Like everyone else, after the long winter we had, I couldn't wait for Spring! All the flowering trees have been beautiful, and with the rain we've had, the grass is really GREEN. But, so are the weeds! We have a brick paver patio and the moss and weeds love to grow in the spaces between the bricks. I hate looking out my kitchen window and seeing that. But I also don't enjoy yardwork! Given the choice between yardwork and sewing/quilting, guess which one I would choose?
Last Friday was a perfect day to be outside. And I was at the point where I needed a break from my sewing. So, bucket and digger in hand, I sat down on the patio and went to work. I have to admit, being out in the warmth and sunshine felt good. While I weeded, I figured out what to do next on the project I'd left at my sewing machine. In a matter of a couple of hours, I had the patio looking pretty good!
Guess the best way to get the yardwork done this summer is to just take a "green" break every once in a while! Who knows, maybe I'll get some new scrap quilt ideas while doing so! Happy stitching!
Carol :)
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Scrapitis
With all the talk lately about the flu bug, I think I've come down with a different disease--Scrapitis. Not sure it is contagious, tho.
For my latest project, I have been working with vintage fabric scraps. My problem is that I cannot bear to throw away the tiniest cut-aways from these fabrics. The cut-aways are not good for anything...they are barely 1/4" wide! But I just can't put them in the trash. (I did that, but found myself pulling them back out!!!) And I'm wondering WHY? I have no trouble throwing away similar sized pieces of "normal" fabric. There's just something different about the vintage stuff.
Is it that I searched so hard to find this fabric?
Is it that I know that I will not be able to replace it? (Maybe I shouldn't be using it???)
Is it that it's a reminder of my ancestors? (But Grandma would love it that I'm using it!)
WHO KNOWS?
But what I do know is that I found a lovely little jar and put all those bitty scraps into it. It will go on a shelf in my sewing room and I will thoroughly enjoy looking at it. I'm thinking of adding some of Grandma's buttons and bits of old lace and rick rack to the jar, too!
Hope you have a wonderful day of sewing planned!
Carol :)
For my latest project, I have been working with vintage fabric scraps. My problem is that I cannot bear to throw away the tiniest cut-aways from these fabrics. The cut-aways are not good for anything...they are barely 1/4" wide! But I just can't put them in the trash. (I did that, but found myself pulling them back out!!!) And I'm wondering WHY? I have no trouble throwing away similar sized pieces of "normal" fabric. There's just something different about the vintage stuff.
Is it that I searched so hard to find this fabric?
Is it that I know that I will not be able to replace it? (Maybe I shouldn't be using it???)
Is it that it's a reminder of my ancestors? (But Grandma would love it that I'm using it!)
WHO KNOWS?
But what I do know is that I found a lovely little jar and put all those bitty scraps into it. It will go on a shelf in my sewing room and I will thoroughly enjoy looking at it. I'm thinking of adding some of Grandma's buttons and bits of old lace and rick rack to the jar, too!
Hope you have a wonderful day of sewing planned!
Carol :)
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Feels good to be home!
It DOES feel good to be home! I finally have my suitcase unpacked and I'm caught up on the laundry. I think I'm caught up on sleep, too. (When the new baby is awake, Grammy is awake, especially with a ranch-style house! Not used to being awakened 2-3 times during the night!) Now I'm getting caught up on touching base with friends.
One friend asked me if I got any quilting done while I was gone. I certainly did! I spent a lot of time holding baby Savannah, but I also accomplished a lot on those projects I packed. I have most of the blocks completed for the on-line block exchange. And I got most of the quilting done on the challenge project from my small circle of quilting friends.
I did a bit of writing while I was gone, too. I always have a spiral notebook along with me so I can jot down notes when inspiration hits me. I'm gathering ideas and writing patterns for a new series called "Thanks, Grandma". I'll have the first couple of patterns ready soon. Stay tuned for more information. . .
In the meantime, happy stitching!
Carol
PS: Pix is of baby Savannah, at about 2 weeks old. Awwww. . . :)
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Going Again!
Getting ready to leave again...this time for Oklahoma to spend time with my daughter, son-in-law and their new baby girl. I can't wait to see her and give her a "Grammy" hug! I'll be gone for 2 weeks and I don't know how much time I will have for blogging. You might not hear from me for a while.
All this week I have been gathering things together so that I would have plenty of stitching projects to work on while away. Those were the first things packed into my suitcase! I never leave home without some kind of sewing project because, for me, stitching is excellent therapy. Do you agree?
I've also packed my latest quilting magazine which I'll read through while sitting in the airport this afternoon, waiting for my flight. Wonder if there are any baby quilt ideas in this magazine? Funny how becoming a grandma makes one interested in baby quilts (when I never really was before!).
Happy Easter, happy Spring, and happy hours of stitching! Carol :)
PS--the quilts pictured are from my "Metamorphosis" pattern, available for purchase. E-mail me for details:
Monday, April 6, 2009
I'm back
I'm back home after an emotional week with my parents. They are definitely doing better now than when I got there, but I feel like I was living in fast forward all week. We got a lot of things accomplished, and I think we are all spending this week resting up from our hard work!
It didn't take me long to get back to my sewing projects. I'm back to working on that UFO I mentioned. I'm putting together a bunch of scrap fabrics and before I left for Wisconsin, I noticed that I'd sewn one scrap on backwards. At that point I'd decided that since it was a scrap quilt, it really didn't matter. When I picked it up again the other day, I had second thoughts and almost ripped it out. Then I read something while browsing on-line. I ran across a list of tips given by some of the teachers at this year's upcoming Quilt Festival in Chicago. One of them made me smile (and still does!) Laura Heine says "Use both sides of your fabrics...you buy both sides!" That solves my problem! The scrap stays in the quilt the way I sewed it!
