Finally finished the video I've been working on for months! It's an hour and 21 minutes and I make 3 different leaf bolero vests in it.
I'll post more pictures later but right now my eyeballs are very tired and I need to go do non-screen tasks for a while.
aaAAaaaAAA oh, lord, I need one. That is SO cute.
I won a tense, highstakes game of 'thread chicken' this morning while rehemming the sleeves on these cute shirts. The original sleeves had little cuffs that, even with ironing, always looked scrungled up. One, I don't want to have to iron casual clothes and, two, I get really pissed at fabric that stays wrinkly after ironing. I removed the cuffs, holding the fabric and seamripper perilously close to my face, then rehemmed them. Not a big job, but I'd been putting it off for a long time, and I'm glad it's finished. Mending and fixing is never as fun as sewing something brand-new.
The OTHER THING that had been on the mend list for a while was a cute blue gingham shirt I made a while back. I'd been wearing it open over top of a tank top, but adding snaps was On The List.
Snaps are one of those sewing skills that isn't hard, per se, but very fiddley and there are many ways to do them wrong. I know this because I have done them wrong every possible way.
I decided to follow through on my plaid rehemming bravery and install those snaps this morning. Two dead, seven injured.
In doing these four (4!) snaps I managed to 1) break the part of the snap setter that hold the pearl studs and 2) install one pearl part so off-kilter that it cracked the 'pearl' part and 3 out of 5 prongs on the back didn't connect with the back piece. Had to pry that loose with a screwdriver and do it again. Huzzah, she says grimly.
Also, before K left to return to college this morning, she noticed that she had blood on her barn coat. I told her I'd toss it in the wash this morning. She kindly, foresightedly told me to look in the inner pocket for her stash of horse treats. As I was doing that (I'm so glad I didn't run them through the wash) I was unhappily reminded about the holes. The holes that Rosalie chewed. The holes that Rosalie chewed when she was having a freak-out in her crate, and reached her twiggy li'l front paws through the bars, and grabbed K's nice barn coat, and dragged it close enough to chew. Those holes.
I was able to take care of two parts on the machine; the pocket will require hand stitching. Dratted, DRATTED dog.
I won a tense, highstakes game of 'thread chicken' this morning while rehemming the sleeves on these cute shirts. The original sleeves had little cuffs that, even with ironing, always looked scrungled up. One, I don't want to have to iron casual clothes and, two, I get really pissed at fabric that stays wrinkly after ironing. I removed the cuffs, holding the fabric and seamripper perilously close to my face, then rehemmed them. Not a big job, but I'd been putting it off for a long time, and I'm glad it's finished. Mending and fixing is never as fun as sewing something brand-new.
I think the Quilt Curse tried to strike again yesterday. I was working on two (2!) squares and had
the bobbin thread run out (minor annoyance)
the bobbin fail to return the top thread after a stitch, which results in a big, ugly snarl of thread under the fabric
a subtle but possibly-concerning clicking noise from the machine
and, while hand sewing, I stitched my finger to the quilt square by putting the needle right through one of my callouses. Which, to be fair, didn't hurt . . but I was sewed to the fabric and had only one hand to attempt to free myself with. For cripe's sake.
I soldiered on, I've come too far to give up. After completing the X-ray tetra I tried to fix up the S square. I had cut out a red squirrel and pinned it to green fabric (all those years ago), but, looking at it now, it didn't suit. I decided to give it a tree branch to sit on, just a bit more interesting and less plain.
I still have to fix a problem with Zebra and do some finishing touches.
The funniest thing about this long-delayed project is looking at my old work and alternately thinking "Hey, not bad!", "This is, hmm, why did I?", and "GIRL what were you THINKING?!"
Having children (and also aging) improved my levels of patience so MUCH. It's hard to remember how often I did a mediocre or even poor job on something in my twenties because I just couldn't find the patience to do a little bit of extra work. (Although, to be fair, I was working full time, trying to manage farm stuff, and renovating the house. So.) Now I have better patience and more time but very little energy. Oh, well.
Well. From then to now:
One thing I need but do not have is a couple of little black buttons for the rackety-coon's eyes, and maybe some smaller black beads for other critters' eyes. This quilt includes just about every sewing mistake it is possible to make, but I did not make it for show or competition. It'll be a fine, colorful thing to plunk on a little kid's bed, and that's all it needs to be.
