I've been thinking about this for the past week and I've decided that it's weird. *grin* I absolutely adore quilting. I love quilting. I love sewing fabric together, I love picking it out and cutting it up. I detest ironing (or pressing), but will spend however long it takes to get that new fabric pressed and ready to be put in my stash. I also love watching new color combinations come together to make a beautiful quilt. So, here comes the weird part.
I've decided that I'm a seasonal quilter. I prefer quilting during the fall and the winter. Oddly enough, in the spring and summer, I prefer knitting. Oh, on cooler days, I do drag out my quilting again and move a little further on whatever I was working on before the heat hit, but I usually just knit. I don't know. Maybe it's a female internal thing. One year during the summer, I knitted all of my children and the neighbor's children new scarves for the winter. Last year, I tackled slippers for the boys and myself. I haven't quite figured out how to do more 'difficult' things. I consider myself a "hobby knitter" and a "serious quilter." Therefore, all my 'snazzy' skills are in quilting, not knitting. *smile*
I will admit that my knitting and quilting will mix and match for awhile. I'll knit until I drop and then switch back to quilting for awhile. I'll quilt for a week or two and then switch back to knitting again. All I do know is that I love to keep my hands busy. If I'm just sitting there, whether it be at one of my sons' practices or watching TV, I hate the wasted time if my hands aren't busy. However, if I'm quilting (hand work usually) or knitting, then I feel like the time has been productive. That and it also helps keep me from biting my nails. *grin*
I prefer taking knitting with me outside. We can have the most horrendous winds around here, especially in the spring. Mind you, I don't think you can do anything in 30 mph winds, but even in the lighter breezes you can't really piece or applique very well. Yarn holds up much better to that than does thread.
So! What am I going to make this year during the summer? Well. I have discovered that I dislike sewing or quilting for sale. I don't like to sell my quilts or anything of that nature. However, I did just discover that I don't mind knitting for money. *grin* Just small stuff that I can finish easily. I probably don't mind the idea of selling my knitting because I have NO clue what to do with any of the small things I make. LOL It then leads to indecision because I don't know what I'm even going to make. Now, my acrylic yarn is going to make little squares for wounded soldier afghans. Yesterday, I just bought a lot of pure 100% cotton yarn (I adore cotton. Must be the quilter in me. *grin*) to create kitchen sets to sell at a craft sale closer to Christmas. I'm not sure how many I'll get made, but I'm hoping for a minimum of 3 sets. I know, I know. That doesn't seem like a whole lot. However, we are moving in late August to mid September. I'm just trying to keep my goals reasonable. Besides, each kitchen 'set' includes a dish towel and 2 dishcloths. All the extra cotton I have left over from creating the sets will then be used to make extra dishcloths.
With that, I'm going to head on out. Instead of knitting or quilting, I bought some little pots and seeds yesterday. The boys and I are going to go plant them soon and watch them grow. I just hope I can convince the boys to just look at them and not pick the little plants as they come up. *grin*
Have a great day!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Hand Piecing
There are still many quilters out there who hand piece. Many of us find it very relaxing and enjoyable. Others use it to get precise points and edges on blocks that would be very difficult to piece by machine. I sort of fall into both categories. I also hand piece for convenience, oddly enough. As a mother with 3 boys, time in the sewing room is a precious commodity. I sometimes don't even get to go in there for any amount of time for days. That can put a serious crimp in piecing quilts and quilting them.
Currently, my main sewing machine is set up for free motion quilting. That makes it difficult to switch easily from quilting to piecing mode. I also want to keep it set up until my current quilt being quilted is complete. It has 48 blocks in it, each needing extra quilting to hold the batting in place. It's slow going, but it's turning out beautiful.
