Cajun Corner - Vol. 3, No. 22

Cajun Corner – Vol. 3, No. 22 – JUNE 4, 2011

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 are also on Twitter and Facebook.

I know I’m a day late on this issue, but yesterday was very busy. I attended the WBL meeting. Then there was a lot of running around to do. Finally, I attended the Nereid meeting with two birthday celebrations. It was a fun day but very busy.

Memorial Day is over. The next holiday is Father’s Day on June 19th. June 17th is my oldest son’s birthday. It’s hard to imagine that my little baby is going to be 43 years old. On top of that, our krewe has two more birthdays to celebrate this month. It’s going to be busy.

Next Wednesday is the Fiesta Ball. The theme is red, white and krewe. We are celebrating the 100th anniversary of naval aviation. Last weekend was full of emails between the girls attending the Ball. We were trying to decide what to wear for the event. Although we won’t be dressed identical; we will coordinate with each other. Obviously, red, white and blue will be the colors. I am making a floor length blue skirt and a red vest. I have a white blouse to wear. This ensemble needs to be completed this weekend. Last Tuesday I went fabric shopping and purchased a couple of beautiful pieces of satin fabric for the skirt and vest. The skirt was the first item and on Wednesday I pinned the pattern and cut the fabric. The edges were serged, as well as the two side seams. The side seams do need to be reinforced but before I do that I must decide whether I want a waistband with a zipper or elastic in the waist. I think the waistband with a zipper looks much more professional but the elastic would be much more comfortable. At my age, I usually veer more toward the comfort side.

I also have an order of some shirts which need embroidery. These shirts must be ready to mail on Monday because there is a deadline.

There are a few more orders but those don’t have an immediate deadline.

This past Tuesday we took the dogs to the veterinarian for their annual check-up. The dogs are “the picture of health,” according to Dr. Armani. We take our dogs to Navy Boulevard Animal Hospital and have taken our animals there since we moved to Pensacola back in 1992. Sandy and Cliff used to own the hospital and, as far as I know, were the original owners. Sandy and Cliff were the vets for the Wildlife Sanctuary and our local K-9 units of the Sheriff’s Department. A few years back, Sandy and Cliff decided to retire and sold the hospital to some other vets. I do not recall their names. It turns out that those owners have sold the hospital to Dr. Armani and Dr. O’Connor, the present owners. Dr. Armani was the vet for Evie and Stinky this past Tuesday.

When Dr. Armani came into the examination room, he immediately looked at me and said, “Do we know each other? You look very familiar.” I couldn’t place him and we both let it go. That evening Dr. Armani called me. He recalled where he had seen me – on Facebook. Before Kim arrived, I had called the vet to see how much they would charge to board the animals if we decided to go to Louisiana. After a delightful discussion with Leigh Anne, I went to Facebook and “Liked” Navy Boulevard Animal Hospital and posted a picture of Evie. That’s where Dr. Armani saw me. We talked about Evie and Stinky and I told him that if they ever need embroidery work done to call me. When I told him the name, Cajun Stitchery, he asked why my business was called Cajun Stitchery. “Well,” I said, “because I am Cajun.” He asked where I was from and replied that I was from Lafayette. He was so excited because he went to school at LSU in Baton Rouge. We chit chatted a bit and I told him the story of Mama donating her body to science at LSU. I offered to drop off some business cards and suggested that he consider getting some dog collars with “Navy Boulevard Animal Hospital” embroidered on them for promotional purposes. He thought that was a great idea. He then decided to become my “friend” on Facebook, noting that “you have a lot more friends than I do.” I have since dropped off some business cards.

Speaking of the dog collars, I made a collar for Stinky that she wore to the vet’s on Tuesday. I have since posted pictures of the collar. The collar is an inch wide, white, webbing with “STINKY” embroidered in royal blue. The clasp is a white, plastic, snap-in kind of clasp. Very pretty. Since I made the collar, I have been looking online at other dog and cat collars for pricing and style. I noticed that the personalized collars have the dog’s name and then the telephone number. We can do that. I’m selling the collars for $9.45 for one or $6 each for 10 or more.

Also, I will be placing an order this weekend for market totes and other bags from a new vendor. Yes, they also have zebra print items, as well as polka dots and other designs. Feel free to browse their items at http://www.wholesaleboutique.com/category/Original-Market-Totes/ORIG/page1 Let me know if you want me to order something for you.

