The Finer Points of Quiltmaking?

I made this quilt for my parents in 1988 to commemorate their joint retirements. They both worked for the town that I was born and raised in; my father for the highway department and my mother as a radio dispatcher for emergency calls at the communications department. I didn't know a whole lot about quilting back then; I had only completed one or two rudiemtary quilts but, undaunted by my complete lack of experience, I thought that this would be the perfect gift. I chose this album block format and decided to hand embroider significant events from their lives up until then in the block centers. I used waste canvas on top of muslin and set to work. 
I continued in this fashion on seventeen of the blocks, listing such momentous occasions as their marriage, childrens' and grandchildrens birth dates, etc.; clear through to the retirement and culminating with a photo transfer of the retirement party invitation in the bottom right block. This was completely hand quilted. Naturally, they loved it and used it for years; they didn't care that it was done by a relative quilting greenhorn, they love me and they graciously held it on to it for the last thirty one years for all that it represents. I was recently reacquainted with it when I visited a few weeks ago.

This quilt is something of a time capsule of fabrics and a reminder of my affection for unbleached muslin back then! I recall using 1/4" masking tape around each square and rectangle to mark the quilting lines and the blue wash-away marker menthod with a stencil for the sashing and setting triangles. One thing that I must not have done was prewash that pretty denim blue fabric!

The bleed-through to the back side is heartbreaking. My mother never told me, she was probably too afraid of hurting my feelings. I brought it home to give it some love and attention. I will attempt to rescue yet another bleeding quilt the same way I did this past summer (click here); I'm no stranger to dye catastrophes.  Oh, what lessons I could teach my 35-year-old self now! But the best is yet to come:

How do you like that corner treatment on the backside of the binding? That was my trademark back then, I would carefully fold the miter on the binding's front side and run a little gathering stitch around the corner as I attached it by hand to the back. I felt very clever. One day, most likely in this same time frame of the late 1980's a kind and patient quilting friend and mentor asked me to sit beside her at lunch during a quilt show judging for our guild. She took a paper napkin and quietly showed me how to fold it so that the miters would be crisp and square, front and back. She had overheard the quilt judge mention in her comments on a quilt of mine that "someone needs to show this lady how to turn a corner with her binding". From that day on I gave up my rounded-off gathering stitch! I thought I might replace the binding on this quilt when I first saw it but have decided not to now, this is a precious reminder (at least to me) of how far I have come over the years. The bleeding will be attended to however, and any necessary repairs will be promptly made. Wish me luck; this quilt makes the now 31-years-older quiltmaker in me smile as much today as the day that it was presented; even though it's rough in its construction methods the amount of love contained here remains. 🧡

Life is Good!

Coming up next: Retreat Recap

Let There Be Light

When you're married to a retired engineer there are always interesting projects going on at home and even more interesting and creative solutions happening!  It was time to change the chandelier in our foyer, the one that's been hanging there for fourteen years was never exactly what we had wanted in the first place, not to mention the fact that the brass plating was turning color. But, how to remove a fixture that's suspended 19 feet high?  Mr. Goodneedle constructed scaffolding, he even clamped the ladder to the platform. I can write about this now because it all turned out to be okay and without injury, but, I assure you, I thought I would suffer a stroke before the chandelier was succesfully replaced!  So, back to the chandelier replacement itself... what, exactly, did we want for a fixture? The retired engineer-turned-woodworker had an idea. For quite some time now he's been keeping the wood lathe very busy. 
Here's the new chandelier, hand crafted in its entirety from cherry wood (except for the innards, the metal conduit and wiring). He added a ceiling medallion while the scaffolding was erected. There's a soft "down light" incorporated into the bottom turned portion of the fixture, I didn't get that in the photo above.

Here is a closer shot of the fixture, in all of its hand-rubbed glory!

Yep, this is it... just what we wanted, lovingly made to order.

Let there be light. And there was light. And it was good.

Life is Good!

The Mouse and The Memory Stick

I was summoned to the basement workshop this morning via an urgent shout, the kind of shout I dread, it rang out carrying the tone that I associate with injury. I flew down the steps to (thankfully!) find my husband smiling victoriously, his foot planted on the bottom of an inverted corrugated cardboard box. "I have a mouse," he announced, "help me find something to slide under the box so that I can move him outside". Once I had regained my breath and was able to analyze the situation, I knew I had just the thing; quilters are always prepared! I brought him a sheet of template plastic, it did the trick; slipped right under the box and contained the "guest" for transport. The mouse has been granted his freedom once again, he must have come in when the garage door was open and was as happy to be back outside as we were to have him there! Hannes was highly insulted that he wasn't called upon as the resident expert; after all, that kind of hide and seek is exactly what God created him to do! " Mouse? Let me at him... I'll find the mouse... I'll get him... I've got the nose for it... Where'd he go? Hey, where'd he go?..."

