything looks beautiful again!

If this hadn't fixed it, my baby was going to the machine doctor. I hope this helps someone else!

It's Ad Hominem!

Drew and Anna were having a discussion (also known as a sibling argument).

Drew said, "I'm older than Zipper and I'm more important."
Anna said, "Zipper is older than you."
Drew said, "That's stupid."
Mom interjected (with only the tiniest bit of sarcasm), "Drew, that's a really brilliant way to make your point and continue the discussion."
Drew replied, "I know, it's ad hominem."

I love our school district!

World Architecture Day - aka #CathedralWars

Sometimes, it's the really quiet brainy ones that surprise you.

Today is #WorldArchitectureDay.
The Cathedrals of England have got this well covered!#DropsMic pic.twitter.com/f1k18e0Ui2

— St Paul's Cathedral (@StPaulsLondon) October 2, 2017
Please take the time to read through the entire thread---there are some really clever people in the world, and to see this level of wit in the written word is simply awe-inspiring. Now, I have something added to my bucket list---a tour of all the British cathedrals.

How Our History Has Shaped Us and Why Black Lives Still Matter

This made me cry.

Yesterday, Anna and I went to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) to see Kehinde Wiley's exhibit "A New Republic." Wiley’s signature portraits of everyday men and women riff on specific paintings by Old Masters, replacing the European aristocrats depicted in those paintings with contemporary black subjects, drawing attention to the absence of African Americans from historical and cultural narratives.

We watched two little African-American girls pose ala tableau vivant in front of "Two Sisters," a larger-than-life painting of two African-American women standing arm-in-arm. Anna said, "Mom, this is why he's [Wiley] so important; he "represents." There's nothing else in this museum that looks like them."

We also viewed the Gordon Parks exhibit, which traces Parks’ return to his hometown of Fort Scott, Kansas and then to other Midwestern cities, to track down and photograph each of his childhood classmates. The images depict the realities of life under segregation in 1950–– presenting a rarely seen view of everyday lives of African-American citizens in the years before the Civil Rights movement began in earnest.

These photos were supposed to run in Life Magazine, but for some reason, were never published.

Then, this story was published on the front page of the Washington Post. A lynching of an American WWII happened on an American military base and only a cursory investigation was done. In fact, even now, 75 years after the fact, portions of the investigation are redacted and the FBI refuses to change this.

Why did this happen? Why does it continue to persist, even now? Martin Luther King, Jr, said, "If it may be said of the slavery era that the white man took the world and gave the Negro Jesus, then it may be said of the Reconstruction era that the Southern aristocracy took the world and gave the poor white man Jim Crow. And when his wrinkled stomach cried out for the food that his empty pockets could not provide, he ate Jim Crow, a psychological bird that told him that no matter how bad off he was, at least he was a white man, better than the black man."

But this doesn't really answer, "Why?" In 2000, the researchers on the Human Genome Project told us that race has no basis in science. http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/v36/n11s/full/ng2150.html

I wept when I read how Private Felix Hall attempted to build a pile of dirt under his feet to ease the pressure of the noose against his neck. Ultimately, he failed, and hatred prevailed.

Under our skins, we are all the same. All the same.

Don't Dismiss the Actual Buyer Standing in Front of You for the Potential Buyer Tomorrow

Anna and I went to estate sales today. One sale had FIVE sewing machines and lot of sewing items (mainly buttons, doll patterns, and scissors) so I did pick up a bag of buttons and a pair of Gingher Dressmakers and a pair of Fiskar pinking shears because they felt so nice.

I didn't have high hopes for the next one because the main selling feature was decades of vintage Playboy magazines, but we went because they listed vintage and modern photography equipment and Anna is taking photography at NVCC.

Amazingly, they had a Pfaff 360 vintage free-arm sewing machine (manufacturer date stamp 12 23 59) and I plugged it in to see if it worked. The machine did turn on and all the parts were there, but to make stitches, I had to turn the flywheel because it just groaned when I pushed the pedal. The instruction manual is completely in German.

I took it downstairs and one of the workers said it was $175. Say what? I told them no, it would cost me at least $75 to take it to the shop for maintenance. I told them I would pay $30. There were gasps. If they would have countered with $50, I would have taken it. The lady running the sale said she would take it home tonight and research it with her experts.

