Progress on the UFO Challenge

A Cheater Panel, and really not part of the UFO Challenge with my online quilt group - RBQ.

This "Little Mermaid" Quilt is just a little quilt, with a soft flannel backing and is meant to go to the Premie ward of our local hospital. A very simple and quick and small (30 inches x 36 inches) these small quilts are meant to cover the incubators where new, too early babies spend their first days. When the baby is ready to go home the little quilt that was used to protect them from the bright overhead lights of the room, then goes home with them, to hopefully get used and dragged around and carried about...
This is the second one I have done this year. Planning to get done a few more this year.

Ah, now this one, under my trusty sewing maching is finally in the process of getting quilted. The top for this has been 'together" for about a year, and the layers were basted together about 7 or 8 months ago. This is going to be the biggest quilt I have ever done completely on my own! it measures 95" x 77"! Just the size of it has intimidated me for all this time! But in my closet is another top, also part of this UFO challenge that is just a bit larger, it will be about 100 x 85-- oh my...
This quilt will hopefully inspire me to tackle the other big top in the closet... First give me a few more days and I will show you how this scrappy giant progresses...

Problems and Projects

That picture doesn't look like anything. Does it?  Well, it is a major problem and a disaster just waiting to happen...  Yesterday I was rearranging a couple of shoe boxes of quilting stuff on this bookcase and realized that the bookcase and its shelves were pulling themselves apart.   In today's world the furniture out there is made of particle board or MDF, and in the stores it looks like reasonable furniture -- trouble is, the screws that hold it together just don't - hold it together...

This morning I took everything off the shelves and now have to think on a way to re -inforce all the joints, so that the thing doesn't just cave in on itself when least expected...  Glue?  "L" brackets to hold the shelves?  maybe sort of 'frame' each shelf underneath with 1 inch x 1 inch 'sticks'  How much work does this cheap piece of furniture need to make it useable?   This is where I long for my Dad's radial arm saw -- and my Dad to use it!  His radial arm saw was as much fun for him as my sewing machine is to me.  Years and years ago, he made some wonderful pieces of furniture -- a dresser and headboard for my bedroom, a wonderful sturdy useful, bookcase/room divider, he made end tables and coffee tables, parsons tables and a captains bed.  Oh, I wish he was here to make me a new bookcase...

A few weeks back I did some digging -- here is another UFO, that I forgot to claim on my UFO challenge for 2010 - I was on a kick round about 1995 or so, doing miniature foundation pieced things... This is one of them, cute -- but now what do I do with it now it is done???

And here is a little quilt, that only took about 6 hours, start to finish, the center section is one piece of fabric, with three added borders.  This is not and UFO, but was started and finished in the last couple of days and is destined for the  children's ward at our local hospital.  I aim for 5 or 6 donation quilts each year -- so for 2010, this is Number 1....

Okay, now back to thinking about those shelves...

How to shop at the Thrift Store

On Friday the sun burst through the clouds, it was a wonderful bright and happy kind of day.  After the dark gloomy rain, the +10 degrees celcius felt even warmer with the sunshine  beaming through the windows.  So, we went on an adventure.  Second Hand Stores -- The most interesting part of going the route of second hand stores in town is that you never know what you might find -- definately not like taking a wander through the mall where you know pretty much what is in each store, the Purdy's chocolate,  the book store, the center kiosks of 10 dollar watches, and 2 for 15 dollar t-shirts, or sunglasses or purses...  Anyway, at the second hand stores - there are 7 pretty good ones, (the charitable or church sponsered ones) so it can take a good 3 to 4 hours to check them out throughly. 

Well, on Friday, I started out at the West end of town -- furthest from me and decided to pop in to a "charity" shop that is sponsored by a coalition of churches in town here.  It closed down shop a few months back due to rent and size issues and now have reopened in an industrial site, a bit out of the way, but they have so improved the set up and the feel of the store is a real fun experience.  It is bright and open and clean.  Wandering through, my hopes began to sink that I had not found a craft corner -- but then behind the sheets and draperies and towels and tablecloths I found the baskets of yarn and knitting and crochet pamphlets and pattern books.  Then just a little right turn of my head and a whole cubby hole type cupboard became visible with fabric remnants in rolls or stacks along with the jumble of sewing supplies...  What a feast!  Of course in a second hand store, the rolls of fabrics just have a price and it takes a bit of experience to be able to know what cotton feels or even smells like compared to poly cotton, but I found a half dozen pieces that I will be able to add to an African themed quilt that I have been collecting fabrics for, for about 2 years now!  In my mind, it was a treasure that enables me to really get going on that quilt -- and since it is one of my listed UFO quilts for the Challenge my online group are encouraging each other to work on in this year, it is even a better find!  These treasures are what I so enjoy about Second hand stores -- you just never know when you will find just the thing you have been looking for and best of all, at a price that often will only empty the change from your wallet -- the money you sort of forget you had.  I spent just under $8, for what turned out to be about 12 meters of fabric!!  Can you believe that!