One of my father's expensive 'toys' was an industrial-type embroidery machine. The thing stands taller than I do, and embroiders complex, multicolor designs via a computer interface. Like so many other crafts, he bought it certain that he'd do LOTS of stuff with it and sell embroidered this-or-that. Make money instead of just spending it. Mm-hmm.
The question of the machine aside, the actual embroidered objects in the house are of good sentimental value to us. I have a nice blue workshirt that he embroidered on the back, and a denim jacket. And recently my son found, in a cache of Grandpa's clothing, another blue shirt that has a very decorative horse embroidered on the back. He is delighted with that find, and looks handsome wearing it.
The last time I was down there tidying up I found the same horse design, probably embroidered as a test pattern. It's on a small piece of plain fabric, but I could easily make it into a patch and sew it to one of my daughter's jackets.
A little bit, here and there, we hold onto and honor his memory.
Also found in the fruitless antique quilt search, a piece of silky gold stuff and an uncut piece of floral calico that's a little too busy for my current taste. The odd thing about the calico is that, even though my fabric stash is very large, I can remember pretty much where every piece came from and what I bought it for originally. This . . I'd swear I've never seen in my life. Hmm.
Recently, an old friend asked me if she could a) harvest some teasel from the farm (of course!) and b) come over so we could make teasel mice together. My initial response to making the craft was, please, no! My [limited] creative energy usually gets used by painting (generally things I can sell or give away) or sewing (generally things that are useful). A little dust-gathering craft-thing has little appeal at this point in my life.
However, when was the last time someone planned a fun activity for ME? Hoo. That just really doesn't happen. So I took it in the spirit in which it was intended, and she came over with fabric scraps and teasel. We made teasel mice. It needs some little bead eyes, but.
Meh, I'll hang it on the Christmas tree.
I think the Quilt Curse tried to strike again yesterday. I was working on two (2!) squares and had
the bobbin thread run out (minor annoyance)
the bobbin fail to return the top thread after a stitch, which results in a big, ugly snarl of thread under the fabric
a subtle but possibly-concerning clicking noise from the machine
and, while hand sewing, I stitched my finger to the quilt square by putting the needle right through one of my callouses. Which, to be fair, didn't hurt . . but I was sewed to the fabric and had only one hand to attempt to free myself with. For cripe's sake.
I soldiered on, I've come too far to give up. After completing the X-ray tetra I tried to fix up the S square. I had cut out a red squirrel and pinned it to green fabric (all those years ago), but, looking at it now, it didn't suit. I decided to give it a tree branch to sit on, just a bit more interesting and less plain.
I still have to fix a problem with Zebra and do some finishing touches.
The funniest thing about this long-delayed project is looking at my old work and alternately thinking "Hey, not bad!", "This is, hmm, why did I?", and "GIRL what were you THINKING?!"
Having children (and also aging) improved my levels of patience so MUCH. It's hard to remember how often I did a mediocre or even poor job on something in my twenties because I just couldn't find the patience to do a little bit of extra work. (Although, to be fair, I was working full time, trying to manage farm stuff, and renovating the house. So.) Now I have better patience and more time but very little energy. Oh, well.
I have taken the sheets off the bed! Laundered them! Flipped the mattress around! But now (sob) I must put the clean sheets back ON the bed.
.
.
Done, but I found a corner of the blanket that needs mending before I put it back. And I think it's time to rummage around in the blanket chest and get out an extra blanket.
Under the heading of "every Job turns into three other jobs," I had to clear clean laundry and assorted clutter off the cedar chest to open it and get out the other blanket and quilt. After I washed my bedding, I found one blanket had the binding coming loose, so I had to mend it (and while I was mending it the phone rang with an emergency question about hydrated MgSO4)
I finished mending the blanket. No, my hand isn't tiny, that cat is just huge. While I had the needle in hand I decided to mend the nose of a stuffed bear who has been noseless for . . years.
That's a much neater job than the blanket, actually. Between the new nose and a trip through the washing machine, he looks brand new.
When I lay me down to sleep, I will have clean sheets, a mended blanket, a quilt that smells like cedar, and hopefully a calm mind.
Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.
