Today, we buried my grandmother's cremains in Iowa City, IA, next to her husband who passed 17 years ago and her father who passed when my grandmother was only nine. Can you imagine what a reunion they must be having?
This past week and a half has been especially hard on my children, ages seven and nine. This is their first experience with death. And not just death, but the rituals of family and church that are all a part of dying and death. (You should have seen my look of panic when I realized I would need to explain how Great-Gaga went from fitting in a big box to a little box. With the help of my dad, though, I think we did a good job. Only time will tell.)
I'm especially worried about my son because he has shown so little outward emotion but is clearly bothered. I hope I've made him feel comfortable to know it's okay to feel however he wants ("Even mad at God?" -- you bet!) and that I am here with a listening ear and open arms whenever he is ready and able to talk.
What I most want to share, though, is not my personal experience, but a short reflection. My dad read this at the committal service this morning. I had never heard it before, but I am so grateful that I have. I know it will remain with me, always.
"I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.
Then someone at my side says: 'There, she is gone!'
'Gone where?'
Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and she is just as able to bear the load of living freight to her destined part.
Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And just at the moment when someone at my side says: 'There, she is gone!' There are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout: 'Here she comes!'
And that is dying."
-Henry Van Dyke
Having heard this, I don't think I will ever view death in quite the same light. The words have brought me great comfort. I hope that they are a solace to others grieving, too.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Jen's Patched Works' Party
Today was hard. My grandmother made her journey home to our heavenly father at 2:20 a.m., Good Friday. She loved to travel and I can only imagine that this is the beginning of her best trip, yet, starting with the choir of angels, accompanied by a full orchestra, which I am sure greeted her and led the way, rejoicing, to the room that God had waiting just for her.
She had a passion for music and a love of crafting; cross-stitch, needle-point, knitting and quilting. Her prevailing purpose in life, however, was to be mother to seven children, instilling them with values, teaching them faith and giving them wings to soar.
Our relationship has been challenging, but all that melted into the background as I was blessed enough to be able to share significant time with her in these last few days. Over the years, she has hand-crafted me many gifts; treasures, one and all. The best gift I've ever received, however, was the hug she gave me Tuesday evening. I felt so very loved, and reconciled.
I was supposed to go quilting, this evening, with the quilty ladies at Patched Works. After hearing that my grandmother had passed, I just did not feel like going out to whoop-it-up. I spent most of the day having a pity-party and decided that I would just stay home. The more I thought on it, I realized that this would just feed the sadness of loss. There is nothing to be sad about, though, because my grandmother, "Gaga," lived to be 89.5 years old. She lived a full life and was only slowed down by a body that failed to keep up with her spirit. She wouldn't want me to waste a minute feeling sorry for her heavenly reward. So, I went!
Quilting with friends was the best decision. It was a night filled with laughter, silliness and sewing. In other words, it was perfect.
I took several projects to work on, always over-packing to be safe, rather than sorry. As I write this post, though, I realize I don't have a whole lot to show for my seven hours of sewing because one project is still working towards completion and another one is top secret for the next few weeks (How is that for a teaser?). Stay tuned for the top secret project because it's awesome!
In the meantime...
I finished all 32 blocks for the church quilters.
This project ended up being far more labor intensive than I anticipated. Each group of eight took me about 90 minutes from start to finish. Of course, my fellow quilters would mention that the time could have been significantly reduced had I not been such a perfectionist. (Clearly, they are all content with sub-standard work and/or enjoy ripping because they thought I was ludicrous for drawing my sewing line on the small square and using two pins to secure it to the larger block.) Okay, so maybe I am just a teensy bit of a perfectionist. :)
To help break up the project, I alternated between eight blocks for the church ladies and then something else fun, for me. During one of these breaks, I worked on adding ribbing to the Village Bag I showed you last week. I didn't take a picture, though, because it looks just like it did the first time around, only, now it has the ribbing the directions called for...that I apparently chose to read as optional the first time around.
During another break, I worked on the top secret project. From start to finish, it took me about 30 minutes and turned out beautifully. I can't wait to show you, but not yet!
And the last thing I worked on was another one of the Oragomi Gift Bags. I'm making this one as a gift bag for birthday parties. One side has cupcakes. The other side, polka dots. How fun?! I have about five more seams to sew and it will be done. Then, I'll post the finished project.
I had sew much fun throughout the evening that I've already booked the date for next month (4th Friday of each month, 5:30 p.m.-midnight) $10, extended shopping hours, countless laughs and progress on whatever crafty project you bring). If you want to join in the fun, call Patched Works and reserve your spot, too!
Have a Happy and Wondrous Easter!