Hope to have that quilt top finished in the next couple of days. I'm going back to work on it right now! Hope your stitching makes YOU smile today! Carol :)
It didn't take me long to get back to my sewing projects. I'm back to working on that UFO I mentioned. I'm putting together a bunch of scrap fabrics and before I left for Wisconsin, I noticed that I'd sewn one scrap on backwards. At that point I'd decided that since it was a scrap quilt, it really didn't matter. When I picked it up again the other day, I had second thoughts and almost ripped it out. Then I read something while browsing on-line. I ran across a list of tips given by some of the teachers at this year's upcoming Quilt Festival in Chicago. One of them made me smile (and still does!) Laura Heine says "Use both sides of your fabrics...you buy both sides!" That solves my problem! The scrap stays in the quilt the way I sewed it!
Hope to have that quilt top finished in the next couple of days. I'm going back to work on it right now! Hope your stitching makes YOU smile today! Carol :)
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Mind Games
We constantly hear that as we get older we need to exercise our brains. We should take a class to learn something new. We should work puzzles--crossword, Sudoku or Numbrix (I LOVE those! Anyone else like working them???). Even line dancing is great for the brain!
We quilters know that quilting is also excellent brain exercise, especially reading the pattern and figuring out how it is to go together!
As I was doing some scrappy piecing yesterday (working on a UFO--Hooray!), it dawned on me how great SCRAP quilting is for the brain. I found myself constantly asking "How old is this piece of fabric?" and "What did I use THIS fabric for?" and "Where did this scrap come from?" I remembered a quilt I had made for a long-ago friend and found myself wondering where and how she is today. I'll need to check up on her. Does working with scraps have the same effect on you?
Tomorrow I'm going to Wisconsin to check up on my elderly parents. I'll be gone for about a week, so I might not blog until I get back. I will be stitching, however. I already have my projects packed!
Happy Scrappy Stitching! Carol :)
Monday, March 23, 2009
A Great Little Trip!
My quilting buddy and I had a whirlwind two-day trip! We left early Friday morning with Shipshewana, IN as our destination. We both had shopping lists with us, but when we hit the quilt shops, we had a hard time sticking to those lists! Lots of things to tempt us. We certainly helped the Indiana economy as we filled our heads with new ideas and filled the car with lots of fabric! :) Friday evening we showed off our purchases as we met with some of my Fort Wayne quilting friends.
The Gathering of Quilters on Saturday was our real destination. There weren't the 1000 quilters that they were planning for, but there were over 600 quilters in attendance! The farthest one came from St. Louis, MO. It was a fun day--a chance to renew acquaintances, hear a great talk from Kaye England, do some more shopping of the vendors, and view quilts on display made by area quilters (including some great ones made by MEN!). From time to time during the day there were "bed turnings"--various quilt groups put together 10-12 quilts on a certain theme. The quilts were stacked on a bed. One-by-one they were held up from the bed and talked about. We especially enjoyed the one that featured 1920-1940 era quilts.
When it first began, the Gathering was meant to be a way for quilters in Northern Indiana/Southern Michigan to connect and share ideas. I was disappointed in the "sharing" aspect this year. Part of the day's activities were events like Show and Tell, Charm Square Exchange, and a Block Exchange. With over 600 quilters attending, I expected LOTS of show and tell. I took 2 quilts to show, but in all, I think fewer than 40 people had things to show! I am really into using charm squares right now, so I made up 8 packets of charm squares to exchange, excited to get a new variety of fabrics to use in my quilts. So few people brought charm squares to exchange that I came home with 5 of my own packets! And I saw very few blocks turned in for the block exchange. WHAT IS WITH THIS???? Was this event unique, or are quilters not SHARING these days??? I hope that is not the case, because sharing is a big part of what quilting is all about!!! Let me know your thoughts!
I'm off to sew...Carol
The Gathering of Quilters on Saturday was our real destination. There weren't the 1000 quilters that they were planning for, but there were over 600 quilters in attendance! The farthest one came from St. Louis, MO. It was a fun day--a chance to renew acquaintances, hear a great talk from Kaye England, do some more shopping of the vendors, and view quilts on display made by area quilters (including some great ones made by MEN!). From time to time during the day there were "bed turnings"--various quilt groups put together 10-12 quilts on a certain theme. The quilts were stacked on a bed. One-by-one they were held up from the bed and talked about. We especially enjoyed the one that featured 1920-1940 era quilts.
When it first began, the Gathering was meant to be a way for quilters in Northern Indiana/Southern Michigan to connect and share ideas. I was disappointed in the "sharing" aspect this year. Part of the day's activities were events like Show and Tell, Charm Square Exchange, and a Block Exchange. With over 600 quilters attending, I expected LOTS of show and tell. I took 2 quilts to show, but in all, I think fewer than 40 people had things to show! I am really into using charm squares right now, so I made up 8 packets of charm squares to exchange, excited to get a new variety of fabrics to use in my quilts. So few people brought charm squares to exchange that I came home with 5 of my own packets! And I saw very few blocks turned in for the block exchange. WHAT IS WITH THIS???? Was this event unique, or are quilters not SHARING these days??? I hope that is not the case, because sharing is a big part of what quilting is all about!!! Let me know your thoughts!
I'm off to sew...Carol
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
