Saturday, December 26, 2015
Happy Handmade Christmas
The spirit of Christmas didn't clobber me over the head until the week I finished work - the week before Christmas. I don't have many people to buy presents for - a few friends, and a small family. I refused to go overboard this year - in embracing my new aspiring-to-be-a-minimalist lifestyle, I don't see why anyone else wants plastic junk either. I certainly don't want to buy it.
I wasn't anticipating making anything by hand for gifts. But I do like to sew for stress relief, and there was a pattern I'd been itching to try from Last Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts, so I got to cutting and sewing the night before my last day ... and then the next thing I knew I had six quilted coasters for a little Christmas gift for each of my workmates.
I used a lot of my stash of independent screen printed fabrics - Ink and Spindle, Auntie Cookie, Publisher Textiles to name a few - and also cotton batting scraps that I'd been hoarding for a project just like this. I think they came up really nicely! I enjoyed sewing them a lot more than I thought I would - I would even get up early before swimming laps to quilt a couple, and then hop on my bike to the pool.
I ended up making six different sets, and everyone who received a set (or a single) told me how nice they are. They didn't take long to make - once the fabric and batting was cut it took about an hour or so to sew up a set of 6. I still haven't made any for us at home - but I'm working on that.
My nephews are ages 9, 5 and 3 and I really wanted to make them something useful. They get so spoiled at Christmas with toys from Santa and the grandparents that it made me think I'd be a little more comfortable if Aunty Michelle could make them something ... that wasn't Lego (don't worry - in case you think I was sucking the joy of Christmas for my sweet nephews, they got a little Lego too. Next year - probably not. Sorry kids.)
I sewed the two older nephews a colour coordinated pencil roll each - again the pattern was from Last Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts. Cutting all those little fabrics strips was a total pain in the arse. But sewing it together was a blast - I had a lot of fun constructing it. The fabric was all stash fabric, and even the grosgrain ribbon ties were from the big box of trims I had from my Blythe sewing days. The only thing I had to buy was the set of pencils.
For the three-year-old I made a crayon roll. I loosely followed this tutorial from Skip to My Lou, however I adapted the measurements for a pack of 12 crayons, and constructed and quilted it like I did with the pencil rolls up above (one continuous line of quilting).
My one mistake was not making the roll wider to allow for chunkier crayons. In the end I had allowed for 1 inch pockets, but really they needed to be closer to 1 1/4 inches. The crayons are a little bit too squeezy for my liking, but my sister-in-law reckons they'll be good for his fine motor skills, so what would I know?
Apparently the gifts were well received and a great idea for the days that the boys have to join mum in the office. The nine-year-old is a little cartoonist in the making so I hope he enjoys using the roll.
This is a stock photo from 2012! For years now I have been making several batches of granola to give as gifts - head to the two dollar shop to get some nice jars and fill them up, add a bit of garden twine and a packing label listing what's in it, and it's the perfect edible Christmas gift! I used to make Christmas cakes, but granola is better for you, and the oven doesn't have to be on for as long to bake it.
And finally, what's Christmas without a new Christmas frock? Well, no Christmas frock was made this year, sadly, but I did spend a little time on Christmas morning taking up the hem of my first ever Simplicity 2929 by 7 inches to wear at Christmas lunch at our friends'. It was a warm day so this voile dress was perfect, and those big roses make it feel very Christmassy indeed!
Finally, I hope every here had a lovely Christmas Day, no matter how you spent it or who you spent it with. I really missed seeing my family this year but travel was out of the question so we made do, and friends came to the rescue, and thank heavens for Australia Post getting the presents to everyone on time!
Friday, December 25, 2015
Another quilt for Susan
This is the quilt that Julie and I made for our friend Susan for her birthday.
We made a scrappy quilt using the Cheyenne block - with newsprint fabric for the "low value" (really not that low value at all) because Susan's late dad was in the Canberra press gallery.
I finished the top with 20 minutes to spare before her party in September. We gave her the quilt top, and then grabbed it back off her as we left. My back wasn't playing fair and I had planned to quilt it myself. Julie helped with the basting (thank heavens) and then finally I had a window of painfree-ness a couple of weeks ago where I could quilt it. Just 720 inches at a time before resting, but within a few days it was done. Julie sewed the binding on using the Ella Blue Basics place names fabric in white and black, and it was ready to give back to Susan. Only 3 months late, but better late that never.
I quilted straight lines 1/2 inch from each seam to give a grid effect. It's quite a simple way of quilting, but anything other than straight lines would have ruined the different patterns that this block gives you in this quilt. I used Aurifil 50/2 weight in colour 1135 (yellow) and it turned out really well in a quilt that gives a bit of a yellow vibe (for a scrappy quilt). Also I'm on the whole "using what I have in the stash" bandwagon at the moment and I have a lot of this yellow Aurifil laying around. It's the perfect sunny colour for a very happy quilt.
We got pretty cheeky with the backing - I had a few metres of firemen fabric that I bought for a few dollars a metre at a quilt shop sale a few years ago. Again with the stash. We also used 100% cotton batting. I'm such a fan of cotton batting for home quilting - it sticks to the fabric so the pinning isn't as important, and it gives a really nice finish to the quilt after you wash it. I washed Susan's quilt before we gave it to her so it has an immediate snuggle factor.
