Getting Down to the Wire

We have been experiencing an incredibly mild fall. As a result, it came as a shock to me last week to realize how little time is left before the holidays. Since it has also been a very busy year, I have had to revise my plans for making things as gifts. There are two that I still hope to make before our larger family celebration, but I will have to buy most gifts this year.

We did manage to get out to my quilt guild's show. I hope you enjoy some of the pictures. This is by no means a significant sample, but should give you an idea of what we enjoyed there.

Until next time, I wish you peace.

Finally Organized!

I realized last week that I am finished - finally! - organizing the new studio. It has taken me about four months, due to everything going on around here, but it's done. While I still have to go through magazines, filing, and sort out some small containers, I can use the space and know where to find what I need. With the holidays approaching, it is just in time.

Even though it still looks messy due to the paper and containers that need to be processed, I thought you would like to see the new space. It includes not only my sewing studio, but all of my art and needlework supplies and doll-making materials. To my delight, I finally have a design wall. I was also able to fit in my books. All of this is a real blessing, since I no longer have to go to different levels or rooms to access needed items.

In the process of organization, too, I was able to identify the WIP's I am interested in pursuing, cull patterns and books that no longer work for me, and set up projects so that I am more likely to get them done. It bodes well, and I am looking forward to a creative and productive season. I hope you have one, too.

Until next time, I wish you peace.

Seems Like Constant Motion

The grandchildren have now flown back home to be with their parents. They return to school in a couple of weeks. During the last few weeks they were here, we made the trip to the zoo. We also had another chance for a fishing trip, where each of the kids caught fish, which we then had for a late afternoon snack.

I have made a little more progress in organizing the studio, going through two sets of magazine subscriptions, and working on finding places for the things I need to keep. Additionally, I am working on an autograph quilt from the wedding. An example of the basic blocks, which my son's MIL, Jan, made from fabrics in both of our stashes, is shown above. (The example is not one of hers. I found it at Strawberry Patch Quiltworks.) I am making a center piece with embroidery that will also contain a picture of the bride and groom. Once I have that done, I'll piece the top and hand it back to Jan for backing, quilting, and binding. (She has a long arm machine.)

Seems like it never slows down around here.

Until next time, I wish you peace.

Informal survey

Japanese Dreams - framed quilt

Butterfly brooch (about 2 12" wing tip to wing tip)

Butterfly pincushion (The ruler is not attached.)

Table topper

Table runner

Baby quilt - butterflies

Priority quilt (Approximately 8 1/2" x 11")

Baby quilt - stars

Bookshelf quilt (about 4' long)

I am going to really put myself out there this time. Each of the items above is a piece I have designed and created. I am curious to know if you would be interested in purchasing anything similar to any of these pieces, and if so, what you would consider an appropriate price for it. If you would, please respond in the comments with identification of any piece and a price range. If you would not, please let me know why not. Thank you, in advance, for your help.

Until next time, I wish you peace.

Making a Difference

NASA Captures "EPIC" Earth Image

The wild weather we have been experiencing around the world has me thinking about climate change and ways we can do something about it. I've come across some very interesting articles recently that illustrate possibilities.

Some of the Most Delicious Foods in the World Are Disappearing

The following is from Meg Niederhofer: Celebrating Gainesville's passion for trees:

Most urban trees grow yards; they belong to individuals, but we all benefit from them. Rain falling onto branches and leaves is dispersed, meaning gradual absorption into the soil as opposed to sheeting over the ground that causes erosion and flooding.

Likewise the sun’s rays are intercepted (shade), foliage absorbs air pollutants, and beneficial root fungi take up phosphorus and heavy metals that would otherwise pollute ground water. During major storm events Gainesville’s abundant tree canopy intercepts the winds, deflecting damaging force away from homes.

Home Sweet Home by Carolyn Pearce - this has sparked some ideas for pieces focusing on places and peoples that have not received a lot of attention in the artistic community nor the media.

Seeing this: EARTH STORIES led me to The Nature Conservancy and INTERNATIONAL CRANE FOUNDATION. 

Making Do . . . - reminded me of the times I sat with my grandmother while she darned socks or sewed on buttons.

And then, there was this from a book I've been reading:

[O]ld quilts made from recycled fabrics reminded Japanese needlewomen of the past, of the days when their mothers patched clothing or made household items from scraps. It didn't matter that these quilts had tears or worn patches in them, this was part of their charm. We Japanese have traditionally cherished old fabrics, and the idea of creating something artistic and useful from scraps appealed to our ideal of beauty.  (Japanese Quilts by Jill Liddell & Yuko Watanabe (c) 1988, p ix)

It ties in, of course, to using recycled, found, and vintage materials in my work.

What do you think? Is there something you would like to suggest to others?

Until next time, I wish you peace.

(Note: I provide links to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply affiliation by me with any site.)

Surprises & Milestones

We had a short vacation, which allowed us to go to some local preserves. It was special to see not only summer vegetation, egrets and a family of ducks, but also a pair of swans.