Now if you are reading this, I must caution you if you have not before taken a wander through a second hand store, that shopping in the thrift shop/second hand shop/ charity shop is not at all like shopping at The Gap or Marks Work Wearhouse, or even your local quilt shop.  In a second hand story you may or may not find what you want today, so that means you need to come back next week.  Sometimes you never find exactly what you want and then nextime you spot something that you didn't even think you needed.   One of the essentials of a household is a crockpot.  Never had one?  The last one you had no longer works and $50 is a bit much to spend?  Walk through the thrift shop, how bout a $2. crockpot -- and it works and it has a removable insert and it has its lid!  What else might you think you didn't need, but there it is sitting on a shelf in a corner...   Make the rounds of your local thrift shops at least once a month, good exercise and very easy on the pocket book...

Oh the other thing that I have recently begun to do is to re purchase Christmas decor yearly at the thrift shops -- I buy nearly-new decorations and ornaments and wrapping paper or gift bags from the thrift shop in mid November, then after Christmas I donate it all back to them -- means I don't allocate any storage space to Christmas stuff, well, except for my small artifical tree that has its own special corner in the attic and a couple of ceramic houses that I display all year round.  It is worth more to have the free space than to spend $20 or so each year on decor for a short 2-3 week period...

Just wanted to emphasize, that thrift store shopping is not an exact science.  You have to go with a wish but not a plan.  You can't say, today I need a teapot -- you might find one, but you might have to go back to the shops in your area two or three or more times before you find just the one you want.  Thrift store shopping is an art, mostly the art of patience.  Just remember that thrift store shopping is where you might find anything at anytime for anybody...  Keep shopping!   Oh yeah, and don't forget to take and donate to the shop the things that you no longer need...  Clothes in good condition, are you financially secure enough to change your towels when you repaint your bathroom, take the used ones to your thrift shop.  You don't have to be poor to shop in the second hand store, you just have to be frugal minded and not predjudiced against having something 'pre-owned' in your home... 

With most things you buy second hand, no one will know where it came from unless you tell them.  My sister is a great 2nd hand store shopper, she had more years to shop with the master -- our Mother, so she has a great eye for finding classic style clothes and shoes.  Amazing how stylish she can dress for under $20 bucks for her 'high powered' executive type job.  Then there is just the opposite, one of my brother-in-laws has said numerous times that he wouldn't be caught dead with other peoples stuff, but when his Mom passed away, he was the one who claimed all her 1970's couch , chair and end tables , her 1990 20" tv for his bedroom, her 1985 kitchen table with swivel chairs, her particle board china cabinate and all her 1980's bedding and bath linen.... No, he would never have anything second hand!

But then if you are still reading this blog and you say that you still will not shop in a thrift shop, well, then I am happy to say -- More for Me!  Someone has to buy all that stuff new...  and that I thank you for...

Challenge 2010

I am part of an online quilt group.  We call ourselves RBQ (rather be quilting) and for a dozen people who have rarely met each other we have stuck together through thick and thin for quite a few years now.  Rather Amazing, actually.  We are all Canadians but live from one end of our country to the other, though most of us live in the west. 

Now this year we have agreed upon a Challenge for our group--a fairly common challenge amongst quilters, but none the less I have never before accepted this type of challenge. The Challenge is to complete a list of UFO's. We each submitted our list that needs to see progress. I do not commit however to actually finishing every project, because 2 of them are ongoing and who knows they may never actually be done. My Quilted Diamonds Quilt and Hexagon Stars, both of which are hand piecing projects. Every once in a while I take one or the other along with me for long car rides or other activities that really require nothing from me but to be there -- like holidays on resort beaches (which I have not as yet had the priviledge of doing) so perhaps that is why it is not yet done?

Today, I have completed one of the projects from my Challenge list. It is an "I Spy" quilt. A number of years ago, I signed up for a 6" charm swap on the internet, all fabrics to be child friendly prints. Puppies and clowns, chickens and scorpions, dinosaurs and tractors -- on my quilt, 63 squares in all. Now this quilt has been layered and basted since about August 09, but for some reason it sat in a corner while I put together and finished up two quilts for christmas, 36 dinner napkins as christmas gifts, 40 change purses for a craft fair, along with a dozen or so other small projects.

This UFO challenge finally inspired me to unfold the "I Spy" and get the sewing machine its walking foot and free motion 'darning' foot in gear...

The centre of the quilt is a simple cross hatch, which I find pleasing to look at and usually do on most any quilt with squares and triangles. The outer border is a adaptation of a continuous line quilting pattern that I saw, somewhere on the internet as an all over pattern, to me it looks like a cabbage rose so that is what I call it -- a bit finicky to keep each one at a uniform size but after a few practice ones, I seemed to have managed to have kept it nicely even--there is only one that is not quite as nice as it could be, but since it is a Challenge quilt - I Challenge you to find it!

