Not a Quilt

Monday week ago I spent nearly all day in my studio, something I hadn't really ever done before. Have to say, that was pretty fun. :-)

With adding in gardening responsibilities, I rearranged my weekly schedule.  I also wanted to move my stamping to another day because the previous schedule made it hard to get to.  So yesterday I spent the morning working on quilts.  After lunch I worked on some general sewing and then worked on Christmas cards.

General sewing is also a task I have had a hard time getting to as well, not being inclined to use my quilting time for such.  Quilt…sew, quilt….mend, hmmm, let me think.  Yep, quilting won every time.  

As I have mentioned in my posts on organizing, time is like space.  Picture the week as a closet with seven shelves.  How much stuff is put on those shelves and how it is arranged can make for a peaceful, effective schedule or it can make for chaos.  So, for me at least, I have found that if I don't have a space on the shelf for an activity, it just never gets done.  If I try to cram too much onto a shelf, I get stressed.  I want to be steadily busy, but not start the day running and hope I keep up. Some days end up being like that, even with planning, but planning helps make them happen occasionally rather than constantly.  

So, now I have time in the schedule for general sewing, and my first projects were some clothes adjustments.  Being a person on the short side, hemming is just something I plan to do when I buy clothes, so that was first up on my to-dos.  Next up was finding a way to adjust some pants that were basically new, but were now a size too big.  Mulled over ideas and talked it over with my younger daughter, a graduate in fashion design.  Decided on trying to insert some elastic in the waistband and had good success with that.  Finally, needing a belt for some other pants that tended to be a little on the loose-side, I took sturdy ribbon I had in my miscellaneous stash and made a belt.  

I would still rather quilt though…..   

An Unexpected Find

A few weeks ago we were trying to make some room in one of the cabinets at my quilt group.  I pulled out what looked like a green suitcase and asked what it was.  "An old sewing machine," was the reply.  I opened it up and there was a Bernina 730 Record.  My eyes got big, and since no one uses it, suggested that we could sell it and have the church put the money in our group's budget.  

I brought it home to see what condition it was in.  It was missing all the accessories except the basic straight stitch/zigzag foot that was on it.  The machine was in good shape and ran well, but the foot control would hesitate and then go too fast, making it hard to control the sewing speed.  I seriously considered buying it myself, but after doing some research online, saw that it would be difficult and expensive to replace the foot control.  

Still, Grandma Bernie, as I dubbed her, is a really neat machine and I will be sorry to let her go.  They just don't make machines like that anymore, sadly.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Being our first winter garden and the growing of greens, we are definitely trying to figure out how to best work with these plants as we go along.  So far so good.

Though the harvest is still mostly a bit here and a bit there, we are getting enough to be a good supplement to the greens I buy at the store and farmer's market.

In this post, I wanted to share some of my latest favorite gardening tools/supplies.  First, the above harvesting basket was something I bought a good while back, about the time we put our garden to rest.  While it can't support a heavy load of produce, it is perfect for greens.  I set it over the sink after harvesting so I can rinse off the leaves before I put them in the frig.

I purchased this watering wand in the gardening department of our local grocery store, and what a great tool it has turned out to be!  I can set the water to be like a gentle rainfall and give the plants a good soaking without the water running off a lot.  The long handle makes it easy to reach all the plants.  

Since wet flip flops make for treacherous walking, a couple of years ago I bought these Crocs to use as yard shoes for when I am hauling sprinkles around the yard for watering.  Knowing that bare feet are not very pleasant once the weather turns cold, I checked to see if Crocs had boots.  Sure enough! I ordered some right away.  While I am not generally a person who gets excited about shoes, I was so excited to get these boots.  Up to now I have dreaded watering days in the late fall and early spring when it is chilly and I am dealing with sprinklers.  Now I can put on some toasty socks, tuck in my pants, and brave the cold and wet.  They will be nice when I need to go to the farmer's market on a cold and rainy day, too.  (Hopefully we have quite a few of those this winter.  We sure still need the rain.)  

