Simple Dog Pleasures (and much sewing!)

I felt like miss Zoey last night.

*EDIT* Something is happening with Google and they are deleting any photos I have posted that have to do with mask making.  I am sorry - I tried to re-upload but something has gone strange...as in many posts back and i can't rewrite all of these, so I'm sorry.

Yes, she is all backed in to my hip in my comfy chair – she’s nearly too big for a lap dog at 35 lbs, but you see – I love the doggie lovin’s and I can’t say no!

I kept the news off yesterday.  I needed to.  I needed to just go about my business and pretend that things are their old normal and just do the things I do.

I am sure many of you are feeling that way as well.

Other than being vigilant – is there anything that cramming our heads full of Covid-19 news updates can do to help?

The only thing that helps me at this time is creating.

And so I dug into the next round of our Unity Quilt Along – to have part 3 ready this coming Monday.

You realize, I am sure  - that each round makes the quilt bigger, so each round has more parts to it, right?

Cecicharles57’s Part 2 round is on!

I love her gorgeous colors – they are soothing and calm.  It reminds me of the mountain wilderness, or the sea.  Or both.  Beautiful job!

I spied several more with this step completed as I scanned our #unityquiltalong hash tag on instagram.  CHECK IT OUT!  There are going to be so many gorgeous quilts when this is all said and done.

This is the hybrid I came up with.

The long halter tie is 55’’ and made from a tee shirt.

I shared two videos I liked in yesterday’s post.  I loved the halter style for the one I wore to the grocery store, but the casings on the side were a bit heavy.

I liked the pleated one that comes from one rectangle, but it was a bit skimpy for my men folk and needed to be enlarged.

I wanted to combine the two.

The fit is much better.

This doesn’t show a lot.

The halter loop is behind my neck.

The loose ends are over my ears and tied at the back of my head.

You can cover it with your hair once it is on there.

I started with a rectangle that is 9’’ x 18’’ and made the pleated version only didn’t sew the sides first.  I pleated the sides by hand, pinning them down as I go, so I only needed 3 pins per side. 

I basted the sides down, and then took two rectangles 1 3/4’’ x 4 1/2’’ to add to the sides to make casings for the long ties. Basically it was like binding a quilt by machine on the sides.  I don’t have photos of this process.  I didn’t want to do another mask tutorial when there are 50,000 out there and more every day.

The lesson I learned?  Don’t cut ALL of your tee shirt ties before you know what length you really want to work with.

So for now in an effort to use up the short ones, I’ve gone back to doing the 4 ties in the corners routine. (Waste not, want not, you know? Even if it is just an old tee shirt.)

Quilt shop quality, tightly woven fabrics.

These aren’t batiks, but add a filter and they will do.

These are for my son.

This tightly woven fabric came home from Japan with me.

I’m making some for a girlfriend who doesn’t sew – and she loves ANYTHING Asian.

This will go off in the mail to her today.

And a cheater cloth crazy quilt one -

I’m not pumping these out like some of you.  These have all been done in the evening after I am home from work at the QPO.  4 in an evening I can do.  I can’t crank out hundreds, though I praise those of you who can and are helping to supply our medical personnel.

And for those who don’t think they have time to make masks?  These masks are being assembled as leaders & enders while I make the units for our next Unity Quilt Along round.

It’s not how fast you do them, or how many you make.  Start with one for yourself for going to the grocery store or anywhere that social distancing is hard to maintain.  Then do one for your spouse or significant other.  Then make them for your kids and grandkids.  Start at home.

And then make some for others that you know from grocery clerks to postal folks to delivery drivers as you are able.

It’s a great way to say “I care about you. I appreciate your efforts through all of this.”

If you find you have extra masks and need a destination – how about helping our military folks in Japan?  They have just gone into state of emergency with Covid-19 as well.

The message from a military spouse:

Here in Iwakuni, we are currently on order to stay on base except for essential needs, and this is likely to get much more strict with the explosion of cases in Japan, limited medical care in our town, and the State of Emergency coming from Prime Minister Abe.

We have also been warned/told that all military members and dependents are going to be required to wear masks when a 6 foot social distancing isn’t possible.

For our families, we can control (to an extent) who we see and how close we are to them.

Our Marines and Sailors cannot. They are essential to our national defense and must keep working through this.

We have limited supplies here, one tiny craft shop (off base), and Amazon US is iffy at best in shipping to us right now. We will do our best to use what we have to get these heroes what they need, but our resources are currently limited.

If you are part of a sewing group or want to take up a project with your kids or community, we would love your help.

Masks in colors like dark gray, dark green, dark blue, and black would be widely welcome by the thousands of Marines and Sailors living in the barracks here so far from home.

My address is: 
Tamara Ales
PSC 561 Box 8207
FPO, AP 96310

USPS Flat Rate boxes would be the cheapest ($20) and could fit an exorbitant amount of masks.

I am so grateful for all of your support over my many years of being an absentee milispouse friend, and would appreciate your support in this way now, more than ever.

Please feel free to share

Love from Iwakuni, Japan

Perhaps we have Marine/Navy moms and grandmas out there who would love to help these folks?

Quiltville Quote of the Day

Today I am finding comfort in the simplest of things.

My Pandora is playing the Stephen Bennett channel.  It makes me happy.  What are you listening to?

Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone!