Interruptions and Pleasant Surprises

I once again set aside my Irish Chain quilt to attack another project. I was asked to help a group of women to create a memory quilt. This combines my favorite things. Creating, teaching and working with other women.  So of course I could not say "no".

I started on it last week. The only thing I knew for sure was they wanted to have pictures on it. It has been at least 10 years since I attended the USU Master's sewing training that taught us how to do that. I dug out my notes (yes I keep all of that stuff and am glad I did). Then I started doing a little research. Things have changed in the last 10 years.  I knew I could use my computer and printer but I remembered that we had used a fixative after wards. In My research I found out that June Tailor has fabric printer sheets that have the fixative already in it. I ordered it and waited for it to come.

They other thing they seemed to want was pieced quilt blocks in it as well. So I needed to come up with a quilt block that was easy to do but still looked fantastic.  I was not sure what to do do. But when I ordered the printer fabric, I also ordered "The Quilt Block Bible" by Rosemary Youngs. So when they both came on Wednesday I started perusing.

To be totally honest I had misread the title of the book when I ordered it. I thought I was ordering a book about quilt blocks inspired by the Bible. My daughter and I were excited to see it, we thought that as we made the blocks, we would read the scriptures that inspired them. But alas it was not so. Instead it was a book of quilt blocks. We feel that this book is a must have and are glad we bought it. That was our first pleasant surprise.

In the end, I decided to do a variation of the morning star block. It is a nine patch star that uses a small flying geese unit about have the size of the patch for the points. I liked the idea of a star and that points that did not come up to the edge of the block. With different women sewing the blocks I wasn't sure how easy it would be to match up points. I also didn't want to do the flying geese unit. So I did away with it and used "flippy corners" instead to make the points.

I came up block that had a white center star. That way the women could choose what print and colors they liked and the white stars would tie it all together. Plus my daughter pointed out they could sign in the center of their stars.

So a 4 by 5 block quilt, made up of star blocks and picture blocks.  I did my math and figured out what sizes I need to cut and then I made an example block.

I have a great love for batik fabrics and the color blue is my favorite. I grabbed some blue batik fabric out of my fat quarters and proceeded to cut and sew my block. It worked out really well. My math was okay and the block would work for a beginner. Then I stepped back and really looked at the block and got my second pleasant surprise. My daughter also saw it and we both know I didn't plan it. The blue batik fabric was a dot print. The block looked like it was in space. It was perfect.

Pleasant Surprise #2

I sometimes get too focused on the process of the project and forget about the design. This time the fates were taking care of me. I love this block so much I plan on making another one the center of a medallion quilt.

Have you had any pleasant surprises this week?

PHD- Not the Degree

I am currently working on a PhD. Not the graduate degree like the one my brother put so many years into earning. But a Project Half Done. I don't mean to insult all those who have a doctoral degree. They are extremely difficult to earn and you all are commended for that accomplishment. I just think for many quilters some of these Projects Half Done take as much time as a doctoral degree.  I have put some thought into why.

Interruptions - circumstances cause us to put a project on hold. In the case of my current PHD I stopped to work on a quilt for a cancer patient. My current PHD is a lovely Irish Chain that I am just getting back to. But I am struggling to get back to work on it. I have lost momentum where that project is concerned. I still love it and am still eager to have it done. But I must admit I am eager to move on to something else.

Another reason may be Lack of Inspiration. I started a braid quilt about 4 years ago. I had several small scraps that were 2" x 4" that were given to me. I didn't know what to do with them but they were taking up valuable space in my much too limited storage  Plus I was in a mood to use up something. I remembered a technique taught at a 4-H leader meet and decided I would see what I can up with. I proceeded to stitch those scraps into a braid. It is rather pretty if I do say so myself. But is just a top without borders. I need to get around to finishing it someday. But I am not sure what to do with it.

Energy - I think that energy is a big part of PHDs. So many of us have full time jobs and families who take a lot of time and energy. It is hard to feel inspired or creative when you are dead on your feet or the house needs cleaning.  (Okay I have to admit I can quilt in a messy house. I really don't have any problem with leaving dishes dirty or vacuuming and dusting undone. Plus my children are basically grown and I make them do the cooking and cleaning.) Being tired makes for mistakes and frustration as well. I can quilt when stressed but not when I have put in a 14 hour day at work.

My space

 Space is another problem. Very few of us have a place that we can dedicate to our craft. I currently share my "studio" with my husband who does lapidary work. One problem is I need more space than "the studio" has and the other is my husband's work often requires it to be quiet. Meaning I can't run my sewing machine. My studio is the room that most people use as a formal living room or parlor. When we moved into this house 8 years ago, we had gotten rid of most of our worn out furniture. We didn't have anything for the living room. So I started using it for my crafting. Then my husband picked up his hobby and moved in. It was never suppose to be a permanent studio but it has become one.  

