Work in Progress - I'd like to keep it

Somewhere between the frenzied trend of creating "many trips around the world" quilt blocks and finding ways to use those thousands of 3.5 inch squares I came across a photo of a quilt pattern I do not remember noticing before.  Now after 40 years of sewing and quilting you would think that such a simple concept would have crossed my sewing machine before.  But no.   It caught my eye, and my thought processes and I just had -- that should be HAD (in capital letters) to make this design.

These blocks are so fun and easy to put together but when the blocks are put together they become a bit of a puzzle.  I don't even know the name of this pattern!  It does take a bit of Math to fit the pieces properly, but all the sewing in simple squares and sashing.

There are two different blocks to make in order to create the pattern. (I didn't take a photo of the second block)

After one little false step, which is blame -able on adding and substracting skills, I got everything to fit nicely together to make the quilt top.  Still in progress, and because I plan to make another or maybe two more (which I rarely do, repeat a pattern, that is) I must really be loving the way this design pleases my eyes.

I used all the "kiddy" type squares that I could find in my stash and came up with this completed top.

Now, the dilemna is....  I REALLY like this quilt, but it is meant to be donated to my guilds charitable quilts program.   That means, I am FORCED (yeah, really who needs to be forced to make a quilt?) to make a second one that will be ALL MINE!  (and bigger)

Also, since I have already spent the time figuring out the Math -- I will post a bit of tutorial for those who might like to give this pattern a whirl, and will include the mathematical variations for at least two size, and maybe three block dimensions, so you can make various size quilts...  Check back (or even sign up on my email list so that you get notified when I do that post).

Now, another work in progress that I have has nothing to do with sewing or crochet or crafty stuff...

Each year, near Christmas a small group of my cousins gather for a end of year dinner and talk fest...  For the past three years we have been attempting to keep journals of our daily lives.  This year we gave our journals a theme.  To write about the things we are THANKFUL for.

The cover of the journals (they are all the same) is a bit deceptive, but inside that cover are my writings of things that I am trying to express my thankfulness for.  I do not write in this little book everyday, but as the need arises and when I find something to write down my thankfulness for.  For the month of February I am starting my thoughts with this quote.  (Because sometimes I get critical and abhor that I pick at little things and don't just let these little things float over my head to be forgotten and forgiven)

So my personal thankfulness for this month is...

" Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who help our souls to blossom"  -- Marcel Proust

Work in Progress -- Last Week and This Week!

The projects have been progressing well, very well, in fact -- it was just figuring out the uploading and downloading of photographs, but like I said a couple days ago, I think I have that little challenge well in hand.

I am working on another PILE of 3.5 inch square -- two shoe boxes full of them and have the first top completed and done in the very trendy Scrappy Trips around the World that you can find all over the internet with a Google search.

This is my version, the first one anyway.

 Casually thrown!  The stairway from my living room to my sewing room is the only bright area of my house.  There is a skylight up there above the bathroom door and there are no 50 foot cedars blocking the light as there is on the other side of my house.

To get a bit better feel of the "TRIPS" I taped the quilt top, which measures 49 inches x 66 inches to the door and wall, with packing tape!   Now that I see the effect of the squares, I know I am in for making another batch of blocks -- probably considerably larger.  They are simple to sew, but a challenge to keep the 'value' (lights, mediums, and darks) in a sequence that will make the diamond stand out.

As I said, I have TWO shoe boxes full of these ready cut squares, so I suspect there are still a few hours of piecing ahead of me...

Another project I am working on is a granny square afghan.

I am making the granny squares in one colour and using a variety of aqua, pale blue, dark turquoise and I am considering putting a bit more blue in a middling shade.   So far I have 62 squares made and am striving for another 20 at least before I start connecting the squares...

As yet, I am not at all sure what colour I should use as the connecting sashes, although I am leaning to a creamy yellow, maybe, if I can find it.

One of the things I have noticed about colour, and it is a frustration to me, is that here in the Vancouver/Fraser Valley area, it is really difficult to find bright, clear yarn colours.   It seems like all the shops carry the colours that you see in local architecture.  All the houses are shades of brown and grey.  A blue house or a green house is quite the rarity around here.  So, the shops around here are rich in browns and greys and dark blues and very dark moody greens, if you find a red, it is usually a burgundy.   I suspect I am going to have to go online  to find those rich bright colours, cause they are very sparse in the shops around here...