She had a passion for music and a love of crafting; cross-stitch, needle-point, knitting and quilting. Her prevailing purpose in life, however, was to be mother to seven children, instilling them with values, teaching them faith and giving them wings to soar.
Our relationship has been challenging, but all that melted into the background as I was blessed enough to be able to share significant time with her in these last few days. Over the years, she has hand-crafted me many gifts; treasures, one and all. The best gift I've ever received, however, was the hug she gave me Tuesday evening. I felt so very loved, and reconciled.
I was supposed to go quilting, this evening, with the quilty ladies at Patched Works. After hearing that my grandmother had passed, I just did not feel like going out to whoop-it-up. I spent most of the day having a pity-party and decided that I would just stay home. The more I thought on it, I realized that this would just feed the sadness of loss. There is nothing to be sad about, though, because my grandmother, "Gaga," lived to be 89.5 years old. She lived a full life and was only slowed down by a body that failed to keep up with her spirit. She wouldn't want me to waste a minute feeling sorry for her heavenly reward. So, I went!
Quilting with friends was the best decision. It was a night filled with laughter, silliness and sewing. In other words, it was perfect.
I took several projects to work on, always over-packing to be safe, rather than sorry. As I write this post, though, I realize I don't have a whole lot to show for my seven hours of sewing because one project is still working towards completion and another one is top secret for the next few weeks (How is that for a teaser?). Stay tuned for the top secret project because it's awesome!
In the meantime...
I finished all 32 blocks for the church quilters.
This project ended up being far more labor intensive than I anticipated. Each group of eight took me about 90 minutes from start to finish. Of course, my fellow quilters would mention that the time could have been significantly reduced had I not been such a perfectionist. (Clearly, they are all content with sub-standard work and/or enjoy ripping because they thought I was ludicrous for drawing my sewing line on the small square and using two pins to secure it to the larger block.) Okay, so maybe I am just a teensy bit of a perfectionist. :)
To help break up the project, I alternated between eight blocks for the church ladies and then something else fun, for me. During one of these breaks, I worked on adding ribbing to the Village Bag I showed you last week. I didn't take a picture, though, because it looks just like it did the first time around, only, now it has the ribbing the directions called for...that I apparently chose to read as optional the first time around.
During another break, I worked on the top secret project. From start to finish, it took me about 30 minutes and turned out beautifully. I can't wait to show you, but not yet!
And the last thing I worked on was another one of the Oragomi Gift Bags. I'm making this one as a gift bag for birthday parties. One side has cupcakes. The other side, polka dots. How fun?! I have about five more seams to sew and it will be done. Then, I'll post the finished project.
I had sew much fun throughout the evening that I've already booked the date for next month (4th Friday of each month, 5:30 p.m.-midnight) $10, extended shopping hours, countless laughs and progress on whatever crafty project you bring). If you want to join in the fun, call Patched Works and reserve your spot, too!
Have a Happy and Wondrous Easter!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
A First...Applique!
Earlier this year, I took a class to learn applique. At the time, I was just curious about the technique. In hindsight, I think it might have been better to have a project in mind and go from there because by the time I did go to applique something, I had to give myself a refresher. Learning a new technique and shelving it probably isn't the best idea. Lesson learned.
In any event, I took good notes because I was able figure things out enough to successfully complete my first applique. I will, however, liken the experience to childbirth. In other words, I won't be appliqueing again until I forgot how painful this experience was! I had problems at each step, but most especially when machine sewing the applique. Every so many stitches, or rather, every NOT so many stitches, the thread would loop and I would have to be sure and pull the loose thread to the back. I'm hoping that having had the machine recently serviced will help the next time I attempt the technique.
My local quilt store had a sample of a Packer Snowman. I was tempted by it but could resist...right up until the woman I was shopping with indicated interest, too. That was all the justification I needed. Onto my tab it went!
All said and done, I think he looks adorable. So adorable that once I forget how painful the experience was, hopefully before next football season, I plan to make a couple more as gifts. I even did a pretty good job with the machine applique, despite all the threads I had to pull! And the numerous errors? Well, if you can't find them, I'm not telling! What can I say? Practice makes perfect.
In any event, I took good notes because I was able figure things out enough to successfully complete my first applique. I will, however, liken the experience to childbirth. In other words, I won't be appliqueing again until I forgot how painful this experience was! I had problems at each step, but most especially when machine sewing the applique. Every so many stitches, or rather, every NOT so many stitches, the thread would loop and I would have to be sure and pull the loose thread to the back. I'm hoping that having had the machine recently serviced will help the next time I attempt the technique.
