Crafty Lenk

New Year, New Project

2012-01-07T10:36:00.012-06:00

Welcome to 2012. The title of this post is a little misleading, but I'll get into that more shortly. For the first time, in 2011, I took photographs of all the projects I completed throughout the year. Turns out I actually do do something! ha! Here is a quick rundown of my accomplishments. I'll include photos of the projects that were not spotlighted at some point last year.

2011 started off with me knitting socks...lots of sock! I think it's a total of 8 pair, if I'm not mistaken. Here is a photo of most of them as well as a photo of the last pair I finished right before Christmas.

I also tested four patterns for The Quilt Pattern Magazine. Three of the patterns have been published; the fourth pattern has not yet been published. Here are photos of the three that have been published:

Then there was the witch wall hanging that I made for fellow SWAN, Teresa. That was shown in an earlier post, too. And the knitted scarves, also mentioned earlier. The bigger project was the baby quilt that I finally finished in October. As with all of my quilted projects, it was done by hand and took most of the summer. Of course, along with the quilt, I was testing patterns and working on socks. I always have at least 3 projects going at once.

The year ended with a wonderful SWAN Christmas party and ornament exchange. This was my first experience with the ornament exchange so I wasn't sure what to expect. What I found out is that my ornament is really simple compared to what the other ladies did. Teresa and I unknowingly exchanged ornaments. The one I made is on the left below, the one Teresa made and I got is on the right. See what I mean???

The last completed project that I want to mention is a snowman wall hanging I made for SWAN Sarah. She gifted me with the cross stitch "quilting" piece this summer and I wanted to do something to thank her for her generosity. I felt pretty sure she likes snowmen so I decided to make this wall hanging for her.

Now on to 2012. Just before Christmas, I finished appliqueing Dresden plate quilt squares that I started a few years ago. My "new" project for 2012 is to make a quilt from those blocks. My initial plan was to alternate plain and plate blocks to make a full-size quilt. After doing a couple of full-size bed quilts, I decided not to do that again! So my plan now is to make them using the pot holder method that I've used in the past. It will make a quilt that is better sized for a twin bed than a full bed, but that's OK. I still plan to keep it and use it on my bed. I was taken a bit by surprise when I pulled out a photo of the first two blocks I appliqued. The photo was dated 2/3/2002...10 years ago! This is one UFO that WILL be finished this year. I will take a photo of those same two blocks when they are finished so you can see how they will turn out.

This is my big project of the year...so far. That may change as the year goes on. I'm also working on another pair of socks and have lots of sock yarn that will be transformed into wearables later on. Who knows what other projects will come my way throughout the year. I'll probably do more pattern testing for TPQM although I have no definite plans at this time.

Thanks for following along with me and my ramblings. Onward and upward to a fantastic 2012!
Amy

Finished!

2011-10-17T10:05:00.012-05:00

Yep. It's finished. What I'm talking about is the baby quilt for little Austin Littau. He's two months old now so it's time that he gets his quilt before he's too big for it. I'll package it and the books today and take to the UPS store tomorrow. I can hardly wait to see what mommy and daddy think of the quilt. And I know Austin will like the books. Here's a photo of the finished product.
It turned out really nice, don't you think?

The quilt is not the only thing that has taken up my time. I mentioned earlier this summer that I was working on a surprise for a friend. I gave this witch wall hanging to a fellow SWAN who very nicely gave me a quilt hanger. I felt moved to make something for her. Here it is the way she has it hanging in her house.The one I made is on the left and seems to go quite well with the other door decoration she uses.

And, of course, I'm always working on knitted items. I have been experimenting with knitting scarves lengthwise instead of crosswise. Does that make sense? In other words, each row I knit is on the long side of the scarf instead of the short side. The problem with doing that is you have to estimate during cast on how long the scarf should be. Since I'm not using a pattern, it's been a bit of trial and error. Here are the two scarves I've finished so far. The white one is a gift for my sister-in-law. The multicolored scarf is made of mohair yarn that I bought on a whim a few years ago...then didn't know what to do with. They both turned out nice, I think.

Now, I'm working on a pair of socks...and another surprise wall hanging. (That's all I'll say about that!) When the socks are finished, I'll post a photo of all the socks I've made this year so far. I've ordered more yarn so I suspect more socks will be constructed this winter. For some reason, it just feels right to knit socks when the temperatures are a bit cooler.

So, now you're up to date. I hope you have enjoyed looking at my projects. It seems there are always more projects rolling around in my head that I would like to do than there is time to do them. And for some reason it seems like I accomplished more when I was working than I do now that I'm retired. Go figure!

As always, thanks for reading my ramblings.
Amy

Making Progress

2011-08-21T12:26:00.002-05:00

Hello again. Time for another stimulating post. :-)

As the title says, I am making progress on my projects. Still lots to go, but progress nonetheless. As I mentioned before, I signed on to test two patterns for The Quilt Pattern Magazine. Both patterns have been tested and the results and photos sent to the magazine. I can't show you the photos of the items yet, though, because they haven't been published. I can say that I am killing two birds with one stone with each item. One of the items is Christmas ornaments that turned out really cute and will serve as my contribution to the SWANS ornament exchange in December. The other is a stuffed animal that will be a perfect addition to the baby quilt that I'm making for my friends.

