Pick a Pocket

We've been reflecting and projecting this week.  2011 should bring some pretty snazy embroidered items.  Out with the old and in with the new.

I'm really stuck on little ways to help out our environment.  I was thinking about clothing and all the clothes that are just tossed out.  Fabric can always be used, even if it's old.  If you sew, a good way of using old clothes is to make a bag or applique, or a bag with applique.  During all of this thinking, it dawned on me to make pockets.  That's a great way to #1 use scraps of fabric and #2 to change the appearance of outdated or older clothing.  Just add a pocket or several pockets.

Mama loved pockets, as I do.  It really irritates me when I want to put something in a pocket and nothing that I am wearing has a pocket.  I like to wear jackets, just so that I have a pocket. 

In the plethora of embroidery designs that we have, there are several designs for beautiful, embroidered pockets.  The pocket embroidery can be sewn directly on clothing for a faux pocket or stand alone, kind of like a patch.  Well, that's all fine and good if you can sew.  Chances are if you can sew you can make your own pockets.  What about those who cannot sew?  I started making pockets today.  The two plaid pockets are glued to the shirt.  I just used Tacky Glue and put a bead of glue on the edge satin stitches and then I put the pockets where I wanted them on the shirt.  If you are going to do this, make sure you put some paper or something on the inside of the shirt so that you don't glue the shirt together.  We've tugged a bit at the pockets today and they seem to be holding fast.  Next I'll wash them and see how that works.  In fact, you could probably use that reuseable glue and put pockets where you want them for the day and take them off and use on another piece of clothing.  Since we can embroider most anything on them, you could have a set with your initials on them, say something funny, even a logo could be embroidered on a pocket large enough.  It could even take the place of patches.  For example, you could put the same thing on a pocket that is embroidered on a patch.  The difference is that the pocket has another function from a patch.  A pocket can hold things.  You could even put pockets on your purse or tote bag.  You could put them on your slacks or jeans to fancy them up.  Glue one in a notebook for paperclips and smaller items.  Put a pocket on your upper left chest area and put a fancy little cloth hanky in the pocket.  Glue a pocket to your koozie.

The pocket fabric can be any color or print.  The same is true for the thread which can be any color.  Make the pocket the same color as the garment and it will just about vanish.  Make the pocket in a contrasting color and it will pop.  Add a pocket with a Christmas motif to a white t-shirt and you have a festive shirt.  Add a pocket to a sleeve or inside a jacket.  Pockets come in all shapes and sizes with your choice of custom embroidery.

At Mardi Gras it always seems to be an issue about carrying a purse.  You just don't want to be encumbered with a purse, but you need your stuff.  I always envied men who had pockets inside their jackets, outside their jackets and on their pants.  Now they can carry stuff.  Put an embroidered pocket inside your jacket and on your pants or shirt.  Heck, use 3 pockets: purple, green and gold.

Of course, read the directions for whatever glue you use.  If you want to remove the patch, some glues just won't come out of the fabric.  So, be careful with the glue you choose.  I like Tacky Glue, but that's just me.  The type of glue doesn't matter, as long as you get a glue that does what you want -- permanent or not.  Of course, you can always just sew the pocket on.

I'm very excited about pockets, as you can tell.  I may be putting some in our Etsy store to see how they sell.  The price is determined, as usual, by the stitch count, and not necessarily by how large the pocket is.

The booger handkerchiefs are still selling and tickle me every time I sell one.  They are so fun.

Christmas is over and it's time to turn our attention to Mardi Gras.  Long live the purple, green and gold!

C'est tout, mes amis.

Fabric is Not Garbage

I sure hope everyone had a Christmas filled with joy and adventure. 

This is the week where I reflect on the past year and plan for the upcoming year.  All of the people in the know are predicting the black and white trend, polk dots, anything french, animal prints and bling will still be the trend.  Teal is supposed to be the color of the year. 

Those trends make it very easy for me to create items.  I would like to include something new in our repetoire of items but I haven't figured out what it will be yet.  Hopefully by the end of the week, we will know.

I still plan on making lots of handkerchiefs and have a plethora of ideas on new hanky creations.  We really need to get back to cloth hankies and stop throwing away tissues.  The same is true of cloth napkins.  We need to learn to reuse, recycle and reduce.