Difficulty

So, there has been something wacky about loading photos onto my blog.  I have not had anything to say unless I had the pictures to go along with it...  This morning I got up at just a bit before 5am determined to try to figure this thing out.   And finally, I have!   I have had to download Google Chome in order to bring photos from my computer to this blog...  I suspect that because Blogger, and Google and Google Chrome are all one big entity, they want you to use only their product, so they make things difficult if you use Internet Explorer.  Oh well, as long as it doesn't cost me time or money, I am adaptable.  Tho it did cost me about 4 hours in figuring out this thing and because the Chrome is a fair bit different, I will still use Explorer as my main browser...

Anyway, here is Walter, getting in the way while my hubby is working at changing lightbulbs...  Some cats like to be under blankets and in corners or under beds, but this cat finds the highest places and must feel like he is the king of the house when looking down upon us lowly humans...

Trending...

I am interrupting all regularly scheduled projects to be part of a trend...

People "catch a wave" and more and more pile on.  I am not much different.  Currently there seems to be a real trend to making "Many Trips Around the World" Quilts.  These are easy blocks to make up and you can easily find the instructions online.   Bonnie Hunter on Quiltville has a version that uses strips (check this link, http://quiltville.com/scrappytrips.shtml ) for those instructions and alot of photos of examples of this block done in scrappy versions.

I STILL have a shoebox full of squares cut at 3.5 inches and I was also give a second shoebox full of 3.5 inch squares by Harriet, who is the coordinator for my guild's charitable quilts society, which we call We Care.  The "Many Scrappy Trips Around the World" seems to be a good choice to make use of all those 3.5 inch squares!

 

Now, because my scraps are already cut into squares, I am not using Bonnie Hunter's system.  I am chain piecing the squares and sort of following my own 'map' of organizing the squares.  For this first project, my only real RULE is that the centre diagonal is always a dark blue.

 

 

The first 4 blocks, which are 25 patch or 5 x 5 blocks are on the design wall and I think that blue really does emphasize the "trips".

 

Chain piecing is the trick with these, working in rows down and leaving the pieced squares connected by the threads, then sewing the rows without having to resort the columns...  If you don't know what I mean, I'm not even sure I know what I mean...  It looks like this...

 

 

then this

 

 

I don't press at all until everything is sewn together.  As I sew the rows, I alternate the seam allowance, so the top row has the seam allowance going left, and the second row has the seam allowance going right -- they snug in very nicely that way, then the third row the seam allowances go left again.   After all are sewn they press quite nicely and all the intersections fit together beautifully.

 

Now, to get 12 of these blocks done, quilted, and bound and I can take a completed quilt back to Harriet for our February meeting to put into our We Care Quilts...

 

Work in Progress - Get Back in the Groove

The initial facination with the ipad is beginning to wear off - just slightly though - just enough to work on things I left thrown in corners...

Walter loves it when I pile things up in a corner.  The other day, I caught him pulling granny squares out of my "in progress" corner.  He was actually picking them up, one at a time in his mouth and carrying them half way across the room, dropping them and going back for another...

 

Does that little furry face look like he thinks he is getting away with something?

 

 

Obviously no worries that anybody is going to try to stop him from his mission!

 

As you might be able to tell, I am working on a granny square afghan, the granny squares are each a single colour, all light and in the blue/green/turquoise family.   I have not yet decided on a joining colour and it is fairly slow progress - I seem to be doing two or three squares a day and realized that they fit quite nicely into emptied tissue boxes with the top cut off.  The little boxes keep the squares nice and orderly - unless the Black and White troublemaker discovers them!   I don't think he knows that the ipad is also a camera so he doesn't scoot away like when I aim the real camera at him!  Do you think cats might learn the difference?

 

Well, the granny square afghan is a long time, yet, from completion and once done will go into my gift closet for the next baby or birthday or wedding...

 

Also on the in-progress calender is the "somebody elses" Scraps quilt project.

All the fabrics in this little quilt, (the top is done!) were in the "given to me" bags from way back last spring that I had not managed to use in the marathon of sewing in Summer 2012.

 

I must say, I am now scraping the bottom of the boxes of the fabric scraps.  Perhaps you can tell?  The borders are all pre cut strips of 1.5 inches and 2.25 inches.  There was JUST enough of that last brown to go around the quilt, I had about 3/4 of an inch left!

I must say, I was not particularly choosy about the colours for the border because those were what was left in the box.  I really would have liked to add a light colour in there between the black and the red, but clearing the scrappy stuff was the priority here.!

 

It is a small quilt, about 45 inches by 60 inches and is possibly destined as my "invitational" contribution to the CQA in Pentiction, then to be donated to my guilds charitable quilts program.

