My sister Judy and I love to sew, especially quilts. We inherited that love from our mom (and her mom). She is an excellent seamstress, baker, crocheter, etc. In fact, anything she makes with her hands is either: beautiful - if it's to be looked at, comfortable - if it's to be worn, or delicious - if it is to be eaten! We grew up watching her create. It is only natural that we would have picked up the needles and hooks, too. One of my favorite family traditions with my own kids (the girls) has been to crochet during General Conference. However, for this next GC, we have decided to include our boys in our creative efforts by setting up a still life for everyone to draw while we watch and listen. (Yes, Bart, that includes you! Trust me, there is no excuse, even running the St. George Marathon the day before, that will let you escape! Good Luck on your run - Boston or Bust!)
Judy has created some very beautiful crocheted items over the years; my favorite being an afghan for our dad and a scarf for me. A few years ago, she made and sold the most charming hand-sewn fleece baby blankets that were marketed under the name of her company, rightfully named, "Charming Charming Blankets". After that adventure, she moved on to sewing skirts for herself. It was after her skirt days that she got into quilting. She made a Christmas quilt that is just adorable. With Fall here, and the holidays just around the corner, she is sending me pictures of more cute Christmas quilts that are so tempting to begin! (I keep reminding myself I am up to my elbows in paint)
Quilting, crocheting, painting and drawing are not just enjoyable past-times for me, but they serve a great purpose as well. When I am considering a new topic I've been reading about, or am very perplexed about a situation that requires action, my hands go to work. I worked on this little black, red and white project when I took Cameron out of public school and homeschooled him for the year. He would sit on one side of the sewing table, and I would sit on the other, as he talked to me about whatever it was that caused him to dislike school so much. By keeping my hands busy, my mind could put the information he was giving me into perspective without making me too much of a crazy woman. (I have very strong opinions about how children are best educated; and what he was telling me of his experiences conflicted with my ideas!)
At the end of the school year, I had only completed these two separate squares, just as they are shown here. But, that's okay. The quilt served its purpose for me; and my son is now able to go to school day after day and enjoy success. Thank Heavens for the inherited lessons of craftiness from my mothers hands; I don't know how that 2nd grade year would have been accomplished if it hadn't been for a project to keep my hands busy!
Judy has created some very beautiful crocheted items over the years; my favorite being an afghan for our dad and a scarf for me. A few years ago, she made and sold the most charming hand-sewn fleece baby blankets that were marketed under the name of her company, rightfully named, "Charming Charming Blankets". After that adventure, she moved on to sewing skirts for herself. It was after her skirt days that she got into quilting. She made a Christmas quilt that is just adorable. With Fall here, and the holidays just around the corner, she is sending me pictures of more cute Christmas quilts that are so tempting to begin! (I keep reminding myself I am up to my elbows in paint)
Quilting, crocheting, painting and drawing are not just enjoyable past-times for me, but they serve a great purpose as well. When I am considering a new topic I've been reading about, or am very perplexed about a situation that requires action, my hands go to work. I worked on this little black, red and white project when I took Cameron out of public school and homeschooled him for the year. He would sit on one side of the sewing table, and I would sit on the other, as he talked to me about whatever it was that caused him to dislike school so much. By keeping my hands busy, my mind could put the information he was giving me into perspective without making me too much of a crazy woman. (I have very strong opinions about how children are best educated; and what he was telling me of his experiences conflicted with my ideas!)
At the end of the school year, I had only completed these two separate squares, just as they are shown here. But, that's okay. The quilt served its purpose for me; and my son is now able to go to school day after day and enjoy success. Thank Heavens for the inherited lessons of craftiness from my mothers hands; I don't know how that 2nd grade year would have been accomplished if it hadn't been for a project to keep my hands busy!
28 comments:
I hope you finish that quilt, I like your fabric. You are right, though, I do love to sew. I wish I had let Mom teach me when we were growing up - I had to learn on my own - same with cooking. Why, oh why, didn't I take advantage of a master?? Oh well.
I was at Joanne's Fabrics for a million hours this weekend devising my Halloween costume.
What have you decided on for your costume?!
I don't go to JoAnne's anymore...they have dark chocolate M&M's there.
I know, I saw chocolate Peeps there. I kept right on walking. If I ate just one, I would be back every single day for more. Michele bought chocolate marshmellows and I avoided her for a week until I felt they would be gone. She takes forever to eat her goodies - if it was me I would have had those marshmellows roasted and on my hips in no time.