It's not the first quilt I've made Susan, but the first I've made with another friend. It was a lot of fun getting together over a few weekends, sewing, trimming, sorting and joining. In the mad sorting out I've been doing over the last few months, I discovered another quilt I made to give to a friend over 2 years ago, but never quilted. I have a few more weeks of leave from work, and that's definitely on the list to finish.
We made a scrappy quilt using the Cheyenne block - with newsprint fabric for the "low value" (really not that low value at all) because Susan's late dad was in the Canberra press gallery.
I finished the top with 20 minutes to spare before her party in September. We gave her the quilt top, and then grabbed it back off her as we left. My back wasn't playing fair and I had planned to quilt it myself. Julie helped with the basting (thank heavens) and then finally I had a window of painfree-ness a couple of weeks ago where I could quilt it. Just 720 inches at a time before resting, but within a few days it was done. Julie sewed the binding on using the Ella Blue Basics place names fabric in white and black, and it was ready to give back to Susan. Only 3 months late, but better late that never.
I quilted straight lines 1/2 inch from each seam to give a grid effect. It's quite a simple way of quilting, but anything other than straight lines would have ruined the different patterns that this block gives you in this quilt. I used Aurifil 50/2 weight in colour 1135 (yellow) and it turned out really well in a quilt that gives a bit of a yellow vibe (for a scrappy quilt). Also I'm on the whole "using what I have in the stash" bandwagon at the moment and I have a lot of this yellow Aurifil laying around. It's the perfect sunny colour for a very happy quilt.
We got pretty cheeky with the backing - I had a few metres of firemen fabric that I bought for a few dollars a metre at a quilt shop sale a few years ago. Again with the stash. We also used 100% cotton batting. I'm such a fan of cotton batting for home quilting - it sticks to the fabric so the pinning isn't as important, and it gives a really nice finish to the quilt after you wash it. I washed Susan's quilt before we gave it to her so it has an immediate snuggle factor.
It's not the first quilt I've made Susan, but the first I've made with another friend. It was a lot of fun getting together over a few weekends, sewing, trimming, sorting and joining. In the mad sorting out I've been doing over the last few months, I discovered another quilt I made to give to a friend over 2 years ago, but never quilted. I have a few more weeks of leave from work, and that's definitely on the list to finish.
Sunday, November 29, 2015
FINISHING - Report #2
Well it's been 21 days since my last report. So much has happened in that time, including a second borking of my back (a different part this time). I'm feeling so talented at this back business I just ... can't. Anyway, I'm feeling better every day, although some days have been less than impressive. But occassionally sewing does get done!
Also I've been reading this book by The Minimalists as part of my research into living my life more meaningfully, with less crap. And it's really good. Quotably good. I'm learning a lot about myself and the reasons why I feel so uncomfortable living in a cluttered home and life. So this finishing project has been a perfect "dip of my toe in the water" of minimalism.
Not too much to report on the actually finishing side of things this time - but I have progressed quite a few things too. The first UFO finished is that block from Chester Criswell that I thought I'd lost at the Sydney Quilt Show. I FOUND IT!
And I finished it. Best appliqué of my life, done spectacularly well while sewing under the influence of serious painkillers. Sarah Stubbs is the name of this block. Tick!
A friend and I had booked in do the Suitcase Rummage a couple of months ago. I was a bit touch and go in the days leading up to it as to whether I'd actually make it on the day, but in the end I even felt well enough to sew a few Sunnyboys that were hanging around cut out and ready to sew! We did the Suitcase Rummage, and I made a serious dent in the vintage Pyrex collection and a few other unused things in my house so all up a great day. Yay minimalism!
I also made another project sack for a special request that was very overdue, and managed to work some more on the Final Bags Ever.* Labels? Tick. Batch sewing of handles and tabs? Tick, tick.
And while this wasn't on the UFO list, it was on the essential sewing list. I was attending a wedding - dress code "Elegant Garden Party" (best dress code ever, by the way) - and so I finished that red silk top I wrote about in the last post, and also cut up my old 2011 Christmas frock that was now too big for me, and made it into a skirt.
(Killing myself laughing in this photo because my husband was photobombing while taking forever to walk into the living room (he's had hip surgery - I forgive him for being slower than a snail). Finally he ducked out of view and I could take this photo.)
Now for the "moving slowly, but at least I'm moving" UFOs.
Mary Watkins (from Chester Criswell) is slowly but surely getting there. I reckon if Australia doesn't get bowled out before stumps tonight I might have it close to finished.
The centre section of Anna Brereton is being sewn together! Hallelujah! Long, long way to go on this project, though. And that's OK.
And finally a quilt that a friend and I made for another friend's birthday ... in September. We basted it a couple of months ago, but wrestling a quilt through a sewing machine when you have a back injury is not my idea of smart, or fun. But this morning I started. Just straight lines. I sew 720 inches, and then I stop for a few hours to rest. I'm maybe a quarter done on this. By next update, God willing, it will be finished and back to my friend to bind it.