 

Well, now, today is Quilt Guild Meeting Day, here in Abbotsford so I should get my things organized and get my body ready...

 

There are a few more works in progress, or perhaps they are ignored works in progress and I am planning to take a inventory of so that I can see what I can get finished up in the next few months...

Learning Curve

I have been "otherwise" occupied for the past week or so and have not updated or even thought much about this blog.

I did mention, that my sons gave me a ipad for my birthday.

So much to learn, so many apps, so much fun!

One of the things on my new ipad that I did not expect at all is a feature where you can TALK your emails.  Yep, don't have to know how to type (tho I still can type about 50 wpm if necessary) don't have to know how to spell, all you have to know is how to talk.  This is an amazing feature on this electronic. thingy...

 It is much like when you phone someone and you get the answering machine.  Leave a message... works much the same when you want to send an email using the ipad.  Just talk the email and send it! 

I managed to figure out an even better use for sending talking emails.   I have two other blogs that I update very irregularly because they are both only meant for a select few who have a particular interest. 

One is called John's Journal ( jrb1909.blogspot.com ) which is the actual journal that my father in law wrote from about 1929 to 1978.  My DH inherited these journals after his mother passed away and we decided that the writings, tho often boring and rather repetitive might be of interest to John's decendents so we started typing out and posting some of the journal entries.  It is a very time consuming process as translating the handwriting to the typed word then to posting to the blog was hours and hours of work.  The ipad, has made that job immensely easier, and very much faster.  Just read the hand written words, check for errors or omissions -- but you must realize that because much of it was written, many years ago, by a man who left school at age 14, spelling and grammar and composition was not a big priority, so what we do is actually correct, the correct sentence structure (that the ipad wants to implement)to the way is was written.  It is not up to us to change in any way what was originally written down.  So that is a big part of what I have been doing the past week or so.  Talking the journal entries to transfer to that blog for those in the extended family.

   There are more than 5000 hand written pages to translate and post.  Even with the 'talking email' on the ipad there is many hours of work ahead, but now it is so much more enjoyable to do!

And still with the ipad, I have added a couple of apps that are taking a bit of time to learn and use.  One is for Diabetes control.  It will track my weight, my blood glucose levels, my carb intake, my meds, and my activity levels and then create charts and graphs to tell me how well I am managing the day to day things. It actually cost $7 but is turning out to be so worth it!

I am very pleased to report that this app really makes it clear how daily attention to detail makes a difference!  No wonder my sugars would get out of control!  Now I can see instantly how a donut will affect the day or even the next days choices.  Maybe I can actually find a way to make informed and useful food choices so that I can naturally loose a bit of weight! 

Oh, iPad, how I love you!!

Now, of course a "good thing" is not all good, all the time -- even when it feels good.... My son, introduced me to a game, and it is free on the ipad (and iphone) called clash of clans -- it is a war game, sort of -- you have to build a village and defenses and armies and every now and then go and raid another village.   The anticipation is amazing and I have become addicted to the 'hunt'.  Finding ways to defend my village, to upgrade defences, to build a new hut or money making gold mine...  And it is a global game, it has a chat area, all quite facinating.  Never expected that a mature female would have so much fun playing this game!  I even wakeup in the middle of the night to check on my village and Clan! Wanna play too?  just look for Clash of Clans  (join my clan - Whichcraft!) and we can play together!

Did I say, I love you, ipad?!

Me and Bobby Dylan.... and my Janome

I am an early riser...  Its when I do my best work...

I got an ipad for my birthday and discovered the camera in it, so I took pictures of my sewing space, attempting to do it artfully with the ipad camera -- it isn't nearly as good of a camera as my real camera, but It is certainly interesting to test it out.

I also had to figure out how to get the photos off the ipad and onto the computer so i could put them on the blog -- quite easy as it turns out, very much like with the real camera...  I was sort of expecting some difficulty since my computer is a PC and not a Mac -- but it works anyway!

 

So, once onto the computer then I can fiddle with the settings and take really sexy pictures of myself with no make up and emphasize the wrinkles cause ya know, I did turn 60!  That is no Cindy Crawford with Meaningful Beauty Products to make her young and cute and thin!  but then who is going to see me, when I am in my sewing room, except you, of course!

So while listening to very early Bob Dylan ( three albums worth!) I picked up stuff, filled bobbins with thread, sipped on a cup of coffee that was cold before I finished it, but I drank it anyway, and

picked up bits on the floor, sorted some scraps and started another scrappy thing,

 simply sewing strips of fabrics together in 'width of fabric' strings,

 

I do have something in mind, tho the idea is not yet fully formed, so all I can say is it is kid orientated and will likely go to my quilt guilds charity quilts program...

