Move Over, Make Room

For the first time in a very long time I sat down yesterday-- and stitched; on my brand-new, inherited, vintage Singer 301.  After lovingly oiling her this past weekend, and adding some motor lubricant to the teeth of the gears, she purrs like a kitten and makes a most impeccable stitch. It took me all of, hmmm... let's see, ten seconds to get used to the sewing posture for this one. There is a knee-lever which controls the (mounted inside the cabinet) foot pedal; for the last twenty-plus years I have been sewing on Berninas where the knee lever controls the presser foot up/down. I adjusted quickly to the change. There is a handy little cross piece along the inside bottom of the cabinet on which to comfortably rest my foot. I adore this machine, I have named her Ruth.  When it was time for me to bring her home to live here my husband innocently asked: "where will this machine go?" I answered, immediately, "in the sewing room, of course." "Is there room?" he continued. "I will make room" was my reply.  And I did. I have two other cabinet machines situated in the center of the room.

This picture is from ten years ago, when Mr. Goodneedle built this three-part table for the machines and storage. It is well used and much loved.

Ruth and her first real project since arriving at Chez Goodneedle, a pillow case for Ryan's Case for Smiles.

Ruth entered this space quietly and graciously, she fits nicely right in front of the window and gives me a wonderful view of the bird feeders just beyond the side porch. My other machines haven't been one bit jealous of Ruth's arrival, they have deferred to her senior status; there's been no pushing or shoving for top-dog status. This relationship is one of harmony and cooperation.

The comings and goings just outside the window, at the finch feeder on the other hand, are the exact opposite. These pretty little birds are quite aggressive with one another vying for a place of their own at the table. They could learn a lesson from Ruth if only they just peeked inside, there's room for everyone to coexist peacefully, if they would only wait their turn.

...and we just keep buying seed...

Life is Good!

Embracing November

Lynnleigh and her long-awaited
 Sanksgiving pillowcase!

It's November; that month that somehow gets the short shrift. Yeah, sure, there's Thanksgiving but that has become sort of a brief pause sandwiched in there between Halloween and Christmas. It's high time to celebrate and embrace the month of November and all that it entails; let's take our sweet time for the next thirty days and not rush the season! Lynnleigh was the one who reminded me a year ago of the importance of this "in between" time: I had made her and her brother, and their cousins, Halloween pillowcases for the month of October. Shortly after that I found some really cute Christmas fabric and was planning another set, for December. Lynnleigh asked her Mommy: "am I getting a pillowcase for Sanksgiving?" By that time it was too late to find turkeys (but I remembered). Originally, I hadn't intended for this to become a pillowcase-of-the-month club, but somehow it morphed into that; the grandchildren love their pillowcases and it's been fun for me too. Don't worry, of course there are more turkeys winging their way to the Capital City right now!

And so, on this first day of November I am going to begin a gratitude list and declare those things for which I am most thankful. Today I give thanks for improved health and appetite for my mother-in-law, she has recently been transferred to a rehabilitation facility; she has significantly improved in the past week, I am deeply grateful for the many, many prayers on her behalf. 

I am thankful, too, for Sanksgiving.

Life is Good!

 

Road Trip Time Out

Mason- Grade 2

I'm leaving the "Road Trip" posts temporarily for back to school photos. You knew that had to happen, right?

Lucy Ann- First day of Kindergarten

Gregory- Kindergarten first day

Gregory- first school bus ride home; it was a success!

Our babies! Where has the time gone? In honor of that auspicious day that rolls around every year at the end of August, Nana created each one a special back-to-school pillowcase of their own.

Also for that "first day" our small quilt group rose to the occasion and produced fifty three fabulous nap blankets that were delivered to the pre-K classes at the local elementary school that we adopted some years ago. Each child in three classes there will choose their very own nap blanket to snuggle with all year and keep forever when school dismisses at the end of the year.

Lynnleigh returned to pre-school again this morning. This face! As I told her mother, if her father had put on a sad expression when he was this age, to protest something he didn't want to do, it didn't faze me, he did it anyway; I was immune to emotional manipulation. But this one? If I had been at her house this morning I would have swept her up in a big hug and allowed her to stay at home! That's what God does when he creates grandmothers! Awwww... I pray that she's smiling again now.

Life is Good!

