Posting from Winnipeg

Well no pictures today, cause I am not at home... but look back to the blog post on Saturday.  See the snow surrounding the house?  Well, there's no snow... Yet.  But it is windy, and there are lots of Halloween decorations out on lawns and even Halloween house lights!   Just in case y'all were wondering.

Packing?

I am going to the Old Home Town for a visit...

I know there is not quite this pile of snow but, gee, snow is the most common theme in a city like Winnipeg, and thats how I seem to remember everything there...

Perhaps this is more appropriate to the season...  Yes, that's me in the blue hair, which is actually a mop head attachement for an industrial size mop -- my husband worked at the time for a company that supplied all sorts of cleaning stuff and the mop head was borrowed for halloween night, I think 1980.  We did have fun!

And there's the old neighbourhood and the kids waiting for the school bus.  We lived in a brand new development and every 3rd or 4th house a repeat, in colour and floor plan.  My brother called it Baby City cause everyone on the street seemed to have a child under age two!  It was a great place to grow your kids.  A playground around the corner, and a dead end street, so the traffic was mainly just those who lived there -- but now the street has been put through and is a main access to a large residential section.

Lots of other things to see, but mostly people to visit.  The place itself is not so important anymore, my home is here, but the people still in Winnipeg and surrounding areas are mostly the people I really, really like and don't get to see so often!

So I am gone now for a bit over a week, til November 3 or 4...  See you back here again, then.

Sometimes...

I wanted to stay in bed this morning.  I had put a different quilt on my bed yesterday and it smelled like the blankets and sheets that my Mom would bring in from the clothes line when I was a child. I was warm and very comfortable.  The back of the quilt was a nice cotton flannel and was tucked under my chin and up around my ears on the pillow.  There was no place that the cold air from outside the wrapped-around-me quilt could get in.  There was a cat, Archie, laying curled up with his nose under his tail (as cats often do) and another cat, Fossie, laying behind the back of my knees and purring quite loudly.

Who would ever want to move from that very special and cozy place!

But.

There was no maintaining the feeling of comfort.  My husband was in the kitchen, coughing just often enough to cause a spike of irritation in me, everytime he did it.  The dog, ever at his side was pushing her food dishes around the kitchen floor, because my hubby was busy munching his toast and peanut butter and reading the paper, totally ignoring the noisy hunger pangs of Pearl. 

Outside our door, the workers who are doing the reno landscaping and some groundsloping and water proofing brought in their excavators and the motors started up and the front buckets started scraping and banging and dumping and moving...

No sleeping in, not even just enjoying the cozy moment of warmth and peace.  The peace was broken, and the warmth was becoming too warm and sweaty...

HO HUM, time to start the day -- with reluctance.

off topic

just for a bit of change, here are recent photos of the lovely Pearl.

She went for her first ever visit to the Groomers...

It tired her out - she was quiet the whole afternoon for a change.

Perhaps she was not happy with her Halloween scarf -- later she managed to get it off and within minutes it was shredded into what looked like a bird's nest!

Socky Things or How to keep your tootsies warm in Winter

A few years back, I found a free pattern online to make socks with polar fleece or most any not too stretchy fabic.  Previously I would crochet myself a few socks.  Not socks that you would wear in your shoes, but really rather thick and warm socks cause my feet just get so very cold at night.  I wanted socks that I could wear that had no elastic cause my feet tend to swell (the doc calls it edema) and elastic in socks would make it worse.

Anyway, my socky things are a yearly ritual, I make for myself a couple or three pairs of these cozy warm polar fleece socks.  I try my best to find the brightest and cutest and oddest polar fleece prints.  Mostly I hunt all summer and fall at Value Village for yardage, where it is WAY WAY cheaper than at the fabic store.  This year, lovely bright red with teddy bears -- last year it was purple with yellow elephants.

One of the things though is that  I have started making these 'socky things' as gifts and it has come to pass that I get requests for repeats!  So, it turns out that I make some for myself and then another half dozen or so pairs for others!  I surely don't mind making extras and am happy to know that my dear aunties have warm toes, on those cold Winnipeg winter nights!

 I sometimes will wear my own 'socky things' when I wear my Crocs, as the weather starts to get cooler. Some people have noticed my really odd socks when I have worn them in public, so I have given a few friends the link to the free pattern online.

 I don't know if anyone else is making these as regularly as I am, but these are also great for seniors or wheelchair bound persons.  Bright colours or more somber fabric choices even, make pretty good gifts for a diabetic, because of course there is no elastic to cause problems with circulation.

