Tennis Elbow Persists...

Well, I am not a good patient at all.  I am still dealing with the damn tennis elbow.  I am not supposed to use my arm.  I use that arm for everything.  So, it is still bothering me and besides the lectures the hubby gives me about it...that is making me crazy!  Try to not use an arm for a while, it is essential.  I guess I can call the hubby to do everything for me.  He doesn't have the time.  So, I use the arm...big Catch 22. 

So, a month ago, I bought a 2 ft fake light up Christmas tree. It was 50% off. I started looking for a tree skirt, nothing out there that I liked and when I did find one, expensive.  I don't do expensive, I love to bargain shop.  I refuse to pay $50 for a mini tree skirt.  So, I did the next best thing, I hit the fabric store and found my fabrics.  I buy pretty much all of my fabric in the 1 yard increment unless I need more.  I bought several fabrics in the Christmas theme and used my coupons.  Love coupons!  Most of my items were on sale and I came out of there pretty good.  I decided to design my own tree skirt.  How hard can that be? 

Think tree skirt and now take an idiot, that would be me, when it came to this idea...I can't believe I did that.  I even told the hubby how much of an idiot I was for even thinking of doing it that way, I made a travel pillow in Christmas fabric.  Yeah, that good.  I will finish sewing that one and stuff it full of fiber fill.  It is pretty but, come on...what in the world was I thinking?  No idea! 

So, I went back and re-cut my fabric and figured it out.  Sometimes it takes a while.  This time it did.  I finished my tree skirt.  Woo!  It looks fabulous on my little tree. 

Christmas travel pillow

My first Christmas tree skirt

Another view of my first Christmas tree skirt

I  have it on my sewing/craft table right now.  I think it is going to live there and after I finish designing and sewing my angel, she will go on top of the tree.  I bought remnant fabrics for her. I plan to take the left over fabric from the travel pillow to make her outfit.  She will be a rag doll angel.  I think she will be pretty and easy to sew. 

I used a quilting technique for my tree skirt because I can't seem to work with bias tape.  No idea how the stuff works.  I am  self taught at sewing.  I don't even use patterns, they screw me up.  I look at it and figure out how it is supposed to work.  Hence the travel pillow.  I even used the serging stitches that came with my Janome DC 1050 machine.  Love my Janome.  It sure as hell beats the Singer I learned to sew on.  I don't miss the "clack, clack, clack" of that Singer.  I would oil the hell out of the thing and it still made that awful noise.  I gave the machine to my niece, Kate.  She sews on it.  She likes it.  Now her older sister, I found a beginners Janome on sale and bought her that one.  It is nice with it's built in stitches.  I am hoping she will take the time to learn to use her machine. 

I have given up on teaching them to knit.  I hope they do learn to sew.  It comes in handy.  I have found that one out. 

I have put off sewing my tree skirt and after working out the logistics of this one, I might make myself another one in another color.  I have plans to use my little tree again.  This year, I just do not feel like dealing with our big tree.  I have no desire to mess with it.  I bought some mini ornaments and I have ribbon for this tree as my garland.  It should be sweet.