I realized that there are other things I want and need to do with my time than just quilting, so I set aside time to do some paper crafting projects once a month.
When my first Granddaughter was born, I started a journal for her in the fashion those baby books are meant to be. And like many parents who start them, I started one for each new Grandchild believing that I would keep them up. Eventually, life turned away from the project and they sat for all this while. One day, before Winter Solstice, Sami asked if I could make her a cookbook with my favorite recipes. She was the second of my Granddaughters to ask.
I found books for the first of the three grrrlie-grrrls and decided to give it a go using them to continue what was started decades ago, updating them with family recipes, my personal favorites and perhaps some story-telling.
The writers group I facilitated last Fall ended with a project where we were to decorate a journal on random pages sort of intuitively without having a real purpose. I took this one in and added to a number of blank pages. Some have recipe guides and other have pictures cut from elsewhere that caught my attention.
I've brought out my ratty 3-ring binder cookbook and started copying recipes in Sami's journal. I don't want to make it all recipes, and do want to include some of my thoughts and memories for her in it. Storytelling. Thing is, time went by so quickly as she and the others grew up, and now those memories might be altered a bit. Oh well.
Here is the next journal for the #2 Granddaughter. It broke my heart to see so few pages written in it. Next month, I'll spend some time reading those earlier pages.
What I realized is that this monthly work will bring back my commitment to write for these sweet kids, and what a nice gift for them someday. I'd like to think I will keep going on it, but one month at a time, perhaps to alter an old saying.
It was a good day working with paper projects from filing papers and tossing old magazines, to writing cards, making envelopes, and working on this journal. I need discipline to do something like this that takes time to do it. After reaching a burn-out-on-paper-projects, I stacked enough things to the side for next month. And probably, things will pile up.
Working with paper includes what is in my files, as well as going through stacks of books and magazines on the shelves. I will like this monthly adventure no matter where it takes me.
I am pumped for tomorrow's once a month Winter Solstice projects. I found a box so that I can hang the pet bed form over it to serve as a catcher for fabric scraps. I thought I bought a yard of the fleece which should make two of them, one for each Grand-dog (Diamond and Kyle). Wonder what else the day holds?
One of my quilt block swap partners privately emailed to give me a few suggestions for starting this paper piecing project.
http://tweloquilting.blogspot.com/p/tutorial-series-2015.html
She has a great Tutorial Series starting the first Wednesday of every month and the first one is going to be on paper piecing. I plan to join in knowing that my quilt project isn't going to be finished in one sitting. She calls her tutorials Stretch Your Skills. She told me that the biggest issue with a project like mine is going to be in color placement.
The first thing I did was to lay out the fabrics over my love seat and add numbered pins so I could see how many cat blocks would get cut from them. Batiks can be really subtle or strong for the changes in each fabric. The top row of pins indicates how many for Block B and the lower row of pins indicate how many for Block A.
The block pieces are relatively small, so I know that it will require me to look at the details of each cut and see how it fits into the overall block as well as how it flows to the next row of cat blocks. I really love this kind of thinking that helps one see the details and the bigger picture.
And yes, I can see that there will be small portions cut from all of these fabrics, so there will be a lot leftover, as well as bits for the pet bed projects. I want to bring out as much color from each piece for its cat block as I can so that the finished quilt top is bright and lively. I plan to use some of the leftover portions to make a simple border to connect the colors even more.
My guess is that once I understand this process that it will go together faster than I am thinking it will right now. I am fully engaged in it, and the planning part makes a lot of sense to me.
Meanwhile, in order to keep my creativity going, I pulled out two quilts that have been basted and are ready to machine quilt. The first one was a mystery quilt and that will get a simple diagonal grid in the center outlining each of the blocks, and some decorative stitches on each of the borders. This is the pic taken before it was ready for basting, and has three borders as well. Its a simple, simple lap quilt, and will be great to have for a break in the intensity of Amy's paper pieced quilt.
Over the years, in my career, its always been important to keep an eye on the details as well as the over-all picture of any project. Most of the time, I had staff to delegate various tasks to. Now, it is my role to handle both. In one way, all those administrative skills I developed still work for me. I love having small notepads everywhere in every room so that I can jot down a thought or a need/want and not forget them when I walk into another room. Its not about memory loss. It was never about memory as much as it was just so very much on my plate. Retirement only shifted what goes on my plate, and I am still guided by the details and overall picture of a project.
