Studio Post #16 - Queen Size Quilt Top for Our Bed

Nothing momentous this week, but I (and my sister Louise) both pressed fabric yesterday. (The pieces I had laundered last week, mostly from the "Free" table at Minnesota Quilters.)

I pieced together enough fabric for a backing.

I'll finish basting together the batting either tonight or tomorrow evening. (I thought about buying a big enough piece, but decided to make do with what I have here at home.)

Tuesday, I'll head to my friend Rose's house to start quilting it! I hope to come up with a quilting plan before then.

I wasn't going to bother with a photo, but then I decided it would be helpful for me to have one to plan out my quilting.

 

This is the Go With the FLW (Frank Lloyd Wright) challenge that I started in 2017. It has turned out to be a bit bizarre - both in the color scheme and in the design I ended up making. Ah, well. It's for our bed at home and I'll like cuddling under it. Louie humors me.

 

It's bigger than the open space in our house and I didn't want to lay it outside on the grass. It measures 98" wide x 106" long. I took the photo on the side but them rotated it to how it will lay on the bed. This perspective distorted the overall look.

Also, in writing this, I realize I need to come up with a name for this quilt. I'll add that to the To-Do list. This is the design Mike created. At some point, I decided I didn't care for it . . . and went off on my own crazy-train!

Studio Post #15 - Fabric

I didn't actually spend any time at all in my studio this week. (Sad face) It was just a busy week! I had a Grandma Day, subbed three days, had a bad cold, and was just not very productive.

I had gotten some pretty fabric off the "free" table at the MQ meeting and I laundered it. That's all. I also took home some hexies but have decided to bring them back for the MQP group to enjoy or sell. My hexies are all cotton and I don't want to mix with these (which also have the stitches visible on the top).

I need to enter my 2024 MQ Challenge and my "God Heals" quilts. Deadline is midnight tomorrow!

Studio Post #14 - God Heals wall hanging done!

I'm so glad I was able to finish the hand stitching on this while visiting my son and daughter-in-law in Grand Marais last week! It feels really good to have it done and hanging on the wall. I think I may enter it in this year's "non-judged" category at the Minnesota Quilt Show, even though it's the 2023 Challenge fabric . . . 

 

I've actually gotten started on the 2024 Challenge. No photos until it's made, though! It's nice to get back into my studio. Yesterday was so beautiful outside that I sat on the deck and repaired two different coats! 

I realized when I took this photo that it should say 2023 MQ Challenge, not 2024. I've changed it on the quilt, but didn't take a new photo. (Yes, I'm too lazy.) I also realized that this little quilt has a LOT of dog and cat hair on it! It's quite fuzzy.

Studio Post #13 - Jeanne Got Her Groove Back!

I'm posting a day early because tomorrow is Easter Sunday! I got into my sewing room yesterday and feel really good about what I got done.

First of all, I finally made the binding for my "God Heals" wall hanging and sewed it onto the front. I also made a hanging sleeve and pinned that in place. I made a label for it, too. Now I have some hand stitching to do to finish it!!! Bonus - I cut the hanging rod today and Louie drilled holes to fit the hanging copper. I'm so pumped! No photo until it is DONE.

I also stitched a bunch of little Easter bags / baskets for candies. Even though only two people at lunch tomorrow will be little kids, we all like treats! Here's what I stitched (and I may go sew a few more). I also have some paper gift bags, depending on how many people show up (and/or I send home with SOs. . . . ).

 

I did a little bit of other stuff in my sewing room, but just wanted to have a post with some content for once!

204 Studio Post #12 - Almost Nothing

I had such good intentions to get back on track, but alas, my time management was not stellar over the past week. I did a tiny bit of planning for the 2024 MQ Challenge (which is due in just over two weeks). It's already Wednesday and I have a busy day today (and tomorrow). But perhaps this evening or Friday I will sew!

 

Here's where the planning is at:

 

2024 Studio Post #11 - Absolutely Nothing

I had really good intentions last week, but I did not sew anything. I was out of town a lot and brought a project with, but didn't stitch or even plan any part of it. 

Oh! I drew out a sketch of what I might do for my 2024 Minnesota Quilt Show Challenge entry . . . but that's it. I hope to get into my studio this week!

2024 Studio Post #10 - Crib Sheet!

This shouldn't make me so incredibly happy, but it does. 

 

Our oldest grandchild Joshua is five. The guest bed is a tall queen sized bed and he prefers to be closer to the floor. Thirty-five or so years ago, my father made a toddler bed for our first born, Morgan (Joshua's daddy). We got it out of storage last year and I bought a crib sized mattress off Craigslist. The lady gave me the sheets that went with it, but they are clearly baby-themed (duckies and bunnies). Joshua didn't seem to mind, but it bothered me.