Winter is coming, and, at least with gardening, I am ready. :-)

Tip-toe Through the Tulips

Lately my quilt group has done several group projects where each contributes a block for a top.  Having a continual supply of tops to be quilted, I don't usual make a block, but I have done the quilting on several.  Here is one we recently finished. 

Restart

I am not a plant person.  My parents and my brother have lovely green thumbs, but that gene pretty much skipped me.  However, the one botanical endeavor I am willing put time and energy into is a vegetable garden. 

Years ago, my husband and I lived in a more rural area and we planted our first vegetable garden. And I learned to can green beans and tomatoes, make pickles and plum butter, and gained a great appreciation for all the work my ancestors did just to keep food in the pantry.  I also learned that, like making bread, seeing a row of jars of home-canned goods can be very satisfying.  Having said that, it is more of a been there, done that experience that I am not particularly interesting in taking on again.  

A few years ago, we decided to do another garden--small, just enough for two.  We planted tomatoes, green beans, squash, and peppers with varying success.  This was during my food journey, and I learned that most of the above were things I couldn't eat anyway.  With my husband's work schedule being what it is, most of the upkeep of the garden fell to me, and after a couple of seasons, we decided to let the garden space hibernate for a while.  

In the past month or so, though, I had an urge to get things started again, this time with a good handle on what foods are good for me.  My dear hubby gallantly scraped off the wood chips we had covered the garden with to hold back erosion and turned the soil. 

Then he worked in the mulch from our grass clippings.

We made a trip to the nursery and came home with all my greens for a winter garden and planted them together.  That was fun! :-)

Now it is up to me to keep things going, but it is a lovely feeling to see the garden planted again.  We will see how it goes….

Quilt Group Happenings

I love my quilt group.  They are an awesome bunch of ladies, and it has been really a pleasure for me to see their growth as quilters.  Several tentatively waded into free-motion quilting and are starting to get more adventurous.  Makes me so happy!  And the resulting quilts have been wonderful.  So, for current and former members along with others who might enjoy seeing what we have been up to, I am going to try doing a quarterly post showing some of the quilts we have been working on.  Here we go….

Hurray, ladies!

Autumn Light

It is hard to describe the special quality of the sunlight in autumn.  Sometime in August, though we are still experiencing hot temperatures, I can usually sense as the sun moves south when it changes from the hot summer light to the warm glow of the coming autumn.  Then I start to anticipate the cool mornings and warm comfort of the sun as the season shifts.  

The sun's light, especially in the mornings and evenings draws me to the window to see it make the leaves and flowers glow.  Partly cloudy days make for lovely sunrises and sunsets.  Though I couldn't really catch the loveliness of the light, I wanted to take a picture to remind me of how much I love the fall.

Bye, Bye, Baby

About a year or so ago, since I was getting requests for my quilting, I applied for a business license and started doing commissioned quilts.  Since I wasn't really interested in building a business, I had opportunity to see how I liked doing commissioned quilts, and to determine if I would also have time to do personal projects.  While I did enjoy the commissioned work, personal projects languished.  Having to choose between the two, I decided to no longer take on commissioned work. Besides my sister-in-law's queen-size quilt, which I am still working on, here is the last of the my commissioned quilts.  It is called Baby Steps.

It was a good experience, and many thanks to those who asked me to work on their quilts.  

A Simple Style Continued...

It is always the little odds and ends that take the most time to complete.  My dear hubby's schedule doesn't allow him much time to do the extra stuff, but he took some time during his last vacation to take care of some small to-do's around the house.  Several of the dowels that we use to hang my quilts needed painting, and there was one last quilt that needed to be hung above the fireplace.  Now that it is up, that space in the house is finished.  And again, I am loving this simple style.

