Inspiration

Inspiration can come from many different sources and directions, we simply need to keep our eyes, ears and hearts open to receive. I signed up for yet another Chrismon workshop last month. This one, a three-dimensional angel, can stand alone (literally) or join other figures in a nativity set. This was a much more advanced class than those I'd taken previously but I went for it anyway, thinking "how hard can it be, there's an instructor on site if I get stuck." A friend and I set out on the scheduled day and drove on down the road to Rufty's. There were numerous classes being taught that day, the classes coincided with an ongoing multiple-day Open House event.  As we worked, stories were told around the table and we learned about each other through the common interest: how long we'd been making Chrismons, where we were from, and the like; there were two ladies in our class from out of state, they'd come especially for the Open House festivities. One lady told us that she'd only begun Chrismon making the year before, that she'd already made 150 and that she was self-taught from watching YouTube videos. Well, as if that wasn't inspiring in itself -- she was 91 years old! Yes; let that sink in for a minute! Wow. She traveled from Georgia, with her daughter,  just for the class (she was taking another class the next day too) and staying in a local hotel. She had photographs of the fully adorned Chrismon tree that she'd made for her church and was starting on more for a second tree. 91! Committed to learning a new skill during a pandemic while she was house-bound. Self-taught from YouTube videos. 150 Chrismons in a year.  Yes, I came away inspired and awe-struck at her commitment and determination. As a Chrismon-making newbie I thought that my fourteen were an accomplishment, think again! Thinking gets me in trouble all the time. Remember that earlier thought that I had "how hard can it be?"... well, as I was diligently working, finishing up my beaded angel (above), an over-stressed and weakened wire snapped; her head fell off on my palm, she’d suddenly become decapitated! I was completely distraught (thankfully, being in public prevented a total freak-out moment)! But, our fearless instructor calmly took my piece in hand, reassured me, backed out some of the beads, spliced in a new connecting wire and deftly reconnected her head. My blood pressure s-l-o-w-l-y dropped back to normal. And there it was, even more inspiration, this time in the quiet hope and kind consolation given by a stranger; loving assurance freely given to someone working well above their skill level. Grace. I'll remember this day for a very long time; I have a precious, repaired, angel to remind me of lessons learned way beyond those involving beads and wire. Praise God!

 What's inspired you lately? 

Life is Good!

Lessons Learned

I hope to be a lifelong learner; I pray that I never get to that place where I think I've learned all that there is to learn. My grandmother used to tell me that every day spent without learning something new was a wasted day. Recalling that now, probably told to me when I was Jr. High age, was most likely in response to thinking that I already knew it all!  We kept the grandchildren late last week while their mommy was recovering from an outpatient medical procedure. As enthusiastic Cribbage players, we always have a board and deck of cards out and ready for a game. Lynnleigh decided that it was time to learn and PawPaw was a patient teacher. I love my granddaughter's eagerness to learn something new. This game will takes years of learning and practice for her, but she's undaunted.

Here's my class sample from "Fast to Fancy Freehand Feathers", the longarm quilting class that I took up in Hampton, VA. Our instructor, Bethanne Nemesh, was excellent. I appreciated her method of teaching in a manner that let us loose for stitching, and alternately drawing, in well-timed sessions as we explored a variety of increasingly difficult techniques applied to feathers in quilting. I was especially excited by her demonstrations of body placement and showing us ways to protect our spines and posture while working at the longarm. A friend told me years ago if I ever had the opportunity to learn from Bethanne to take advantage of that; I'm so glad that I listened and that I did!

Last week I was summoned to Jury Duty. My daughter told me to take a book. I am so happy to report that I did just that. This is the third time that I've been summoned but only the first time that I have had to report. My time there amounted to waiting in the jury pool room and ultimately being released to go home. 

Round two of my dental implant saga happened on Thursday. I learned my lesson from round one: plan nothing for the rest of the day after sedation dentistry! I am now the proud owner of a threaded insert. All is well and healing continues. 

I decided to try out Kim Diehl's "chubby binding" method on my latest quilt finish. I happened to have her "Simple Seasons" here but I believe this technique is outlined in all of her books. I had ordered a Clover 1" bias tube maker some time ago and it worked great. This is the second new method of binding I've tried this year-- my bias binding of curved corners happened earlier.

