Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Doll Quilt 2: Meet Me in the Middle


Yesterday I showed my first doll quilt of 2014 which was predominantly purple and white. I wanted each quilt to have a unique colorway, so for the second quilt I went with blue and yellow .

A simple pillow (5x3-ish) accompanies this queen size doll quilt  (approximately 18x18).


  •  What did I name the quilt?   Meet Me in the Middle
  •  Why? Because in the very center of the quilt is a blue scrap that says "Hawaii". I would love to meet someone there! Blue skies, golden sand.  Yeah, that's my style. 
  •  Who will receive this quilt?  Some little girl in a foreign country. 
  •  What inspired the fabric choices?   I was having the winter blues when I started it, and craving sunshine. Here in Maryland, the winter just never quit. Well, maybe by June .
  •  Which fabrics were Barbara's? All of them. 
  •  What is the name of pattern?  I'm not sure. I just put rail fence blocks together and made a framed rectangle in the middle. 
  •  What did I learn from making it?  Two things: (1) Don't use fabrics that you don't love or really, really like. I "settled" on some of these scraps out of thrift. Now I rate the fabrics in my stash on a 1-10 scale. I won't buy or use anything that isn't a 7 or higher on the "like" scale, unless I make something for an animal shelter.   (2) My first attempt at free motion quilting was pathetic.  But these doll quilts are for learning on and I learned that I needed a darning foot (which I eventually purchased) and a lot more practice. 
  •  When did I start the quilt and when did I finish it? February and June (?). I know it dragged on and on because I wasn't in love with it. But the beauty of a little project like this is that it can be finished quickly once the mind is made up to just do it.  





Monday, November 17, 2014

Making Good on a Promise

The very first doll quilt I made was  this pink and green one last fall for Operation Christmas Child. After experiencing the  joy of finishing and sending it, I was hooked.

For 2014 I set a goal to make 7 doll quilts for OCC.  In January, I replied to a Craigslist ad and ended up buying all this fabric  from a widower named Lee whose wife had been an avid quilter until she got sick (I'm assuming from cancer).    Barbara passed away in November of 2012, leaving an entire basement studio full of fabric, machines, notions and finished quilts hanging on the walls. (He was not selling the quilts, thankfully.)

While we were chatting, I told Lee that I would be using the fabric to make charity quilts, mostly for children. He said his wife would have liked that.  I choked back tears as I knew he was grieving the loss of not only his wife, but all the quilting supplies that had once brought her such joy.

So, since January, I have been making good on that promise. I have made seven doll quilts for Operation Christmas Child, one for Dolls for Very Sick Kids, and a chemo quilt for my friend Renee' who was diagnosed this past summer with breast cancer.  Each quilt features at least one fabric from Barbara's collection. I've also made a few little home dec and gifties from that stash.

I will be featuring the quilts on my blog, along with
a template of sorts for each one, beginning with the first one of the year .

  •  Quilt 1:

     
  •  What did I name the quilt?   Purple Pinwheels
  •  Why? Because sometimes I just like to state the obvious. 
  •  Who will receive this quilt?  Some little girl in a foreign country. 
  •  What inspired the fabric choices?   I love purple and my favorite block is the pinwheel. 
  •  Which fabrics were Barbara's?  Almost all of them .
  •  What is the name of pattern?  I don't think it has a name. It's just rows of pinwheels. 
  •  What did I learn from making it?  That this is an easy block to make and that on one of the blocks, I should've used higher contrast. The lavender gingham next to a white sort of gets lost, but I can live with it. Children aren't quilt police.  I also learned that this was a king size doll bed quilt! The rest I made ranged from "twin" to "queen"--sizes that fit much better into a shoebox if you want to include the doll and other stuff!
  •  When did I start the quilt and when did I finish it? January and March, 2014, respectively. 


I made a coordinating pillow for each little quilt.
                                      Used purple backing as well. My son, who has a good eye for color,
                                               chose the teal fabric for the binding.

So there is the first of seven doll quilts that have already gone out in shoeboxes for OCC.  Stay tuned for six more.

Tuesday, November 04, 2014

Daybook Entry 11.4.14

Linking up today at The Simple Woman's blog . It's a helpful meme for handling the melting pot of life's internal and external happenings
when there's not enough to say (or too much to say) about any one single prompt .

November 4th, 2014

Outside my window...

I am thinking...  about how to save money for my dream machine. After a year (plus) of sewing to see if this hobby "sticks", I am confident that it borders on an addiction. I want a machine that can handle bigger quilts. 

