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.

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.

Goal Setting and Other Thoughts

These lovely quilts were in the space where our family celebration was held.

While I am still getting ready for my nuclear family gathering at Christmas, the larger family party is over and my thoughts are turning to doing my year-end inventory and goal setting exercises. To help myself do that this year, I have been working with Gail McMeekin's book The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women: A Portable Mentor. She presents a series of "challenges" to get you to think about your creative process and work towards making a list of goals.

In addition, I have been trying to be more aware of the things that capture my attention. I was reminded of Ragfinery by this video VTV at WWU's video. It, in turn, has reminded me to add recycling/upcycling to the list of items I want to be sure to include in my goals.

On another note, we are still dealing with above normal temperatures, and with a minor blip toward normal ones over next weekend, are supposed to continue to have them for the next couple of weeks. I find it truly disturbing. At the same time, I am happy that an accord has been reached in Paris on climate change. You can read more about that here: Nations Approve Landmark Climate Accord in Paris.

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.

Making Do - Making Use

My mother told me a story of making do during World War II. One of the things rationed was clothing, so she used an old suit of my father’s and “made it over” for herself. Since Dad was over 6 feet tall and Mom was 5’2”, there would have been plenty of fabric. My grandmother, whether as a result of the Great Depression or rationing during WWII, repeated the mantra "Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, or Do without" often.

Explaining Rationing
Palmer, Alfred T., photographer
United States. Office of War Information.

Thinking about those things reminded me of all the heirlooms I have been given over the years. I have buttons from my grandmother and mother, embroidered handkerchiefs from a variety of women, crocheted doilies and runners, fabrics, a wedding gown, and much more. Since I have also been sewing and crafting for most of my life, I have a variety of items that are now considered vintage in my stash.

In addition, I have doll parts from my sister, who made porcelain dolls in various sizes; denim from jeans that can no longer be worn; orphan quilt blocks; beads, ribbons, and various items that started life in other capacities. All of these things seem to be begging to be re/upcycled. So,I am incorporating them into the products I am creating as a way of making use of beautiful materials and keeping them out of the waste stream, as I did with this piece.

Scattered Violets

It is also a way of using things that would have to be created anew and saving the energy that would be expended. That seems especially important in light of the report from NOAA and NASA that came out today: nasa-determines-2014-warmest-year-in-modern-record/. 

Reclaiming Leftovers

One of the things I am committed to is striving to keep as much as possible from going to waste and ending up in landfills. We reduce our use of many things; compost as much as possible; reuse paper, plastics, aluminum, etc.; recycle everything our local system accepts; donate reusable items; and try to reclaim anything that can be used in new ways.

Like Christmas cards

 

 

Bubble wrap 

  

Magazines & wallpaper

Recently, Ami Simms posted a blog entry challenging people to use leftover fabric. The 2014 Crumb Quilt Challenge

It included a video from one of her classes. It was about how one of the students uses the leftover pieces from quilt blocks. Crumb Quilts

About the same time, I happened to see a video of Noriko Endo on The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson & Ricky Tims describing how she creates her pieces with what she calls “confetti.“ There are two videos available onYouTube: Confetti1 and Confetti2
I started thinking about using up the fabric scraps I have been accumulating over the years.  

Since I often work on projects that require coordinated fabrics, I tend to forget about all the bits and “crumbs” available to me. While I’ve considered techniques like Noriko’s in the past, I haven’t done much with them. These videos seem to be a wake-up call to think about them in different ways.

How about you? Do you have additional ways of using up those pieces? If not, do the examples spur any new ideas? I'd love to hear how you would use some of your scraps to create new works of art.

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

Creating from the Heart

The events of the last month, including the snow and cold, forced me to slow down and take some time to think about things.

 

Snow - Day 1

Snow - Day 2

Like many of you, I find myself contemplating the events of the last year and making plans for the new one. In addition to other things, 2014 needs to be a major decision year for me with regards to direction of the business. By next year this time, I need to have decided whether or not to continue because of certain actions that need to be taken then.

This post at pomegranatesandpaper really spoke to the kinds of feelings I've been having about the process this time. I find I need to step back from the push to create for the market and do more to create from my heart. Whether I will end up spending more time in the studio or less remains to be seen. I plan to work on a number of things in 2014, including gifts, my book, downsizing the stuff I own, and experimenting with techniques. As often as possible, I plan to share my progress with you.

After making the quilt and quilt top I showed you in November, I pushed forward on three additional gifts. None of them was completed in time, though I showed pictures of their progress to their recipients. So, I can show you, too.

 

This is a Mill Hill Pin Whimsy kit, called "Dazzling Dragonfly."

 

This table runner, which has not yet had that border attached, let alone the binding, is from a kit by Sally Holzem, called "Tuscan Nights." I did alter the border strips. 

 

 

Finally, this table runner is my own design. I'm currently working on the quilting. I am using a variegated thread and hope it will help the border to blend more with the center panel. There were also two pot holders that go with it, but I did not get a picture of them.

 

 

In hopes of giving you a little something to smile about, I'd also like to share this portrait of a little fellow who was enterprising in his search for food he knew was hiding on our patio.

 

 

Wishing you peace and all good.