Rules for Misfits

A little over a week ago, on a most unprecedented whim, I decided to make a quilt.  It's been ages, years even since I've gone down that particular path. I do believe I was inspired by my little misfit quilt that I picked up recently. To keep things simple (meaning: giving myself a real chance of actually ever finishing the quilt) I set up a few rules for myself.

Rule 1. I must not buy anything other than thread, only using supplies I have on hand.
Rule 2. Choose one pile of scraps from my hoard and use only the fabrics from that pile for quilt top.
Rule 3. Choose a very simple quilt block pattern.
Rule 4. (In 4 parts) I must not fret and worry so. I must not spend hours painstakingly rearranging blocks, then rearranging them again until it is perfect. I must let go of perfectionism. Just let it happen; a little random is good for me.

I must admit Rule 4 has been the most difficult to adhere to, but I managed somehow.

I made my first quilt when I was only 13 in Mrs. Bloomquist's sewing class. It was a miracle of early 80's dirty blues, tans, and maroons.  While piecing the thick polyester batting one day, my finger got in the way and the heavy duty Kenmore sewing machine sewed right through my finger tip! It was a very exciting and painful day in sewing class, ah memories! Though my quilt may not have been the prettiest thing going, I was so proud. I'll have you know too, that quilt was in regular use until 2 years ago when it was left behind at a music festival.

Later, when I was just a young 20-something, I fell hard for quilting.  Well, at least the piecing part of it all. I dreamed of one day owning my own giant quilting machine, Oh the quilts I would make!  Ah, but time marches on and while I did make some full size quilts, over the years I would whip up a few baby gift quilts of the small and manageable size.  And now it's been a long time since I've even done that.

I had forgotten the obsessive nature of making a quilt. It has been all consuming on some days. "What do you mean, what's for dinner? Can't you see I'm sewing a quilt?!"
Though I have been plagued by doubts and occasionally thought the whole thing looked a little bonkers, I have carried on.

Oh, I forgot to mention another rule I made for myself...
Rule 5. Break a few quilting rules!
Check!

For instance; sew a pieced quilt backing that does not actually match the quilt top. (I do so enjoy two looks in one you know.) Also, after sewing said backing, put it up as a curtain for a few days, why not?

 
As I have been sewing along, Pony Girl has made the request that this quilt be hers, "So that I can pass it on to my children and then they can pass it on to their children and on and on." Clearly, we are a family who loves misfits.

So that is my story of the making of a misfit quilt.

"What?" you say, "No fair, you haven't shown us the actual quilt!"

That my dears is because the quilt is not yet finished.  All the elements are in place, but things have got a bit busy 'round here and the final Ta Da! must wait. I assure you when I have a chance to get to the intimidating quilting part, and the last thread is snipped, all will be revealed!

Mending Monday

You all know I have a soft spot for orphan quilts, right? Perhaps not the prettiest, definitely not the much sought after antiques - though sometimes vintage, those wonky first attempts, those gifts given that were perhaps not to the taste of the giftee, or those that have been well used and loved, yet still ended up orphaned on the racks at the local thrift.

The other day I needed a little pick-me-up and wandered into my local thrift store, my girl needed some new blue jeans and I needed to wander amongst the cluttered shelves for a look-see.  There on the rack of dodgy flannelette sheets was just such an orphan quilt. A plaid 9 patch number, "Well hello funny face!" said I. I noted it's hundreds of loose threads, it's random corner of floral patches, and the occasional open seam.

Of course none of these things deterred me, in fact they only served to endear me even more.  And so into my basket went the orphan quilt and then it came home with me.  It has gone through a good washing and a close inspection.  No matter the iffy nature of any quilt one finds at the local thrift, I know all too well how much work goes into each and every one.

So today is mending day, and as I clip loose threads and mend ripped seams, I think about the making of this quirky little quilt.  Sometimes I make up a story about the person whose hands toiled to craft it, a story about the quilt's life.  The quilts I find may not be the prettiest or the most well made, but I love them all the same.

Oh, and those blue jeans need hemming and maybe a bluebird or two and some butterflies.  I'd better get to it!

Happy Monday!

Other People's Wonk

Let's just say I can appreciate a little 'wonk'. Especially if we are talking quilts. I love quilts, different shapes, sizes, colors! I used to make quilts back in the day; in fact I can recall my first truly satisfactory (brimming with pride really) sewing project was the first quilt I ever made, I was 13 at the time. It was full of wonk. The last quilts I made were just before Pony Girl was born, small hand tied crib quilts that now keep her dolls cozy on cold nights.