Speaking of the baby quilt... That little stinker decided to make his appearance three weeks early. Austin Lawrence Littau was born on August 8. Although he was a little early, his height and weight were about normal and he only stayed in NICU for a few hours while he was checked out stem to stern. That's the good news. The bad news is that his quilt isn't finished yet. I do have it all put together and am in the process of quilting it. If Austin had come at his appointed time, there is a really good chance that his quilt would have been ready. That's OK, though. He won't need something as warm as a quilt for a couple of months until the weather cools down.

I also have lots of other projects lined up on my to-do list. I am currently working on a thank you gift for a friend. I also want to make another thank you gift for a friend who is always doing things for me and never wants anything in return. And, of course, I have the "Quilting" cross stitch piece to work up into something. And I want to make a small wall hanging for my good buddy Pat with whom I have lunch once a month.

Whew! As you can see, I have lots of ideas and plans ahead. I have enough projects and supplies on hand to keep me busy until I'm 100...and I just had my 62nd birthday! Maybe I need to pare down a bit. :-)

OK. Now you know what I'm up to. No photos this time, but I hope my next post includes photos of a completed quilt that is ready for shipping to Pennsylvania.

Til then...
Amy

Back in the Groove

2011-07-28T14:16:00.004-05:00

On Monday of this week, I decided to work on the baby quilt some more. And it was quite successful, in my opinion. I have completed the body of the top. A quick test of the red fabric for the first border showed that it was susceptible to running. Yes, I know. I should have tested it when it first came in the house, but I didn't need it then. So, I just ran it through a wash with Retayne and it is now drying. I don't have a working dryer so the fabric is draped over a chair in front of a fan. It should be dry fairly soon. When it's dry, I'll cut the strips for the first border. Here is a photo of the top before borders.

I thought you might also want to see the fabrics that I'll be using for the borders and the backing. I'll use either the yellow or the green for the second border and the other one will be used for the backing. My next task will be to decide which one to use for the binding. Fortunately, that won't be an issue for a while.
Unfortunately, I don't think the quilt will be ready for the expected birth around September 1. But the upcoming new parents live in Pennsylvania so it will be a while before a quilt is needed.

While the red fabric is drying, I think I'll cut the paper pieces for the English paper piecing pattern that I need to test. Lots of things to do! But maybe I'll take a nap first...

Thanks for reading.
Amy

OK. Now what?

2011-07-24T15:47:00.007-05:00

I feel all adrift. Or as my mom used to put it "at sixes and sevens." Yesterday I finished a wall hanging. I can't post a photo of it because it's a surprise for a friend and I don't want to ruin the surprise. Anyway, now that it's finished, what do I do? I could work on the baby quilt, but I'm not in the mood. I have done a little work on it. The purple diagonal row is finished and I'm sewing the blues together for the next row. But it's not exciting me.

I could knit on the sock I have started...but I'm not in the mood.

I am a pattern tester for The Quilt Pattern Magazine (http://www.quiltpatternmagazine.com/). The pattern I'm testing is English paper piecing Christmas ornaments. But before I can start working on them, I need to cut paper pieces and dig out fabric. And I'm just not in the mood. Besides, the results of my test isn't due until the middle of August. Plenty of time!

I could do lots of things, but nothing is turning on my creative juices. It's like this for me every time I finish a project. I always have a boatload of projects in progress, but for some reason they are not appealing right after finishing a project.

Guess I'll just turn on the radio and see if I can find something to listen to. Or maybe I'll get the Kindle and pick up where I left off last night on the book I'm reading. It's about a couple right after WWII. The guy has trouble dealing with the mental aspects of the war and to save his wife and children from his nightmares, he leaves home. Keep in mind that times are really hard right then and he has trouble finding jobs. Anyway, it's a good book. Maybe that's what I'll do....read a little bit.

I'm glad to have the project finished and can hardly wait to see my friend's reaction. If only I didn't feel so...I don't know...at sixes and sevens!

Tomorrow is a new day and I'm sure I'll find my enthusiasm again by then. Today I'll just take it easy and enjoy the "cooler" weather. ha!

Thanks for reading.

Amy

A.W.O.E.

2011-07-03T13:23:00.008-05:00

Yes, I have been A.W.O.E. -- Absent With Out Excuse! I do apologize, but what I have realized as a result of having this blog is that I basically lead a dull life. Not much with which to bore people. I will bring you up to date on what I've been up to since my last post of mumble...mumble...four months or so ago...mumble...mumble.

As I said, I have really gotten into sock knitting. I have now completed six pair and am working on the seventh. Some fit me; some don't. But that's OK. I'm sure there is someone somewhere who will fit into the ones I can't wear and I got the enjoyment out of making them. I didn't take a photo because they're just socks. Nothing to get excited about.