I dug through my bin of "juvenile novelty" fabric and found two pieces that were both fun to look at and large enough to become fitted sheets. (The construction vehicles here and a piece of aqua scientist fabric.) Then I started looking online for directions. It shouldn't be too hard, right?

But different directions had different starting dimensions. And one had elastic only at the four corners and two others had it going all the way around the entire sheet. A friend texted me images of directions from a pattern she had. Louie asked why I didn't just go and buy a pattern. It's just a fitted sheet!

So I was finally brave enough today to measure, cut, and stitch. I decided to put elastic along the two short ends. It fits! I don't have time before the boys are dropped off to sew the second one, but the toddler bed has a little kid's sheet on it now!

 

Also, how cool is it that I have a bed frame that my dad made for his first grandchild and now my first grandchild sleeps on that bed when he stays overnight? I'm so happy!

2024 Studio Post #9 - Habits

No photos this week and not much to report. I've been stitching on my bright "God Heals" wall hanging (Studio post #7). I have a set of DVDs from the library (Monk, season 2) and it works well to stitch while I watch. I may or may not enter the wall hanging into the 2024 MQ show (nonjudged). I'm eager to have it on my wall with the names of the people I'm praying healing for!

 

I've also been planning to sew two cute crib sheets for the little toddler bed I have set up in the guest room. The crib mattress I got for it came with baby themed sheets . . . but my five year old grandson sleeps on it when he comes over. He doesn't seem to mind the sheets, but I'd love to have something more age-appropriate for him.

 

I have some construction vehicle fabric and some "junior scientist" fabric. I just looked up directions on how to make a fitted crib sheet. When I get them made, I'll post a pic. I'm excited to tackle this, but I have other things that are more pressing right now. (The "habits" in the title refers to the habit of posting weekly. It's a motivational tool for me in its own odd way.)

Nostalgia and Letting Go

Nostalgia is interesting. Sometimes it just grips you and logic has no place. Many years ago, my mom had a box of stuff she was going to donate. She was a Depression-era farm kid who saved almost everything.

It was just chance that the timing worked that I saw this jar in a box when I stopped by her house and asked if I could please have it. Of course, she gave it to me; she didn't care about it. 

Honestly, I'm not sure why seeing it triggered such a visceral reaction in me. We almost never got to take anything out of this jar in my childhood. I think she mostly used it when she and my dad had bridge parties. She typically put spearmint leaves in it (like these). By the way, I love eating these but haven't had them in ages!

I'm glad I have it. I use it as a cookie jar. I really, really love this little jar and I'm not entirely sure why. The bell next to it in the picture above is another beloved item from my childhood. I thought I had written about it elsewhere, but I can't find a blog entry for it. (To add later???)

One thing I didn't rescue from my mom's mini-purge of her house back in the 90s was a grocery sack full of MAD magazine and comic books! She tossed them in the recycling. I was so upset when I found out. She saw no value in them and I explained that I could have sold some of them or at least enjoyed re-reading them. Ah, well. Stuff is just stuff.

Yet . . . why do some things tug at our hearts more than others? I've saved this jigsaw puzzle since the 1970s. I like jigsaw puzzles. I like words. I like fun fonts. But I don't especially like this puzzle. It's kind of "Meh." So I brought it to the lake, put it together, took this photo, and now it's in the pile to go to the library for their jigsaw puzzle exchange. 

 

I think there was something else I thought about in reference to nostalgia, but it's gone now. I have so many things I think about and I can't follow through on all of them! Time to focus on what's important . . .

2024 Studio Post #8 - Quilt Top Done

I had this mostly done at the January in-town retreat (post #3) but wanted to finish the bottom portion. I'm not entirely happy with how it turned out and may cut off the bottom corners to have it lay better on the bed. It didn't fit well on the floor in front of my bookcases in the living room! (This is a side view with the head of the bed to the left and the bottom of the bed to the right.) 

Next I'll work on the backing, which I'm piecing together with random fabric leftovers. The batting I have is too small, so I'll need to decide if I piece it together with other batting or buy a piece that's big enough.

After I have the batting and backing ready to go, I'll schedule time with my friend Rose so I can long-arm it at her house. Then I can make the binding and put it on! 

 

The color scheme and design are a bit odd, but I'm having fun with it. Louie's only comment was, "that's colorful." I'll be happy to have it on our bed when I'm done!

