Please Stay On the Line - Your Screw Is Important To Us.

I am kind of treading water here with my canvas needle in the machine and a broken screw holding it in place. I can't work on current projects, I can't change the needle until the Porsche screw arrives, and I am not liking this at all.  I've been reading a lot of quilting  blogs and between feeling completely inadequate and resisting the urge to post corrections to usage ( a "thread draw"?  Really?  You put thread in a draw? It's   DRAWER  for heaven's sake.)  I am getting pretty cranky.  I suppose I could spend the time cleaning and organizing my sewing room.  Or my house.  (As if...)  I am downloading all kinds of podcasts and library books to keep me company on a trip home next week (woo hoo!) and trying to fix up my antique computer so that it runs a little faster than a 90-year-old on glare ice.   Not very exciting, but I guess it needs to be done.

Anticipation is both the best and worst part of anything.  I have 2 used (PRE-OWNED for you Lexus types) books somewhere in the mail, both on antique sewing and notions, nom nom nom!  Also on a truck somewhere is  this little thread caddy and pincushion from Ebay.  Speaking of Ebay, this little pair of squeeze scissors is sharp as a razor and snips thread like nobody's business.  I love them and I'm going to order another one, maybe two.

So all of this is swirling about in my universe - and none of it has shown up yet.  Where is a box of Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies when you need them?

Quilts 1700 to 2010 - The Book!

Well, the gang is all back from the trip to England, and our lovely boss brought home  fabric trip treats, woo hoo!   Lots of comments on the exhibit at the V&A, and some lovely books made the trip back "across the pond" with them.  I was able to bring home the Quilts 1700 to 2010 - Hidden Histories, Untold Stories (by Sue Prichard) for a long weekend. Fortunately, or unfortunately, this coincided with my rotary cutter finger shearing, so it was a perfect few days to sit and read. (I was careful not to bleed on the book, relax.)

The book is a beauty, filled with wonderful histories and lots of background on the quilts and quiltmakers.   I saw details in the quilts that astonished me, inspired me, and gave me a few ideas of my own.

For some reason, about halfway through the book, the contemporary quilts and quilters were explored. It was like hitting a concrete wall - the flow, the timeline, the whole experience was interrupted, and not pleasantly.  I am a new-born fan of contemporary quilts, but these were, um, how can I be nice about this - unique. Okay, yeah, unique and unusual. Yeah, that. Unusual. That is all I can say in a family publication.

When I returned the book to my boss,  I told her if it was my book I would have taken an X-Acto  knife and carved out those middle pages.  (The quilts all reappear at the end of the book, so no worries.)   She looked at my mangled finger and gave me a look that said, "Hey- no sharp instruments for a while, m'kay?"   I'm going to buy the book - it's a definite keeper. Nice to have the chance to spend so much time with it before purchase, tho.  Sometimes being the stay-at-home Cinderella has a few advantages.

I Got a Screw....ing

EIGHT DOLLARS AND NINETY NINE CENTS worth of screwing.  That does not include an additional $2.39 for postage (ouch).  Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to have a genuine  Bernina needle clamp screw on the way to my house, but jeeeesh, what a bite in the shorts.  This thing is so small that if you dropped it you would never see it again.  I know, I've already had the "milling to exact specifications" lecture from my husband, blah blah blah,  "you'll strip the head of the screw"  blah blah blah.  I get it.  I really do.  But lets face it, it's not like these screws are hand milled by blind nuns in Switzerland.  Whatever.  Meanwhile, I'm working on a canvas tote bag, being very careful to not break the needle because I can't replace it until my Porsche needle screw arrives.  Heaven help me if I rip open the envelope and drop the thing.....

Making Progress?

Still hard to type with this thing on my finger, but managed to finish my first purse.  I learned  a LOT.  Like 1) use a pattern next time,  and 2) when you have 4 things to measure and you measure 3 of them, it does NOT mean the 4th one is "all good to go."   I do like it, wonky shape and all, but don't imagine I will show it off. I'll use it for my own shopping and errands.  That works for me.

I managed to put a heavy-duty needle on my Bernina to sew this up and I snapped off half of the screw (head)  that holds the needle in place.  So..... I guess I'm stuck with a heavy-duty needle for a while, until I sort out whether or not I need to find a Bernina part or if  a teeny screw will do.  I'll put Joe on that, he loves a project.   Until then, I better go through my stash and find some heavy fabric for a project, huh.

