For Her, For Me

It had been months since I sat in front of my sewing machine. July, actually. The machine collected dust in the corner and any and all projects in the queue sat, neglected or forgotten or undone. I had ideas about this and that; a quilt, a knit hat, a new t-shirt handstitched. But these hands, they remained idle. Well, not idle but tapping out work or turning book pages or wrestling the young boys that fill so much of the hours, those precious ones that are open.

A huge factor in availability of precious hours is work. I think that is the norm for a working mother. A shift to a 5 day work week has rippling effects, it intensifies demands, crushes them into those precious hours and I find I choose making dinner over making 'something'. I find myself on the floor with Lincoln Logs rather than seated at the machine, watching them rather than myself.


There was a shift last week though, both boys sick after a return to the germ haven that is a small children's school. Tim caught the awful bug, my Mama came up against her own health issues, work lightened up. I found myself home more than not for the week. It was an odd feeling, so many hours open and not devoted to work. It felt good.

I found myself pulling out new fabrics, letting the quilt I have been imagining take root in color and shape and design. Math and measure and cutting table. My mind had space for it, even with the demands of small people and one big not feeling well. It felt luxurious.


Over the weekend I was able to pull together the quilt for my newest niece, born 3 weeks ago. I had started a simple red and white 9 patch for her, saw it joined in almost windowpane fashion. The blocks were pieced, sitting in the pile marked 'neglect'. But then she came and pictures of her (and a surprise name switch when she was born) and suddenly she was not Rose but Avery.

I spread the blocks out on the table and saw something else, saw Avery in it and started slicing away. Which is kinda' scary when you have already spent some time piecing together all those 9 patches. The result looked nothing like the initial concept. But then, little Avery is here now, a person who could not be imagined until she appeared and started to share that self.


(Some of it is wonky as all get out but the slicing and piecing improved with each block. Quilting, such a learning curve).

We meet her this week; travel North for job interviews, relocation logistics and then Friday, baby smooshing and kissing. I am so happy to go bearing gifts for her, something that carries all the love this whole household has for her already.

And so, onward to this week. Change is afoot, I felt unsettled and excited and hopeful and so damn scared when I glance around and imagine moving. But the time at the machine? It centers me. It is not the sewing, really. It is the making. The way making something makes me feel. I feel more real. And now the real Me has to move onto hand sewing the yellow binding that Tim suggested.

And when I get back from the Northern sojourn I have this nifty 'newly re-purposed' cabinet to organize and stack full of fabric. The man can do more than pick a wicked binding.

Homage to Vintage

Saturday I visited a Quilt Show at one of our local libraries. It was small and earnest and featured many vintage quilts that came from family of the quilting circle. Each had a little tag telling the story of the quilt if it was known. And each one drew me in, close, closer to study the lines of its life.

There is something so special, so spectacular to me in those long lines of stitches. Up close, closer, you can feel the work and the hands that did the work. It is hard to imagine the patience, the ability to see the completion of the project in the quilter. Some of the pieces were so intricate, some of the stories behind the quilts so lovely and meaningful.



There is something about handwork that draws me close, closer. I wish for that ability, that patience. The women and men who made these pieces likely had busy lives, full of the work of home and hearth and maybe more work outside of the home. But they still found that place, of creation and necessity and because of it, these beautiful peces of artwork embrace and warm people, passing down and down to be held and used and loved.


They hold such energy. They hold such life for me. That quiet walk through the tiny quilt show was the inspiration and reminder that I needed. That there is value in this handwork, there is life.


And so I thought I would share it with you to call you too to that which inspires you. Be it stitch and cloth or fiber and stick, eye and viewfinder or soil and sprout, today I celebrate knowing that making creates Life.


My favorite quilt was the Wedding Ring, in part because of the story told on its little descriptive card. Made by a husband and wife after their wedding, pieced and quilted in quiet on a farm in the cold of winter. It is like staring at a fairytale to me.


Incidentally, making a Wedding Ring quilt was on my Mondo Beyondo list. I think I may have found my muse.

Baby {Making}

A few years ago I had no idea what babies needed. I did not have any babies. I had ideas about what they needed but these were far from concrete. Now, 4 years out I feel that I have a better grasp. Babies need diapers (lots), something to eat (breast/other as long as they are fed) and lots and lots of your time. Not much else really. Well, they usually get lots of other things but don't you think it really comes down to the essentials most of the time?