Hopefully my next update will be quicker than three weeks, and I'll have more to show that is actually finished. This year I've cut right back on the social events I normally get roped into doing leading up to Christmas - so as of 9 pm next Sunday (when my choir has sung its final note at our Christmas concert) it will be nothing but business-as-usual (gardening, housework, working, swimming, the usual friends stuff, and of course sewing in between).
*After more than 8 years making project bags for crocheters/knitters/crafters/storage hoarders, I've decided to finally (!), officially retire. The bags I have cut out are the last bags I will make. I hope to have them all in my online store in the next couple of weeks. I will write a pattern for the project sack, but not before the end of the year. If you want to keep updated on when the bags will go in the store, the best bet is my store's Facebook page.
Also I've been reading this book by The Minimalists as part of my research into living my life more meaningfully, with less crap. And it's really good. Quotably good. I'm learning a lot about myself and the reasons why I feel so uncomfortable living in a cluttered home and life. So this finishing project has been a perfect "dip of my toe in the water" of minimalism.
Not too much to report on the actually finishing side of things this time - but I have progressed quite a few things too. The first UFO finished is that block from Chester Criswell that I thought I'd lost at the Sydney Quilt Show. I FOUND IT!
And I finished it. Best appliqué of my life, done spectacularly well while sewing under the influence of serious painkillers. Sarah Stubbs is the name of this block. Tick!
A friend and I had booked in do the Suitcase Rummage a couple of months ago. I was a bit touch and go in the days leading up to it as to whether I'd actually make it on the day, but in the end I even felt well enough to sew a few Sunnyboys that were hanging around cut out and ready to sew! We did the Suitcase Rummage, and I made a serious dent in the vintage Pyrex collection and a few other unused things in my house so all up a great day. Yay minimalism!
I also made another project sack for a special request that was very overdue, and managed to work some more on the Final Bags Ever.* Labels? Tick. Batch sewing of handles and tabs? Tick, tick.
And while this wasn't on the UFO list, it was on the essential sewing list. I was attending a wedding - dress code "Elegant Garden Party" (best dress code ever, by the way) - and so I finished that red silk top I wrote about in the last post, and also cut up my old 2011 Christmas frock that was now too big for me, and made it into a skirt.
(Killing myself laughing in this photo because my husband was photobombing while taking forever to walk into the living room (he's had hip surgery - I forgive him for being slower than a snail). Finally he ducked out of view and I could take this photo.)
Now for the "moving slowly, but at least I'm moving" UFOs.
Mary Watkins (from Chester Criswell) is slowly but surely getting there. I reckon if Australia doesn't get bowled out before stumps tonight I might have it close to finished.
The centre section of Anna Brereton is being sewn together! Hallelujah! Long, long way to go on this project, though. And that's OK.
And finally a quilt that a friend and I made for another friend's birthday ... in September. We basted it a couple of months ago, but wrestling a quilt through a sewing machine when you have a back injury is not my idea of smart, or fun. But this morning I started. Just straight lines. I sew 720 inches, and then I stop for a few hours to rest. I'm maybe a quarter done on this. By next update, God willing, it will be finished and back to my friend to bind it.
Hopefully my next update will be quicker than three weeks, and I'll have more to show that is actually finished. This year I've cut right back on the social events I normally get roped into doing leading up to Christmas - so as of 9 pm next Sunday (when my choir has sung its final note at our Christmas concert) it will be nothing but business-as-usual (gardening, housework, working, swimming, the usual friends stuff, and of course sewing in between).
*After more than 8 years making project bags for crocheters/knitters/crafters/storage hoarders, I've decided to finally (!), officially retire. The bags I have cut out are the last bags I will make. I hope to have them all in my online store in the next couple of weeks. I will write a pattern for the project sack, but not before the end of the year. If you want to keep updated on when the bags will go in the store, the best bet is my store's Facebook page.
Sunday, November 8, 2015
FINISHING - Report #1
Two weeks ago I reported that I was determined to finish things that were half-finished or mostly-finished or cut-out-but-not-quite-started.
Two weeks later I have very little to report. Not one to make excuses, I have however been gardening a lot since we got our new vegetable patches. I've started riding to work again in the last couple of weeks which just makes me exhausted and lazy by the time I get home. But riding! YAY! Also back injury rehabilitation takes a lot of spare time - like an hour a day of exercises. Probably gardening is not the best thing for rehabilitation but my physio hasn't complained about it yet!
BUT I do have things to report, even if there are very few of them.
This is Mary Trayner from the Chester Criswell Block of the Month I started a couple of years ago. I think I've made a total of 8 blocks now - and by "think" I mean that I seem to have lost one. I'm sure it's in the spare room somewhere...
It gave me the opportunity to start the next block already prepared with freezer paper - Mary Watkins. She's a bit of fun, mainly because all I can see is the Batman symbol over Gotham City.
I finished three bags for my online store - these were already made and just needed the lining attached and topstitched down. Should have made them much sooner than this - I've already sold two of them. I have more bags cut out and ready to sew up and I'll be making more tonight.