I have been itching to make full size quilts again for ages, but it seems time, space, and other things get in the way. In the mean time however, I have started a little collection of quilts made by other people. I have a few amazingly beautiful vintage quilts from my grandmother, some she made - some given to her for gifts. I also have another growing collection of quilts made by people unknown and picked up for next to nothing at thrift shops and yard sales.

Some of them are slightly vintage, or at least make use of some vintage fabrics, others are not vintage in any way; but all of them were made with love and care.

Sometimes the colors are a little strange, the stitches uneven, the binding twisted, and there is always an element of wonk. Some are small - odd shaped and sized, some are large and crooked.

When I spy such a quilt in the thrift shop, my heart skips a beat as I go to investigate. Some are a pass, left for someone else to discover. Then there are the sweet few that have made me look around in fear that someone would grab it out of my hands. Those lovelies come home with me to stay.

Some are worn, most have small stains, and some need repairing. I almost whisper to them, "You are coming home with me and I am going to take good care of you." The first thing I do when I get them home, is to give them a good once over. If I determine they are tough enough for a hot soak and a trip through the washing machine and dryer, down they go to the laundry. Once they come through looking brighter and smelling daisy fresh, I thread my needle for any repairs. During my repairs I get to spend some quality time with my new wonky quilt, getting to know it better - acquainting myself with it's personality and quirks.

Once any repairs are complete, I lay out the quilt on the big bed, I run my hands over the stitches, I stand back and admire the big picture, and I am happy. I think about all of the time and care that went into making these quilts. The cutting, the piecing, the sewing, the hand quilting! Hours of time and love! I wonder about the maker, the recipients of these quilts...sometimes I tell myself a story about them. I always wonder how they landed in the thrift shop or the yard sale; certainly I would never give up these beautiful wonky treasures. Though I will admit I am a little happy that someone did give them up so that they could come home with me.

Another really great thing about these quilts - I am not afraid to use them. They make our beds cozy, get thrown on the ground for a picnic, wrapped around us on cold nights, and they make the most spectacular dens and forts! From time to time they cover 'the couch that mocks me' for a burst of extra bright and cheerful.

Thank you to the makers of these happy quilts, your work is appreciated and fills me with joy.

Old Blue

Progress has been made. Six old shirts and a lot of long seams. The blanket top is done...I think.

A whole field of blue. Thank goodness the elbows went out on the stripy number at the last minute, the stripy bits really pulled it all together.

Still deciding if I should add sashing to the sides and ends. Or a pop of color somewhere. It'll make a fine picnic blanket in the end. I'm calling it a blanket and not a quilt, for I imagine I broke far too many quilting rules along the way to make it a proper quilt.

Is anyone interested in just how I put "Old Blue" together? let me know and I will work up a little 'how to' when it's all done.

Have a happy day!

Living With Handmade

Thank you all for your speedy recovery wishes last week, they indeed made me feel better. Whilst I'm not quite back to my hale and hardy self just yet, I am feeling loads better and am mostly upright.

During my lay in, I had a few moments to think about this "challenge of the utmost kind" I'd gotten myself all mixed up in. I realized I never told you about my reasons for doing so. I got to thinking that I should, I should tell y'all why.
I'm not generally a 'Joiner', which has a little something to do with the way I was brought up, and a lot to do with the whole 'Columbia House Debacle' of 1982.

Still, I have been trying to open myself up a bit, the blogging community offers so many worthy 'Join In' opportunities. So, sign up and commit I did (after giving it some thought in my favorite thinking spot). And I do have reasons.

But today, I am going to address only one - and that is: Handmade
I'm for it!
We are definitely a handmade family. History is in the handmade. Certainly, we have all received something handmade at one time in our lives, that we did not fully appreciate (I'm thinking of one bedazzled pink sweatshirt in particular). Still, there is something pretty amazing about things made by hand. They just seem to have more 'soul'.

I started looking around my house and noticing just how much we live with handmade. Things we use everyday, that are integral to our lives that have been handmade by us, or others. These are things that I cherish, that seem to have a longer, more meaningful life in our home. Much like the pile of quilts made by many hands.

Small things - like our cloth napkins that we use everyday. Though they don't look quite so pristine anymore.

The beautiful TV and stereo cupboard that my very talented man made.

My pottery that has been in constant use since I took a class some years ago.

