For the Love of Journaling

Do you keep a journal? I do, I have for years. Back at least twenty five years ago I read The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron and began the habit of "morning pages", although I don't subscribe to that discipline as strictly as I used to, I do still find that putting my thoughts down on paper first thing every morning helps me clear my mind and to organize my thoughts and plans. I have always used simple, garden variety notebooks, nothing fancy, to continue this habit. Sometime before Christmas last year I stumbled upon an Instagram post by Simply Eilene, a crafter who explained the simple way that she gathered fabric strips, leftover batting, a hair tie and a button to create lovely covers for dime store composition books. You know the style of books that I'm referring to.
The beauty of these is that the covers are reusable! Brilliant! I quickly pulled together the supplies (had everything on hand) and made a stack of these as Christmas gifts for friends.

I added a pen and a few Christmas sweet treats, placed them in clear cellophane bags and sent them off. Time marched on over the last few months and I remembered, when I was writing in my dog-eared spiral notebook a few weeks ago, that I was planning on diving deep into that strips and strings bin and making more of these cute journal covers for others, plus one for myself! 😉

I created the dark red one at the top of this post and these over the course of the next few days, they've all been gifted. The recipients seemed to love them! But, I still didn't have one for myself.

Until yesterday. 🍓 Using the stitch and flip method and a 45° drawn line onto a scrap of batting I sewed strip after strip until I'd covered the base. I trimmed it up, cut 4" off one side (to add the hair tie into a seam) and then machine stitched binding on each end using a contrasting fabric.

At this point I laid a composition book open on top of the backside of the cover and folded those ends in and over for size. I attached a few Wonder Clips to hold the ends and added the top and bottom binding in the same manner as the short ends, stitching it all into place by machine. 

At this point I added my notebook by slipping the covers into the pockets on each side, closed it up and pulled the elastic tie onto the front to measure for the button placement. 

Voilà!  

My own journal cover sewn from strawberry prints that I've been hoarding. Once I began making these and had pulled all the necessary supplies onto the worktable it took me about an hour start to finish for each one. The only hand sewing involved is adding the button. If you're looking for a quick and easy gift you might want to consider this idea. I've made a few of these for children and have placed an unruled notebook inside so that they can illustrate their pages unhindered by lines. In fact, I'm going to switch out my new cover to an unruled notebook as doodling and drawing can only add to the depth of my morning pages; these can also be utilized as project books and/or planners; my journals also have endless "to do" lists. My new cutie-patootie notebook won't be gathering dust, rest assured. 

Life is Good!

It's April, No Foolin'

It's April, and it seems to me that this month has arrived quick like a bunny, don't you think so?

Well, if you agree with me that time is rocketing forward you might not be surprised 

to learn that our grandson is visiting colleges this week. And that's not an April Fool's joke.

Seems like he was six years old a week and a half ago. 

Life is Good! 

Island Runner

You saw that title and thought that I might be engaging in a physical challenge at an exotic location, didn't you? Ha! Nope. But I am challenging myself, to use up all of the 1.5" scraps out of the precut bin. After finishing "No Scrap Too Small" last month I decided to keep on using up those itty-bitty four patches that have been assembled, L-E* style, over the years. 

Here's the design plan that I came up with, using only fabrics that are in the stash for setting. This will become a runner for the kitchen island. It will serve as one giant placemat when seated there for meals. The overall finished dimensions are 113" X 17" (it's a long island); slowly but surely this is gaining length. Am I in danger of running out of these itty bitty scraps anytime soon? One would think so... but I can't see the bottom of the bin yet! I'm assembling the runner as I add more wedge blocks to the kaleidoscope quilt on the design wall, more L-E sewing, one thing leads to another, and SEW it goes.    

Life is Good!

*L-E: In sewing, particularly quilting, "leaders and enders" are small fabric scraps used to start and end a chain of piecing to prevent thread nests, conserve thread, and ensure a clean seam. Sewing this way conserves thread, is more efficient and, for me, I stitch up entirely different projects while working on others at the same time.

 

Grab A Fork!

Are you looking for something fun, creative and easy to do (little thinking required) in your spare time? If so, grab a fork: a LUCET fork and a fiber of some sort (I'm using red yarn) to start creating a simple braided cord. I'm hoping to use this to trim out the strawberry basket cross stitch that I just recently finished. I expected it to become a pinkeep but it's a little large for that, now I believe it will become a small pillow, hopefully this handmade cord will beef it up a little. My dear friend, Quiltkeemosabe, gave me the fork. I had never heard of a lucet fork before but now know that it's an ancient craft. I watched this video to get started, threaded up, wrapped the fork, and I was off and running; it really was that simple.

Once I had established the rhythm I found the process reminiscent of the old kitting spool from when I was a little girl. I remembered getting one of these in my Christmas stocking and knitting a long, long tube that stretched across the living room! Those tubes were hollow and squishy, if my memory serves.

So, back to the Lucet fork, the braid created this way is tight and solid; it looks like these tools are readily available on the internet. If you've used one of these and created braided cord please tell me how you've used yours, I can see using it as a drawstring or as a decorative tie but I'd love to learn of other uses too. I'll report back once I've actually put mine to use as an embellishment. In the meantime, I'll be wrapping, looping and twisting my fork! 

Stay tuned~

Life is Good!

Holding Fast...