That does not mean we do not like to give them lots of other things and I am no exception. This month is the month of baby for me; my boys were born in April and now I have a new niece who has recently just come into her own and two small people forming up in two lovely sisters. Lots and lots of baby.

Couple all the baby with my new love of quilting and there have been many projects making their way to the sewing table (which is really just our huge long wooden dining table).

(Sewing space has been dismantled in favor of painting the wall a deep juicy red). (Man, painting just keeps going and going around here).

I think my confidence has grown with the quilting after successfully feeding two queen size quilts through my little machine and finding such happiness with the result. The first was for the boys, the second for our bed. The summer scrappy quilt is done!

400 plus 3.5 inch squares joined, sandwiched, quilted and only waiting for binding. Full pictures of that one to come.

Right now there are two quilts in progress. The first was inspired by JulieFrick who is a quilting machine lately. She is cranking out beautiful projects and I was inspired by her plus sign quilt. I had a stack of boy fabric that I purchased at Purl in Soho.
It sat without
a plan until the plus. But now it has found a place to be, sewn into this quilt top for baby S due this summer. The design is simple enough, I approached it with some chain piecing and it came together quickly.

I have the backing cut and ready to be sewn and then it is the simple matter of quilting which seems like a breeze after the giant-ness that was queen quilting. Yippee.

The second is for Rose, my niece to be. I found a link from Liesl at Disdressed about the quilt art show in NYC that featured Red & White Quilts. I drooled a bit over pictures, wishing with all of my heart that I could be there. Impossible but it did inspire me to try my own red and white combination.

I have all the fabrics chosen and washed and ironed and today I cut up strips with plans for 9 patch prettiness.
Another yippee.

Both little ones are due in summer but the baby showers are in a few weeks. I thought I might make the deadline but I know now that will not happen. Instead of applying that pressure that makes the making of things less fun, I thought I would just enjoy the process and aim to get the quilts done by the babies' arrival(s). So onward from here because babies may not need quilts, but I know that they need LOVE and to me this is a great way to send it to my far North family.

The only problem with quilting is that it addictively pulls you in and there are only so many hours in the day.

Want to see a Tim project? Yippee for wine cabinets that hold lots of wine and cute little boys.

He made it from scrap wood and all from hand. That man. He sure can make.

Tidbits

Thought I would share a few fun things as I try to get back on the blogging horse.

Patchwork. I started this a long time ago, called it my Summertime Pretty Patchwork quilt to be. All those squares became a little overwelming so I put it away. After finishing the boys' quilt, all of a sudden, it seemed doable. So out it came. Happy to say the quilt top is almost there and I have a great thrifted vintage sheet for the backing so a nice Summer time quilt may actually be on the bed by Spring.


365. It continues to make me happy. Happy happy happy. I forgot how great it is to takes pictures. I also realize I see the world in saturated technicolor. No matter what, I can't seem to edit the color that seeps into almost every frame.


Painting. The house is getting a makeover slowly but surely. I spent a few days with pots of sample paint, swatching over every wall and hall and surface. The paint is mixed and wall prep is on its way and now we just have to remain vigilant and watch the ruffians. Today I found they had lugged a gallon into the house, had my fine new Purdy brush out and were in the process of puzzling out how to use the paint key that the folks at Home Depot gave them for being such great fellows at the paint counter. (Not all the colors are going on the wall, just the grey and red and the rest of the place will stay in the Navajo white color scheme).


Favorite new app ever. ToonPaint. Take any photo and convert it into comic greatness. This is perfect for two little boys obsessed with Superman, Batman and Spidey.



(FYI : I don't think Mace is intentionally giving us the finger, he prefers his middle digit for pointing and such. Certainly makes him look too cool for school though.)

A Finished Quilt

Last week I picked up a patient that lives in the old historical home section of our town. The home is all beautiful old moulding and detailed finishing and as I walked back to his bedroom I peeked (as I always do) through doorways and around corners. The first spare bedroom held a high bed covered in a huge wedding ring quilt, crisp and colorful in the window light. Another room held more quilts and he himself was covered by a crocheted granny square blanket, the pattern one of black borders with bright centers. It made me happy to be there despite the fact that I was there to see a sick person.

Last week I also finished my first real quilt. In the past I have dabbled, a small child quilt here, some blocks that never came to be a quilt top there. But this one was special. I started it in Tahoe, alone in a quiet condo sewing away at the blocks that became a top that became a sandwich and finally ran in long lines through my little machine .... and became a quilt.