A quilty thing that I am working on is a baby quilt for friends of mine who are expecting a baby around the first of September. The quilt won't be ready by then, but here's a photo of my progress. I have about half of the squares put together. The fabrics are 30's reproductions. The remaining rows are blue, green, yellow and red. The inner border will be a skinny solid red and the outer border will be wider (probably 5 inches) of either a green or yellow print. I have enough of each for either the border or the back. I'll decide which color goes where when I get the rest of the quilt body pieced together. I prefer to do my piecing by hand instead of sewing machine and that's part of the reason it is taking so long to get this done. My enjoyment of quilting comes from the peacefulness of hand work. Usually about the only time I use the sewing machine is to sew on the border. All of the piecing and quilting are done by hand.

The reason I'm updating my blog today is because I have been chided by a couple of my stitching buddies for not posting anything in a while. And after one of those fine ladies gave me a counted cross stitch item that she didn't want, I figured I had no choice but to update. Here is a photo of the item:

It's lovely and I appreciate Sarah's generosity. My next task is to decide what to do with it. I will probably make it into a wall hanging, but I'm not sure just how I'll do it. I have a lot of burgundy scraps from a quilt I made a few years ago so I'm sure I can find compatible fabrics. The cross stitch kit also came with charms to put on the item. The picture suggested putting the charms on the quilt blocks, but that just doesn't look right to me. I'll come up with something, I'm sure. Here is a picture of the charms:

OK. Now you're up to date with what I've been doing. And it looks like a storm is brewing outside so I'd better get off the computer before something bad happens.

As always, thanks for reading my blog. I hope you managed to stay awake through all the boring blather. ha!

Amy

Welcome 2011

2011-01-25T09:45:00.000-06:00

Yes, I know I haven't posted anything in a long time. I'm sorry about that, but the end of 2010 was not a very good time for me. Things are looking better now and it's time that I update my blog.

When I look back at 2010, one of my major accomplishments was finishing my whirligig quilt. I have more quilts than I'll ever need so I gave whirligig to my good friend, Pat. Here's a photo of it. Frankly, I'm glad it's over. Working with all that black got tiresome. But it's finished and Pat seems to really like it.

Our family had a nice Christmas gathering at my brother's house on Dec. 18. We always gather on some day other than Christmas. It was great, as usual. Lots of good food and even more conversation. I took along a bag full of things I had knitted so everyone could take their choice. The best part is I came home empty-handed! :-)

So far, 2011 has been good to me. I have tried off and on for several years to learn how to knit socks. Up to this point, my efforts were not successful. However, after Christmas, I pulled out some sock yarn I had on hand and my needles to see what I could accomplish. I found a sock pattern on the Internet that made more sense than the patterns I had tried before. And now I have completed two pair of socks. The first pair was definitely a first effort! One sock is a bit bigger than the other so I've been using them for my bed socks and they work great. Unfortunately, we have had a lot of cold weather so having warm socks to keep my tooties warm has been wonderful.

After my first so-so
result, I tried again to make socks and came up with a better result. At least these two are both the same size. That's progress, I think. :-) They're still not quite what I'm looking for, but they definitely are wearable and will be used -- either by me or someone. I'm now working on another pair of sock. I made a few alterations to the pattern and I think these will fit better. We'll see....

I haven't been to stitch group for a while. We met only once in November because the second meeting would have been Thanksgiving. The group had a Christmas party in early December, but I wasn't feeling up to par so I didn't go. Then last week, the weather was too cold for me to get out. I'm holding out hope for next week's meeting. The forecast...at least at this point...says we'll be in the 30's so there's hope that I'll be able to make it. I sure miss those evenings of stitching and talking.

Well, this is pretty much my life in a nutshell. I'll try to be more diligent about posting this year. I'm pretty sure it won't be on a regular basis, but I think I can do better than once every 3-4 months!

Until we meet again, stay warm and stay safe.
Amy

Motivation...or the lack thereof

2010-09-05T14:12:00.005-05:00

Where have I been recently? It sure isn't updating my blog nor is it working on the quilt. For some reason, I have no motivation to work on it. To be honest, though, I hit this same point with just about all of my projects especially the bigger ones. I'm not tired of the quilt and I'm not tired of working on it, but my mind keeps whirling ahead to the next project. How do I stop that from happening? A long time ago, I realized that I can't start a new project until the one I am currently working on is finished (or I acknowledge that I have lost interest in it and put it away for a future time). This quilt is about 2/3 finished so I don't know why I can't seem to focus on finishing it. Anybody have suggestions? I am going to try to work on it some this afternoon or evening. Maybe I can get it to the 3/4 finished point. I had hoped to have it finished for the last SWAN meeting and now it doesn't look like it will be ready for this week's meeting, either. Darn it!

I have enjoyed a couple of nice lunches with friends in recent weeks. It's always a pleasure to spend time with good friends. If those friends would retire, too, then we could spend long lunches instead of rushing to finish so they can go back to work. All in good time, I suppose.

Think I'll try to rummage around and hopefully find some motivation to get back to work on the quilt. Wish me luck!

Later,
Amy

Modern Quilting Bee?