On another note, while doing research for a book I am writing, I read a book called Quilts in the Attic: Uncovering the Stories of the Quilts We Love by Karen S. Musgrave ((c) 2012 Voyageur Press (c) 2012 Text Karen Musgrave; MBI Publishing Co., Minneapolis, MN). There was a chapter on Ruby Short McKim, who designed quilts for the Kansas City Star, among other things. Today, her granddaughter, Merrily McKim Tuohey, maintains a website dedicated to her grandmother's work: McKIM TUOHEY STUDIO, and one with Ruby's entire 1931 book: 101 Patchwork Patterns. I thought you might enjoy having the links.

The other thing that I have been doing is sorting through craft supplies to pull out things I will probably not use. Now, I have to decide what to do with them.

To my surprise, too, I discovered this is my 100th blog post. It seems like a milestone that should be recognized. Perhaps it is enough to know that it is and see where that takes me.

Until next time, I wish you happy surprises, peace and all good.

(Note: I provide links to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply affiliation by me with any site.)

Revving up Creative Juices

I was reminded of our trip to the Seattle area in 2013 while browsing through some "Quilt Sampler" magazines. We happened to be out there when Keepsake Cottage Fabrics was one of the featured shops. Oddly enough, I hadn't known about it until I got into the shop and picked up the Spring/Summer 2013 issue of the magazine. (It was already on my list of things to see, of course.) We also made the trip to the Public Market and Undercover Quilts, which is above the Pike Place Fish Co.

I am also fortunate that I have access to a lot of really nice quilt shops in my area like Top Shelf Quilts, Countryside Village Gifts, Thimbles, and B&J Sewing Center and much more. Of course, I have reached a point where I am no longer purchasing much of anything, since I need to use what I have and want to use more recycled materials. I have a lot of "Works in Progress," that are either already begun or planned with materials set aside for them.

Another thing that I have begun to think about (and I apologize to all of you who don't want to hear it) is getting ready for Christmas. Because we have a large family party and I continue to give gifts to all of the children through high school, I have to think about it early in the year. We have had three new babies join the family in the last two years, which is just about evening out the list after taking off the older children who have graduated from high school. At any rate, my gift list includes close to two dozen people. We are also going to have another new baby in the family next March, which means a baby shower fairly soon after Christmas. The nice thing about the need to plan for all that is that it gets me out of summer mode and into creating, again.

How do you get yourself motivated?

Wishing you, as always, peace and all good.

(Note: I provide links to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply affiliation by me with any site.)

Living in Harmony

My break from the studio was punctuated by a flurry of activity in visiting, and our granddaughter providing a reminder that she had been here:

We got the chance to have several days together, sharing meals, stories, reconnecting with old friends, and getting lots of hugs. After they left, I was able to return to the studio and begin working, again, on the quilt. Some of the pieces are now up on the design wall:

Last week, the Vatican released  Pope Francis's latest encyclical: Laudato Si: On Care of Our Common Home. While it is a long document, it is worth taking time to read. In it, he addresses the impacts of continued disregard of the evidence of climate change, as well as suggesting how one can make a difference. Since he considers not only lifestyle changes but political and community actions, it presents a variety of ways one can influence the state of the entire world for years to come.

I found several sections especially interesting. For example, on lifestyle changes:

“211. . . . . A person who could afford to spend and consume more but regularly uses less heating and wears warmer clothes, shows the kind of convictions and attitudes which help to protect the environ­ment. There is a nobility in the duty to care for creation through little daily actions, and it is wonderful how education can bring about real changes in lifestyle. Education in environmental responsibility can encourage ways of acting which directly and significantly affect the world around us, such as avoiding the use of plastic and paper, reducing water consumption, separating refuse, cooking only what can reasonably be consumed, showing care for other living beings, using public transport or car-pooling, planting trees, turning off unnecessary lights, or any number of other practices. All of these reflect a generous and worthy creativity which brings out the best in human beings. Reusing something instead of immediately discarding it, when done for the right reasons, can be an act of love which expresses our own dignity.”

“212. We must not think that these efforts are not going to change the world. They benefit society, often unbeknown to us, for they call forth a goodness which, albeit unseen, inevitably tends to spread. Furthermore, such actions can restore our sense of self-esteem; they can enable us to live more fully and to feel that life on earth is worthwhile.” 

As well as:

“222. Christian spirituality proposes an alternative understanding of the quality of life, and encourages a prophetic and contemplative lifestyle, one capable of deep enjoyment free of the obsession with consumption. We need to take up an ancient lesson, found in different religious traditions and also in the Bible. It is the conviction that “less is more”. A constant flood of new consumer goods can baffle the heart and prevent us from cherishing each thing and each moment. To be serenely present to each reality, however small it may be, opens us to much greater horizons of understanding and personal fulfilment. Christian spirituality proposes a growth marked by moderation and the capacity to be happy with little. It is a return to that simplicity which allows us to stop and appreciate the small things, to be grateful for the opportunities which life affords us, to be spiritually detached from what we possess, and not to succumb to sadness for what we lack. This implies avoiding the dynamic of dominion and the mere accumulation of pleasures.