Uh-oh, a new thing!

Years ago, well, not TOO many years ago, I discovered Print Gocco.  It was an interesting thing and I actually earned a few bucks from it because I printed and sold quilt labels locally and also miniature foundation pieced block guides in local quilt shops.  But the basic Print Gocco that I had was quite limiting.  A screen could only be used once and the size of the print was limited to about 4 inches by 6 inches.  After a few years, I closed down my little production shop and gave away the machine.

Well, a year or so ago, I heard about the Yudu.... Holleee!  I do believe I have fallen in love again!  I was browsing sites on the internet and because a friend had bought a Cricut machine I was curious to find out exactly what it was and what it could do -- then I noticed that the Yudu is sold by the same company so I clicked on over to see what exactly it could do --- now as I said, I do believe I am in love...

I have to think on it a bit, though -- it is not cheap... but it is cheaper than a fancy camera, it is cheaper than most TV's and it certainly is cheaper than a new  sewing machine, all of which I don't need.  So I will do my best to talk myself into a Yudu and perhaps in a week or so, I will be able to show off a new project or creation... Now I just have to find a place to buy one -- I mean to go look at one -- I must think on it (well thats what I tell my hubby anyway)

Back to Everyday Life

Whew, I am so glad that the Christmas mayhem is finished for 2009, and now (already?) head into Christmas 2010 -- mind you, there is alot of stuff that happens well before then. Especially is the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver -- which is only about 60 kms west of my house. All or rather most of my life, I have watched Olympic Games on TV, when they were in Calgary in 1988, I had hoped for an opportunity to go then, but that didn't work out -- and now, they are so very close but the 'lottery' for tickets to various events did not smile kindly on me... So again, even next door, and I have to watch the luge, the figure skating and the skiing events on TV...

I have started a new small project, I guess it will be a baby shawl with frilly lacy borders on it after the main central area is completed. It is a pretty basic stitch combination, a row of double crochet alternating with a row of X double crochet, which as you can see makes an interesting design. I am using Bernat Baby Soft - and I hope I have enough of it... I am also processing (in my head) a granny square afghan, but I am wanting to use bright colours so collecting them will take a bit of time, which means that project will probably be stuck in my head for quite some time yet!

Hope you are enjoying this new year so far and that it has had a good start!

On To The Next Thing...

Even though my birthday is not the end of the year, is usually feels like it is.  This has been a year that caused some upsets, but like all the other things in my life, I just put my head down and keep trudging along -- have to say that my Mom taught me that. When I was a child and had walked home from school in a winter storm and came in crying that I was so cold I could hardly move my mother said to me, just put your head down and keep on going 'cause if you don't you will freeze and die out there - keep moving cause it will keep you warm...  That little piece of wisdom has helped me though many tough times in my life.  Just keep on going...

This last day of the year is time to finish up and think about new things.  New Years Day is really just any other day, but in todays society it means a new start, a reason to correct mistakes or clear up old habits that may not be good for us.  A day to start new things and try new things...

This year, I have developed a bit of a whine, it has not been the best year ever for me and I have somehow developed a habit of blaming it on other things and other people - and sure some people have upset me BUT I am the one who has let them!  So my own little change is to try to get back to my own little independent self.  Only I steer my life, so I need to make it go in the direction I want it to...   Other lives do affect mine, but I have to find a way to minimize those effects and either change my direction or deal with the effects that another persons life has on mine...  Easy to say, now, just to try to do it!

I have been finishing up a small lap size quilt for my cousin.  This little quilt is RELATED to the christmas quilt I finished up in the fall because the blocks are made by a co operative group, so my cousins blocks have sat in her closet for as many years as mine did -- so I offered to put them together and complete a quilt for her -- she did buy the extra fabrics needed to sash and bind it and I pieced together leftover bits of batting from other projects so it has not cost me anything except the time -- which I must say I have more Free time than alot of other people who have larger families or full time jobs...

One of my favourite things is the Birthday Lunch (or party or simple gathering) that I usually share with my cousins. I do like simple things and just getting together to say hello how are you is a highlight of my life.  I don't like big get togethers, just a few friends enjoying each others company -- I used to wonder why, but now I know and it is a selfish reason - I like to be a big fish in a little pond and am never comfortable being a little fish in a big pond -- if you know what I mean...

Well, now, off to finish up my cousins Christmas Quilt -- definately it will be ready for her to show off next year at christmas in her house, and to think about what things I can do to put my life on its own track without relying on or blaming anyone for its direction.

HAPPY NEW YEAR (AND A SAFE ONE TOO)

Quiet for Christmas

In my house, Christmas is a very quiet time.  My sons are grown and even though we usually have Christmas dinner together, we no longer feel the need to exchange gifts or go places or do alot of 'seasonal' things.   It doesn't mean though that we don't enjoy watching what others enjoy about the season -- the decorated trees, the crowded malls, the gatherings and parties that my friends and relatives send to me in pictures.