I had an e-mail from Sony this morning. The memory card for my camera has been received at their repair center and they contacted me with a replacement/repair estimate that exceeds the cost of a new one! I've been given a toll free number to call with my credit card so that they can appropriately charge me and send the replacement. I don't think so! My camera was a Christmas gift, I've had it not even seven months! The card became defective a few weeks ago and I called Sony service. The tech-help guy assured me (during a one hour ,YES!, telephone conversation) that I was eligible for a free(!) replacement and proceeded to list the steps that I needed to take for service to receive the free card. I followed them, every one, in order. Now this. Arrggh! Why, I ask, would I have taken all these steps and mailed the defective card, at my own expense, only to receive an estimate that's higher than purchasing a new one? That's just crazy.

My husband offered to intervene, he said he'd gladly call and talk to the repair center for me.
Wow, that's nice! It's wonderful having my husband at home... first the mouse, and now this.
Update: After another HOUR on the telephone, with three different individuals, Sony has agreed that the memory card was under warranty and will replace it at "no cost" to us!

Customer Service, gotta love it...
Life is Good!

Happy Independence Day!

So far, retirement still feels like vacation. I guess it takes time for all of this to sink in. My husband has never seemed so relaxed, at least that I can remember. Perhaps it's the leisurely breakfasts out on the patio that are to blame; our happy new ritual! Enjoy your holiday, wherever you are and however you're spending your day. At Chez Goodneedle my husband is painting the columns on the front porch and I have a date later on today with Sundance. Please notice that this quilt, "Patriotic Pizazz" is red, white off-white beige and blue; long may she wave!

Life is Good!

A Wondrous, Whirlwind Weekend

It's been quite a weekend. Today's my husband's last day at work, he'll be retired come tomorrow. There was a send off at his office on Friday afternoon, I am still processing all the joys, wonders and blessings of the weekend that started with that event. Our family gathered at a favorite restaurant on Saturday evening to celebrate; it was a happy time to both reflect on where we've been and look forward at the same time. We anticipate sleeping in a bit later each day, gladly planning our own daily agendas together and in just a few short weeks becoming proud grandparents! In fact, our grandson received his very first quilt on Friday evening! Two of you guessed correctly when I asked the question in an earlier post about what would be following "Sugar and Spice" off the long arm. Yep, "Snips and Snails" it was! This quilt was made up from a jelly roll and two charm packs of the softest flannel. The fabrics are from the"Giggles" collection by Moda and the pattern is Easy Breezy by Touchstone Designs from The Little Quilt Shop in Madison, VA. I have a few more things to stitch up for him in the next few weeks, some burb cloths and bibs, and anything else that my daughter needs help with now that his first quilt is done. She and I worked around the kitchen table together crafting birth announcements on Saturday afternoon, what fun that was. Looking back, it was a weekend of wonders, and a whirlwind of emotions... and it's all good!

Life is Good!

Sugar High, Sugar Low!

I make my own Hummingbird Nectar. (Recipe follows...) There's a problem, though. I can't keep the feeders filled. Seriously, I plowed through a 5 pound bag of sugar in just two weeks! The hummingbirds around Chez Goodneedle are jazzed. They're high on sugar and I'm low (as in inventory)! Part of our "getting ready for retirement" regimen is Happy Hour on the side porch every evening watching the birds while sipping a glass of wine. We were treated to the antics of a Downy Woodpecker the other evening. I think he liked it here, he invited his friends on over to join him for a feast of sunflower seeds... a Cardinal and a Chickadee. "C'mon.. there's room around the feeder for everyone. Don't worry, she'll get more"! Looks like I need to get to the grocery store, my fine feathered friends are demanding it counting on me.

Life is Good!

Hummingbird Nectar:
-1 part sugar/4 parts water
-Boil the water first, then measure and add sugar, at the rate of 1/4 cup of sugar to 1 cup of water.
-Let cool and store excess in refrigerator until ready to use.
-Do not add food coloring, honey (which ferments), or artificial sweetener, which has no nutritional value.
-You will need to clean your feeder about once a week. According to the National Audubon Society, this should be done by rinsing with one part white vinegar to four parts water. If the feeder is dirty, try adding a few grains of dry rice to the vinegar solution to help scrub it clean. Follow the vinegar wash by rinsing three times with clear, warm water before refilling with sugar solution.

From The Sewing Chair...

Hey, guys! It's me again, Hannes. I haven't posted for awhile; my life's been a little stressful lately. Mom's been running here and there, hither and yon; sometimes she takes me with her and sometimes I stay at home with Dad. All of this activity is bothersome to say the least. Yesterday and the day before she stayed at home all day... it was heavenly. I stayed right here in my chair and she sewed sweet, soft things for my little nephew-to-be. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I like the staying home part, I'm not quite so confident that I'm going to like Mom dividing her attention between us when the baby arrives; that's what's worrisome. In less than two weeks now Dad will be home all day, every day. I may be dividing my own attention; maybe I'll spend mornings in the workshop or in the garage with Dad and afternoons in the Studio, I haven't quite decided yet. You know, I may even go to the Capital City now and then to see the little nephew, I hear he has an abundance of stuffed animals. Someone's going to have to check them out to see if they have squeakers inside, right? (That's my special talent!) It's the least that I can do!

Life is Good!

And One More Thing...

... that can be added to the ever growing list
of life changes that are afoot for 2008!

My husband will officially retire, again, July 1.
All the more time to spend with that grandbaby!

Life is Good!