Finally, I finished the skirt, which I am calling The Skirt of Multiple Inappopriate Patterns But I Don't Give a Hoot. The skirt was already made and the lining cut out. All I had to do was sew the lining up, attach it to the skirt, face it, hem both lining and skirt (the skirt all by hand) and add a hook and eye. Phew! It actually took me longer than I expected but I was so relieved when it was done. Bonus points for really loving it too.
My finishing has to take a bit of a break for the next few days as I now have to make a top to wear with my new skirt (and it's urgent, because not only do I have very few clothes to wear to work, I need this top to wear to a wedding next weekend, along with a skirt I am refashioning from a too-big dress). Once they are both done though, I'll be free togarden to my heart's content finish more things. I must admit it's satisfying to finish UFOs - but it's also frustrating that I ever let it get this desperately bad. I'm on a bit of a minimalist research binge at the moment and I expect there will be some massive changes in this house over the summer.
Two weeks later I have very little to report. Not one to make excuses, I have however been gardening a lot since we got our new vegetable patches. I've started riding to work again in the last couple of weeks which just makes me exhausted and lazy by the time I get home. But riding! YAY! Also back injury rehabilitation takes a lot of spare time - like an hour a day of exercises. Probably gardening is not the best thing for rehabilitation but my physio hasn't complained about it yet!
BUT I do have things to report, even if there are very few of them.
This is Mary Trayner from the Chester Criswell Block of the Month I started a couple of years ago. I think I've made a total of 8 blocks now - and by "think" I mean that I seem to have lost one. I'm sure it's in the spare room somewhere...
It gave me the opportunity to start the next block already prepared with freezer paper - Mary Watkins. She's a bit of fun, mainly because all I can see is the Batman symbol over Gotham City.
I finished three bags for my online store - these were already made and just needed the lining attached and topstitched down. Should have made them much sooner than this - I've already sold two of them. I have more bags cut out and ready to sew up and I'll be making more tonight.
Finally, I finished the skirt, which I am calling The Skirt of Multiple Inappopriate Patterns But I Don't Give a Hoot. The skirt was already made and the lining cut out. All I had to do was sew the lining up, attach it to the skirt, face it, hem both lining and skirt (the skirt all by hand) and add a hook and eye. Phew! It actually took me longer than I expected but I was so relieved when it was done. Bonus points for really loving it too.
My finishing has to take a bit of a break for the next few days as I now have to make a top to wear with my new skirt (and it's urgent, because not only do I have very few clothes to wear to work, I need this top to wear to a wedding next weekend, along with a skirt I am refashioning from a too-big dress). Once they are both done though, I'll be free to
Saturday, October 24, 2015
The Nowhere-To-Hide FINISHING Spring Clean
Once the weather warms up and the days lengthen a little, the reality of my unfinished projects come to light and BOY AM I HORRIFIED (each and every year).
I am a list maker. Every evening at work before I got home I write a list for the next day. I write shopping lists. I plan my meal menu each week. But I don't have a list for the UFOs I want to finish, probably because writing it down would be me facing reality. I came back from a mini-break in Far North Queensland a few days ago and went into my sewing room to sew. But for everything I picked up new that I wanted to sew, I was missing a component (not missing - LOST) and I realised then there were a lot of unfinished, mostly made or cut out projects junking up my sewing room. My sewing room was rebelling against my bad habit of starting, and nothing new was going to get started until I got rid of some of the backlog.
(Also if I get some projects finished I might have something to put in the exhibition next year).
So this is a very quiet shhhhhhhhh commitment to myself that I will start finishing things. I've made this commitment before and failed each and every time. I have quilts basted and ready to quilt - and because it is a group quilt someone else is lined up to bind it. I have tops unbasted. And I won't be limited to quilts - I have a lot of clothes cut out that have to be sewn up, and bags for my online store as well.
See this quilt? I had seven hexagons left to sew on it. Seven. Last night I finished the top. Gosh it felt good to say that. Tomorrow I will baste it.
I shall report back. Pinky swear.
I am a list maker. Every evening at work before I got home I write a list for the next day. I write shopping lists. I plan my meal menu each week. But I don't have a list for the UFOs I want to finish, probably because writing it down would be me facing reality. I came back from a mini-break in Far North Queensland a few days ago and went into my sewing room to sew. But for everything I picked up new that I wanted to sew, I was missing a component (not missing - LOST) and I realised then there were a lot of unfinished, mostly made or cut out projects junking up my sewing room. My sewing room was rebelling against my bad habit of starting, and nothing new was going to get started until I got rid of some of the backlog.
(Also if I get some projects finished I might have something to put in the exhibition next year).
So this is a very quiet shhhhhhhhh commitment to myself that I will start finishing things. I've made this commitment before and failed each and every time. I have quilts basted and ready to quilt - and because it is a group quilt someone else is lined up to bind it. I have tops unbasted. And I won't be limited to quilts - I have a lot of clothes cut out that have to be sewn up, and bags for my online store as well.
See this quilt? I had seven hexagons left to sew on it. Seven. Last night I finished the top. Gosh it felt good to say that. Tomorrow I will baste it.
I shall report back. Pinky swear.