A lady stopped me at the WBL meeting and we discussed how cute the adjustable can wraps would be for wedding favors. The can wraps can be done in all white or whatever colors the bride chooses. They can come without embroidery or with embroidery. The names of the newlyweds, wedding date, hearts, bells, flowers, birds, butterflies, all are possible designs. So, if you need a wedding gift or favors, this is a fresh new idea.

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.

Thank you Sandy for sending the following joke:

Boudreaux and Thibodeaux, are sitting at their favorite bar, drinking Bud-lite.

Boudreaux turns to Thibodeaux and says, 'You know me, I'm tired of going tru life without dat education. Tomorrow I'm goin to dat Community College and sign me up for some classes.'

Thibodeaux thinks it's a good idea and the two have another Bud-lite.

The next day, Boudreaux goes down to the college and meets Dean of Admissions, who signs him up for the four basic classes: Math, English, History, and Logic.

'Logic?' Boudreaux says. 'What's dat Hun?'

The dean says, 'I'll give you an example. Do you own a weed eater?'

'Yeah.'

'Then logically speaking, because you own a weed eater, I think that you would have a yard.'

'Dat's right, I do have a yard.'

'I'm not done,' the dean says. 'Because you have a yard, I think logically that you would have a house.'

'Mais Yeh, I got me a house dare.'

'And because you have a house, I think that you might logically have a family.'

'Mais Yeh dats right too, I have a family.'I'm not done yet. Because you have a family, then logically you must have a wife. And because you have a wife, then logic tells me you must be a heterosexual.'

'I am a heterosexual. Dat's amazing, you were able to find all dat out because I got da weed eater.'

Excited to take the class now, Boudreaux shakes the Dean's hand and leaves to go meet Thibodeaux at the bar. He tells Thibodeaux about his classes, how he is signed up for Math, English, History, and Logic.

'Logic? ' Thibodeaux says, 'What's dat?' Boudreaux says, 'I'll give you an example. Do you have a weed eater?'

'No.'

'Den you is gay.'

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French Phrase of the Week: The following was taken from LSU.edu regarding Cajun french differing from other french:

Faire l'amour in the minds of the old folks in Louisiana still has the very genteel meaning of "to court," though most people today also use it in the contemporary sense most French speakers are familiar with.

Though the the term is very pejorative in France, une catin is simply and literally a doll in Louisiana. The word poupée is also used here, and both words are often used as terms of endearment.

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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. 3, No. 21

Cajun Corner – Vol. 3, No. 21 – May 27, 2011


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 are also on Twitter and Facebook.

It’s Memorial Day Weekend. Get out all of your red, white and blue. While you are enjoying the weekend at the beach, or having a barbeque or meal with friends, please take some time to remember those who have stood/are standing on a wall protecting us and providing the wonderful freedom that we all too often take for granted. God bless every one of them. If you see someone in the military, please say Thank You.

I’m reminded of a story about my step-father, Johnny. My dad died when I was 10 months old. When I was 3 years old, my mother re-married. For all intents and purposes, Johnny was my daddy. He was the only daddy that I knew. And he was a wonderful man. When Kim and I went to Louisiana last week and visited our cousin Roland, Roland gave me a picture of Johnny when he was in the Army.

Johnny was in Korea in the early 1950’s. There is an old movie called Pork Chop Hill about one of the bloodiest battles in the Korean War. Johnny used to tell me that he was in that battle. He said it was very cold and he wore every piece of clothing that he owned, layered, one over the other. He and his fellow soldiers walked up Pork Chop Hill. The battle raged on and soldiers were dropping like flies. They were hunkered in trenches. His friend to his left was shot and slumped over. His friend to his right was shot. Finally, a bullet hit Johnny. There was so much blood and death around him that he believed he was dead. The medics came and took the bodies of his two dead friends and put Johnny on a stretcher and hauled him down the hill to the medical tent. The doctor was peeling off his clothing where the bullet entered. Layer after layer was peeled off. About half way through his clothing the bullet fell out. He hadn’t even been scratched.

This week has been a week of can wraps. Some time ago, I made a can wrap with the Cajun Stitchery logo embroidered on it. I was talking to my friend, Charlotte, who drinks bottled beer. She said that I need to create a wrap that fits both cans and bottles. It needed to be something adjustable. Since that time, I’ve tried several designs but nothing that really pleased me, until this week.