I do like the results of the "chubby binding"; it appears as normal on the front side of the quilt and much wider, appearing as sort of a frame, on the back side as seen here. I have since basted this down for hand-finishing. 

As my "Vision 2020" scrap quilt challenge to myself progresses I decided to stitch up cut triangles that have been accumulating in one of my bins. This is a random block that simply grew under my needle. It has distinct possibilities...

Using a copy, cut and paste feature I photographed the block and combined it with itself in various settings; these are my favorite two, with the dark pinwheel center being the overall design winner. And sew it goes... 

Ultimately we're all learning as we go as far as dealing with the current, ongoing health crisis. We're learning how to deal with hunkering down, what we can live without and daily uncertainty. The afore-mentioned book that I took with me to jury duty is Kristin Hannah's "The Nightingale". If you ever had to stop and consider what, exactly, one can live without; this is the book to point out exactly that! Sure, things might not be as convenient right now as we would like, but what can we learn?

In the meantime, take care of yourselves; be smart and pay attention.

And, above all: be prayerful! 

That's the best and most powerful lesson that I've ever learned. 

Life is Good!

Up next: Moving to the "Finished" Column!

A Cheerful Giver?

Let me share something that I witnessed last week; it's an experience that I wish I hadn't been present for, but certainly it was one hard to ignore and easy to learn from. I had stopped at a big chain fabric/craft store last week, in the early afternoon, for an item that I can't find elsewhere. I encountered an irate customer there who had stopped to buy an advertised sale item only to find that the store had depleted their stock of that item shortly after the doors had opened for business that morning. The clerk was apologetic and offered other, like items, also at a discounted price; but she wouldn't even consider a substitute. She was angry, boisterous and downright rude in her behavior toward the clerk. I was standing in line to be helped, with others; those of us who were waiting exchanged pained glances, it was embarrassing and awkward to be in the presence of this raging customer. But then, she said something that struck me... to the core: "I won't spend a penny more than I need to" she bellowed, "what I am working on is for charity, not for myself, so the cheaper the better!"

"Please, God,"
I prayed to myself on the way home

"show me every day the joy associated 

with giving abundantly and freely to those in need.

Remind me that You love a cheerful giver 

and let me offer my very best at all times 

so that only glory is returned to You." 

Amen.

Life is Good! 

Her First Quilt

Our daughter-in-law had Monday off, it was a school holiday;  she came here for a day of sewing and quilting lessons, she's a teacher (and a very good student). She wanted to stitch a Rail Fence quilt for the new baby using fabric salvaged from a seldom used comforter, plus some added fabric to give it new life! She sailed through the rotary cutting lesson and had a stack of blocks in no time. She arranged her blocks and excelled at the piecing and pressing steps as well. She's a natural-born quilter; I'm predicting that this, her first quilt, won't be her last!

By late afternoon our future granddaughter had a very pretty quilt top;
I love the colors, they're fresh and fun!

What was the most valuable lesson of the day?
Don't wear black when you sew!
Life is Good!

Two Things I've Learned From My Grandson

I have received some valuable instruction from my fifteen-month-old grandson lately, lessons that I am more than happy to share:

1.  The speed-dial setting on my cell phone is not a two button function. What I used to do was press the appropriate number button for that particular contact and then hit "send". That is, until Gregory handed me my phone with a panicked look on his face... Quiltkeemosabe was on the other end! Now I know that  if you press the appropriate number button for that particular contact and keep it pressed down it dials the number too! Ha!! Clever. Thanks, Gregory!

2.  Ritz Munchables Buttery Thins~

Don't. Get. Me. Started.

Thanks, Gregory... I think!...groan.

What's next?

Life is Good!

Show And Tell...

Gregory's wallhanging is done (with his personalizations attached)

and installed in his room: I think he likes it!

I had leftover flannel from the backing, so made him up two small snuggle blankets to match.

I managed to get a little Christmas jumper sewn up for a shop sample at my LQS:

Well, actually, I made one for little Miss Lucy Ann too; while I was at it!

Now... from the "do as I say, not as I do" lessons to live by: check underneath your hoop when taking it on and off your embroidery machine. If you don't you might just stitch through a shoulder tie! Arrgggh! So, actually, I made THREE jumper fronts, but who's counting?