I want to love this paper piecing project, and so having other things to work on will give me a planned opportunity to set it aside and return to it refreshed and with a more clear vision.
The issue that is before me is like trying to figure out the difference between yesterday, today and tomorrow. That might be easy for some of us. However, I am not sure where yesterday ends and today begins. Sometimes it as simple as the clock moving from 11:59 to midnight. Or it is the span of time between going to bed and waking up. Some great rule maker made it up and we all follow it every night and day and cannot and will not change it.
What I am really working with is reading this paper piecing pattern. It is just as baffling.
First of all its a Jinny Beyer pattern. I have yet to figure out her brilliant mind when it comes to her patterns & struggle with them every time I try to make one. You can see her work on http://www.jinnybeyer.com/blog/ Thing is, I love her work.
I made copies for all 72 foundation templates for the paper pieced blocks, and numbered or labeled them according to their layout. When I looked at it again, I realized I was not clear on which colors go where. Oh, sure I know where the black goes. Black is black and its going to be one fabric for this quilt.
This is a very different type of pattern to read. What I have been working with thus far have been traditional or machine piecing patterns. That is not how paper piecing works. Not at all. And here I am, teaching myself the system.
For me to even get started is a matter of breaking the color code first. There are only 12 different fabrics combined with black as the 13th color on the quilt. The chart to select the colors & yardage was simple enough, and easy to buy. I bought batiks that range in color from earthy browns and greens and go to the cranberry hues. Quilters in the store looked at my pattern and said batiks are a better choice.
What is throwing me for a loop was how to take the chart on page two, and figure out how these 12 colors are divided among 22 rows. There is a chart for that too on page four. I took the page with the swatches on it, and made notes on how many blocks each one is supposed to make. Ok, then there are two blocks, A block and B block. They mirror each other and this is what is called the Tessellating part of the pattern. The chart didn't list them separately, but did list the fabric with the "areas".
Wait. What?
Its a code. A simple code.
Yet, I find myself saying, "Wait. What?" pretty often. I've made more than a few copies of the pattern so I can write on it as I try to figure it out. Its probably more simple than I am making it, but it is one of my challenges for this year.
Now the instructions say how to cut the pieces in order to lay them down, sew them and cut them apart. It looks like this is done one block at a time, and that there is a fair amount of waste.
That concerned me at first, being as scrap happy as I am. I wondered if a person could make two of these quilts with the fabric...then I thought about the 72 blocks and laughed at how crazy that sounded. I would be lucky to make all 72 for one quilt. And here I am at the beginning of the project, wrapped in a deeper fog than I have ever seen, wondering if I could make two. Wait. No.
My laughter continued though I was the only one in the room to hear. You know that crazy sound someone makes when they are borderline scarey...reminding me of Renfield from the Dracula movies...heh, heh, heh, heh, heh.
Some scraps might come out of it. A lot of bits might go into the pet beds. And is it really that important to plan that far ahead? I was trying to figure out the difference between today and tomorrow.
I have been pretty spoiled with my previous projects. I was shown how to cut, how to pin, how to piece. This is not that. I am on my own and have watched the tutorials and read the patterns. I did ask both fabric stores in town if anyone taught paper piecing, and wasn't given much encouragement.
Rather than try to figure out the mysteries of life, I will give my mental resources another day of working out paper piecing. Luckily, there are also plans for the week that include scrap booking and a Winter Solstice project starting on the pet bed.
I read once that the world doesn't need any more spectators. I usually like being part of the action rather than sitting on the sidelines. It makes me feel alive to be involved.
Long ago, I thought that women who stayed at home opted out of being in the high action of life. Long ago, I thought that quilters led boring lives.
Yet, here I am at home and quilting. I am not bored nor am I boring.
This morning I cut the scraps from Jer's quilt into squares for my shoe-box stash, and put the bits into the basket for the pet blankets I want to make my Grand-dogs.
Then I set myself to the task of cleaning up the kitchen and planning a shepherd's pie for dinner tonight. This week, I have two days set aside for other work, such as the paper crafting and the Winter Solstice project. Because the scraps have been building up in my basket, the first thing I will do is make up the pillow form for one of them.
While I do have another project requiring some handwork, my next big quilt project is the paper piecing one. All my prep work is done for it...the patterns for each block are copied and they are swatched out with the fabric / colors.