So if you might like to try out really cozy and comfy socks (that can be used as slippers --just put a safety tread on the bottom) here is the link i have been using now for close onto 10 years!
http://www.cedesign.com/familyphotos/sewing/holidays/fleecebooties.pdf   the pattern is easy, with very well written instruction, even explaining the "grainline" of polar fleece and how to tell the right side from the wrong side.  The pattern has sizing from a baby size two up to a men's size twelve!  It does help if you have a colour printer as the patterns are sort of printed overtop each other using different colour lines so that you can distinquish one from another. 

Make sure to make one pair to try them out first -- I need to slightly adjust the pattern because as my mother used to say, I have legs and ankles like tree trunks, so the ankle on my personal adjustment is slightly wider than the actual pattern as printed.

I use the pattern so often now, that I have made semi-permanent templates (using cereal box cardboard) of the sizes I regularly make.

Now is that a picture of newly made 'socky things' or a picture of Pearl the dog?  Oh well, they both look pretty good, don't you think?  Warm Feet Wishes, to Everyone!

Peace to Joy Mystery Table Runner Part 2 (and Reveal)

Now to finish up this little table runner top...
If you didn't notice, check back to part one, because there is a major correction -- I apologize if this caused more work than necessary and especially am sorry if you use precious fabric!

Just summarize: you now have  12 half square triangles made, 10 short piano key sections and 8 5" squares.

Step 3:  Now with your 12 half square triangles you will make 3 "Broken Dishes Blocks" (see the photo).  I have randomly placed the fabrics, without worrying if light or dark or medium happens to be too close or opposite, so your placement is as you so choose.   Below is the block you will create.  The block should then measure 8 1/2 " x 8 1/2" square, trim up to make it accurate.

Set these aside for a few moments

Step 4  Now you need to cut the necessary sashing strips in order to finish placing the components that are already sewn. 

I have cut my sashing from regular width fabric.

The sashing strips are cut 2" wide so that when sewn they will be 1 1/2".
You will need about 230" in total, which works out to 5 1/2 strips but might as well make it 6 strips that are 2" wide and 42 inches long (at least)

Now from the 6 strips you will need to sew together 3 lengths so that you will be able to cut 2 strips that are 48 1/2 " long (or just a tad more as a just in case)

from the remaining sashing fabric you will need to cut 6 - 8 1/2 inch lengths, and 12 - 4 1/2 inch pieces.

Step 5:  Now we can put together the main sections.  First we sew 2 strips using, the piano key sections with sashing strips and the plain blocks

** a little pause here ** before you continue to sew, you need to take those 8 - 5" charm squares and recut them so that they are 4 1/2" square.  Thats a 1/2 inch off top and 1/2 inch off one side.  Be Accurate.

Now.  You will sew 2 long strips.  Start with the plain square and sew a 4 1/2" length of sashing strip to it, then to the sashing piece sew a piano key component, followed by a sashing and a plain square.  Take a look at the photo below and make sure you put your pieces in the same order - you start and end with a plain square.  The strip should measure 48 1/2 inches long.  Did I say to make 2 like this?  Okay, Make 2. That should leave you with 4 piano key sections and the 8 1/2 inch pieces of sashing and the two long strips of sashing along with the broken dishes blocks.

*excuse my photography - it is gloomy and rainy outside and the indoor light does not do this justice*

Step 6:  This last section will be the centre strip of the table runner.  So beginning with a piano keys component sew a 8 1/2 inch sashing piece to the long side, next you will sew a broken dishes block to the sashing and another sashing to the other side of the broken dishes block.  Continue in this manner ending with a piano keys component.  These will measure 48 1/2 inches long.

Step 6 a:  Next you will sew the long sashing strips to each side of the broken dishes section.  See the photo below.



AND FINALLY ---

You will sew the two smaller strips , one on each side to the centre broken dishes strip and you will be finished your table runner...

I have managed to quilt my top, but not quite finished adding and sewing the binding on.  So here is the almost completed Peace To Joy Mystery Table Runner. . .



Did you work along without peeking?  Like I said yesterday, I do understand if you wait to see the end.  If I may be so bold as to suggest, that this is a pretty good project for using up those charm packs that you bought on a whim!

Well, now I am working on creating a pot roast for dinner today ---My Son doesn't much care for turkey and he has to work tomorrow,  so we indulge him and forgo the turkey for beef roast as our Thanksgiving Dinner.

May you all enjoy your Meal with family and friends around you in person or thought.