While making the can wraps for the Proud to be a Union Thug orders, I kept pondering how to do this all ITH (in-the-hoop). There are several steps to the can wrap, cutting the fabric and stabilizer, embroidering, sewing the long side, turning, pulling the stabilizer through, sewing the ends and trimming. I digitized a rectangle the size of the can wrap. Then I digitized 4 eyelets, 2 on each end. The rectangle was digitized like I would for a patch. After embroidering the can wrap, I punched holes through the eyelets and used some very small elastic to run through the holes. After trying various combinations of threading the elastic, I happened upon the one that worked. Yep, it’s adjustable and fits both cans and bottles. Are there fewer steps? I hoop the plastic (yes, they are waterproof) and stitch out the first outline. Then I glue the stabilizer onto the plastic. Then I glue the fabric onto the stabilizer and the back side of the plastic. Back in the machine and stitch out the second outline. Once again I take the hoop off the machine and trim fabric and stabilizer on both sides and put the hoop back in the machine. At this point, I embroider the design, and then I finish the satin stitched outline of the patch. The thread ends and jump stitches are trimmed. The eyelet holes are punched and the elastic is threaded and knotted. Finis. I haven’t timed it yet to see if this goes any faster.

With the new ITH can wraps, I took some camouflage fabric and made some manly can wraps. One of the wraps has a pistol embroidered on it, another has a man shooting a rifle, and one has the silhouette of an elk. These have been listed for sale in the Etsy Shop. They would make great Father’s Day presents for any gun collector, hunter or sportsman. I also listed a couple of Proud to be a Union Thug can wraps.

Speaking of Proud to be a Union Thug, my friend, Sandy, says that she believes I am the first to do the slogan in embroidery. There are some sites with the slogan in screen printing but I’m the only one with embroidery and I think the only one with the slogan on can wraps. Google it and see. If you know any union members, please direct them to me or to our Etsy Store. I sure would appreciate it.

Speaking of referrals, if you refer a customer to Cajun Stitchery and they hire us, you will get a 10% discount on your next embroidery order. Just make sure you remind me.

This past Wednesday I was able to join my Wednesday night girls. I’ve missed Wednesday nights for 2 or 3 weeks. It was good getting back in the groove with my girls. Since I was bringing some items for various girls, I brought my new collapsible, hounds tooth market basket to carry the items. Some of the girls were looking at the market basket and we were talking about Sharon and her zebra print purchases. The vendor that I used for my basket and Sharon’s items does not carry the market baskets in solid colors. All of their market baskets are prints. However, I have another vendor that carries the solid colors, as well as some prints. These baskets are canvas and do not have the zipper pocket on the inside. While browsing through this vendor’s online shop, I found they have a whole bunch of zebra print items that the other store did not. In addition to the regular market basket, they have a mini market basket that is the next size down from the regular size and they also carry a selection of vinyl market baskets. They do carry the market baskets in purple. I was thinking how cool that would be to put krewe logos on purple market baskets. If I order from this company, I may just get myself a purple market basket for the Mardi Gras season. Ooooo, I could get one for each season; red, white and blue for patriotic picnics; red and green to carrying Christmas gifts and food items; orange and black for Halloween candy; and pastel colors for Easter baskets. If I’ve learned nothing else from my Nereids, I have learned that my attire must match. We could have baskets in every color to match our outfits. These baskets would also be great for business logos, which is exactly what I’m going to put on my market basket.

George is busy doing electrical work in the house next door. It is slow going when you are the only one remodeling an entire house but he is doing a fabulous job. I’m so proud of him.

Our sago palm had babies last fall and George potted them. We planted all that we wanted in our yard and had 8 or 9 left over. Last week I posted on Facebook that I was giving them away to anyone who wants to come and get them. There were a few people interested but when they learned that I live in Warrington, they never showed up. I just hate to throw them away. People pay good money for sago palms in Florida. My friend, Paulette, wants all of them. So, I will bring the sago palms to Paulette next Wednesday night. I’m so glad they are going to have a home.

The garden is beautiful this year. The carrots are ready to harvest. The tomatoes and peppers have flowers. We are harvesting garlic and onions everyday. I love to garden.