2010-07-12T08:38:00.003-05:00

Quilting bee. That phrase conjures up an image of several women sitting around a quilt and adding their stitches to make a finished product. The frame is usually set up in one of the women's living room (parlor?) and conversation flows around the group. I never had the opportunity to visit an old-time quilting bee, but my mom did participate in something similar when I was a kid. She was a member of the local extension homemakers club (anyone need a description of what that was?) and occasionally they would make a quilt to have in reserve for a family in need or if one of the members needed one for a special occasion. These ladies gathered once a month in a local church basement where they set up the quilting frame and set to it with their needles and thread. Very similar to my mental image of a quilting bee.

I suspect there are still what I view as traditional quilting bees held around the country, but I belong to what I have come to view as a "modern" quilting bee. What I refer to is the stitch group to which I belong. Last Thursday evening was the first of the July gatherings and while we all work on different projects, the conversation flows just as freely as I imagine occurred in the old-fashioned version. For approximately the first 20 minutes after we gathered last week, there were three separate conversations going on. Then gradually those conversations ended and others began. Sometimes as a group we are "Chatty Cathy" and other times we are heads down and working on our projects with only occasional conversations.

No matter the shape of the conversation on any given evening, we do visit with each other -- a lot! Since I'm the newbie of the group, I'm still learning more about these folks. After gatherings like last week when there was an abundance of conversation, I come home and spend a while reflecting on the group and how much I enjoy being with them. What a great group of dedicated stitchers!

Quilt update: I now have about a third of the alternate blocks finished. I've run out of black fabric so I'm going to have to do some shopping. Darn it! :-) The only bad thing about fabric shopping is I always manage to find lots of other things I absolutely have to have and spend more money than I should. I need the fabric, though, so I guess I'll just bite the bullet and write a large check.

My stitching awaits. Til next time...
Amy

Turned the corner

2010-06-22T11:01:00.000-05:00

Turning the corner is not at all like "going round the bend" so you, my snarky friends, will just have to find something else to say about my title!

I have turned the corner on my quilt, though. I have finished the 36 whirligig blocks and have started on the alternate blocks. So far, I think I have finished five of the alternates. When I get a few more finished, I'll post photos of both kinds so we all can get an idea of what the finished product might look like.

While I was finishing the additional whirligig blocks, I lost some of the callus that had built up on my "under finger." That's the finger held underneath the quilt and gets stabbed with a needle with each quilting stitch that is taken. This photo shows what my callus looks like. The callus is on the tip of my left index finger. I tried to put a marker showing the callus, but my photo editing skills are a bit sketchy. You get the idea, though. And yes, behind my hand is the back side of one of the completed alternate blocks. A quick tip: My finger can get really sore while I'm building up the callus. One way I deal with that is to go at it slowly in the beginning. Maybe quilt for an hour and then take a break for a few hours. Another thing I stumbled across this spring is a way to help get the soreness out of the area while the callus is building. One time, I stabbed a bit too hard and actually drew blood. I didn't want to take a chance of infection, but the spot wasn't bad enough for a bandage. So I grabbed the Neosporin and applied a very, very thin film over the tip of my finger. I let it sit like that for five or ten minutes (obviously, I couldn't do anything during this time...other than read). Then I wiped off the excess Neosporin and went about my business of doing something other than quilting for the rest of the day. Surprise! Surprise! All the soreness was gone by the next morning. Now, at the end of each day of heavy quilting, I put Neosporin on my finger just before going to bed and it feels fine the next day. Another happy accident!

This quilt is turning out to be more of a pleasure to work on than I thought it would. I'm excited to see what it turns out like. You see, I don't plan out my quilts. The closest I come to planning is to take the size of the block and multiply it by whatever it takes to make the quilt approximately 85" x 100". The whirligig quilt will be approximately 80" x 90" (hence the need for 72 blocks - 36 whirligig and 36 alternate). And that, my dear blog friends, is the extent of my planning. I know that each whirligig block will be attached to an alternate block, but I don't plan which blocks will go together. As a matter of fact, what I typically do is dump all the blocks into a garbage bag and pull one out when I need it. Definitely random placement!

Back to quilting and the Kindle. Stay as cool as possible in this hot, humid weather. Until next time...

Amy

Back on track...almost

2010-06-05T15:59:00.000-05:00

I'm finally back to where I was three weeks ago -- only six more blocks to go to complete the first half of the quilt. Yes, the set-back I experienced a couple of weeks ago when I found myself four blocks short has been rectified. I pieced six new bocks, they have been appliqued to the background fabric, layered with batting and backing fabric and are now ready for quilting. I am about half finished quilting the border of one. With luck, it will be finished before I go to bed tonight or at the latest sometime tomorrow. Maybe I can have half of them (three) done by stitch night this Thursday.