My local quilt store had a sample of a Packer Snowman. I was tempted by it but could resist...right up until the woman I was shopping with indicated interest, too. That was all the justification I needed. Onto my tab it went!
All said and done, I think he looks adorable. So adorable that once I forget how painful the experience was, hopefully before next football season, I plan to make a couple more as gifts. I even did a pretty good job with the machine applique, despite all the threads I had to pull! And the numerous errors? Well, if you can't find them, I'm not telling! What can I say? Practice makes perfect.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Quilty Homework
Last week, I was recruited by the Church Quilters to cut squares for take-home packets for all the quilting ladies. The group met on Monday and I somehow managed to come home with two of those packets. What can I say? I like to quilt!
These are my two packets, sewn, assembled and ready to be added to the ones the other ladies make. I'm still not sure how raggy it will be, but I know it will be cuddly and warm. This is some heavy-duty flannel!
I also brought home thirty-two blocks that need to be put together. (What was I thinking?) Here's the sample.
Here are all the pieces (a.k.a. my homework).
I'm looking forward to this block because it's simple but one I have not tried before. When I see a triangle, I'm thinking that either a triangle was used or that it was paper-pieced. Au contraire, mon frere! The small square is layered wrong sides together in the corner of the large square, sewn on a diagonal and pressed back on itself to form a triangle. The excess fabric from the middle is snipped away. The original square is left as-is for piecing to ensure that everything lines up as intended.
(And...while this makes perfect sense to me, I'm not sure that it makes perfect sense without pictures. Perhaps I'll add some to remind myself of this simple trick! We all know I'm bound to forget it at some point!)
In the meantime, have patience with me if my posting is a bit hit-and-miss. My grandmother is gravely ill and expected to pass in the next few days. Sad as this is, death will be a blessing. She has suffered for the last several years and is ready to surrender. I pray the angels lead her home with laughter and dancing!
These are my two packets, sewn, assembled and ready to be added to the ones the other ladies make. I'm still not sure how raggy it will be, but I know it will be cuddly and warm. This is some heavy-duty flannel!
I also brought home thirty-two blocks that need to be put together. (What was I thinking?) Here's the sample.
Here are all the pieces (a.k.a. my homework).
I'm looking forward to this block because it's simple but one I have not tried before. When I see a triangle, I'm thinking that either a triangle was used or that it was paper-pieced. Au contraire, mon frere! The small square is layered wrong sides together in the corner of the large square, sewn on a diagonal and pressed back on itself to form a triangle. The excess fabric from the middle is snipped away. The original square is left as-is for piecing to ensure that everything lines up as intended.
(And...while this makes perfect sense to me, I'm not sure that it makes perfect sense without pictures. Perhaps I'll add some to remind myself of this simple trick! We all know I'm bound to forget it at some point!)
In the meantime, have patience with me if my posting is a bit hit-and-miss. My grandmother is gravely ill and expected to pass in the next few days. Sad as this is, death will be a blessing. She has suffered for the last several years and is ready to surrender. I pray the angels lead her home with laughter and dancing!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
The 7 Year Itch
Seven years ago, I began a quilt for my mother. She was here, visiting, for the birth of Connor and helping to watch after Gracie. At that time, I had just begun quilting and was so enthusiastic about the art that I took her to the quilt store and blathered quite a bit. She ended up purchasing the materials to make a king size quilt. I got the fun of making the quilt. I even took a class to help get it done, "Down and Dirty" style. The down and dirty of it was that it would be made in three panels to make the quilting of it easier.
The pattern I chose was smaller so I had to modify it. I spent quite a bit of time drawing and coloring to get it all just right. I cut it and pieced it together rather quickly. In fact, I recall having the top assembled within a couple weeks.
Look how small my baby is!
Shortly after assembling the top, I got all three panels pinned and ready to quilt. They sat pinned and neatly folded on my dresser for just about seven years. During that time, I have not seen my mother and have only spoken a handful of times. Life got busy and the hurt of our relationship kept this project on the back-burner. However, knowing that I had a retreat coming up and that I could never really emotionally move on until this quilt was finished, I set to getting it completed before retreat.
It took me a little over twelve hours to quilt all three panels. It's not perfect, but I think it turned out remarkably well. Once all three panels were quilted, I sewed the tops together. All that was left was to add the binding and hand-sew the back of the panels and the binding.
It's hard to see, but if you look closely, there are two horizontal lines, one toward the top of the picture and one toward the bottom. These are the seams of the three panels. In addition to hand-sewing them closed, I used mono-filament and sewed a few lines surrounding the seams. I did this both to secure the seams and to add a bit of decoration because these areas did not get quilted.
