Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 12:28 am on January 3, 2016 Permalink  

  Interesting 

  Last night I watched an old episode of The Antique Road Show and they were featuring quilts.  It drove home the point that we are germaphobs.  In the world today we believe everything needs to be sterilized and cleaned so much more than necessary.  The beautiful hand-me-downs of quilts would never be here to tell the story of times past if our grandmothers and great grandmothers had treated these treasures so carelessly.

  I do know that my mom, Lena, would take the quilts outside on a bright spring day and choose the lushest green grass possible to spread the quilts upon after the dew had passed for the sun to do its job.  If that did not seem wise at the time, she would spread the quilt over multiple clothes lines as to not put too much weight on the fabrics hanging from just one line.

  The quilts of early days were made of used garments, feed sack fabric and the most conservatory priced fabric that Ben Franklin sold.  It is amazing how well these quilts endured.  My sister, Elvera, has a quilt that is entitled “Postage Stamp.”  You’ve got it.  The size of the patchwork pieces are just that small.  This quilt belonged to our great grandmother.  Laundering  this quilt has been done on rare occasions.  More than likely, while it was spread on the lawn, oatmeal may have been spread on the quilt and gently brushed over small areas until the entire top and bottom was so cleaned.  Oatmeal took off the body oils from the daily use, remembering that bathing was on a Saturday night from the galvanized oblong tub.

  Today the fabrics are loomed with 120 or 240 thread count, many times over what my Mom had to work with.  We bath and shower daily.  Is it any wonder why there are hundreds of products for dry skin.  Do we have any body oils left?

  I am fortunate that I still do have clothes lines.  Looking over my neighborhood, they are a rarity.  I do put our quilts out several times a year and allow the breeze to do a great job of freshening them.  Nothing smells as good as a quilt after being outside.  Now that winter is here, the clothes lines are under snow.

  Some of the quilts in use today are for queen and king sized beds.  The second best thing to freshen up the large quilts is to put them in a clothes dryer with the setting on cool or warm, with a quite damp towel and a pair of shoes, clean soles, of course.  The tumbling does its job of freshening them, less the clean air smell.  We have a stackable washer and dryer. None of our quilts would benefit from being tumbled in our small dryer.  Actually, a queen or king size quilt would not be benefited in even a usual sized dryer unit.  As luck would have it, we have a good laundromat in town.  Dennis and I do a tag team effort in the winter to take the quilts and his three yard polar fleece blanket for a tumble at least once during the winter.  There is no stress on fabric or seams and a fluffed up quilt is always warmer.

  I would have posted a photo or two of some of my older quilts that have been handed down, but baby steps with the new computer.  As yet, no photos have been downloaded.  Always a new challenge for another day.

   
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  Noreen 4:08 am on December 31, 2015 Permalink  

  Helping Hand Needed 

  

  It is no secret that I have a bit of arthritis. Sometimes using the rotary cutter is hard on the wrist. I can tell you that my helper, hubby Dennis, can cut through four layers of fabric in one swoop of the rotary cutter with no jagged edges. Needless to say this help is so appreciated. Dennis’ hands and arms are super strong. The individual blocks are getting tidied up, soon to be one portion of this quilt top for Dennis’ great granddaughter Ava.

   
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  Noreen 4:36 am on December 29, 2015 Permalink  

  Looks as if I got the weather app for our zip code on my new computer just in time for the snow that started about 3:30 this afternoon. I would not have felt bad one bit if the snow had missed us.

  Four of the five cats are in the garage safe and sound. I did go to the backyard and call for Honey Bunny to come home, but so far no luck. I do realize she can and has taken care of herself very well when she has been gone from home for days on end.

  The day went well in my sewing studio. All the blocks have been decided and now I will need Dennis’ help to take down the tote that has the blue fabric stashes in it. I sure hope that I find some vibrant fabric in the blue tones to tie all these blocks into one cohesive look. It is always a crapshoot and I do not entertain purchasing any fabric at all. On that I am determined.

   
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  Noreen 6:19 am on December 28, 2015 Permalink  

  Today – A Glimmer 

  

  Using some of the trim on a dress of Ava’s with a bit of the dress fabric, a bit of this and a bit of that and I will be pulling all the blocks together with a fabric in between, much like a jigsaw puzzle.

  Today in my sewing studio there was a glimmer, perhaps tomorrow will be one of my miracles.  Dennis’ oldest granddaughter has asked me to make a memory quilt of her oldest daughter, Ava’s, childhood garments.  Yesterday, I did make the comment that sometimes there was little given to work with.  Today, after several cups of rich clarifying coffee, I know why.

  Ava is the oldest of three girls.  Ava is in second grade, Bella is in preschool and Josie just turned one.  All of Ava’s clothes get triple duty and mom, Erin, is not one to be frivolous.  Today, I decided to put a few extra touches in play for Ava.  I do have several more ideas on making use of what I have for Ava.  There are several items of t-shirt material that will need a bit of stabilizer before becoming a part of the project.