Peace to Joy Mystery Table Runner Part 1

**uh oh - check for a correction in step 2, it should be 6 squares of light and 6 of dark**

Finally!  I am back - I missed me, so I won't even ask if you did -- Gee this has been a miserable cold -- which really has not ended yet!  Something that I do wonder about, not to do with colds but to do with relationships...  Why is it, when I have a cold (perhaps you too?) does my husband insist on snuggling, or gathering up my carelessly dropped and used kleenex?  How many times did I tell him to keep back?  How many times did I tell him to not touch the tissues?  How many times did I tell him to not finish up the bit of 7-up in my glass?   And when he starts to cough now and then, why does he say no, if I ask if he has caught the cold???

This little Thanksgiving Mystery is done in only two parts.  If it was me, I would wait til tomorrow to find out if I want to actually make this project -- but that sort of spoils things -- I'm not very good at Christmas either!!  I just don't see any point in torturing myself...  Anyway...

Before we start sometimes it helps to know what some of the end will be – even though it is a mystery, in this case, this mystery, as with some mysteries we are told what happened at the beginning so that the mystery them becomes How or Why.

The end of this mystery turns out to be a table runner that will measure about 18” wide and 48” long – a nice size for a dining table or perhaps as a dresser “scarf”.

So we start with a selection of 5” squares. One Charm pack will do nicely as most charm packs, I think are 42 squares. If you are cutting your own 5” squares from stash fabrics, you actually  need 40 squares.

You will also need a sashing fabric that either contrasts or co-ordinates with one or more of your charm pack fabrics – in my case I chose a fabric that I also used in some of the 5” charms, the lightest fabric.

Step 1. From your stack of 5” squares or charm pack, make two piles, one light fabrics and one dark fabrics. Some of the squares may be on the edge of light or dark or even exactly in between and since this is a mystery, I will leave the decision of what goes in which pile completely up to you, the maker.

Step 1 A. Now choose 8 squares from your stack – any 8, light or dark or medium is fine – perhaps this is a good use for the medium value fabrics that you are unsure of if they belong in the light or dark pile? Well, thats what I did with those, not really darks and not really lights...

Set these 8 squares aside, til later.

Step 2: Now choose 12  6 light/medium charms and 12  6 dark/medium charms. Randomly match one light, to one dark, lay two fabrics together and draw a line across diagonally exactly from one corner to the opposite corner using a pencil then sew 1/4” from that line on each side fo the line. Cut them into two following your original drawn line, Press the newly created half-square triangle open with the seam pressed toward the dark fabric.

You will now have 20  12 sewn, half-square triangles. Take the time to measure and trim square these so that they are 4 ½ “ square. This will help to ensure that your points all come together nicely so  that all your seams will line up.

Step 3: Now choose 10 more light squares and 10 dark ones.

Cut all the squares in half horizontally, so that you have 10 light rectangles that measure 2 1/2” x 5” and do the same with the dark squares. Now match light to dark and sew light to dark to make 20 sections that when sewn will measure 4 ½ x 5”

With these 20 pieces, again randomly match them and sew them so that you  then have 10 short strips, each section sort of looking like “piano keys” and 4 pieces sewn together that will measure 8 ½ “ x 5”. Then trim up each set so that they measure 8 ½ “ long x 4 ½ “ wide.  (that means to take about 1/2 inch off one long side or a 1/4 inch off both long sides, measure carefully)

And that is it for today.

I Hab a Code...

My eyes are not up to staring at a computer screen, nor does my nose stop dripping onto the keyboard; my ribs are sore from coughing.

I don't feel like making stuff or doing stuff -- I will be back SOON!  I suspect that I picked the cold up on my adventure to the big city (Vancouver) to see Harry Connick Jr. in concert about a week ago...  A really fine concert but way too many people -- it was a full house and I am sure someone just had to sniffle and snort their way through the concert and I was lucky enough to catch one of the millions of little bacteria they passed around to the concert goers...

More crochet wrapped Rocks

This took a bit of extra time to create, because I had not before done dimensional flower motifs in such a small thread and hook.  I am aquiring nice round rocks faster than I can make lacy crochet for them...

and a bit closer, these flower motifs are quite easy once you get the hang of keeping the tension tight -- it took a few tries to get the flowers to look proper considering my tension was way too loose.  I had to take it quite slow, and I am not showing the purple flower one I made first, it is pretty bad, so I didn't add the looped chains to wrap it around the rock...