 

And for a change, Archie, my inbred Siamese (his mother is his sister and his father is his grandfather-not my doing, just uncontrolled neighbourhood cat population, so I grabbed him when he was young, neutered him and he hasn't been outside in 5 years) was sitting quietly by me and I had to play with the photo elements stuff to see what it could do....  I don't really think he should be lime green, tho, but he is an easygoing fellow and probably doesn't really mind...

 

If I don't get back to the blog in the next day or two...

 

Have a really fine and safe New Year.

Grandma Ives Chocolate Chip Walnut Date Cake

My maternal Grandmother made this cake when I was a child.  I have never come across a recipe like this one nor one that tasted quite the same.  This cake needs no icing so please don't put any on it, but GEE it goes great with ice cream!

I try to make this cake as my own Birthday Cake, but it is an Everyday Cake as she often said, a cake that was nice to have on hand when someone dropped in for tea.  The instructions are set out the way she had it written down, not quite the format of current cake recipes, so read through carefully before you start to put it together.  This is a moist sweet cake.  I actually slightly changed the steps of this cake, but it makes no difference in the end result.

Grandma Ives Chocolate Chip Walnut Date Cake

 

In a bowl:

1 cup chopped dates

1 teaspoon baking soda

pour in and mix until fairly smooth (it gets a bit fizzy)

1 1/2 cup boiling water

 

let cool

 

In a Large Bowl:

 

Cream together

1/2 cup butter (or hard margarine)

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

 

Sift together

 1 1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

add so they are well coated

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

 

Add

dry mixture to creamed mixture, mix together as you would muffins then add date mixture and finish stirring.

 

Pour into a 9" x 13" cake pan that has been oiled and floured lightly beforehand.

This cake rises a fair amount.

Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes  - test with a straw to make sure it is baked all the way through.

 

Allow to cool, and slice and serve.

 

ENJOY!

Turning Sixty

Turning Sixty is not nearly as hard as it was to say Turning Thirty, and I don't really know why.  Maybe I understand my place in the world better than I did when I was half as many years on the earth...

In the past few years I have had to work my way through a few difficulities and sadnesses that I think have matured me more than in the previous Fifty years.

  My parents died and my sister decided she was going to be an only child for reasons that I still don't understand she no longer welcomed any contact between herself and her other siblings.  That took a couple of years to accept.  At the same time I was ill with some weird internal goings on for about 2 - 3 years that took alot of my adventurous spirit. 

My husband lost his job of almost 20 years because he worked for an American Company that fell in the disasterous economy of 2008.  Tough times.  Major Adjustments, emotionally, physically and financially - I think we are on the path to a more even road, that still and never will be paved with gold, but more like asphalt with lots of little potholes, but we are getting through it, putting patches on the holes as we are able.

I have to say that reaching Sixty is just a little milestone, but perhaps a recognized milestone because even though my little family agreed some years ago, not to buy gifts at this time of year, my sons and dh (that often means damn husband, but in this case you can take it as dear husband) pooled their resources and bought me an ipad mini!  And that I can honestly say was an enormous surprise!  I have been wishing and dreaming of an ipad for a while but those things called Finances really prevented any actual thoughts of owning such a thing.  So Yeah, WOW!!

My Birthday and Christmas and my Dads Deathday are all in a row so we generally stay in and keep out of the malls and the stores and off the busy streets.  Christmas for us is a time of  Peace in our World.  We don't rush to go places, we don't feel obligated to give something, anything just to say we did.  We read, and watch TV and walk the dog very early on Christmas morning when the world outside is more quiet than any other day of the year. 

You would think that one would need to work hard at being apart from the Christmas Frenzy, but all it takes is a step back and everything goes on around you and most forget you are even there, which makes it so easy to enjoy those peaceful days even more...

 

Most of all this time of year stirs memories and thoughts of people no longer here, this year too a dear friend - the best man at my wedding died of cancer and I miss him.  I think of my Mom and Dad and Uncles and Aunts who were important to my growing up years.  Special thoughts for my two grandmothers who fulfilled the special job of teaching and hugging and spending time without judgements or discipline....  And a grandfather who didn't seem to notice that I was a girl and taught me to cut wood and throw a fishing line...  So many memories fill my brain there is more that can be written down on a short blog entry...

 

Merry Christmas...