I urge everyone to shop at thrift stores for your cloth items.  You can always take something that is used and change the buttons, trim, neckline, etc., to create something new and exciting.  Embroidery is a great way to change something old into a new look.  Add pockets.  I love pockets and have some beautiful pocket designs that can be embroidered.  Add collars and cuffs.  Or, take them off. 

Go through your wardrobe and separate the things that you like and want to keep just as they are.  Make another pile of items that you simply no longer like.  Things that are too tight, too loose, don't fit right.  Make a third pile of clothes you like but they are out of date.  Put the things that you like, fit right, and you want to keep back in your closet.  Now take a good, hard look at the items in the two remaining piles.  Would a pretty collar look good on this one?  Maybe a pocket on that one.  Have you seen a picture of an outfit that you would love to have?  Is there something in the 2 piles that with a few adjustments could turn into that outfit that you want? 

If you don't sew, your local seamstress will be glad to help you revitalize that outfit.

Don't throw away old towels.  The worse case scenario is that old towels can be cut down and make wonderful rags for dusting, washing cars, etc.  If the towels are in pretty good shape, perhaps a bit of embroidery could spruce them up.  People who work with animals, such as our local Wildlife Sanctuary, always need old towels and blankets for the animals. 

If it's cloth, don't put it in the garbage.  A century or so ago, people in Europe used to put their old cloth items in front of their homes for the rag man to pick up.  Of course, they didn't have the poly type fabric in those days that we have now.  The thing was that the old rags could be cut down and remade into fabric or paper.  Have you ever stopped to think about very fine paper?  Really nice paper has a high linen content.  Yep, that is fabric linen. 

C'est tout, mes amis.

Cajun Corner Vol. 2, No. 50

Cajun Corner – Vol. 2, No. 50 – December 24, 2010


Bon Jour! Welcome to Cajun Stitchery’s weekly email and welcome to our family.

ΘΘΘΘΘ

Don’t forget to visit our catalog at www.companycasuals.com/cajunstitchery and www.cajunstitchery.etsy.com often.

We still have towels, pillowcases, jackets, and handkerchief orders to embroider but the before Christmas orders have been filled. I’ll probably work on a few things today but I’m not pushing to get them done before Christmas. Of course, if they are done, I’ll see if the customer wants them for Christmas presents. Technically, Cajun Stitchery is closed until Monday. The problem, as usual, is that I love doing the designing and embroidery and will probably keep at it all weekend.

Next week is when I start reflecting on the past year and making plans for the New Year, but I must admit that I’m reflecting now on this past year. I’ve met and befriended some pretty wonderful people to join my cache of wonderful friends and family. Cajun Stitchery has tried some things that have flopped; and, some things that were successful. Our niche is sort of carving itself. George and I are learning more and more about the business of embroidery everyday.

One of my favorite Christmas memories was when I was a little girl, living in Lafayette, LA. Mama worked for Judge Saloon. Daddy had a printing shop. Times were rough. Mama and Daddy had gone into the printing business with a man who took the money and left them high and dry. They owed everyone and were bound and determined to pay every penny owed. They ended up renting the old Beadle’s Feed Store building, across from the courthouse. Mama worked just a few doors down, Daddy had his print shop downstairs and we lived upstairs. It was an old rickety building. Mama and Daddy always told Nancy and me not to go on the balcony because it wasn’t safe. We did, anyway. That’s another story. The point of the Christmas story is that times were financially rough for them, but they were doing whatever it took to pay off their debts. I was very young, probably 5, 6, or 7 years old. I was too young to understand the financial difficulty they were having. I loved living at Beadle’s Feed Store because it was such an adventure. Anyway, that Christmas Mama and Daddy were broke. Mama was afraid that she would not be able to afford much, if any, Christmas presents for her two little girls. Christmas Eve they tucked us into bed. We didn’t even have a Christmas tree. That evening, after we were asleep, their friends and family came by, one by one, bringing presents to put under the tree. In fact, somehow, someone even brought the tree. When we awoke in the morning we had all sorts of presents, including a Christmas tree. It was simply the best magical Christmas ever.