I am still looking for a yellow varigated crochet thread to wrap around a rock -- I am almost obsessed with yellow varigated thread -- the first place I check out in every 2nd hand shop is the craft corner, looking for the elusive yellow varigated thread!  Soon, I know I will find it soon.

How and Who 2

Picking up a memory from an almost 60 year span is sometimes an adventure in time.  Trying to remember something from early childhood is often a challenge and definately not an exact science -- even when you think you remember something clearly, often you have not.

As things are, I am the eldest sibling in my family and therefore some of the things that happened to me through the years can only be verified by my parents and neither one is on this earth to correct my memory or to validate it.  So I have to rely on what is tucked away in my own brain and hope that it is clear...

When I was seven, I received what I remember as my first store bought Christmas/Birthday present.  Prior to that, my father would make things for myself and my brothers -- he made a wooden pedal car for us, he made wooden tools, a shovel and rake and even a hammer, he made a doll house and each year for at least a half dozen years after, he and my mother would fashion furniture from wood, tin cans cut and manipulated, he even used a set of christmas lights attached on the house to celebrate christmas!

As I was saying though, somewhere about 1959 or 1960 I got for Christmas a toy sewing machine!  I remember it as being turquoise in colour and that it sewed a chainstitch.  Now when I see things move, I have a need to figure out how it does that.  I studied that little hand crank machine in as much detail that a seven year old mind can.  I loved how the needle would go down through the little hole and a metal hook would catch the thread loop then hold it til the next time the needle came down bringing another loop of thread and form a loop that pulled through the first loop.  No bobbin on this little machine, but it sure was a fun thing to not only learn how the machine worked but also to see how it could hold fabric bits together to make something.  I remember my mother showing how to create a pattern to sew pants for my dolls and then soon after to show me how to add a sleeve to a rectangle with two "V's" cut into it and this became a shirt.  Later to make a collar for the shirt.  Those pattern shapes were a huge leap from cutting two holes for the arms to go through on a square piece of fabric.  All of a sudden, I could see how clothing wrapped around people!  Then I learned how to use darts -- my how my Barbie doll dresses fit snug -- Barbie soon had dresses like Marilyn Monroe!

If memory serves me correct my toy machine was somewhat like the one above, though I THINK mine was turquoise in colour.  I went hunting all over the internet for this image and discovered it at an etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/pearl25  for saleand this lady kindly let me use her image.  I have no pictures that I can find in the family photo album of my sewing machine, and even if I did the photo would be black and white and the idea of turquoise would not be provable anyway!

 I do remember I took my machine one time to a friend's house and her mother showed us how to make pot holders with a place to slip your hand in so that both the palm of your hand and the back of the hand would be protected from the heat.  I think my friend had the very same toy sewing machine and we spent alot of time using scraps of fabric to make things. 

I remember also around this time my mother was working on a hexagon quilt, I know that in the quilt some of the hexagons were sewn on my little machine.  My Mother would pin two hex's together and I would slowly stitch along the pencil line she had drawn.  I don't ever remember that quilt being finished tho... I wonder what happened to all those hex pieces?

Were you a lucky girl to have a toy sewing machine that really sewed?  Tell me what you remember!

Peace to Joy Quilt Mystery

I was going to call it Between the Seasons, but that didn't sound right, then I was going to called Between You and Me (my husbands birthday is just a week ago and mine is at Christmas)  But then I thought I would just call it what it can be used for.  From a quiet peaceful fall evening to the joy of christmas time -- my colour choice somehow turns out to be fall colours with a lot of green and red  AND  I do believe the Moda charm pack that I made it from was called Peace and Joy, though I cannot be sure of that because I bought it more than a year ago.

Anyway, this is to Announce that I will be doing another Mystery Quilt on the CANADIAN THANKSGIVING LONG WEEKEND.  That is SATURDAY OCTOBER 9, 10, and 11.

We will do a traditional style of pattern -- it came together for me through an experiment of piecing the squares that are available in a charm pack.

This Mystery will be in TWO main parts and will be suitable for any quilter, even a beginner, though a beginner should be well versed in keeping an accurate 1/4 inch seam when piecing! 

The third day Oct 11, will be just for you to finish up the details of the project, the layering, quilting and binding -- probably accomplishable between putting a turkey in the oven and serving it to the family...  as long as someone else sets the table!  Or if you get up real early, you can finish up the project and set your project ON the Table for decor while you eat!

So, if you are considering taking part in this mystery, you will need the following supplies.

