Nostalgia

For the "about me" section of this blog I wrote a brief account of why I am learning to quilt. I thought I'd go a little deeper into that today.

As I mentioned, I did a few sewing projects as a teen. Mom assisted, and I used a basic long sleeve shirt pattern - which I cleverly shortened to 3/4 sleeves because I preferred that at the time. The fabrics I used were a brown, stetchy, crushed velvet type of material and a gray and white camouflage that looked more like cow spots. I loved those shirts and wore them for years. Mom and I bought patterns for more clothes for me to make, and bought the fabric, but they were unfinished, unstarted actually, projects. I didn't know much about sewing and Mom was working hard to support a household of teenagers. I did sew a dress, which is ironic since I have never been one to wear dresses and skirts. I have tried to be girlie and wear those things, but I'm just uncomfortable in them and prefer jeans. The dress was pretty though. A black fabric with little flowers was used, and the dress had an empire waist which is very flattering on my figure. I'll have to research old photographs at Mom's house to see if any pics exist of these projects or me wearing them.

Then one holiday season Mom decided to make quilted Christmas tree skirts and stockings. I think this is where my initial interest in quilting began. I was talking to Mom about this recently and she said she didn't know what she was doing when she worked on those project, but I have seen the results, every year we use the Christmas tree skirt, and I love them dearly. Mainly because my mom made them, but also because they are pretty and remind me of Christmases of my youth. I think I had intended to learn how to quilt back then, because Mom had a Double Wedding Band template kit that she bought around that time. Nothing came from it though, and she recently gave it to me to use for my new quilting obsession.

In 1996 Mom bought a Double Wedding Band quilt at Mervyn's. I coveted that quilt from Day One, and eventually kleptoed it when I moved out. I love the design, the colors, and the feel of the fabric. I still have the quilt on my bed, but it's become ratty and needs repaired or replaced soon - but it will remain on my bed until it's a single strand of thread because I love it so much!! This quilt is another motivator that lit the quilting fire-bug under my arse.

A major contributor to my actual pursuit of quilting knowledge is that I got a job in July 2010 where I work with Quilting Ladies who are willing to teach me what they know. Jamie prefers to be called a "mentor," but I started referring to her and Marcia as Quilting Ladies and like it. I include myself in that descriptor as well, especially when I post pics of our Quilting Ladies Adventures (field trips to fabric stores) to my Facebook account. I am also an avid Google fan and spend way too much time online researching quilting. I find videos, free patterns, fabric on sale, and other quilters who have similar interests as myself so that I can learn from them vicariously. One thing I have found out during my research is that quilters all have their own ways of doing things. There may be a standard method or technique, but everyone tweeks it so that it works for them and their design. I like that and am open-minded enough to not get set in my ways (just yet) so that I can experiment and figure out what I want to do and which methods work best for me.

Since I have become obsessed with all things quilting, Mom let me pillage her stash of fabric that was intended for clothing. She showed me the quilt she started making out of old clothes that had belonged to her and her sister, and she let me take two 40 year-old quilt tops that were gifted to her and my dad for their wedding. She said the quilt tops were made by my great-grandmother on my dad's side. Mom said that it was "assumed she knew how to quilt" and would finish the quilts but they just sat around all these years. They have damage to them - stains, rips, areas that just need to be replaced - and I intend to repair them and complete the quilts once I have enough expertise to do it without further damaging them. I was so excited to see these quilt tops. One of them is the Maple Leaf pattern, but I wasn't sure what the other was until I did research. The closest I could find to the pattern is the Spiderweb (depending on which pattern you find because there are variations) or the Kaleidoscope.

 

I dig the funky colors!


And most heart warming of all is the sewing machine I'm using. It's a Singer Touch and Sew 604E, which was manufactured in 1964 according to the one blog where I could find this information. I have searched and searched for information on this machine, including the Singer website itself, but have come up wanting. This machine was handed down to Mom from Grandma (I think) and now I'm using it. It doesn't get more sentimental than that.

A very basic machine that does a straight stitch. Made for sewing clothes rather than quilting.