This is probably a Thanksgiving memory, but one year when we were living in Orlando, I was trying to learn how to cook. My boss’s wife was a very dear friend and an excellent cook. She used to tell me that she grew up in the holler next to Loretta Lynn. Whatever the occasion was, I decided to make a pumpkin pie from scratch. The pumpkin was purchased and my friend, Pauline, told me to cut open the pumpkin and scoop out the pumpkin. Then you cook it in water until tender. Then you can mash it and begin making pumpkin pie. The pumpkin sat on my kitchen counter. The knife went in and the darn thing was hollow. Nope, I had never in my entire life looked inside a pumpkin. Carving jack-o-lanterns had never happened at my house. I stared inside that pumpkin wondering what to do. The instructions were to open the pumpkin and scoop the vegetable out and boil it. The only thing that I saw in there were strings and seeds. I scooped every last string out of that pumpkin, carefully separating the seeds. When the pumpkin shell was empty, that got tossed in the garbage. I boiled those strings but they never turned into anything that looked like pumpkin in a pie, but, perhaps there’s some chemical magic that occurs when you put it with the other ingredients and into a pie shell. Then I proudly told George and the boys to eat the first pie I ever made. They all refused. In tears, I called my friend, Pauline. I had no idea what I did wrong. When I told her, step-by-step, what I had done, she was laughing so hard she couldn’t explain that I threw out the part I was supposed to cook and I cooked the part I was supposed to throw out.

My single claim to cooking fame is cookies. I have made cookies since I was a young girl. In fact, George’s sister, Kathie, would spend the night with me on most Friday nights, when we both lived in Atlanta. We would bake cookies. Usually they were peanut butter cookies. Then we would open the sofas into beds and watch the Friday night scary movies while eating our cookies. We had many wonderful Friday nights. George only remembers that he would get leftover burnt peanut butter cookies the next day.

My favorite time of the year to bake cookies, of course, is Christmas. When the boys were growing up, they would help me bake the Christmas cookies. I remember one Christmas in Orlando when Jeff and I were baking cookies. He loved to cook. Both of the boys loved to cook, really. But that particular day we baked our cookies and wrapped them in containers for our neighbors and Jeff began his deliveries in the neighborhood. I stood at the front door watching him and he had two distinct, white hand prints on his rear-end where he had flour on his hands. It was one of the cutest sights and such a pleasant memory.

Enough of my meanderings down memory lane.

George and I wish each and every one of you a very blessed and Merry Christmas.

M E

R R Y

C H R I

S T M A S

If you are not a subscriber and would like to receive Cajun Corner weekly, please email cajunstitchery@yahoo.com and let me know to put you on our email list.

C’est tout, mes amis

Peggy Henshall

Cajun Stitchery

(850) 261-2462

cajunstitchery@yahoo.com

P.S. You are always welcome to stop by and look at all of the catalogs and pass some time with me, cher.

Cajun Corner - Vol. 2, No. 49

Cajun Corner – Vol. 2, No. 49 – December 21, 2010


Bon Jour! Welcome to Cajun Stitchery’s weekly email and welcome to our family.

ΘΘΘΘΘ

Don’t forget to visit our catalog at www.companycasuals.com/cajunstitchery and www.cajunstitchery.etsy.com often.


Santa’s workshop is alive and flourishing at Cajun Stitchery. The booger hankies are a real success. The Heaux, Heaux, Heaux towels are not far behind. I’m learning to digitize for Mylar and so far everyone loves the Bling.

Mardi Gras is right around the corner and we are starting to see orders for Mardi Gras embroidery. Think purple, green and gold.

We finally pulled up the pepper plants from our garden but the onions, garlic, cabbage, carrots and broccoli seem to love the cold weather.

All of our personal Christmas shopping is done and wrapped and mailed. Whew. I wasn’t sure we would get ourselves ready for Christmas.

Today was a special day in our neighborhood – the burned house was bulldozed and came tumbling down. The house burned and was condemned in 1998. It only took 12 years to get rid of that mess.

George and I baked cookies this weekend and delivered to all of our neighbors. We dressed up in Santa hats and holiday attire and went door-to-door delivering our cookies. That was a lot of fun.

With Christmas just a few days away, I get all mushy and corny. My happiest Christmases had nothing to do with presents. The gifts that meant the most have always been God, family and friends, love, smiles, giggles and laughter. Tears of joy usually climb up the top 10 ladder, as well. My cats taking turns jumping in and out of boxes is fun to watch. Watching my retriever, Evie, try to fit her large body underneath the tree so she can lie on the soft tree skirt is very interesting. The smell of cookies baking.