Fabric:  1 charm pack -- or cut your own from your stash of fabrics, which means you need to cut at minimum 38  5" squares.  You should have a co ordinating range of fabrics and have at least 8 different fabric designs, a varying amount of light, medium and dark.  Like I said, I did use a Moda Charm Pack and the variety is pretty much exactly right for this project.

             You also need a co ordinating fabric which you will use as "stoppers" and as the binding -- sorry I did not actually measure how much as I was 'testing' the pattern -- but less than a meter, say about 1/2 meter.  And backing.  You will need to piece the backing, unless you cut it longways of your fabric, which means you will need a meter and a half in length, but then you will have half of it left over...  Maybe there is something in your stash that you want to use?  If you don't mind piecing your backing you can get away with about a 1/2 meter plus 6 inchs (about 26 inches by width of fabric)  OR if you buy a meter and a half of one fabric it should be enough for backing, binding and the stopper fabrics needed on the top...

            batting for the project -- I used a good quality poly batting and peiced it from some other left over projects, but much like the backing you will need enough to fit about 20" x 50"
Tools, etc
As with any Modern Quilt you need your sewing machine, thread, bobbins, sewing machine needles, scissors, rotary cutter, acrylic ruler (for this I like a 9 x 9 and a 6 x6) but the old trusty 6 x 24 will work.  and of course the cutting mat.  don't forget you need an iron to press seams.

So, I hope you will be happily looking forward to this project -- use it for yourself as a Autumn to Winter enhancement in your home, or make it and give it at Christmas!  Mark the Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend on your Calender!

How and Who

Lately, I have been thinking about how and who I learned my quilting and crocheting from, not to mention the multitude of other crafts that I occasionally pick up and still enjoy from time to time.

This is a HUGE subject so, it will take a series of posts to explain and perhaps introduce some of the sources where I learned about quilts and making quilts.  Maybe by following along with my path you may say "Hey! I remember that." or perhaps, "Oh, so that's where that idea comes from..."  I'm not doing this series in chronological order, though.  My eclectic brain may alight on one area or another so you never know from post to post where this series may take us.

I  am not going to plan the How and Who posts for any particular day so I hope that you will be able to join me on this personal journey through time and experience.

Since this will be my first post in this series, I would like to talk about one of my earliest and most important influences...  This is not where I learned of quilting, that came from my Mother, and Grandmothers and especially from my Aunt Vera.

Georgia Bonesteel (click on her name to learn more about her) taught me a technique that was indispensible in my early years of quiltmaking.
The first quilting book that I bought was written by this lady.  Lap Quilting with Georgia Bonesteel

The book jacket cover on my copy is long gone, worn out, torn, bent and beaten from careless use, BUT i do still have the book! I used this book for quite a few years, and then my sister wanted to teach herself about quilting too.  So I gave her the book.  She had it for quite a few years and then one day on a visit to her, I saw it in her give away box that she kept by the front door.  I asked for it back and thankfully she gave it back to me!  I am so glad I have it in my Library again. 

 I thought I would check on AMAZON.ca if this book is still available -- IT IS!  Actually, it is available through the site's resellers and some copies are asking upwards of $80 US funds.  Whew!  I am so glad I bought it way back when it was newly published somewhere about 1980.   I loved and still love this book. 

  It opened the door to a way to make quilts without the expense of a big frame in my little Winnipeg house.  First making and quilting the squares with a large oval hoop, and later with the "q-snap" frame.   I made at least 4 full size quilts using this method and even formed a group to work together to make quilts for each of us using this method, 6 or maybe it was eight of us.  We picked names to generate an order and then each of us made a block each month for three months for the person who's turn it was.  It took about 3 years total for all of us to each have a large queensize quilt.  Each one a lovely sampler type of style.  It was a great sharing project!  We each too turns with the book when it came our turn to put our blocks together.  The instructions and techniques in it were easy to understand for each of us.  I know each of us in the group learned some of our basic quilting techniques from Georgia!

If you are looking for a good starting point in quilting, I would certainly recommend Georgia's Book and if you can find she also had a regular quilting show on PBS.  Perhaps there are dvd's available.  She is a wonderfully good teacher...

Working

Today, I got busy working on putting items for sale in my ETSY shop, I actually have been creating a fair amount in the last weeks but have not had a chance to get all items posted.  So today I have listed these little notebooks...

This is an address book.

Just clik on the 'badge" on the left side of my page, to take a closer look at the things I am creating...

