[lace-chat] Re: [lace] Bushfire Quilts, and Disaster Relief (v. long)
laceandb...@aol.com wrote: For those lacemakers who are also patchwork/quilters, an American who lives in Australia has started a Bushfire Quilt project to make quilts for people who have lost everything in the fires. She has her local quilt group ready to help make up the quilts; I suspect that the response she gets might be better than she hopes so perhaps other Australian quilt groups will help, too. The address for her blog is http://campfollowerbags.blogspot.com/2009/02/bushfire-quilt-project.html and the address direct to the Flickr group with most of the details is http://www.flickr.com/groups/bushfirequiltproject/ snip Jacquie in Lincolnshire Thank you, Jacquie, for this address -- this gal is giving us a good way to contribute at least a little bit (or little bit extra) to the relief effort. For those who dislike piecing, there is this site: http://handmadehelpsout.blogspot.com/ This group has links for all sorts of help, not just crafty stuff, with many posters even making suggestions for timing various kinds of material help. The site also features craft items for sale that the makers are donating profits from (to various agencies involved in bushfire-disaster relief), with links to the sites where the items are listed for sale (eBay, etsy, etc.) I'm taking the liberty of re-printing one of the posts to this site, written by a Canberra bushfire survivor. I was going to just give the link here, but then it seemed that *any* kind of disaster that costs whole families all their possessions could make the writer's advice useful. I hope this is not wasting too much band-width, or filling up the digest too much. Would anyone mind if I send this to the lace list as well? Cheers! Beth Schoenberg --- de-lurking in Canberra, where the cold-snap has encouraged people to fire up their wood-burning stoves -- making for some freak-out odours on the wind in the current state of things! FIRE SURVIVOR LIZ TILLEYS FIRST-HAND IDEAS ON HOW TO HELP /Public relations consultant and writer Liz Tilley writes:/ As a survivor of the January 2003 firestorm in Canberra, my heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones, homes, pets, and a lifetime of memories in the tragic Victorian fires. As I sit watching TV news coverage, with my heart racing and my body shaking slightly as I remember the fear, the flames, the heat, the smoke and the knowledge that I would probably not get out alive; I also remember in the days, weeks and months after the fires what support we needed and valued. The victims of the Victorian fires are coping with the loss of homes, possession, pets and property as well as trying to cope with immense grief. A great relief effort is one that is based on the experiences of previous disaster situations, and yet, after the Canberra bushfires, we were so often re-inventing the wheel. I just can't bear to see those victims in Victoria not benefit from what we learned in Canberra. While the aid agencies will swing into action to do what they do best and the State and Federal government will put their disaster planning into action, how can the Australian public, and the Victorian Relief Effort, help in the best way possible? What the surviving victims need, both in terms of donations, and physical and emotional support comes will come in phases. Of course, the first weeks after the fire, in the immediate post trauma phase, these needs will be different from what they will need in six, 12 months or two years time. So, for what it's worth, here are my tips for a great relief: *Notes to the general public: * *Donate cash. *Every little bit counts. If every person in Australia donated just five dollars, imagine what a difference it would make. *Basic essentials*. Please only donate things that are new or of good quality. Don't slow down the relief effort by having the team receiving the donations in Victoria have to sort through linen, clothing or manchester that is soiled, torn, buttons missing or otherwise damaged in any way. Better to donate one item that is new or in good condition rather than several things that you don't wear anymore because they're too out of fashion, have broken zips or are stained. Similarly with bed linen, towels, blankets etc, only donate what is good quality or new. Think of all the things you need every day -- pyjamas, toothbrush, toothpaste, face washer, soap, toiletries bag, deodorant, hairbrush, comb, shampoo, clothes suitable for work, casual clothes, belt, shoes, socks, watch, hair ties, wallet, handbag, keyring, hat, sunscreen, etc. These people have nothing. While they will receive immediate assistance in the form of cash and gift vouchers from charitable organisations for major retail outlets, I remember that every day there was something I needed and didn't have. Within the first few days we needed notepads and pens just to deal with the paperwork and the insurance company
Re: [lace-chat] Re: seat belt stories
