Full Disclosure

(Or, What May Well Be the Cause of My Motivational Slump)

No to-do list for me this week, just one BIG to-do. I've had a hard time the past couple of weeks feeling capable of accomplishing anything. No motivation to start a new project, or even to work on one of my many UFOs. No inspiration to even sew a few string blocks... Whatever could be the problem? Hmm... I don't know... could it be THIS?

Yes, THIS is my sewing room. Or what used to be my sewing room. Now it's my storage room for fabric and supplies.

And just across the hallway is my actual "sewing" room:

Trust me, it's an even bigger mess than it looks here.

This is the result of transitioning quickly from one sewing room to two, followed by numerous projects one on top of the other, without cleaning up in between. I don't recommend it.

So, I'm dedicating this week to getting these rooms organized so I can start sewing again. And I suppose I could break it down into a few main areas:

• Buy a second folding work table and find a better arrangement for the sewing room

• Remove all non-sewing-related items from the storage room (these are the leftovers from when my son vacated his room (now my sewing room). He doesn't want it. I don't want it either!

• Sort miscellaneous fabric and project leftovers into their appropriate bins/shelves

• Re-stack/organize fabric bins in closets

I'm sure there's more, but I can hardly think past walking into the room right now. I would love to figure out a good working arrangement for both rooms and eventually be able to paint/decorate to better suit my needs. All in good time. Suffice it to say, I've got my work cut out for me in just getting started. Wish me luck... I'm going in!

Oh Yeah, It's Monday...

I almost forgot to blog my to-dos for the week, so before it's too late, here goes.

First, I WAS going to put finishing this pillow on my to-do list:

But I already finished it before the list was made, so that would sorta be cheating.

(The fun stuff always seems to get done first.)

Where was I? Oh, yes. The list... well, I've had a little trouble today deciding what most needs doing, and I never actually MADE a list. It's just been one of those days. So I guess I'll just throw a few things out here that have been bugging me and see what happens:

• Clear off the kitchen catch-all counter.
  

• In the sewing room, since I've completely demolished the organization of my flannels, I need to sort through them all again, and maybe come up with another flannel project for the shop.
  

• And... (dare I say it?) I've been REALLY thinking about working on that upstairs bathroom that never got touched during last year's "Better Home Challenge." I'm thinking that would be a good project for February. So this week, I'll... go in there and figure out the first steps in that direction.

So anyway... that's a pretty non-committal list, wouldn't you say? LoL I obviously have no definite plans for anything this week. But this is a start. We'll see where it takes me.

Something to do While We're Waiting

Still no new grandbaby... The due date has now passed, so we're all getting a little stir crazy around here, and when I need a distraction, I tend to sew -- a lot. I've sewn three baby quilt tops in the past three days:

A "Wickedly Easy Quilt" from ByANNIE.com, all in dusty, mauvy pinks mostly from the 1980's. (Hate having to admit it, but that really sounds vintage these days. And one of these prints was from a skirt that I wore in high school, so what does that say about me? Wait. Don't answer that. LoL) I ad libbed a little bit on the border:

A Sunday mystery quilt, by Cindy Carter of Quilt Patterns from Seattle. Today Cindy posted the photos that have been sent in from the mystery on her blog. If you'd like to see all of the pretty color combinations (or download the pattern), you'll find them here. And here's mine:

And today I finished piecing a UFO that was originally for Judy Laquidara's monochromatic challenge last year at Patchwork Times. The color that month was brown, and I was trying to use up my overabundance of cheater panels. It looks a little wild and crazy here, but I think it'll be cute once it's quilted and bound. I'm still undecided about adding a border to contain the craziness:

I guess tomorrow I'd better stop piecing and start quilting. Unless, of course, we have a new grandbaby to hold! :o)

Adventures in Patternless Sewing

I've said it many times. I am not good at sewing without a pattern. I greatly admire those who are, and also those who can alter a pattern to suit their own purposes. I am not one of those people, and normally I don't even attempt it. However, I wanted a bathroom valance like this:

And my experience with curtains has been limited to straight, rectangular panels, so I was forced to wing it this time.

