Dear Robert!
I hope you are well and I wish you nice and calme holiday-time a happy new year - seasons greetings; I don't know how I would say it in the right way. OK I try it again: have a good time!
Take care,
Susanne

Dear Robert!
I forgot to anser one of your questions: No we aren't a big family. My family is my parents my sister and me (now with our own families) but my parents got each some brothers and sisters: my mothers family they were 4 kids, my fathers family they were 5 kids. And all of them got children, grandchildren ... So my family is however in fact a big family and they are spread out all over Germany.
My mom sewed because she likes handicrafting, but also because there were not a lot of money. With her sewing she allowed to my sister and me wearing "chicque" clothes for less money. Today sewing is in my opinion rather expensive, the fabric is partly high-priced. In some stores the clothes are so cheap, that it does not saving money to sew. Mom does now quilting, that is an art, that I have no patience for.
How's about your family?

Warm wishes and take care,
Susanne

Dear Robert!
I just put my little Lilian to bed and I took a look in google-earth for your town. It looks very interesting where your town is located, and it looks very green. Do you have a lot of tidal range in that bay, do you have lots of fish and seafood for the populace? (Our town is too far away from the coast for real fresh seafood.) And what is the weather like? In our little village we have now a temperature about 0˚ C and I hope it would get a little colder for getting some snow. I want to show my sweety sleigh-riding and snowman-building:·) And when it gets a little colder, the plant louses outside will be decimated...
If you would like to "google-earth" out my home, here are the coordinates: degree of latitude 50°33'51.15"N, degree of longitude 8°31'49.99"E.
I love to hear, that you and your husband are lucky together even if it's sometimes not so easy. My husband was out-of-work for 4 years, that was a hard time, especially as our daughter was born. But since Febuary he's in work (with contract and all "employee-insurances"). So we can breathe deeply now.
I love the possibilities of internet, with all these informations and the possibilities of meeting people all over the world or taking a look on foreign countries!

Warm wishes and take care,
Susanne

Dear Robert,
lucky you, that you could learn a lot by "observing" your mom...You are right, ther is never enough time for all that crafts I want to do. I am very curious about the thing you will do with your new fabrics in these interesting colors. For me (red-chestnut-colores hair, lightskinned with freckels) I prefer colors in pastel, but my sister (black hair and mid-tanned) also prefer bright colors. You said you live in Maryland, what is the landscape like there? Is there a lot of forrest ore grassland or.. or..? Do you live directly on the shore or are there some miles till you may see the sea? I live in the middle of Germany, in Hessia. It's a nice landscape with lots of forrest and either lots of grassland, cornfields and a speacialty of our region, "Streuobstwiesen". That means grassland with apple-, pear- and plumtrees every 20 meters. It's a calming landscape. I love to travel, if the money allows it, but I allways love to return.
I am sorry to hear about your back injury, but I can read, that you can manage your day with splitting your work in doable pieces. I am looking forward for an answer!
Best wishes,

Susanne

P.S.: I hope my english isn't too bad, that you can understand, what I try to say...

Hello Robert!
My first steps on sewing machines my mother taught me, then later in school we did some small items, but the most advances I made with "try and error". Sometimes frustrating, but when you did something you planned and it looks like you planned it, thats great. If you are afraid to learn ist by "do-it-yourself-method" you may take adult education classes for sewing?!
The painting I learned too by doing, but I regret, I didn't more classes for painting, as I was younger. Now I got no time for classes... My paintings are ambitiously and rather cute but not really good. But the love for painting and handicrafts is also sowed by my mother: anytime it was bad weather outside, my mother, my sister and me painted and tinkered on a table in our room.
Once a week I give a course for 10 girls in the age of 10 up to 13 years for handicrafting. It gives a lot of success and very few money. I will try to place a new photo on my page with a very small "artwork".
Best wishes from Germany,

Susanne

Hi, I'm Donna from Pennsylvania....I've heard of Epherta, and I love going to flea markets...I especially like Lancaster PA, home of all the Amish quilting....Thanks for commenting...

I live in the Monterey, CA area. We have a Kregans and a couple of other local stores. But you should be able to find the weights at any little store. If they don't carry them I'm sure they can order them for you. They are just little round disks/large washers that are about 1/8th an inch thick. Any new shiny round weighted item will do the same thing. Let me know what you come up with.

Hello Miss Robert. I would like to suggest that you try what a friend and I are planning for this Saturday. We are going to a couple of hardware stores and treat ourselves to items we see that fit into the sewing arena. Our next shopping trip will take place in January. we will then go to an auto parts store. On our last trip to the auto parts store we found 2" round discs to hold pattern pieces in place for cutting, or (in my case) for temporary holding until I fit them all on to my fabric and make the best configuration for cutting and wasting the least. Sandra

Please accept my apology. The name threw me.
Please keep in touch. I am interested in your progress in the sewing arena. I am quite sure I'll get some interesting info from you. See, sewing also takes everyday (other arena) tips/hints/information and incorporates it into a sewing use. I went to the hardware store yesterday and bought an 'L" shaped metal ruler. It is weighted so that it will hold itself in place on my fabric/project and allow me to square my sides and corner.
Hope to hear from you soon. "Happy Holidays"