“223. Such sobriety, when lived freely and consciously, is liberating. It is not a lesser life or one lived with less intensity. On the contrary, it is a way of living life to the full. In reality, those who enjoy more and live better each moment are those who have given up dipping here and there, always on the look-out for what they do not have. They experience what it means to appreciate each person and each thing, learning familiarity with the simplest things and how to enjoy them. So they are able to shed unsatisfied needs, reducing their obsessiveness and weariness. Even living on little, they can live a lot, above all when they cultivate other pleasures and find satisfaction in fraternal encounters, in service, in developing their gifts, in music and art, in contact with nature, in prayer. Happiness means knowing how to limit some needs which only diminish us, and being open to the many different possibilities which life can offer.”

And on community work vs. political action:

“232. Not everyone is called to engage directly in political life. Society is also enriched by a countless array of organizations which work to promote the common good and to defend the environment, whether natural or urban. Some, for example, show concern for a public place (a building, a fountain, an abandoned monument, a landscape, a square), and strive to protect, restore, improve or beautify it as something belonging to everyone. Around these community actions, relationships develop or are recovered and a new social fabric emerges. Thus, a community can break out of the indifference induced by consumerism.”

The press conference at which the encyclical was launched produced a document that is also worth looking at. Vatican Press Conference - Presentation of "Laudato Si - On Care of Our Common Home" -June 18, 2015. (To read it in English, one needs to scroll down.) I found the section on the science extremely informative.

My own preferences for action tend towards lifestyle changes and spreading the word to others. In that light, I wanted to suggest a few other sites to check out. These businesses present a variety of ways in which materials can be fully used and ways to provide jobs and income.

Reuseworks is a non-profit that conducts worker training and uses waste and discarded materials for its products.

Rpreservedcom is a business providing upcycled and vintage items.

The Knittin' Kitten is a shop in Portland, Oregon that buys previously owned but not used craft supplies from estates and people who are downsizing and sells them both in their shop and on Etsy. They also create some art and craft pieces for sale.

I am sure that there must be a variety of other businesses and community activities addressing these ideas. I invite you to add any of which you are aware to the comments.

Limits and Possibilities

There is a lot going on in my life right now. One of my nieces just had a baby boy. A nephew is getting married next week. One of my sons has a birthday next week and so do the grandchildren. I've been slowly working on the quilt I mentioned last time, and have chosen a gift to make for another nephew who is getting married in the fall.

House and gold finches on thistle feeder

At the same time, I have been enjoying the brilliant colors of the birds in their spring plumage, listening to birdsong, learning new things (like yoga), and trying to get out more. In that last context, I have been finding out more about my limits. As much as I would like to think otherwise, apparently, there was a reason my doctor told me not to push myself. So, I am having to learn what that means in real terms and content myself with building up activities slowly. Obviously, this has an impact on what I can do, overall, like working on the business.

A few weeks ago, I came across a quiz I had taken earlier about finding one's life purpose. The question that hit me was what you would do if you knew you were going to die in a year. My response had been that I would finish as many of my works in progress as possible. That is what prompted me to look, again, at the quilt I'd put aside because of the pattern I had been trying to use. The new pattern is simpler and goes together more quickly, which makes it much easier to handle.

What does this mean for building up the business? At this point, that is unclear. I continue to gather ideas and work on techniques, but have not been pushing myself to get product ready. I am rather hoping to have a breakthrough on that front this summer, but am resigned to the idea that it depends more on incremental progress. In the meantime, I will continue to view each day as open to new possibilities and enjoy what I can.

I wish you good weather, happy relationships, and enjoyable experiences.

Blooming

There has been a lot going on around here in the past couple of weeks, not the least of which was the change in the weather, which resulted in this:

It is glorious to be able to open up the house, hear the wildlife, and feel a warm breeze. We've also had the excitement of preparations for a new great-nephew and a wedding in the family.

I've begun working on a quilt with these:

It is one that I have put off working on for quite a while because I was unhappy with the pattern I had been using. I made a change to the pattern choice and feel much more comfortable about it.

I was able to find information on ways to modify the doll heads, so I will be going forward with that at some point. Prior to that, however, I need to prepare for a visit from my grandchildren. Since they moved across the country when they were babies, it has been a long time since my house needed to be child-proofed.

Until next time, I wish you peace and all good things.

New Year's Changes

The past few months have been busy ones, as I cleared up works in progress and prepared to push forward with the business. I finished the second table runner I mentioned earlier, and made three of Melly Testa’s “Sew-plies purses” as gifts.

I’ve also spent a lot of time researching online shops and firming up the types of items I want to offer in mine. In addition, I took care of several general business related issues, like making sure my tax id is current, checking in with my local communities to make sure I am compliant, and getting business insurance.

I have started work on several different products, each with their own possible trajectories, and hope to have a shop opened soon.

My plans for the year also call for blogging more often, in hopes of better connecting with you.

My hope is that 2015 will be a wonderful year for all of us.

Wishing you peace & all good.