This week’s sale is an adjustable can wrap with your name or initials embroidered for only $5.00.

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.

Thank you Kathi for sending the following joke:

The judge had just awarded a divorce to Boudreaux’s wife, Marie, who had charged non-support. He said to Boudreaux, "I have decided to give your wife $400 a month for support." "Well, dat's fine, Judge," said Boudreaux. "And once in a while I'll try to chip in a few bucks, myself."

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French Phrase of the Week: The following was taken from LSU.edu regarding Cajun french differing from other french:

Here we have le déjeuner in the morning. (Traditionally in rural families, there was nothing petit about it. Folks needed sustenance after doing their early morning chores. The big meal of the day, le dîner, was taken at noon. This was because it was too hot to cook in the afternoon, and also because most farm families provided a noon meal for their hired hands.) In the evening, we still eat our souper. French Canadians use the same terms we do.

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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. 3, No. 18

 Cajun Corner – Vol. 3, No. 18 – May 6, 2011

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.

The weekend in Mexico Beach was fabulous. What is the old saying about the best intentions? Several girls, including myself, were planning on going to Mexico Beach to visit a friend. In fact, there were 10 girls. Over the past couple of years this has become a regular part of our calendar. Our friend only has room for a maximum number of 10 overnight visitors. As you have probably noticed our girlfriend network entails a lot more than 10 girls. Being the polite and delicate ladies that we are, we decided that we would not mention the trip to anyone else because we didn’t want to offend anyone. We were not at liberty to invite people to someone else’s home. And, we didn’t want to put our hostess in an awkward position, either. It all turned out to appear that we were keeping this trip a “secret” from everyone. In fact, we all felt like it was a “secret” and we never intended that to happen. All I can say is that we truly meant well. Oh, by the way, we had a wonderful time.

Today, Cajun Stitchery was closed for half a day because George and I attended a memorial service for a friend.

When I got home last weekend, the lilies had bloomed. They are beautiful. I love the lily time of the year.

I finally finished Kim’s diaper stacker. Oh, it turned out so precious. The diaper stackers are not hard to make at all. I was just taking my time because I knew she didn’t need it right away. I have a pattern that I kind of use for the diaper stackers but they don’t really require a pattern. You just need to know that it is 8 inches deep, 13 inches wide, and 25 inches high. Cut 4 rectangles a bit larger than 8 inches by 13 inches and sew 2 of them together on all 4 sides for a sturdy bottom. Take the remaining 2 rectangles and sew them together on three sides. Slip a piece of sturdy cardboard or foam board into the open end. This piece will go inside the diaper stacker for a solid, removable, base to hold the diapers flat. Then take a piece of fabric 25 inches tall and wide enough to go completely around the 8 inch rectangle. That would be 8”+8”+13”+13” for 42 inches. Then take 2 strips of fabric 25” tall, the width is up to you, to sew to each edge of the 42” piece of fabric, right side of strip to wrong side of big fabric. Do this to each end of the 42” piece, iron the seam toward the strip, and fold the other long side of the strip in about ¼”, and iron. Then fold over to the seam on the right side of the 42” piece of fabric. Do this one each of the 25” sides of the 42” fabric. Pin, baste and sew the large fabric to the base. At this point, you can do what you want with the top. I make large pleats on the sides and sew the top closed, then put a triangular shaped piece of fabric (doubled) on top enveloping the top seam. Then just add something to hang the diaper stacker from and you’re done. I use an O ring. If you have any questions, drop me an email and I’ll be glad to explain the process a bit better.

One of my friends told me that one of the baby hummingbirds fell out of the nest on “As the Birds Turn” and has gone to see its maker. George and I were taking a break this week in what George calls our Summer Patio and we heard little cheeps. I went to look and there was a baby chick sitting in the leaves at the base of one of our oak trees. This area has lots of ants. In fact, we are having a terrible time with ants this year. We thought the chick had fallen out of its nest and we were worried that the ants would get it. So, we put it in a shoe box and took it to the Wildlife Sanctuary. Then we had second thoughts. Of course, at this point it was too late to do anything. Now we think that this was a sparrow and they nest on or near the ground. Now we feel like we have ripped the sparrow family apart. We were just so worried that the chick would get eaten by the ants.