Back to hand piecing. I currently have a total of 3 quilts and 1 block in hand piecing mode. I've never been too good at staying with a single quilt until it was finished. *smile* The current one I'm working on, and have been for several days now, is one that could actually be pieced by machine easily enough. So I guess that begs the question of, "why are you hand piecing it?" Well, it's simple really. When I started it, I was deep in 'hand piecing mode.' When I got sick and tired of one hand piecing project (it's still not finished), I started looking around for something else to work on. My son's quilt was finally all cut out and ready to start piecing. It was available and easy to grab when I went looking. It's an I-Spy quilt using the Hexagon Star pattern. I started thinking that it was never going to get done last night. So I sat down, counted out how many hexagons I still had to do, multiplied that by 2 because that's what the sewing machine instructions say to do, put 2 triangles on opposite sides before sewing them all together. In hand piecing, it works differently, but the counting idea works the same. *smile*
So, I sat counting out hexagons. I can't believe how many I cut out! My kids are going to get completely overwhelmed by this quilt. I still found it a lot of fun looking at the patterns I'd picked though. *smile* Okay... I have 80 hexagons left to sew in. See, a lot of them. Multiply that by 2 and you end up with 160. Wow. You know what? I don't have that many triangles ready to sew. I tend to only make a few at a time. It gets boring drawing them and cutting them out. Anyway!! That gives me 240 total pieces left for this top to be finished (we'll just ignore how the edge gets finished for now). I'm not sure how many are already in there because I didn't feel like counting those ones. LOL So, here's my goal. With 240 pieces left, if I did at least 3 pieces a day, then I should have a finished quilt top in 80 days.
You know. When I hand piece, I do it in a circular pattern. Take the hexagon. I started on one side, put on a triangle, then continued around the edge of the hexagon until all the triangles were in place. Then, I went around all the triangles putting in the next 'round' of hexagons. And so on and so forth. What this does is allow you to keep a longer sewing thread going. Less cutting and tying off. If I remember correctly, it also makes it stronger because the thread is spread out among more pieces so it takes the stress off of one single section.
Hmm... I guess I should count the triangles I have and then start making more of them. I'd hate to come to a screeching halt again just because I ran out of triangles! That's what happened to me last time. That was very annoying. Oh, the idea of holding up a finished quilt top in about 80 days that I actually hand pieced is an incredible idea!
Umm... I think I'll just ignore the fact that I don't know how to quilt it yet. I really don't relish the idea of hand quilting it even though it would be really weird machine quilting it after taking all that time to hand piece it. LOL Oh, well. It's my quilt, I can do what I want... So there!
Currently, my main sewing machine is set up for free motion quilting. That makes it difficult to switch easily from quilting to piecing mode. I also want to keep it set up until my current quilt being quilted is complete. It has 48 blocks in it, each needing extra quilting to hold the batting in place. It's slow going, but it's turning out beautiful.
Back to hand piecing. I currently have a total of 3 quilts and 1 block in hand piecing mode. I've never been too good at staying with a single quilt until it was finished. *smile* The current one I'm working on, and have been for several days now, is one that could actually be pieced by machine easily enough. So I guess that begs the question of, "why are you hand piecing it?" Well, it's simple really. When I started it, I was deep in 'hand piecing mode.' When I got sick and tired of one hand piecing project (it's still not finished), I started looking around for something else to work on. My son's quilt was finally all cut out and ready to start piecing. It was available and easy to grab when I went looking. It's an I-Spy quilt using the Hexagon Star pattern. I started thinking that it was never going to get done last night. So I sat down, counted out how many hexagons I still had to do, multiplied that by 2 because that's what the sewing machine instructions say to do, put 2 triangles on opposite sides before sewing them all together. In hand piecing, it works differently, but the counting idea works the same. *smile*
So, I sat counting out hexagons. I can't believe how many I cut out! My kids are going to get completely overwhelmed by this quilt. I still found it a lot of fun looking at the patterns I'd picked though. *smile* Okay... I have 80 hexagons left to sew in. See, a lot of them. Multiply that by 2 and you end up with 160. Wow. You know what? I don't have that many triangles ready to sew. I tend to only make a few at a time. It gets boring drawing them and cutting them out. Anyway!! That gives me 240 total pieces left for this top to be finished (we'll just ignore how the edge gets finished for now). I'm not sure how many are already in there because I didn't feel like counting those ones. LOL So, here's my goal. With 240 pieces left, if I did at least 3 pieces a day, then I should have a finished quilt top in 80 days.
You know. When I hand piece, I do it in a circular pattern. Take the hexagon. I started on one side, put on a triangle, then continued around the edge of the hexagon until all the triangles were in place. Then, I went around all the triangles putting in the next 'round' of hexagons. And so on and so forth. What this does is allow you to keep a longer sewing thread going. Less cutting and tying off. If I remember correctly, it also makes it stronger because the thread is spread out among more pieces so it takes the stress off of one single section.