One Christmas, when the boys were young and we lived in Orlando, we decided to teach the boys about giving. We chose a friend of our’s and we played secret Santa. If you ever do this, I highly suggest that you chose someone nearby rather than all the way across town. Each night for the 12 nights before Christmas we would sneak to our friend’s home and leave a little gift on his gate. Then we would all run and hide and get back in the car and go home. We would giggle and enjoy the fun. Our friend, Andy, never mention the gifts. We thought for sure that he would talk about the mysterious gifts. But he never did. That’s okay because that is the whole point of Secret Santa – to give anonymously. It gave our family a lot of joy remembering those 12 nights. Many years later, after Andy passed away, another dear friend of our’s was visiting. We had never really mentioned doing this outside of our 4 family members but we were reminiscing with Valerie (who was dating Andy at the time of our Secret Santa) one evening and told the story. Val didn’t laugh. Turns out we never heard Andy talk about it because Val thought it was another girlfriend. Maybe it was Andy who thought it was another girlfriend. I’m not sure of the details. Nevertheless, we were blessed by playing Secret Santa that year.

Always remember that we are just a call or email away at cajunstitchery@yahoo.com or 850-261-2462 and place your order.

ΘΘΘΘΘ

Thank you to Marshall Larrivere, again, for the following:

Cajun diet

Thibideaux was turning 78 and was overweight, so his doctor put him on a diet.

The doctor said, "I want you to eat regularly for 2 days, then skip a day, and repeat this procedure for 2 weeks.

The next time I see you, you should have lost at least 5 pounds."

When Thibideaux returned, he shocked the doctor by having lost nearly 60 lbs!

"Why, that's amazing!" the doctor said, "Did you follow my instructions?"

Thibideaux nodded... "I'll tell you though, by God, I thought I wuz' gonna' drop dead on dat' 3rd day."

"From the hunger, you mean?" asked the doctor.

"Hell no! It wuz' from all dat' damn skippin'!"

ΘΘΘΘΘ

French phrase of the week: S'avoir un petit Noël joyeux. (Have yourself a merry little Christmas).

ΘΘΘΘΘ

Rather than purchasing more and more ornaments for your tree or decorations for your home at Christmastime, use your imagination and make your own. If you are not a crafty person, and don’t have a child nearby to make your decorations, use potted plants (poinsettias or chrysanthemums) or get a living wreath. Glitter will not hurt your plants.

Please let me know if there is something that you would like to see in the weekly email. You may always call me at (850) 261-2462 or email me at cajunstitchery@yahoo.com.

If you are not a subscriber and would like to receive Cajun Corner weekly, please email cajunstitchery@yahoo.com and let me know to put you on our email list.

C’est tout, mes amis

Peggy Henshall

Cajun Stitchery

(850) 261-2462

cajunstitchery@yahoo.com

P.S. You are always welcome to stop by and look at all of the catalogs and pass some time with me, cher.

Dead and Frozen

Winter has arrived.  I live in Florida for goodness sake.  It's not supposed to be this cold here.  Earlier this week it got down to 20 degrees, in the teens in some areas.  Today was truly a breath of sunshine.  It has started to warm up and the rest of the week should be warmer. 

Of course, that doesn't help my poor little frozen garden.  Those pepper plants produced peppers with a vengance this year.  They were still producing when the freeze hit.  I went out that day and harvested everything that was remaining.  We took in a pretty good haul.  After the freeze, the plants died and I found bunches of peppers that I hadn't even seen that were ready to harvest.  Gee, I hope we get the same kind of plants next year.  So, the garden looks sad right now.  All of those plants are shriveled and dead.  But we have some onions, garlic, carrots, cabbage and broccoli still growing.  Those are all just baby plants but love the cooler weather.  Once we clean up the garden, it will be pretty again, even in the winter.

This has been a glorious Christmas season for Cajun Stitchery.  The work has come in and I can hardly keep up with it.  Have I told you lately that I love to embroider.  I have enjoyed every minute of it.  All of the presents that we are embroidering makes me feel like Mrs. Santa or an elf.  It is just delightful.

Those tea towels have sold like hotcakes.  Especially the white ones.  I had an order for 24 of the white tea towels and another order for 12, of course, with embroidery on them.  We've gone through about 4 dozen of the white tea towels and I've ordered more.  A friend of mine from Louisiana ended a recent email with "Heaux, Heaux, Heaux".  Now isn't that cute.  I embroidered the last 2 white tea towels with "Heaux, Heaux, Heaux" and 2 Santas.  Hope the recent order of tea towels comes in real soon because I already have an order for those towels.