  Dennis was right on when it comes to knowing what I can contrive.

   
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  Noreen 5:00 am on December 21, 2015 Permalink  

  A Day of Relaxing 

  

  The book of directions next to me is necessary as the afghan is made up of seven inch blocks and each block is a unique combination of stitches. I sure would have enjoyed Esther Schafer’s input on some of them.

  The day is gray and what better thing to do but stay in my flannel nightie and crochet.  This is a project I had started last winter.  When the Shingles virus hit in January,  on the right arm and shoulder, the entire project was tucked away.  I was going to make pot holders using each of the crocheted squares.  Dennis encouraged me to continue and make the afghan as I had originally planned.  The lights of the Christmas tree were not quite enough for me to work by, but they definitely brought an aura of clam.  I had my quilted Christmas lap robe that completed the ambiance.

  Thus far, I am on the eighteenth block of a possible 63.  I do stack them up on the dining room table.  Seeing them completed is a driving force to continue.  I am very fortunate if I can crank out one per evening.  The arthritis in the fingers and wrist realize that crocheting is good exercise, but they also are not shy in letting me know when enough is enough.

  I am so fortunate to have various passions to while away a day when the sun does not cooperate.  Sometimes, one just has to make their own sunshine and have something at the end of the day to show appreciation for the God-given life that I have right here with Dennis on Stauffer Avenue.

   
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  Noreen 4:54 am on December 15, 2015 Permalink  

  I Have a Plan 

  

  During the last two weeks of cleaning, sorting and arranging my sewing studio, I had almost forgoten all I had gleaned from the new sewing machine. My plan is to make potholders. It will give me practice for the embroidery aspect, the free motion quilting and the straight sewing.  Soon they will all become second nature. This evening, I look forward to some sofa time while I hand hem the potholders.

   
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  Noreen 5:30 am on December 12, 2015 Permalink  

  Friday and All is Well 

  

  The sewing portion of the basement is now on the north side of the basement with plenty of room to access the work table. As evident there is a project waiting in the wings for a great granddaughter.

  What a great way to go into the weekend.  The work in our basement is finished.  No monies needed to be spent.  If the going wages for cleaning services would have had to be met,  $500 would not have covered it.  Damp wiping off of the shelving that is covered with vinyl wall paper was a snap.  Our local decorator store had various rolls at reduced prices when we put up all the shelving.  The shelving hangs from brackets that are hooked into the top row of concrete block.  It just meant a trip to the lumberyard for various lengths of pine boards.  No tools were required.  A perfect solution for individuals that are challenged in construction skills.

  Dennis took care of the half bath area as I finished up the last of items to be put in place.  During this process, Dennis had been on hand with his hacksaw to shorten a shelf, lift heavy items down to be cleaned and sorted, plus making a trip to the laundromat to do several loads of rugs from the basement as well as some that were in the laundry basket.  It is so much easier on our Maytag stackable unit.

  The last of the cleanup was getting our old Filter Queen vacuum to be danced around the floor before some fresh rugs were put down in the half bath area.

  

  This is the south portion of our basement. The button tree has been relocated. At Thanksgiving time, I mentioned that I might put the buttons in clear plastic storage boxes. The idea was nixed by Megan, “No Grammie, it needs to stay a Button Tree.” The entire basement is a much improved area for this Grammie to continue putting out treasures.

  During this week, I had taken a lesson from Kevin when it came to the sorting.  If there were no emotional attachments, it did make some items easier to be sent to either the garbage container or the recycling container.

  There is only one cardboard box left in the basement and I just did not have the energy to sift and sort that one.  All things considered, I will not put it off and do it within this next week.  I do like the Rubbermade or such brands that make containers of various utility.  For me, I needed to organize with pooling “like” sewing and crafty items into one container at one location.

  After I rest up a bit, it will be fun to spend some time in this beloved basement that I feel can now be officially labeled as my sewing studio.  As Dennis and I worked this week on a much needed reorganization,  it was amazing how many projects and quilts we could remember that have gone out of this basement.  If there is a passion and a love for an interest or a hobby, it doesn’t have to be, or need to be, anything fancy.  All that is needed is the heart to see what can be accomplished and finished for family.

   
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  Noreen 5:31 am on December 11, 2015 Permalink  

  This was my third day of revamping my sewing and crafting studio. The first day was moving tables, cabinets and such and disconnecting all things electrical. These last two days have been spent going through the contents of every drawer, every storage container – whether it be plastic, cardboard or totes. The recycling bin looks quite healthy for tomorrow’s pickup.

  It was a matter of having all things with Cricut crafting together, stamping supplies in one spot, all in the south portion of the basement. The sewing center is now in the north portion of the area.