Hmm... I guess I should count the triangles I have and then start making more of them. I'd hate to come to a screeching halt again just because I ran out of triangles! That's what happened to me last time. That was very annoying. Oh, the idea of holding up a finished quilt top in about 80 days that I actually hand pieced is an incredible idea!
Umm... I think I'll just ignore the fact that I don't know how to quilt it yet. I really don't relish the idea of hand quilting it even though it would be really weird machine quilting it after taking all that time to hand piece it. LOL Oh, well. It's my quilt, I can do what I want... So there!
Monday, March 31, 2008
Home of the Brave Quilts
If you read my last post, you will know that I am an Army wife. I face the reality that my husband may be sent to Iraq. I face the knowledge that if he does go, he might not come back. Keep this in mind if you keep reading.
There is an organization out there called "Home of the Brave Quilts" that wishes to honor the dead by presenting a quilt to each of the families of fallen soldiers. Just Google it and you'll find links to many web pages of different states. Each state controls their own quilts. At first, I thought it was a good idea. Now, I'm an Army wife and my perspective has changed completely.
The original idea of the Home of the Brave quilts and the original patterns came from old Civil War quilts. They were quilts, made by loved ones, who were sent to soldiers out fighting. Those quilts honored the LIVING, not the dead. They served as warmth and comfort for soldiers who were far away from home. Many times, these quilts were the only blankets they had. Very few of these quilts have survived because many soldiers were wrapped in them and buried. So why did these people take this idea and turn them into quilts to honor the DEAD? Was it because the soldiers were buried in them?
I DO NOT want one! Why would I not want one? They're really "comfort quilts," but they're not described that way. They specifically state that they are "honoring the fallen." The very idea of taking one of these quilts, if my husband dies, literally gives me the shivers. There's no way I want one. Add in the fact that I find the patterns from most of the states to be hideous, and I can't stand Civil War reproduction fabrics... Well, you have a few problems there. I would much rather have a true comfort quilt from a group of close quilting friends than a quilt put together from a stack of blocks filled with names of people I don't know.
So, on with another idea. Why not honor the LIVING? While just over 4,000 soldiers have died in Iraq to date, over 55,000 have been injured. What is being done for them? Ahh... Glad you asked. There is a lovely project called "Quilts of Valor" that is available. Their goal is to cover every wounded soldier, either physically or mentally injured, with a quilt. What better sign of love and support is there, especially from quilters? Quilts can take hundreds of hours to create depending on the complexity of the pattern. Every time we create one and give it away, we are giving away a little bit of ourselves, our love and the joy of our craft. We should share it with one who will love it and appreciate it, with someone with whom it can bring great comfort during a process of healing. Not with someone who won't even want to look at it because it honors a loved one who is gone.
Needless to say, I couldn't make a single block for a Home of the Brave quilt and that was even before my husband joined the Army. However, I am getting ready to start creating quilts for 'Quilts of Valor.' Those men and women need all the support and love they can get. If they feel loved and appreciated and wanted, then they will heal faster and better. What better gift can you give?
There is an organization out there called "Home of the Brave Quilts" that wishes to honor the dead by presenting a quilt to each of the families of fallen soldiers. Just Google it and you'll find links to many web pages of different states. Each state controls their own quilts. At first, I thought it was a good idea. Now, I'm an Army wife and my perspective has changed completely.
The original idea of the Home of the Brave quilts and the original patterns came from old Civil War quilts. They were quilts, made by loved ones, who were sent to soldiers out fighting. Those quilts honored the LIVING, not the dead. They served as warmth and comfort for soldiers who were far away from home. Many times, these quilts were the only blankets they had. Very few of these quilts have survived because many soldiers were wrapped in them and buried. So why did these people take this idea and turn them into quilts to honor the DEAD? Was it because the soldiers were buried in them?
I DO NOT want one! Why would I not want one? They're really "comfort quilts," but they're not described that way. They specifically state that they are "honoring the fallen." The very idea of taking one of these quilts, if my husband dies, literally gives me the shivers. There's no way I want one. Add in the fact that I find the patterns from most of the states to be hideous, and I can't stand Civil War reproduction fabrics... Well, you have a few problems there. I would much rather have a true comfort quilt from a group of close quilting friends than a quilt put together from a stack of blocks filled with names of people I don't know.