2024 Studio Post #7 - Hand Stitching

I've actually been working on this for about a year. I wanted to have it done for the 2023 Minnesota Quilter's Show in June . . . but that clearly didn't happen.  I'm close to finishing the hand stitching and then I can make the border and sew it on. I'm not sure if I'll enter it in this year's show or not. I hope to spend more time in my sewing room this week!

 

The quilting looks awful in this picture . . . but it is nicer in person!

2024 Studio Post #6 - Almost Nothing

I brought a hand sewing project with me to the lake this past weekend and did no stitching on it. I wanted it done last June for the MQ show. It is to replace the wall hanging I gave to a friend:

To be clear, this picture is the one I finished years ago. The pins at the bottom are to pin on people's names that I'm praying for. The friend I gave it to had admired it when she saw it at my house. 

 

I'll wait until I'm done with the current version to post the pic here. 

I also looked at laying out the last part of the quilt top I'm working on, but haven't made decisions yet.

I got out some fabric that I love less for the backing and put it in the laundry to wash before I put it together for the back.

That's it. This is a new week! (I'm bringing the hand stitch wall hanging with me today.)

2024 Studio Post #5 - Pirate Costume

I'm actually posting a day early (Saturday instead of Sunday) for once! Not that it matters to anyone except me. I've been trying to put this together for over two weeks and it's nice to have it done!

My grandson just turned five. He likes to play make believe (veterinarian, astronaut, etc.) Right now, due primarily to the Netflix show Octonauts, he likes to play pirates. I have had to hold my brain and tongue to NOT explain that pirates - both historically and in modern times - are generally horrible people who steal and kill. He's a little kid and likes to make maps, look for buried treasure, and say "Argh!" 

 

I went to the thrift store to buy the pants and shirt, then cut ragged, uneven edges to them. I had some pirate themed items in my costume / prop area and checked with my daughter-in-law about giving him the fake hook, dagger, and eye patch. I also had the binoculars in my prop stuff . . . not a telescope, but close enough to play with!

 

I asked my husband to make "coins" out of a tree branch. I wanted the pieces big enough so that they wouldn't be a choking hazard for our younger grandson. I had the green velvet drawstring pouch in my jewelry box and it's a great treasure pouch. (I also have a Chewy.com box that Joshua and I had been turning into a treasure chest. I'm putting all this stuff into it.)

 

The hat was the biggest hassle! I looked for DIY sites and videos on making pirate hats. They were all either about making paper hats or taking a ready-made hat and modifying it. There was a cool design and pattern for making a hat out of felt, but it wasn't what I was thinking of doing. I finally made my own pattern and put some sturdy fabric together. It is so bad! But I kept reminding myself that it was just a toy for playing a pretend game. The sewing is NOT pleasant. (If you're thinking of making a pirate hat - at least the tricorn style - do yourself a favor and just get a floppy brimmed round hat!)

 

I also didn't take the time to get his head circumference before I started. First I made the opening too large (it didn't sit on my head!) then I sewed it too small (I could tell with my hands). I finally asked my daughter-in-law for the measurement. His party is today, so I'll just do some fitting and stitching as needed.

 

The last piece was the map. I took a piece of fabric and drew. It's not very fancy, but I think he'll have fun with it. I'll try to update with a picture of the pirate later.

2024 Studio Post #4 - A Repair and A Finished Edge

Another small week, but I love getting into my studio!

My husband's old lined jeans were wearing out at the buttonhole. He primarily uses them for walking the dog at 5am on cold mornings or working in the garage in the winter. I cut a buttonhole zone from a pair of old denims and stitched it over the frayed fabric. Due to the many layers of thick denim, I couldn't go all the way around with my sewing machine, so I hand stitched part of it. It's not pretty, but it's holding up!

I found a piece of heart fabric on the "free" table at Minnesota Quilters and nabbed it right away! I pressed the unfinished edges, gave it a sew, and used it in a display at church for "I love missions." It's simple and quick, but I did some sewing last week!

Paradox

More than a few times lately, I've thought about blogging something and then checked myself. Just because it has been helpful and motivating to me to blog about getting rid of stuff doesn't mean I have to blog about every darn thing!

I'm finally evaluating the why and the future worth. Sometimes "hanging on to stuff," even electronically, is helpful. The archives can be searched and the info can be found. (I've looked up my own entry on breaking my wrist as a child and the corresponding hospital bill several times!)

 

Sometimes it is a bit of history . . . when I went through my father-in-law's yearbooks, I only took photos of the pages that included him. But boy oh boy! There was a treasure trove of a teen's life in the 1940s! I almost wanted to keep it but am so glad that his high school has those yearbooks. They're more relevant there than here.