There is something so very satisfying about seeing it. It is big, enough to cover their queen bed. It is a little wonky and when I washed it, it shrunk quite a bit more than I realized.

It is simply pieced and simply quilted. I was nervous as I ran it through the machine, the long lines of stitching wavering at times, my arms wrestling and tired by the end.

I pieced the binding and watched some new favorite shows as I hand sewed the back. And then at last I laid it on their bed and waiting for some window light to capture the end result.


But the best part was the way my boys received it. Aware that it was made for them, looking at the littlest detail because there are wheels and stop lights involved. Hiding and peeking and jumping and pulling on it until I was laughing harder than they.





I asked the wife of my patient about the quilt. It was a gift to them 37 years ago. Someone pieced and stitched it together for them and it followed them through their long lives, cherished and as beautiful as the day it was given.

That is why I make things. To find a way to express a moment made timeless, to place love, to give it a feel and a location. To remember that we are designed to create, that it fills more than just the maker.

And now that I have unlocked this newest way to make, somewhat secure int he knowledge that I can actually quilt a queen size on my little cheap machine, well, it feels like the sky is the limit.
Now, back to those 400 or so 3.5 inch squares I have been trying to transform.

Happy making, friends, however it is that you do so in your days.

Thankful

Today I am thankful for ::

++ The south moving Sun that brings bright morning light into our South facing bedrooms.


++ Remembering to light scented candles to warm the rooms and dispel some of the little boy pee smells that seem to permeate our hall bathroom.

++ Snapping away to capture those first few days when their skin is still fragile and glowing and they do nothing more than root, flail, grunt and make you fall in love.


++ Sewing. And sewing. Patches and quilt tops and dolls and pants.
There is nothing like sewing.






Doll pattern via Bolt.

We Interrupt the Broadcast ...

Gawd, eight days in and I am thoroughly sick of speaking about myself. It is making me feel all itchy and stuff. I am taking a break to talk about something that I like more than this Month of me. And that would be Heather Ross.

I have a pretty solid crush on the woman, her fabric and her fabulous-ness. She has long been my favorite fabric designer, her patterns hold so much whimsy and life. I have a really bad habit of buying her stuff and then hoarding it in small devoted piles, occasionally taking them down to fold and re-fold. On the rare occasion that I actually use the fabric, I can be found to wince as I slice through a character or two. I've got it bad.

Well, right now, Tim is in the midst of making the boys a bed frame for their queen size mattress. It is walnut and oak and mortis and tenoned and I realized they now need a big boy quilt. Sewing had fallen of the radar for a bit, but we had a solo weekend in Tahoe planned and I saw this quilt which shot me full of inspiration.

I also realized that the boys will only be in the 'rabbits and race car' phase for a few more years and I might miss my chance to drape their days (and bed) with the lovely Heather Ross hoard.

So, all the special and precious boy prints came out and I half-formed a basic idea and identified a few great solid colors.

I spent the better part of Friday and Saturday slicing, pinning, piecing and playing and I am beyond happy with the results.



The quilt top is far from done, but it is well underway. I also found a use for the bits that were trimmed from the light colored blocks I sewed up...

These little patchwork scraps took on a new life when sewed up together. I can see using this as the center for a pillow.

I am so glad that this is what comes from carefully piecing favorite fabrics together.

And I can say that I cut the HR stuff down with such precision that this is about all that I was left with as discards...


Funny how careful we can be when we truly cherish something.

I bet this post makes me sound even crazier than the previous 8, right?

And if you do not, you should really read Heather's personal blog. She is such a great story teller, she is a twin and (this, oddly enough, does not freak me out at all) she and her sister used to sew up little outfits for dead mice that their cat would kill and bring to them in their old Vermont home where she lived as a child (just read the damn post before you freak out, okay?). I ask, who would not want to crush on this lady?

As for the 30 days, it has definitely lost its shine, but I think I will pick and choose the days for the duration of the month. In between, I plan on posting about the knitting, sewing and life that is happening behind the scenes.

Whew, I feel better already.

One last thing... if you are a HR fan(atic) like me, you will note one print that is not of her design. Anyone spot it?

Towards Recovery

Oh, my lovely friends, thank you so very much for your energy and thoughts and prayers. So appreciated and very helpful. She is through the surgery but struggling in the post-op phase with some nasty nausea and vomiting and the after effects of someone cutting apart your bones and joints and shoving some metal and silicone parts in. Ortho surgery can be pretty brutal, but I know she is on the road and it helps to know you, my friends in the ether, are all rooting for her. Keep them coming, if you do not mind.