In full disclosure, I must admit that I could have been finished with those additional six blocks before now, but I got a new gadget/toy! Anybody who knows me well, knows that I like gadgets. My new gadget is a Kindle e-reader from Amazon.com. I am an avid reader and find myself spending a lot of money on books. The problem with that is that eventually space becomes an issue. And I have always been concerned with the killing of trees for my reading pleasure. I find that I love reading on the Kindle. So far I have not purchased a book. Why should I? There are thousands and thousands of free books available. The free books are ones whose copyright has expired, but that translates into mainly the classics. I mean, heck, I can get a free copy of War and Peace! I could, but I probably won't. I wasn't interested in reading the book in paper form (too long!) and I doubt that electronic format will make it any better. On the other hand, maybe I will read it! One of the advantages of the Kindle, or just about any other e-reader, is that you can be reading several books at the same time. I can read a chapter or two of one book and then switch to another book and read some of it. When I go back to the original book, Kindle remembers where I stopped and goes directly to that page. I like the portability of carrying a thousand or more books around with me in a small electronic device. Needless to say, I've been playing with my new toy and not stitching as much. But it's so much fun to play with toys!

Back to readi.....er......uh.....back to stitching. Yeah, that's what I meant......stitching! :-)

Amy

Miscalculation

2010-05-24T09:52:00.001-05:00

I'm bummed! Really, I guess it's more frustrated with myself. Last week, I was excited because I thought I had only 6-7 more blocks to go to get to the halfway point with the quilt I'm making. Then on Saturday as I was starting the next to last block, I decided I probably should count to make sure I was where I thought I was. Well, I wasn't! I have completed 32 blocks, which I thought was half of the amount needed. Turns out I need 72 blocks (36 whirligig and 36 alternates) to make the quilt. That left me four blocks short to get to the halfway point. I have plenty of fabric in my stash, but I had used all of the like fabrics I had in the 32 blocks I already made. What to do? The only thing was to dig around in my stash for other bright fabrics and make more whirligig blocks. So that's what I'm doing. I found eight fabrics that were of the appropriate brightness and am now making six more whirligig blocks. Right now, I'm piecing the whirligigs. I hope to have that finished in the next day or two. Then I'll applique them to 10" squares and get them ready for quilting. It will take the rest of the week at least to get those six blocks ready.

I had hoped to have half of the blocks finished by this Thursday night's stitch night, but it's obvious now that that won't happen. Such is life. I decided to make a couple of extra blocks so I can scatter the six new blocks throughout the quilt. That way maybe it won't be too obvious that they are made with different fabrics than the other blocks.

When life gives you lemons, as the saying goes, make lemonade. I like lemonade and it gives me a chance to be creative and problem solve. Maybe a bit of frustration thrown in, but my experience is that when these kinds of "glitches" happen, the end result is even better than the original would have been. Sure hope that holds true this time!

Back to stitching....
Amy

Stitch night

2010-05-14T06:43:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I have added to my blog. I'm sorry about that, but I have been knocked a bit low by bronchitis. It's been a long time since my last bout of bronchitis and I forget from time to time just how much energy it takes to cough all the time. But I'm feeling better each day and it's time now to catch up with blogging.

The SWANs met last night for the first of the twice-monthly stitch night for May. There are so many good things about the group that I'm not sure where to start. I guess the first good thing to talk about is the fact that the group is growing! We've added three new members this year (counting me as one of the three). It's always a pleasure to meet with stitchers and talk. I'm the only quilter, but that doesn't bother anybody. The rest are counted cross stitchers and that's fine with me, too. One of our newbies joined us last night for the first time...and he's a male stitcher. Russ brought along some of his completed projects and he does fantastic work! Now, don't get me wrong. I have absolutely no problem with males choosing needlework as their hobby just like I have no problem with ladies who choose to remodel houses or rebuild cars as their hobby. A hobby is a hobby is a hobby. Gender shouldn't be a factor in any venture.

The only down side about having Russ as part of the group is we're going to have to change our name, I think. You may remember that I said earlier that SWANs stands for Sophisticated Women Addicted to Needlework. Doesn't seem quite appropriate now that Russ is part of us. I know I'm going to put on my thinking cap to see if I can come up with another acronym that is descriptive yet all-inclusive and I suspect my fellow stitchers will be doing the same.

Because of not feeling up to par, I didn't do much stitching last night, but I sure did a lot of talking and listening! We had to move to a larger venue since the group is growing and we now meet at a local church, which means we can be as loud as we want without disturbing the patrons at the coffee shop like we had done in the past. Plus we have more room to spread out. All in all, the move was good. But I digress. I had so much fun last night that it should be illegal! There were about 10 of us and and at any give time, there were at least two conversations taking place. And those conversations ranged from discussions of kids/grandkids, flooding around the country, the oil spill, how we're all tired of rain, and anything else that came to someone's mind. Lots of laughter....LOTS of laughter! Like I said, it should be illegal!

I don't know how most of the group does it. About half of us don't live in Columbia and have to drive at least 25 miles to get here. And that's after working a full day. We gather at 5:30, which means that most of the folks come directly from work. A few of us are retired and have fewer time pressures. I do know that there is no way I could have participated in the group while I was still working. By the end of the day on Thursday, I was always so wiped out that even if the heart had been willing, the body would have told me to go home and relax. I admire the ones who work and come to group, especially when I see how much they accomplish on their stitching between stitch nights. Where do they find the time (and energy) to do all that they do?