I am thankful... that my friend Renee', although she is battling cancer and has been in and out of the hospital a LOT, has such a strong support system.

I am wearing... warm socks, blue jeans, and a navy blue V-neck sweater --along with my sticker that says "I VOTED".

I am creating...  
or rather, have created, seven doll quilts to send in shoeboxes to Operation Christmas Child. I made a coordinating pillow for each one. Here's the last one I finished on Sunday.  It's called "Kin and Barbie." 

The front and pillow: 
                                          The back. (All fabrics are by Riley Blake except the butterflies and black.)
 
I am going... to clean and do some laundry for my friend tomorrow before she gets home from the hospital.  I have a slight cold so don't want to risk being around her, but would love to give her place a "spiff and shine" before she comes home .

I am wondering... what my son's report card will say tomorrow. 

I am reading... The Bronze Bow , aloud with my son. Yes, he's in 7th grade and can read just fine alone, but I've never read this one and have always wanted to. 

I am hoping... that Jesus comes back very soon! 

I am learning... slowly, with piddly progress, how to make nice, mitered borders on quilts .  I've watched umpteen Youtube tutorials on the skill, but it's just not "clicking" with me. 

Around the house... I continue to go through things and get rid of what I don't use or love. We may sell this house next year and I certainly would love to have purged quite a bit of STUFF before putting it on the market. 

In the kitchen... are apples waiting for me to make a Jewish apple cake. 

I am pondering...  the brevity of life.

A favorite quote for today... "We're opportunity kind of kids," said the 3 year old girl that my daughter nannies of herself and Little Brother.

One of my favorite things... hearing the little girl I work with squeal with delight when she sees me walking up to her front door.  Last week I was five minutes later than usual (but still on time) and she said, "I was so sad, but now I'm HAPPEEEEE because you're here."

A few plans for this week: I got my hair cut  today which was at the top of my to-do list. (Yay!). I voted. Attend parent-teacher conferences. Get the oil changed in hubby's car. Visit my favorite 5, 3, and 1 year-olds. 

A peek into one of my days from last week... 

 Last week wasn't pretty. Overflowing toilets, rain and more rain, 
car repair shops. Who wants to see those?


 

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Plunging into the Hodgepodge

Last week I took a break FROM the Hodgepodge because of  having too much to do. 
This week I'm taking a break FOR the Hodgepodge because of  all I've already done 
The smell of bleach is turning my hair blonde. Why?

A brief recap because I need to unload somewhere. Lucky you.

 (This is my third attempt at being brief.)

Yesterday:   After getting tires put on by Shop X last Weds, an alignment by Shop Y on Friday, and  the vehicle to the Hyundai dealer (Shop Z) for recall repairs on Monday, I ended up with scary wheels, a loaner vehicle , and a lying customer service rep at Shop Z.  She told me the right ball joint was BROKEN. I called Shop Y back (the one we've used and trusted for 10 years. He said if it was broken you wouldn't be able to drive it.

So I confronted the rep on for the truth and she said, "Well, it wasn't broken-broken. It was really worn. Maybe I should have chosen a different word."  

I refused service there (after saying that I would only do business where I felt the truth was being told. Drove it carefully and fearfully back to Shop Y for the emergency appointment. Had to leave vehicle overnight. while parts came in.

 My 7th grade son desperately  needed a  haircut--'desperately'  being MY word because of School Picture Day  (happening today). He hates to have his hair cut. Loves the sloppy look. I made an appointment, but without a car I needed my dad to come for the 6:15 appointment.  Remember hubby is in meetings till 8:30 pm. 

I get a text at   5:15 from the hairdresser at 5;15 that her mom's feeding tube came loose and was bleeding. She, of course, had to cancel. I felt so bad for her, but certainly didn't want hubby to come home at 9 to a boy needing a haircut.

But ...wait....there's MORE!! The toilets got clogged around 7pm . I texted hubby when the problem was just a drip from the foyer ceiling.  Hey, a bored guy in a meeting needs a shot of adrenaline, right? 


He came home to a MAJOR catastrophe of the plumbing type, He tried to plunge it out. He raced to Home Depot but their rental dept closes at 9:30. This was 9;50. The manager hands him some Drano bottles for free and says good luck. 

He thoroughly washes his hands and then cuts the boy's hair!! Oh, my goodness. What a guy. What a hero! 
Son is barking, whining, snarling saying this is the worst thing in the world, why can't he have hair down to his eyes and sideburns that touch his collar? You'd think he was getting a Bill Gates haircut from the look on his face. 
Oh, well, this is what you get when your mom tells you TWO WEEKS ago you need a haircut and you badger her with "it's fine. It can wait."

