Parts and Recreation

You may think making a quilt is pretty straightforward: cut the parts, put them together. Especially when there's a particular plan to follow; I, for instance, am participating in an on-line quilt-along for a kaleidoscope quilt.

I've wanted to make a kaleidoscope quilt, with its interlinking circles. And I think it'll be a nice pattern to make using fabrics I think will appeal to Kathryn, and this quilt can be a birthday (or Christmas, if I take too long!) present for her. 

By the way, Lamby, you should stop here if you want to be surprised! 

Once I'd pulled all my fabrics and cut hundreds of pieces, I started arranging them on my design wall, to check that the colors and pattern will work together as planned. At this point,  I always get a little crazy. If I don't like the colors together, I may ignore it and hope it'll get better as the quilt progresses (it never does) or I may start throwing in more fabrics and colors, hoping to get the balance of contrast and complement I want, (which can end up a big mess!). 

This time, I liked the colors in the mix, but I played around with the design. 

This is the basic kaleidoscope design used in the quilt-along:

The colored wedges make sort of an x shape, and the white makes small interlinked circles around it. Maybe the x has a negative connotation to me, as in x-ing out the wrong answer. Maybe the association with the multiplication symbol connotes complications. Maybe it's that they are all lined up in boring rows, or that the x shape just looks, to me, like a flattened, headless body. I'm going to try some other configurations.

This one just ended up very patchwork, and you really have to hunt for the kaleidoscope pattern. Boring. It looks like a design you'd see printed on a cheap bedspread.

Another boring, too predictable design. I keep seeing the Mac computer's spinning beach ball of death...

This is a Cathedral window kind of kaleidoscope. It's very pretty, but the scale of it is too big for the size of the quilt. Plus, there's so much white, and it's so defined, that it detracts from the wonderful scrappiness of all the different fabrics and colors.

This layout is very similar to the patchwork design, but if you squint you can see a circle around that center cross shape, and it would repeat in an interlocked design. I decided to go with this design.


But after I'd sewn together several pieces, John reminded me that Kathryn wants a scrappy, colorful quilt that doesn't look too planned. This one, with all the colors separated by white, looks too organized and bright for the vintage look I'm going for.

So, out came the seam ripper, and an evening was spent un-sewing. Somehow, that always seems to happen right after Ralph has vacuumed, and I drop stray threads everywhere. Thank you, Honey, for being patient with me!

So, now I'm back to the original design, but look! I've set the blocks on point, so instead of an x I have a +!
The wedges are diamond shapes, now, instead of flattened bodies, and the design doesn't appear so grid-like.



Thanks to Cris, who is letting me borrow her sewing machine, since I burned out my own machine. Her solid Kenmore is humming through these blocks for me, and I look forward to seeing it come together. Next decision will be whether to run the design all the way to the edges of the quilt, or to surround it with white and let the design float in the middle.
I know what I think now, but I'm sure I'll have to experiment with different options before I finish.

Did you make it all the way to the end of this post? Are you bored, or did I catch your interest with my quilty thought processes?

Daisy Pillow

For Father's Day, which was also our anniversary, I asked Ralph and John to go see a movie, go see two movies, in fact, and to leave me home, alone. They did, and I enjoyed some peace and quiet, and worked on this pillow. To find out more about it, click on the Flickr link on the right sidebar...
Ralph and John returned, having enjoyed their movies, and Joseph surprised us with his arrival, and we shared a yummy barbecue dinner together.
Ahhh, we're through the Ralph's birthday-Mother's Day- Ralph's graduation-my birthday-Father's Day-anniversary season of celebrations. It always overwhelms me!

Well, how about that.

Look at this dandelion, springing up in in the middle of the back yard. It's still cold out (by Central California standards, anyway), but the dandelion is popping up and making a pronouncement of existence.

Just like me. Here I am, just popping up!

The frogs in the backyard are happy, and singing their little hearts out. It's been raining, raining, raining; good weather for staying in and working on projects. And, boy, do I have projects! After Christmas I got out all my sewing stuff, but I just didn't have any creative energy. I got out some old projects, took them apart, resewed them in new configurations, but I still wasn't feeling inspired.