The binding was one of the dark purples. It was a nice finishing touch. All told, it took me roughly twenty-four hours to complete all of the hand sewing.
Voila! It's complete. It's so large, I can barely get it all in the photo. So large, you can't even see my couch!
Remember that baby? Look how big he is now. He celebrated his 7th birthday, today!
With the remaining fabric, I was able to make two coordinating pillows. They are not identical, but both are complimentary.
And finally, one more picture, in the best lighting I had, to show the vibrancy of the colors. It's certainly not a combination that I would have picked, but it turned out beautifully just the same. It is the largest project I have ever completed and I am proud both of the accomplishment and the craftsmanship. It was hard to let it go, but I did. I packed it all up, all the scraps, too, and packaged it to be sent to my mother. With it's completion, another chapter comes to a close and a weight has been lifted, sigh. I hope it provide years of warmth and comfort.
The pattern I chose was smaller so I had to modify it. I spent quite a bit of time drawing and coloring to get it all just right. I cut it and pieced it together rather quickly. In fact, I recall having the top assembled within a couple weeks.
Look how small my baby is!
Shortly after assembling the top, I got all three panels pinned and ready to quilt. They sat pinned and neatly folded on my dresser for just about seven years. During that time, I have not seen my mother and have only spoken a handful of times. Life got busy and the hurt of our relationship kept this project on the back-burner. However, knowing that I had a retreat coming up and that I could never really emotionally move on until this quilt was finished, I set to getting it completed before retreat.
It took me a little over twelve hours to quilt all three panels. It's not perfect, but I think it turned out remarkably well. Once all three panels were quilted, I sewed the tops together. All that was left was to add the binding and hand-sew the back of the panels and the binding.
It's hard to see, but if you look closely, there are two horizontal lines, one toward the top of the picture and one toward the bottom. These are the seams of the three panels. In addition to hand-sewing them closed, I used mono-filament and sewed a few lines surrounding the seams. I did this both to secure the seams and to add a bit of decoration because these areas did not get quilted.
Voila! It's complete. It's so large, I can barely get it all in the photo. So large, you can't even see my couch!
Remember that baby? Look how big he is now. He celebrated his 7th birthday, today!
With the remaining fabric, I was able to make two coordinating pillows. They are not identical, but both are complimentary.
And finally, one more picture, in the best lighting I had, to show the vibrancy of the colors. It's certainly not a combination that I would have picked, but it turned out beautifully just the same. It is the largest project I have ever completed and I am proud both of the accomplishment and the craftsmanship. It was hard to let it go, but I did. I packed it all up, all the scraps, too, and packaged it to be sent to my mother. With it's completion, another chapter comes to a close and a weight has been lifted, sigh. I hope it provide years of warmth and comfort.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Fat Quarter Frenzy
Last week I attended my first "Fat Quarter Frenzy." This is a bi-annual event at Patched Works, the fabric store I frequent most often. I would describe it as organized chaos, and lots of fun! There are tons of fabrics pre-cut into fat quarters, each for $1.25. What a deal! And it's no secret. The place was packed with serious shoppers!
Though I wasn't there early enough to get everything on my wish-list, I did manage to leave with my arms loaded.
I'm normally pretty good about shopping with a purpose, but these were all impulse buys. I tried to get at least two complimentary fabrics for each pick so that I would have enough to make "something." Now, just what "somethings" should I get busy crafting? Maybe some more of those cute gift bags? A Wonder Wallet or two? The good news is that lots of patterns call for fat quarters. Sew, I'm sure that none of these will go to waste...as long as I can get past the hoarding stage. :)
Though I wasn't there early enough to get everything on my wish-list, I did manage to leave with my arms loaded.
I'm normally pretty good about shopping with a purpose, but these were all impulse buys. I tried to get at least two complimentary fabrics for each pick so that I would have enough to make "something." Now, just what "somethings" should I get busy crafting? Maybe some more of those cute gift bags? A Wonder Wallet or two? The good news is that lots of patterns call for fat quarters. Sew, I'm sure that none of these will go to waste...as long as I can get past the hoarding stage. :)
Friday, April 15, 2011
Retreat in Review
I was invited on retreat with a group of seventeen other women (sixteen strangers), the first weekend of April. It ended up being a total of sixteen wonderful, crafty, women, including me. We went to the most beautiful retreat house I've ever seen, perfectly designed for crafters. If you ever have the opportunity to go to Magnolia Ridge Hideaway, in Mt. Horeb, WI, I highly recommend it. And if you're one crafter short, think of me; I'd go again in a heartbeat!
