Saturday, March 30, 2013

Trip to Paradise Sewing - Poway, CA 03-30-13

Last week I drove my ailing sewing machines to Paradise Sewing in Poway and posted about it here:  http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3236658054810119404#editor/target=post;postID=4332629632242670996

Corky is at Camp Del for the weekend, so he went with me yesterday to pick up the machines.  I had intended to take a picture of the outside sign at the store and forgot.  And I forgot again yesterday!  It is in a small strip mall with a Western Dental office on the street end.  www.paradisesewing.com/   They specialize in Pfaff machines, but work on all makes.  
They serviced and cleaned my two Pfaff 1222e machines and my friend Liz' Feather Weight. And the amazing Jinny worked and worked to see if the spare parts machine would run.  She did it and gave me instructions to run in every couple months, at least, in order to keep it as a viable spare parts source.


This is the eye catching display right in front of the door in the shop.  The orange bolt was on the cutting table, so it is missing here.
 

There isn't a huge selection of fabrics, but some nice choices, and a nice display of patterns with sewn samples to catch my eye.  The large, well-lit classroom was in use while I was there.

 It is about a two hour drive to Poway and this time I went inland from Placentia and picked up I-15 south.  I knew I would have traffic, it being Good Friday and takeoff day for Easter weekend trips, but it wasn't bad going down.  On the way home we were late enough for the northbound traffic to be building, so we drove at 25 mph or less (mostly) for many miles.  I had to pull off on a lonely road just south of Temecula because Corky was screaming that he had to go.  We walked up and down along the roadside, to no avail - he didn't REALLY have to go.  When we were on the road again he curled up in his bed and went so soundly to sleep that he didn't wake until we pulled in the garage. The traffic did lighten up after we passed the 215 cutoff and then it was good sailing to home. 
 

It is very different terrain from driving on I-5 which is on the west side of these coastal mountains.  Here everything is huge boulders and rocky soil.  Lots of avocado and citrus groves and an amazing number of nursery growing fields toward the south. 
 

You can see the light traffic on the southbound lanes, while I was crawling along at 20mph or so.
 

To the east the valley drops down to tracts of homes and wide swaths of vineyards.  Temecula has many wineries - some with fabulous restaurants attached.  Fifty years ago it was a "wide spot" on a two lane road - we used to drive this way to go fishing in at Lake Skinner.  Now Temecula is a growing, growing, growing city with a major highway down the middle.  Ah, California.
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Friday Feet 03-19-13


"Duck, Weeding"  Ruth B. McDowell  2012
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Thursday, March 28, 2013

Pink Jasmine 03-28-13

Spring really has come to my neck of the woods.  I was in Long Beach today to pick up the Poodle Prince and it seemed like everything was blooming.  The residents in Corky's neighborhood are much more particular than those in my area, so there are always fresh bedding plants and blooming trees, shrubs and vines in their yards and the common areas. 

 
One of my favorites is pink jasmine which you see here growing on an iron fence.  There was once a vine growing on the fence outside my bedroom window, but when the neighbor wanted to put in a great tall, slump stone wall the vine had to go.  Every spring I wish I had planted another right away so I could enjoy the wonderful fragrance it spreads through the area. Maybe this year I will put one in.  It never seems to bother my breathing or make me sneeze, unlike some other very fragrant vines. 
 
 
When the buds first form they are very pink, but when the flowers open they are only faintly colored.  This wonderful specimen was a couple blocks from Corky's house, but I also saw some beautiful ones when I was in San Diego yesterday. 
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Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Monday, March 25, 2013

Monday Browsing 03-25-13

Jinny Beyer demos her “Perfect Piecer” tool:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnu7ow5mJJI
Play with a color wheel:  http://colorschemedesigner.com/
“Ticker Tape” quilt- what to do with scraps:  http://www.stitchedincolor.com/2011/03/all-about-ticker-tape.html    Many more tutorials from this blog:  www.stitchedincolor.com/p/tutorials.html
Quilts from the 2013 Arizona QShow:    http://quiltinspiration.blogspot.com/
Several videos at their website:  www.Fumandgebra.com
 

I've always wanted a yellow car, but friends say it would be bad to have a yellow mini van....
 
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