Wordless Wednesday

Project Interruptus

My next purchase.

More  details when / if   my finger ever stops bleeding.

Stay On Task!

So you already know about Mom's UFO (the one I stippled yesterday!), and you know about my homage to Yoko Saito UFO (still playing with it, but at least I have it pin basted) - so what am I working on?  A tote bag.  The picture washes out the lovely purple-ish of the fabrics, but both have a deep lavender tone.  One fabric is from Africa, one is from Japan.  This is going to be my stylish international tote bag and I am going to do it today.  I can't stay on task.   Whatever. Call the quilt police - I'm going to enjoy my Patriot's Day holiday and that is what counts!

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Stipple Chick

I just stippled.   For real.  On a wall hanging.   First time EVER.   Film at 11.

Fabric SOS - Where is all the Broderie Perse Chintz?

Looking forward to an exhibit of contemporary broderie perse, my co-workers and I have started our quest to creating our own (much less complex) attempts at this  beautiful art.   (So much less complex that our PR maven has nicknamed it "faux bro".  I love that.)   One problem - we can't find chintz anywhere.  There used to be reams and rolls of lovely polished cotton chintz, just ripe for cutting up and arranging artfully on a plain background. I bought a bunch of it for my bridesmaid dresses (and yes, I made the leftovers in to curtains. I'll post a picture sometime). So what's up with disappearing chintz?  Anybody out there have some leads?  Help!

Image:  Margaret Young Stansberry, c. 1830

Collection of the New England Quilt Museum

Update, Progress and a Smile

My Friday Night Sew-In has become an all day and night event. I'm home today, drinking way too much coffee and getting ready to fire up the sewing room. But first - an update.

It  is looking like 2 pincushions and one small table ornamentationesque thingie with about 8 cathedral window blocks will be the output summary of my cathedral windows experience.  I will post pictures when I have determined how to disguise my issues with intersecting points.   I have learned that people use plain muslin for a reason, that cutting those 10 inch squares requires you to strictly observe the straight of grain rules, and that I just may do this again sometime now that I have learned these and other rules of the cathedral windows road.

For today's smile, here is one of the brilliant re-interpretations of classic art masterpieces from Barbara Brackman. Check out the others (and her wonderful blog)  at Material Culture .

Lake Day

Finally home  from a long day of work - day one of the auditors coming in to prepare the financial reports for the past fiscal year. It is comparable to a colonoscopy -  honest -  except a colonoscopy is better because you get drugs. But I digress.

On  my way home I stopped at a local gourmet shop and treated myself to some nice cheese, a little pâté for Joe, a bottle of wine, and something to nibble. When I got home the answering machine was blinking and it was the  accountant,  telling me she needed to reschedule and would not be coming in on Friday.  OH.  EMM. GEEE.   Are you serious?  This means I do not have to make the commute and go to work tomorrow either.   A DAY AT HOME.  Alone. And it is supposed  to rain all day.  Does it get any better than that?

I opened the bottle of wine, made a little plate of the gourmet nibbles and put my feet up. I'm completely intoxicated with the possibilities and options of doing everything and nothing. Kinda like a snow day - or, since it is spring, a "Lake Day."  Lake Day was an unannounced holiday at my college.  The bell tower would start ringing at about  7AM and it meant classes, tests, anything and everything was canceled for the day.  We would go down to the lake and lay around on blankets, reading or sleeping or drowsing.  It was always on a really beautiful day, with no warning, no planning. It just happened.

Even with the rain (which I love), tomorrow is my Lake Day!

Cancel the Monks

This is harder than it looks - the part that I thought would be challenging (making those graceful curves) is easy. The part I thought would be easy (matching the 4 center points) is impossible.

Cue the Monks!

It's Monday, I'm home all day, and I don't have to do anything until supper tonight.
WHAAAAT?

Yes, it is a paradise day.  I'm due for one.  I've got the sheets washed and hanging outside on the clothesline (okay, they are still the flannel set but it is getting nicer out...).  I've got my homage to Yoko Saito wall hanging spread out on the guest bed for some  major tweaking before  I press, baste and quilt, and I've got my snazzy new (old) TV hand-me-down set up in my sewing room.  Does it get any better than this?  So what am I doing?

