A New Old Sewing Machine

I have fallen heir to some more sewing things, rather excitingly that includes this fab heavy duty Singer that comes in its own cupboard!

 My Dad's friends Sister (!) was a seamstress in  a factory and, being used to working on industrial machines, bought this in the 80's to use at home. It is too heavy for her to put up and down now so she has given it to me!

I have no idea where I will put it, I think my sewing room is going to have to be totally redone to fit it in but as you can't see the floor at the moment that is no bad thing!

She also gave me a bag of zips , poppers, thread, patterns and trims and also a pile of fabric!

Now I really need to get sewing things with my stash, maybe over the Easter break...

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Another bump in the road - type 1 diabetes

Just when I thought my time sitting in hospitals was over little e ended up in hospital a week past Friday with a Blood Glucose level of 33 (normal is 4-7). For the 6 weeks before little e has been drinking loads and also going to the toilet a LOT. I thought she has cystitis or a chill and thought it would pass. It gradually got worse and the week she ended up in hospital I was up on average 5 times a night with her to the loo (she won't go herself in the night...)

I knew that the drinking was a symptom of diabetes but thought I was being paranoid. Until I googled and spoke to a friend who's husband had diabetes. I got an emergency GP appointment and within 2 hours we were in the Sick Kids in Edinburgh with a almost certain Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis for little e. We were lucky, we caught it fairly quickly before she was seriously ill.

We have now survived 6 days at home, giving 5 or 6 insulin injections a day and carb counting everything we eat. Little e is already doing her own blood glucose readings, about 10 a day. My poor wee girl is a pin cushion :( She is being so amazingly brave and taking it all in her stride. I think because we caught this early she doesn't really appreciate how serious this can be. She was off school all last week and will probably do back next week after the diabetes nurse has visited the school. Not sure either of us want her to go back to school, we enjoyed some lovely time together last week!

Still no sewing happening that is not work...

 

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What have I bought - February

Taking part in Elise's Buyers Archive had jinxed my buying habits, I spent nothing on anything clothes related again last month. I did visit my favourite charity shop hoping for a few bargains and it was closed for refurbishment, I was so disappointed! Hopefully I will be able to snaek in a wee trip there this weekend though, it  is Mother's Day after all!

I did buy some curtain fabric last month though. It was entirely my sisters fault for taking me to Rejects in  Kirkcaldy. It is one of the only non charity shops that I could spend hours in, especially when you can get bargains like this beautiful Voyage Velvet fabric.

I fell in love with it 3 years or so ago when I was looking for fabric for my living room curtains but at ~£75 per meter it was way beyond my budget. I spotted it in the sale section in Rejects and actually squealed when I saw what it was reduced to... guess....you won't believe me... £13.99 a meter!!! I bought 4m , enough to do the curtain in my upstairs hall and, hopefully 2 blinds for the downstairs hall.

On a totally different  note, we booked our summer holiday, we are going to Florida! I am so excited, we were there 5 years ago and it was great fun and it should be even better now the kids are able to appreciate it more, although I may have to sell a kidney to buy the park tickets - £1500 for the 4 of us for 7 days Disney, 2 Universal and 1 Kennedy Space Centre, gulp.

I used the shock of realising how much park tickets would cost to induce a mass Ebay selling session. We are all selling things we no longer want/need in an effort to raise the funds. It is really showing the kids that these things don't come cheap!

Hopefully the charity shops will be kind to me in my quest for some summer clothes before the holidays as I have not had time to do any sewing for myself since October. I have gone from being Mum's week day carer to being the main carer for an almost 100 year old Granny and time is not that plentiful... Fingers crossed I get to sew something for me soon though, I have inherited all Mum's patterns and there are a few things I would love to make.

Maybe it won't be a month before the next post...

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