Heritage Squares Quilt

About Two Years ago I started this quilt.  It was done as a group swap project, 5 of us made blocks and traded...  The number of blocks we traded actually would make a much larger quilt, queen size where this one is only just barely a double, more like a good size twin.  So after all this time I am going to be teaching a class on this quilt.  Part of the point of the class is to exchange squares of fabric so that each person taking the class will have a very good selection of squares in order to make it a really scrappy quilt.  It will also teach how to calculate those corner and side triangles for an "on point" quilt.

This is a very traditional block pattern but the pattern that my group had found was made to rather odd measurements -- using 7/8 and 3/8 cuts (Why would anyone make things difficult for themselves?)  So being certainly not a math wiz ( I failed grade 11 math, many years ago and had to take it at summer school!) but a person who prefers to make life easier, I recalculated the piecing, making the tiniest squares into 1 1/2 inch pieces and then streamlining the piecing into strip cuts -- and rewrote the pattern for myself and my group...

Each member in our group has taken their finished quilt to quilt guild meeting and gave me the credit for the repatterning work and my guild has asked me to teach it!  I am feeling pretty special to be asked to teach something to someone, and am so very excited about doing it!

Colours of my Neighbourhood

Three times  a week I am out in the early morning delivering our local newspaper.  I had a bright idea a couple of months back.   I need exercise.  I saw an ad in our local paper for carriers so I called up the paper and after some bit of talking I have taken on TWO delivery routes -- takes me about two hours to go through the whole route.  So, instead of paying a gym so that I can walk on a treadmill or use a stairclimber, the newspaper is paying me a whole 7 cents for each paper that I deliver! 

The streets are usually quiet when I am out there -- today, I was just finishing up as the Mom's and Dad's were  starting their walk with the kids over to the school.  It was rainy this morning which actually made for perfect lighting to take pictures of the features in the neighbourhood.

After I saw this picture downloaded onto my computer I thought it looked alot like the Heritage Squares Quilt, do you think?

These Chrysanthymums grace someone's front step -- only thing between the flowers and the building wall was a HUGE spider web, that I walked straight into!   Then the whole rest of the route I was wondering if the manageress of the web was crawling somewhere in my hair!

These are and have been for many many years my favourite flower, Wild Black-eyed Susans (How could one not choose as their favourite, a flower with the same name as yourself?)  or tamed they are called Gloriosa Daisy (I think)   I wish they were in my yard...

And Pearl, just cause.  Today she is at the Vet's,  She is being spayed.  Would you believe she is almost 6 months old?  Her coat as you can see is a wonderful shiny covering.  She is soft and has turned out quite handsome -- at least as pretty as those daisies!  She is sitting on our back deck watching a squirrel up in the trees in the neighbouring yard...

(PS. the vet called to say she is out of surgery and is doing fine -- we will have her home in the morning)

Exploring the Neighbourhood and a bit beyond...

Do you ever go somewhere and not have a particular destination in mind?

The other day, I was lucky enough to go for a ride-along with a friend.  She definately had a purpose and a destination and a particular goal in mind.  I didn't.  Where she went I just followed, not expecting anything or planning or doing...

We went to Hope, BC which is actually about 1hour east of Abbotsford right up against the Rockies - just about where you really start getting into the Mountains.  Remember the early Sylvester Stallone movie "First Blood"?  Well, that movie was filmed in and around Hope.

There is a little park in the centre of town, dedicated to the Japanese Canadians who were moved to internment camps during the 2nd world war.  Very pretty and peaceful.

We drove down a road, where my friend's destination was but on the way was this beautiful old falling down cabin!  Driving down the road I noticed it but did not have time to pull out the camera, so made her stop the car on the return trip up the road to get a few photos...  The cabin is built right up against the rock so that the back wall forms part of the house.  It does appear abandoned as the door was wide open.  I am determined to make this a stop again so I can look closer...  Can't you just see Jed Clampett coming out on that porch to greet you??

Another stop along the road was this bit of fencing across the front of someone's property.  Try to guess how long that stack of old railway ties have been there?  How much longer will they be there?

And this, this holds all the promise of a long and interesting life.  The first shoots of a spruce that someday may be 100 foot tall, in a longer time away than I will be alive.  What might this little sapling see in the next hundred years?

I think this is one of my favourite kinds of journeys.

Perhaps you can fit one into your busy life in the next little while?

Putting the Quilt Layers Together

I know I have talked about this before, but then I read someone elses blog about how much they hate crawling around on the floor to baste the layers of a quilt together.  I do have to admit, that getting the batting and the backing to line up straight with no bumps or scrunches with my quilt top has always been the part of quiltmaking that I don't get real enthusiastic for...

But, I have my method...

