Save or Donate

So of all the things we keep, what matters most?  The things collected over a period of 30 years or so that occupy space here and there in this humble abode are about to be culled.  A decluttering of sorts. Those little items that have been saved and stored away because " I can use that in this widget" or "This still works" or "When I loose the ten (!) pounds that was gained over the holidays two years ago, I can wear this outfit."  And on and on and on it goes.  This is valuable real estate that I could "rent" out to my fabric stash and sewing adventures (projects).  So a couple of cardboard boxes, maybe more (certainly), will be filled with some items of clothing, books, and who knows what else to be donated.  Things that are NOT being used by me or anyone else in this dwelling that could be things that could matter to somebody else.

We justify and find or create reasons why we keep things.   Make room for the things that really matter in your life.



Completed in the Spring of  2017... hooray!   Now I'm looking to purge even more!

More selvedges!

A while back I posted about selvedges and what could be done with them.  I have come to realize that some things take time (duh).  Going along the sewing pathway I pick one, then another.  They are in a big bag.  Waiting.  Waiting patiently for their turn to be added.  To be a part.  Of something bigger.   Many are new and have a place to belong.  For now.  As these pieces are to be added to each other.

I have completed some potions by color coordinating the fabrics while attempting to make those parts random.

The selvedges are coming together very nicely.  I think this cloth is going to make a very nice and hopefully sturdy quilt top.  I can't wait to see it completed.  It's a great record of the stash of fabric that I have curated.

Still there is a way to go before it us completed.

In the meantime I have been using up some others fabric pieces of odds and ends to make larger pieces of cloth.  I may turn them into art cloths for my own keeping, we'll see.

Creators create, we can't help it.

We are already into March, time goes. Faster and faster it would seem.  My New Years resolution so far has been somewhat successful.  I only told one person about it - DH.   Now I will share - my sewing area is so crowded with ???  That I feel the NEED to organize, clear, make room.  This is being done, only at a snail's pace.  Progress is being made though and is only part of the story ... I have imposed upon myself NOT to purchase any supplies or fabric until the job is done, YIKES!  So far this year I have not purchased one fat quarter, no thread, not a single needle!  I am starting to feel some withdrawal.  How do I combat this, you ask?  I head into my sewing area and start by picking out what I want to accomplish in there.  I feel much better afterwards in a couple of different ways, one this or that item(s) has a place to live or gets to "move" out, so to speak. Second I have not added to the stash,  third is that I get to discover UFOs or WIPs (of which there are a few), fourth the satisfaction that soon I can get in there and start creating again - not that I have been stagnant.  Creators create always, we can't help it.  I have been doing some hand sewing and stitching and working in my small sketch book.  Already have some ideas that I will transfer to fabric starting small increasing to a larger piece.  More on that in a future post.  

How are all of you doing on your New Years resolutions?

Hello everybody, it's been quite some time since my last blog post.  Hope that everyone has had a wonderful year and wonderful times with family and friends during this Christmas season.  This year everyone was at the house later in the day.  We all sat around the table having coffee and Christmas goodies, laughing and joking.  Afterward everyone retired to the family room, gathered round the tree and exchanged gifts.  The addition of an advent calendar was part of the festivity for the first time.  Everyone was involved as they contributed to what was in each little bag.  No one knew what was in each bag that they picked, it was just a random collection of things.  Everyone had fun and wants to do it again next year.  I have already begun with my first contribution!
It is very warm in New England as we are used to it being a bit colder.  I'm very sure that winter will be upon us soon and the snow shovels may have to come out!
 This year my "sewing room" needs a good going through - it is quite the disaster.  Some parts are organized while others are in disarray.  It's very hard to find things, especially when I know I have more than one of an item.  I go in scratching my head asking myself where in the world are my pinking shears for example.   That happens to be one thing that I do not have more than one of.   I know they are here somewhere!  So the best thing to do is to get in gear and get going, get organized. Stop procrastinating.
Other goals are to compile a book of quilts that were specially made for a certain group of people.  That will begin shortly after the new year.  I am looking forward to this small project and cannot wait to see my idea complete.  I am very excited about this.
I am making a red, white and blue quilt for some one special, it is nearly done.  It needs to be completed by January 30.  My next project along this line is going to be creating a quilt with ONLY American sourced fabrics.  Not sure if it will be a red, white and blue quilt yet, I have not decided but am leaning towards that thought.
I have some baby quilts completed that need to find a home.  A pretty princess baby girl quilt of pinks and grays and a couple of variety holiday quilts that would be great for little boys are in the stack as well as some half square triangle quilts.  They all need a new home.
I was excited to meet Mary Fons this past November.  She has a great sense of humor and shared a lot of her quilting knowledge with the group.  She had some interesting tidbits of quilt history to impart with us and a nice array of her own quilts to show.  It was a lot of fun.  Everyone seemed to have a good time, I know I did.
Well the newest addition to our house is crying at the door to go out and take care of a little business, so I hope you have enjoyed this little catchup, I'll be posting again soon.  (Another one of my goals - post more often as it helps me keep on track).
Thanks for reading. Happy new year.