Cathedral windows.  You heard me.  When I was about 17 I saw my first cathedral windows quilt and it just knocked me over.  I have never forgotten it.  I have always wanted to make one, but was completely overwhelmed at the amount of time, effort and hand sewing involved.  Fast forward a few decades and I have found some nifty tutorials on the blog sites.  I now love hand sewing and I feel ready to take the plunge.  So far I have only committed to a small set, so it might end up as a pillow. ( Or a pin cushion, if I don't even make it that far. )  I think I'll pop a Monty Python movie in the VCR and let the chanting monks inspire my cathedral windows.

For those of you who want to play along at home, the tutorial is  from the blog Making Ends Meet.  It  is clear, easy to follow, and inspired me to take the plunge:   Cathedral Windows Tutorial

Non-Profit Rant - Schooling the Universe on Reality

My work is never done.  Strong language warning disclosure - stop reading if you can't deal.

About 3 years ago I was in Lincoln, Nebraska at one of those Ten Thousand Villages shops buying some trip treats.  They were just for me, and I knew they had to get mushed up and put in a suitcase so I was thinking about that strategy while watching the  young woman ringing up the purchases of the person ahead of me in line.   She took each necklace (retailing at about $15) and put it in a little cotton cushioned jewelry box (embossed with their logo).  Then she wrapped each of the boxes in colored tissue paper and put them in a cub bag (the kind with handles and again with the imprinted logo.)  The person paid for her necklaces with a credit card.  I'm standing there doing the cost-of-sales math in my head (an affliction of being in retail for 17 years) and I'm thinking, "wow, they lost money on that sale."  When it came to my turn, I said, "You can skip the boxes,  just wrap them up in one piece of tissue and  put them in that paper bag," as I pointed to a stack of flat bags.  There, I thought, that will save them some money and allow me to just place the bag  in my suitcase.  "Oh no," twittered the woman, "we are happy to package these up beautifully for you!" So I paused and took a deep de-bitching breath and said, "Listen,  I'm traveling and I'll just throw away those boxes so I can fit it these in to my luggage - besides, it's expensive to do all that packaging and I just don't need it."

Honest, I was very nice about it.

She kept up with her boxing and tissuing and said, "Well, we're a non-profit, so it's really okay."    I had used up my last non-bitchy breath on her a minute ago, so I leaned in and said,  "Listen, non-profit is a tax status, not a business plan. You are loosing money on every sale with all that excess packaging,  it's bad for the environment, and if you keep loosing money you will have to close your doors. Is that your business plan?"  She looked at me like a deer caught in the headlights. I paid for my stuff and left, shaking my head and wondering why it seems to be my job in the universe to run in to every nimrod who thinks "non-profit" means "we don't have to make money."

The worst offenders?  People who serve on non-profit boards and non-profit workers themselves. Honestly.  It's mind-boggling.  The tax status awarded to non-profits is because of the nature of their business.  It's supposed to be for educational, social  service and arts organizations.  It is also granted (for some unknown reason) to those thieving shark debt consolidation businesses who screw over both the credit card companies owed and the people over their heads in debt.  Noble, huh.  You think they don't want to make money?

Here is a little test:

1. If you are a non-profit and at the end of the year you break even (if you are extremely lucky - but it won't happen, trust me), what exactly do you use to continue your business on January 2?


2. Can you pay your bills, utilities, staff and vendors with Monopoly money? (This is important!)


3. Is there someone humming or playing "Kumbaya" in the background of your offices / sales floor, just because it's so meaningful?


4. Have you sat at a board meeting and  absolved yourself from any fiduciary responsibility about chronic under staffing and ridiculously low salaries by saying, "well, we are non-profit......"?

A little "eye of the tiger" needs to be shot in to the veins of every non-profit worker and board member, and frankly - to the public at large.   I seem to be the only one around willing to do it - and frankly, I'm exhausted and I could use some help.

Quilting Flop Sweat

I work with some very accomplished quilters.  It's kind of a fringe benefit of working at a museum - you get some really talented co-workers. Today I am feeling overwhelmed and a little bummed.  I'm learning about fusibles, and my lack of experience (and exacting technique) is making me feel like I do not belong with these people.  I realize they all had to learn, too - but man, there is some serious performance anxiety / pressure going on here.  I keep telling myself that we each have our own areas of excellence, but today I feel like I'm acting out my reoccurring college dream where I walk in to the classroom on final exam day and I've never been to a single  class.