Today I am washing the new fabric for the Jeff Quilt and Grandpa's Big Cat Quilt, so maybe I will find the motivation to work on a project or two. I especially want to sandwich the Man Quilt so I can start quilting. So close, and yet... We shall see what I accomplish once the fabric is dried. Hopefully I will have something else worth posting!

Introduction to my furry children

I'll probably mention them from time to time, since Sir William and Lily Bear are often in the sewing room with me, under my feet, wrestling, the dog barking, the cat hissing, and distracting me enough that I stop what I'm doing to take William to the "cat-friendly zone" on the other side of the puppy gate, I thought I'd post pics of my kids.




Mr. Tiger McKinley - a magnificant speciman of feline perfection.
He joined my family when I was at college in Humboldt County 5 years ago. Hobbies include avoiding the dog, leaving the room when William shows up, sleeping on freshly washed laundry, burrowing under blankets and pillows on the couch, giving me hugs, sharpening his claws on the carpet, sneaking into the basement to explore when I'm doing laundry, begging for treats, and kitty yoga. Favorite movie is "Madagascar." Favorite vice is cat nip.

 

Sir William of Washington - AKA The Brat
He was born on a farm in Washington state and joined my family in 2008. Hobbies include wrestling the dog, sleeping on clean laundry, sleeping on freshly washed/purchased fabric, meowing, picking on Tiger, burrowing under the blankets on my bed, begging for kitty treats, following me around the house, providing much need QC of all sewing projects, and taking naps with me. Favorite cat toy is the pole with feathers at the end. Favorite vice is raging kleptomania - he steals anything from steak knives to avocados to plastic wrappers. 



Princess Lily Bear - the Demon Dog
Rescued from the Minidoka Animal Shelter in Paul last August when she was 5 weeks old. Hobbies include being under my feet at all times, following me, barking at me when I tell her "no," wrestling with William, chasing Tiger, chewing on dog toys and chew bones, playing in water, jumping on people, going for walks, chasing the ball, digging up the tree roots in the backyard, eating snow, and looking very innocent when she's sleeping. Favorite vice is pig ears.

Princess Lily Bear-Beard the Black Lab Pirate!

Project #7 - Grandpa's Big Cat Quilt

I know I've already mentioned this quilt, but I now have all the ingredients - I hope. I bought tiger striped and leopard spotted fabrics today at the Hancock Fabric sale.

 

The pattern I'm using for Grandpa's Big Cat Quilt is from the same Fons & Porter's Easy Quilts magazine as the Jeff Quilt. The quilt in the magazine is called "Cryptogram" and was designed by Diane Nagle. Here is the design:

Similar but subtle difference between this one and the other. I think they are more modern styles, at least I haven't come across any that look like this that are labeled traditional. And finally, these are the colors, and big cat panels I'm using thus far:



Ironically, I didn't buy the giraffe fabric because I didn't realize it was in this panel!

 

  

 

 

 

I think this looks like some kind of thatched roofing.

 



And when will I begin this project? [Shrug and yawn] Definitely not tonight. I'm going to read for awhile. I borrowed copious amount of books from the library and just want to relax and be distracted by the fantasy worlds that are far removed from reality. 



Project #6 - The Jeff Quilt

For my birthday I had the idea to have a virtual birthday party on my Facebook event page where everyone would post a pic of themselves, kids, pets, loved ones, wearing a tiara to celebrate my day of birth. Those who did post a pic would be entered in a quilt giveaway and the winner would be announced the evening of my birthday. Jeff was the first to post, and ironically ended up winning the drawing as well.


Princess Zoe Bell

I thought I wouldn't buy the fabric for the Jeff Quilt until I got my puppy spayed (she's 9 months old and had her first heat - yuck to the nearest thousandth) but I changed my mind. Princess Lily Bear shouldn't have another heat cycle for 6 months, and I plan to have her spayed in May without fail. There's just too much death right now to risk something happening to my puppy on the operating table! She is a demon puppy at times but I still love the little beast. Anywho, I decided to use a pattern from the Summer 2011 Fons & Porter's Easy Quilts magazine. The design is called "Out of the Box" by Catherine Purifoy.