Speaking of towels, I ordered a dozen of the Martex towels from the same company where I get the tea towels.  That's the same company that has disappointed me so much on the bath towels.  I hope these are nice towels.  If not, that's the last bath towels I will order from them.  I just love their tea towels, though.

We have boxes of black satin jackets in the embroidery room.  I was holding off on those because those orders were not for Christmas, but rather for Mardi Gras.  I knew there was going to be some digitizing required and I wanted to incorporate the new mylar digitizing.  One jacket is needed this coming Friday and another lady asked me if I could get her's to her before Christmas.  I'm working on those 2 designs now and I think everyone will be pleased with the results.

I took one day to play on the embroidery machine.  I did a couple of things that I have wanted to do for a long time.  The first was puff embroidery, also called 3-D embroidery.  These designs are specially digitized for puff foam.  You know, craft foam.  Some of the design is stitched out as usual.  When you get to the satin stitches, you let the underlay stitch out and then place the foam on top.  The satin stitches will then stitch.  It's very high density for these satin stitches because you want them to cover the foam entirely.  I did a pair of lips.  There is no way that I can demonstrate with a photograph how this turned out.  The outline of the lips and the highlights of the lips are elevated by the foam.  Up close and personal, this towels is fabulous.  It is so cool.

The other thing that I did was stitch'n'turn Christmas ornaments.  Basically, it's an in-the-hoop (ITH) embroider design.  However, the instructions tell you to cut a slit in the back to turn it and stuff with cotton or whatever you like, then slip stitch the slit closed.  I did that on the first one, then I decided to make the back similar to a sham with 2 sides.  This created a little pouch for a gift card, jewelry, candy, or little trinkets.  And then they can be hung on the tree.  Really cute.  Then my eye caught a glimpse of my lame' fabric.  Wow!  Those ornaments created with lame' are bling, bling, bling.

I did take one of the bath towels and embroider the Heaux, Heaux, Heaux.  Later, I sewed a strip of Christmas plaid fabric at the bottom.  It really looks cool.  I'm thinking about embroidering the word "Christmas" on the plaid part.

I'm under pressure to get this jacket done by Friday.  Part of the pressure is me.  I want it done.  It's our Krewe mermaid in mylar.  One of the girls in the krewe told me a month or two ago that my embroidery just doesn't have enough bling to it.  I guess the truth is that I love heirloom embroidery and work on that premise all of the time.  Those girls have no idea the options available in techniques with good old Boudreaux.  We'll do mylar now.  Someday I want to get into the traupunto, embroidered fringe and other techniques.

Ah, back to work.  C'est tout, mes amis.

Cajun Corner – Vol. 2, No. 48 – December 12, 2010

Cajun Corner – Vol. 2, No. 48 – December 12, 2010


Bon Jour! Welcome to Cajun Stitchery’s weekly email and welcome to our family.

ΘΘΘΘΘ

Don’t forget to visit our catalog at www.companycasuals.com/cajunstitchery and www.cajunstitchery.etsy.com often.

Another busy week at Cajun Stitchery. So busy, in fact, that this issue of Cajun Corner is two days late. I have to tell you, that I am enjoying every moment of this season. I simply love to embroider. It feels like Santa’s Workshop over here and looks like it, too. Everyone has such good ideas for embroidery. We have embroidered at least three dozen tea towels. I’m all out of red and green tea towels and there are only two white ones left. Guess I’ll be ordering more tea towels. Black satin jackets are filling up the embroidery room. We’ve embroidered on small bags and large bags, handkerchiefs, napkins, and all sorts of stuff. I’m hoping December is our best month yet.

While I was busy getting all of these Christmas presents completed for others, I have not done much shopping for my own presents. My daughter-in-law’s birthday is tomorrow and I had my niece, DeShawn, send one of her lovely birthday packages. I will definitely be sending Hank and family embroidery for Christmas. That’ll teach them not to know Mama does embroidery for a living. Hank’s present is usually a lot of fun because we send him money but play games. One year we gave him $100 in $1 bills. We attached the $1 bills, one at a time, to a ribbon. We put the ribbon in a box and sealed the box but cut a slit in the top that said “pull here.” As he pulled on the ribbon each dollar would appear. We’ve actually thought about doing something similar with pennies but that would make the package heavy and I don’t want to spend the extra money on postage. Lol. We will think of something fun.