Digital Filing

I taught -- and still teach-- people to use computers, software, etc. so you'll forgive my OCD around digital organization.  I like my computer indexed.  Unfortunately, this obsession does not apply to my sewing room.  I love computers, I spend time surfing the internet, reading blogs, and when I come across lovely things I want to keep for inspiration,  I need a place to put them.

This folder (NEEDLEWORK) is on my desktop. It is the fastest and easiest place to throw stuff when I right-click and hit "save image as."  Yesterday was a quiet day at the store, so I put this folder on a flash drive and brought it to work.  I spent some time organizing it in to smaller, topic-specific folders.  (Again with the organizational thing.)  At the same time,  I weeded out the "meh" stuff and threw those pictures in to the digital wastebasket.   The  process of cataloging  images refreshes me, energizes me, and gets me off my computer chair and back in to the sewing room.

I will confess  I have spent the past half hour surfing around looking at quilts.   This time, when I saw images I wanted to keep for inspiration,  I merely right-clicked the mouse and put them EXACTLY where they needed to go.

Now I need to get up from this chair and make some of those projects a reality!

The Real Easter Bunny

In the very pink flesh:



The only problem is, she's going to be a senior in high school this fall.  In my heart, my little god-daughter will always be about this age....

Easter Joy to all!

Gadget Intervention

True confessions:  I grew up in a family of eight. I was the ONLY ONE who did not wear glasses.  Hah!  I made a point of throwing it in their faces - HAH HAH HAH.  Then, when  I hit about 45, I noticed it was getting hard to read the newspaper.  (Small fonts, sure. Yeah.)   I made do with a fist full of cheap-o reader glasses from the Dollar Store.  Then,  about 3 years ago, I graduated to prescription lenses.  Progressive lenses, no less.   Welcome to middle age, next stop .....MENOPAUSE.    I am still angry about having to wear glasses,  but my intervention is not about that.

I love me a gadget. Kitchen gadgets, cleaning gadgets, they are all good. Where I go off the deep end is with.....quilting gadgets.  I have not met a quilting  gadget I didn't like.  Granted, I like some more than others (the Clover needle threader gets taken out of a burning house before my husband)  but I'm knocking on the door of needing an intervention.  Today's gadget purchase was a beautifully clear, square acrylic template. Mind you - I already have one the same size - but this one is different. This one is special.  This one is just for my EYES.

My previously most-used template was about a 6 inch acrylic square, with markings for inches, half inches, quarter inches and eighth inches.  Seriously. ONE-EIGHTH of an inch.  These marking were not little ticks, but the full line.  Looking at that thing was like staring down an Escher print. Besides,  I base my quilt blocks on the size of a  ---  and a half inch measurement, or maybe a ---  and a quarter, but that is IT.  The eighth-inch thing is just inhuman.  It's just wrong. Anyway, old tempie is nicked, scratched, pitted and due for a replacement.

You can imagine my joy when I found one in the identical size, but with LARGER NUMBERS, and only 1/2 and 1/4 increments marked.  I can read this so clearly I am beside myself.  Having already made quilts that involved cutting up to a  bazillion and eight half square triangles,  I feel renewed and ready to go back to the cutting mat.  I'm so inspired  I think I'll design a new line of quilting gadgets for the discriminating,  perimenopausal, myopic woman.  Each will come packaged in a protective layer of chocolate.  I like it. HAH.

Easter Sushi

Continuing my love affair with all things Japanese is....... (drumroll:)  SUSHI.
Love it.  Love sushi, love sashimi,  el-oh-vee-eee LOVE IT.  I also love PEEPS, those cute little marshmallow chicks that get better with age (and dryness) YUM.  I even  have a technique for eating Peeps "properly" which I will share with anyone who wishes to be enlightened.   (Warning - the first bite is not for the faint of heart.)

It was with shock, delight, surprise and laughter that I found the website Serious Eats offered up the funniest, most creative (and frankly, delicious)  PEEPS SUSHI that I have ever seen, heard of, or dreamed up.  This is for real, and it is so colorful & creative - it made me laugh out loud.  Enjoy - I think I'll do a little series on the art of PEEPS!