So, I came home again last night all fired up to continue working on my quilting project. With luck, I'll start feeling more like stitching soon. Ideally, I would like to have half of my blocks finished by the next stitch night in two weeks. I think it's an achievable goal because I only have 7-8 more to go. Keep your fingers crossed that I make it.

Thanks for reading my post. Now back to stitching.
Amy

Quiet of night

2010-04-24T09:13:00.000-05:00

Frequently over the years, I have had difficulty with sleeping throughout the night. It's not what I would call insomnia, but more a function of joint aches, restless legs, barking dogs down the street or, like last night, coughing due to a cold and springtime allergies. Now that I no longer have to get up early and go to work, interrupted sleep isn't a big problem. I can always take a nap later in the day if I get tired. As a result, I have begun to enjoy the quiet hours that I am awake.

Take last night as an example. A coughing attack woke me up at about 3:00 a.m. I knew I wouldn't go back to sleep right away so I got up and went to the living room. Actually, sitting up helps my chest and bronchial tubes clear out so I don't cough so much. Sometimes when I'm up I'll turn on the TV to see what inspiring late-night fare I can find. Usually I don't find anything much other than maybe a many-year-old rerun of some cooking show on Food Network and last night I wasn't in the mood for any of that. I didn't even want background music from the cable music channels. Instead, I picked up my needlework and spent a couple of hours stitching away on the quilt blocks I'm making and just listening. Listening to all the sounds that happen at night. Mother Nature has a wonderful orchestra that plays all night long. The "instruments" change as some creatures go to sleep and others wake up. No matter who is playing, the music is soothing. The only sounds other than nature were the ticks of the clock as the hands changed time and the refrigerator condenser keeping my food cool.

These last two were minor sounds. By far, the loudest sounds came from Mom Nature. It is always soothing to listen to night sounds, but for some reason they were especially welcome last night.

I have always said that working on my needlework is what kept me sane throughout all those years of working. I have to add night sounds to the list of enjoyable things.

Night sounds differ with the seasons, too. In the middle of winter, especially after a snowfall, the sounds are much different, more muted, but still in existence. Springtime night sounds are muffled a bit because the trees have leaves that help hold the sound down. Summer night sounds include bullfrogs and crickets. And in the fall, if the windows are open, you can actually hear a leaf hit the ground.

Mom Nature really does give us a new show all the time. And I haven't even touched on the sights and sounds of daytime. That is a whole other discussion completely. For me, though, the quiet stillness in the middle of the night is the most relaxing time of day for me.

Til next time, thanks for reading.
Amy

Pet ownership = responsibility

2010-04-09T11:04:00.000-05:00

I grew up on a farm and had all of the typical farm animals around me. And, of course, we had pets - dogs and cats in particular, but also rabbits and other wild animals including a skunk. (I'll leave that story for another time.) We were taught from a very young age that tame animals depend on humans for food and other basic life necessities and we kids had to fulfill those needs or pay the price from mom. (Yep, she was the main disciplinarian in the family because it seemed like dad was always working.) Taking care of the pets was not a burden to be borne, but rather a fact of life on the farm.

My upbringing among animals is one of the reasons I started watching Animal Planet. I enjoy learning about different animals and their habitat. One program that I happened across by accident is Animal Cops. There are a couple of cities featured - Houston and Miami - that I watch regularly although other cities are featured. To be honest, I don't know why I continue to watch this program because I come away each time just fuming! If you've never seen the program, local SPCA shelters are the focal point and investigators from those shelters are followed by cameras as they go in to confiscate abused animals. And some of that abuse is horrific! Watching this program is akin to rubber-necking an accident on the highway. You know you're going to see something terrible, but you just can't look away. How can someone profess to love their animal and let that animal waste away to skin and bones - literally?

In most cases, the confiscated animals are awarded to the custody of the SPCA through the court system and are then given food and medical care that is needed. And in most cases, the animals survive and are adopted out to loving homes. Unfortunately, sometimes the most humane treatment is euthanasia. Yet in the cases that are followed in the programs, the animal owners vow all through the legal process that they do love their animals and want to get them back. Grrrr! Makes me want to slap those folks around...and I don't subscribe to violence.

Animals can be a blessing for most people and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. If someone no longer wants their pet, most communities have a shelter that will take in the animal and try to adopt it out to someone else who will love and cherish it. And if no loving home can be found, these animals are at the very worst euthanized in a respectful way.

I'm climbing down from my soap-box now. I just had to get that off my chest. Thanks for listening. Now back to my regularly-scheduled stitching.

Amy

P.S. No, I do not have a pet. I love animals, but feel that at this time in my life I am better off without a pet. That may change in the future. You can trust, though, that if I ever decide to get a pet, that pet will be treated like a queen/king!

Making progress

2010-03-31T11:03:00.001-05:00

Earlier this month, I wrote about the whirligig quilt blocks I was making and how I was unsure how I would set them together. Well, I've made a decision! I decided that all the bright colors I used in the blocks need to be toned down a bit and I think black is the right choice.