I gave her my business card if they change their minds. The Pfaff 360 goes for $100 on Ebay with shipping charges between $20 and $50. The machines on Ebay also work. Just because it's vintage and it's worth a lot in some niche market doesn't mean you should dismiss the buyer standing in front of you for the potential buyer who *might* pay what you're asking tomorrow. I did leave my business card with them, but I don't think they're going to call me.

The fact is I don't really need another member of my sewing machine museum. However, if I DID have all that money to spend, I'd like to buy the mid-century modern piece that featured drop-down doors and slide-out drawers! That was awesome!

On another note, it's all very interesting to visit estate sales because I wonder about the past owner. In this instance, the man was at least a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who was married to a German lady. They must have met when he was stationed in Germany. He was also stationed in the UK as there was a lot of Spode china. The sewing machine had some stitches on a test piece of cloth, including the name "Helga," so I think that must have been her name. There wasn't a lot of women's clothing, although there were a few pairs of women's shoes in boxes. There was an office off of the bedroom, a massive desk in front of a massive window overlooking the backyard. All the Playboy magazines were lined up on the bookshelves. I 'm sure he subscribed just for the articles.


Mid-century modern credenza with drop-down doors and pull-out drawers

The Curse of the Firstborn: "Don't Be A Baby."

They got on the elevator at the 5th floor. It was evident he had been crying, this maybe 3-year old boy with yellow hair and tear-stained cheeks. His dad and grandmother accompanied him, the father standing next to his son who was hugging the railing around the elevator, while the grandmother took the opposite side of the elevator, next to me and the door buttons.

"He looks sad," I said. The father glanced at his son then at me. "His mother is having a baby and he wanted to stay with her," he said. "He's just upset because he didn't like being yelled at."

I thought about that. I don't like being yelled at either. But I didn't say anything. They let us out of the elevator first and I could hear the little boy breaking into sobs. My heart broke a little when I overheard the man say, "Why are you being a baby? Stop crying." Pause. "Why are you crying? You can't even tell me why you're crying."

He doesn't get it, this man. This boy's life is changing forever---after tonight, he'll never be an only child again. And everyone's going to dote on the new baby, cooing and smiling. Oh, sure, he'll get attention, too, but he's not NEW anymore. Oh, the curse of the firstborn and the self-aware.

Where, oh where, is my Jimmy Dean Bacon Lovers Roll Sausage?

Only Jimmy Dean Hot, Maple and Sage Sausage available. MILD is sold out!

I haven't been able to find Jimmy Dean Bacon Lovers Roll Sausage ANYWHERE. I've been to Giant, Shoppers, WalMart, Safeway, and my local military commissary. This just doesn't exist in my part of the world.

I'm a BzzAgent so I get to try out all sorts of fun things and I've been carrying my coupon for a free roll to try and have been handing out coupons to my friends to get their sausage-bacon thrill on for awhile. I'm kind of surprised that the campaign ends on 21 JAN, because I think this would be AWESOME to feature at a Superbowl party. Maybe it'll be in stock somewhere I shop and I can feature this on some massive meaty nachos, some huge stuffed baked potatoes, or on a homemade pizza. My mouth is watering just thinking about this.

Jimmy Dean, can you help me out?



The Mecca for Kecap Manis

I've been searching for kecap manis, a sweet soy sauce used in Indonesian and other South East Asian dishes so I could try out a few recipes. H Mart didn't have it on previous visits so I decided to call around to the various Oriental grocery stores here. Nothing from Daily Spices, Lotte Plaza, or the Fiesta Springfield Oriental Market. My only option was to try Great Wall Supermarket in Falls Church because they carried Vietnamese foods.

As soon as we walked in the door, I was transported back to Asia. The smell is so unique. I miss traveling around that part of the world. When I was a newbie Navy nurse, I was so upset that my options for serving in Europe were so limited. Now, I don't think you could get me to go there if I had the option to transfer to Okinawa, Japan, or Guam.