Monday, October 5, 2015
Kirsten Kimono Tee(s)
Well goodness me, I wasn't intending to blog today, but here I am sitting at a computer with some photos off my phone and, well, what's a girl to do when she's a bit chuffed but blog?
You see I haven't sewn any clothes since Frocktails back in June. The reason for that is mostly to do with my last post, but also because I've lost quite a bit of weight over the last few months and sewing anything to fit is pointless when you just have to take it in the following month. Taking things in is a royal pain in the butt, and I hate it. Sometimes it's quicker just to make something from scratch.
While I don't actually notice my weight loss on a day-to-day basis (weird, I know), my friends certainly do and I also notice it in my clothes. In winter I wear cardigans and sweaters to work and it doesn't matter if they are a bit big. However skirts falling down around your knees while you're using the photocopier? Definitely an inappropriate time to notice that your skirt is swimming around your hips rather than skimming your waist. We've had a very sudden change of seasons here in Canberra - from a bitterly cold winter to scorching temperatures in just a matter of weeks. Cardigans are definitely OUT. Blouses are in. And while I can take in all my skirts (painful as it is), my beloved collection of cotton tops for work can't be taken in, and no one needs to see that much bra strap as they slip off my shoulders anyway. Basically - I have nothing to wear. Absolutely nothing.
I've had my eye on the Kirsten Kimono Tee from Maria Denmark for the longest time but always worried how it would got over my hips. The other week I just cut the damn thing out and got over my fears. But no sewjo. It returned with a bang on my day off on Friday. Thank heavens I had stuff already cut out.
I neglected to add the seam allowance to the pattern. Ugh seam allowances. I know this pattern is a freebie but I didn't need to read about the seam allowance needing to be added half way through the length instructions! Regardless I pushed on. If it didn't fit now, it would fit in a month or so.
I constructed the whole thing on the overlocker except for the neck top stitching, and bottom and sleeve hems. All together it took me half an hour to have a very wearable top. Let me repeat that - HALF AN HOUR.
And then I went and took in another skirt and sewed up a new skirt except for the lining. Totally winning at Friday, I was.
On Saturday I sent the hip patient off to his hydrotherapy and took the time to put on a thousand loads of washing and cut out as much as I could on the kitchen table. I cut out another Kirsten Kimono Tee and two skirts. The tee I actually added a 1 cm seam allowance as well - except I added it to the neckline which I wasn't supposed to do (damn you freebie instructions and my inability to read them! I didn't add the seam allowances to the sleeves or the bottom - I liked the length the way it was). Half an hour before the AFL grand final started, I sewed that tee up (and wore it all day Sunday and boy did I feel schnazzy in it, even if the neck was a little higher than I would have liked).
Then the weekend got kinda busy and OMG GO NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS I'M STILL SO EXCITED! But the good news is the overlocker is still threaded with white thread and I intend finishing the unlined skirt in the next couple of days before I lose another 2 kilos and it's all over and back in the adjusting pile again. Like with every other fantastic skirt in my collection.
I have so much knit fabric in my stash, and no tops, and this is quick and easy and looks pretty nice on. I have plans for a couple of work t-shirts as well, and then maybe I'll move on to another pretty top, like the StyleArc Skye.
Anyway this little sewing jaunt over the weekend has proven to me I don't need anything complex to make me happy. It just needs to be easy, quick and fit well. Anything else is gravy.
You see I haven't sewn any clothes since Frocktails back in June. The reason for that is mostly to do with my last post, but also because I've lost quite a bit of weight over the last few months and sewing anything to fit is pointless when you just have to take it in the following month. Taking things in is a royal pain in the butt, and I hate it. Sometimes it's quicker just to make something from scratch.
While I don't actually notice my weight loss on a day-to-day basis (weird, I know), my friends certainly do and I also notice it in my clothes. In winter I wear cardigans and sweaters to work and it doesn't matter if they are a bit big. However skirts falling down around your knees while you're using the photocopier? Definitely an inappropriate time to notice that your skirt is swimming around your hips rather than skimming your waist. We've had a very sudden change of seasons here in Canberra - from a bitterly cold winter to scorching temperatures in just a matter of weeks. Cardigans are definitely OUT. Blouses are in. And while I can take in all my skirts (painful as it is), my beloved collection of cotton tops for work can't be taken in, and no one needs to see that much bra strap as they slip off my shoulders anyway. Basically - I have nothing to wear. Absolutely nothing.
I've had my eye on the Kirsten Kimono Tee from Maria Denmark for the longest time but always worried how it would got over my hips. The other week I just cut the damn thing out and got over my fears. But no sewjo. It returned with a bang on my day off on Friday. Thank heavens I had stuff already cut out.
I neglected to add the seam allowance to the pattern. Ugh seam allowances. I know this pattern is a freebie but I didn't need to read about the seam allowance needing to be added half way through the length instructions! Regardless I pushed on. If it didn't fit now, it would fit in a month or so.
I constructed the whole thing on the overlocker except for the neck top stitching, and bottom and sleeve hems. All together it took me half an hour to have a very wearable top. Let me repeat that - HALF AN HOUR.
And then I went and took in another skirt and sewed up a new skirt except for the lining. Totally winning at Friday, I was.