 My nieces in Victoria have been sending me pictures of their children opening and playing with their gifts -- it is a joyful and memorable time of their life.  The photos from my cousins of their children and grandchildren gathered for a Christmas Eve tradition they call Fish Pond is always fun to see - young to old all taking part in recreating the nativity play and then "fishing" for gifts in a "pond".  I so much enjoy seeing photos of  a new baby boy, born a couple of weeks before, with a beautiful dark head of hair, he is born into a loving and sharing family. 

Letters and cards from distant family and friends arrive in my home and those will go into my memory albums of Christmas cards from the past 50 years or so!  Looking through and remembering the people and places where those cards came from is one of my favourite activities of this season.  Opening and reading words that both of my grandmother's sent to me through the years, just looking at their writing is a wonderful memory.  Cards, both birthday and christmas sent to me by my father brings back the memories of the wood doll house he made for me when I was about 5 years old, of the bottle of nail polish he gave me the winter I turned 13 and so, so many other memories of him. 

Now this year I added some letters and cards that were not written specifically to me, but to an Aunt of mine. When I traveled to Manitoba this past summer she gave me letters my Mother had written to her through many many years .  There were some very insightful words and thoughts that were in those letters from my Mom, many years ago.  My Mom passed away, just over a year ago and those letters will be one of my great treasures.  My very earliest card in my collection is from my Aunt Vera -- she was my godmother and was an important part of my growing up years, she sent me a birthday and christmas card when I turned 7 and now it is such a cherished piece of my past!  As a child, perhaps cards are not so important as the gift that comes with it, but somewhere, somewhen I started to save these things and today when many of these people have passed away, their thoughts written in those cards are now so very important to me...

I guess that is what Christmas is to me, for the most part, a time to remember those who have been and gone and those who for many different reasons I cannot visit with in person.  My brothers who live a distance from me and have close to them their own children and grandchildren, my sister who chooses not to correspond or communicate with me or my brothers for reasons that she only knows.  I miss them all and I think of them at Christmas.

Well back to sewing and finishing up a Christmas Quilt for a friend -- not meant for this Christmas, though, so it certainly is not late - she had quilt blocks saved from years ago, and when I saw them I said I would put them together and she would have a finished quilt for next year... I will be posting pictures of it soon as the top is almost together.

continued organization

Gee, there is SO MUCH to get organized!  Working, creating in a jangle of fabric is possible and I have been doing it, but as things get put in its proper place, the projects become easier to form in my head and the tools and supplies are easier to put together for a project.  On Tuesday, I received two middling size boxes of MORE fabric!  Alot of scraps and christmasy fabrics along with about 4 unfinished projects started by the lady who passed along this bonanza...  How much fun is it to look through then sort in colour or type a stack of new to me fabic - LOTS OF FUN!  I decided that with all that fabric I could call a few of my quilting buddies and offer them a pick through of the fabrics too...  Everyone of them took home a small stack of their favourites!  But before they came over, I added a box of quilting magazines to the give away pile -- and some of those went off to a new home too!  Better in hands that will make use of them than sitting in a box at the back of a closet...

One of the unfinished project cried to be complete, so I spent about 3 hours finishing this little quilt.  The top was already done and even the batting was packed with it, so I put on a backing and cross hatch quilted the centre "trip around the world" area on my machine, and free motion quilted a string of hearts all around the border, picked out another fabric from the boxes and put on the binding.  It is just a crib size quilt so did not take much to finish up.  Now, today, I think I will take it over to the lady who passed along those boxes of fabrics to me...

Today, back to reorganizing and cleaning project -- I better be quick because another interruption of gifted fabrics could render the project at hand impossible if I find another quilt that is in need of finishing -- as if I don't have enough WiP's of my own!

Sorting, Organizing, Gifting, Making Room

I know practically everyone is making and buying things for christmas, sewing and crochet, baking and shopping for those who think something home made is a not particularly interesting gift -- who would want a quilt when they can have a new ipod or something similar???  I am a non conformist.  The gifts I give are pretty much ALL home made if someone doesn't want those kind of things, I would appreciate them saying that I shouldn't bother to make something for them cause they would rather have a store bought thing -- and since I don't do store bought, except toys for a few kids - I feel quite guilt free in not spending time or money on someone who doesn't want what I make...  Harsh, well, I don't think so, but then some might.

Anyway, since all my present making is complete and I don't do Malls at this time of year, so is all my shopping...

So.  As you have perhaps read from the previous few posts one of my local fabric chain stores are closing down (we hope it is just to change locations).  I think I have bought my fair share of 50%, 60% and 80% off fabrics in the last couple of weeks!  Now, since I do have a sewing room but only one closet as my fabric storage area and I try not to overflow it -- I am in need of making space as most of what I bought is still in bags on the floor.  Unacceptable, cause it makes it difficult to get from sewing machine to ironing board to cutting table.  I am going to dedicate this week to a clean-up, clean-out, organizing, and scrap cutting (into uniform squares)-- 2 1/2, 3 1/2, and 5" squares and 2 1/2 inch wide strips.  I already have shoe boxes that are designated for those very sizes, so all those odd size scraps can but cut and put away and the scrap box emptied and begun again.

