Tie-Dyeing Fun and a Milestone!

What a fun weekend we had! Lucy Ann spent a few nights here with Nana and PawPaw, she was eager to complete the sewing portion of her quilt top from a few weeks ago; we had big plans to tie-dye the back for that quilt as well. In anticipation of this activity I ordered a tie-dyeing kit from Dharma Trading Co; it included everything needed for good results at home, this was a first time experience for both of us. 

We read all the instructions through and Lucy Ann chose the effect (spiral) of tie-dye that she hoped to accomplish. 

Along with a prepared-for-dyeing extra-wide length of fabric for the backing I had also ordered a plain, white T-shirt for her. Armed with all the knowledge from the booklet, we set up our dyeing area in the garage on Thursday afternoon, it had been was raining, more was forcast, and we didn't want to take any chances doing this outdoors. We mixed up her chosen colors; she was quite liberal with the application. Then, after she was satisfied with her dye-soaked bundles, we wrapped them tightly in plastic and let them sit undisturbed for twenty-four hours. The waiting was the hardest part!

In the meantime on Friday, between virtual school sessions (more on this later, in another post), she finished her piecing. Finally, late in the afternoon, it was time for the big reveal. All day long she had repeated how she "couldn't wait" to see how the tie-dye turned out. I had commented to her at lunchtime that I hoped the results would be what she was hoping for, she said: "Nana, however it turns out will be perfect!". We all need more of that Lucy Ann attitude, she is a happy ray of sunshine.

Finally, it was time! We unwrapped her T-shirt first, and she rinsed it off with the hose. It's hard to believe that those white areas were hidden inside that tightly wrapped, dye-saturated shirt. She loved it!

Then, the backing fabric! To say that this was a successful experiment would be an understatement. Look at her smile! From this point, it was into the washer with hot water and Synthrapol detergent. 

The quilt top is complete and the backing is ready to go. One more weekend for loading it onto the longarm and she'll have it quilted; she is very hands-on and wants to do this project herself, from start to finish! I cannot remember a time when a quilt student was more enthusiastic (or this Nana was any prouder).

Saturday was our sons's birthday, a milestone one this year. Our DIL had a surprise outside for him!

If someone can please explain to me what kind of warp-speed time trick exists that has transported us  from the top picture to the bottom one in what seems to me to be only a blink of an eye, I'm all ears-- how in the world did this happen? I certainly don't feel any older.

One more shot of the newest quiltmaker because the joy on her face says it all. 

💗

Life is Good!

In The Begininng...

The year was 1983. A local fabric store was offering a beginning quilting class and I really wanted to attend. I discussed it with Mr. Goodneedle, we tallied up the projected expenses (how could he know then what would be spent in the years to come!) of that one class and we agreed that it would be my Christmas gift. It was a sampler class; I met the teacher (my dear friend of 32+ years now), bought my supplies and the "book" (magazine) and eagerly waited for that first session. I remember that Ann, our teacher, brought a Maple Leaf quilt to display (in addition to her sampler) and I sat in that class, staring at her Maple Leaf quilt, thinking to myself that if I could ever make anything that pretty I would stop right then and there. Ahem.  I worked diligently on that sampler quilt whenever I had a free moment, at that time we had a seven year old and a three year old, there weren't many of those moments to be had. This sampler was hand and machine pieced and completely hand quilted, lap style. I dug out the quilt and that beginning "book" yesterday, along with my hand-written class diploma; Ann came out to Chez Goodneedle for a sewing and catch-up day, I wanted her to see that I have kept all of these "firsts", the important things that define my life as a quiltmaker. I think she was impressed. This quilt, my very first one, is worth much more to me than money could ever buy. Begun in 1983 and completed in 1985 I can still recall the feeling of pride and accomplishment when I took that last stitch in the binding and knotted off the thread. But even greater than that was what followed: I carried this just-completed quilt upstairs and placed it over my sleeping son who happened to be home from school sick that day. He opened one eye, surveyed the quilt, and declared himself "covered with love". I've been making quilts ever since! I am deeply grateful to Ann for starting me down this road, I look back over these past thirty two years and I cannot imagine what my life would have been like without quilting; the friendships, the adventures, the creative endeavors and, of course, the quilts. They will live on, well past me. I look forward to another sewing and catch-up day next month with my dear friend and mentor, this time we may actually switch on a sewing machine! In the beginning there was a young mother on a tight budget with a deep yearning to stitch a quilt of her own... the rest is history!

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!