It was a four-day retreat filled with lots of laughs, good food, crafty shopping and everything sewing (Cutting! Ironing! Sewing! Ripping!). All that time and I felt like I got next to nothing done. And, compared to many of the women I went with, I really didn't get much done. As I was taking pictures for this post, however, I clearly got more done than I realized.
The first night, I made a Village Bag. A couple weeks previous to the retreat, I had made this Village Bag.
I really loved the fabrics, but when all was said and done, I regretted my choice for interior and exterior fabrics. I decided it would have looked better if I had reversed them. So, back to the craft store for more fabric to try again. Mind you, I have no purpose for these bags other than that I thought the fabric and pattern were cute. Still, purchasing more fabric seemed way better than ripping, he-he!
Here is the one I completed on retreat.
Definitely a better choice! And check out the upper band. I love the ribbed look. (The first bag would have had them too, if I had actually read *all* of the directions.) The good news is that I can go back and add them to the first one without much trouble.
Before bed, my friend, Jen, made me my own, mini, portable ironing board. Check this out!
How creative is this? It's a re-purposed tray table. I ♥ it, muchly! Sadly, it wasn't until we had it all put together that I realized I chose a wobbly tray table. Oh well, I'm making due!
Too tired to start anything big, but still wanting to sew, I moved on to the next project. Before retreat, Jen had made me a custom, fabric, garbage bag to fit my Creative Memories Side-Kick. So I could be all matchy-matchy, using fabric from the same line, she also quilted me the fabric I would need to complete a sewing pocket to use with my sewing machine. I had to trim it to size, sew as desired and bind. It was the perfect project to wind down. She picked awesome fabrics!
I think every sewer needs one of these! Wouldn't this make a great gift? I was really touched by Jen's thoughtfulness. Here's the matchy-matchy garbage bag, too.
On day two, I sewed strips from a mini-bun together to make a cute little bag, but I ended up hating the fabric. Once the strips were sewn together, I set it aside and moved on to sewing and sub-cutting fabric for my spectrum, dot, quilt, "Dot On." This is a quilt that I'm making without a pattern. Jen is helping me with the math to make sure that it all comes out just right. As this will end up being a full-size quilt, it was a lot of sewing and cutting! (This is also the night that Jen and I got a little silly because we decided to make an all-nighter of it.) Too tired to head to the design-wall, we toasted a with a shot-a-piece at 5:15 a.m. and called it a night.
Jen was up by 7:30 a.m., I made it until 8:30 a.m. Going on just over three hours of sleep, I got right to it and started piecing my quilt on the design wall. Three hours and lots of math later, I decided I needed more fabric to get the quilt just right. What's a girl to do? Well, go shopping, of course!
Armed with the additional white I felt the quilt needed, I cut, and cut, and cut the day away. When I finally just couldn't look at the strips of fabric anymore, I switched projects.
While shopping for my white fabric, I also found this super-cute Origami Gift Bag pattern in a kit. The oriental fabrics sold me. Sadly, for what was to be a very simple bag, I actually had to give up and come back to it on the last day because I quit after ripping it almost entirely apart not once, not twice, but three times! All said and done, it really is quite simple and I look forward to making many more, just not on three hours of sleep!
The pictures really don't do it justice. The fabric is gorgeous!
And just like that, it was day four. I worked with "Dot On" some more, only to get frustrated as I realized I had not ensured that all my strips were of the same length before I began sewing them together. Needless to say, I don't have completed pictures of this masterpiece. In fact, it's still sitting waiting to be ripped. Ugh! In the meantime, I'll just post a picture of all the pretty fabrics to remind myself why it is I want to go back and finish this beast!
Ah, so pretty!
Well, all is well that ends well. I did have one more sewing accomplishment. Thanks to Karen, the "Quilt Whisperer," I learned of a great use for all the schniblitz I normally discard. She taught me how to use them and some rope/twine stuff (real technical, eh?) to make all sorts of things. She made a gorgeous basket/bag. I settled for a coaster for my Side-Kick. Having tried the technique once, though, I assure you there will be more projects in the not too distant future.
And here it is, put to good use.
Love, love, love it all!
Sew....while Jen completed seven (yes, really, seven) quilt tops, and Regina completed five (I think it was five) quilt tops, and Karen finished a lap-top bag, the rope bag, a tool kit and all but the borders of a quilt top and another Jen completed twenty paper-pieced blocks, two pillowcases and the start of another bag...I putzed. But, I had lots of fun putzing and I had the pleasure of meeting and crafting with some really wonderful people.
I can't wait to do it again!