It will be my shift at the hospital soon, but I had some time to myself this morning, a few precious hours of play time, as I think of it. I thought to share some of the pretty here...

Making up a few cards for her to rifle through when she starts to feel better. These hold some great quotes from Dr. Dyer's Dozen. I think my favorite is "Think from the end"...visualize it as you want it to be and work back from there. Great advice, especially right now.


And the quilt blocks march on here. This here is my third block, and then the sum of my efforts.


I am trying not to put too much thought into it, I gathered fat quarters from the stash that struck me as semi-coordinating and have just grabbed and pieced. I think I like it, but it is awfully cheery in color, right? And I have no idea where it is going but I do have the 4th block cut and ready to be sewn. I think one of my favorite part of this experiment is when my points actually match up, not an easy feat as the blocks have required more and more pieces.


And the real accomplishment this morning.

All my Alabama skirt pieces are cut and inked. My fingers are all spotted with paint, but the hard part is done. I find the painting part to be the biggest bump to get over, it takes a lot of time and focus to get the stencil cut and the pieces painted, but once it is done, it feel like smooth sailing. My plan is for black paint with reverse applique for the stems and leaves and then actual applique in cream on the rose and buds.


I almost almost looking forward to a few hours in the hospital at bedside, giving help when needed and stitching away when not.

Thanks again, loves, you are all really the best. Be back here soon. :)

In Like a Lion

I think I am not alone in wishing February a not so fond farewell. We are just into the month of March, but I can feel the shift; the days lengthening, the energy sapped in the darkest month of February is on the return. I am loving the crisp and cool weather, storms blowing in and out almost every other day....sweeping the sky of smog and blanketing our mountains in fresh new snow. The rain never lasts long and the snow is not outside the home so there is nothing to complain about. I know that is not quite the case on the East and you have my deepest sympathies as the winter drags on over there.

Speaking of the East Coast...I finally took a step in that direction. Quite literally, actually. Over the weekend I decided to attend the Blogher 10 Conference. In part because it is in NYC and a great reason to head back in that direction after 10 long years away. In part because some of my favorite women are going to be there and I love thinking of this as an opportunity to meet, listen and speak to some of the people that have been so inspiring in so many ways. So, if you are going or in the area (ahem, Marnie) then I want to know. I kinda' feel the same way I did when I was 17 and moving to NYC to start at NYU...not knowing a soul in the city and not exactly sure where it was all leading to. Excited and a little intimidated.

The decision seemed to spur some fresh energy for clearing and starting so I gathered all the pretty things I could find and decided to take a few photos...inspiration in a minutes time. I love doing this when I am trying to focus my relatively scattered creative energy. All these things have been lying around on my bedside table, in piles and bags.


First up, Easter finery...well, not that we celebrate Easter, let's call it Spring finery. I have had the urge to sew up some more Oliver and S pants, the grey corduroy is light wale and looks quite handsome next to some Heather Ross lining fabric.

Eventually I hope to pair the pants with some (lets hope) quickly knitted vests and we will have the outfits to take them through Spring family celebrations, birthday parties and graduations. The yarn is a closeout cotton with a fairly soft hand...the swatch was the start but I am almost halfway through a vest body in the knitting. Something about all that Olympic knitting has kept my hands itching to knit more.



And then there were all the scraps from the cutting of the pants and I am starting to understand how hard it is to toss scraps (especially OOP Heather Ross stuff) and I ran into a tutorial on string squares over at Film in the Fridge and the scraps quickly became a few of these squares. Fun, right?

I am gleaning so much inspiration from Julie Frick (who was going to blog again, but so far is sticking with Flickr...man, Flickr and Twitter have so killed the blog world) and the latest thought is to pair the strip squares with fresh green tree squares and see what happens...

An then I found this on the bedside table, initially intended for a yoga classmate and her now 8 month old daughter...

Not sure it will fit, but it has to go somewhere, it is too cute to sit on the bedside table any longer. A few buttons and a few ends to weave and I am committing to finding a place for it to go.

March is in like a Lion around here and it feels really quite good. How is it shaping up for you all?

Glancing through the pictures conforms my love of orange and brown and grey...so 70s but in a new way. I love the 70s so that seems to be all good.