Every sewer, well many of them do get their rooms in an untidy mess on occassion so this is my year end project -- shouldn't take more than a week, I hope...

And the other reason for concentrating on the job this week is because one of my most unfavourite events occured yesterday -- it snowed...  the weather guy says the snow should be gone by tomorrow but I don't count on it.  My cousin loves the snow, especially at christmas--but other than looking pretty when it is freshly fallen, I see nothing nice about snow -- for me, it is dangerous (mobility issues) and the cold and dry doesn't agree with me at all...

Other than that, it is really quite a wonderful day...

Promises

Aw, well, I didn't get back to you on Monday -- but I was ever so busy!

I had christmas presents to wrap and box up to ship to the nieces and their daughters... I don't generally do very much for Christmas, but that is one thing I enjoy -- finding things for little girls is a new adventure to me. Dresses and purses and dolly type things. Pink and purple and bright bright blue!


Then my long suffering spouse finally caught me in a soft moment and I agreed it was time to replace our 22 year old RCA stereo TV. We bought it in the spring of 1987 for $999.99 with our tax refund for that year... It was the biggest and best TV we had ever had. After a bit of shopping, not too much, actually, my husband chose a 32" Sony HD and who knows what else, for only $479. I say only because compared to the old RCA the new Sony has bells and whistles not even thought of 22 years ago! Only down side, is we have to wait for the cable company to come and bring and hook up the digital box so we can benefit from all the extra channels available.

But really all that did not take up the whole day, not nearly...

Up here in the Pacific Northwest we are generally in our RAINY season, but yesterday it turned cold, brrrrrrr, cold...
The rain means cloud, doesn't it? In fact, in my little townhouse even a sunny day has not particularly been very sunny for our neighbour has had three very large trees in their yard that just happened to block any chance of sun even on the sunniest of sunny days. Well, in August just past we went away on a bit of a holiday, and when we came back, the first thing we noticed was NO TREES! Until I saw those three trees removed I did not realize how much of the daylight we had been lacking...

NOW......

Archie, our three year old siamese craves the kitchen window sill every morning when the sun peeks out. Today, even with the cold - it is almost 8 degrees below zero CELSIUS.... He is basking in the sun and enjoying the smells and freshness. Can you imagine a more luxurious and happy existance?

NOW.

Where my kitchen used to be gloomy and always feeling cold, I am inspired to make a double batch of oatmeal and raisen drop cookies.
There might be quilting done later today, but for now I am going spend an hour or two or maybe even three creating cookies in my wonderful sunny happy kitchen.

A woman's perogative...

Yep, as they used to say -- I think, it implied that women were a bit air headed or flighty -- that it was a woman's perogative to change her mind...  Today, though in most cases a changeable mind is a good thing.

So the new quilt is not going to be based on that churn dash block -- regardless how much I like it, it just did not want to set up nicely in that scrappy type of quilt -- I guess the block is more suited to about 4 strong fabric contrasts with a sashing and wide borders, not a scrappy block with no sashing in between.  I have not put a picture up today because the new organization of fabrics in rectangles, squares and triangles is not as yet "set in stone" so by the end of the weekend I should have made that decision and perhaps have a good part of the quilt top put together...

Now.  Another dilemna.  Fabricland, which is pretty much the only large fabric store (chain) in the province, maybe even in the western part of Canada, is closing out their local store, though they are planning to reopen when they find a suitable retail space, and because of that, they are having clearence of pretty much everything in the store....  70% off is pretty excellent pricing when it comes to getting those quilting tools -- today I bought myself a new 24 x 36 cutting mat for just over $32.00  usually priced around 150.00 -- along with that I picked up fabrics about 15 meters worth.  Thats not all, a couple of rulers--12 1/2 x 12 1/2 and a 4 1/2 x 4 1/2...  Is there more I need to stock up on?  You bet there is!  But some things are sold out already -- not a spool of white or beige or black or grey thread of any type to be found in the store!   Also I am thinking buying alot of fabric is not really a good choice unless I am buying the fabric as quilt backing because as trends change and even my own colour preferences change too much of this past seasons fabrics  may bog me down and at some future point I may resent having some of these fabrics in my stash along with the guilt that I should use what I have before going out and buying more...  So I am not looking at feature fabrics for future quilts but fabric that "reads as solids" or are relatively neutral so that they will be good for the backing on future quilts...  It is rather difficult though even to choose those types of fabrics cause even though I tend to make twin or lap size quilts , will I need a 5 meter piece or 7 or maybe even 10 meters to use on the back...  Well, I may take a wander back to the store on Monday just to check out what might still be on the shelves and do I want any of it???   I will certainly be thinking for the next little while.