Oh, this sounds like a story to be shared with boyfriend, husband, and S-GD's children, if she has/ever has any ... ! snicker-snicker :-D Beth S. Tamara P Duvall wrote: Reminds me of my grand-daughter (step)... Everything was fine as long as she and her (older by 2 yrs) brother both had to ride in child seats. But then, at 5, her brother reached the magical age and weight limit, which allowed him to ride like an adult -- with an ordinary seat belt. From then on, getting her into the child seat was a constant fight. So... One day, my stepdaughter gets a phone call at work. From the police. Would she please come to the police station as soon as possible; a problem needs to be solved, regarding her daughter. She hightails it over there and sees her husband in handcuffs and her daughter screaming. Turns out... Jack (my stepdaughter's DH) was supposed to pick up their son from kindergarten, some miles away. So, he tried to bundle Lily into the car seat, to take her with him. But she wouldn't go and screamed down the neighbourhood. One of the neighbours -- new and unfamiliar with the family -- called the police, reporting an attemped kidnapping. The cops came and duly arrested the kidnapper, who claimed he was not only the father of the child but still married to my stepdaughter and still allowed to take Lily out in a car, whether she wanted to go or not. Mary (my stepdaughter) was called to confirm the truth of his statements... To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace-chat] seat belts
It's amazing how suddenly these things happen. Your family are very lucky! When my nephew was barely 2, in the bad old days before seat-belt laws and child-safety seats, he was riding on his mother's lap in the back seat of their sedan when the car was hit in a side-on collision. No-one was hurt beyond bruises, thankfully, but Raymond can still tell us about the time the car goes boom. And he's always been a very careful driver in his adult life. I taught my own children, from the time when their little hands could manage the hardware, to buckle themselves in to their seats properly, and I double-checked them on every trip until they were about 5 or 6. My sons took to it beautifully, and I never had a problem -- I think it gave them a sense of power and grown-up-ness to comply. My daughter, however, was made in a different mould (she still is...!), and saw it as excessive authoritarianism, and fought the seat-belt from the day she could squirm. One day, when she was 3, I got a phone call from school -- my little kindergartener was sick and needed to come home. Anxious, distracted, I put DD and her baby brother in the car, clipped the baby in and didn't check *her* belt -- zipped out of the driveway and up the hill to discover she was unbelted. And the argument began. By then, we were on a narrow country road, no shoulders or turn-offs, and I was racking my brain trying to think of a place I could safely pull over, when I realized that I'd reached the T intersection that led to the school: there was a stop-sign there, and a little slope down to it. So I let the car go a little faster than I should have, then jammed on the brakes. She had been in her seat but unbelted, and she, with her seat and all, went tumbling into the back of my seat. No hurt at all, not even a bruise, but the scream of outrage from her almost made me laugh. I was able to pull over shortly after the turn, and belted her in with a *huge* scold, as logical as I could make it in her terms. I think this might have been the first time I told any of my kids something that their father and I repeated many times in the years to come: The rules are there for a REASON. You may not like the rules, but if you have problem with them, ask what the reason for them is before you go breaking them! You just might decide it's better to obey the rules instead! As they got older, we added more details to this maxim, suitable for their ages, but the basic message now gets repeated back to us! But my daughter always buckled her belt, and correctly, after that. These days, at age 22, she still doesn't drive. I do hope there's no connection! (sigh) We were very lucky that it only needed a simple lesson like this to teach them well. I can only imagine and sympathize with what you and your son and DIL are feeling right now. Ah, well, every family needs its stories, and this one could have been so much worse. Best wishes for you all! Beth Schoenberg --- in sunny and warm downtown Kambah, Canberra Sue wrote: I am thanking god that my daughter in law is so strict about my three grandchildren 7, 4 and 19 months being on their booster seats and baby chair and securely strapped in because on Saturday they were in a horrific car smash and got knocked across the road into a lampost. Donna her mum and the three children got minor cuts and have quite severe bruising of the face and body but they are alive and well but very shocked. The air ambulance, ambulance and hospital were all marvellous and we thank them all. Count your blessings, I just have. Sue M Harvey, Norfolk UK To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace-chat] Inner Peace (really good advice)
CALMNESS IN OUR LIVES I am passing this on to all of you because it definitely works, and we could all use a little more calmness in our lives. By following simple advice heard on the Dr. Phil show, you too can find inner peace. Dr Phil proclaimed, The way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you have started and have never finished. So, I looked around at my life and my home to find all the things I started and hadn't finished, and before the morning was over I finished off a bottle of White Zinfandel, half a bottle of Bailey's Irish Cream, a package of Oreos, the remainder of my old Prozac prescription, the rest of the cheesecake, some Doritos, and a box of chocolates. You have no idea how freaking good I feel right now. Pass this on to those whom you think might be in need of inner peace. Cheers! Beth S. --- gratefully damp, in rainy and beautiful downtown Kambah, Canberra, Australia To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace-chat] fake turkey and huge chalice
