Sowing Along...

This Sow-Along is so enjoyable that I can't resist sewing a few blocks nearly every day.

I'm also trying to do things like hem pants and finish a couple of projects, but...

I took the corner squares off the churn dash and substituted white for the print that was there before.  I like it much better, don't you?

I completed the block called Darting Birds.  It's turned a different way in the book we're not talking about.  I think it's very cute, with its little one inch hsts!

Then in keeping with the birds theme, I finished the block called Flock.  I think I have this picture upside down, but it's also cute.  1.5 inch hsts and 3.5 inch hsts this time.

I am trying to mix up the greens with each block, but I find myself trying to use up the chunk of fabric.  Also I make a sheet of hsts of one size, so the same fabrics tend to appear when the size is the same.

This is Old Windmill.  Four different shades of 1.5 inch hsts were called for, but I used the same white background for all of them.

This one is called Peace and Plenty.  I loved these two fabrics together.

On a roll with hsts, this one is called Prairie Queen.  The four patches are two inches finished, and the hsts are two inches finished...  This one maybe should have had more contrast between the two light fabrics.  It does look nicer in person.

This is the Railroad block.  This one is two inch four-patches and two inch hsts (finished measurements) similar to the Prairie Queen.

Here is Spool.  This one is based on 2 inch finished hsts and squares.  I think I like the one made with more squares per block, because you can make the spool portion wider.  This looks like an empty spool -- not something you want to encounter in the middle of a project!!

I'm up to 30 squares.  I actually have more made, but some are duplicates, and due to my inexpert measuring and my inability to make the templates work for me, I have four that turned out to be 8 inches finished instead of six.

I'm not too worried, I will either find a use of them, or A will cut them up for her next project!!

Happy Sowing, everyone!

Saying Thank You

For those of you who work in offices anywhere, this week Wednesday is Administrative Professionals Day.  It used to be called Secretary's Day... way back when.  Suffice it to say that calling it Secretary's Day, or calling the person who helps you do your work a secretary, has developed some negative connotations.

Enter Administrative Professionals.  There are all sorts of folks who assist in the ordinary everyday operation of your average office.  I used to joke with my boss that I was waiting for Executive Assistant's day or Financial Assistant's day.  See what I mean?

Gone are the days when you have to pick up the boss's dry cleaning, get him/her a cup of coffee with two sugars, or pick up gifts for his/her spouse or kids!  Unless you work for the Devil Wears Prada boss -- but I think that's just a movie, right??  Ha ha, I wouldn't have lasted half a day with THAT boss!!  I'd have said 'I don't do coffee' and I would have been so fired!

I work with a great group of senior executives, who are for the most part self-sufficient and can handle their own business.  They rely on me to review and analyze information, prepare necessary paperwork, keep meetings on schedule.  I keep track of busy calendars, resolve schedule conflicts and arrange travel to send them all over the world. And get them back.

It's nice to be recognized as part of the team.  Some of these people are very good at expressing their appreciation.  It's good to know that even though they don't always say so, they notice the extra care put into making their jobs easier.

I try to do what gets them what they need and where they need to be with a minimum of B.S., red tape, and aggravation. 

And sometimes it pays off!

Oh no, Marty, thanl YOU!  And you're very welcome.

Creativity & Inspiration -- Where Do YOU Get It?

I work for a bunch of engineers and planners.  They're heavily into the calculated and precise.  Measurements are made in minute increments.  Stress levels and capacity are known quantities and have to fall within predetermined tolerances.  Slide rules and calculators are the norm.
I work in the accounting/finance field.  There are the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles that dictate your actions on a daily basis.  Numbers have to meet budgeted expectations within a prescribed percentage, a SMALL percentage.  Endless analysis takes place when you miss the target!

My vocation is finance but my avocation is fiber arts. 

Let me say that the left brain, know for mathematical ability, critical thinking and logic never leaves town.  It's what allows me to structure my time to get tasks accomplished, helps keep me organized so I can locate things and remember where they are, and helps me think through processes to solve problems.  But my creative right brain will often bring in the crazy or unusual to make the project spark, or use old things in new ways.  Sometimes it lets you take inspiration from unusual sources.