 

PS.  When I was born on Christmas Eve, my mother wanted to give me the first name Christine - my maiden name was Merry...  How bout that for a Christmas baby name!  Whew, I am glad that it became Susan, tho!  My parents I think could imagine the trouble that would have caused me!  Besides, I don't look like a christine!

Frustrating Crochet!

Right now, I am sort of confined to crochet because I twisted my knee and for the last few days it has not been very complient when I want to go up two flights of stairs to my sewing room.  So, my sewing machine sits lonely and unused.

I am trying to keep my knee warm and relatively immobile so I am playing couch potato with a crochet hook.

Crochet tho, can sometimes drive me totally batty!   I have big aspirations that turn into blocks of wasted time.  Hmmmph!

About a month ago I saw a crochet sweater/jacket posted on Pinterest that I thought I would like to make for myself, so I followed the links back to where the pattern originated.  It was a Red Heart pattern from the 1970's and updated for today.

Here is the link to the pattern --  http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/crochet-vintage-striped-jacket

Looks pretty good, eh?  Yeah, well, I think it must be trick photography...

Now it has been a few years since I crocheted a sweater for myself an the pattern was not particularly complicated.  The pattern called for Red Heart Supersaver yarn and I should have known better...  Supersaver means exactly what it says, cheap and lots of it...  HoHum... It does have its place though as I have used it often for granny squares and ripple or chevron afghans - once it is washed it softens up and is a nice warm blanket...   But for a sweater, there must be something more wearable because once it is crocheted into single or even half double crochet it becomes somewhat like putting on a cardboard box. 

I tried 4 times to get the neck and shoulder area to conform to my shape, it was ripple-ly and distorted.  The last attempt I got it crocheted almost to my waistline and when I tried it on it had a huge hump in the back!  Well, I spent a couple hours undoing it and rolling the yarn up into balls...

Sometimes I get stubbornly determined to do something and keep at it even when I know its not working....   So, because I had bought enough Supersaver yarn to make a sweater, I thought, I will see if i can find another crochet sweater pattern that I could make.   Again, part way and many hours of making half double crochet stitches and counting and re-counting, I have finally given up the ghost on this project!!  I just can't see me wearing either of the sweater designs, both neck down -- maybe a different yarn and a different pattern... 

In the time I have spent crocheting stitches only to again undo them, I could have made an afghan and put it into my closet for next time someone needs a wedding, birthday, housewarming gift...

I am really starting to dislike even touching this stuff.  It is not meant to be a sweater!

I must work on my other things for a few days before I pick up that burgundy supersaver yarn again!

Work in Progress - Lacey Crochet

Quite a few years ago, I was wondering what a doily would look like if you used chunky yarn and made it like a shawl...   Other people apparently have thought about the idea too, but the difference is, they actually did something with the thought!

A few months back, I found a likely crochet lace table cover and started a shawl from the instructions.  First thing I ran into a basic problem.  You can't just start in the middle with a ring, you actually need to start a dozen rows from the centre in order to make a 'collar', so that took some counting and figuring.

Well, I got past that and am finally got it worked around and a bit down the shoulders.

 

One of the things about doing these kinds of crochet lace is that you sure do need to keep track of where you are, and more so, when you are not doing it in rounds because a shawl will need a front opening so you are working in rows and surprisingly that makes a bit of a difference because you need to have found the best place to create that place to turn for each row, otherwise, it won't match up properly.

 

 

I had to make it so that the line of 'shells' were on both sides of the opening, if I had not added those extra stitches on each round, one side would have the line of shells and the other, well, I am not sure what it would have.

Now, I discovered on a treasure hunt to one of my local thrift shops, there was a whole book written in 2006 on this very subject!

I almost started jumping up and down in the store (as if I could jump up and down!) when I saw the book for ONLY ONE DOLLAR!  Little things make me happy, and this book is right now at the top of the HAPPY list!

 

I think there may be a few lacy projects on my to do list. Now the trick is to find some yarns that will work!

 

And, I could not resist posting this for some of the Canadians who live east of me -- most of the country is East of Abbotsford, actually...

 

 

 

They may be wet but look at that, the geranium is STILL BLOOMING!
I took this photo of greenery in my back yard at 11 am on December 11, 2012...   I hope I am not jinxing the weather by bragging about our mild conditions (compared to -33C in Winnipeg today)

Sunday Snips - Oh Christmas Tree!

Lately my posts have been drifting away from quilting and crochet -- not quite sure why except this time of year seems to inspire memories...