On Saturday I sent the hip patient off to his hydrotherapy and took the time to put on a thousand loads of washing and cut out as much as I could on the kitchen table. I cut out another Kirsten Kimono Tee and two skirts. The tee I actually added a 1 cm seam allowance as well - except I added it to the neckline which I wasn't supposed to do (damn you freebie instructions and my inability to read them! I didn't add the seam allowances to the sleeves or the bottom - I liked the length the way it was). Half an hour before the AFL grand final started, I sewed that tee up (and wore it all day Sunday and boy did I feel schnazzy in it, even if the neck was a little higher than I would have liked).
Then the weekend got kinda busy and OMG GO NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS I'M STILL SO EXCITED! But the good news is the overlocker is still threaded with white thread and I intend finishing the unlined skirt in the next couple of days before I lose another 2 kilos and it's all over and back in the adjusting pile again. Like with every other fantastic skirt in my collection.
I have so much knit fabric in my stash, and no tops, and this is quick and easy and looks pretty nice on. I have plans for a couple of work t-shirts as well, and then maybe I'll move on to another pretty top, like the StyleArc Skye.
Anyway this little sewing jaunt over the weekend has proven to me I don't need anything complex to make me happy. It just needs to be easy, quick and fit well. Anything else is gravy.
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
I pay homage to obstacles | The thin line between honour and horrible
I've had the honour of being my husband's carer for most of this year - originally it was "little things" like doing all the cooking, cleaning, washing, gardening, general picking up and general cheerleading ("Your hip will get better! Give me an S! Give me a C!"), but since he had hip surgery a few weeks ago the 'honour' has evolved to dressing him, putting on slippers, getting him in and out of the car/bed/chair, ordering mobility equipment, driving him to one hour physio sessions that leave me freezing in the car, and worrying. I am a worrier.
In the middle of all that, and 7 weeks before he was booked in to have his surgery, I injured my back really badly. I do it every winter - it doesn't take much, I never know how I've done it, but I'm out of action for weeks. But this time I decided to ignore all the crap diagnoses that physios and doctors have given me over the years ("it's just hip bursitis!") so I got a CT scan and x-ray done, and the diagnosis was that it was bad. Permanently bad. If-it-had-been-diagnosed-correctly-8-years-ago-it-wouldn't-be-permanent bad. By the time I got the diagnosis I could no longer feel the sides of my legs, couldn't stand for more than 3 minutes without screaming at the boiled eggs that were supposed to peel themselves faster and couldn't actually walk without being bent over in half. I couldn't take time off work because of something huge happening there so I worked from home for a couple of weeks and took a mega load of opiates and muscle relaxants. I had a few months of husband-caring coming up and all I could think was "how on earth am I going to afford a nurse for a few weeks when he comes out of hospital?" because I certainly wasn't able to look after him any longer.
Luckily I have an excellent physio these days and he has me standing up! I'm stronger! I can feel my legs! I have tummy muscles now, for heaven's sake. On Sunday I walked a 4.5 kilometre bush track for the first time since early June. I can't emphasise what a big deal this was. For someone who normally rides to work every day and likes hiking up bush tracks in her spare time, suddenly being quite physically disabled was horrific, especially when someone else is relying on you.
I've been working on my Seven Garden Maze quilt for over a year now - my dear friend Cathy Miller designed it and gave me the pattern on the condition that I actually make it. So I did. I'm using half inch hexagons as per Cathy's pattern, and it's my favourite size to use. Cathy's original used silk dupion, but I'm using homespun (or as the cool kids say - "solids").
In the middle of all that, and 7 weeks before he was booked in to have his surgery, I injured my back really badly. I do it every winter - it doesn't take much, I never know how I've done it, but I'm out of action for weeks. But this time I decided to ignore all the crap diagnoses that physios and doctors have given me over the years ("it's just hip bursitis!") so I got a CT scan and x-ray done, and the diagnosis was that it was bad. Permanently bad. If-it-had-been-diagnosed-correctly-8-years-ago-it-wouldn't-be-permanent bad. By the time I got the diagnosis I could no longer feel the sides of my legs, couldn't stand for more than 3 minutes without screaming at the boiled eggs that were supposed to peel themselves faster and couldn't actually walk without being bent over in half. I couldn't take time off work because of something huge happening there so I worked from home for a couple of weeks and took a mega load of opiates and muscle relaxants. I had a few months of husband-caring coming up and all I could think was "how on earth am I going to afford a nurse for a few weeks when he comes out of hospital?" because I certainly wasn't able to look after him any longer.
There have been three things that have comforted me in the last few months: Psalms 23, Hilltop Hoods, and English paper piecing.
I've been working on my Seven Garden Maze quilt for over a year now - my dear friend Cathy Miller designed it and gave me the pattern on the condition that I actually make it. So I did. I'm using half inch hexagons as per Cathy's pattern, and it's my favourite size to use. Cathy's original used silk dupion, but I'm using homespun (or as the cool kids say - "solids").