Churn Dash for Christmas

When my sons were children, each year for my birthday, which is Christmas Eve all I ever asked for was time to sew on that day. Mostly their father would take the boys to the local community centre and they would spend time out on the ice playing Dad and Sons hockey, or if that wasn't possible the would often go to a park nearby and trudge along the snowy trails.   I sewed to my heart's content and usually made a christmas quilt or at least started it for the next christmas.

Now I don't have to save my sewing time for odd moments when the kids were at school or asleep and when their father did not need me to help wrap presents or to bake christmas cookies and other christmasy type things.  Today, and most every day now, time is all my own - the boys are grown and have their own places, and the light of my life has his own things to keep him occupied -- so I can start on my Christmas Quilt before Christmas Eve.

I am beginning to have quite a few quilts associated with Christmas - a few queen sized that took more than one Christmas season to complete.  This year, I happened upon some Moda Charm Packs as you can see in the photos below.

I did purchase 4 charm square packs a couple of months back, but it was not til yesterday, that I pulled them out of their bag.  Yep, even though the charm squares are called Peace On Earth, they are not too, too Christmasy.   First being quite partial to triangle, I took two of the packs and make them into a stack of half square triangles.  Then I had to think on it for a few days, or was it weeks?  Anyway, some time in the last 24 hours I decided the charm packs would become, Churn Dash (Hole in the Barn Door) Blocks.

Not sewn yet into blocks, but the plan in my head says that they will be alternate light or dark blocks, so today, I will spend a bit of time, putting the blocks together and thinking on whether or not the top will be needing a border or no...

Oh, I also want to point you to the Sew, Mama Sew blog/website.   They have a listing for Giveaway Days.  Check out Sew, Mama Sew and follow through some of the blogs that are offering giveaways.  My friend Marianne Penner  is participating and has a wonderful giveaway on her blog too.  So perhaps you can go visit and maybe find yourself the happy recipient of a gift!

A Big Hit

I made these to fill in some time while tv watching - wristwarmers that I thought really were to use up some extra yarn -- second hand store yarn at that!  I wore them to a craft fair this past weekend,  big old barn type of place that I knew would be cool and I wanted that little touch of warmth while helping to man a booth for 4 hour stints.  Well they worked beautifully, but there were none for sale - the booth was quilt related items, not crochet.  I ended up talking almost more about these wristwarmers than of the items for sale -- I even demonstrated a couple of times how to do the particular stitch and gave people some estimates of the number of stitches.   Now, I am working on two pair as gifts -- seems if strangers thought they were pretty great, well relatives (for christmas gifts) might also like them.

The crochet stitch I used was a half double crochet and about 45 chain stitches to start.  After doing the base row of chain stitches, I did two chain stitch to act as the first hdc of the first row, then a hdc in every chain.  Row 2 is chain two that acts as the first hdc, then 1 hdc in every back loop of each hdc of the row.  Row 3 is again those two chain and 1 hdc in every front loop of each hdc.  This is created a simulated ribbing as in knitting.  Now depending on your hand you repeat rows 2 and 3 for about 5 inches (this is for a medium womans hand -- 4 1/2 " for small hand and about 5 1/2 to 5 3/4" for a large hand)-- this should snuggly fit around your hand, then don't cut your yarn but crochet the two sides down for about 6 stitches -- then slip stitch on one side about six stitches - this creates the thumb opening.  Continue to join the long seams together to the end.  Now you have a very nice wrist warmer (or fingerless gloves if you want to call them that).  You can add stitches to the thumb hole to give a bit more coverage to the thumb - 10 to 12 single crochet around the thumb hole for 3 or 4 rows.  Finally you can add a row or two of single crochet to the top and bottom of the tube to give it a more finished edge.  Great for driving, or typing in an office where the boss is too cheap to turn up the heat!   If you need more detail or instruction, there are other variations of this idea all over the internet -- even one on the Lionbrand site (clik on the link on my side bar) or just google "free patterns for crochet (or knitted) wristwarmers".

I must say, it was a surpise at how interested people were in them  -- the new thing? maybe?

And this is the first one of the second set that I am working on, here you can see, a bit better the way the thumb and top edge is worked.  Let me know if you try out these and how they work for you.

Start Over

I am going to give this a more consistent try. In fact I am planning to set time aside just to write for this blog, so expect a "story" on Monday, Wednesday and Friday each week. I do plan to post more on crafty things but also I seem to have developed a bit of a talent for finding interesting and useful things at other websites on the internet so you will find yourself directed to some of those things. There are so many people who not only have a wonderful talent for making things but they are so very creative when it comes to making whole new and innovative things. So many things to do and such a short time to do it in, but I do hope that I can point you in a useful direction.