Today, I was thinking about Christmas Trees.  You know when someone says "do you remember the gift ..."  Well, do you?   There are too many gifts over the years of Christmases to remember them all, or even to remember one from each year.  I think perhaps you remember the worst, and maybe the best - and that doesn't mean the cheapest or the biggest...

I remember the Christmas Trees more than I do the gifts.   But then we had a number of unusual Christmas Trees through the years and each had an unusual story.

We stole a Christmas Tree one year, or maybe two years actually!
Can you believe that? Stealing a Christmas Tree?  But we do have an excuse for both of them.  

We rode a train half way across the country to have Christmas with my Mom and Dad in 1982...  We arrived in Victoria, BC on Dec. 24 which was a Friday.

 Now, because my parents lived in a small apartment they had not put up a christmas tree, but we decided that we should have one for the sake of the kids... 

So we headed out into the lovely warm evening, no snow or even a hint of snow, to find a Christmas Tree.  My Mother said there was a Christmas Tree Seller just a couple blocks away.  Well, yes there was an empty lot, with trees, but somewhat like in "A Charlie Brown Christmas" there were only a few trees left. 

Myself and my hubby and my sons wandered amoungst the trees looking for one not too big so we could carry it the couple of blocks back to my Mom's place. 

Finally we found a little tree that seemed to suit us very well. 

Now, for some reason while we were picking out our little tree we never noticed that there was no one else around.  We did look and knocked on the door of the little shack where we thought the seller would be, but no one came to take our money.

We walked around and around the little lot of trees, looking for someone, anyone, but well, I guess it was after closing and no one bothered to put up a sign that said CLOSED... 

So we debated about what we should do for a few minutes, and not wanting to set a bad example, but wanting a tree very badly and with the encouragement of our 7 year old and 4 year old sons, we decided to STEAL the tree!  

Now, kids think this is an amazingly daring adventure and all the way back to the apartment my 7 year old, who was always the kind of kid to make life exciting would yell out, "Here comes the cops, everybody RUN!" 

How can you run while dragging a Christmas Tree and at the same time making sure a 4 year old doesn't get left behind or lost or wander out into traffic....

Yep, we stole a Christmas Tree...  We never told my Mom that, tho!

Now, it is maybe not seem so bad that we stole this little Christmas Tree, but my Mother and Father worked as caretakers for a CHURCH! and their apartment was part of the CHURCH building...  And YOU are reading the first ever telling of this story outside the four of us who did the deed!

Work in Progress - The "olden" days

I do believe I have an 'enquiring mind'  I am always looking for new things to learn about, even if those things are old things, forgotten things and things our grandmothers did everyday...

History.  History doesn't mean just the things that made up world events or the people who lead countries and created policies or wars.  History includes the small things -- you might almost call it EveryWoman's History.  The things in the home, the how-to's that were once passed from mother to daughter.  Some of the recipes that were learned from a neighbour who was born in a different country.  Perogies were one of those things in our home that we had never even heard of until Mrs. Kormilo taught my Mom how to make them and suddenly we went from the usual English Fare to Ukranian foods, cabbage rolls, borscht, and others...

Now, tho, it is often the internet where we learn about those new "olden days" things, or on occassion we might find some old books in a thrift shop that will explain a few thing or perhaps cause puzzlement because tools or methods have changed.

My friend Doris gave me some old 'needlecraft" books that I have been reading through and there are words that really have muddied up the water, because I have no idea what they are (or were).

Buttonhooks?!  That booklet was published in 1958 and says that Buttonhooks are becoming collectible.... hmmm... I don't think I have ever seen one or seen one in use.  Have you?

Needlework and Embroidery - that books tells us that there are two types of quilting - English and Italian?  It was published in 1966.   I know my grandmother and my aunts were making quilts at that time, but with a book like that around they might have got quite confused by the definitions and names.  Part of the instruction says - for your first lesson in quilting, make a simple potholder in gingham and use cotton wool for the padding.  Now how far would you get with that without your mother or grandmother to give you measurements or to explain what cotton wool is or even what gingham is... 

This page is photographed from a booklet simply called Samplers and was published in Great Britain in 1977.   Considering the contents of the booklet you would think it was published much earlier because it shows examples and some stitches from a hundred years before.  I really like the one above as it shows an embroidered Map of The Farm.  Imagine, using needles and thread and cloth to embroider your gardens and animal pens, fields and the things you grow.  This booklet shows how the needle and thread would record for memory events in a life, the birth of a child, a depiction of the farm house, the coronation of a king, bible verse, one photo in the booklet shows the grades and marks and teacher comments of a childs school years from 1787 to 1794!