I rarely get more than a 15 minute pause to work on this quilt. It sits beside me on the couch in a tin, and I pick up a little when I get a break. I took it to the hospital and worked on it for the hours and hours he was in surgery, and it stopped me freaking out as much I usually freak out when it comes to hospitals. When he got out of hospital and took lots of naps, I was able to work on it a little longer. If he's watching a TV show he really loves but I don't, I get to work on it some more.
I had it at this stage by last Friday. But I've been on flex leave the last week (thanks to all those extra hours at work) and he returned to work on Monday so I've been able to finish the first three rows of the fifth maze.
I love this quilt and all it represents - getting the mind out of the maze of pain, following a path that is true and right, and friendship. Because a friend made this quilt first and gave me the pattern. And also because friends filled my freezer before and after his surgery and allowed me time to sit with him and stitch instead of standing in pain and cooking dinner from scratch.
Occasionally I think to myself that's it's been a pretty shit year so far in Michelleland. But then I remind myself of the wonderful experiences I've had, the friendships made and built upon, the help provided, the movies seen, quilts made and great food eaten.
Occasionally I think to myself that's it's been a pretty shit year so far in Michelleland. But then I remind myself of the wonderful experiences I've had, the friendships made and built upon, the help provided, the movies seen, quilts made and great food eaten.
It's actually been a fantastic year.
"You know that pain can hang in the air like cigarette smoke right?
Sometimes trying to live and let go
Is like trying to talk with a mouth full of cinnamon though
I'm trying to crawl out the skin I'm in so
I can see through the eyes of a loved one, eyes of an enemy
Rising above sometimes takes a pedigree
That I fear that I don't possess
And turns hope into hopelessness, but I won't regress
Won't let life wear me down
Staring down as the travellers all rush past
Some part their weary brow
And wear a frown like a handlebar moustache
So I live by forgive and forget
Rather that than to live with regret, it's like living with debt
It's a weight that'll curve your spine
Living with hurt's like serving time"
- Live and Let Go by Hilltop Hoods
(M. Lambert/D. Smith/A. Burford/A. Newman/M. Stafford)
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Finished: The Problematic Apricot - a group quilt
This is not the quilt that Michelle made.
This is the quilt that Jan K, Jan M, Tracy H, Tracey B, Ronnie, Margaret, Pam, Merrie, Gerda, Emma, Valetta, Kay, Tina and Michelle made. We are fourteen members of the modern quilting group of Canberra Quilters and we decided to make a quilt to enter into the Canberra Quilters Members Exhibition which was held earlier this month.
And guess what? We won third place in the Group Quilt (Open) category!
So back to the quilt. I suggested at our first meeting this year that we could make a group quilt for the exhibition. We'd made a group quilt before, as an emergency hug for our group's founder when she was unwell, and not only did we produce a fantastic quilt but we worked extremely well together.
We decided to go with the same idea again for this quilt - HSTs are a good option when there are so many of you making the quilt, and it also allowed us to play on the design wall and that's usually the best part. Jenny had sent me a photo for colour and fabric inspiration and so based on that I purchased 22 different colours for the quilt. There were a lot of pastels in there, much to most of the group's initial dismay, but those pastels worked really well to brighten up the darker maroons, greens, reds and purples.
It was entirely my fault that I didn't get the chance to book in available dates at the Canberra Quilters rooms until May, so in the end only 14 people could join in, and not the 20-odd that had expressed interest. It was all OK in the end though, but I know a lot of people were disappointed they couldn't be there to help make it. (Next year I'm hoping it won't be a nightmare year of household health issues that this year has been and I'll be able to be more organised.)
A couple of the ladies (Gerda and Emma I'm looking at you, you crazy chicks) got creative with the backing. Yes that is a pieced pinwheel back. Yes, that centre point lines up perfectly thanks to Tracy H. And yes, we tried really hard to centre the backing under the centre of the quilt when we basted it and got extremely close!
The quilt top was done in a few hours on a Saturday. The backing was sewn, and binding made, and we had about 6 sewing machines on the go while others cut, matched and trimmed with a couple of BlocLoc rulers that we had brought along with us (I cannot emphasise how wonderful the BlocLoc rulers are - and no they don't pay me to say that!).
We had a lunch break when most of the blocks were sewn - from the far end of the room we kept assessing the placement and then finally one of the ladies got up and starting rearranging at our bidding.
We named the quilt "The Problematic Apricot" because even though we had heaps of people sewing the apricot blocks, a lot of those blocks had to be unpicked as they were just causing too many problems when sewing the strips together. We don't know why - there was no obvious stretch, the fabric wasn't slubby or open weave, and in fact I think the apricot was the most expensive of the fabrics I'd purchased. Jan K and Tracy H did most of the unpicking, saying "This apricot fabric is proving problematic" and the name stuck.
(Here you get to see the full horror of my backyard, a victim of two wounded gardening soldiers - poor yard! These photos were taken over a month ago - it's much worse now!)
We spent an hour one evening a week later basting the quilt, and then I took it home to quilt it. I decided to use my favourite Aurifil 28/2 weight thread in my favourite grey colour 2605. I really do believe the heavier 28 weight adds great definition to the quilt, especially when using thinner cotton batting. Unfortunately half way through quilting it with concentric circles I seriously injured my back (not from the quilting though.). Luckily I could still sit at a sewing machine for periods of 10 minutes and the circular quilting gets much easier (with less wrangling) the further out you go, so the rest of the quilt was done in no time. But I must admit I'm not happy with the quality of the quilting at all and I feel it's the one thing that has let down the quilt. From the back of a galloping horse though, it looks great!