I should have sewn it together like this.
Instead I got all conservative-symmetrical-matchy-matchy.
Now it's in the closet, waiting to be loved.

Then I signed up for a Bee - you remember hearing about how women worked together on each other's quilts to get them finished and to spend time together in bygone days. Now we do it online! I make a block for each of the 6 women in my "hive" using the colors they requested and my own fabrics, four times throughout the year. At the end of the year, I'll have 24 blocks made by 6 new, online friends from anywhere in the world. Choosing colors and patterns for other folks is intimidating, and the kind of pressure that pushes me out of my rut. And I enjoy sewing for a purpose, and sewing for someone else.

A block in progress for the Bee

Now I'm juggling several projects! Sewing fabric Laura brought me from Africa, hoping she can use my projects for her fundraiser auction. Sewing a quilt for Kathryn to take back to Portland when she returns from Morocco. (She's having a great adventure!) Fabrics from Kathryn's planned quilt inspiring a second idea, and the scraps from my Bee blocks also wanting to be combined into a new pattern. Ideas for the facebook pay-it-forward-crafty-projects I committed to. Making a wedding present for Sonja!  Sending blocks for an effort to benefit Japan. Projects for the quilt guild. A Roman shade for the guest room before our next guest come for a visit!

Fabulous color and pattern from Africa

African Churn Dash

Table runner and potholders for Sarah, for
Pay it Forward Crafty Goodness

I don't expect you to be as excited about all my projects as I am. Perhaps you'll see them, as I do, as instruments to connect my heart to others, and to the Creator.

post holiday post

Putting away Christmas, emptying rooms. I'm not ready to end the suspension of schedules and responsibilities. (That's a perk of working for a school district that takes a full month off for the Christmas holiday!) I'd leave the Christmas tree up for another week, except that Ralph just sent me an email reminder that the curbside tree pick-up is tomorrow. (That was true when I started writing this post, three days ago!)

Once the tree is down, and the floor is covered with dried pine needles, and boxes have been hauled from the closet under the stairs, then the rest must follow. Sorting, wrapping, packing away, and remembering the good times we had with everyone in the house this Christmas.

                                                                    

P.S. Isn't this table runner beautiful? I WON it!
From the Connecting Threads blog. Isn't that cool?!

This ornament, a little mouse asleep in a walnut shell cradle, was made by our friend, Jenny, when we were newlyweds.  Poppy loved it, and hung it down low, where she could see it, instead of its usual place near the top of the tree. (Small ornaments on top, large ornaments on the bottom, colors and styles and motifs evenly distributed.) It's remarkable how a child refreshes the perspective at Christmas, from the decorative to the meaningful.

Here's Ralph doing my least favorite chore of the season,
unscrewing the posts that hold the tree in place. Thank you, Honey

This year we made it to the bonfire in Solvang/Santa Ynez. What a bonfire! Area residents are invited to bring their Christmas trees, and the pile is huge! Even as we were leaving, people were still bringing trees. And in the background the organizers played music; Light My Fire, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, Hot-Hot-Hot... so cute. John gets so embarrassed when his mom bops to the music. And when his mom uses words like "bops." (Just doing my job!)

Then we went to Anderson's for Split Pea soup. Yummy! Ralph and John were good sports about getting their pictures taken, don't you think?

Here I am!

This blogging stuff is harder than it looks. Especially around Christmas; I was so busy, too busy to stop, take a picture, and describe what I was doing or how I felt about it. Plus, I was working on presents, and I didn't want to post pictures before the giftees received them!

Star in Star for Molly

Star in Star for Emma

Dog for Mackenzie.
Made from a pair of Bill's Nordic ski socks.

Then, I had the BEST Christmas EVER!
There came a point when anything that wasn't finished didn't have to be finished. When the focus was on being ready for my kids to come home for Christmas, and that's all. The Tree got decorated, the lights hung on the house, cookie dough in the freezer. Ready.

What an honor that everyone came and stayed! There was lots of game-playing, and movie-watching, and hiking, and tide pooling, and visits to various parks, and cookie decorating, and lots of talking and laughing!