Did you ever read the book "Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten"?  Yeah, sometimes the answer is very simple.  You can get it from a child.

For example, if you don't have a piece of fabric the color you need, why not make another fabric into that color?



And you can use lots of little pieces to make a big piece.  If you don't like something, you can cut it off...

Be proud of yourself!!  Present a happy face to the world.

Don't take life so seriously that you can't have a little fun.





Learning to Sew

This is a reposting of the day I was guest blogger on the American Sewing Guild web site, http://www.asg.org/ in March.

If you have a child or grandchild or know a child, maybe they want to learn to sew.  My grands have always played in my sewing room while I worked.  My kids did that too, although for many years they didn't have a choice because I sewed in the kitchen or a bedroom!  You might have small people underfoot while you're sewing too.

One of the first things I did when the kids wanted to sew too was to establish some basic rules.  Don't touch the scissors or the rotary cutters without permission, don't sit near the foot peddle, don't cut anything except your OWN stash, etc. (A cut a chunk out of her hair, so we now have a rule about who cuts hair too!) Once they understood the rules, they each got a plastic bin to keep full of their own treasures.

The most recent acquisitions

Two of my grands have their own stashes. I let them pick things from my scrap box, and have taken them shopping at the 'scrap sale' at a local quilt shop, where at the end of the year they sell their left-overs by the pound. They also have ribbon, trims, rick rack and buttons, and beads for bracelets and necklaces. They add small balls of leftover yarn, and I bought a stack of plastic canvas sheets for their use. This is theirs to use as they choose.  Of course they have design in their genes!   

E's Fabric Collage

A's quilt, designed by her but sewn by me!  Yes, I sewed everything just where she placed it!

At the age of four to five to six, I taught each one how to thread a big-eyed needle with some yarn and pull stitches through plastic canvas.  That got them used to using an instrument with a pointy end, and how to go in and out of a base material.  These gems are now wall decorations and coasters.

My oldest grand, E, progressed to hand sewing with regular fabric and thread at about the age of 8.  Once she asked me how I managed to do this without sticking my fingers.  I said "I still stick myself once in a while."  We both laughed about that.  (If you bleed on your work, your own spit will remove the blood!)

At some point E wanted to make a doll sized quilt.  She was able to reach the foot control of my sewing machine, but when the needle started to whirr she removed her hands and decided she wasn't quite ready for this!  We sat next to each other on one chair and she worked the foot while I guided the fabric.

Our next projects were all hand sewn.  But last year when I was sewing doll garments for nieces and cousins, E wanted to try the machine again.  So we had a lesson on where to hold your hands, she sewed on some scraps, and she sewed some lines of decorative stitches on the bottoms of the pants legs for some 18" doll outfits.  I then finished the pants.

Some suggestions for teaching, from E and me:

• Wait until the child expresses interest and is not afraid of the machine.
• Start simple, with a project they pick.  Or just let them play with stitches on the machine.
• If they pick a project that looks kind of advanced, offer some interim choices or do practice pieces.
• Slow the speed on your machine.
• Tell them to watch the fabric and the foot, NOT the needle!
• Boys can sew too.  Sewing machines are power tools... 
• Finishing the edges is optional on some fabrics, and those make good first choices.
• Let the kid choose his/her own fabrics.  Even if you don't think they go together, they will enjoy it more if it's their choice!

·        Give them some scraps to practice on.  E sewed on striped fabric to get used to following a line. 

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Practice on scraps... us paper for stabilizer if you need it.

• If they get bored, let them finish another day.  (Encourage them to finish though, because that's what gives the sense of accomplishment.)
• It doesn't always have to be a project.  Sometimes we just like to play with the materials.
• Do cool stuff.  Make things they will use, like pillow cases and iPod/iPhone bags, and tops they can wear.  Or sew dog or cat scarves and hats.
• Relax the rules sometimes.  DON’T be surprised if they don’t want to hem knits or do French seams!!
• It’s fun to embellish ready-to-wear garments. 
• Listen to music while you’re sewing and sing along if you know the words.



Try all the fancy stitches!!

• Have fun with it!