Sometimes I pause to think "will I need this information in the future?" This morning (1.28.24), I have the note about the St. Paul Winter Carnival Jigsaw Puzzle Contest. The date I registered us, the amount paid, etc. I have a file folder for the contest. I could chuck this slip of paper in there. Does it matter? I haven't kept meticulous records of all the years we've competed (over the last 20ish years). 

So . . . keeping track and blogging has been a helpful tool, but I don't need to track and quantify everything!

Louie and I have started doing some exercising in the morning. Nothing major, just trying to develop healthier habits. I have an alarm go off M-F after coffee and before showers. It feels good to do SOMETHING, and as I was tempted to start tracking WHAT I did and how many pounds, reps, seconds, etc., I decided I just didn't want to. Later, I may get serious about it and tracking can help with a fitness plan. But for now, I am choosing to not add that thing (tracking workouts) to my day.

There are so many things that I do out of habit or compulsion. I need to be more mindful about what matters!

2024 Studio Post #3 - MQ Intown Retreat

Now, technically, this doesn't really count since I wasn't in my studio! However, I spent a lot of time sewing last week!

I had been participating in the 2017 Mystery Challenge. I wanted so much to keep up and get it done, but life got in the way. Then as I was trying to play catch up, I got to directions I struggled to follow AND I saw other peoples' finished quilts. 

Mike Ellingson was the designer and he's amazing. It was called "Go with the FLW." Initially, I thought it was "flow" without the "O," but I learned it was FLW for Frank Lloyd Wright.

In any case, I had made all the blocks using his directions through month 7. Then I had started month 8 and . . . paused. Here's what the finished quilts looked like.

 

I just wasn't in love with it. And my fabric choices were odd, since I did a mix of scrappy and brights. (The directions gave some color / hue info, but our choices were ours!) 

After it sat for about six years, I opened the bin to see that yes, I had done a lot of work, I still didn't understand the month 9 directions, and I didn't want to make Mike's design.

There were things I loved and things I didn't love. I decided it was my quilt and I had already done a lot of work on it, so I brought it to the three-day in-town retreat and played with what I could make. Here are a few shots, but I didn't get it completely done. It took a surprising amount of time to go from lots of partial pieces (strips of flying geese, some courthouse steps, half-square triangles, etc.) to an almost finished top.

 

I've got more done, but I'll wait until I finish the top to post more. The retreat was 9am - 8pm on both Thursday and Friday and 9am - 5pm on Saturday. I stayed overnight at my girlfriend Jenifer's house so I wasn't driving as far. 

I'd write more, but I'm tired and I have a lot going on tomorrow. It feels really good to have gotten a lot of sewing done. I'm super excited to finish this top and schedule time to quilt it.

I've fallen behind on the declutter challenge, but I don't like to be stressed out, so I'll just try to get a little done each day.

2024 Studio Post #2 - This and That

This entry was intended to be done on January 14, but life got kind of busy. From 1/7-1/14, I worked on the Declutter challenge and finished another hair towel. I didn't really know these existed until just over a year ago. We have so many towels that I cut one up to make a hair towel. It was a bit of a fail, so I made a second one that works fine. This is my third (and best) one so far. I love how well it fits on my head!

 

I didn't take a photo after sewing the elastic in place, but it was nice to get it done and into rotation!  By the way, I used this gal's info to make this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eBiET1xuR4

I stitched on a few things and decided what I was going to bring with me to the Minnesota Quilters In-Town Retreat. (More on that in my next post.)

2024 Studio Post #1 - Black and Neon Quilt for Benjamin!

I don't finish quilts very often, but this is a very exciting way for me to start off a new year!  In October of 2011, I won 18 Snail's Trail blocks in our Minnesota Quilters Block of the Month drawing. Such fun! I laid them all out in the same orientation to think about them. My oldest son Morgan saw me pondering and asked if it wouldn't work to change how they are laid out. Oh my! I feel as though I should have known that!

Of course you're supposed to orient them to make a secondary pattern! I might have gotten there on my own, but I'm so glad he helped me see this! Once I realized how they should go, I decided to make more blocks to form a twin sized bed quilt. I had won 1 blue, 1 orange, 3 dark pink, 2 light pink, 6 yellow, 2 bold green, and 3 light green. I made twelve more - 1 green, 1 pink, 5 orange, and 5 blue. The blocks I won were made by Kara Albrecht, Virginia Mercil, Mariana Campbell, Sally Lajon, Katherine Faust, and a few other people who didn't sign their blocks. (I kept track of which blocks were from which people in my quilting "scrapbook.")