After a million hours, I have decided not to wear a costume. I got some really cool fabric with skulls and roses, and I'm just going to make a skirt and wear a black top and black boots with red tights. I also found some skull earrings. Rock on!
Last year Zac was a ballerina. Did I ever email you the picture?
No! I never saw pictures of my Ballerina Nephew! Cough them up, sister!
Great fabric for an outfit! Are you going to wear a witches hat, too?
Micalanne & Judy - I wish I had your skills (or at least either of you close by so you could help me with a quilt!) My siblings & I are contemplating creating some type of quilt for my mom's 60th b'day in January - having each grandchild create a square of some sort - but my sisters & I are all CLUELESS when it comes to sewing! I am sure I'll have to hire someone to do it!
Micalanne - I love the creativity during general conference idea! We will have to try that. Usually during general conference Brad sleeps for at least part of the time, my kids complain when I try to make them watch, they go off & play somewhere, and I end up referring an eventual fight, missing much of what I had hoped to hear!
No witch hat because I'm not going to be a witch.
we just came from a Halloween store --- there were some pretty funny and sick things in there. My favorite thing was a hat type thing that had a cut out for your face and it said above your face: MISSING - it was a milk carton. Very funny!
Judy - Witch rock star are you going to be? Okay, J/K! Sorry, it's late/early and I can't sleep...
LaRae - You don't need to go any further than So. Cal. to find someone to help you with your mom's B-day quilt! I will most gladly help you! I can't commit Judy's help, I believe she will be very busy with her Master's program. But, I will ask her. So, email me and tell me your ideas. We can definitely get a quilt done.
My kids stay in the same room as me and the TV so they can make fun of me while I cry all during conference. I hate it but I am a crier!
Janet - We saw the very same thing you are talking about in St. George this weekend. We laughed at that, too! By the way, I waved and yelled, "Hi Janet!" as we drove through Vegas to and from St. George!
Mic,
I blame the crying on Mom. I swear, yesterday I cried all through the first session, then when Pres. Hinkley said he invoked a blessing on all of us, then the choir sang that beautiful version of "How Firm a Foundation," I was very glad I was alone because I was bawling. I rewound it three times before I moved on. I was trying to quilt and couldn't see a thing.
Years ago I heard a talk by someone in the Tabernacle Choir who said that they would hear angels singing with them, and sometimes when they stopped singing, they could still hear the angels. Every single time I listen to that choir I listen for the angels and I just know they were singing "How Firm a Foundation."
LaRae, the quilt idea is great. Do you have a theme? If you had pictures of each of your kids with your mom you could print those pictures on quilt fabric, or you could create appliques from the pictures. Mic and I would be glad to help with ideas.
I do miss you, though, when I go fabric shopping and I get all my crazy ideas. I have some Halloween fabric that I swear I'm going to make cullots (sp?) out of. Is that weird? I need someone to say, "No, you cannot wear taffeta pants to work."
Judy, I'm not that person to tell you not to wear taffeta pants to school...I say, "Go ahead!"
I love the idea of a quilt. I just went through all my boys clothes - gave A TON to the clothes room where I work and kept some cute t-shirts etc... thinking it would be fun to make a quilt. I have a friend - by the way, LaRae, she is your cousin, Barbara, who is an amzing quilting woman - she keeps saying she wants to teach me how to quilt, so I may take her up on it and get my t-shirts into a quilt afterall.
LaRae - you should give her a call, I'm sure she would love to help you with your ideas.
Janet - I've seen quilts made out of running T-shirts. They use the shirts they get from the runs they participate in.
Judy - how many running T-shirts do you have? Bart gives all of his to the children and they use them for pajamas.
I can't find my quilt from this post! I've been in the purge mode for a couple of weeks now; going from room to room getting rid of so much stuff. And I cannot find that quilt!!!! What in the world did I do with it? I may have given it to DI inadvertently...
I don't know how many race shirts I have, but I need to do something with them. The early ones have holes in them. My favorite is my biathlon - the run, shoot, run that I did. That was my favorite race so far because it was the hardest. I had to run UPHILL then shoot a rifle standing up. You have to hold your breath to shoot, try that after running uphill. Then I had to run some more then come back and shoot laying down, then run some more - uphill again. I almost didn't run the third leg because I was exhausted, but of course I finished because a boy I had a crush on was there. And by the way, I looked good the whole time. What happened to that tiny body I used to have?