If you are a connoisseur of soy sauces, hang out in the Oriental food marts. (If you're hung up on cleanliness, don't go.) If you're a vegetarian, have no fear---they even make vegetarian soy sauce. We decided we needed to try the Mushroom Soy Sauce, and I did find the Kecap Manis.

My sirloin has been thinly sliced across the grain and is marinating in a combination of kecap manis and soy sauce en route to becoming beef satay. Yum!

It's Snowing!

Flea is paying homage on the Altar to the Outdoors. He thinks he could catch the snowflakes if he were given half a chance....

Sometimes You Need A Super Hero Cape

Anna was invited to a birthday party and we needed to get a birthday gift. We brainstormed and found some ideas on Etsy. Although it's meant for younger children, the Super Hero Cape appealed to us both.

I needed to create a logo for the cape and we decided to combine the design from the top left option and the letters from option second from the bottom left. Izzy's favorite colors are blue and green and we got blue fleece, green felt for the letters, a metallic novelty lace trim for the "tornado," a gold braid curtain pull for the collar and gold fringe for the bottom of the cape. The slogan, "More awesomeness per square inch," somehow got lost in the rush to complete it. Maybe if I had a fancy-schmancy embroidery-type sewing machine, I could have pulled that one off.

Super Hero Cape - Embryonic Form

Unfortunately, everything always takes longer than I expect or plan for. Anna cut the letters while I figured out what to do with the cape. My lovely Pfaff 1222E got tangled up with thread in the bobbin and quit (I have to make a trip to the repair shop tomorrow).  By this time I was very frustrated and thought this the worst present in the world. I seriously wished we had gone with Anna's original suggestion to buy an iTunes gift card. So I stitched the last three letters by hand and tacked the curtain braid on the collar. Then I discovered the small elastic cording I hoped to loop through the two blue flower buttons we'd gotten was too big. So, I stitched the elastic to the buttons with the thread and put a drop of glue on the thread and elastic for good measure. I didn't have time to make the tornade design on the back of the cape---we were already an hour late to the party.

 

I had Drew try the cape on so Anna could see it. It was awesome. I had made triangular darts at the shoulders and sewed some of the gold fringe under the folded-over fabric so it looked like epaulets. Drew ran up the stairs, the cape flying behind him, and came back down. "I love it!" he said. I did, too, and was glad I had finished the cape anyway.

 

"Please take some pictures," I told Anna.

 

"You don't think this is a lame gift?" she asked.

 

"No," I said firmly. "Every teenage girl needs a Super Hero Cape once in a while."

It's Apples Versus Oranges in the Parker Household

We only have one pitcher and only enough space in the refrigerator for one pitcher. Anna got to the pitcher before Drew did and made orange juice. Drew prefers apple juice.

Here's the threat:

"Apple juice is the next choice for the pitcher, or I will pour the orange juice out."

Brain Pickings on Love

This, quite frankly, is the best explanation of love I've found, from the book, "Big Questions from Little People: and Simple Answers from Great Minds:"

 

You don’t fall in love like you fall in a hole. You fall like falling through space. It’s like you jump off your own private planet to visit someone else’s planet. And when you get there it all looks different: the flowers, the animals, the colours people wear. It is a big surprise falling in love because you thought you had everything just right on your own planet, and that was true, in a way, but then somebody signalled to you across space and the only way you could visit was to take a giant jump.

Away you go, falling into someone else’s orbit and after a while you might decide to pull your two planets together and call it home. And you can bring your dog. Or your cat. Your goldfish, hamster, collection of stones, all your odd socks. (The ones you lost, including the holes, are on the new planet you found.)

And you can bring your friends to visit. And read your favourite stories to each other. And the falling was really the big jump that you had to make to be with someone you don’t want to be without. That’s it.

PS You have to be brave.

Drew's Birthday Present

Drew's birthday is tomorrow. Gregg said, "You see, most fathers get their sons baseball mitts or soccer balls for their birthdays, but I went one better. I ordered a hurricane that got you two days off from school!"

Drew beamed. "That's an awesome birthday present!"

Human Foils Operation Cat Vomit!

 Honestly, I don't know how the cat did it (and I have no idea which cat did it---they all fled the scene and are securely ensconced in their respective feline fortresses).