One year Mama did something similar for me. As I recall, it was a ball of yarn or ribbon and as you unwound the ribbon a little gift would fall out periodically. It was fun.

This past Wednesday was a Christmas party for my Wednesday night girls. We had a glorious time. The food was out of this world. After dinner we settled down to the business of gifts. This year we played Dirty Santa. There were 13 of us and it was hilarious.

George has been working on the house next door all week and it’s coming along. Walls needed to be replaced or finished and he was busy with that work. I think all of the walls are up now. We have decided to save the floors. They are old wooden floors but once you get through all of the years of glue and grime, they are still pretty. There is one board in the great room that has been replaced with a different kind of wood but, I think that will just add character. The heater is working perfectly.

I finished the job for Lee Tracy, timely. She said she would pick it up tomorrow. I think it turned out lovely. Sure hope she thinks so.

The SOB brunch was a lot of fun with a lot of wonderful women. The girls were trying on the satin jackets and I sold some SOB patches. We ate and drank and talked and cut up. Finally, we got in cars and made a caravan to Jane Cooper’s home where we sang the 12 Days of Christmas. We ended up at my friend, Paulette’s, home where we continued to party until about 10 p.m. when Elaine took me to my car and I drove home. These all day and night parties are exhausting. Only the very hearty should attempt this.

Another friend of mine, Joy, who is much, much younger than I, messaged me a few weeks ago with a link to a website where this lady made tissue holders for her children for Christmas. One of the tissue holders had “You Have A Booger” embroidered on the front. Joy thought that was hilarious and suggested that I make some. Well, you know how I am about throwing things away and the environmental issue. Instead, I made “You Have A Booger” handkerchiefs. They sold. I’m sending Joy one for Christmas via a friend.

Today George and I joined the krewe and friends to participate in the Beach Christmas Parade. Oh, it was cold out there. That wind was biting. But we had a wonderful time. We did not use the float for this parade. We walk. That way we can hand out the candy or beads to the children, personally. It’s not a big parade but it is fun. It really was nice at the end of the parade getting into the car and turning on the heater.

Next Friday night is our Krewe Christmas Party and I anticipate another fun and fabulous evening.

The Mystic Krewe of Nereids will have their ball tickets on sale beginning December 18th. The Black Tie Ball will be on February 12th at Castaways. Tickets are $35 each. Please contact me or any other Nereid for tickets.

Christmas is coming and customers are doing their Christmas shopping at Cajun Stitchery. Get this out of the way as soon as you can. For all who have businesses out there, remember that we also sell personalized gift baskets.

Always remember that we are just a call or email away at cajunstitchery@yahoo.com or 850-261-2462 and place your order.

ΘΘΘΘΘ

Thank you to Marshall Larrivere for the following:

'Poo Yie!' exclaimed Boudreaux, taking the

huge Bic lighter in his hands. 'Where dit yew git dat monster??'

'Oh Main’,' replied Thibodeaux, I got it from my Genie.'

'You haff a Genie?' Boudreaux asked.

'Ya, shure It's right here in my tackle box,'

says Thibodeaux.

'Could I see him?'

Thibodeaux opens his tackle box and sure enough, out pops the Genie.

Addressing the genie, Boudreaux says, 'Hey dere my bayou buddy!

I'm a good friend of your master. Maybe you grant me one der wish?'

'Yes, I will,' says the Genie.

So Boudreaux asks the Genie for a million bucks.

The Genie disappears back into the tackle box leaving Boudreaux sittin there waiting for his million bucks.

Shortly, the sky darkens and is filled with the sound of a million ducks. Flying directly overhead.

Over the roar of the million ducks, Boudreaux yells at Thibodeaux, “Poo Yie” Thib, I asked for a million bucks, not a million ducks!'

Thibodeaux answers, 'Oh yeah, I forgot to tell yew dat there Genie is hart of hearing. Do yew really tink I asked for a 10-inch Bic ?