Kids love to sew in groups, just like adults do.  However, they need to be kept ‘engaged’.  Have enough machines so they can work in small groups.  They can watch each other and learn, but if they have to wait too long for a turn you can lose their interest.  We have sewed with Girl Scouts and 4H groups and church groups.  Two years ago the kids at our church sewed over 100 dresses for the Little Dresses for Africa project.  Girls as young as 6 tried their hand at some pillow case dresses. 

Next time E and I will talk about a second phase of sewing with kids – choosing a project.

Catching Up on the Sow Along

Finally I got situated to sew some more Phone Guy's Wife blocks!  Three hours in the sewing studio yielded a number of new blocks.

I think I'll take the corners off the block on the left and
replace the outer triangle with white.

 This is a new attempt at Churn Dash, along with the one I sewed in February (?)... neither makes me particularly pleased.  It's amazing how different they look in the photos.

 This block is called Calico Puzzle.  I should have made more contrast between the two darks. Honestly, the leaf pattern looked more medium in person. 

Maybe it will grow on me...  I love all three fabrics.

 The block - Butterflies at the Crossroads -- caused me untold stress.  The book we're not talking about doesn't give measurements.  I did the math -- a 6 inch finished block divided by five elements equals 1.2 inches per element.  Add .5 for seam allowance and you get slightly less than an inch and 3/4 cut.  Allows for inexact seam allowances, right?  Except for some reason I could not get the size right!! 

I finally resorted to half square triangle paper and threw away all of my unsuccessful pieces.

I'll tell you about the triangle paper later in this post.


Four Winds.  56 HST and 8 1-inch finished squares!!  Oh yeah!

This Four Winds block was actually pretty much fun to sew, believe it or not!  It has a crazy number of pieces altogether -- 64 total.  The HSTs finish at one inch.  I cut out all of the pieces so carefully, counting the number I needed of each and checking them off.  Then when I was sewing them together, I discovered that I had miscounted the green/light green HSTs and I had to make two more.  Plus I sewed one quadrant together with one square upside down.  Twice!



Friendship Star.  A sewist-friendly block if there ever was one!   Except that I ran out of the light green background so the corner squares are a slightly different fabric.  Hardly noticeable in real life but it shows up pretty well in the photo.

There are lots of ways to make a HST, but my favorite has become using triangle paper.  You can use Thangles or Triangle Paper or you can find various directions for doing them without paper.  I just bought software that makes about three dozen sizes and prints on whatever kind of paper you can put into your printer.  It's called Print and Sew from 1-2-3 Quilt at  http://www.quiltpro.com/.  I'm not endorsing it and I haven't been paid any money to say this so take it with a grain of salt.  But I like it.

I get nice crisp squares with hst paper... and once I cut off the dog ears my pieces fit together well!

These are some of the 64 pieces of the Four Winds block.



Next I hope to be finishing up the raffle quilt for the preschool class.  I also have to get back to my DD's blue and brown quilt one of these days.

Happy sewing!

Lost My Place... and found it.

Last night I went downstairs to my sewing studio to straighten up from the weekend and get started on my April pile of Phone Guy's Wife Sow-Along blocks.  I had a pile of half square triangles sewn, and another pile ready to pin and sew.

But I forgot to mark what blocks I was planning to do!  I couldn't find my place, where I left off, what my plan was when I finished up last time I sewed!!  Have you ever done something like that? 

I remembered going through the block patterns and placing HST paper in between the pages where the finished sizes matched, along with some strips and squares of fabric I intended to use.  But something must have gotten into the plastic bin and rearranged everything because some things were obviously mixed up...

...hmmm, Miss A was working on her project this weekend.  I wonder if, while I was busy with E working on HER project, A wandered over to this bin and went shopping.

Oh oh!!  Under the table sits a little pile of scraps.  On this pile of scraps is a little piece of patchwork.  Not a WHOLE piece, mind you.  A chunk of a piece, cut from a block I had in a bin of practice blocks.  It was a portion of a mariner's compass.  If you've ever done one of these, bless you!  They are gorgeous but kind of intimidating.

You paper piece or template cut all these triangles and when you're done it's amazingly beautiful.