Small Finds

As you stroll around the beautiful Gaylord Resort in Nashville Tennessee you hear the soft sounds of water gurgling past and cascading waterfalls as fish glide through the clear water environments that have been created for them.  There are plants of every shape and size enclosed within the expansive greenhouse that lets in the natural light.  Benches are scattered throughout for those who might want to just sit to take a moment of contemplative relaxation.  There is so much to see here.  If you ever take a trip to Nashville make sure that this is one of the places that you venture to.
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One of the many pieces of statuary scattered throughout the Gaylord Resort in Nashville.  This little barefoot cherub was waiting patiently on a small bit of log for us to arrive.

Making Rainbows

A rainbow of soft color.

So here is the "rainbow" that I promised, finally.  I thought I would never get this picture posted.  
Anyhow these are 1 yard of cotton fabric each that I hand dyed and they are lovely, even if I do say so myself.  Soft and cozy.   I have 20 yards plus at this time and each one is slightly different from the next.  If anyone wants to see a picture of a full yard please leave a comment.

What's Been Happening?

  It has been a couple of months since my last post as you can see - so what have I been up to you ask?  Well for starters a wedding shower, rehearsal dinner and wedding. which went beautifully.  The bride was beautiful and the groom looked very handsome - they both were smiling the whole day.   
  Now we have a daughter-in-law the newest family member AND a son-in-law both of which we love very much and are welcomed additions to our family.  So now both of our kids are happily married.

Above is a couple of pics from the rehearsal dinner.  This is the table setting at which the actual practice ceremony took place. The colors for the wedding were purple and grey - so I kept that theme for the dinner as well. I will have a tutorial for the table runner in a post later this month, so check back to see that.

Then the surprise birthday party - which was quite a feat trying to keep it a surprise! We succeeded in that endeavor as well - DH had no idea that this was all going on behind his back LOL.  With only 3 weeks to set everything up after the wedding we all were very busy indeed. He enjoyed himself very much and was totally surprised.  The trick is to just go about the normal everyday activities that one does AND get help from the kids to do some of the set up and preparation.  They did a great job setting up and everything looked fantastic.

Now it is time to think about the holidays which are fast approaching.

Update - Spray Starch

  In April of this year I posted about home made spray starch.  I am pleased to report that it works quite well.  There isn't any sticking or flaking, but I must admit that I usually am ironing with steam.  I find that I get a better result with steam, and ironing lines in just always come out just the way I want them.  By lines I mean what people used to do down the front of their slacks (I don't iron seams / lines down the front of my pants- they never even see an iron!)  

  The one drawback is that with all this HOT weather the nation seems to be having the starch may begin to smell a bit unpleasant and you do not want to iron in bad odors to something beautiful that you are making - so smell the starch first.  And yes I did add some borax to the solution to preserve it.  So now the starch is kept in the refrigerator with a nice label on it "STARCH".  It also washes out quite nicely without damage to your machine.  

  So give it a try - I'll bet that you have some corn starch in the kitchen cupboard - add some cold water to dissolve the corn starch - bring to a boil while stirring constantly to avoid lumps - allow to cool before funneling into a spray bottle.  You can use it  immediately, store any unused portion in the fridge and make sure that you label it.

  *Note you don't need much corn starch in the water - opt for less rather than more. A half teaspoon to a pint of water is a good start.  If you find that you require a heavier starching add only a quarter teaspoon more mixed with a tiny bit of water to the main solution.  Add the borax to a small bit of water - then mix into the boiled starch.

I hope that this was helpful, it certainly is economic.  .