So, on with another idea. Why not honor the LIVING? While just over 4,000 soldiers have died in Iraq to date, over 55,000 have been injured. What is being done for them? Ahh... Glad you asked. There is a lovely project called "Quilts of Valor" that is available. Their goal is to cover every wounded soldier, either physically or mentally injured, with a quilt. What better sign of love and support is there, especially from quilters? Quilts can take hundreds of hours to create depending on the complexity of the pattern. Every time we create one and give it away, we are giving away a little bit of ourselves, our love and the joy of our craft. We should share it with one who will love it and appreciate it, with someone with whom it can bring great comfort during a process of healing. Not with someone who won't even want to look at it because it honors a loved one who is gone.
Needless to say, I couldn't make a single block for a Home of the Brave quilt and that was even before my husband joined the Army. However, I am getting ready to start creating quilts for 'Quilts of Valor.' Those men and women need all the support and love they can get. If they feel loved and appreciated and wanted, then they will heal faster and better. What better gift can you give?
For Love of Country
I mentioned in my other post that I had more to say about our lives. As a matter of fact, this is the largest part of our life right now.
My husband is in the Army, which obviously makes me an Army wife. I now have 3 little boys who refuse to stop playing Army, not that I even attempt to stop them, and one who really wants to follow his father into the service. Again, not something I'm trying to talk him out of. I mean, how could I agree to let my husband join and then tell my children not to? I'm proud of my country. As they say, "It's the land of the free because of the brave."
My husband joined just last year. He was pushing the new age limit the Army imposed, which is 42 if anyone is interested, and fought for a year and a half to get in. Yes, my husband jumped through every single hoop the Army put in front of him, and a few others off to the side, to be allowed to join. It had been his dream since he was younger to serve his country. He tried to do it in other ways, such as being a police officer, but it just wasn't meant to be. When the Army raised the age limit, I agreed that he should try to join. There near the end, I thought it was over and it was never going to happen. Then DH got to talk to a colonel who approved him and then he could join. Nuts, huh?
While I miss my husband dreadfully, and look at Iraq with fear on the chance that he might go there, I am proud of my husband. I am proud to be an Army wife. I am excited to have the opportunity to impress on each of my children how wonderful our country is, our constitution that grants us our freedoms, and show them, first hand, the men and women who make our continuing freedom possible.
It wasn't until my husband left for Basic Combat Training that I realized how much he really did around the house. I finally realized how much I had taken him for granted. There were the big things, like playing with the boys, watching movies with me in the evenings, the long talks, the fact that he'd let me talk quilts with him even though he didn't care just because it made me happy. *smile* Then there were the little things. He'd clear the table after dinner, and sometimes even cook if I didn't want to. He'd help fold the laundry and mop the kitchen floor. The ability to walk by him and just touch him on the arm. Until he left, I didn't know how important all of that was to me. Now I know. I have told him, many times, how much he means to me, and I pray I won't take him for granted anymore.
He is now in training for his job with the Army. He's enjoying his time with the Army even though it can be slow and chaotic sometimes. It's where he was meant to be and he's happy. That is all I wanted for him. I have also discovered that it takes incredible strength to remain home, take care of the family 24/7, and still be strong enough to support my husband. I have grown stronger than I ever imagined I could be.
My husband is in the Army, which obviously makes me an Army wife. I now have 3 little boys who refuse to stop playing Army, not that I even attempt to stop them, and one who really wants to follow his father into the service. Again, not something I'm trying to talk him out of. I mean, how could I agree to let my husband join and then tell my children not to? I'm proud of my country. As they say, "It's the land of the free because of the brave."
My husband joined just last year. He was pushing the new age limit the Army imposed, which is 42 if anyone is interested, and fought for a year and a half to get in. Yes, my husband jumped through every single hoop the Army put in front of him, and a few others off to the side, to be allowed to join. It had been his dream since he was younger to serve his country. He tried to do it in other ways, such as being a police officer, but it just wasn't meant to be. When the Army raised the age limit, I agreed that he should try to join. There near the end, I thought it was over and it was never going to happen. Then DH got to talk to a colonel who approved him and then he could join. Nuts, huh?
While I miss my husband dreadfully, and look at Iraq with fear on the chance that he might go there, I am proud of my husband. I am proud to be an Army wife. I am excited to have the opportunity to impress on each of my children how wonderful our country is, our constitution that grants us our freedoms, and show them, first hand, the men and women who make our continuing freedom possible.