Now before you look at the photos, you need to understand the kind of quilting I do. I prefer to do all my crafting by hand which means that my quilts are all sewn by hand...no sewing machine touches them! The thought of hand quilting a huge bed-sized quilt was a daunting idea so my early years of quilting involved making small wall hangings. They were fun to do, but I felt limited. Then I dreamed up an idea that had each block being backed and bound like a big quilt and then the blocks are whipped together. I thought I was being creative, but a search on the Internet turned up information about "pot holder" quilts. From what I can understand, the quilting ladies of old would make a block as a sample to see if they wanted to make a full quilt of that pattern. Sometimes they decided it wasn't what they wanted as a quilt so they bound the block and laid it aside. When they had enough, they whipped them together to make a quilt. Instead of using the block as a pot holder, it was grouped with others for a quilt. My "original" thought wasn't so original at all!

I have now made two pot holder quilts. The first one I kept for myself because that was the one I practiced on. The second one is the anniversary quilt I made for my brother and sister-in-law. That brings me up to what I'm working on now. The whirligig block was a free download from Connecting Threads. I have put my own touch on the pattern, of course, by leaving off the center yo-yo/circle. I'm working on the fifth block, but I thought you might want to see what they look like so far.

These are three of the completed blocks. The blocks are 10" square finished size. The black binding is 1" on each side which leaves 9" of background fabric. And yes, the colors are bright! I do think the black binding helps, though. If you look closely, you can see that I have quilted around each whirligig and then quilted just inside the border of each blade. That makes a pretty pattern on the back, I think.

The background colors include the pink, purple and blue that you see here as well as green, orange and yellow. In all, there are about eight different background colors. I am still not sure if I'm going to put the blocks side by side or if I will alternate the whirligig with a solid block. I'll have to get a few more whirligig blocks finished so I can make that call.

I do think this is going to be a really pretty quilt. So far, I have no plans for it. It may be another that I keep for myself. Or I might give it to my best gal-pal Vicky. Or I might donate it to charity. Lots of options out there!

Several people have asked me how I fill my time now that I am retired (for almost a year!). Well, folks, this is it! My mind whirls about 150 miles an hour thinking up new projects that I want to tackle. So far, I haven't experienced a boring day and I don't anticipate that happening in the near future. I'll be in good shape as long as the fabric and yarn holds out...and I stocked up on both of those while I was working. I doubt I'll live long enough to use all of my stash. And if I do use up everything, well guess I'll just have to go shopping for more. ha!

Til next time,
Amy

SWANs night out

2010-03-27T18:41:00.000-05:00

Last fall, my neighbor and good friend, Denise, asked me to go with her to a stitching group. This group is composed of a dozen or so ladies who get together on the second and fourth Thursday of the month. The purpose of the meeting is to stitch, drink coffee (or other non-alcoholic drink) and talk. I'm not much of a joiner, but I decided to give it a try. Boy, am I glad I did! I was welcomed into the group in a way I would never have anticipated. In most situations, my style is to keep my mouth shut and get the lay of the land before I start adding to conversations. These ladies made me feel so welcome that I was jumping in with both feet. What a wonderful experience.

To begin with, I thought it was just a bunch of friends, which they are. However, after a month or so an e-mail to the group referred to them as SWANs. What in the world??? So, of course, I had to ask. Turns out that they agreed that they needed to call themselves something and thus SWAN, which stands for Sophisticated Women Addicted to Needlework. All of the group members -- except me -- are counted cross stitchers. Oh, I think they have other needle crafts that they do from time to time, but their main craft is counted cross stitch. I used to make counted cross stitch projects, but I guess it just isn't the craft for me because the phase didn't last. I appreciate the workmanship that goes into the items, but I'll let others do the work and I'll admire from afar.

I was afraid that I might not fit in with the others because I'm not a cross stitcher, but Denise assured me that any needlework was fine. Sometimes I take knitting and other times I take a quilting project. And each time the group asks what I'm working on, how I'm going to finish it...in other words, showing interest for what I'm doing.

Each week that we meet, I come home fired up to work on my crafts -- not that I need firing up. It just feels good to be out with a bunch of women with whom I have nothing in common other than a love of crafting. Most of the group are public school teachers, some are retired, but we all have the same goal of relaxation through crafting. I can't think of a better way to spend a Thursday evening!

Til next time,
Amy

Original thoughts?

2010-03-11T08:25:00.000-06:00

A few days ago, I wrote about redefining myself in retirement. I suppose I was arrogant enough to think that this was an original idea. Well, fooled again! The very next morning as I watched the Today Show, Jane Pauley was on to showcase a new segment that she will present once a month. The focus of her segment is how retirees redefine themselves. Guess I'm not so original after all! I'm looking forward to her series because as we Baby Boomers age and retire, there will be more and more redefinition going on and learning how others have gone through the process just might help me.

Pauley's focus this month was on a woman who retired after a long career. Apparently the woman had always enjoyed knitting, but as is the case with most of us she did not have much time to devote to her hobby during her career. In retirement, however, she turned her love of knitting into an opportunity to teach others how to knit. What a wonderful way to reinvent herself! This woman obviously has knitting ability and seems to be blessed with the additional ability to teach. That is a wonderful quality to have and now her hobby is spreading to others.