It turned out like this:

Not too bad! It's not exactly how I had pictured it, but it'll do. I'm actually pretty proud of myself, though the process of getting there was slightly comical (not to mention slow and tedious). I took a leap of faith, and photographed each step along the way -- just in case it wasn't a complete disaster in the end. The process went something like this:

I determined that the width of a roll of waxed paper would be about right for the height of the valance (so scientific!), and cut a piece double the width of the window (72"). Then I marked the halfway point and attempted to draw a gentle curve on one side. Next, I folded the whole thing in half and cut on my line.

Not such a gentle curve after all.

But with a little more trimming it looked passable to me.

Then I fan-folded the whole thing and taped it up to my window to see how it would hang.

That didn't look quite right, so I flattened it out a bit, trimmed off some more and tried it again.

Better. Now I had a big piece of fan-folded wax paper, impossible to lay flat for cutting. So I folded the whole thing in half, wax sides together, and ironed it -- melting it into one very stiff hunk of pattern. But it was flat. Next, I pinned the bulkiest pattern ever used on the fold of my lining and fabric (folded end-to-end) and cut it out. I had to piece my prints first, because I didn't quite have two yards of either one. Funny I never thought to check that before.

Next I marked a new curve line on the pattern for the top layer of the valance. This is where I wish I had only gone two or maybe three inches shorter. I went four.

Repeated the cutting process with the second print and lining.

Next, I pinned both print pieces to the lining pieces, wrong sides together, and sewed the sides and bottom (1/4" seam), leaving the long, straight, top edges open.

Turned both pieces right side out and pressed.

Next, I pinned the two layers together at the top, in reverse order of how they would hang. The shorter top layer behind the longer bottom layer.

I stitched the top together with a 3/8" seam, then flipped the top layer over to the front and pressed.

At this point, I folded the valance in half and pinned it to my window to determine how far down I wanted to sew the rod pocket.

Which ended up being a 1-1/4" rod pocket, 1-1/4" from the top. (Just two seams, straight across. The space between the two panels forms the pocket.) I didn't dare make the header at the top any larger. I think I could have gone a little longer overall with the whole valance. I blame it on the wax paper. It should have been wider.

So that is how a person clueless without a pattern goes about making a patternless valance. (I can just imagine the pattern designers snickering out there. LoL) It would have been a whole lot easier to just buy the valance in the first photo at Bed Bath and Beyond... but then look at all the fun I would have missed! :/

Friday Finishes: A Virtual Sew-In

A group of my online quilting friends held a virtual sew-in last weekend. Amazing how motivating that can be! With the regular check-ins, chatting, and sharing of progress pictures all weekend long, it almost felt like we were all together on a quilting retreat. We often talk about organizing a real retreat someday. Now that would be a blast!

This was my sew-in project, a birthday gift for a six-year-old little girl. A very spontaneous project, yet every bit of it was hiding in my stash, just waiting to be pulled together into this little quilt. Love when that happens! I used the Warm Wishes pattern, a free download from Quiltmaker.com, and I was super impressed with how fast the top came together.

Every smidgen of the Little Mermaid print was used. The aqua/white polka dot filled in for the last round of blocks, "growing" the quilt from baby-size to kid-size. The borders finished off the teal print, and it took the very last bits of both purples to make the binding. A nearly "scrapless" project!

The backing is a super thick and cozy solid teal flannel. It was purchased by my mom over 20 years ago, and yet it fit my quilt top exactly, without an inch to spare. Simple straight-line crosshatching made the quilting go fast.

All finished (48" x 57"), and sooo cuddly...

Also during our sew-in, someone shared the link to this flannel receiving blanket tutorial video from Missouri Quilt Company:

I couldn't resist giving it a try. These are SO cute, I want to make more and more and more...

Closeup of the "self-binding"...

And it's Friday! Be sure to check out all the great Friday finishes at:

Amylouwho's Sew & Tell Friday
Link a Finish Friday at Richard Quilts
TGIFF, hosted this week at Quilt Matters
Finish it Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts

Have a great weekend -- and thanks for stopping by! :o)

My Family Left Me...

... but only for the weekend. :o)

(Added Friday, February 3: As busy as I was this week, turns out this is my only finish, so I'm linking up this post today with Amylouwho's Sew & Tell Friday and TGIFF at Missy Mac Creations.)

While they were away, I had a fun night of sewing with my son's girlfriend. Her mom has been planning an outfit for her to dance in a powwow at the end of March, and they want to applique a Lone Star on the back of the dance shawl. Would I mind helping her with it? LoL Silly girl.