It was a four-day retreat filled with lots of laughs, good food, crafty shopping and everything sewing (Cutting! Ironing! Sewing! Ripping!). All that time and I felt like I got next to nothing done. And, compared to many of the women I went with, I really didn't get much done. As I was taking pictures for this post, however, I clearly got more done than I realized.
The first night, I made a Village Bag. A couple weeks previous to the retreat, I had made this Village Bag.
I really loved the fabrics, but when all was said and done, I regretted my choice for interior and exterior fabrics. I decided it would have looked better if I had reversed them. So, back to the craft store for more fabric to try again. Mind you, I have no purpose for these bags other than that I thought the fabric and pattern were cute. Still, purchasing more fabric seemed way better than ripping, he-he!
Here is the one I completed on retreat.
Before bed, my friend, Jen, made me my own, mini, portable ironing board. Check this out!
How creative is this? It's a re-purposed tray table. I ♥ it, muchly! Sadly, it wasn't until we had it all put together that I realized I chose a wobbly tray table. Oh well, I'm making due!
Too tired to start anything big, but still wanting to sew, I moved on to the next project. Before retreat, Jen had made me a custom, fabric, garbage bag to fit my Creative Memories Side-Kick. So I could be all matchy-matchy, using fabric from the same line, she also quilted me the fabric I would need to complete a sewing pocket to use with my sewing machine. I had to trim it to size, sew as desired and bind. It was the perfect project to wind down. She picked awesome fabrics!
I think every sewer needs one of these! Wouldn't this make a great gift? I was really touched by Jen's thoughtfulness. Here's the matchy-matchy garbage bag, too.
On day two, I sewed strips from a mini-bun together to make a cute little bag, but I ended up hating the fabric. Once the strips were sewn together, I set it aside and moved on to sewing and sub-cutting fabric for my spectrum, dot, quilt, "Dot On." This is a quilt that I'm making without a pattern. Jen is helping me with the math to make sure that it all comes out just right. As this will end up being a full-size quilt, it was a lot of sewing and cutting! (This is also the night that Jen and I got a little silly because we decided to make an all-nighter of it.) Too tired to head to the design-wall, we toasted a with a shot-a-piece at 5:15 a.m. and called it a night.
Jen was up by 7:30 a.m., I made it until 8:30 a.m. Going on just over three hours of sleep, I got right to it and started piecing my quilt on the design wall. Three hours and lots of math later, I decided I needed more fabric to get the quilt just right. What's a girl to do? Well, go shopping, of course!
Armed with the additional white I felt the quilt needed, I cut, and cut, and cut the day away. When I finally just couldn't look at the strips of fabric anymore, I switched projects.
While shopping for my white fabric, I also found this super-cute Origami Gift Bag pattern in a kit. The oriental fabrics sold me. Sadly, for what was to be a very simple bag, I actually had to give up and come back to it on the last day because I quit after ripping it almost entirely apart not once, not twice, but three times! All said and done, it really is quite simple and I look forward to making many more, just not on three hours of sleep!
The pictures really don't do it justice. The fabric is gorgeous!
And just like that, it was day four. I worked with "Dot On" some more, only to get frustrated as I realized I had not ensured that all my strips were of the same length before I began sewing them together. Needless to say, I don't have completed pictures of this masterpiece. In fact, it's still sitting waiting to be ripped. Ugh! In the meantime, I'll just post a picture of all the pretty fabrics to remind myself why it is I want to go back and finish this beast!
Ah, so pretty!
Well, all is well that ends well. I did have one more sewing accomplishment. Thanks to Karen, the "Quilt Whisperer," I learned of a great use for all the schniblitz I normally discard. She taught me how to use them and some rope/twine stuff (real technical, eh?) to make all sorts of things. She made a gorgeous basket/bag. I settled for a coaster for my Side-Kick. Having tried the technique once, though, I assure you there will be more projects in the not too distant future.
And here it is, put to good use.
Love, love, love it all!
Sew....while Jen completed seven (yes, really, seven) quilt tops, and Regina completed five (I think it was five) quilt tops, and Karen finished a lap-top bag, the rope bag, a tool kit and all but the borders of a quilt top and another Jen completed twenty paper-pieced blocks, two pillowcases and the start of another bag...I putzed. But, I had lots of fun putzing and I had the pleasure of meeting and crafting with some really wonderful people.
I can't wait to do it again!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
A Birthday Party Pillowcase
Gracie has a birthday party coming up this weekend for a classmate. After bringing her homemade pillowcase to school to show her friends, she received a special request. Her classmate asked for a Puppy Pillowcase of her own.
With lots to get done over the next few days and little time for crafting and sewing, we got right down to business. We went to the craft store after school and Gracie picked all her own fabrics, with only a little guidance from me. Connor was a team-player and was content to sit and play Angry Birds while we shopped. (Who wouldn't love some Angry Bird time, right?)