The one I did was very basic.  One row of points in an arc that would have made a quarter of a circle if I had sewn the last piece in.  It was to have had a quarter of a circle sewn to the center, with the arc around the outside edge.

I had used a pack of fat quarters that were reproduction fabrics from the Civil War era. 

I'm quite sure I would never have made a whole quilt with this pattern.  Heck, I couldn't even finish one square before I lost heart.  But seeing that little pile of scraps under the table made me sad.

However, I am quite sure that Miss A loved that piece of patchwork, so I cannot be TOO sad for it.  The piece has served a purpose, and after all, if something I did brought a little joy to at least one other person, I am happy.

But I'm going to make sure that the things I really care about are put away high up on a shelf!! 

Lesson learned.

Keep on sewing!

Follow Up to Spring Tasks

I am loving these new underthings!!  Jockey briefs with fabric covered elastic is definitely worth the extra bucks I paid.  The package of three pair was $25 but I bought them on sale. 

The elastic on my previous brand was sewn together at the side seam on the inside of the panty.  That created a bump which tended to rub on the skin at my waist.  Combine that with the waistband of pants and it's tolerable.  But add pantyhose, a slip and a skirt and it's miserable!

To those of you who are thin enough not to require elastic waists in trousers or skirts, this may not be a big deal.  But I am feeling very happy today!!

Thank you, Jockey brand!

Spring Tasks

Now that I've completed the dreaded TAXES there are some follow up errands to take care of.  Once a year I review my 401K status and make sure that I have the right amount of life insurance.  I also make an appointment to see my OB/GYN for the annual exam and mammogram.

IF YOU ARE A WOMAN AND YOU ARE READING THIS, I strongly suggest that you be good to yourself and make that appointment to see your Dr. for an annual exam if you haven't already done so.  Catch anything early!  I do it at the same time every year because my doc doesn't send reminders.  Making the appointment after the taxes are done helps me remember to do it.

OK, getting off the soapbox now.  But seriously, take care of yourself!!

Another spring errand involves buying myself some new 'unmentionables'.  What fun!!  The grands told me that they would not be going with me on this trip.  "Seriously, G, that's embarrassing."  All alone, I trucked over to the mall.  The store I normally go to is moving.  OK, there's about 75% of the store that's totally empty!  But hey, everything is 60% off!!  Lucky me, I found four of the bras I normally buy.  Plus two others in my size that look like they will work.  The lady at the counter says "did you try these on?  ALL SALES FINAL!"  No, I get the same ones all the time, so I know these will work.

But now I need panties, and the bin they had in my size was about the size of my refrigerator's veggie drawer and full of things I cannot imagine anyone over the age of 16 wearing!  Seriously, they call this a pair of panties??  And it was the one with the most coverage.  Do people not want their whole behind clothed anymore?  Huh.

I just cannot imagine what they are thinking... OK I will admit that the part of my body that was intended to go into that garment is too big.  For the garment, and for my size.  But people, that does not look comfortable at all.  And the rest were even worse.

So I took myself over to a major retailer hoping that they had nice, sensible cotton briefs for ladies of a certain age.  They did, but my heart did a stumble when I saw the price for a package of three pair.  OMG when did things get this expensive?  I guess if you only buy once a year, the price can really change!  Oh, did she say 25% off?  Well at least it's the price, not the amount of fabric in the item!

I thought as long as I was out I would hit one of the other major retailers in the mall.  The sales were pretty good and I picked up some sweaters at a really good price.  Also one very nice top in a navy print. 

After lunch of a giant burrito and a diet soda I tackled one more store and found two pairs of dress pants that I can wear to work after I cut four inches off the bottoms and hem them.  I do that even with the petite sizes.  Good thing I sew or I would have to pay someone else to do that. 

All in all it was a pretty good trip.  I still hate the mall.  But my annual errands are done, and barring anything unforeseen I'm good for 12 more months!



Honoring Those Who Have Gone Before...

I have a Susan B. Anthony dollar taped on a card and placed in a picture frame on a shelf in my sewing room.

Why, you ask?  Or why should I care, maybe?