Now these pages about quilting describes some of the procedures a bit more in detail.  Use ground cinnamon pressed or pounded through a paper stencil onto the cloth to be quilted so you can follow a design.  It also says that quilts should be made using silk, satin, or fine linen with either goose feather down, or wool placed by hand between the layers of fabric and quilted as you put then in to secure them in place.  A totally different method that we use today.  Those instructions come from a book called Home Handicrafts and Needlework, published in Great Britain, but has no date that I can find...

Sometimes looking for the History of things, especially small things, household things, everyday things are not quite as well recorded or explained the way the details of war and exploration is...

I wonder what it would be like trying to make a quilt with goose feathers as the middle layer?   I don't believe they are meaning a duvet, either as the photo does show quite a bit of actual quilting done on the item.

 

Well, even tho I am not necessarily in the process of making History.  I am still considering the research of historical methods to be a Work in Progress....  If I get a chance to find some goose feathers, I would even like to try making a bit of a quilted sample to find out what it might be like to do a quilted piece like that...

 

I am also working on a few 'needlework' christmas gifts that I'm sure you all understand why I am not showing them...

Only a couple more weeks to get those special projects done to put under the tree for the Big Day...

Sunday Snips - Thoughts about Christmas

Well, now we are into December and there is only 3 weeks and a bit until Christmas Day.

Ever since I was a child, Christmas was celebrated in my family with a decorated tree in the living room, a wonderfully delicious turkey dinner, gifts for the children, and visits back and forth with extended family.

My favourite part of Christmas was the day we would spend with my grandmother, my dads sister and her husband.  My parents and the other adults would sit and talk and drink those grown up drinks, and talk too much and too loud while me and my brothers would be working on a variety of colouring books, or punch out books or other things that kept us quite busy and oblivious. It was the only time where I ever ate cheese cake until I was an adult!

When I was about 5 years old I even crept down the stairs at some point in the night and actually saw Santa setting out gifts under our tree.  Just a shadow, mind you, but I was so afraid that Santa would see me, I hurried back up the stairs - to this day I can still see my own feet stepping carefully up those stairs so the steps would not creak and give away my presence.  I kept that secret for a very long time, until somewhere in my child mind I realized that what I saw, was in reality the Yogi Bear punching bag standing by the tree that turned out to be a 'gift' from Santa to my youngest brother.   But I did still hope that it was Santa and I refused to really think about what the reality was.

 

Now, 50 years later I am not expecting Santa to stop in a my house.  We are long grown up here and the childlike wonder of Christmas has been gone for a long time.   My Christmases are  memories of family - times that cannot be captured again, mainly because my family's composition just does not have the one absolute necessity of Christmas, anymore.   Young Children.  The ones with stars and wonder in their eyes,  the expectation of something, anything and the excitement of "sugar plums"!

I don't at all mind the way Christmas around me has evolved;  I don't do much decorating, and I don't buy gifts.  I don't even do very much visiting with family, because most of my family lives in other cities.   I like my quiet Christmases now, but when I re-imagine those childhood memories I do miss them and wish for the wonderment of them back again.

May you all enjoy this season in the way that best suits you and makes you happy...

Work in Progress - Time Divided

Progress has been slow.  I am working on FIVE different projects right now.  This is quite unusual for me.  I may have a number of UFO's, but often they are projects that have been started and stalled for any number of reasons.  I usually work on one or maybe two things and continue with those until they are done.

But, I am working on two crochet projects right now, a simple granny style shawl with a light viscose/acrylic yarn that was given to me that has a nice 'summery' feel to it.  Hope tho, that I am finished long before summer -- I don't think it is for me, as I don't wear shawls, perhaps I will see if it sells in the Etsy store?  

The other crochet project is for me,  I am working on a crochet sweater.   I don't have a picture of the work so far done on it because I am still figuring out some of the explainations and making adjustments so that it will fit me.   I am finding that, I am crocheting parts of it two or three times until my adjustments work, because the instructions do not seem to be.   The photo of it on the yarn website looks good but when I follow their instruction, it looks distorted and out of proportion -- but maybe that is my shape, not the AVERAGE shape that it is made for...  I am determined to have a new sweater, so I will keep at it until I have it!

My sewing projects, I started a week or so, one is the bits and pieces tote bag I am working on and I finally have enough of those "crumbs" sewn together to create the front bottom and back of the bag, now just to decide on the fabrics for the sides and straps/handles and pockets, it should be complete in a couple of days.