in the restaurant, then turns her back on the audience and opens the cloak out wide for the coat-check attendant to take it off her. The look is stunningly beautiful! The feathers are actually nylon tulle, cut into something like circles, squares, half-circles, --- each one gathered at its center and pinched to form a longish, 3-D shape, vaguely pointy but fluffy, and sewn onto the cloak fabric. The tulle points are layered like roofing shingles all the way from the bottom to the top of the cloak. En masse, even in a small theater -- looks just like feathers! A friend of mine was going to apply the method to a 20-foot-long tail for a Cat in the Hat production, but then the director changed her mind and wanted something else, so this never got done. And we were so looking forward to seeing how it worked! And I only mention the wine and the feathers in case your director decides he/she wants the pitcher to pour out wine, or the bird to have its clothes on! Directors do that, apparently. :-D I hope this helps. And have fun! The creativity is the best part! Beth Schoenberg To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace-chat] Re: Folding a t-shirt
Thurlow Weed wrote: WOW!!! Rather impressive how nimbly she does it!. I got a folded T-shirt out of my dresser so I could try this. After a couple of tries (trying to find the midway down point on the shirt), I got the hang of it. I wonder if there's a similar snappy method for packing long-sleeve button down shirts for travel... Thurlow Lancaster, Ohio Hi, all, I'm de-lurking for this one -- I actually know about this! :-D Many, many years ago, I was taught the French valet method of folding men's shirts, especially the long-sleeved ones. Sorry, it's not as snappy, but it actually takes only a little more time than the Korean way -- and, at least, it works for all kinds of shirts. These instructions sound involved and fussy, but it's really quick and simple once you've figured it out. 1-- Button at least three of the shirt's front buttons. Button the collar if it's a button-down. 2-- Lay out your shirt neatly and flat, and front-down. Imagine a line running down the center-back, from the neckline/collar to the hem. 3-- Fold one side seam toward the center of the shirt, so it lies parallel to the imaginary center-back line, almost as far as that line but not quite. You'll be dragging the sleeve along, but don't worry about that yet. DO worry about crinkles in the fabric along all folds -- smooth or tug them out, or they'll be as good as ironed in to your shirt, once you reach your destination. The folded edge should be a straight line parallel to the center-back line, unless the shirt's very fitted. 4-- Straighten out the sleeve so it lies flat: now it's going in the same direction as the other sleeve and parallel to it. 5-- Now, pinch or hold down the (upper) sleeve along its center crease, just down from the shoulder seam. Then fold the sleeve so it now lies over and parallel to the side seam (where it sits after the first fold, Step 3). You'll have a fold in the upper third-or-so of the sleeve that lies at (very roughly) a 45-degree angle to the newest sleeve direction. The newly-folded sleeve will probably cover the side seam (first folded over in Step 3). 6-- Repeat Steps 3-5 in mirror-image, with the other side of the shirt. The two side seams should be almost touching each other, with the first sleeve in between. 7-- Now, fold the shirt in half on the waistline (or a little above it, parallel to it). If the shirt is very long, fold a small section up from the hem, the fold parallel to the waistline, but only 4-8 inches up from the hem. Then fold that fold up to just barely cover the top of the shirt's collar. 8-- Turn the shirt over, adjust the collar to lie as flat as possible, and you're ready to pack it. This is also the way men's dress shirts are often still packaged in the garment industry, but for sale, they add in all those collar-stiffeners and cardboard bits that hold the shape. I always use it on my own shirts, and it works amazingly well, even on some of my things with large or asymmetrical collars, or fairly full sleeves. It can even work on business jackets, though not so reliably -- personally, I hate all the buttoning and unbuttoning involved. Done right, this method is meant to minimize the need to iron the shirt, even if you have to wear it right out of your luggage. The creases that *are* pressed in are symmetrical, and generally vertical, so that even they look neat. I hope this helps -- sorry the directions are so involved -- I may have over-engineered them a little. :-D Cheers, Beth Schoenberg --- in beautiful downtown Kambah, Canberra (Australia!), where gorgeous warm weather has inspired the irises to bloom vigorously in spite of the continuing drought. To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