  This entire revamping was not just a wild hair. It was for my physical wellbeing. The two church tables were a bit too high for my new sewing machine, thus hard on the two new shoulders as I would work at the machine. Cutting the legs down on the church tables would have made the tables too low for fabric cutting. The wonderful old wood table with 2 x 6 lengths of lumber under the legs, plus a brick, made the perfect height. So, why would you ask or wonder why I would not leave well enough alone? Our basement floor sloops to the center of the room where the floor drain is. Sitting up to the wooden table with my sewing machine, my back was to the center of the room, allowed my sewing chair to roll at will. It was really hard on my lower back to continually put enough pressure on the chair to have it roll back up to the sewing machine.  I will now be facing the center of the basement floor . . . let the chair roll, keeping me in front of my sewing machine.

  Why put off what needed to be done? 95% of everything has been dusted and sorted into a much more desirable abode. No, I had not forgotten what I did have. It was more that as items were obtained, the realistic placement did not follow to the practical place where it would be used.

  One more day tomorrow will bring my basement up to snuff, as I will be hitting the two storage closets as well. Might as well trick out the entire basement. This organizational blitz will have to last for another 25 years.

   
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  Noreen 2:21 am on December 7, 2015 Permalink  

  The Past Revisited 

  The agenda today was to pull out some heirloom favorites to unfold, air them and enjoy them.  My mother-in-law Esther Schafer could crochet in her sleep.  How thankful I am that I caught the bug from her.

  

  A full size bedspread that has been used and loved and cherished. A tribute to Esther Schafer, my children’s grandmother.

  The white crocheted bedspread was on her and Art’s bed every single day.  Every night it was folded to lay on the foot end of the bed, ready to be replaced the next morning.  It is crocheted so densely, it does weigh a whole bunch.  I needed Dennis’ help to get it unfolded and placed on the bed.  This was the first time Esther had tried that pattern.  She must have fell in love with it as she continued to make seven more.  I cannot imagine the concentration that it took.  Each of the seven could choose the color that they wanted.  Carrie and Kevin’s dad, Orlin, had chosen blue.  Thank goodness there was a Ben Franklin store in Hector, Minnesota.  I am sure Esther was their favorite customer, as their huge 80″ long dining room windows, of which there were four, also had hand-crocheted, full length sheers.  I call them sheers, and they had the look of lace but they were weighty.  Esther made good use of the curtain stretcher that had all the points of the rustproof brads pointing outward when there was a crocheted item to be dried after being washed.

  

  The crocheted motifs are not as solid as Esther’s, and thus the project was not quite a timely one. It was a labor of determination. The same determination my daughter has me labeled as, “The head goes down and she doesn’t quit until she is done.” In my defense, it does serve me well.

  I began making many, many motifs for my bedspread while we lived in Texas and thereafter until they could be crocheted together.  If I ever thought of giving up, Esther would encourage me and talk me through each arduous step, lending me a hand whenever we would visit.  Carrie and Kevin were good babies and I was not working out of the home.  I filled many evening hours with the task at hand.  Even after we were farming, the crochet project was always close at hand.  Crochet thread that was the bedspread weight was fairly inexpensive and it sure kept me content.  My bedspread was in the ecru color and I always imagined this huge bedroom with this being taken on and off much like Esther’s every day.  There was no way I wanted to repeat this project as Esther had done, over and over and over.  I was not that strong.

  I was the only person in the family who could tackle any crochet project that was put in front of me.  There came a day when Esther was gone, but the bedspread still held an important part of her memories.  There were a fair amount of repairs that needed to be done.  Each one of the crocheted roses with green leaves were attached to the surrounding white border by eight strategically crocheted stitches.  I do believe that dying the crochet thread weakened it.  The darker the color, the weaker the thread.  In looking at the bedspread, the roses and their leaves that seem to have a more pronounced border are the ones that I repaired.  Yes, there were many,  but the integrity of the bedspread is strong because of the repair.

  As I said, today was the day to allow these beauties to be put out. As I go about my day, it makes me smile to have them catch my eye.  They may even remain in place for another day before they find their home on one of the new shelves that Kevin put up on Thanksgiving day.  Our small home does not allow for the real estate around each of our beds for ease of taking off and putting on, on a daily basis.  The opulence is desired, but reality and durability of bedding takes over.

  Each time I work with these bedspreads, many memories of times gone by flash forward as if it were yesterday.  Carrie has the blue bedspread.  I did have it professionally cleaned. For one, I don’t have a curtain stretcher. And two, I couldn’t handle all the bulk when it was dry, let alone when it would have been wet.  At such time, Esther’s original will be Kevin’s.

  Over five decades that some of these memories span, I choose to save the best and leave the rest.

   
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  Noreen 5:36 am on December 4, 2015 Permalink  

  Sewing Projects Require Good Tools 

  

  Many decades ago I made a color wheel when I was doing fabric painting with Tri-Chem oil paints. The color wheel still comes into play when choosing colors of fabric for quilting and now with machine embroidery.