A while ago I was having lunch with some of the younger ladies and we were having a discussion about various books we were reading.  I was at that time reading Anne Perry's series with Thomas and Charlotte Pitt as the main characters.  Farrier's Gate, The Cater Street Hangman, etc.  Look them up on Amazon if you want to know more.

Anyway the discussion centered around how difficult it was for the women in those books to do the things that we take for granted, and how lucky I consider myself that I didn't live 100 years ago! 

The 'youngsters' don't remember a time when women couldn't hold any job for which they were qualified.  That's not too far back in our history, people!!  Women have only had the right to vote in the US for 92 years.  (Although there were exceptions and a couple of pretty progressive places where women voted if they owned enough property.  When they were allowed to own it... but I digress.)

And it only took us about 2/3 of that 92 years to get as apathetic about exercising the right to vote as men are!

The kids have the right idea!

Maybe the only thing we really want is what we do not or cannot have.  Hmmmm....  well, I think it's a good idea for people to think about having a say in what's going on in their world. 

So we're having all these recall controversies in Wisconsin.  We're becoming quite famous for them!  Not exactly as good as being a cheesehead, but you take what you can get I guess.

Seriously, are the gazillion people who signed on for the recalls part of the fraction who voted FOR the elected officials and now are angry about what they did?  Or are they part of the apathetic majority who didn't vote and now are upset that things aren't going as expected?  I'd really like to know the answer to that one.

Anyway, the next time the opportunity arises to vote, think about those who have gone before.  You have a right to express your opinion in the booth.  In Civics Class they taught us about responsibility and civic duty.  And our mothers and fathers taught us that if you're not participating in the process you don't have a right to whine about it.  Of course you have the right not to vote.  But in my opinion not voting equals not whining later.

While you're in the booth making your choices, say a little thank you to Susan B Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone, Alice Paul, Lucy Burns that you have the opportunity to do so.  They're the ones that marched, made speeches, got arrested and even went on hunger strikes so you could. 

And oh yeah, Woodrow Wilson, one of the original flip-floppers, who was totally against it in 1917 but realized that women were people too when he needed their help during wartime.  Good old Woodrow!  What would he think today??

Your choice, people.  I'm just sayin'...

Easter weekend

I hope everyone who reads this had a wonderful Easter weekend.  DH and I went to sunrise service at 6:30 a.m.  It was a beautiful day, chilly but sunny.  We went out to breakfast after.  There was a breakfast at church but he never will go with me to those things so I went with him to a restaurant instead.

The kids and grands were all elsewhere.  Grands 1&3 dyed eggs with me on Friday, and 2&4 dyed their eggs with me on Saturday.  They took them all home, so we ended up with the six undyed eggs that had cracked in the boiling. 

I bought NO jelly beans, no chocolate bunnies, no marshmallow eggs.  This year I'm putting myself on the austerity program!  See if I can lose a pound or two before my next doctor's appointment!

One of the dye packets had chalk and 3-D glasses in it.  And special stickers.  The kids got a kick out of coloring with the chalk after the eggs dried, but it didn't appear to last very long.  One good look with the glasses and the handling seemed to rub it all off.  Oh well, it was fun while it lasted!

Meanwhile back at the ranch, we read the paper, took little naps, and I did some sewing.  I put together the main portion of the LLA class quilt.  It's too cute!  I have to take a picture of the progress and post that later.  I'm trying to embroider a banner-type header for it with the class year and teacher's name.  I'm looking for cute lambs to embroider.

I actually cut out and sewed two tops for myself.  It's nice to have a stash of fabrics in your own personal colors, that coordinate with the rest of your wardrobe.  You don't have to worry about whether the stores are open, and if you want a new top, in an hour you can have a couple!  Well, one is completed, the other has to be finished up tonight.

Happy spring!  Keep sewing.

Who took these pictures??

Every time I upload photos from my camera to my computer, I am surprised by some of the pictures!  Since we have a digital camera and taking pictures costs virtually nothing, we don't forbid the next door set of grands from taking pictures.  I think if they show an interest in picture composition, color, subject, whatever, they're learning something.  And they don't print a copy of just anything, because that's the part that costs money.

