Someone else's stash

After teaching this morning, i ran over to the fabric store to see if i could find some great felt for the needle books. Unfortunately no one had the heather bailey felt.  But i did stumble onto some nice wool felt in limited colors.  So i picked up a few pieces and will try them out tomorrow.  I also bought a little silk duponi to try out as well.  .
This evening, Gordon and  i went over to Dad's house to go thru some of moms stash.  She has two full dressers full of fabric everything from yards to fat quarters and some scraps. It's all sorted by color per drawer. It is a daunting project. I can understand dad's loss when he looks at it, especially as he doesnt sew, but has helped her over the years with many projects. I was only able to make it thru one dresser, before i had filled three boxes, and 2 brown paper shopping bags.  So much to go thru.  I did stumble across a find, a box full of silk fat quarters in in solids and prints.I love silk  Also some squares that had been sewn together for i dont know what,  she had several projects where squares were cut, or some were sewn together but she doesn't store the directions with the project.  Ohh a little frustrating but i guess it will make same interesting thinking while figuring what to do.  In the meantime, I plan on going thru some of this tomorrow and running it over to project linus.  Mom donated many quilts to the local veterans hospital for patients, army family services and some for a few other places.  She was even kind enough to give me one, that i gave to friend who has been fighting cancer.  So much of a person goes into quilt making, they just seem like they're filled with love somehow.  So I may not be quilter like her, but i can pass some more of her kindness around by donating some of her supplies.
Happy weekend
t

Needle kits

Came up with a new idea today after viewing some of the fabrics and new felts on Heather Bailey.  She has such wonderful colors.  I want to make small point shoe  sewing kits for ballerina's.  Kind of like a needle book, but with a place for scissors, and floss for sewing ribbons and elastic.  I plan to make a mock up of this in the next day or two and will post it.  I'm hoping i can find some Heathers felt around here, or i will have to mail order it.

Mom's quilt

Well finally I have some pictures of Mom's quilt.. I finished the quilting on the big machine, and now i've brought it home to put the binding on.  It's so bittersweet to work on.  I know it gave her so much joy when she was working on it. But to finish it for her is so hard. she did such beautiful work, and i have mostly done hand quilting and fairly small projects so its just daunting over all. Hopefully it wont take so long to do the binding, but i know i plan on hand stitiching the finishing seem.

The photo on the left below is taken from the landing on the second floor

 The quilt is laid out here in my entry way. On the right photo's still being taken from stairwell

Hermi is my trusted sewing partner.  She loves my sewing room, and especially tulle and patterns. She immediately jumped on this when i laid it out on the floor to  take photos.  I wish i had remembered to take the camera and take photos when it was on the quilter.

Trying to get a picture of the quilting on larger squares, but its a light thread that blends well on top and is hard to see in photo..

the quiliting on the smaller green blocks, kind of a celtic knot type pattern. I haven't measured it but i think its a double bed size. The backing- she had a light thread in the bobbin so it really shows up here especially if you make a mistake.

Fall is here!

I love Seattle and surrounding area in the fall.  The days are usually sunny and crisp, and the trees are starting to turn into glorious reds and yellows.  You can almost smell apple cider in the air. It makes you feel like you should be baking and walking in the woods at the same time.

 My lovely daughter has gone back to classes at the local college.  She experienced her first time driving to campus and the quixotic event of parking on a college campus.  Not being able to find a spot in the parking garage, and having to search out a new lot.  Eventually following others until finding herself having to parrallel park on a hill.  Realize she's only had her license for 2 weeks. All was well until she had to go back and find her car.  I got the call of I'm trying to find my car, but dont have any idea where it is. Fortunately she was laughing.  Her car is a classic Saturn Coupe and does not have the alarm pog. So its kind of like going to and amusement park and not remembering where you parked.  Today she headed back to school, giving herself and extra hour of time.  She was well prepared for the parking onslaught, but found it much easier to park.  Ah success, parking with ease, and making it to class on time.
Tomorrow, i head over to dad's to work the quilt.  [ Credit for the word cloud goes to Sweet Sassafras-who was kind of enough to allow me to borrow this]
Have a lovely day.

treva

Inspiration!