It was my first attempt at a Lone Star, and I usually avoid sewing diamonds altogether, so I'll admit I was a little nervous about how it would turn out. Still, it couldn't hurt to try.

We started out with this photo for inspiration. We both really liked the swirly layout of the colors, even though it would make the assembly a bit trickier. A little more Googling brought us to "The Challenge of a Lone Star Quilt," an excellent tutorial (though slightly intimidating with repeated dire warnings about accurate 1/4" seams!)

Completely unsure if we were up to the task (at least I was unsure) -- we started a plan anyway. Tessa drew up and colored a diagram for the layout. (This would not be just a challenge, it would be a MEGA Challenge. LoL)

A quick trip to the fabric store, a stop at Subway for dinner, and we were back home cutting up fabric. Tessa laid out the units per her diagram.

Ta-daaah! Ready to sew.

The piecing went surprisingly well, though I'll admit my seam ripper got lots of use! The process went really fast with me sewing and Tessa ironing. Before long we had half of the units together:

So of course, we had to keep on going...

By 1:00 a.m. we were done (not to mention tired and silly!)

But wait, something's not quite right here...

What is that random purple diamond doing in the middle? And those blues in the green row? We almost missed the two rows that were sewn in backwards. I think I wore that seam ripper out by the time we were done, but it's all fixed now. And finished!

A few rough spots here and there (curse those inaccurate 1/4" seams!), but not bad at all for a first try. It lays flat, so we're happy. LoL

Since I have never been to a powwow, I couldn't quite envision what the shawl would look like, so I did some more Googling this morning and found lots of info at the Crazy Crow Trading Post site, including this video from the Gathering of Nations Powwow:

Aren't those shawls beautiful? I'm excited to see Tessa's all finished -- and to see her dance!

Needles and What?

Every so often, someone will ask me, “Why Needles and Pens?” Since my blog appears to be all about sewing, shouldn’t it be “pins?” It makes sense, right? But the play on words was intentional. When I started this blog, I was at a crossroads, trying to decide if I should keep plugging away at freelance writing or delve headlong into my newfound love of quilting. I thought, perhaps, that I could do both... Needles AND Pens.

It seems that the quilting won out. For the past ten years, I’ve been learning and playing and experimenting and creating art in a whole new medium – and loving it. I do so little writing these days, I can’t honestly call myself a writer anymore.

Still, the urge to write – really write – resurfaces now and then, in the never-ending quest to discover God’s purpose for me in this life. (Yes, I’m 45 years old and still trying to figure out what I’ll be when I grow up!) I wonder if I’m making a mistake, virtually ignoring that writing gift. I wrestle with those thoughts on a regular basis.

At the same time, I’m considering a whole new endeavor. Could I actually make an income selling the things I love to create? Should I open an Etsy shop? Are people willing to pay what I feel my time is worth? Will I still have time to sew for charity? For gifts? Just for fun?

And if I do this, will I ever get back to writing? Should I get back to writing? Is it even possible to do both? (Aren't you glad you don't live in my head? LoL)

With all of these thoughts rattling my brain this morning, I decided on a whim to look up Sunday Scribblings, one of my old favorite sources for writing prompts. I’m definitely rusty, but it couldn’t hurt to get back in practice. The topic for the week was:

“Possible: Think big! What is possible?”

I don’t believe in coincidence. It’s been over a year since I’ve looked at Sunday Scribblings, so what prompted me to go there today? I’ll be honest, it took some time for me to get the big picture. (I’m not always the sharpest crayon in the box.)

I could go into a long list of all my hopes and dreams, past, present and future, but the answer is the same for all of them. With willingness, determination and faith, anything is possible.

“… with God, all things are possible.” ~ Matthew 19:26

And the answer to all those questions rambling around in my head? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. It’s all possible.

Needles AND Pens is possible.

Sew & Tell Friday: Grandpa's Cradle

Well, here it is Friday again, and though I've been sewing my poor fingers to the bone this week, I haven't quite finished the quilt for the guest room bed (and since my daughter took off for the weekend with the only working camera in the house, I couldn't share a picture if I had), BUT I do have one other little project in the works, and a tiny sewing finish was involved this week.

When I had my first child in 1987, I was fortunate to inherit the cradle my grandpa slept in when was he born in 1890. He had many younger siblings, who most likely slept in it, too, but at some point it was stashed away someplace and forgotten. Thankfully someone had the foresight to hold onto it, and though it skipped two generations of use, it did stay in the family.

