Mythical stitching quest

LOL - you could splurge on a new machine that comes with the auto threader.....Honestly, I have little problem threading my sewing machine, especially since the leg of the foot has a white surface, so it's what gives a clear background behind the needle eye. OTOH, I am practically the worst at threading floss - though I can do perle cotton - having learned a trick in some class years ago. But, floss - forget it, I just have threaders on magnets on all my pieces...Oh, well.

ellice

Sounds good to me.

Or how about a machine that does my work for me so I can earn a living while devoting all my time to stitching.

Mine is a similar request. A full-time cook/housekeeper.

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans.

Otherwise known as a wife.

In grad school, I scandalized my (male) colleagues by entering an ongoing conversation with "if a wife is someone who puts a warm meal on the table and types your masters' thesis, I need one."

Elizabeth

Hmmm. Does that mean I can get alimony from the boyfriend who is now a lawyer? I meet that definition of "wife" where he's concerned. Between his term papers and mine, I'd be awake from Monday morning until Friday morning.

Don't stop there ... magical nose wiggling would be good for many things like transporting, maybe to a shop in Fairfax, VA that sounds wonderful or to NH for ...

Wasn't it Gloria Steinem who wrote an article in Ms Magazine (IIRC) on exactly that topic?

MargW

Heck - to clean the house and do my errands for me!

It probably was. I will say that I came to that particular conclusion at the time under my own steam, but it doesn't surprise me that better people than I came up with it first.

In a two career household, my partner and I still need a wife!

Elizabeth

Hey, there - you have to transport to the shop in Vienna (that used to be in Fairfax).....I must admit - my DH can actually do the Samantha nose-wiggle. It totally cracks me up. Sadly, it hasn't successfully answered any wishes, but is still fun to watch.

Ellice

Well, at least for me DXH and I were in the same department - so I got credit in his dissertation for research assistance, proofing, and sharing the typing. Especially because I went to work that summer after we moved to DC and he finished his "typing" - on our first little MAC.

Ellice

Surely there's something wiggle worthy in Fairfax

We can pair him up with DS - he can wiggle his ears. Makes me laugh every time. C

I'd create a fabric that could expand and contract. When I was stitching on it, it would be about 18 count - when the piece was done, it would contract to 36-40 count!

Alison

I have to say that I really, really, REALLY hate hand creams. I hate having that stuff on my hands. Yick. But as I get older, my hands get drier and I have to do something. What I've been doing is using Burt's Bees Hand Salve before I go to bed at night, so that I don't have to deal with slimy hands during my waking hours. And I have to say that it really works. If I forget to do it, I know it the next day, but if I remember, I can go all day without putting on anything else. I recommend it. I got it at my local Walgreen's.

Elizabeth

The Burt's Bees stuff is on my list of creams I like. I have really, really dry skin, and have to use something on hands and legs. But, also hate feeling slimy. So far, I've had great luck with the Crabtree & Evelyn Hand Therapy (Goat's Milk formula is what I use, but also like the gardener's formulation). And some great stuff from L'Occitane, Ahava, and Kiehl's for extra dry - but I only use that at night - or when I'll not be doing anything for a little while. I also got some Cetaphil Therapeutic hand cream - a tube came with something - and it's pretty nice, and not smelly or greasy. I bought some of the Cecilia Beckham stuff - sort of homemade - at a quilt show - it works well, but id definitely got a sticky feeling for a while. I have some H2O spa stuff at the kitchen sink, in a holder with a thing of hand soap as well - it was a sale special at Nordstroms - Nov 2006

- and I still have half the lotion and about 1/3 of the soap left - so I guess it was worth the $. Good for a quickie.

In the shop, we have samples of several of the stitcher's lotions - most I find too watery. But, we do like the Sew help me - it goes in quickly and doesn't smell bad or too sweet.

Ah, the problems of aging.

ellice

I love the Burt's Bees line - try the ResQ ointment sometime. Great on bug bites

If you have a Trader Joe's near you - their line of lotion and creams are quite nice and seem to do the job too.

Have a couple of Trader Joe's - but I don't find their stuff as good for me. I used to use the stuff from JASON - kiss my face, etc. The dermatologist got me to using this Shikai lotion - it's fabulous, but also really expensive - about $20 for I think an 8oz pump. Which I can get at Whole Foods, sometimes Wegman's in the organic section, or from my now ex-dermatologist (she's way too interested in cosmetic moneymaking things than taking care of my psoriasis prescription needs).

Ellice