There was plenty of great food, but food wasn't the focus as much as being together, and working together. Though I didn't work at all! I cooked twice, and I cleaned once. The rest was all done by my great family! Homemade pizza, the most awesome macaroni and cheese, delicious tempeh and veggies, salads; healthy, wholesome goodness.

Honestly, the more I hear about other families, the more I like mine.

Joseph said, "I like this grown-up Christmas," and I know what he's talking about. The grown-up perspective that wasn't about presents or expectations, plus the magic of Poppy's Christmas experience made it all fun.

I wrapped several of my Christmas books, and every day Poppy unwrapped one or two, and we read them to her. After learning about the Nativity story, Poppy rearranged creches to honor the most important figure.

The adult kids enjoyed an evening out while Ralph and I took Poppy, with the required popcorn, hot chocolate, and Christmas cookies, to see lights on houses. And she loved Christmas presents, from the boring pajamas and slippers to the Light Brite and pink scooter!

On Christmas Day, the household doubled in size with the addition of many uncles and aunts and cousins. I loved every minute of it. Ralph never got to play croquet, thanks to the weather, but there was ping pong, Spades, Scrabble, and plenty of conversation to go with all the good food!

I still want to show you a couple other things I made for Christmas.

A dress for Bethany's favorite childhood doll, Becky. Remember the Strawberry Shortcake dress I made for Poppy? Bethany totally saw the resemblance, and loved it. Poppy isn't really old enough to love Becky yet, so Becky will continue to live here in uninterrupted sleep until Poppy is ready to treasure her.

You either think this is creepy, or cute. It's me, huggable, with a plateful of cookies and an armful of books. Got the idea from Angry Chicken. Bethany said Poppy had fallen asleep a few times holding a broken Christmas ornament photo of me. This will be cozier.

Have I gotten you caught up, now? I'm still trying to keep up, here!
Happy New Year! I hope I'll give you lots to see here this year!

This Strawberry Shortcake is the cutest ever!!

What's in a costume?

When I was a kid, planning a Halloween costume and putting it together and going out in it was really the best part of the season. One year I was a frog, wearing green tights and turtleneck, and spats over my shoes and a 3D mask I made of cardboard and paint. Another year I wove skeins of green yarn into a wig for a witch costume, and I sewed a black dress with long, bell sleeves. I helped one of my sisters make a robot costume from cardboard boxes with moving buttons and levers, and we made countless hats with varieties of animal ears.

When I had my own kids, I didn't allow them to choose costumes that were gory or evil, and I didn't make outstanding costumes, but I encouraged them to have fun and to be creative. 

Often, their costumes were based on pajamas or sweats or something that could be used in everyday wear, or added to our permanent costume collection for ongoing play. Our costumes reflected who we were, and who we wanted to pretend to be.

1986

1995

End of sweet, creative, wholesome costumes!

Now for the costumes that are 

Not Appropriate for Fall, or anytime.

I really like costumes and dress-ups, but I've been distressed by all the gory, gruesome, truly scary costumes worn by younger and younger trick-or-treaters. Still, I was appalled at some of the skanky costumes I saw online for little kids!

No little girl should be dressed as a French maid.

Or a saloon girl.

Cowgirls are cute, and rodeo is big where I love.
 This little girl's outfit is sure to appeal to someone
with a rodeo fetish. 

"Mack Daddy Pimp" costume.
In sizes 4-6, 8-10.
That's disgusting.

"Major Flirt"
Women in the military deserve more respect.

Ew, ew, ew. Little Bo Peep
These "Bratz" Costumes are just right for parents
who want to turn their daughters into jailbait.

Why is Little Miss Muffect
wearing leopard print? Icky.

Adult costumes are getting more raunchy. There are many variations of this fella's: the petting zoo, the one-eyed monster, the "treats" dispenser. Funny? Kinda. But I wouldn't want to see it on anyone I know!! Tasteless and gross.

But there are some things that just shouldn't be sexualized.

A sexy cookie monster?

Big Bird? 

How could anyone think of Sponge Bob
and sexy costume?

Finding Nemo? Really?

Ahem...

And please...

How could they do this to Strawberry Shortcake?