Yes, sitting here thinking i need  to finish projects, but that does not always inspire one to move and do them.
Sat down with my daughter last night going thru the new Burda and found several cute pieces she would like to have.  She has a rather classic but fun style - at 17 it has to be fun, independent, and classic.  Her comment one day, as we passed Talbots, if i was older i think i might shop there, meanwhile she does shop at the Black and White store, Antrhropologie, and several independents.  Some of her favorite finds from stores in San Francisco, and Vancouver, BC.   So this was exciting, to see what was interesting her from this issue.

Then having a few minutes to sit, and not finding much on, i turned on Sewing with Nancy, and i have to say after watching her for so many years, there's not usually alot of new for me, but she and Mary Milari were working on some cute sweatshirts for kids, and i have to say, I'm a sucker for sewing for kids.  I think i like to so much, because kids, don't really know what goes into it, but if they like it, they wear it and wear it, til it wears out.  My daughter had two real favorites like that when she was about 3.  One was a sweatshirt out made into a cardigan.  I had stamped teapots, and roses onto fabric squares and then sewn them onto the bottom of the shirt.  split the middle and blanket stitched. She still remembers this, but i dont know if i saved it.  The other was a dress i smocked for her, and she picked the fabric out.  It was tiny buttons print in very brite colors.  I smocked it with a bright turquoise thread and bright pink.  Because she picked out the fabric i think it was her favorite.  The same year i made her a flannel night gown out of a tiny red and white plaid, and smocked holly and ivy across the front and around the cuffs.  She wore this until it completely wore out, at about the age of 7. 

So now i'm inspired with some ideas for a few childrens sweatshirts, and few new things for my daughter.  I know to keep inspired, i will have to start something new, as well as finish some of the other projects to make more room. 

So i know what i'm doing this weekend, i hope you find something inspiring as well!

hoarding does it create clutter?

i fluctuate between being a horder ( which my spouse would easily confirm) and a tosser.  i'm sentimental and hold onto so many things that i might want to revisit someday, or think my daughter might want to have in the future.  i love looking at photo albums, and cards that my mother saved (example congratulations from my own birth, birthday cards for years and years, newspaper articles, etc)  these things have some kind of merit to them for history at least.  Then theres the sewing and craft hording. i used to save every scrap of fabric, or any item that could be used for craft project.  When i was an avid rubber stamper, i went around looking for things to stamp on, or to decorate a card or box. I have boxes, of balloons, dum dum suckers (they make great little add ons for birthday cards and packages) charms,buttons, ribbons, tiny pom poms for reindeer noses on cards, etc.  You name it, i probably have some of it stashed.  When ever i go to these drawers and think i should clean a bit out - forget it. i no longer hold the same love for my precious rubberstamp collection.  i have over time sold many of them, and one day I took a whole box to goodwill store.  Other times, i think oh this was one of my favorites and i made so much with it i cant possibly get rid of it. i am faced with the fact that i truly need to get rid of about 1000 stamps.  This means deciding which ones will go to new homes.  Ugh.  i hate the decision process choosing which stamp will be able to stay, and which ones will adventure to someone elses collection. 
This extends over to my fabric collection as well.  i finally allowed myself to put a few pieces that were good sized remnants left over from making curtains, and a few home dec projects for sale in a garage sale we had. No thoughts about it, UNTIL the pieces left for new homes.  Sudden thoughts of i should have kept that i could still use it. i'm not selling it for enough.  Oh my, this is how it goes.  So yes in reality i have a huge fabric stash, and i'm suppossed to go thru my mother in laws stash- which by far she had more than i do - as she's a quilter, and has tons of pieces put aside- in fact three separate dressers full.  its daunting, because my mind says oh these are special, she chose them and planned on using them or did use them.  We cant get rid of this, it means something.  But in reality i know, i cant possibly keep all of it.  So sad, back to that decision process. i need to head over to the house she shared with my father in law, and work some more on her quilt.  Set up on the long arm it fills a room that is about 14 ft long, and i keep having to walk around from one side to the other.  i'm not so afraid of the machine anymore, but its not something i feel in charge of yet.
By the time i do, we will probably sell the machine.  i dont think my father in law wants to store it indefinitely, and i dont quilt enough to make owning this monsterous machine worthwhile. And although its been suggested by a dear friend that i keep it and make a buisness of quiliting others quilts for them, i dont think thats for me. i would hate to mess up someone elses piece of work, and the stress would be too much. So these thoughts on hording are related to the clutter accumulated in my sewing  & craft room. i'm not a neatnick by anymeans-i'm one of those artist that goes from one project to another sometimes within minutes of finishing one, so i may not clean up my space for at least 5-6 projects.  Yes it is and can be scary, i usually have a good idea where something is, but should anyone move any item, things shift and then things disappear. Oh my.  My loving spouse refers to it as my "black hole." i'm hoping i can declutter my space some soon. in order to work, dream and imagine,  i need some clear thinking space instead of the clutter that crowds my room and seeps into brain.  The one thing about having a dedicated space for sewing/crafting is you can close the door and leave, and its not until you come back that your faced with whatever you left behind- this can be good and bad, as one is never forced to clean up until you can no longer wade through.  Coming soon, pictures of  mom's quilt on the quilter as i work to finish it.