I think the Quilt Curse tried to strike again yesterday. I was working on two (2!) squares and had
the bobbin thread run out (minor annoyance)
the bobbin fail to return the top thread after a stitch, which results in a big, ugly snarl of thread under the fabric
a subtle but possibly-concerning clicking noise from the machine
and, while hand sewing, I stitched my finger to the quilt square by putting the needle right through one of my callouses. Which, to be fair, didn't hurt . . but I was sewed to the fabric and had only one hand to attempt to free myself with. For cripe's sake.
I soldiered on, I've come too far to give up. After completing the X-ray tetra I tried to fix up the S square. I had cut out a red squirrel and pinned it to green fabric (all those years ago), but, looking at it now, it didn't suit. I decided to give it a tree branch to sit on, just a bit more interesting and less plain.
I still have to fix a problem with Zebra and do some finishing touches.
The funniest thing about this long-delayed project is looking at my old work and alternately thinking "Hey, not bad!", "This is, hmm, why did I?", and "GIRL what were you THINKING?!"
Having children (and also aging) improved my levels of patience so MUCH. It's hard to remember how often I did a mediocre or even poor job on something in my twenties because I just couldn't find the patience to do a little bit of extra work. (Although, to be fair, I was working full time, trying to manage farm stuff, and renovating the house. So.) Now I have better patience and more time but very little energy. Oh, well.
I think the Quilt Curse tried to strike again yesterday. I was working on two (2!) squares and had
the bobbin thread run out (minor annoyance)
the bobbin fail to return the top thread after a stitch, which results in a big, ugly snarl of thread under the fabric
a subtle but possibly-concerning clicking noise from the machine
and, while hand sewing, I stitched my finger to the quilt square by putting the needle right through one of my callouses. Which, to be fair, didn't hurt . . but I was sewed to the fabric and had only one hand to attempt to free myself with. For cripe's sake.
I soldiered on, I've come too far to give up. After completing the X-ray tetra I tried to fix up the S square. I had cut out a red squirrel and pinned it to green fabric (all those years ago), but, looking at it now, it didn't suit. I decided to give it a tree branch to sit on, just a bit more interesting and less plain.
I still have to fix a problem with Zebra and do some finishing touches.
More quilt-searching. I'm beginning to think I hallucinated Grandma Morgan's hex quilt. I found one I got nearly done and abandoned, though. Jeez, I had forgotten all about it.
I worked on this in . . the 90s? I think. But it was a cursed project. Everytime I'd start making progress on it, the sewing machine would break. Or the zig-zag stitch would start making horrific snarls of thread under the fabric (a tension issue, I know). Or I'd piece something backwards/upsidedown, and have to rip out the seam and start anew. It got to a point where I had a buffalo-induced breakdown and put the whole damned thing away.
Ant, buffalo,crab,dog,elephant, fish, goat, hippo . . you can see my pattern, here.
Well, dammit. I am going to finish this quilt. Vicuña (or vulture?), x-ray tetra, yak, gett'er-done.
Moderate progress. Letters A - R are joined up, Bufflo is fixed, and Yak and Vicuña have been completed.
Please note the Angry Ears on the vicuña . . sheer camelid perfection. I was VERY tempted to do a vulture instead, but the flowery fabric I had for the background just didn't seem vulture-ish. They are resting because I couldn't face trying to applique those dratted skinny legs. Rackety-coon and gingham dog need eyes.
Now I face the challenge that vexes so many of us . . do I keep working on this to make some better progress, or do a little bit each of the seven other chores I have? Aaaaaaaaaaaaa.
X-ray tetra. Literally the only English-language X name I could find.
A good use for that one little scrap of blue wave fabric from the last quilt. I generally avoid add-ons like buttons or beads for quilts, but in this case a few button eyes are going to be unavoidable.
More quilt-searching. I'm beginning to think I hallucinated Grandma Morgan's hex quilt. I found one I got nearly done and abandoned, though. Jeez, I had forgotten all about it.
I worked on this in . . the 90s? I think. But it was a cursed project. Everytime I'd start making progress on it, the sewing machine would break. Or the zig-zag stitch would start making horrific snarls of thread under the fabric (a tension issue, I know). Or I'd piece something backwards/upsidedown, and have to rip out the seam and start anew. It got to a point where I had a buffalo-induced breakdown and put the whole damned thing away.