At one time, I might have looked down my nose at those home-bodies. Goodness, I WAS part of the women's movement and heated discussions regarding those who were stay-at-home mothers or those who went to work and left their kids in day care. I know that there is neither a right nor a wrong with differing values and preferences. I know the difference between Pro-Life and Pro-Choice, and its more than just birth control.
Life and Choice. Its not an either / or. It is an AND.
I just didn't get it for me about quilting. I thought that my higher energy would always keep me in intense physical action. I never saw that this kind of action is just as intense, just as important, and just as much a contribution to how the world keeps spinning. I thought it was...well, I had no idea how much intensity there is to this sort of life and this sort of choice.
We do our part in so many ways. In this moment, I do my part by smiling, by knowing, by being alive.
Time is a precious gift, and when a person is committed to something, they find ways not to waste a moment.
When I discovered that the Post Office is closed on Monday, it gave me extra time to complete some swaps, and get ready for the two birthdays coming up (my younger Son and Granddaughter #4). Funny thing is that I didn't plan to go to the PO until Friday. Monday closing just makes the week feel like it has extra time to it.
The Kaleidoscopes quilt binding was finished last night and later today, I want to lay it across my ironing board, check seams, and clip loose threads.
Two of the 6" blocks came out to size and will be ready to ship out to Italy. This one is called a Garden Star.
Some time ago, I subscribed to a daily email that sends me 6" patterns. Thing is, sometimes the pattern is for either a 5" or 7" block. Eeek.
The second one is called an Indian Star. This one has been posted in a number of sizes, so it is popular to make for some reason. I did have to play with the layout because of the fabric with the stripey pattern, but that part was easy enough & looks nice.
Another project I worked on was my older Son's Constellation quilt. Its one of those scrappy quilts to make up 50 stars, and 49 hourglass blocks. I have loved selecting the pairs/patches. This represents 2 pairs of dark 2.5" squares made into 4-patches. The variety is really lovely. Each 4-patch is the center piece of the star block, so there is a lot more to do. The deadline for sending this is the end of September. I am really pacing myself on this one.
This is a perfect example of how to use time. There are many steps to complete on this quilt that can be a pick up, fill-in between projects. A little bit of pinning one time, a little piecing the next, and then pressing. There is always pressing. And I keep notes to self about what needs to happen next.
One of my friends mentioned that she was glad I had moved on regarding the furnace repair. That too has been a real time drain on me, limiting my desire to be too far away from a space heater. My body just stiffens up with the cold and that makes it too easy to huddle and give up my day. With the Monday closings for President's Day, I am giving the utility company an extra day to do whatever they are doing, even if Monday isn't a holiday for their offices.
I love the commitment I've made to myself, to my swaps, to my family for their special days. These things are what motivate me and make the time I have worth living.
When we ask for what we want, we are telling the world how much we want it in our lives. A big part of asking is knowing yourself first, and then being clear communicating the desire.
I know that my words have power, and when I joined what seems will be a monthly Prayer Flag swap, I was in the moment and didn't really have a long range concept. For my first PF, I made two, one to send that had an intention for my partner, and also hung the first (test) one I made in my back yard. In one very huge way, I didn't think it was good enough to be swapped. And yet, I love it.
The one I received had the word "Harmony" on it and hangs next to my North door entrance. It is so lovely that I know it would never go outdoors. I honor that fabric artist who was from Switzerland and did such an amazing job on it.
I looked at some pics of the Prayer Flag Project that are posted online and realized that for every very creative PF there might be 10 or more others that weren't posted. I always seem to struggle with my creativity and know I get into my head too much about it. It takes time for me to engage intuitively. That is why I have both an orphan bag and a wonky box for quilt blocks or borders that came out as not quite right or good enough. They will be repurposed eventually and no one will notice that they are either orphaned or wonky.
Partners for the February PF swap are assigned 2/1. There are specific guidelines for the size of the PF and that it is to be hung outdoors with unfinished edges so that it frays in the wind. It is to have a hem for the hanger so that folks can string them together if they so desire. The person I send to is not the person I receive from, and it could be different each month. Its really going to be an act of Spirit.
The only things that are in my control include my monthly intention, and the fabrics and designs I use. Yet, I still needed to use up thread on my bobbin so I could start a different project. For this one, the color of my thread didn't matter.