Hubby  goes to bed at midnight  with Youtube showing a toilet-unclog how-to videos. Then "Eureka! I can go in through the SINK!"  He got up and plunged, twisted, and snaked 3 bathrooms--flushing, cheering, upstairs, downstairs,  flushing again. Woohoo!   Problem solved.  It's 1 a.m.  I tell him he is the best in the world. He rolls his eyes. Seriously, businessman, crap conqueror, and hairdresser in the same day?  I give him hugs, kisses, and a much-deserved backrub.
---

and now...


The Lord's mercies are new every morning!

Today I've cleaned three bathrooms from "bow to stern"  or is it stern to bow?   The windows are open to air out the smell of bleach but I do have a raging headache. So...on with the trivia to balance all this mess out! 

-------------




Joyce, our faithful hostess who churns out these questions week after week, has birds on her mind this week. Not calling her a bird brain. That would be me.

1. My hubs spent last weekend pheasant hunting. Are there hunters in your family? If so, what do they hunt? Which of the following have you tasted-pheasant, rabbit, venison, duck, goose? Which of those would you most like to taste, or be most willing to taste?

Hunter? Only my brother-in-law (who is married to my vegetarian sister). He is recovering from a fall from a tree while hunting 3 weeks ago. The second surgery was last Monday--8.5 hours long! And not totally successful. Anyway, I've tasted rabbit and venison. Most willing to try goose. But not eager.

Vegetarians keep calm and Hodgepodge on.

2. What high spot have you visited that gave you a wonderful 'bird's eye view' of something below?

Some ridge overlooking a color-turning forest a couple weeks ago. My head hurts too much to remember exactly where.

3.  Do you have any birds in your home? These could be either real live pets or decorative, as in bird prints, knickknacks, fabric or pottery.

I love birds, as long as they're outside. I'm really scared of indoor birds.  You wouldn't know it to see my Facebook profile picture, though. I was at the vet's office with my friend Barb while in KS. They have  a very social  parrot who just climbed off the counter and onto my shoulder. I faked a smile for a picture but all the while was thinking, "Get this dumb bird off of me!" 

I decorate with bird prints on pillows and pictures and have a quilt in mind with a bird motif.  One time I had a bird clock in the half bath that made a different bird call or song every hour on the hour.  Barb came to visit me 
and had to pee right at 7 a.m.  That happens to be the mourning dove which says a long, slow, sad, "hoo....hoo". She sat down right as the clock "struck" 7. "Hoo...Hoo..." she heard as her butt hit the toilet seat. Scared the #$%@ out of her, she said!

   
4. Tell about a time you 'killed two birds with one stone'?



I've used a lot of this waiting-for-vehicle time to pray for various people who are really suffering.  Especially my little neighbor girls whose two little Chihuahuas were killed by one pit bull two weekends ago.


5. Your favorite song with a bird in it's title?

His Eye is on the Sparrow.  My grandmother sang it while seated next to me on the piano bench. Her singing was FAR better than my playing, but what a precious memory.   That song is  the inspiration for my sewing room decor.

6. What most recently gave you goose bumps?

Hearing my friend Bonnie tell about how she was visited by an angel named Gabriel.  I told the story in a recent HP. My head hurts too much to link it. Sorry. 

7. Halloween is this Friday...any plans? Did you trick or treat as a child? Carve pumpkins? Share your most memorable costume.

(excuse me while I take Bayer migraine pill before answering this... Wow, a short night's sleep and a dose of bleach is KILLING MY HEAD!)

I'm gonna skip Halloween this year. Too much death in my real life lately  I hate how it's glorified.  Did you see the "sexy Ebola nurse costume" on FB? Seriously? What is sexy about ebola? 

 My son wants to go trick or treating but I think he's too old. I told him I'd buy lots of  candy.   I went trick or treating a few times as a kid. Favorite costume was Marilyn Monroe. I wore L'Eggs eggs in my mom's bra, a big blonde wig, red lipstick. I was only in third grade--and the pastor's daughter. But oh well. I went bobbing for apples in that costume and one of my "eggs" fell into the water. I henceforth think of it as "BOOBING for apples."

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

I lost another friend to cancer this week. Geoff was just a little older than my husband. A faithful Sunday school teacher for my older kids. A wonderful, generous man with a perpetual smile.