Sunrise, Sunset

I can't resist a pretty sunrise or sunset.  Enjoy…

Playtime

Everything has been rather hit or miss these past few months:  blogging, letter writing, quilting, knitting….Thankfully, the weeks ahead look to be settling back into a normal rhythm.

Earlier this year one of my dear quilt group ladies passed away.  Her family donated her sewing materials to our group and we took time to sift and sort through it all.  One of the things we found were several blocks that had been embroidered.  L. took them and set them in a quilt to give her great-granddaughter.  She commissioned me to do the quilting, and I named it Playtime.

 Since the theme of all the fabrics was polka dots, I did a stipple with circles across the rows of blocks. 

 Butterflies in the sashing.

And hearts in the border.

 Here it is, almost finished.

Bound and ready for snuggling.  Adorable!

Music to Quilt by

Music.  It uplifts, calms, energizes.  It sets toes to tapping, feet to dancing.  It soothes the soul and makes the spirit laugh.  I don't know of anyone who doesn't have music he loves.

For me that is instrumental--jazz, bluegrass, Latin, Celtic and a new one for me--classical crossover. I have wondered if my preference for instrumental is tied to my being an introvert.  Song lyrics don't particularly interest me, but I love rhythm.  Singing, even someone with a lovely voice, clutters up the music--please, just give me the notes.  

My favorite times to listen to music are either when I clean or when I quilt.  Nothing like a good beat to get Mr. J and I dancing together.  

Enter Pandora.  I create a station with a favorite piece and from there I find songs I like.  I write down the artist and song, and off I head to iTunes to create my own playlists.  Once I sync those playlist on my iPod/iPhone, I set it to shuffle and off I go. 

Here are some my favorite songs I used to create my Pandora stations:

Latin:  Cafe Mocha by Jesse Cook

Bluegrass: Dawg's Breath by Ricky Scaggs

Celtic/bluegrass:  Crossing the Briney by Ricky Scaggs

Celtic:  Dawn Dance by Alasdair Fraser

Jazz:  The Wave by Kirk Whalum

Soft electronic:  Summer Groove by Jesus Tamames

Classical crossover: Rolling in the Deep by The Piano Guys

Very rarely do I buy whole albums, preferring to create my own mixes, but one artist stood out to me as I listened to my classical crossover station on Pandora:  Lindsey Stirling.  Much of the music on that station tends to be on the quieter side, but she creates a wonderful blend of dance/electronic with classical violin. I bought her first album (the second was a little too heavy on the electronic for me). Her music puts a smile on my face and makes me want to dance. :-)

Here's to good listening!

Dreams

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." 1 Peter 4:10

With social justice being so much a part of the conversation of ministry these days, I have wrestled with the feeling that all or most ministry should serve the disadvantaged.  I have come to see, though, that there are other issues of concern that people deal with--illness, injury, grief. Here is where my gift of quilting can be of service, and it is what I am passionate about doing.  

Beyond receiving a thank you note, my quilt group doesn't often hear about the impact our quilts make.  Every once in a while, though, we do, and that is what encourages me in this ministry.  With our quilts we can offer warmth, color, and prayers.  

As I have been doing the commissioned quilts, I have given this idea some thought and realized that there are three areas I would like to focus on in quilting.  First, our Tuesday quilts.  I love working with this group of ladies, and that says a lot, being the introvert that I am.  Secondly, I would love to be able to make quilts for something like the Linus project locally.  And thirdly, I would like to create wall art that we would display in our home for a while and then donate as fundraisers.  

Right now, once I finish some current obligations, I could manage two of the three, which would be the Tuesday quilts and the wall art.  Perhaps I can work in a few kid quilts along the way as well. 

What does this mean for doing commissioned quilts?  I am not yet sure.  While I enjoy quilting for people, I do know that I don't want this to be my focus.  And I have learned that dreams are not just for the young.  

Garden Party

Every quilt has a personality: bold, quiet, happy, soothing.  Often times quilts can also invoke a sense of place or event.  This quilt makes me think of a garden party--streamers floating in the breeze, cupcakes arrange on pretty platters, children playing on the lawn in the sunshine.  Definitely a happy quilt, this one.  