Remembering how Rex & I did our calendar quilts, we agreed that each month's block would have some visual cue for the way people think and see the calendar.
I pulled that pinkish solid for the foundation of the February PF and thought about the energy I wanted to call in or ask for. I wanted to make it in rows of color for the elements: Blue for Air, Red for Fire, Green for Water and Yellow for Earth. I pulled out the 3" square shoe-box and started pulling those colors, stitched them so they would layer over each other and blow in the winds together and independently. It has the look of a patchwork quilt, yet keeps all edges free to fray.
All the while my intention was different from how I put it into the quilts I make, yet seemed to want me to pay attention. What was I asking for and did I really want it? I kept sewing, trimming the bottoms and sides to keep it within the guidelines.
And then, I knew what I was asking for, and found a piece of fabric I bought that had words on it. This is the one I cut out.
HOPE.
No matter what other things in life I say I want, like peace, prosperity, good health, happiness, love, and even heat in my house, hope is what spins my creative, spiritual wheels.
With hope, there is life, there is joy, there is excitement and laughter. It doesn't mean that things are going to work out the way I plan because plans are often insignificant to the real workings of life. But it does mean that I can still experience the wonder and joy and excitement that is also part of the real workings of life.
The first PF I made & hung in my back yard was also infused with the intention of HOPE, which I only discovered after browsing through past posts here on my blog. Two very unplanned themes let me know that this is what I want, what I would like to make my personal prayer for this year. HOPE.
After thinking awhile, I realize what triggered my loss of hope were moments when the plans or expectations I had did not come into fruition. I hadn't picked myself up from certain losses. And in some cases, I was giving up because I could not see hope in other ways where change was possible.
The official swap doesn't start for a couple of weeks. I plan to make two; one for myself each month that I will hang outside on my trees or arbors that brings me hope and the second one for a partner.
Who you ask for more information makes a difference in how you reconsider any issue you are concerned with.
If the person you ask for input is on your same mental page, then its easy to go forward, and keep doing what you are doing the way you are doing it.
However, if they have a different opinion, then you have to think about yours. Different is just different and doesn't mean one of you is right and the other wrong. Just different.
I learned to do hand sewing for binding a long time ago, and while I have watched tutorials on it, I still like how this way goes. First, fabric gets cut into 2.5" strips that are joined together so that they will go around the entire quilt.
Then, joined strips are pressed open to reduce bulk and also pressed in half to make the strip 1.25" wide. It is pinned one side at a time, and then joined to the quilt sandwich with a 1/4" seam and will be folded over yet again. Each side is sewn, one at a time in order to make the mitered corner. Once it is completely attached, it is pinned for hand sewing.
The issue I always had was the mess the strip made while it hung down from the table to the floor and gathered around my legs and feet.
Then I watched a video where the quilter in it said she rolled hers into a ball and pinned it. Watching yet another video, another quilter thought to put it into an empty oatmeal box with a slit cut into the lid so the fabric would pass through it. I've opted for the rolled ball because it is easily made without needing another tool, such as the oatmeal box with a slit in the lid. Besides, the time I tried it, there were more steps to take to get it to work. This ball idea works for me.
I need 'easy' at the end stage of my quilt-making projects. By the time I get to adding the binding, I am looking at the deadline, considering shipping options, and trying to decide if I want to pre-wash it or send it off with washing instructions.
Binding is an important part of the quilt. Studies say the first thing to shred on a utility quilt (one that is used rather than hung) is the binding. It is recommended that good fabric is used and this method of reinforcing layers be added for durability.
I plan to pre-wash this one and then spend some slow time checking it for any glitches in either my hand quilting, the mitered corners, or machine stitching. Its easy enough to repair any popped stitch before it heads off to Minnesota where I might never see it again.
Whenever a project gets to this stage, I am reminded of times when I was more rushed and didn't check it over and over again. Nightmare things. Once a mitered corner popped free. Once a pin was caught on the inside within the sandwich. I was able to fix both these issues but saw them myself. No one told me. No one pointed out the ...horror.
So yes, I am my best guide and worst critic all rolled up in one. Its not so hard to understand. I want to do my best. This is why continuing education is important to me whether it is for quilting, for gardening, for communication skills or anything else. Experts are out there just waiting to make a difference.
