11/2/15

Too good to use

Who else.  Go ahead and admit it.  Who else has things that are too good to use?  When my Grandmother passed away, they found all these beautiful things.  Because they were too good to use.  Somewhere, there is a satin baby comforter that I received at birth.  I still have it.  And, the lace is still perfect around it.  Because it was too good to use. 

Unfortunately, I tend to do the same.  We were re-doing the dining room and I decided to make some things.  I wanted to end up with a new tablecloth.  But, now that I've got it, we're all afraid to sit at the table for fear we will drip something on it. 

First, we got new curtains. 


Then, we hung a new quilt and put different dishes in the cabinet. 


Then, I made a tablecloth...and placemats.


Isn't that lovely? 


I used the Pfaff 7550 to do the embroidery around the edge.  It took nearly 900 yards of thread.  The table cloth is 60x80.  I used a water soluble embroidery interfacing, and I also used a small, thin hoop to help keep the fabric from folding inward from the tension of the thread.  I washed it and let it partially dry, then hung it.  The embroidery did shrink a bit, but the iron took care of that and brought it back to size and shape.  The base of the tablecloth is a new blue twin sheet.  I searched and searched for something we wanted for a tablecloth and never found it.  Then I stumbled up on the sheet in the perfect color. 


The placemats use fabrics from the quilt.  I used the same templates to draw shapes on the mats and quilted that in, then did a quick foldover binding.  Wash and block and we're ready to go. 

Robs Mom comes this week.  And Syd has her birthday.  18.  Big week for us.  She got a new phone on Saturday.  And, she wants to bake her own cake.  So, that's not going to get easier. 

We spent the weekend cleaning.  Life is good.  Everybody is getting along.  The family working together.  Rob and I getting closer and closer, talking about more and more.  sharing and getting to know one another. 

Life is real good. 

And, having a little color in our formerly brown and yellow dining room is GREAT!

Everybody have a good Monday. 

Lane

10 comments:

Becky said...

Happy Birthday, dear Sydney!! You are a beautiful young lady!

Lane, you and Rob have done a wonderful job of raising her. Like all teens, she may not realize it right now, but later on, she will value the foundation you have laid for her.

The dining room is beautiful!! Enjoy it....USE IT!!!

Have an easy week. Love you! Becky

Libby in TN said...

Yes, you are not alone. My Gramma always kept a new nightgown in the drawer in case she had to go to the hospital. Probably new undies, too!

Andi's English Attic said...

I do a similar thing with craft stock. I won't use it on the current project in case I need it some other time. What????????

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday to Syndey!

"too good to use"....Mom had many items of embroidery, crochet, glass wear, etc from her Mom (& grandmother?) all unused for decades. Mom seems to have had a thing for buying towels on sale, but then using the old until in tatters. It's odd, this stuff was too good to use, but not good enough to be kept out of bags & boxes in closets and basement for decades. Yet, I find myself putting things aside as too good to use, at least for everyday. But then, we also don't have any big family gatherings any more to get out "the good stuff".

Use that table cloth! If it's 100% cotton, there's a good chance any stains will come out, esp. with a good soak in hot water and oxygen bleach. If not, consider it a badge of honor for the tablecloth, and a reminder of the wonderful meals shared.

Kath said...

yes I am the same Lane. Especially with clothes. When I was little, I had special clothes "for best" and hardly ever wore them. I cannot get out of the habit now and have a wardrobe full of nice things, but wear a handful of items day to day, while the pretty clothes just hang there.
Your dining room looks lovely, I'm sure you will enjoy it when you celebrate Syd's birthday and when Grandma comes to visit

Anonymous said...

Lane, like you I had stuff for special occasions and too good to use. A good friend had cancer and had a few months left. She said something I took to heart...you woke up today, it's a special occasion...use the good stuff. I now use the China and crystal for every meal, if a plate gets scratched or a goblet broken..oh well, it's only stuff. Happy birthday to Sydney and enjoy your mother-in-law during her visit.

Kathi

lw said...

I can't believe Sydney is 18 already!!! Wow! Happy birthday!!

I agree with Kathi in the post above: every day is a special occasion, live in and enjoy that beautiful dining room. The colors are really lovely, that quilt was a great starting point.

Anonymous said...

Aunt Jonnie gave you the satin comforter. I didn't use it cause it kept sliding off you. Use it for something, I think it would be considered an antique now. Over 50 years old. Give Sweet Sydney our love and tell her "the card is in the mail". I know she will appreciate it when it get there. Oh how lucky Rob's mom is. to be welcomed into your home. Love what you did in the dr. What is hanging between the curtains. love to all. lum

Rebecca Grace said...

I know what you mean about the embroidery. When I got the embroidery machine I thought I was going to monogram every sheet, towel, washcloth and pillow case in the house. After monogramming just one set of cloth dinner napkins, fretting about getting the initial to stitch out in exactly the same spot on each napkin (and screwing up two of them), that was enough to cure me of the impulse to Embroider ALL the Household Linens! :-)

Your tablecloth looks great; I hope you do use it!

Carla said...

Did you say 18? Wow time flies. I want to say she was 12 when I first started reading or at least that's what my memory tells me. I mean didn't she just start high school?.. Time flies
You need to use that good stuff. It's meant to be enjoyed right?
Hope Syd had a wonderful birthday and y'all had a good visit with Rob's mom

Have a great week