And, as long as we're on lessons... don't pack a bottle of Glue Baste-it in a box (sideways) with all of your appliqué pieces and leave it there for two weeks after you return home from a retreat because you forgot were too lazy to unpack all of your supplies; that is, unless you enjoy the challenge of cleaning up a fused-together, hard as a rock, mess! Yep, it's true. I thought the border was ruined, but after an overnight soak in warm water all the glue had softened and, luckily, it came right off. It lived up to it's water soluble claim. I like to think of myself as a field tester.

Whew!

Life is Good!

Everything I Need To Know...

... about housecleaning I learned from quilting. I've been cleaning house for a LONG time and I only began applying this principle on Friday. OK, so I'm a slow learner. I used to clean one room at a time, in it's entirety. "Why", I asked myself, "was I doing it like that?" I don't put together a quilt that way. I certainly wouldn't cut out all the pieces for ONE BLOCK at a time, sew those together, press them, and then begin on block #2. No, I would do all my cutting, all my sewing, all my pressing, for all the blocks at once and expedite the process. Employing that same technique I attacked my housecleaning with a renewed vengeance. I whipped through all the toilets and vanities first, cleaning and mopping. Then the dusting; ALL the dusting. Glass tabletops followed, and mirrors, done! Finally, the vacuuming, the whole house... in one fell swoop. I was through, and in record time no less! I might be a slow learner but I'm a fast remember-er, I'm not going back to the room-by-room method anytime soon; not after I know what I know now. What other life lessons are there, just waiting to be learned, right here in my own sewing room?

Life is Good!

The Tiny Chiclets Parable

Life is Good! I say that everyday and I believe it, but life isn't always fair. Any parent with more than one child can tell you equal and even distribution of anything is impossible. I have a friend who has attempted, with dogged determination, to make everything equal for her two children. They are now grown adults and she still does the same, to the penny. Our children were raised with as much fairness as is possible, however, sometimes one simply needed more than the other. When that was the case they received whatever it was that they needed; whether it was time and attention, or money. The other one understood that we would do the same for them, if and when there were a situation that called for unequal distribution. I felt then, and I still do today, that this understanding helps to build character and develop compassion for others. I'm reminded of the lesson that my children taught me when they were small. We had rented a beach cottage for a week with another couple, our good friends, they didn't have children at that time. One morning during that week my friend took one of our children with her to the grocery store. I don't remember now if it was our daughter or son who went, it doesn't matter anymore. The child who went to the store returned with a package of Tiny Chiclets, a huge prize! The child who remained didn't receive a prize but, seemed happy and content with whatever it was they were doing at the time, having remained with the rest of us on the beach. Later, I learned, to my shock and amazement that the "remaining" child had flushed the contents of the offending prize package down the commode. There was screaming, wailing and tears. There were insults flung, and hurt feelings, but eventually life returned to normal; whatever that was back then. I have thought back upon this incident many times and chalked it up to 'kids being kids', but it did open my eyes to how perceived favoritism, even for a moment, could either be a devastating or power-full dynamic, depending on one's position. The actual "flushing" act, though childish, was a way of leveling things out. It was one child's way of saying: "You had something, I didn't, and now we both have nothing; we're equal." This was a perfect teaching moment for this parent. I remember talking about entitlement after one child expressed the thought that they should have something simply because the other one did. Over time these children understood the lesson. Now they are adults and have come to appreciate each others successes based on their own, individual choices. I'm baffled by adults who demonstrate the same entitlement mentality that I saw in my small children way back when. I daresay that we wouldn't have constant news stories today about dramatic credit debt and epidemic foreclosures if there was broader understanding of the "Tiny Chiclets" parable. Thanks for indulging me in this "soapbox" moment.

Life is Good!




22. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot.
Try to nip small problems in the bud.
Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try and pray.

Home Schooling

Reality is setting in. Sundance is BIG, really big! She won't be ignored, or put off. She wants to quilt. I want to let her! I brewed a larger than normal pot of coffee this morning and sat down with the manual; let the lessons begin! This is the hardest part... all I want to do is make a "sandwich" and practice right away, but I'm well aware that time spent learning about, and getting to know, the machine NOW will be well worth it in the long run. Plus, there are important things to locate, starting with the on/off switch! There's also a DVD to watch: "Maintenance Guide and Getting To Know Your Machine". Fun stuff! So, it's home schooling day at Chez Goodneedle, wish me luck!

2. Go to bed on time.
Life is Good!