This post is coming to you from the deep recesses of my memory. It's really funny sometimes when you're doing the most mundane task how a distant memory, or a series of them, so vivid, come crashing on through. So, I ordered some reusable carpet gripper strips from Amazon for our kitchen rugs. Augie's nightly games of run and fetch the ____________ (you can fill in the blank~ ball, chew toy, stuffed animal, whatever...) ultimately send the rugs flying out of position; his low center of gravity is designed for fast cornering and sliding; he's an expert. I was sitting on the floor and attaching the strips to the backside of the rugs and I remembered my grandmother hand stitching mason jar rings to the bottom of her braided rugs. She had those rugs all over her home, she made them herself. Her sister, Alma, had a husband (my great Uncle Len) who was the manager of the Homestead Woolen Mill in West Swanzey, NH. 

When the looms would finish a run the end pieces were cut off and pitched; long strips of woven wool in every color and hue, were rendered unusable by the mill. My Uncle was able to collect these and furnish not only my Aunt Alma, but also my grandmother, with an endless supply of discarded strips for braiding rugs. My grandmother had a brown cardboard box in the front hall closet, it must have stood four feet high, filled to the brim with strips of wool. I do recall her sitting and folding those raw edges to the inside as she tightly braided three chosen strips neatly together. It seemed like she had a clamp or some kind of device that separated the strips as they came from the box but I don't have a clear recollection of that. This Mill closed in 1985, my Uncle had long-since retired from here by that time.

This is me at my grandmother's house, I believe I'm two years old here. Check out the braided rug. Rugs like this one, as I mentioned before, were everywhere at my grandmother's house. I suppose those jar rings were grippy enough to hold these rugs fast, she was most likely anchoring them to keep me from sending them sliding here or there when I tore through her house like a wild animal in those days! 

Fast forward to today. Sadly, I have no idea whatever happened to those lovingly hand-crafted rugs that my grandmother made but I'm still partial to the look and style. These machine made versions are the closest I could get. Much to Augie's dismay he can't manage to send this one flying anymore when he skids in for a stop after a game of fetch. Those new grippy strips are holding fast, as am I, to the memories...

Life is Good!

Wedges Gone Wild!

I know, it's been a while. I'm still here... still sewing up a storm. If you recall, from a former post, my latest obsession was the wedge block. Well, I'm still at it with this strip pieced variation. These wedges appear to be spinning out of control! This 16 block small wall quilt measures 28" square right now, I have plans for borders; we'll see how this progresses. Now, back to the scrappy Kaleidoscope block quilt that I was working on before these strips took over! 

Spring is arriving around here in fits and starts. I'm enjoying the longer daylight hours and the warmer daytime temperatures for sure. I dug out my bare-root geraniums that were wintering over in cardboard boxes in the basement and potted them up last week. They're sitting outside and acclimating to new pots and fresh soil, at this time it looks like five out of six have survived to live another season, not bad. 

Spring break from school included some time here with the grands. Lynnleigh is working on her embroidery stitches with her companion who's always eager to share a seat with anyone who settles in.

I finished up this cross stitch last week, "Strawberry Basket" from Notforgotten Farm.; I'm unsure how I'll finish it right now; but, it's checked off the list and I've begun another pinkeep, a smaller one, from Summer House Stiche Works.

In between time: sourdough breadmaking continues, these variations on the theme took over the kitchen last week. I end up giving bread to friends and neighbors as Mr. G and I can't possibly eat all the bread that my ever-demanding starter requires!  I'll be turning my attention outdoors for the next few days as the perennial garden is beginning to show signs of bright green life and needs a bit of cleaning up. 

What's taking up your time and energy these days?

Life is Good!

What Are You Working On?

Mom's been gone for over two months now. The new normal has settled around me. I miss her daily phone calls; she would always lead off our chats with "what are you working on?" I find myself talking to her sometimes, reporting on my latest projects. After her eyesight failed through advancing macular degeneration she couldn't sew anymore and, I believe, that she enjoyed just thinking about, and imagining, the quilts and other projects that were taking on life. Sew, in that context, here are my latest projects completed: shown left, "No Scrap Too Small" has been quilted and bound (those bitty scrap squares finish to 1 inch).

This cross stitch piece, stitching complete, will be turned into a pinkeep soon. 

Summer Sweets ~ Scattered Seed Samplers by Tammy Black

With that one checked off the list this one has been started and is almost done already, 

I'm working on border now.

"School Colors" is now a full-fledged flimsy (60" X 75"). 

Backing has been chosen, it's waiting its turn.

Inspired by this photograph that I found on Instagram...

...these Kaleidoscope blocks are my latest obsession, wedges are taking over!! Those dark blocks on the bottom of the design wall were pieced over 30 years ago. I dug them out and set them together, it is destined to become a table topper. Back then I must've made a wedge-shaped template and traced around it as the seam allowances are drawn in pencil on the wrong sides. Now, I am using Studio 180's Wedge Star Tool to make my scrappy version. I found that I could make 7" finished blocks working solely from my saved precut 4.5" square scrap bins; using them up on this project brings sheer joy. My goal (as long as the scraps hold out) is to piece a top measuring 56" X 63"; an ample-sized lap quilt. I've been pretty driven lately, making to-do lists and sticking to the tasks at hand, staying busy is helpful.

Last, but not least, "Tumbling Squirrels" is under the quilting needle at present, a few more passes and this, too, will be in need of binding. My conversations with Mom will continue. I'll talk to her about my latest idea and I know that she's smiling. From my earliest years I can remember my mother always making something; she decorated cakes for a period of time. She did folk-art painting and was a master of decoupage. She loved crafting all sorts of things from wood when she wasn't sewing. Handmade meant heart-made, she'd leave her mark on items that she'd created: her initials and the year hand-penned within a heart shape. 💗

"What are you working on?"

Life is Good!