This week I’ve been working at the Etsy store. I still don’t have 100 items for sale but as of today, there are 90 items in that store, 42 items are handkerchiefs. I wouldn’t make so many handkerchiefs if that wasn’t the main thing that people buy at the store. I love dainty cloth hankies but never realized how much others do, too. Since Mother’s Day is Sunday, I’m now looking toward Memorial Day and Father’s Day. The red, white and blue are well represented in the Etsy store.

While at the refreshment part of the memorial service today, a friend of mine told me that although she has sewn in the past, she would like me to give her a refresher course so she can make some aprons. We won’t be doing this right away but probably next month some time. I was pleasantly surprised at this request. I have been playing with the idea of teaching sewing when the house next door gets remodeled and we move in. After all, I have 7 working machines. There seems to be a re-emerging of the old handmade skills. That makes me very happy. For a long time I’ve noticed that young people, as well as older people, don’t know how to sew and weren’t taught by their mothers. It would be a shame to see these skills become only memories. It’s important to keep these things alive. So, we will find out if I can teach. I’m very excited about this.

Another friend of mine just got back from a trip to Argentina and Chile. I still want to hear more stories of her trip. She says it was confusing with the north being the hot area and the south being the cold area – just the opposite of us. Sounds like a fascinating trip.

The joke this week reminds me of my mother. Since Sunday is Mother’s Day perhaps a story about Mama would be appropriate. New Iberia has a beautiful main street with lovely antebellum homes and beautiful lawns. One Sunday morning in spring Mama decided to go for a drive. As she was driving down this street, she would drive over to the left to see those pretty flowers. Then she would drive to the right side of the road to see those flowers. Mama said no one else was on the road because everyone was at church. So, she took her leisurely drive and then turned a corner to head back home. A police office came behind her and pulled her over. “What were you doing back there?” he inquired. My mother rolled down her window and with a look of total disgust, said, “Young man, never pull over an old lady when she has to pee. If you don’t let me get home, I will pee right here in my car. How in the world am I going to clean this up?” He was laughing so hard, he let her go. True story.

Another time Mama was stopped for a red light when a police car pulled beside her in the other lane. She rolled down her window and motioned for the officer to roll his window down, as well. He did. She said, “Want to drag?” My mother was a piece of work. I couldn’t make this stuff up.

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.

This may be a repeat but it’s so funny. Thank you Sandy for sending the following joke:

Older Woman: Is there a problem, Officer?

Officer: Ma'am, you were speeding.

Older Woman: Oh, I see.

Officer: Can I see your license please?

Older Woman: I'd give it to you but I don't have one.

Officer: Don't have one?

Older Woman: Lost it, 4 years ago for drunk driving.

Officer: I see...Can I see your vehicle registration papers please.

Older Woman: I can't do that.

Officer: Why not?

Older Woman: I stole this car.

Officer: Stole it?

Older Woman: Yes, and I killed and hacked up the owner.

Officer: You what?

Older Woman: His body parts are in plastic bags in the trunk if you want to see

The Officer looks at the woman and slowly backs away to his car and calls for back up. Within minutes 5 police cars circle the car. A senior officer slowly approaches the car, clasping his half drawn gun.

Officer 2: Ma'am, could you step out of your vehicle please! The woman steps out of her vehicle.

Older woman: Is there a problem sir?

Officer 2: One of my officers told me that you have stolen this car and murdered the owner.

Older Woman: Murdered the owner?

Officer 2: Yes, could you please open the trunk of your car, please.

The woman opens the trunk, revealing nothing but an empty trunk.

Officer 2: Is this your car, ma'am?

Older Woman: Yes, here are the registration papers.

The officer is quite stunned.

Officer 2: One of my officers claims that you do not have a driving license.

The woman digs into her handbag and pulls out a clutch purse and hands it to the officer.

The officer examines the license. He looks quite puzzled.

Officer 2: Thank you ma'am, one of my officers told me you didn't have a license, that you stole this car, and that you murdered and hacked up the owner.

Older Woman: Bet the liar told you I was speeding, too.

Don't Mess With Mature Ladies

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French Phrase of the Week: The following was taken from LSU.edu regarding Cajun french differing from other french:

Cajuns try not to be shocked if newly arrived Canadians remark upon all the grosses bibittes in South Louisiana. They mean the roaches and other insects. They're not being lewd; they simply haven't yet learned that bibitte in Louisiana French refers to male genitalia.

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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.