Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from February, 2015 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Noreen 2:04 am on February 17, 2015 Permalink  

  – And We Are Back to Normal 

  It’s always a good thing when Dennis has been gone to a trade show and he returns with no problems with health or vehicle.  Lots of chit chat, but most importantly the garage porch livestock allowed him to know he had been missed.  Dennis got in some good porch time in his favorite rocking with lots of purring and nuzzling, while I took care of the laundry deposit Dennis brought home.  On a side note: the cross stitch pattern I had been working on while Dennis was gone is just about to be teamed up with the correct sized needle and whether two strands of floss will do it, or if three stands will do.  Yup, we are back to normal . . . I love normal.

   
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  Noreen 2:58 am on February 16, 2015 Permalink  

  It Keeps the Brain from Getting Fuzzy 

  These bitter cold days, I have been doing the bare minimum outside.  Snow and melting with more snow makes for ice that can hide.  My main objective is staying upright so I can navigate within my home, running errands and taking in road trips with Dennis.

  While digging around in various items of my sewing room, I ran across four pieces of fabric that would make wonderful dinner napkins, table coverings or accents for a festive meal.  As there was no clear-cut answer as to what to do with them, it really started the gray matter between my ears to begin to find a solution. The shelves in my sewing room have a great library of books that span decades of collecting and saving.

  

  By hook or crook, there will soon be a pattern
  to follow for some wonderful stitching.

  The area for stitching on each of them according the weave of the fabric was over the course of a count of 56 stitches.  When I decided on the phrase “Bless This Food” . . . well and good, but where would I find a pattern configured for such a unique area?  I thumbed through my books over the course of several days. As of this afternoon, I have narrowed it down to two different fonts in two separate books.  I have my graph paper and now will begin the work of creating a pattern of my very own that will work for my fabric.  I am not sure what the process will entail to create patterns of letters that have not been used in denoted demonstrations to match that font.  I am still debating on all capitol letters or a combination of upper case and lower case to get the most desired effect.

  Could I just tuck these four pieces of fabric in with the next epileptic drive of gently used items?  Most certainly, but where would the challenge be in that?  After all, it is all about keeping the brain clear of the fuzzy stuff.  Hopefully over time, my graph paper will have lots of squares filled in that I can then copy with embroidery floss onto the fabric.  It is amazing what a cold bitter day can conger up.

   
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  Noreen 4:22 am on February 9, 2015 Permalink  

  Finished 

  

  I have renewed my enjoyment of counted cross stitch. No longer doing the large projects but enjoying the journey into smaller projects that need a bit of extra finish rather than framing.  It is one thing for me to get the counted cross stitch completed, I had butterflies cutting down each of the completed stitched projects to make mini pillows out of them.  Measure once, measure twice, as it could all go south after the many hours of stitching.

  These Christmas items were a fun project. The best of all, all the components were in my sewing room just waiting to be tricked out. Thanks to Kevin and Kersten sharing their stash.  The zipper pulls made for the perfect touch.  The idea books for counted cross stitch are going to stay close at hand as there are some very doable items that have piqued my interest.  For now, I  think after this test of patience and endurance, the gnarled fingers will look forward to manning the crochet hook for a bit. There is more winter ahead and I have a better feeling about my time if I have something tangible to show for it . . . something I will always remember from my Grandmother Laura Wendlandt and from Carrie and Kevin’s Grandmother Esther Schafer. No matter when you stopped in for a visit, those two were always in the thick of threads and yarns and just as happy and content as could be.

   
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  Noreen 4:01 am on January 24, 2015 Permalink  

  Using What is At Hand – Priceless 

  

  This last fall I knew I wanted to use this straw wreath I had wired together some time ago. As I was flipping through idea books in my sewing room, I found this wonderful counted cross stitch pattern. Upon completion, I put several layers of lightweight quilting batting under the finished project and sewed it onto cardboard from an empty saltine cracker box. The cross stitch project was mounted from the back of the wreath and secured. The ribbon came about from Kevin and Kersten sharing their stash. Having drawn a pattern of gingerbread men, I hunted out my roll of soft copper that I have used in the past making signs for Dennis that he has taken to his gun trade shows. Adding some bows for the fellows and stick pins with red heads for buttons, I deemed the gingerbread men the perfect fit on the straw. This will be added to my stashes for Christmas 2015.

   
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  Noreen 4:16 am on January 18, 2015 Permalink  

  I Love a Finished Project 

  

  Nothing is more satisfying or appreciated than a project that was oh so close to be pitched long before there was a thought of a finished project that would look anything like mittens as Christmas tree decorations. The counted cross stitch was a bit much to chew off. Amazingly, this kept me busy off and on for several weeks without having to purchase anything. Mother in law, Esther Schafer, crocheted with gold cording and I had just enough left in a stash of hers to make the hangers for the mittens. Floss and lace came out of a stash that Kevin and Kersten have shared with me. The linen was in a fabric stash of days long ago. Now the mittens can rest until I find homes for them in the Christmas of 2015.