 The top was made by D (on the right).

A party in a garden is sure to include flowers, so that was the theme of the quilting.  Garden Party will go to a young woman recently diagnosed with cancer that D and her mom know.  May its warmth give her comfort as she goes through her treatments and may its happy colors and pattern cheer her heart.  

Haiku Happiness

I am not a poet (nor the daughter of a poet).  In fact, words can be a struggle for me, which is why I often need time to put my thoughts together.  There is a type of poetry I love, though, and that is haiku.  I love that it has a framework the words must fit in.  I love that it is a very short poem so words must be chosen carefully in order to have the impact the poet desires.  They are often playful, but can be very serious and beautiful.  As an expression of my appreciation for haiku, I decided to write a haiku in its honor:

Five, seven, five--form

Musings--beauty, joy, sorrow

Create word pictures. 

Spring Vacation

My hubby's work keeps him very busy, so when vacation times come around, it is always a treat for both of us.  Happily, we are both of a quiet nature.  If I had married a high adventure type of guy, I would be in real trouble. :-)  We also share the challenge of tummy issues, so travel is something we don't do very often.  So what do two quiet people do on vacation?

Hubs took opportunity before the summer heat sets in to do some things in the yard and garage that he can't get to on a regular weekend.  He also took some time to work on paperwork in preparation for meeting with a financial planner in the next few months.  Retirement is approaching and we want to be as prepared as possible.  I am so thankful that he is mindful of things both short term and long.  He also took care of a few small honey-do's.  Thank you, dear husband. :-)

I kept the housework to a minimum and didn't do any work on current quilting projects.  Instead I took some time to play around with a quilt design program I got a few weeks ago called EQ7 (Electric Quilt).  This program has been around a while, but they just recently released a version for Mac. Since it is built on a PC platform, I find it to be not as intuitive and a little more clunky than most Mac programs, but it will make drafting quilts so much easier and faster than pencil and graph paper.  

We also took time, as we do most vacations, to watch a movie together.  Our selection this time was Still Mine.  Growing older gives one an appreciation for the love stories of older characters.  This one was well done, and we both enjoyed it. 

On Thursday we hung out a bit at our local library. 

Friday night was guy's night as husband and sons took in a minor league baseball game.  I kicked back and watched a movie at home.  

On Saturday we headed out to the country for a family wedding.  With the recent rains, the countryside was nice and green, making for a lovely drive. The wedding was simple and the reception laid back, and we had opportunity to catch up with some of the family we hadn't seen in years.  There were even a couple of uninvited guests that stopped by.  

As we drove, we came through an area where there were some of the big wind turbines.  That is the first time I have actually seen them in person.  Though I am not a fan of wind energy, I did find the turbines rather fascinating in an alien sort of way.  Can't say they add much to the landscape, though.  

Sunday it was home again and back to the regular routine.  It was a great week, and we both look forward to his next vacation.

Too Cute!

Baby quilts: they are small, happy, and great fun to quilt.  One of my quilt ladies (D) is expecting a granddaughter in September and she asked if I would quilt a top she made for her.  The feature fabric has owls on it, so I named it Whoo, Whoo!  

 Pink sweetness

 Wavy crosshatch is so fun to do, and the I couldn't resist a little ivy in the edging.

 Isn't this fabric just adorable? I did a meander with circles to compliment the polka dotted fabric.

And a baby girl's quilt just has to have some hearts.

May this quilt get lots of lovin'.  

May Flowers

It wasn't April showers that brought me these flowers, but Mother's Day.  The carnation was from church, but the rest were from my son, D.  Thank you, D! :-)

 I have always loved irises.

 Bright yellow flowers are like little bursts of sunshine.

 Happy colors!

This carnation makes me think of a fiesta party dress.

To all who had opportunity to celebrate the day, Happy Mother's Day!