Starting anew

For 12 years I've been working for a dance company making costumes for ballet & modern dance, and several big productions including Dracula, Nutcracker, Coppellia, Don Q, among others. It started as just a small project.  I was working on smocked dress for my newborn niece, and the next thing i knew i was being asked to make garments for two people whom i did not know, measurements were being sent to me from two different places, I had no patterns, and did not know the story.  The only thing i knew was that i was chosen for my sewing abilities.  Aagghh was all i could think.  Then i was handed two of the ugliest pieces of fabric, one a sandwashed silk reminscent of puke green/gold and the other similar color but gold dominant, jacauard print for home decor.  The individuals were to show up 3 days before the performances. so they had to mostly be done.  I had made theatre costumes which are very different from ballet/dance costumes.  Theatre costumes are usually made to be a bit sturdier than regular clothes every thing is faced, in ballet, everything is suppossed to flow and fit like a glove.  Oh my, was all i could think.  These fabrics don't offer flow nor would they be able to fit like a glove because of that.  I also learned just how picky dancers can be.

 The next year, i was working for a brand new dance company. The first show would be nutcracker, requiring tutu's romantic and pancake, fairys, party girls, soldiers, clowns, a mouse queen instead of king, basically a cast of 35 with most have 3-4 parts each, i designed and created over 120 costumes for that show.  I found out several things about volunteer help.  1) its rarely enough.   2) NO ONE ADMITS TO KNOWING HOW TO SEW these days- not even hooks and eyes, its quite pathetic.  3) When someone tells you, that you will have lots of help, never ever believe them.  4) if you think someone can cut out fabric/patterns for you with out knowledge of sewing, think again.  Oh these were just a few things i learned that year.  I also learned that if you succeed at an impossible task, you will be asked to perform magic, and frequently heard coming from my mouth, was "am i suppossed to pull that out of my ass?" and somehow i almost always did.  The director i worked for was full of impossibilities.  She would forget that i was 1 person, i did not have a staff.  Over the years i got used to it, but never accepted it.  This year at the end of the season in June, i decided it was enough.  Enough late nights, back aches, running around looking for fabric in the limited local shops we have here, and online.  Time to move on.

So here i am, moving on.  My daughter the High School Senior (often referred to as Red) is doing the same.  She has danced with this company for 10+ years.  But this summer while gone to san francisco she was asked to stay there for the school year to dance full time.  This we could not agree to, she's not quite 18, but it made us all aware she needed to work into some other companies and gain a more varied experience. She is often my inspiration, or muse.  I think of so many things i want to create when i'm working on something for her. So this year, i've decided i would come thru on many items that i have promised her the last few years.  Including her own tutu- if you've made a pancake tutu -you know it can take a 100hours. the romantic tutus are much less complicated, and even though they are longer, are far easier in contrast. I have projects i want to finish for my home and myself.  My drapes i started last year for my living room, in a beautiful botanical print on black. Small bags for girls with embroidered dancers and fairys with jewels of course and lots of trims- i made a mock up of one, and never found the time to finish. Some things are difficult and others easy. My one big challenge is to finish the quilt my mother in law was making when she passed away in june.  She had made the quilt top, and got it onto her long arm quilting machine. She set the pattern for the quiliting on top, and then got very ill.  And now I person who has never used a long arm am faced with finishing it.

Part of this mission is to make things for myself as i lose weight.  Because i want these to be inbetween clothes, i want to makes things that i like and meet some of the design styles that i've been wanting to wear, but hoping during this year i can also  lose 65 lbs. that have creeped back on my medium short frame.  They hinder my outdoor activites, and i no longer want these pounds to be part of who i am.  I know i can do this, as well as satisfy my creative needs and thats what this blog is all about.