The original stand was missing (probably why it was never passed down), but when I brought the cradle home, my husband's grandpa (who has since passed) was kind enough to build a stand so I could use it. I'm sure that missing the original stand decreases its monetary value as an antique, but the combined memory of two grandpas in one piece makes it priceless in sentimental value. Not to mention the fact that all four of my babies slept in it.

For the past few years, the cradle has been living in my walk-in bedroom closet, unceremoniously piled with blankets and stray clothes, but with the creation of the new guest room, I was inspired to give it a little makeover and nicer home. I forgot to take a "before" picture of the whole piece, but here is the stand before I re-painted it:

And after, with a new coat of paint (hunter green Rust-oleum Painter's Touch latex) and the cradle replaced:

I've been doing a little research on antique furniture finishes and I think I'll be buying some paste wax in the near future. The wood looks so dry, but from what I've read, oiling is a definite no-no... I'm excited to see if waxing it will bring it back to life.

I did get the new mattress finished this week (plywood base, two-inch foam, covered with flannel-backed vinyl and stapled to the bottom of the plywood):

And I've been SO lucky in finding fabrics for this room in my stash. I dug into my flannels for a cradle sheet, thinking I'd probably have to make do with something less than perfect, when I discovered two remnants of this pretty M'Liss flannel I bought while working at Hancock Fabrics.

The larger piece was just a bit short, but by cutting the smaller piece in two and sewing it to the ends, it was just exactly the right size for a fitted sheet! And the seams are all hidden in the gathers underneath. (See? There's the sewing part. LoL)

Now I just need to get that bed quilt done (I'm hand stitching the binding on today)... and then I think a coordinating quilt for the cradle is definitely in order. :o)

Better Home Challenge: Week One

Could it be that we're only one week into 2012? I've been going great guns on my January Better Home project all week, and having a blast with it! I thought it might be a good time to post a recap of what I've accomplished so far.

I started off just dealing with the piles of odds and ends. Fortunately, there wasn't much clutter in this room, so that was a pretty easy task. One of the first items on my list was to designate the closet space in this room for one specific use. Everything that was in there belonged somewhere else. It was such a waste of storage space! Here's the closet, before:

Now it's been designated the "Christmas closet," for storage of Christmas decorations, wrapping paper, all those gift boxes that were piled on the bed... The timing on this was perfect. I spent a couple of hours one day packing up Christmas things and it was so nice to have a specific place to store it all! There will probably be a couple more bins yet, but I don't think I'll have any problem fitting it all in. Here's the closet, after:

Once all the clutter was cleared, I knew I wanted to paint, but was clueless as to the color. What I needed was fabric inspiration! A stash-dive produced this piece of Jinny Beyer "Monticello," just the right size to make a curtain for the room -- and it worked with the pink carpet, too. After that, the wall color was a no-brainer (Wellington Khaki from Walmart).

The painting was done in one (very) late night. (I have a really hard time stopping, once I'm on a roll.) Before:

And after:

One more "perfect timing" incident has me convinced that this project was truly "meant to be." I had written on my list, "If money were no object: buy double bed." The twin bed was better than nothing, but really limited use as a guest room. A queen-size would be too large for the space. Well, the very next day my daughter mentioned that she had a double bed in her basement that she didn't have a use for... no way. I'll take it! LoL

Here's the headboard and footboard, slightly banged up laminate, definitely dated and, well, kind of ugly.

I love paint! (Krylon Gloss Latex in Almond)

With the addition of a bigger bed, I got to daydreaming and window shopping for bedding. Found lots of things I like, and definitely zeroed in on a "look" (again, if money were no object).

But since money is an object, and since I am a quilter who has been blessed with a lot of gifted stash, it would make a lot more sense to make my own. I've already come up with a few ideas... we shall see.

Last night I finished up and hung the Monticello curtain. Here's the (blah) before:

And after. You can't see it in the close up shot, but that simple curtain just softened the look of the whole room. What a difference fabric makes!

So my first week has been a productive one, but there's still plenty to do before I can call this room "finished." I just hope this wave of motivation will last. At first, I was a bit disappointed that the "spare room in the basement" was my first project for the year. It was probably the area of my home that least needed my attention. And yet, it's turned out to be such a fun challenge so far, and a huge motivational boost. It may have been the best possible place to start after all. ;o)