Hopefully on the odd occasion, I will present a few of my own ideas or variations of someone else's ideas. I try not to steal ideas purposly but sometimes the basics can become something that seems new but maybe is not... So, I surely won't be claiming that the things that I post are completely original - nothing really is, is it? We learn a trick or a technique somewhere and then we build a bit onto it, then another builds on that idea, so originality is becoming pretty scarce in truth, I think. Learning and creating variations of what we learn is a facinating pastime, and perhaps I can help myself and maybe you too along that path...

So if you will come back to me and read my blog, I will endeavour to be consistant and have something for you to read and learn on a regular schedule from now on... How 'bout that for a promise? It almost reads like a JOB! Well, lets get into the habit and soon enough, I'm sure it won't really be a job...

The idea is to enjoy what you do, and I like to tell stories, I like to quilt and crochet and try out just about anything else that strikes my fancy.

There are projects ahead and ideas and projects still bubbling in my head, so in the next week or so I am going to go over a few things that I am just getting started on, and some ideas that are simmering in my "witch's cauldron" of a brain...

Tomorrow comes along pretty quick, so check back and I'll have something interesting to start off with...

Drive

We went for a ride over to Victoria on Vancouver Island early this week. I love the way the mixture of trees create such a variety of colour, the yellows of the maples and the deep greens of the cedars and spruce. This is the beginning of our Rainy Season and the higher you go, the whiter that 'rain' becomes -- the picture below is going up Number One Hwy to Duncan just past Goldstream Park climbing up the Malahat. Treacherous in winter but very pretty now.

Making Dinner Napkins - a picture tutorial

Cut yourself a "tool" to make a straight folded edge -- a piece of cardboard from a cereal box that is 1 inch wide and preferably longer than the fat quarter napkin - 20" inches or more if using the Canadian metric fat quarter (20" x 22") so cut to a 20" square.

Lay the cardboard tool along one side of the napkin and fold over the unfinished edge. The edge should just cover the tool -- now press the fabric so that it neatly comes over the tool, just covering it -- you have now created the first fold of your hem, it will be exactly 1", do this on all four sides of the cloth.

The corners should fold over as shown in the picture below, make sure the corners are squared up as perfectly as possible, if your fold over tends to overlap outside the edge of the hem at the corner, then your napkin is not cut square -- or your fabric is not woven square -- washing the fabric before cutting is a good idea because it helps the fabric to square itself up on the grainlines -- if you sew the napkin and it is not squared up on the grainlines, it will never fold squarely or look quite right if when it is folded on your table and the corners do not match up nicely -- but then thats just me, if you don't mind it a bit off square at it works for you, then, well, that's just fine.Now once you have all sides pressed, open each corner and snip off the little triangle, from each folded line, just as shown in the photo below.Now, fold over the corner with the snipped off bit, and line up the folds making sure that the "fold " exactly crosses the corner where the two pressed lines come together. You can use the iron or just finger press each edge down so that it will form a mitered corner. Now do all four corners this way, steam press to make good sharp folds.

Now fold under about 1/2 inch so that the raw edge of the fabric does not show. Press all around the napkin again, if well pressed, you may not need pins to hold the hem in place, but if you are unsure, use a couple of pins so that you do not loose the "hem".

Each corner should finish as shown above (a little blurry) then sew with a matching thread and a even straight stitch all around the napkin. If my explaination is not as clear as it could be, there are a number of other websites that are available to read through and quite probably explain something that I have miss out. After doing more than 40 of these napkins, I tend to not really think of each step along the way.

Check out About.com and search for cloth napkins, or just google, home made cloth napkins and you will find a variety of ideas and methods for sewing this simple but very useful project. Each napkin from cutting to finished sewing, takes me about 20 minutes -- so you are spending more time than money on this project. If you buy finished good quality napkins in a retail store, they will cost about $15, if you get good quality cotton at sale prices you can make 4 napkins (1 meter or 1 yard plus 4 inches) for about $2.50 and an hour and a half of your time.

Work?

Way back in February, a friend showed me a technique for creating dinner napkins. She was in the process of moving from a wonderfully huge house, including at studio space where she held quilt and sewing classes. She and her hubby had decided to move into a smaller condo in the downtown area of the big city and she was clearing her stash, sort of...
I am a "quick study" so it only took a few moments to catch onto her method and now, I have so far sewed about 42 napkins, with at least that many to go.

So using her many fat quarters, she was making EVERYDAY dinner napkins. They take a bit of time, the hem is fiddly if you want it too look just right, but they are so worth it! I discovered an assortment of last years christmas fabrics at a fabric outlet store and bought 18 meters! 3 meters of each colour that I liked. Now I am in the process of making dinner napkins for my friends to use at Christmas time. I actually don't give Christmas gifts. These in fact would be a waste if given at the tradition time -- so about a week or so before I will be delivering these to my friends and family. Not all of the napkins are Christmasy, though. I thought while I am on this "kick" I may as well go into my own stash and do some 'clear-out' so I am making a few everyday dinner napkins ---- for ME!