These are but a few of the things in our home that I see everyday that are part of our handmade life. I read somewhere about some ladies in the States who were hand crocheting bandages for lepers in a distant land. When asked why not just buy some gauze bandages and send them over, they explained that in practical terms - the handmade bandages were stronger, lasted longer and could be sterilized and re-used (unlike gauze). The part that got me though was this...the lepers believe that the karma of the makers are in the handmade bandages and that this helped heal. I can believe it.

So, buying handmade and making myself, yes. I am also thinking that this challenge might spark some creativity as yet untapped. Encourage me to make even more for my home. Things that have lasting integrity and meaningfulness.

Long post I know, hey I've been kinda quiet during my sickness so...
Happy Monday all, I will be back with more handmade news and hopefully a shop update!

Growing Up Cloud Gazing

It's harder than it looks.

In keeping with my current quilt craze, I bought myself a new gadget to go with my sewing machine. A free motion quilting foot. I have been wanting to give this a try for a while now. I put together a very small whole cloth quilt (think doll sized) to make my practice run. The style I tried first is called stippling. It's kind of like doodling continuous random squiggles, only on your sewing machine with thread. Seriously, how hard could it be?
Well, it's sort of like rubbing your belly and patting your head while running an obstacle course, or not. Anyway, it's harder than it looks. Let's just say that it is a good thing my daughter was not around to hear some of the choice words that escaped my mouth. This is going to take some practice. It's hard to imagine doing this on a full sized quilt. At one point I realized that my jaw was painfully clenched, my shoulders were super glued to my ears, and it was time for a break. So, I went outside to take a deep breath and do some cloud gazing.


This seemed to help. I finished quilting, quickly attached some binding and threw it in the wash to give it the cool wrinkle look. I will practice more later when my shoulders and back recover. Who knew that sitting at the sewing machine could be so physically strenuous?

Now for something completely different...
I took a good long look at my sweet girl the other day, good gravy she's growing up! In an attempt to take the trike for a spin, it was discovered that it is time to move on to bigger bikes (pink please). So, the classic little red tricycle was loaded up and sent on over to her younger cousin's house. Milestones for sure.


I know, I know...they grow up so fast. It is truly amazing to see this beautiful child change and grow. It is also a little bittersweet. Maybe even harder than it looks.


I took my girl outside for a deep breath and some cloud gazing. It seemed to help.

When Quilts Attack!

I've been thinking... nay obsessing, over quilts these days. I have been lost lately while gazing covetously at the wondrous quilties that I have spied out in blogland. Big ones, little ones, quilts that lay on rocks - I am mushing over them all. Good heavens, my heart is pounding as I think of all the comfy lovelies I'd like to make! So, what's stopping me? Time, space and sure I'll say it, fear. Fear of quilts you ask, surely not? Well...sort of. You see, quilts are strange creatures and fickle to boot. They are all for getting started, jumping out the gate with wild enthusiasm, but when it comes to the finish line, they are easily distracted and poky. Then there is the whole business of certain skill sets I have not quite wrapped my head around yet. Oh, come on, get over yourself! I hear you say.
O.K.

I found some odd cut rectangles in a box in my sewing room, hmmmm...a few more and I could put a little something together. I decided not to go through my usual song and dance routine with the picking out of fabric. Lord, that alone could take days, weeks even! With little thought, I cut some more pieces from my scrap box. I just started sewing them together with the occasional peek at color flow. I had to stop myself more than a couple of times when I found myself fussing and fiddling too much.


Keep it small, very small. It's been well over 4 years since I last made a quilt, better not to get too overwhelmed. I have sewn my strips and I'm still playing with layout.

It could make a sweet stroller quilt or car seat blanket for the wee ones. No pressure though. I mean, I might end up with a few very nice pot holders.

UFO Sighting

One of the by-products of cleaning up my work space is the finding of unfinished objects tucked away in every nook and cranny. Sometimes it's like finding buried treasure, other times it's either a little sad or downright hilarious (in that 'what was I thinking?' kind of way).

I was reminded that back in the day, I did a fair amount of quilting. I never mastered the art of the actual hand quilting of my finished pieces but, I did love the process of piecing all those little patchwork lovelies together. I haven't had the amount of room comfortable for quilting in quite some time. I could though, find enough space for some baby or lap quilts. Hmmm, sweet little quilts, oh yes!

I found this twin size quilt top that I made for my niece when she was a baby, she's 9 now! O.K. add that to the 'To Do' list.

In any case, my work space is workable again. I haven't finished the tedious organization projects, nor have I prettified the place but, I am liking the new flow and I snuck in a few extra square feet by shoving some tools and paint cans out of the way.

Now, where is that list?