The first thing I do is tack (yes tack!) the quilt top up on my design wall, so that the wrong side is facing out.

This particular quilt is about 72 inchs long by 60 inches wide.  So because it is longer than I am tall, I put this one up so it is sideways. A smaller quilt I might do length wise.  A larger quilt means moving some furniture.

Next, without pulling out the tacks I sort of hook the batting onto the tacks, in this case the batting is a thin poly so I snip a tiny hole to slip the tack through.

Now, as you can see, the batting hangs down and covers the whole top, so I know, I am not going to have a corner or edge that is a bit short -- though if you look closely, the quilt top is not completely covered in that bottom left corner -- easily fixed in next photo...

When you pull the batting out of its plastic bag, it is always somewhat scrunched up and wrinkledy and those wrinkles, if left could cause problems later, so I take my iron and fill it with water.  I turn on the steam and without actually touching the batting hold the iron, with the thing steaming like crazy near to the quilt at a slight angle.  If you hold it so the bottom is sideways, it won't seam, but at this bit of a dippy angle, the batting receives enough steam that the wrinkles relax.  Works for cotton batting or the 80/20 type batting just as well...   I think that I just might invest in one of those clothing steamers -- I'm thinking on it.

Now then, once the batting has been completely smoothed and is hanging straight, I PIN the backing onto the quilt top and batting -- no snipping holes to keep it in place.  I only pin up at the top edge. No need yet to pin baste the whole thing (unless you plan to quilt from the back, then you can skip the next step.)

So, once I have good ole safety pins all along the top edge.  I pull out the tacks from the wall, being careful not to drop the whole thing (though, I have without too much extra trouble.) and turn the three layers so that the quilt top is now facing outwards -- this is where a slightly taller husband or teenage son comes in very handy.  They hold it while you retack that top edge back onto the wall.  Just use enough tacks to keep it straight and not pulled in any one area.  Smooth out the layers and start to pin or thread baste from near the top.  Work your way down and across, by putting your arm underneath.  Because you are letting gravity do the straightening for you, it is not a big headache having to smooth and re-smooth things. 

Once you have safety pins placed every 4 inches or so all over the quilt, you can take it down and start quilting it.

I have been using this method for quite some time now (10 years at least) and very rarely do I have a fold over or a 'bump' show up on the back -- usually that will happen if there is something wrong with the piecing on the front!

Now, this particular quilt should have been done quite a while ago.  I am teaching a class on how to do the top in October and I meant to have it ready to "advertise" the class, so now I HAVE to have it done by next Tuesday to show it so that someone, anyone will sign up for the class by mid October.  It is almost like I sabotage myself!   So, now that it is layered,  I need to find the time to get it quilted... and very soon!

Note -- Yes, this does create alot of pin holes in your wall, so think ahead before you use my method.  My particular reasoning is that at some later day, I can buy some polyfilla and fill those holes and paint the whole room.  You have to polyfilla holes anyway before you paint so does it matter if there are a hundred holes or 10?  Up to you to decide...

First Day of School and Easy Peasy Tote Bag

In my life, the first day of school, means nothing more than to remember to slow down to 30kmh in a school zone...  It is more than 10 years since I rejoiced that my sons would be heading back for school and I could do other things (mind you with a troublesome teenager with learning challenges, keeping him in class was at times a trial)  I guess this year I am noticing the back to school thing because if I don't time things right in my job, I could find myself amongst a herd of little ones on their way to or coming home from school. 

And today is RAIN --  Does that make a difference to those eager young ones?  I don't think so, today many will get a ride to school and barely notice that the streets and sidewalks are wet.

My back yard deck becomes quite treacherous, especially the wooden part, the green agae grows quite abundently by the end of our rainy season -- we have a set of rubber mats that soon will be put ontop of the wood, so if need be, a walk down to the end of the yard is safe, even in the wettest weather.

Yesterday, late, I came across a very simple recycle idea.  It took me only a few minutes to accomplish.  Making a tote - mostly for groceries (we never seem to have quite enough grocery totes) from a "no longer in use" t-shirt.

So simple.  Just lay out the t-shirt on the table, even as if you were going to fold it nicely and put in your drawer.  Fold it in half long ways, so that the sleeves match up.  Get your scissors and cut along the arm seam so that you are completely cutting off the sleeves, both together.  Next start at centre front just a bit below the neckline and cut a curve up to the shoulder.  Unfold and turn inside out, sew a seam across the bottom of the tshirt and turn it right side out again.  There, thats it, you now have a bag with two straps for carrying.  No need to trim the raw edge, t-shirt fabric rarely unravels...

even easier would be a sleeveless top, simply sew the bottom closed!  How many potential t-shirt bags do you have fermenting in the back of your closet?  Would the other kids laugh if I took one of these to school???