This winter, E took lots of pictures of the snow in the back yard that stayed just long enough after the warm spell to build a snowman.  She's taken pictures of lovely things like leaves and flowers in the yard. 

 And some decidedly goofy things, like the dog wearing glasses.  How did she get him to sit still for that?  Well, he IS a pretty laid-back dog!







There's A's favorite subject... her feet.  On the downstairs carpeting.

On the upstairs carpeting.   

                                                     Bare toes.

                                                       and with shoes on.

Just how far down the steps do things go when you kick them off the landing???

The next project...

I don't know if I've said this on my blog before but I'm a process person rather than a project person.  You know the difference -- the project person (my cousin Amy, my sister) likes to put the project together start to finish within some predefined period of time and be done, while the process person (me) likes to live a somewhat more relaxed style.  For example, if the project gets finished within the millenia I'm good.  Or if it doesn't get finished, I'm good there too.

Except when I'm doing the project FOR someone specific. 

I am making a quilt for my DD and DSIL... oh yes, I hope to have it done in 2012!!  When we were discussing the project at its inception, I offered to provide patterns so DD could choose a style.  She said "anything is fine".  She chose blue and brown for the colors, but was not fussy about shades or patterns or anything.

You would think that would be easy.

No. No, no, no.  Too many choices.  I mulled it over, studied pictures of all the blue quilts and brown quilts I could find.  Finally after dreaming about it for a week, I settled on friendship stars in the middle and a strippy block border.  I'm about half done with it as of this week.

We laid it out on the kitchen table, the largest free spot in my house.  After looking at it for a while, she decided she liked it better with sashing between the stars.

The center area is sewn together now, and the large strippy first border has been sewn into four big pieces, so all that remains is to put the skinny borders in place and sew on the outer borders.

This has been one of the more fun quilts I've done.  The friendship stars are easy, four hsts and five squares, requiring very little matching.  You only have to make sure your star points are all facing the same direction.  The block is fun to do and fast.

Of course I've been interrupted a zillion times by other projects, so it's going together slowly.  I am also making a class quilt for one of the four year old classes at A's preschool, and I had to open the stuffed animal hospital this week.  A dinosaur had a ripped tail and there was a hole in one of the Angry Birdies. 

I also *gasp!!* made myself a skirt!  Just a simple elastic waist skirt with a back slit and one seam, but it does qualify as a finish this week!  I'm hoping to wear it for Easter.

Hope you're having a good week.  Keep on sewing!

Help! My apple died...

Last week, after listening to tunes on my iPod all the way home from work, the device died suddenly and unexpectedly.  Between garage and kitchen it went black, displayed the Apple logo, and went dark and silent.

I went on the Internet and did a search for what it means when your device flashes you the apple.  Suggestions for resetting were tried.  And failed.  The next day I asked the IT guys at my office the next day what they would suggest.  They said without hesitation "go to the Genius Bar". 

Genius Bar??  OK, not being exactly up on all the latest gadgets, I wasn't familiar with the term.  Find and Apple store, they said.  There's a Genius Bar inside.  They'll fix it or they'll sell you a new one!

So last Friday I went to the only Apple store I could find, and sure enough, there was a Genius Bar sign on the back wall!  The store was crazy busy, but a nice young man made an appointment for me to visit the geniuses.  Turns out I only had to wait a little while, so not a big loss of time...

The Genius told me a doo-hickey was broken and he could get me a new one in about four days.  At a price that was about 25% of what I paid for the iPod when I bought it several years ago.  OK, sign me up!

I got an email the next day saying my part was in.  Hmmm, was it there all along, or was the UPS man extra fast this week?  Anyway, now my switched out part is humming along being synchronized, and I look forward to being able to listen to music or audio books again in the car or in my office, or while waiting in line for something else!

Thanks, Geniuses. 

Kindle and Tablet Keeper

In January there was a blog hop at Nancy Zieman's place, all about the new templates she designed for making tablet keepers or iPad or Kindle covers.  The templates make three sizes.  About 20 different designers made a version and every day there was another beautifully executed tablet keeper to see.

Everyone did their own special technique.  Some were quilted, some were bright and others were more muted.  There was painting and there was piecing.  It was pretty amazing.