After the store, we stopped home long enough for me to cut the fabrics even to size and Gracie to get ready for her play-off game of soccer. The game was a nail-biter. Her team was down at half-time but rallied to end the game tied 6-6. Gracie had a great night. She made some saves as goalie and scored two goals on offense!
Once we returned home, it was dinner, homework and...sewing! Because time was limited, I did most of the work, but Gracie did get to help with some pin-pulling, thread-snipping and the french seam. And here's the finished product!
Isn't it adorable? I think she did a great job picking fabrics! I especially love her reasoning for the particular red, which has a variety of circles. "They're frisbies, Mom." Well, of course they are!
All that's left is to wash, dry and wrap it. Hopefully her friend enjoys her Puppy Pillowcase, made especially for her by Gracie...and Mom.
(I must confess, I wouldn't mind if this became a trend. I really enjoy the time crafting with Gracie. I can't wait until Connor gets a bit older and we add him to the mix! Dave is gonna love that, he-he!)
With lots to get done over the next few days and little time for crafting and sewing, we got right down to business. We went to the craft store after school and Gracie picked all her own fabrics, with only a little guidance from me. Connor was a team-player and was content to sit and play Angry Birds while we shopped. (Who wouldn't love some Angry Bird time, right?)
After the store, we stopped home long enough for me to cut the fabrics even to size and Gracie to get ready for her play-off game of soccer. The game was a nail-biter. Her team was down at half-time but rallied to end the game tied 6-6. Gracie had a great night. She made some saves as goalie and scored two goals on offense!
Once we returned home, it was dinner, homework and...sewing! Because time was limited, I did most of the work, but Gracie did get to help with some pin-pulling, thread-snipping and the french seam. And here's the finished product!
Isn't it adorable? I think she did a great job picking fabrics! I especially love her reasoning for the particular red, which has a variety of circles. "They're frisbies, Mom." Well, of course they are!
All that's left is to wash, dry and wrap it. Hopefully her friend enjoys her Puppy Pillowcase, made especially for her by Gracie...and Mom.
(I must confess, I wouldn't mind if this became a trend. I really enjoy the time crafting with Gracie. I can't wait until Connor gets a bit older and we add him to the mix! Dave is gonna love that, he-he!)
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Church Quilters
There is a group of women at my church that meets twice monthly, fall through spring. They are wonderful women with a good sense of humor and a love of sewing. These women work with fabric from their stash, fabric that has been donated and fabric that they have pitched into a community pot to purchase. From this fabric, they make oddles of quilts for a cause. I believe that most go to our local V.A., but they have been know to make them for special causes, too. In addition to working together to complete these quilts, they also bring lots of "show and tell."
Because of my work commitment, I have not been able to meet with them regularly or participate very much. However, as time passes, I find myself making the time with these women more of a priority. I love the opportunity to "show and tell," but more importantly, I love the life experience that they share! I feel like there is so much I have to learn from them.
Recently, I have been able to participate in some of their projects. This week's project was to prep fabric for the next group quilt. 240, 5x5 squares, cut and grouped into packets of 12 blocks, each with batting that will eventually be combined and snipped for a large rag quilt. I have to confess, though, I'm not sure how well this is going to work out. The fabric is flannel, but it is the stiffest flannel I've ever seen. It should be interesting.
Anyhow, here's my contribution to the project.
Now I just have to remember to bring them on Monday! And, if I'm really nice, I just might remember to take and post a picture of the finished project.
Because of my work commitment, I have not been able to meet with them regularly or participate very much. However, as time passes, I find myself making the time with these women more of a priority. I love the opportunity to "show and tell," but more importantly, I love the life experience that they share! I feel like there is so much I have to learn from them.
Recently, I have been able to participate in some of their projects. This week's project was to prep fabric for the next group quilt. 240, 5x5 squares, cut and grouped into packets of 12 blocks, each with batting that will eventually be combined and snipped for a large rag quilt. I have to confess, though, I'm not sure how well this is going to work out. The fabric is flannel, but it is the stiffest flannel I've ever seen. It should be interesting.
Anyhow, here's my contribution to the project.
Now I just have to remember to bring them on Monday! And, if I'm really nice, I just might remember to take and post a picture of the finished project.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Tissue Cozies
A while back, one of the blogs I frequent had these adorable Tissue Cozies Sassy & Sweet. Seeing Anna's handiwork, I knew I wanted to make some of my own. Not that I necessarily had a need for them, but they're cute, which makes them a necessity, right?