 

I finally put the quilt top together in 2016. I decided to add piano keys to the top and bottom to get the dimensions I wanted. I even picked out the batting and backing! I was ready to go in July 2016 . . . but other life events crowded it out and it went on a back burner. A very back burner. For a long time.

 

At an MQ meeting on November 4, 2023, I saw a friend who has invited my sisters and me to quilt at her house on her long-arm machine. (We are actually blessed to have more than one quilting friend like this!) I told this friend that I needed to make a date with her to quilt a project that has been sitting for seven years! She told me to get my calendar and we'd figure out a date. So we did!

 

On Wednesday, November 15th, I went to her house with my sister Ann and got the backing, batting, and top onto the quilting frame. I got a refresher course on using the machine. I did a little practice, then was off and running!

 

I did go a little too fast at first and had a bit of "eyelash" stitching. It was a good reminder for me to S-L-O-W down and sew smoothly. What fun to make progress on this! 

 

I used an overall meander because it's easy and I thought it would look fine on the Snail's Trail blocks. My friend Rose offered some different threads, and I chose this beautiful variegated one! So many colors in this quilt! The binding was fabric I had purchased for another project, but I thought it worked perfectly for this quilt.

I was so excited to finish this quilt that I brought it to work (New Prague Middle School and RaDon) to show to people who know me. I took this photo at RaDon, climbing up on the table to get this shot.

I had also laid it on the guest room bed to get a picture of it as an actual bed quilt. 

The reason I'm including this in my 2024 studio blogging is because I stitched on the label on the back during the first week of January 2024. I gave it to my grandson Benjamin at our family Christmas on Saturday, January 6th. 

I know he's only a year old and can't understand what this quilt means to me, but I hope he'll make good use of it as he grows up!

I'm inspired to work on another UFO . . . (Unfinished Object, to you non-quilters). I've also signed up for the 2024 Declutter Challenge that Karen Brown of Just Get It Done Quilts is running. Oh my! What an inspiration! I've already spent so much time (in small chunks) going through my sewing room, getting rid of unnecessary stuff, and stitching! 

I'm working on a quilt that a friend's mom had started for my friend's brother. Sadly, their mom passed away in August 2023. She had the top done and was hand quilting it! 

If you're interested in Karen Brown's Declutter Challenge, check this out!

#declutterchallenge2024

 

Declutter #48 - Games

I thought I was done with the decluttering blog, but I need to add another entry for 2023. I went through my games cabinet. Initially, it was so I could move the big piece of furniture to take out a picture hanging on the wall behind it. That picture has been trapped for years! I got that done, but figured it made sense to go through my games.

I pulled everything out, then started putting back ones I knew I wanted to keep. I love games, but don't seem to play them as much any more. My kids have so many new weird games that they bring to family gatherings. I cleared out enough space to bring down some of the "little kid" games that Joshua is starting to enjoy. 

These are the ones I asked my kids if they wanted. (Of course they didn't.) So they are boxed up to be brought to the donation center! I gave a few language arts type games to a teacher friend. It feels good to get more cleanout done!

Declutter #47 - Last One for 2023! Appliance and Stuff

In a perfect world, this would be entry #52 - one for each week of 2023. But we don't live in a perfect world and I'm just so excited about making progress. I'm also excited that the process of blogging about this topic has motivated me to continue to get rid of excess stuff! I have a long way yet to go . . . before we sell this house and move. But I'm getting there! I'm also excited about focusing on sewing and other craft projects in 2024!

Here's what happened this past week. I was on a step stool looking for something in the cabinet above the fridge. There was a box with a toaster-type appliance in it. I asked Louie and he thought it was the box for our toaster oven on the counter. Nope. There was another appliance in the box! The label on it indicates that it belonged to my Uncle Cyril who died in 2009. Into the donation box it goes!

I also just chucked my blogging reminder sheet into the recycle bin. Get rid of unnecessary papers!

 

I emptied out my games cupboard and only put back the things I genuinely want to keep right now. I have a bunch of games on the pool table to check with my "kids" when they're here next Saturday to see if they want any. But the excess will be donated. This also gave me extra space to put some of the "little kid" games and puzzles from upstairs into this cabinet. Joshua is enjoying games more and more.

There are some other things that have traveled to garbage, recycling, and donation, but I'm too excited to move forward to dig around figuring them all out or taking more photos. 

 

I have a huge box with bows for gifts that I need to figure out . . . what to keep and what to donate. I rarely use bows. It's a work in progress!