I attached the binding and then handed it over to Tina to stitch down by hand with only 4 days to go until the quilt was due to be handed in. She did the best binding job I have seen in my life. Labels and sleeves were attached the evening before the handover, and we had ourselves an entry!
I'm the very last person you'll find getting competitive in a quilt exhibition, but I was so proud when I got the phone call to say that we had been awarded third place in our category. It was such a great group effort, and we can't wait to do it all again next year.
This is the quilt that Jan K, Jan M, Tracy H, Tracey B, Ronnie, Margaret, Pam, Merrie, Gerda, Emma, Valetta, Kay, Tina and Michelle made. We are fourteen members of the modern quilting group of Canberra Quilters and we decided to make a quilt to enter into the Canberra Quilters Members Exhibition which was held earlier this month.
And guess what? We won third place in the Group Quilt (Open) category!
So back to the quilt. I suggested at our first meeting this year that we could make a group quilt for the exhibition. We'd made a group quilt before, as an emergency hug for our group's founder when she was unwell, and not only did we produce a fantastic quilt but we worked extremely well together.
We decided to go with the same idea again for this quilt - HSTs are a good option when there are so many of you making the quilt, and it also allowed us to play on the design wall and that's usually the best part. Jenny had sent me a photo for colour and fabric inspiration and so based on that I purchased 22 different colours for the quilt. There were a lot of pastels in there, much to most of the group's initial dismay, but those pastels worked really well to brighten up the darker maroons, greens, reds and purples.
It was entirely my fault that I didn't get the chance to book in available dates at the Canberra Quilters rooms until May, so in the end only 14 people could join in, and not the 20-odd that had expressed interest. It was all OK in the end though, but I know a lot of people were disappointed they couldn't be there to help make it. (Next year I'm hoping it won't be a nightmare year of household health issues that this year has been and I'll be able to be more organised.)
A couple of the ladies (Gerda and Emma I'm looking at you, you crazy chicks) got creative with the backing. Yes that is a pieced pinwheel back. Yes, that centre point lines up perfectly thanks to Tracy H. And yes, we tried really hard to centre the backing under the centre of the quilt when we basted it and got extremely close!
The quilt top was done in a few hours on a Saturday. The backing was sewn, and binding made, and we had about 6 sewing machines on the go while others cut, matched and trimmed with a couple of BlocLoc rulers that we had brought along with us (I cannot emphasise how wonderful the BlocLoc rulers are - and no they don't pay me to say that!).
We had a lunch break when most of the blocks were sewn - from the far end of the room we kept assessing the placement and then finally one of the ladies got up and starting rearranging at our bidding.
We named the quilt "The Problematic Apricot" because even though we had heaps of people sewing the apricot blocks, a lot of those blocks had to be unpicked as they were just causing too many problems when sewing the strips together. We don't know why - there was no obvious stretch, the fabric wasn't slubby or open weave, and in fact I think the apricot was the most expensive of the fabrics I'd purchased. Jan K and Tracy H did most of the unpicking, saying "This apricot fabric is proving problematic" and the name stuck.
(Here you get to see the full horror of my backyard, a victim of two wounded gardening soldiers - poor yard! These photos were taken over a month ago - it's much worse now!)
We spent an hour one evening a week later basting the quilt, and then I took it home to quilt it. I decided to use my favourite Aurifil 28/2 weight thread in my favourite grey colour 2605. I really do believe the heavier 28 weight adds great definition to the quilt, especially when using thinner cotton batting. Unfortunately half way through quilting it with concentric circles I seriously injured my back (not from the quilting though.). Luckily I could still sit at a sewing machine for periods of 10 minutes and the circular quilting gets much easier (with less wrangling) the further out you go, so the rest of the quilt was done in no time. But I must admit I'm not happy with the quality of the quilting at all and I feel it's the one thing that has let down the quilt. From the back of a galloping horse though, it looks great!
I attached the binding and then handed it over to Tina to stitch down by hand with only 4 days to go until the quilt was due to be handed in. She did the best binding job I have seen in my life. Labels and sleeves were attached the evening before the handover, and we had ourselves an entry!
I'm the very last person you'll find getting competitive in a quilt exhibition, but I was so proud when I got the phone call to say that we had been awarded third place in our category. It was such a great group effort, and we can't wait to do it all again next year.
Details
Pattern: Random half square triangles
Size: 60 " by 60 " (5 inch finished blocks)
Size: 60 " by 60 " (5 inch finished blocks)
Fabric: Various solids by various manufacturers.
Quilting: Concentric circle quilting done by me on my cantankerous Bernina
Thread: pieced with every thread under the sun by various quilters, quilted with Aurifil 28/2 Weight thread colours 2605.
Batting: 100% unbleached cotton
Started: June 2015
Finished: July 2015
Labels:
canberra quilters,
group quilt,
modern quilt,
quilt,
quilt show
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