Please Note: The napkins are made using metric measurements (again sort of) In Canada, our fabrics are sold in meters and centimeters, though most of our fabrics are American produced. A meter of fabric is just about 40 inches - technically just a bit under that, but most every shop counts the fabric meter at 40 inches. Therefore a fat quarter here measures about 22" x 20". When I cut my fabric to make these napkins, they are based on that meter length, so from on meter I can get 4 napkins that measure 20 inches x 20 inches before the hem is done (18"x 18") finished. In order for this size napkin to be made using the "yardage system" you need 4 more inches on the length of a yard, or if you want to make 12 napkins the same you need an extra foot on three yards. I think it is more economical to purchase that extra 1/3 of a yard and wind up with napkins just that little bit larger, than to cut off the 3 inches of waste from the yard length and almost 5 inches from the width. So if you buy American fat quarters (18" x 20") you have no choice but to use an 18" square and finish at 16", but if you buy American yardage, get the extra 4 inches to call it a meter and you can wind up with a full 20" square...

Well, This World

A picture just for the sake of a picture... This is a portion of the former school grounds at Lavenham, Manitoba where my dad went to school in the 1920's.

There has not been much sewing going on so I don't have any in progress pictures. I have been trying my damnedest to get to making something using the sewing machine, but it seems there is nothing that is particularly inspiring (well, except for a quilt called the firewood quilt on another blog) But the effort preventing the start of that project is, is that I have two already layered quilts that need quilting, and I am trying to keep my "in progress" projects to a minimum. The other in progress project is my christmas list -- in the past few years I have kept christmas giving to a minimum partly because of finances and partly because of a growing disillusionment with the consumerism of gift giving -- the wal-marts of the world with their slogans at christmas encouraging you to buy just a little bit more, or you deserve more... Or even save on this so that you can spend more on that... Anyway, I still don't plan to do much in the way of shopping come Christmas, but I am already working on hand crafted gifts -- if I bought what I am making it would cost near to $60 for each person who I am doing these gifts for, but this way, it costs much less in actual money but much more -- about 4 to 5 hours of my time.



I bought wonderful little dresses last year for my four great-nieces, but this year I am going to make (I hope) dresses for them. I did get the fabric and the patterns, but like I say, I still have to get some other inprogress projects completed first... Whew!



Now not only is there sewing "on my plate" as the clique goes, but things working inside my head too. I had a dream last night that I signed up for some classes! Then in the dream, I WALKED to the school - forgot to bring some paperwork with me so WALKED home then WALKED back to the school to finish my registration for the classes! Now if you know me, I have not been very stable on my feet for most of this year due to health issues --- I wonder if this dream is not just about being inclined to take on something new, but that I will be ABLE to take on this something! I do believe my natural inclination to optimism has begun to take over the past few months of almost depression...

The Lone Prairie

This is REALLY flat land! When I was growing up in Manitoba, in school we were taught that the Canadian Prairies were called the bread basket of the world. As we drove through both the middle agricultural production areas of the provinces and the southern agri areas we saw the golden wheat at its maturity and the equipment used by the farmers to harvest not only wheat but many other crops. In some areas, where the ground itself was not so great for crops, there were many thousands of cattle, both for meat production and for milk. We saw, bison ranches in southern alberta and lamas or alpacas in southern Manitoba. Food on the hoof, was everywhere around us.

The prairie was not just prairie, but great expanses of water -- lakes and rivers, creeks and ponds -- how could any of these crops be grown without WATER? The fun part of water is the beaches, Grand Beach about 75 kms north of Winnipeg has been an attraction for many years. Manitoba's summer equivalent for those within an hours' drive to the hot winter resorts of Mexico and other summer climates. The white sand dunes are something special to me; I have photos of my parents at Grand Beach in the 1940's, and pictures of my sons building castles in the sand, and now a few shots of the beach today.

And a couple of BIG THINGS we saw along the way. The World's Largest Tomahawk in Cut Knife, Saskatchewan, where my grandfather's sister Rose lived. Because we were there on a weekday at the end of the summer season, there were no people about, Cut Knife is a very small village but their display was a wonderment and an unexpected treat. Surrounding the tomahawk, but set back a bit was some orginal buildings from the town area - a general store, an early settler's log cabin, a church and a school. Cut Knife is tucked away down a back road and is not a destination one would specifically head for, but if it is on your way or not too far out of your way, stop in for a bit of a picnic an to wander amongst the old buildings and history of the town...

Another, unexpected surprise, was the World's Largest Elk. This worlds largest was not on our list but there it was, in the town, or more like, the village of Onanole, Manitoba. Just as we came out of Riding Mountain National Parks (a mountain in Manitoba is quite a different concept from a Mountain in British Columbia) this Elk with a big blue sky backdrop came into view as we came down on #10 highway. The oddest things make your heart sing -- this was one of them!

What I learned on this Trip: I love the prairies, but now I love my home in the Fraser Valley even MORE!