I bought the pattern for that gingerbread quilt. Don't you wish we lived closer and we could work on it together.
"Lucky!", said Micalanne is her best Napolean Dynamite voice.
I'm telling you today, and it can stay on the record, that I will talk Bart into moving closer to you!
Your many talents truly astound me girl! I just love everything that you do, you are an inspiration to us all! Your mama taught you well.
I have got to sew some costumes for my girls and boy....not sure what Spencer wants to be...he Hasn't decided yet...such a hard decision. Belle will be a fairy/butterfly, (I say fairy because the costume will be easy to make, she says butterfly, and I let her so she won't get upset, but I don't think she knows the difference. ) I thought Rose would be the cutest little witch in history....so that is our costume line up this year!
Those sound like really cute costumes Dawnae! I hope you share pictures with us!
So I finally made my way back over here & saw your offers to help w/ a quilt. I just may take you up on it! I like Judy's idea of a picture of each child with my mom. How do you print on quilt fabric? Is this regular fabric or something special you buy at a quilting store? Tell me where to go to investigate this idea girls! I also have an idea to do a quilt that would go in my mom's cabin - which is all earthly colors. I could have each kid draw a picture and somehow transfer it to fabric - maybe I could scan them & print on "quilt fabric" as Judy mentioned. I had better get busy!
Micalanne - so did everyone draw their still life during conference? Did you take pictures to share on your blog?
LaRae - the two prominent craft stores around here are called JoAnne's and Hancocks. You may very well have the same stores near you. Anyway, you can find online at www.hancockfabrics.com, under quilts and then quilt accessories, a few products for the transferring of photos or artwork. The brand name is june tailor; no capital letters in the name. With this brand, you have a few options to choose from. There is: print & press iron-on transfer paper to be used with color inkjet printers &/or color inkjet copy machines and then iron-on to light colored fabric for a mirror-image of photo; then there is copy & press transfer paper that you take to a copy center and have your pictures or artwork copied on this special paper then iron onto your light colored fabric; or there is what is called Colorfast Printer Fabric Sheets (they come in cream or white) that you print your photo on directly to be used as a square in the quilt. If I remember correctly, there are only a few sheets (3-4) per package.
I'm sure that in your area there are specialty quilt shops that offer the same kind of product that may be of better quality. Personally, I would investigate the specialty stores first, in person, because the employees/owners of those shops will have a wealth of knowledge to answer your questions. You will definitely want the best quality of product for a long life of the quilt.
You mentioned having the kids draw something for the cabin quilt. Another product out there is fabric crayons. These I have never used, nor have I heard of anyone using them, but again a quilt specialist could advise you on that.
I would be more than happy to sew the quilt for you. Just let me know what you need me to do. Like your weekly visitor Esther (no, I'm not envious) I at your service.
LaRae - I have to laugh to myself about my still life idea. We put a still life together less than half-heartedly, we all had paper and pencil, and we all drew something. But as for the still life it was pretty much ignored.
Cameron drew pumpkins and witches flying across the moon. I wrote notes on what the speaker said and doodled a picture of the golden plates and Heavenly Father and Jesus during the First Vision. Lauren drew a picture a of her hand holding the paper she was drawing on (clever I thought), and so it goes. Bethany just doodled and Ashley did attempt the still life.
I actually did save the papers and will post pictures of them once I get their permission.
Though it did not turn out like I expected it to, it was still a success; and we will do it again next conference with a more well-thought out still life and a bit of a lesson on how to draw one beforehand.
Micalanne - thanks so much for the information. I am going to start my research right away! I am sure there are some specialty quilt shops - I will just have to find them. We do have JoAnn's and Hancock Fabrics as well. I appreciate your offer to help and will most glady pay a well-deserved fee!
It was fun to hear about your family's "still life" experience during conference. At least it kept everyone somewhat still, right? I think we'll give it a try in April.
Cameron was "still" for about 3 nano-seconds. And that was all he could give! However, like I tell his teacher at school when she is frustrated with his wiggles, he's getting it, really it's getting through to him!
I hope you are okay with the fact that I've asked Judy to email you my email address so we can discuss your quilt project further. I would most gladly help you get it completed!
Post a Comment