Kindle cover, closes with a magnetic snap.

Here's mine, completed in February.  I found the template set at my local quilt shop.  I bought the hard plastic insert pack too.  I suppose I could have used any stiff material but for the first one I thought I'd do it using the materials specified in the pattern.

For fabric I chose a piece of bright floral with a black background that was left over from a quilt project we worked on at family night.  I originally purchased two yards, then shared it with aunts and cousins, giving almost all of it away.  (Yeah, I know, what was I thinking???)  After my aunt made her quilt with my second donation, I took back the scraps!!  I had about a half yard in various chunks and I was saving it for a special project.  The greens were left from another project... of course I have a huge tub of green fabric, it's my go-to color.

Notepad on left, Kindle on the right, pen ready in the middle!

You're supposed to use a flat hair band for the 'grippers'.  I was doing this late on a Saturday night so the only thing I found in my resource center was a box of round pony tail holders.  Cut apart they only provided enough length for one corner, thus different colors.  I also discovered that they ROLL when you sew them!  So the bottom left corner of my Kinldle is always slipping its moorings.  I added a small pad of paper and a pencil holder.  It closes with a magnetic snap.

It's one of a kind, I can always spot it when I put it down.  I can easily tell which is mine if there is more than one Kindle on the table.  I do have my Kindle marked with my name and address but I'm sure if I ever lost it, it would be gone forever.  Although you never know, do you?

If you've never tried making a tablet or reader pad, you might want to try the Nancy's Notions template.  (I was NOT paid to endorse this product!!)   I found it easy to use, but I never tried to make one without the template.  I have nothing to which to compare it, so my opinion and a dollar will buy you a cup of coffee somewhere!  The instructions were pretty clear and it was an easy project.

Now DD, DDIL, and DS want one for their reading devices too.  I guess I won't run out of projects!

Keep on sewing!

Phone Guy's Wife -- Sow-Along Part II

This weekend, while watching three of the grands, I still managed to add to the SOW-Along six inch squares!  I set up the machine in the kitchen, and for a few minutes they found it fascinating to watch.  Then they went outside to play.

I finished four blocks over the weekend.  Added to five I made since the last Sow-blog and I have nine new ones for a grand total of 15 blocks!  I should have this top finished by 2014...

They're all done in greens and white.  I used some of the same fabrics from the first group and some additional fabrics.  I tried to use a variety of background fabrics but I just like the way white looks with green.  A couple of blocks made with other light neutrals just didn't pop for me.

Most of these blocks are six and a quarter inches.  I discovered after blowing through the first six blocks that the blade on my quarter inch foot was bent out slightly, so I was taking too large a seam.  I guess I was too excited to check after the first one, so now I'm trying to be consistently a bit large on the seaming.  I will have to square everything up because I have a number of sizes going from 6.25 to 6.5 and all points between!

Paper pieced basket

The block at the left is paper pieced.  It's the block Bonnie Hunter designed because many of us forgot to put the handle on our basket block!  It was on the drawing but for some reason a lot of us just zoned on that piece.  This is a very nice basket, kind of different. 









The block next to it is called Basket of Flowers.  Can you see the small yellow flowers in the print? 

Basket of Flowers

The block in the middle of the third row is called broken sugar bowl.  It has four patch combinations of two kinds and some half square triangles.  I made the first set of HSTs in colors that looked too much alike, so I went back to white.  Then I sewed the block together and you almost completely lose the fact that they ARE half square triangles because they touch the four patches!  But I love the colors of that block.   

The bow tie block is made with small squares cross-sewn to two different larger squares and then placed diagonally.  I have made bow tie blocks in two other ways, so this was a new one to me. 

These colors are kind of 'jazzy'.  I love the darker print.  And I liked what happened when the zig zag print was placed in the center.  I could not have planned that if I had PLANNED that!

These are not necessarily the nice dignified prints of the first couple of squares but if I do enough of a variety it should come together.  Not all greens belong next to each other, but with some sashing to separate the blocks it should blend.