Having no recipient in mind, I just grabbed from my stash and gave it a whirl. Interestingly enough, fabric I didn't end up liking on a larger project became just perfect for a tissue cozy.
Isn't it cute? I like it so much, I made two right away. One ended up in my purse and one ended up with a co-worker. Well, she pulled hers out to use while at lunch with a couple of girl friends, last week, and they wanted to have them, too. So, in addition to Gracie's pillowcase, I actually did manage to do a very little bit of sewing, too, this weekend.
One of the ladies requested cats and dogs. Not owning any previously, it was the perfect excuse to buy this fabric that I had been eyeing-up, but resisted because I had no use for it. Voila, justification was provided. (I even have a fair amount left to add to my stash, he-he!)
The second woman requested flowers, of which I own oodles of options. This particular blend has made several projects. Perhaps I will post some of those, too. I'm nearing the end of this fabric, and have to confess, I won't miss it much. I loved it for about a minute, but that minuted ended long ago!
To do it all over again, I would have top-stitched with colors to match the main fabric, but I had originally thought the white would add some pop. Oh well. Live and learn. They turned out well enough and my co-worker seems to think her friends will love them. That's good enough for me!
Having no recipient in mind, I just grabbed from my stash and gave it a whirl. Interestingly enough, fabric I didn't end up liking on a larger project became just perfect for a tissue cozy.
Isn't it cute? I like it so much, I made two right away. One ended up in my purse and one ended up with a co-worker. Well, she pulled hers out to use while at lunch with a couple of girl friends, last week, and they wanted to have them, too. So, in addition to Gracie's pillowcase, I actually did manage to do a very little bit of sewing, too, this weekend.
One of the ladies requested cats and dogs. Not owning any previously, it was the perfect excuse to buy this fabric that I had been eyeing-up, but resisted because I had no use for it. Voila, justification was provided. (I even have a fair amount left to add to my stash, he-he!)
The second woman requested flowers, of which I own oodles of options. This particular blend has made several projects. Perhaps I will post some of those, too. I'm nearing the end of this fabric, and have to confess, I won't miss it much. I loved it for about a minute, but that minuted ended long ago!
To do it all over again, I would have top-stitched with colors to match the main fabric, but I had originally thought the white would add some pop. Oh well. Live and learn. They turned out well enough and my co-worker seems to think her friends will love them. That's good enough for me!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Mother/Daughter Crafting
About two weeks ago, my 9 year-old daughter, Gracie, went to the local fabric store with me and chose fabrics to sew her very first pillowcase. It was a fun experience. She put lots of thought into the fabrics; trying this one and that, laying them out and rearranging them to come up with just the right combination. Without too much ado, she succeeded in finding the perfect combination of colors to go with her "kitty" theme.
Crafting with Gracie has always been a bit of a love/hate experience. So, this time, I decided to keep it simple...and short. It took three sessions to put together one pillowcase. But, with the exception of some drama over slicing the top layer of her index finger on a pin and my refusal to provide a band-aid for a bloodless finger, all went very well.
I did the cutting, ironing and pinning. Gracie did all of the sewing and trimming of threads and the project corners. (I was a little worried about an incidental slip of the scissors on the completed project, but she did just great!)
Ta-da! Gracie was so proud of herself. She danced about as I ironed it one more time. Then, she promptly requested that I let her take it to school to show all her friends. So, it is safely bundled into her backpack. I can't wait to hear how the day goes!
Next on her to-do list is a pillow. After our success with the pillowcase, I'm thinking I just might be game for the challenge. I'm just tickled that my daughter wants to spend time crafting with me. I hope I can nurture her love of crafting into a lifelong hobby and that she never tires of sharing this love with me!
Crafting with Gracie has always been a bit of a love/hate experience. So, this time, I decided to keep it simple...and short. It took three sessions to put together one pillowcase. But, with the exception of some drama over slicing the top layer of her index finger on a pin and my refusal to provide a band-aid for a bloodless finger, all went very well.
I did the cutting, ironing and pinning. Gracie did all of the sewing and trimming of threads and the project corners. (I was a little worried about an incidental slip of the scissors on the completed project, but she did just great!)
Ta-da! Gracie was so proud of herself. She danced about as I ironed it one more time. Then, she promptly requested that I let her take it to school to show all her friends. So, it is safely bundled into her backpack. I can't wait to hear how the day goes!
Next on her to-do list is a pillow. After our success with the pillowcase, I'm thinking I just might be game for the challenge. I'm just tickled that my daughter wants to spend time crafting with me. I hope I can nurture her love of crafting into a lifelong hobby and that she never tires of sharing this love with me!
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