Mon Mem 141~ When We Shared Patterns on Newspapers

 

Transferring pleats

Making the facing

Might share the pattern later?

But not on newspaper.

If I remember.

Interested?

Fun Fri~ Sis & Her Hubby's 2023 BDay Card: Cabin Fever

I was about 5 days late making and mailing this card to my sister. 

Her husband has spent many hours building this cabin,

so I had to include it as his very early birthday card too.

 

 I SO enJOY pulling out my tools and pallet of fabrics

to work on a special card.

I try to make it as something that features something in their life

that has been special over the past year/s.

The white piece is a scrap of embroidery stabilizer

being cut down to the size of the card.

This pieces is the base for the work

which is made and then sewn onto the card

 around the edge as one piece 

. 

I decided some time ago,

this method makes for a less messy back of the inside of the card.

Then I try to remember to sign and date the inside back of the work.

I always feel like I can't do these,

but once I sit down in my comfortable space and

grab a sheet of paper and fold it to size,

and start sketching,

it then starts shaping up and I get even more comfortable.

Oh yeah, I turn on some soft relaxing music via IHeart or YouTube.

I first started to make the roof in 3 different sections,

then decided on just one piece.

The roof on the left was traced and cut out for a pattern.

 

The hardest thing for me

is pulling out details

yet keeping it simple

but yet forming the picture 

that can be recognized.

When I take a picture of the work

I can actually appreciate it to be the results I intended or not.

Sometimes, too many details

clutter it up too much.

Then I wished I'd left well enough alone.

My sister can sew,

but her biggest talent is flower arrangements.

She can seek out flowers both real and artificial

and come up with the most fantastic arrangements.

I just cannot bring them together like she does.

She and her hubby do an awesome job

tending to the arrangements on all our families' graves.

I SO appreciate that.

 

Happy Birthday, D & R!


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Tuesday Tip~ Clean Machine Extra Job

 

My Continental M7 (thinking of calling her Emmie)

 sewing machine which I love more than

a person should love an inanimate object, 

tells ME when she should be cleaned.

I usually remember to clean a machine,

but I'd lost track.

Notice, after I hit the OK button,

she proceeds to remind me how to do the clean up job.

 

She was telling the truth.

I'd not noticed this when changing bobbins.

Only after taking off the plate and the bobbin case,

did I see ALL this!

I use my old tweezers that came with my serger back in the 80s,

to pull out a lot of this.

 

The best tool is one of any of the brushes I've accumulated via

various machines.

They all seem to have a magnetic force that attracts the fuzz.

 

So HERE is my REAL Tuesday Tip for today.

I came up with the idea when I pull out my phone to take

these shots.

 

While you're at it

CLEAN YOUR PHONE's CAMERA lenses

with this brush! 

 

You're welcome.

Now excuse me while I pull out my hand vacuum to give Emmie one last swipe

 and I go clean some of my other machines.

Especially, Little Brother, that I only use when we travel to workshops. 

I always just bring him in and put him away.

Poor thing.

 

 

 

Thoughtful Thurs 192~ Crocheted Edge Flannel Blankets

  

Here's today's THOUGHT.

One of the projects my Hand Needlework group does

is crochet the edges of a 36 inch square of flannel

to use as a blanket to cover incubators in the NICU of a local hospital.

The blanket blocks out the bright lights used in the unit.

 

 The corners are rounded.

After a special rotary blade is used to

cut the holes about 1/2 inch from the edge,

a single crochet is stitched in each hole.

The edge is rolled over as the stitches are made

for a neater finish.

A "H" hook was used for this project.

The second round was a single crochet

in each stitch.

On the corners 2 stitches were added in each stitch. 

 

Color was changed for the 3rd round.

1 slip stitch in first stitch , 3 half double crochets in next stitch

Repeat the 2 stitches for one round

tie off and hide ends.

We try to think of service projects.

Most of them just come to us.

I'm sure there is a hospital in your area that could use these.

 

You can do a web search for "crochet edge flannel blankets"

to find more crochet patterns to use.

Be as creative as you like.

 

Once the blanket is used,

it goes home with the little one.

 

So what do you think?

 

 

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Wordless Wed 339~ 2023 Winter Shots

Shots taken Dec 25, 2022

Just after the deep freeze started on Dec 23, 2022

when wind chills reached as much as -33F here.

Actual temp -20F

which very unusual for Kentucky.

 

Quilt Shot Block 154~ QOV Nat'l Sew Day 2023: Elkhorn Creek QOV

 

Elkhorn Creek QOV 2023 Mystery Quilt

Designed by Stella Crutcher

 

Last Sat was QOVF 2023 QOV National Sew Day.

Some from our group met at the local KY Extension Office

and put together a Mystery Quilt designed by our member, Stella.

It was actually for last year, but we got snowed out.

In the background you see the TV set up to watch

 our QOVF President at 1:00 EST.

 

A design wall brought in by Karen & set up

so we could place our pieces like we thought they would lay.

It was fun to watch this puzzle grow.

At this point we had 2 large 18 inch squares that wouldn't fit.

Had to rearrange.

It took about 5 minds to work together.

 

Then I forgot to take a final picture.

But I was the one that volunteered to take the pieces home

and put the top together.

It took about 2 hours,

because Stella designed it

so big chunks were left to sew together.

 Actually 3 by the time I took rest stops to fiddle with other things.

A blue border is to be added

before its sent to the quilter.

I think it turned out great.

 

 **************************************************

If you'd like to nominate a Veteran

to be awarded with a quilt

please go to https://www.qovf.org/

and click on "Nominations and Awards" on the banner board,

or go HERE.

Be sure to get the Veterans permission BEFORE you nominate them.
 

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Quilt Shot Block 153~ Scrappy North Star

North Star

made by a QOV friend

 ********

Today is QOV National Sew Day.

All around the USA

people are working alone or together on QOV quilts/projects.

This is the first year I've been able to attend a group session

because I was either in Florida where I worked on my own,

then 2 years of horrible virus,and last year we were snowed out.

Next Sat I'll try to post shots from today's event.

Meanwhile:

 

I brought home this QOV quilt a while back to

mend an accidental cut on the corner and to bind it.

 

The cutting accident happened on the very corner.

 

The front side was easy.

I just had to replace the 2.5 inch square.

Good thing we had matching fabric. 

I had used a Frixon pin to trace the quilting lines

before I removed the quilting stitches.

Then I was able to stitch the quilting lines back where

they originally had been.

 

I called this a "scrappy" North Star

because Clara D that made this quilt

made each star with

different fabrics of the center and points.

Research tells me this was a pattern

used by the Underground Railroad

and it seems it was usually a solid color.

Some will say the use of quilts on the Underground Railroad

is not true because there is no original written history.

I'll argue all day, that is no proof, because

first a lot of people then could not read or write directions

 and therefore stories/directions were orally passed on & handed down.

Two, the Underground Railroad had to stay secret and

probably did not want to put anything in writing 

for people to discover.

 

This quilt might be awarded in May.

When it is awarded,

I'll post a full view of the quilt.