The EPIC Road Trip installments will resume again tomorrow. 

Get ready to hop back in the car!

It's A Wrap

"Summer Breeze", completed earlier this month, is ready for gifting. I went to the store yesterday intending to buy a gift bag for presenting the gift. I didn't like any of the available offerings and changed my mind about purchasing a gift bag at all. I came home empty handed. I looked at the quilt, neatly folded and thought: "how can I wrap you?"  Then it dawned on me-- Summer Breeze needed a pillowcase of its own!  I had scraps left over. This afternoon I stitched up the perfect, at least to my thinking, gift bag! Not only is it useful, but it matches and can be the ideal storage container when the quilt isn't in use. I believe this impromptu wrapping idea to be the most excellent complement to a quilt gift. I have a feeling this won't be my last.

It's a wrap~

Life is Good!

What Is Ministry?

I am blessed to be a part of two ministries that have nothing to do, necessarily, with a church in particular. I always believed that the word itself, ministry, implied the church. My understanding of the word is broader today: I think of it now as service to others; of meeting a specific need. Webster defines ministry this way: "a person or thing through which something is accomplished". So, what ministries am I referring to? Nap Blankets, for one. Our local quilt guild supplies nap blankets to the schools that offer a pre-K program. There is a criteria for the schools that offer this program: 75% of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch, these are children in need. The Bee (small quilt group) to which I belong has adopted a school, we have committed to providing three classes their nap blankets (45 students) for each school year. The little ones choose their blanket on day one and they nap under it all year and take it home forever on their last day. Suffice it to say they LOVE their nap blankets-- and our Bee loves making them.

The second ministry I am blessed to participate in makes pillowcases for children with cancer. I couldn't be more grateful to have a LQS which supplies the classroom space and the fabrics! We gather once a month to make cute, colorful pillowcases to lift the spirits of hospitalized children and to brighten their otherwise grim and clinical surroundings. 

This pillowcase maker has just begun sewing again after a thirty nine year hiatus from her machine; she did a fantastic job! What ministry have your sewing skills brought you to-- right here and right now? Even if you might not think of a local project as a ministry, it just may be that. We ARE the church, no matter our background, our denomination or where we sit on Sunday mornings. Know that God is calling all of His children to take care of each other today-- right where we are.

Luke 12:48 -- "Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required..."

Life is Good!

How Do You See Spring?

Spring is in full swing here in North Carolina, how do you see spring where  you live? I stitched up some spring pillowcases for the grandchildren last week; each one illustrating a different aspect of the season. Mason's is all about soccer while his sister's is loaded with ladybugs. Gregory's pillowcase salutes the opening of baseball season and Lynnleigh's has spring chickens happily dancing all over its surface. I hope they love them. In the meantime I led another workshop at my LQS to teach pillowcase making for Ryan's Cases for Smiles; between the four of us there we contributed eight bright and cheerful pillowcases to this worthwhile cause that brings emotional support to children struggling with devastating illnesses and hospitalization. I use the same method as outlined in the website above (click: Get Involved/ "Sew A Pillowcase") to create the personalized pillowcases that I give as gifts; the "hotdog" method. Instead of serging the edges, or zigzagging them, I construct mine with French seams; ensuring all edges are completely finished and will stand up to many hot water washes and spins through the dryer without fraying or falling apart. If you would like to create some personalized versions, like the ones pictured at left, I have created this step-by-step photo collage outlining the proper positioning for name placement during the construction process. 

That's it! So, now you know how I see spring when it comes to sewing. 

When it comes to nature it might just be the return of the brilliant blue Indigo Buntings to my feeder!

Life is Good!

Cases For Smiles

There were lots of smiles yesterday afternoon at my LQS. These wonderful ladies gathered together for a few hours to stitch up bright and cheerful pillowcases for children hospitalized with cancer. We used this pattern included on the website Ryan's Case for Smiles. I am SEW grateful to my favorite quilt shop for donating space and supplies for this worthwhile project... just think of the smiles-to-come generated by this generous and loving act of kindness! 

Life is Good!

 

Pillowcase Love

Pillowcase Valentines for my littlest loves... sweet dreams ahead.
Life is Good!

Look What She Did!