Oh and here is a link to a pretty detailed video of how to do a t-shirt bag...

I didn't draw lines or use bowls for templates, I just "eyed" each cut, but you can do it the LONG way if you like...

T-shirt Tote Video

I was gonna write a post today....

But, I never quite got to it...

Grannies

Not a bunch of old ladies!  Granny Squares are crocheted squares that is a very traditional pattern for using those left over bits of yarn that a real grannie would have left from knitting sweaters for the grandchildren... 

I do not have grandchildren so I don't knit sweaters, so I get to make granny squares from new yarn, or more often from yarn that I pick up at a fraction of the price from thrift stores.  Of course, the way a crafter's brain works means that there probably are never enough colours for a granny square afghan, but we try, don't we?

So all through the summer, I have been working on making a multi colour traditional style granny square afghan.  The little middles seem endless, and there really is no point in counting them because there just doesn't seem to quite enough when it finally comes to putting the squares together, suffice to say, at a minimum I would suggest at least a shoebox full, then count and see if you have at least 100, 120 is better though -- which would make a nice size 10 x 12 squares...

Then you get to the second round where the combinations of colours becomes at times quite a difficult decision.  You don't want too many pink and blue, unless of course that is exactly what you do what.  Maybe it is!   With that second round of colour come the problem of hiding your ends.  I know that alot of us, simply dislike dealing with those ends, but hey! if you hid them after each round, you won't have to be weaving in 500 straggly bits when you have all those squares done and should be saying that the masterpiece is complete.

Isn't it amazing how the variety of colours just always seem to go together? No matter what your choice of colours are, in the long run -- the more, the merrier!

For very many years, I have making these granny square afghans and even though I knew of a method that you could use to join the finished squares as you went along, or as you got enough of the three round squares done that you could join them so that there are not two alike side by side.  I did not know how to do that join as you go method.  My sister had the system down pat, a long time ago, but she is not particularly inclined to teach her secrets, so after hoping she would show me, I finally decided there must be somewhere to learn it on my own...

Here is a close up of the join as you go.  I really like this system because it does not create that 'sewn' line between each square.  It might seem a bit awkward when you first try it but it will not long before you are flying along and joining those squares with very few scraggly bits (which you will weave in as you go, RIGHT?)

Now instead of me making this post longer than you want to sit and read it for, here are a few links that will explain this system very very well...

To learn how to do the join as you go - 2 parts to this so watch both sections...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83uNDB7OuAg&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuITIgH12DQ&feature=channel

I thought I would add a couple of more links to You Tube videos, in case you have always wanted to make your own granny square afghan (do you remember the one that lay across the back of your gramma's couch?)

So check out these, IN Order.  This lady does her demo slowly enough that just about anyone should be able to pick up the method, even if you have not done a crochet square before...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEPy9hQRcVM

and here is another video that shows you how to change colour for each round AND at the same time weave in your ends -- you will barely notice that you are weaving in the ends!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtRMnMqRdjc&feature=related

 this is the second part of the above video (the guy, yes guy! who demos this accidently, I suspect, cut off the first video, but it continues exactly where the previous one abruptly stops...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRo0xeaIrSo&feature=channel

If you go to these links, you will also find many other videos, some of them similar or showing a slightly different method of joining -- there are at least three different ways to join granny squares, so really choose what would suit you best.  After many years of doing it one by one tho, and with ends to weave in, I am LOVING the join as you go method in the first two links above... don't forget the list of videos  on the right side of your page -- oh and if you find one that is interesting, bookmark it for a time until you perfect the method!

It never ceases to amaze me how many things there are to learn, whether on the internet or in your library or even just by listening to your friends.  Strive to learn something new everyday.  The more you learn about things, the more you want to learn!  I am hoping that this little lecture (though I hope it doesn't sound like your third grade teacher trying to hammer the "times table" into your brain) will lead you to a new way of doing or at least trying things or open your mind to a new place to look for things to learn -- not just crochet.  Got a question?  Ask your computer!!

I am hoping to show the finished, or almost finished granny square afghan in the next couple of weeks -- certainly before the snow flies up here in the great north west.  I actually have two granny square afghans on the go, this multi-colour scrappy one and another where the whole square is one colour, but the joining will be a contrast...