Note: I did scan this image and had it on my computer but the Internet or Blogger wouldn't upload it. So I went non-computer savvy and took a pic of it, thus the crappy quality.

The construction looks like this and it's magnificant!

The following are the colors I've chosen for the Jeff Quilt:

 

 

 

 

 

TA-DA!

So when will I begin yet another quilt top? I have no idea. I need to review the design to make sure I have enough different color fabrics before I do anything. For some reason, I'm more into assembling quilt top than actually finishing a project. Ugh. Sometimes I make myself crazy.

Living on the Darkside of the Moon

Just a bit depressed lately due to family tragedies so I haven't been working on any projects. I want to but I don't want my scrambled mind to make mistakes that will be overall disasters. Today I felt like spending money - since tomorrow is payday - so I went to Hancock Fabrics to hit a sale they're having on cotton fabrics. When I walked in the door they had tables lined up with bolts of sale fabric, a "cleaning house" kind of spring sale. So I bought more kitty fabric. I have no interest in controlling my impulses when it comes to buying fabric. If it has kitties on it I an even less inclined to deny myself the pleasure of the purchase. [I am so immature]

 

I found the fabric for the Jeff Quilt I'm planning to make, but I'll write a new post for all of those pics. After walking my puppy by the canyon, I stopped at JoAnn's to see if they had anything I needed/wanted on sale. I know that Debbie Mum fabrics will be 50% off in a week or two, and most other cotton fabric was 30% off with isn't the best. But I wanted to spend money. I bought 2 yards of the maroon calico with gold stars that I love so much. I used it for the sashing on the Man Quilt.



I have also concluded that my procrastination to sandwich the Man Quilt is because I'm afraid of failure. I have the quilt top lying on the batting and I keep moving it from my bed to the dresser and into the sewing room on the table - Sir William follows it wherever it goes and uses it for a bed, the little princess - to the bed again. Yesterday I finally grabbed a pair of scissors and cut the batting to size. I need to sew the backing together and then baste/safety pin the materials together. I wish I would just get over it and do it! At this rate it won't be done for my brother's birthday.

Girls Day Out - Quilt Show in Filer, ID

Mom and I were at the door before 10 am when they would allow people inside the building. So we waited outside on a bench in the cool spring air. At 10 am we were allowed inside. We paid, were stamped, and began our adventure in the maze of quilts. Most of the quilts were more traditional in their design. I really like vintage quilts made with reproduction fabrics, but I also like the basic, traditional patterns, as well as newer patterns. For example, I will make a Single Girl quilt – the answer to the traditional Double Wedding Band. Not everyone is married, or going to be, so why discriminate in the quilt pattern world? I took a lot of pics so I’m only going to upload a small selection of my favorites or quilts that just had something unique about them that caught my eye.

We almost missed the second building with displayed quilts. Ironically, I knew there were two buildings being used for the show, but it didn’t occur to me to leave Building 1 and follow the tunnel to Building 2 when I first walked by the open door as Mom and I were exploring the quilt maze and vendor booths. The second building is where they have the demonstrations and have some of the bigger quilts. There was also an area set up where anyone could stop by and choose fabrics to be used in 4 or 9 patches for quilts there were making for a children’s program. There were hundreds or thousands of ready-cut squares, and the lady at the area gave you a piece of cardboard with batting stapled to it. Then you select from whichever size you want, to create a block. I chose a 4 patch block, because at the time, I thought I’d actually get to sew it. Not so, but it was still fun.

As we were leaving the show, we were both given a rolled paper that contained an orphan block. Mom gave hers to me since she figured I’m more likely to use it. I think it’s fun to make a growing collection of orphan blocks to eventually make a project out of.

The sky turned dark when we left the show. The wind had been blowing all day, but by the time we were walking to my car the temp had dropped and a storm was blowing over our heads. After two nearly perfect spring-like days it sure felt cold! I don’t mind the cooler weather, but I did enjoy the two days when it was pushing 70 degrees and sunny with a mild cool breeze. Everyone else seemed to complain about the wind, but I found it refreshing. Mom and I stopped at a nursery on the way back to town, and then went to 5 Guys Burgers for lunch. It was a fun Girls Day Out and I hope we get to have another fun day together soon.