 

Cat vomit - Note interesting splatter pattern

 If you look at the photo, you can see that there's quite a large splatter pattern. If the cat was at the bottom of the stairs, it shouldn't have reached all the way to the riser of the 5th stair (not pictured). I mean, really, how could the cat have blown puke that high up from the bottom of the stairs? Using a blow gun? Perhaps a hand-held fan?

No cat vomit remains!

 

On the other hand, if the cat vomited from the top of the stairs, how did he or she manage to get the vomit on the risers? And there's no way the cat could have blown chunks from the second set of stairs as there is no access to overlook the first set. All I can say is, Bravo! Bravo, kitties! What massive talents you cats possess!

  Fortunately, all was cleaned up with Woolite with Oxy. I had to breathe through my mouth because of the stench and wear the rubber gloves because it was so juicy. But, no trace remains. 

 I am surprised the cats attempted such a brazen attack during daylight hours. Their previous efforts have yielded much better exclamations of horror and disgust by perpetrating this appalling act at night where the unwitting victim (usually always Gregg) steps in the mess when walking to the bathroom. Gregg has an uncanny 100% detection rate.

Better luck next time, you felines!

Drew Loves Parkour!

At this point, it looks like we're going to try the monthly family membership so Drew can do the Advanced Parkour. He's bored with the Basic and Gregg is interested in working out, too. I think it'd be a lot of fun to do adult gymnastics...

Every Silver Lining Comes with a Cloud

Well, it turns out I have mice. This is peculiar because I also have three cats. Mice are supposed to be afraid of cats---the very smell of them is supposed to act as a deterrent. Unfortunately, these mice must have inactive vomeronasal organs, because this is not effective.

It's probably because the cats are sleeping at the foot of my bed instead of working.

I interviewed the cats to see what was happening and here's how it went down:

Cat 1: What? You expect me to chase and catch mice? I'm a lover, not a fighter.That's not in my job description (obviously, he's a GS cat).

Cat 2: They taunted me and hurt my feelings. My mother was not a hamster (sniff)!

Cat 3: Couldn't be found anywhere. She's pretty skittish, so I just chalked it up to her usual behavior.

Later, I found this paper on the stairs to the basement.

I called in the professional assassins.

It's officially a war.

Stand by.

Automotive Genes Raise Their Ugly Heads!

Holy moly. Anna must come by her automotive knowledge genetically.

She correctly identified a Fisker Karma yesterday ("in disgusting yellow," she added) while I was driving. And today she's telling me that Bentley Continentals are "beautiful."

She's told everyone her dream car is an SLR McLaren Roadster.

I hope she is able to find a really wealthy boyfriend because she hails from lowly Ford and Mopar stock...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcPbE2rFBWc

Two Kids in a Full Cube

At least I got them to smile for the camera. They were quite irked that I made them help me with moving. Anna and Drew despise moving and I'm right there with them.

You can see we packed the Cube quite nicely. Not nicely enough, though, on a previous pack because we managed to ding the screen of the LCD television. Oh, well. I guess I'll see how much it costs the replace the screen.

We're almost done emptying the apartment---we only have the freezer and a few large pictures to move to the new house. I have Drew's old bed and desk on Craigslist and two people interested, so I'm hoping they will go today. We also have a stack of items to go to Goodwill (which, fortunately, for us) is quite near. And then I can turn in the keys and hope I get my deposit back.


We didn't invest in a whole lot of boxes like we did for the move a year ago. It hasn't turned out to be a bad decision, just many small trips to pack the Cube, as you can see in this photo.

Zou Bisou Bisou at the French Embassy

Zou Bisou Bisou is loosely translated "Oh, sweet kiss." For $20, I entered the French Embassy last night and drank two St-Germain cocktails.  I listened to some very interesting music by Margot MacDonald, watched a little burlesque, and listened to some sad French music played on a ukelele by Victoria Vox. She was accompanied by a cello and that, I believe, made all the difference.

This video doesn't have Katie the Cellist playing with her, but it's about a bull at a bullfight----at least, that's what Victoria said!
http://youtu.be/6Lb41kH4vL4

I loved the lace teepees and the fairy lights after it got dark. I loved the people watching. Lace shorts are very trendy right now.

I'll break out my Pfaff and try to move in the same month