Last weekend I made four Christmas pillowcases for four special little ones in my life. When I showed them to my daughter in law she suggested that we personalize them using heat-transfer vinyl and her new toy, a Sillhouette Cameo electronic cutting machine. I have no idea how these work but she's been busy creating all sorts of terrific iron-ons and labels. When I arrived at her house she had the names all ready and they were done and ready to go in a mere few minutes flat! I plan to go by and watch her create some of these transfers soon; right now it all seems like magic to me! The kiddos received their pillowcases when they were here for Thanksgiving, I hope they will lead to only restful sleep and the sweetest of dreams.

Aren't they great?

Life is Good!

And Suddenly...

...just like that, it's NOVEMBER! Wha-a-a-a-at? I know, right? Today I am busily trying to catch up on my Bible Study blocks, this one (the buggy block, left) is representative of my efforts to get myself back on track. The sewing machine has been gathering dust as the cookie adventure has accelerated. Stay tuned to see what's new in that arena for this week coming up , my plans are exciting!  In the meantime, I'm humming along in the sewing room... making up for lost time. Looking back, I did accomplish a lot this past month, but was woefully negligent about blog posting; sorry about that! A few weeks ago I had several items to machine embroider for the grandchildren only to learn that the security key which allows access to the software program (on my laptop) had become corrupt!?! Thank goodness, my LQS was super helpful in contacting Bernina for me and getting that key replaced, for a moderate fee, without my having to upgrade to the new version which would have been a considerable chunk of change! I'm perfectly happy with the older version (it takes one to know one!), since it was still available, and was able to complete the task to the happy delight of both Nana and the little ones. Whew, crisis averted!

October saw personalized aprons for Lucy Ann's art party...

... four special Halloween pillowcases for four precious grandchildren...

...four pumpkin placemats for our own dining table... (Framed Seasons pattern by QP Quilts & Co)

...Snowbird and I teamed up to quilt this black and white beauty for a friend...

...and last, but certainly not least, the ongoing upholstery project that Mr. Goodneedle and I are working on together. When we started this we asked ourselves "how hard could upholstery be?"; now we know, it's hard. But, we're nothing if we're not determined and tenacious. This project will be  completed!

 On Friday this past week we took the youngest grandchildren and visited a friend whose daughter's horse had welcomed a new little one only six days earlier!

It was a beautiful day to create a totem pole!

And, one last parting picture to bid adieu to October. Lynnleigh (with her minion jack o'lantern) last evening dressed as Milli from Team UmiZoomi. Have you ever seen anything cuter? I know I'm prejudiced, but really... have you? I didn't think so. Now, it's time to finish adjusting the clocks back an hour. Yes, suddenly it's November! Bring it on...

Life is Good!

A PC Kind Of Day

Is it PC to report on the results of a very successful sew-in day? It is when the PC I'm speaking about is pillowcases! Mom and I turned out eleven a few days ago.  She made three pillowcase sets and I got creative and made personalized sleep-over pillowcases for each of the grandchildren as well as one for ConKerr Cancer, the generous organization providing pillowcases to children being treated for cancer. The pattern is available at the link above. How many can you make? I'm betting you won't be able to stop at one!

Life is Good!

Pillowcase Project

"Can you help the youth with a project to sew pillowcases that will be donated to the children's hospital?" she asked; "of course I can", I responded. I had no idea about the project or what I needed to know ahead of time to be of any assistance when our Director of Student Ministries posed the question to me a few weeks ago at church. All I knew was that whenever I have the opportunity to help children with any sewing project it is going to be fun! She sent me a link to this website and I tried out the pattern listed there... I was impressed! It didn't take me long to unearth a few pieces of fabric from the stash closet and stich up this example; the instructions were clear and the result was a well constructed, bright and cheerful pillowcase. The group gathered after worship service yesterday, fifteen children ranging in age from seven to ten years. For most of them it was their first time seated behind a sewing machine; their enthusiasm was contagious! They were excited about the fabrics that they had selected and brought, about sewing and about helping other children; it was a wonderful afternoon.

Check out the link and consider stitching up a pillowcase or two to brighten the day of hospitalized child with a life-threatening condition, it only takes a few minutes; look for a local chapter near you. I know I will sew up many more of these. Better yet, if you're given the chance to spend some time stitching with children, DO IT; it will be the best time you've spent... I promise!

Life is Good!