I have read several articles about the health benefits of hobbies and I wholeheartedly agree that hobbies can help keep one sane. Teaching others how to knit (or any other hobby of choice) is not only helping the teacher, but is spreading good health practices to others.

Switching topics... Yesterday, I joined in the celebration at the Missouri School of Journalism in honor of Kappa Tau Alpha's 100th anniversary. It was a wonderful day. The weather was great and I caught up with several of my former colleagues and students. The best part of the celebration is that Dr. Bill Taft, my first J-School boss and long-time executive director of KTA until his retirement, attended the luncheon. He is 89 years old and doesn't get around as well as he used to, but his sense of humor is as sharp as always. It was a wonderful day.

How do you stop it?

2010-03-08T11:11:00.000-06:00

Creativity is a wonderful trait. Well, mostly wonderful until the ideas start tumbling around. When that happens, I feel like I've developed ADD. I always have two or three projects that I'm working on at one time. That helps alleviate boredom from working on only one project. But I find that while I'm working on one thing, my brain is thinking up more projects. It's hard to not drop what I'm working on and start a new project. How do you stop the ideas from coming? Should we even want to stop the ideas? I don't know the answer to those questions and my guess is no one else does either.

I have found that the closer I get to finishing a project, especially a large one, it gets harder to focus on finishing this one before starting something new. Case in point: My brother and sister-in-law celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary a couple of years ago. I thought I was planning ahead and started a quilt for them about a year before the actual anniversary. I didn't get the quilt finished by the anniversary because my hands started acting up with arthritis symptoms. I did keep plugging away on the quilt and finally finished by their 51st anniversary, but toward the end I really had to force myself to finish it up. It wasn't because I was tired of working on it because each time I set a block together I was awed all over again. The problem was that I would work on blocks or rows or whatever and let my mind run free. Usually my thoughts were of things we did together over their 50+ years together. Once in a while, though, my thoughts would veer off into....Hmmm. Wonder what it would look like if I....(fill in the blank - could be use different color combinations or make this part larger, whatever). Then I'd put down what I was working on -- and needed to be working on -- and start sketching out what might be the next project.

It's fun to be creative and come up with new ideas, but it sure does interfere with completing what is at hand. :-)

Now back to working on those appliqued whirligig squares....

P.S. My brother and sis-in-law liked their quilt, but they can't use it because my brother says it's too warm. You just can't please some people! :-) They do have it on the guest room bed, I think.

What's it all about???

2010-03-06T19:44:00.000-06:00

I've been trying to decide what I want this blog to be and I still have not come to a conclusion. I don't have lofty thoughts so that's not the direction I'll take. I have never enjoyed journaling. Tried it back when I was a kid and someone gave me a diary. My compulsive side pushed me to write something in the diary every day. The problem was I didn't have anything to say every day. Writing in the diary went by the wayside quickly. Taking a clue from other bloggers I've read recently, I have decided that it is OK to not publish something every day. Using that as a basis, my posts will be sporadic, I suppose. Whenever I have something I want to say.

OK. Enough of that. For the last couple of days, I have been working on a quilting project. Don't know what I'll do with it if I ever finish it. Applique is relaxing to me, so I am appliqueing "whirligig" shapes onto a background fabric. The kicker is the "blades" of the whirligig are all different bright...and I do mean bright...colors and the background fabric is bright, too. I'm trying to use up fabrics that I got when I belonged to a FQ-of-the-month club from a fabric store. These are colors that I would not normally work with so it will be interesting to see what this becomes. My plan is to set the blocks together with white fabric. As soon as I get a block or two finished, I'll post a photo so maybe somebody can give me feedback.

So, that's it for now. Back to my applique project. I hope everyone enjoys the beautiful spring weather we've had for the past couple of days.

Welcome

2010-03-05T11:05:00.000-06:00

After retiring in the spring of 2009, I find I am searching for who I am. In other words, I guess I need to redefine myself. For 40+ years, I was somebody's employee. They were good years. Crafting has always been part of my life. Now in my retirement years, it has taken center stage in my life, but I still have time on my hands. Friends have asked me for a long time if I have a blog. I never felt I had anything important to say so I never attacked blogging. I'm still not sure if I have anything of import to say, but I've decided to join the blogging world. I hope you will bear with me through my ramblings. Please feel free to add your comments thoughts, ideas, suggestions, brickbats or whatever as we journey down the blog road.

My blogging will most likely focus on crafting, family, friends or getting things off my chest. My favorite crafts are knitting and quilting and I almost always have at least one project of each kind going at any given time. To be honest, I have a host of UFOs (unfinished objects) that I hope this blog will help me get motivated to finish. From time to time, I will post photos of in-progress or finished projects to give you an idea of how I fill my time.

Don't expect posts from me every day. I'll be lucky if I can come up with something to say once a week. I do hope you will check back from time to time to see how my world is going.

Until the next time,
Amy