It wasn't until my husband left for Basic Combat Training that I realized how much he really did around the house. I finally realized how much I had taken him for granted. There were the big things, like playing with the boys, watching movies with me in the evenings, the long talks, the fact that he'd let me talk quilts with him even though he didn't care just because it made me happy. *smile* Then there were the little things. He'd clear the table after dinner, and sometimes even cook if I didn't want to. He'd help fold the laundry and mop the kitchen floor. The ability to walk by him and just touch him on the arm. Until he left, I didn't know how important all of that was to me. Now I know. I have told him, many times, how much he means to me, and I pray I won't take him for granted anymore.
He is now in training for his job with the Army. He's enjoying his time with the Army even though it can be slow and chaotic sometimes. It's where he was meant to be and he's happy. That is all I wanted for him. I have also discovered that it takes incredible strength to remain home, take care of the family 24/7, and still be strong enough to support my husband. I have grown stronger than I ever imagined I could be.
My husband is a soldier in the United States Army. I am proud of him and support him 100%.
I am an Army Wife.
I am an Army Wife.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
A Little About Me
I know that most people do this in their profile, but I tend to talk too much so I thought I'd do it in a regular post. *smile*
As of this moment, I'm 31 years old. I have been married now for 6 years, as of yesterday, to the most wonderful man in the world. Well, I think he is anyway. *smile* I also have 3 boys of my own and a step-son. Their ages are 3, 5, 9, and 13. Goodness. It's hard to think of them as being so old. They grow up so quickly. They just all pretty much had their birthdays too. How nice of them to all have been born so close together during the year. LOL I also homeschool my oldest, who's 9. My step-son is the one who's 13. I also have plans to continue homeschooling as long as possible.
When people hear how many kids I have, the fact that they're all boys, and that I homeschool, many ask me, "How do you find time to make such beautiful quilts?" All I can say is, "If it's important to you, you can find the time." Also, while waiting for my son to do his assignments in school, I sit with him (to make sure he stays on task) and I do a lot of handwork.
I prefer to do all of my appliqué by hand. I also know how to hand piece and hand quilt. It helps pass the time. I also know how to knit and do cross stitch. Yes, I do love the needle arts. *smile* There's just something I enjoy about doing it by hand without the aid of a machine. I find it incredibly peaceful and fulfilling.
I will have to admit that I have a tendency to not finish my quilts (or knitting projects or cross stitch pieces)... I have something like 19 quilt tops in various stages of completion. I'll get to them eventually. *grin* If not? Well, someone else can finish them after I die. LOL
Well, with that, I think I'll turn in for the night. There's definitely a lot more to our life than this, but this will do for now. Besides, the other part is fairly interesting and I'd like to leave something for another post!
As of this moment, I'm 31 years old. I have been married now for 6 years, as of yesterday, to the most wonderful man in the world. Well, I think he is anyway. *smile* I also have 3 boys of my own and a step-son. Their ages are 3, 5, 9, and 13. Goodness. It's hard to think of them as being so old. They grow up so quickly. They just all pretty much had their birthdays too. How nice of them to all have been born so close together during the year. LOL I also homeschool my oldest, who's 9. My step-son is the one who's 13. I also have plans to continue homeschooling as long as possible.
When people hear how many kids I have, the fact that they're all boys, and that I homeschool, many ask me, "How do you find time to make such beautiful quilts?" All I can say is, "If it's important to you, you can find the time." Also, while waiting for my son to do his assignments in school, I sit with him (to make sure he stays on task) and I do a lot of handwork.
I prefer to do all of my appliqué by hand. I also know how to hand piece and hand quilt. It helps pass the time. I also know how to knit and do cross stitch. Yes, I do love the needle arts. *smile* There's just something I enjoy about doing it by hand without the aid of a machine. I find it incredibly peaceful and fulfilling.
I will have to admit that I have a tendency to not finish my quilts (or knitting projects or cross stitch pieces)... I have something like 19 quilt tops in various stages of completion. I'll get to them eventually. *grin* If not? Well, someone else can finish them after I die. LOL
Well, with that, I think I'll turn in for the night. There's definitely a lot more to our life than this, but this will do for now. Besides, the other part is fairly interesting and I'd like to leave something for another post!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)