Sewing

I was sitting at my sewing machine table when suddenly the urge to re-arrange and clean drawers came over me!  Many times they remain open so that dust and lint settles on thread or becomes dust bunnies in the corners.  The tool drawer had accumulated too much non sewing items, so out they went.  I moved my threads to a drawer where they would sit up right, it's a bit harder to sort for colors so maybe a tray will help.  The drawer the thread was in I am keeping my pins, they will still be right beside my machine.  Also,  tools were spread out in multiple locations and now for instance all the hand sewing needles are in the same place, etc.  So far I am not too lost and may like the new arrangement!  I left the bottpm drawer and small cupboard for another time.  The drawer has patterns stored in it, all sitting on edge like files (it was built for this purpose).  The cupboard was probably for current projects but has a hodge podge of stuff now.  This was not on my 'to do list' but needs to be done once in a while!

My dad built 3 of these sewing tables when I was too young to remember.  One for my mom, my grandmother, the third don't know for whom.  I have had my grandmothers table since leaving home.  Mom's was loaned out and nobody knows where it is.  They actually look like a desk with drawers on either side.  He had cut a hole in the top to have the sewing machine sit in the table, the fabric would then be level between the machine and table.  The hole now has a wood piece cover, my machine sits on top of cover.  Mom and I both own Bernina's and the knee lever is a must for hands on sewing, so the modification is OK.  The table is a prized piece to me with generations of history of sewing in my family.

A couple weeks ago I bought 25 lbs of oatmeal and dry processed 12 quarts in the oven, this used approximately half the bag.  Nine quarts sealed, 3 did not.  I am looking to keep about 2 doz quarts rotating thru my pantry to cover a year.  The 3 unsealed quarts will be used right away to test the quality of the dryer grains in breakfast cereal.  The other half of the bag will be make into granola or cooked for breakfast.  Also not on my 'to do list' but may be a good thing to practice!