Ant, buffalo,crab,dog,elephant, fish, goat, hippo . . you can see my pattern, here.
Well, dammit. I am going to finish this quilt. Vicuña (or vulture?), x-ray tetra, yak, gett'er-done.
Moderate progress. Letters A - R are joined up, Bufflo is fixed, and Yak and Vicuña have been completed.
Please note the Angry Ears on the vicuña . . sheer camelid perfection. I was VERY tempted to do a vulture instead, but the flowery fabric I had for the background just didn't seem vulture-ish. They are resting because I couldn't face trying to applique those dratted skinny legs. Rackety-coon and gingham dog need eyes.
Now I face the challenge that vexes so many of us . . do I keep working on this to make some better progress, or do a little bit each of the seven other chores I have? Aaaaaaaaaaaaa.
More quilt-searching. I'm beginning to think I hallucinated Grandma Morgan's hex quilt. I found one I got nearly done and abandoned, though. Jeez, I had forgotten all about it.
I worked on this in . . the 90s? I think. But it was a cursed project. Everytime I'd start making progress on it, the sewing machine would break. Or the zig-zag stitch would start making horrific snarls of thread under the fabric (a tension issue, I know). Or I'd piece something backwards/upsidedown, and have to rip out the seam and start anew. It got to a point where I had a buffalo-induced breakdown and put the whole damned thing away.
Ant, buffalo,crab,dog,elephant, fish, goat, hippo . . you can see my pattern, here.
Well, dammit. I am going to finish this quilt. Vicuña (or vulture?), x-ray tetra, yak, gett'er-done.
Technically probably too early for Christmas crafts but sometimes the craft attacks you and you come too three days later with fabric scraps and thread across your entire living room. Present decorations made out of recycled fabric from my stash, that can also be tree decorations.
Ok, but "sometimes the craft attacks you and you come to three days later" is a MOOD. I salute your Christmas stars.
Crafts and/or fiber arts projects are exempt from the "too early for Christmas" rule, because most years there's not enough time for crafting in December. (plus some of them take months to complete)
In my quest to unearth the antique quilt fragment I've been looking for, I emptied a wicker hamper that I stored fabric in, but haven't touched for a while. I didn't find the quilt (darn it!) but I found a remnant of an adorable corduroy that I bought when my daughter was little. I made her the cutest jumper.
Memories! {sniffle}
When I was a small child, one of my parents' neighbors, Aunt Lou, used to babysit me in her home sometimes. She had a granddaughter my age. Also, her mother and mother-in-law lived in their house, tucked into one bed in a corner bedroom like the grandparents in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I called her mother "Grandma Morgan." She would have been born in the late 1800s, and was a quilter.
When Aunt Lou was downsizing and moving house many years later, she gave me an unfinished fragment of a quilt that Grandma Morgan had never finished. It has tiny, I mean tiny hexagons. I folded it in bewilderment and stored it. Couldn't bring myself to throw it away, didn't know what to use it for, and it would have been a Herculean task to finish it.
While I was cleaning out my father's house, I had an idea to take old sewing notions, of which I have many, and make an art piece using those with a background of Grandma Morgan's quilt.
I have a suitable wooden panel. I have the notions. Can I find that quilt fragment????? I cannot. I thought I knew right where it was, but quite a bit of searching later I cannot find it. Sooooo, that project will have to wait. When I find it - I WILL find it - will I be able to find the other pieces I need? Who knows.
But do I have a TINY, fully functional child's sewing machine? NO, I have TWO of the damned things. Tried to sell them. Got lots of scammers and no actual collectors.
I was making slow but steady progress on the winter portion of the seasonal small quilt. However, yesterday, my iron fell from the ironing board (where I had left it to cool down after using it) and broke. Now I have to go get a new iron. I don't w-a-a-a-a-n-t toooooo!
Still don't have my oven fixed, either . . so I'm going to have to go down to Home Farm to bake a pie there.
Yesterday I bought a new iron. This morning my husband spotted a little Piece of Something on the basement floor. He picked it up and realized it was from the "broken" iron. He was able to put it back in the "broken" iron . . which is now a fixed iron. So. Two irons. Jeeeeez.
In the interim, the strips I had laid out in order got Heavily Frolicked by a cat (lookin' at you, Marilla) and will need to be restored to order.