Cut Glass Dish

The square I enjoyed the most was the most surprising to me, because it was the one with the smallest pieces.  Seriously, the pieces in Cut Glass Dish are crazy small!!  Those little triangles are one inch finished.  And I was working hard to squeeze 24 of them from a tiny scrap left from a kit I cut up for one of our church charity/baby quilts.  I was really worried because I did not want to make 23 tiny squares and be short one piece... although I suppose the Amish would say that would have been my 'intentional error'.  They say only God is perfect.




Let's see, if you want a queen sized quilt and your squares are six inches finished, you have to do how many blocks???  Even with two inch sashing this is going to be a project for all summer.

If you're 'sowing' along, how are you progressing?

Keep on sewing!

How to get through doing the taxes...

Chocolate has always been one of my favorite things.  I could go for weeks without eating a cookie or a donut.  I don't enjoy sweet tea, sugared cereals or things with a ton of frosting. 

But I love chocolate!  Chocolate covered anything... well, not ANYthing, but raisins, peanuts, cereal, fruit, pretzels, any other edible dipped in chocolate and I'm right there.

This past weekend I was working on the taxes and trying to figure out what's deductible and what's not, going through the expenses for our 'rental property' - otherwise known as the other half of our townhouse.  DH has saved all the receipts for the past year.  Shoved. in. a. brown. envelope.  Grrrr.

I was getting frustrated.  I was getting a headache.  And a backache.  Oh, wait, I smell CHOCOLATE!!  Hmmm, wonder what it could be?  It was coming from the giant pile of papers near the file cabinet.  I pushed all the papers aside and what was sitting there but the red heart box of candy from Valentine's Day!  I ate one immediately.  Ahhhhh!!  OK, now the frustration was going down as the endorphins kicked in.  OMG did I just eat seven week old candy? 

Yes, and I hardly even minded at all.

:-)

Sew on!

To Quilt or To Sew, Is That a Question??

Yesterday I had a conversation with someone who was looking for someone to sew up a quilt for a class project.  The class is a group of 4 year olds, so they couldn't do it themselves, and no one's mom or grandmom stepped up to to it.   Thus the conversation because it's known that I sew and I just happen to have a grand in the school. 

I belong to a chapter of the American Sewing Guild and the quilt group at our church.  I haven't joined the local quilt guild, mainly because they meet on a night that's already committed to something else and they are very interested in entering quilts in shows.

A long time ago while taking a business class I was writing a paper on the home sewing industry.  I did a casual survey of the people in my office at the time, the majority of whom were women.  About 20% had a sewing machine and about 10-15% said they actually knew how to use it and did so regularly.  So I guess it's not surprising that in a group of 16 families, no one would know how to make a quilt.

Do you 'sew' or do you 'quilt'?  I chuckle when I hear this because if you quilt, you are sewing.  I guess 'sewing' - quotes intentional - implies something other than quilting! 

Chapters in ASG are made up of people (men AND women) who are interested in all KINDS of sewing, everything from soup to nuts.  I've seen show and tell in every aspect of sewing at one time or another.  Some groups are dedicated to one type of sewing, such as quilts or embroidery, but there's something for everyone.  All are welcome!  (See http://www.asg.org/ if you're interested in finding a group near you.)

I sewed my first quilt about 11 or 12 years ago.  I actually made a blanket of sorts when my DD was small but I don't count that because it was a precut panel, already quilted, and I just sewed a binding on it.

But I've been sewing garments, home dec, accessories and other things since I was 10 years old.  That's right, a LONG time!  I was sewing for my dolls in grade school and for myself by junior high.

There is nothing that's quite as much fun for me as cutting out fabric and watching it become something in the sewing machine and at the ironing board.  I've been known to sew clothes for teddy bears, tea pot cozies, pillow cases and prom gowns.  I have one rule -- the fabric cannot be ugly.  I have a codicil to that rule for quilting fabric, and I've quoted at quilt group -- there is no ugly quilt fabric, there are just ugly combinations.  I heard someone else say if it's ugly you didn't cut it small enough! 

So quilters and quote sewers unquote, or sewists, which is a better word than sew-ers, should respect their common ground, and get together sometimes to discuss their mutual passion.  I'll just bet that all of those fabric store owners would cheer that meeting!