His space

Lack of space can also lead to Lack of Organization. Which is my next reason for PHDs. I have a huge stash but I really don't know what all I have. My stash is in bins and closets and drawers and well all over the house. So I get frustrated and stop working on projects to get things somewhat organized and never quite make it. I have rulers that I can't find. Rotary cutters have come up missing. Cutting mats have been misplaced. So I gather things up and straighten things out and then I start over again. It doesn't help that I buy supplies without projects in mind. Worse I bring home supplies and don't put them away. So organization I believe is key to starting and finishing project. Now if I can hubby to move out of the studio and come up with some way to get my supplies organized.

Deadlines is another reason. We either don't have them or they have past. I have a really colorful quilt that I cut out for my daughter's graduation (8 years ago) but haven't started sewing it. I still have to quilt the same daughter's wedding quilt and she just celebrated her third anniversary. There are two quilts that the Young Women's group at church brought home to finish 5 years ago for the needy and they have found refuge in my stack of projects. (Partly because I was the mother of the only active young women at the time and partly because I am the resident quilter in our congregation). If we don't have a deadline then things can be put off when we are tired or busy. If the deadline is past we may put it away indefinitely.

Lastly, Boredom. It is hard to keep working on a project when you have found delicious new fabric or an interesting new pattern. It is easy to get bored with projects that take a lot of time. It takes discipline to keep working on a project you are bored with. Sometimes I just don't have it. Especially when the really vibrant Batik is calling my name, taunting me with all sorts of joyful colors.

So what is the answer? I am not sure. I am trying to sew/quilt everyday but I am not quite making it. even if it is only 10 minutes it is better than none. I am tried to not start another project until I have finished a project. So I can't start another project until I have finished one that I am working on, But I know that hasn't really worked. What I am trying to do now is get projects to logical stopping points, tops finished, Quilts layered and ready to be quilted, projects cut out and ready to sew. That way what I feel like doing (piecing, quilting, binding) I can do. I am hoping that having logical stopping points will keep me excited and therefore progressing.

What are your ideas for reducing your PHDs?

Heritage of Quilting

I have always been a creative person. I love making things and take great pride in my creations. I love color and texture and lines. I love math. I have a great eye for color combinations and structure. I love drawing even if I am not great at it. Plus I love sewing of all kinds. All things that help in creating quilts. Add to this I come from a line of women who quilted and sewed. Most likely out of necessity.

I didn't know my maternal grandmother, Mattie Aurora Burnham Borden, she passed before I was born. Yet somehow I feel connected to her through my sewing and quilting. I know my mother said she loved to sew and while she may not have always been a great technical seamstress, she did quite fanciful and stylish work. I saw her workmanship in some square dancing shirts and dresses she had made for my parents.

I feel the same connection for my Great Grandmother Matilda Sackett Borden. I have in my possession a quilt top that she had pieced for my mother's 7th birthday. It is all hand pieced and the stitches are so perfectly even. Great Grandma was born in 1860 and died in 1954. Mom was born in 1927, her 7th birthday was in 1934. Great Grandma was in her early to mid seventies when she pieced that top.  It is butterflies appliqued on to squares with a black blanket stitch.  It was made from some of Mom's old clothes. My mom pointed out some of the fabrics last time we looked at it together. I love this top and promised my mother that I would finish it one day. (I actually found the fabric for the border recently)

I wonder why people quilt and sew. I have taught my daughters that it is a skill that should be learned. I firmly believe that there are many skills that our grandparents did that should not be lost. But keeping a skill alive means actually doing it and well it is not enough to know that a skill is on the endangered species list to learn and do it.

I know my mother never cared for sewing but it was a way for her to save money on my clothes. So her reason was saving money. Sewing clothes is no longer cheaper than buying them. In fact it is more expensive. But I have found that finding modest formals for teenage girls is rather difficult and my daughters benefited from my sewing skills.

I think Mom felt like she had to sew as well. She taught me to sew and always felt that she was not very skilled. She insisted that my sister and I take sewing in school.

My sister loves to sew and I think that she gets joy from doing it. When my niece was a teen she did figure roller skating. My sister sewed all of her costumes including hand sewing on beads and spangles. My sister also had the opportunity to take tailoring classes in college. So she is quite skilled. I am not and I wish I knew more.

I have a cousin (well I have many but I know this one better than the others) who sews and quilts. her work is wonderful. I believe she once said her mother (my Mom's older sister) didn't really like to sew. I wonder does it skip a generation? My daughters don't really like to sew they do it mostly to humor me.

I love to sew and especially quilt and I think it is because it ties me to my ancestors. I also think it is a practical way to be creative even if it is expensive. They did it out of necessity. I do it out of love and creativity. But because I do it, I am their descendant in spirit as well as flesh.