   

  

   
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  Noreen 6:18 am on January 16, 2015 Permalink  

  A New Venture 

  

  I did power through to finish a project with the beaded snowflake on the 32 stitch per inch of linen. I did work over two stitches and I now know two things for sure: I can still enjoy doing counted cross stitch . . . and working on linen is no longer in my wheelhouse. The remaining seven snowflakes that I did finish may be made into more Christmas tree decoration mittens or I may leaf through some craft magazines for additional ideas. To give my eyes a bit of a rest, I am going back to some crocheting.

   
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  Noreen 3:54 am on December 16, 2014 Permalink  

  A Satisfied Customer 

  

  Dennis’ great grandson enjoying his quilt with all his familiar clothing patches.

  

  The day we delivered Oliver’ quilt, he was very busy pointing out his favorite images. At 19 months, Oliver is one busy boy.

   
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  Noreen 6:14 am on December 10, 2014 Permalink  

  Very Satisfying 

  

  So close to the end, I can’t help but smile,
  even with a few bags under the eyes.

  When a huge challenge is close to the end game, it is very satisfying and also a bit hard on the back and hands.  Oliver’s quilt is taking on the look of possible completion.  Yesterday and today was spent tying many knots with embroidery floss.  Thanks to some very kind elves, I have floss to tie knots with and to do counted cross stitch with until my end game.

  My sister, Elvera, and I were invited many times to help my Mom finish quilts.  The quilts were either hand sewn or tied with wool yarn. After these last several days I wish I knew the size of the needle that was used to push through a cotton quilt top, the batting, and the cotton backing, all the while using wool yarn.  I had all I could do, using a slender needle with an eye just large enough for the embroidery floss to fit through, and that was accomplished by using a needle nose pliers to pull the needle through. The beauty of wool yarn is that over time the wool would ware and the individual fibers took on the look of each yarn knot to resemble a flower bud, something acrylic yarn can’t achieve.

  I am very pleased that the majority of the materials used for this project did come from my stashes.  Without the stashes, Amy’s wish for a “large blanket” could have become quite spendy. I filled my stashes from the close out sale of Grandma’s Quilt Emporium at a $1.00 a yard sometime in the late 1990s. It would really smart to purchase that same quality of yard goods for the going price of $8.99 and $9.99 a yard.  The stipulation is, when I am asked to do a project, and the yard goods are not offered up by the person making the request, it is my choice of what I will use.  Dennis takes down various totes for me to shop from as I make my choices. By the way, the quilt will be 60″ x 82″.  Not quite the size of a twin sized bed, but I am sure this size will suffice for cuddling as well as fort building as Oliver gets a bit older.

  Tomorrow we will be rattling the totes to find just the right fabric for the binding.  I know I will have to find a piece that is ¾ of a yard, or several to put together to make 294 inches of binding.

   
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  Noreen 5:49 am on December 8, 2014 Permalink  

  Shopping Success 

  

  We had success shopping for batting for Oliver’s quilt. This bear motif, complete with the zipper, will soon become cuddly.

   
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  Noreen 4:41 am on December 7, 2014 Permalink  

  Making Headway 

  A bit ago I shared the little bag of goodies I was given by Dennis’ granddaughter, Amy, with the hope that I could make something, literally, out of nothing.  I spent a long time going through my stashes in the sewing room.  Amy stressed she wanted a blanket that would be cuddly and that it be “big.”

  Dennis was called in to service to be the “first impression” when he saw fabric laid out with the fabric squares.  It did all depend on what I had on hand.  When asked to make a project for someone and there is no additional fabric included I have made a promise to myself to use what I have before purchasing.  I sure don’t need any additional yardage in my totes.  The red was too strong and the earth tone stripes would have looked good if making a dogie blanket for Bell and Sophie.

  As luck would have it I have yardage that was reminiscent of the prints found years ago on bags of chicken concentrate that could be bought at the feed mills.  Darlene Zimmerman of Fairfax has a sweet line of those vintage looking prints and this pick was indeed one of hers.

  

  The quilt top for Oliver, using some of his baby clothes.

  Once we had decided on the color of fabric to make this project look cohesive, I began counting squares needed to get the sewing machine warmed up.  I used five inch squares in the body of the quilt  (I no longer thought of this as a blanket), and that is where the easy part stopped.  Amy had cut certain types of baby clothes where she wanted the entire motif to be shown.  Some had snaps, some had zippers that were going through the motif.  I am too anal to not have the 2 + 2 methodology in place.  I decided to put the larger motifs on the side boarders, snaps and zippers included.

  Tomorrow we are heading for a quilt shop in Mankato.  I have the top completed at the size of 60″ x 80″.  I was so fortunate to have the sizing for the knit blocks, the fusible web for the boarder motifs, and the base fabric for the squares to be showcased on. It did make a nice sized dent into my stuff.  I will need to purchase batting and a fabric to be used on the back.  I was given a free hand on this project, and I hope it will bring a smile.  I do know that the size requirement is done. Now the cuddly part will come in to play with the batting and the yarn ties to hold it all together.

  The iron is unplugged and the sewing machine is cooling off.  I am about to have a cold cup of coffee that was left from this morning.