ΘΘΘΘΘ

French phrase of the week: je t'aime gros I love you very much. [feminine: grosse]

ΘΘΘΘΘ

(Some of you already know my passion for this project:>)

How to Make a Potato Clock

By an eHow Contributor

Don't be shocked, but the next time you order "fries with that," you'll be eating nature's veritable battery. Potatoes can function as an electrolyte and provide the minimal voltage necessary to power a simple LED clock.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 2 Drywall Nails

• 3 Alligator Clips

• Copper Wire

• Galvanized Nails

• Galvanized Nails

• 2 baking potatoes

1. Assemble your supplies. You'll need two common galvanized nails; three alligator clip/wire units - that is, alligator clips connected to one another with wire; two short pieces of heavy copper wire; a simple low-voltage LED clock unit; and two potatoes. Obtain a simple LED clock unit that functions from the power of a 1- to 2-volt, button-type battery.

2. Open the battery compartment and remove the battery.

3. Note that there is a positive (+) and a negative (-) terminal point where the battery was installed.

4. Identify the potatoes as number one and number two.

5. Insert one nail in each potato.

6. Insert one short piece of heavy copper wire in each potato, placing it as far from the nail as possible.

7. Use one alligator clip/wire to connect the copper wire inserted in potato one to the positive terminal in the clock unit.

8. Use one alligator clip/wire to link the nail in potato two to the negative terminal in the clock unit.

9. Use the final alligator clip/wire to link the nail in potato one to the copper wire in potato two.

10. Set your clock.

Tips & Warnings

• Experiment with bananas, lemons or even a carbonated cola drink as a power source.

• Some hobby shops have all the necessary materials - except the potatoes - in a simple kit.

• Experiment by using copper pennies for the copper electrode.

• Kids will have fun learning what other simple low-voltage devices - like an old computer case fan - can be powered by a potato battery.

• Make certain the nails you choose are galvanized. The "battery" chemical component requires the zinc used in galvanizing.

Please let me know if there is something that you would like to see in the weekly email. You may always call me at (850) 261-2462 or email me at cajunstitchery@yahoo.com.

If you are not a subscriber and would like to receive Cajun Corner weekly, please email cajunstitchery@yahoo.com and let me know to put you on our email list.

C’est tout, mes amis

Peggy Henshall

Cajun Stitchery

(850) 261-2462

cajunstitchery@yahoo.com

P.S. You are always welcome to stop by and look at all of the catalogs and pass some time with me, cher.

SALE OF THE WEEK (Good through Thursday, December 16, 2010)

Sale: Cardigan with name or initials = $22.00

Jonathan Corey - #JC20

Ladies Full Button 1x1 Rib Knit Cardigan

Colors: apple, aqua, black, butter, navy, pink, red, white

7 oz. 95% cotton/5% spandex. Full button front. Dyed-to-match buttons. 1x1 rib knit construction.

SOB

The annual SOB Brunch on Pensacola Beach was held yesterday.  Brunch turned into an all day and into the evening affair.  A good time was had by all.  One of my friends told me that she is still recouperating on her sofa today.

Cajun Stitchery was open bright and early this morning and we've been busy taking care of orders and simply enjoying the embroidery process.  Many orders were delivered yesterday at the SOB Brunch.  The girls laugh at me because when I get someplace, such as the SOB Brunch, I go right to business taking orders and delivering orders.  I do that so that we can finish the business and get down to the fun stuff.  Although it's all fun stuff for me.

The anticipated surprise baby shower was simply all of the presents put on a table and the next time I saw it, the presents were gone.  There was no pomp or ceremony lost on that one. 

Today I've just been going through orders making sure everything has been delivered and figuring out the next order to fill.  One order in particular was very special to me.  You know, I do this all of the time and have for years, when I get an order that I want to be absolutely perfect, that's when all of the mistakes happen.  In this case I was going along embroidering a bag.  Everything was going just fine.  I ran out of bobbin thread.  That's no big deal.  The bag that I was embroidering was heavy and covered the place where the bobbin is located.  Very carefully, I got a new bobbin, moved everything around with my hands, and felt to put the new bobbin in place.  I continued to embroider.  Clanka, clanka, clanka.  Uh oh, we were having problems.  Because this bag was so heavy and I was using my fast frames, I did not want to mess up the placement but I needed to get under the embroidery.  George came and helped me unscrew the arms.  Wouldn't you know that I hadn't put the bobbin in very securely and it fell out and the thread was a tangled mess.  We took the arm off two or three times to rectify the situation.  Finally, old Boudreaux started purring like a kitten once again.  Isn't that always the case, when you want something to turn out just right, something always happens.  All is well.

Il fait froid, cher.  In fact, it's getting down into the 20's tonight.  Burrr.  So, bundle up everyone.