Costume Sewing Pattern Sale at GoofingOff Sewing

I can't believe it is  time again for the Annual Costume Sewing Pattern Sale at GoofingOff Sewing. This year all costume sewing patterns are a big 50% off. All of them....and they are going fast. Here's a sampling:

Simplicity 0237 Wonder Woman, Batgirl, and Supergirl patterns in size 3-8, uncut

Simplicity 0241 The Avengers Thor costume for Men and Boys UNCUT

Simplicity 3782 Misses' Elizabethan Costumes in size 14-20 UNCUT

Simplicity 9257 Dog Costumes Uncut 

There's lot more costume patterns to choose from, all 50% off for the sale, then they go back to full price.
Stop by to get your favorites before they are gone.

Post by Eileen of GoofingOff Sewing

After Irma: Downed Power Lines, Cement Poisoning, and a Sore Butt

The tree that took out the power

Hurricane Irma came and went but what a mess she left in her wake! We were very lucky....we didn't get the Category 4 winds or a storm surge that the islands and South Florida did...however, some of our trees came down. The picture is a tree that came down in the barnyard and took out our power. The tree is approximately 60+ feet...a monster. I am grateful it didn't go down on the barn or the house....they would have been destroyed. The fun stuff comes, though, since we are responsible to get the monster out of the yard so the power company can run power lines again.

The meter pole was undamaged....good for us....but the hubby decided to concrete it in, which he did. Our price.....cement poisoning to his hand in a couple of places. A disclaimer....I didn't know anything about cement poisoning...nada, nothing. I do now. I now know it is a chemical burn caused by the alkaline chemicals in cement and it continues to burn EVEN WHEN THE CEMENT IS REMOVED FROM THE SKIN.  Yes, sorry, I am yelling. So what did we do? Burn antibiotic ointment, clean bandages, mild acid soak (vinegar and water) to neutralize the chemicals from the cement. Luckily it is healing well and we avoided a trip to the ED. I also found the best way to treat cement poisoning is prevention....gloves....flush the area with water.....soak in vinegar.

Back to the tree.....the chainsaws are going and cutting up the monster. The tree will be firewood this winter so at least it won't go to waste.

The tree in sections to be carried off

The limbs from the tree

Oh, the sore butt? That is from carrying in the plants from the yard to protect them from Irma's wind. I am a firm believer that body parts are supposed to work without letting you know about the process or mechanism. It is when something happens, like an injury, that you become aware of the part...acutely aware.....like breathing should be easy and never difficult, the heart should beat without pain.....Well, while carrying the big ponytail palm tree into the house I discovered my sciatic nerve...or maybe the muscle in the butt. I was happy to know it was there without having to know exactly where.
It's better now, though. I can get back to doing what I do best.....GoofingOff.
Post by Eileen Patterson of GoofingOff Sewing

Water, Laundry, And Banana Nut Bread: Getting Ready for Hurricane Irma

I've been mentally practicing disaster drills since I first saw the destruction Hurricane Camille left on the Mississippi Gulf Coast back in the 1970's.  Over and over I go through the drill....water, food, keep the freezer full, storm shutters or plywood over the windows, important phone numbers close by, important papers easy to get to. With Irma projected to hit the majority of Florida tomorrow I guess  I will be put to the test.

Latest projected path for Category 4 Irma. The red line goes over my house. 

Whether or not to evacuate is a big decision the hubby and I thought over. The line of cars coming from south Florida goes for miles. The cars creep along the highway at 20 miles an hour.  Gas is in short supply.

Cars on US 19 going north....a back road to the Panhandle and Tallahassee. The line extends more than 20 miles south.

We are staying put. The last place I want to be is in my car when the storm hits.

We live in an area that isn't close to the shore or low lying. Our home is a house, a solid built one (hopefully) that can take long hours of the winds that are predicted. We have pets....three dogs...that are not welcome at the shelters. And, most importantly, the hubby says he's not leaving and I am not leaving without him. Then again, I could knock him out and drag him along....maybe not. It would be quite a task.

Today is last minute prep day. Cleaning and filling the tubs with fresh water for drinking, washing, and flushing toilets. Laundry. Baking my favorite banana bread recipe. Stop laughing. Carbs that taste good will help a bit.

I am more than a little concerned for our friends who live on the coast. Hurricane Hermine (a category 1) swamped the little seaside town of Suwannee. Some friends had 6 feet of standing water in the house while others had their homes moved off their foundations by the storm surge.

I have more than a few hand workable projects to keep me busy and quell the fear I feel inside.

I will post more later. Keep us in your prayers.
Post by Eileen Patterson of GoofingOff Sewing

GoofingOff's Very First Halloween Pumpkin Challenge

Inspiration comes in the strangest places. Magazines, Pinterest, and Etsy are all good places to find great ideas to inspire but this time a trip to the dollar store got my creative juices going. 

I found this cute foam pumpkin....12 in a pack....8 inches wide by 6 inches tall. I thought Templates! OK, templates. What to make with the pumpkin template.......How about a quilted wall hanging? Why not? A wall hanging would be fun when the grands come over before Halloween.

While walking around I also found bats and thought I could incorporate the bats into the design. 

I decided to leave the pumpkin orange...like a coloring book....and make him (her?) a jack-o'lantern. I used some black scraps for the face....in triangles as if I was cutting a pumpkin. I used a piece of green fabric for the stem. 

I made a few bats in different sizes to give it dimension. After making myself crazy about what color background to use I decided on a white print. I machine zig zagged BOO on another fabric scrap then backed it with black and white stripe. I found a stitch pattern on my machine that looks like bats (at least they look like bats to me) and sewed the sign in place.  The sash and binding were made with spooky eyes on black. The eyes glow in the dark. How cool is that?

I overall machine quilted the quilt. The bats and pumpkin were thread painted with machine embroidery thread. 

Not fancy but still cute enough to bring a smile to the grandkids faces. 

So, here's the challenge. Use the pumpkin. The pumpkins are available at the local Dollar Tree or use the picture and copy it. Make a wall hanging, table runner, pot holder, mask, or anything that you want to do. Any color. Let your creative juices run wild. When you get them done we will post the pictures on the blog and Facebook to show them off. 

The challenge will run until Halloween. 

Have fun!

Post by Eileen Patterson of GoofingOff Sewing.