Why do you quilt/sew?

Giving Away Part of My Heart

This past week I gave away a part of my heart.

Last June, I learned that a woman at church was about to start a battle with breast cancer. While I do not know this woman very well, I do know how horrible that disease is to fight. I had a sister in law die from it 28 years ago. I had another sister in law beat it 6 years ago. I know how devastating it can be on a woman. So I felt I needed to find away to help her though it.

As I said I don't know her well and I actually work full time and commute an hour each way. So my time is limited. Add to that she is basically home bound because the intense treatments make her far too vulnerable to infection. How is a person suppose to keep up their spirits when they are stuck at home, inside and without any visitors.

I didn't know what to do to help so I turned to my 17 year old daughter. Her response - Make a quilt. I got to thinking, My sister was always cold when she was going through the treatments for Lymphoma and both of my sister in laws were also cold when they were going through treatments so a quilt would be a way to help.

I went through patterns looking for one that would be positive and cheerful. I found one that looked like plus signs and/or interlinking arms. I used bright colors and got to work cutting and sewing. It took me four months but I finally finished it last week. Oh it is far from perfect and has lots of mistakes but I think it is beautiful.

It is hard for me to give up one of my creations because I put so much time and energy into them. But while making this one I tried to put in prayer and love in it as well. I wanted the woman to find comfort in it. I put my heart in this quilt.

Like I said it took me four months to finish this quilt. I was working very long hours and had very little time to work on it except for weekends. My husband said she was either going to be healed or dead by the time I finished it. (Yes, he can be a real jerk at times but he is my jerk and he loves me) After I finished it, I took the time to lint roll all the threads off it and fix any mistakes that I found. Then I washed and dried it to make sure it was soft and cuddly. I carefully folded it and slipped it into a gift bag. (One that my husband picked up for me because of my long hours at work like I said he loves me and really is good to me)

My daughter dropped it off to her husband, who had to take a sneak peek before taking it home. He was very impressed with the quilt and asked my daughter all sorts of questions about it. No doubt so he could tell his wife. Her husband told my daughter that this week she will be starting the radiation treatments and she has been very cold lately. My whole family was pleased that she would find a use for the quilt

Today I got the best news of all. The quilt that I worked so hard on is doing just what I wanted it to do. It has a place on the woman's rocking chair. She sits wrapped up in it to stay warm. She loves it. So this past week, I gave a way a piece of my heart. It is in that quilt. But I feel like I got a piece of her heart return. Quilting brings joy and love to all of those who care to benefit from it.

Who did you quilt for this week?

Is Grandma Spinning in Her Grave?

As I was folding fat quarters and putting them in my new Missouri Star Quilt Company storage bags, I got to thinking about the fabric used in quilts. In Grandma's day, they quilted from scraps. Bits and pieces left over from making clothing or better yet clothing that had out lived it usefulness. I was sitting folding this beautiful fabric and the thought occurred to me what pretty curtains and pillows this piece would make. Another piece would be gorgeous in a dress or skirt.

I wonder if fabric designers think about what it will be used for when they design fabric. I know there are a few of us garment makers out there still but I believe the majority of people buying fabric do so for quilts. I wonder what those statistics really are.

My great grandmother, grandmother or even mother would have bought this beautiful fabric for an article of clothing. I bought it to put in a quilt. I wonder if they are turning over in their graves at the thought of me cutting up that fabric into little pieces. They are probably stunned at the wastefulness of my hobby.

A few years back I was buying fabric to teach my oldest daughter (now 32) to sew. We had picked out the pattern and the fabric. When it came time for the clerk to cut the white fabric for the collar, I asked for 2 yards more than we needed for the pattern. My daughter was confused. I had just shown her how to determine what she needed and now I was asking for a lot more. In answer to her confused question, I stated I always buy extra white so I have it for quilts. I think she was 10 at the time and eager to be making her own dress, so I didn't have to make sense.

Here it is years later and I rarely sew garments anymore. I do however buy lots of fabric, mostly for quilting. Oh don't get me wrong if I see fabric at the right price that I think will make a great skirt or dress I will buy it in sufficient quantity to make such an article. But nowadays, I am so overweight that I don't enjoy sewing for myself. My 2 daughters that are still at home are trim but they get really particular about the fabric they want for their clothes. It becomes a battle to just pick out the fabric. I rarely sew for them. So now my stash consists of mainly smaller cuts for quilting. At least one of the daughters at home does like to quilt so she benefits from my stash.

I do have a daughter that sews clothes. She lives in Nevada and well she sews for her baby daughter. I should probably send her some of the larger cuts from my stash. Maybe we could make a deal where she sends me back the scraps? That might help keep my grandmothers and great grandmothers from spinning in their graves each time I cut a large piece of fabric up for quilts. One can hope.