 

The other sewing project I am in the midst of, is a small quilt that I really am beginning to dislike! I have never bought this style of fabric and always thought they were quite lovely, but I am finding that they are not really my cuppa tea.   They seem quite rich looking but something about them just doesn't please my sensibilities...

 

 

 

I want to send it to the CQA invitational show in May 2013.  I may rethink that, but I find I am doing quite consciencious work on this, so I think it should be quite representational of what I do, even though the fabrics are not my favourites to work with.

 

And a Christmas gift project that I don't dare show, in case the wrong, or is that right person sees it...

 

Do you know what it feels like after a dose of CATNIP?

 

 

Whew!

 

I am linking up today with The Needle and Thread Network and with Freshly Pieced, Work in Progress.

Sunday Snips - a Day Late and many dollars short!

Did you go shopping on Black Friday? How about Small Business Saturday and then of course today, Cyber Monday?

All this pressure to spend money actually makes me feel guilty for having an ETSY store! 

I received extra email from some of the stores that I "subscribe" to their flyers, pushing me to spend money at their stores.  Normally in the year, they send one weekly flyer to remind me to come buy things at their place, but this weekend I got emails from the "book place", from the "computer place", from the "crafty place", from the "fat lady store" and even from the "stuff yourself with sweets and high fat content foods place", I even got an extra email from the "dress your dog in reindeer antlers and buy your cat a 5--tier climber place".  Late in the day an email even came from the "repaint your walls and install a new bathroom before Christmas store"!  At one point midday on Saturday I had 42 emails pop in all wanting to sell me a fantastic gadget that will go faster, jump higher, make me thinner, make me prettier, teach me how to save money, put on make up, give me two dresses for the price of one and other things that I did not bother to look at before I clicked on DELETE.  I'm sure I missed something that when I find out what  a good deal it was I will feel bad for about three tenths of a second...

I do realize that without those who do buy these things, the advertisers wouldn't be encouraged to innundate me (us) with advertisements for all that we might need, all that we might want, and even all that we didn't know we needed!

So, if you don't mind helping me to feel even more guilty, go over to my ETSY shop and buy even more stuff!  hahahaha

I don't even have a sneaky gimmick to increase my sales, I won't tell you that if you buy from me, you are helping the poor and the homeless because if I make a scarf that doesn't sell, I will give it to the local homeless shelter next year...  I won't try to pull on your heart strings by selling you a 'token' to give to a homeless person and if he ever finds me, I will promise to make him a scarf for next winter (if I can find him)...

Wishing you all, happy shopping with little disappointment when the thing doesn't work, or fit, or go....

Now wasn't that a grumpy blog post!

Now, just for the WOW factor... A photo of one of my regular visitors in my backyard...  I can imagine him saying "Hey! I'm just here for the FREE Food so don't expect me to buy a hat!

Work in Progress - Off on another Tangent

I was going write more about the quilt I started the other day, that I am planning to put into the CQA invitational quilt show in May 2013 BUT...

Last week when I was at my quilt guild meeting I noticed that the bag I use to carry all my goodies - a mug, my camera, my name tag, books or magazines, and sometimes even a quilt to show and tell -- was starting to split down the side.  So I have been pondering on how long I have been using this bag... 





My only reference was that I made it from a started - but unfinished quilt top that I was going to give to some one as a surprise, until that person said to me " don't you think it's time you made a quilt for me?"  And that was coming up on 10 years ago I think...

Anyway, I just didn't like being told I "owed" them a quilt, just cause I can make them doesn't mean I have to give my work away on demand...  That person still does not have a quilt...  Maybe that's my mean streak, but hey, that's the way it is!

So, now as I was saying -- its time I made myself a new Quilt Guild Tote.

 

Which brings me back to the pile of leftover fabrics and scraps that came to me via anonymous sources!   There are some really great scraps in this gifted pile, but then there were alot of bits, and odd shapes, strips and strings and weird rectangles...   I was gonna give that stuff to the recycle bin. 

Then I started to sew pieces together to make bigger pieces...

 

Definately really random and not at all thinking of which colour or shade or tone or even shape went next to which other piece.  They began to grow.

 

I started to work the shapes into 6 inch wide strips so that they had some cohesion when putting them into bigger and bigger pieces.

 

Now this kind of nonsense really eats up the hours.   I can see it coming together, tho.  I have a couple of tote bag patterns I would like to try, so i will have to check whether I have "made" enough fabric yet and then start putting the bag together once I have all these bits made into one large enough piece of fabric...

 

 

I have visions of rick rack sticking out along some of the seams! Well, a few more days for this WIP, I think...

I am linking up with the Needle and Thread Network today!