Take a Risk

It’s good for you.

My mother is a quilter. She makes her quilts to be timeless expressions of a person. She rarely buys what one would classify as risky fabric – modern, batiks, kaffe fassetts, etc.

When I first started quilting, I followed in her footsteps, because that’s all I knew. Like hers, my projects were never dated by fabric prints. I only chose fabric that was unclassified by date. Everything in my early days of sewing would be difficult to link to a certain year or season just by looking at the fabric. Of course, being the risky sewer that I am (I don’t use a scant ¼” in quilting!! Gasp!), this was all bound to change.

I promised my dear boyfriend, Scott, a quilt. I believe I told him that I would make him anything he wanted. He mulled it over for weeks before finally settling on the most challenging project I had undertaken at that time in my life as a sewer: my first quilt pattern, a mariner’s compass. There were no patterns out there to satisfy his request – a sailing-themed quilt with a 50” centered mariner’s compass surrounded by yacht club burgees and nautical blocks. It seemed impossible, but I carried on. My mother gave me a rough lesson on paper-piecing. I sketched out a compass myself (it requires far more math than I had prepared myself for). I used poster board to draw templates for the compass and the burgee blocks (both were paper-pieced). I used a lightweight tracing paper to trace the templates for sewing. Then I bought fabric. I bought the fabric with Scott, because it was his quilt after all.

You should know that I pre-wash everything. It’s a gift, and a curse. While I was gathering the fabric to pre-wash, I noticed that Scott and I had accidentally purchased a batik for part of the two-toned blue star. I was devastated. I called my mom and she told me to throw it out and buy something else! I decided to wash it, look at it some more and then make a decision. The more I looked at it, the more I loved it. It remained as a beautiful compliment to the quilt that broke me out of my comfort zone.

Since then, I’ve taken fabric risks. I buy kaffe. I could live in the batik section of my favorite quilt shop. I collect modern. I love to be the first cut off the bolt. For me, quilting is an artistic expression of a moment. I want that moment to be dated. I want you to look at your quilt and remember the summer of 2011 when Terrain made its debut. Because that was the year you got married, or had your first child, became a grandparent, got accepted into a Master’s program. That was the year you did something so remarkable, you wanted it sewn into memory. And that’s what I want you to remember: your birthday, our friendship, your life-changing event.

So, do something risky. It makes a difference.

Patience from (and for) Sisters

It’s a virtue, you know.

I sort of glazed over my faltering of faith in my own skill. I feel like I owe it to you (and maybe myself) to explain in more detail. I have no patience. That may be a stretch of the truth. I have a wee, tiny, little bit of patience and I almost always misplace it. Now I’d like to take a moment to say words that my dear aunt will relish in forever: You were right, Aunt Debbie. Patience is a virtue!

My lack of patience and my misappropriation of the virtue are almost always my pitfalls in everything that I do. Take, for example, Amy Butler’s phenomenal pattern “Everything Wristlet.” The woman literally writes the words “Be patient and go slowly, and you will get great results.” When I read those horrid words I thought I would never finish that wristlet, and, frankly, my first one looked like shit. My second one looked like shit. My third one looked like my sister had sewn it (for those of you who don’t know, Heather is an accomplished perfectionist, she doesn’t let mistakes hold her back because she just doesn’t make mistakes). Heather is patient with her sewing. She never rushes. Ever. To her, nothing is so time-critical that she should risk making an error. I am her complete opposite. To me, nothing is so worthy of perfection that I should risk late delivery. I can hide my mistakes.

That is the exact reason I prepare months ahead of time for every birthday and every holiday. For this her birthday in August, I’ve made my boyfriend’s sister the Everything Wristlet. It’s stunning. Maybe my best work yet. The red and black print was the first cut off the bolt. It is both classy and modern. I was patient when I made it. I sewed slowly. And the end achieved was utter perfection. In fact, on two separate occasions, I’ve wondered how rude it would be to borrow it for an evening. Or just keep it for myself and make her something different. Or make myself an identical one.

I will probably not do any of those things, although the last is very tempting. The bottom line is I know I should be patient. And I know when I’m patient, my sewing rocks. But sometimes I’m so results-driven I forget that. And that happens to be the case with this Stitchin’ Addiction quilt. So I took a little break, made some cute things for you, mustered my patience and sat back down. I took it one color at a time, one block at a time, one Resees’ break at a time, and I got it done. It is challenging, no doubt, but I’m working through it. Slowly and patiently.

I hope you’re proud, Aunt Deb.

Bribery

Don’t kid yourself, it’s a beautiful thing.

I like to think of Valentine’s Day as a time where people we care about are told how much their appreciated. This is a very lucky thing for you! As Valentine’s Day approaches, I’d like to express my thanks and appreciation for everyone who reads my blog.

Remember when I needed you last blog? And you stepped up to the plate. You sat me back down at that darling, pink Janome and you told me to stitch my heart out. And I did. And it was worth it.

So thank you! Thank you for reading. Thank you for writing back. Thank you for following. Thank you for sharing.

To prove to you how much you mean to me, I’ve decided to have a little drawing and some handmade prizes. Here are the rules (there just there to give you something to strive toward breaking) and the prizes (made with love, of course):

I <3 You! Sewing Give Away

All blog followers will be entered into a drawing. Every blog follower gets an extra entry for leaving a comment. Only one extra entry per person (you can leave a million comments, but your name only goes in the pot twice!). Names will be drawn on Monday February 6^th, winners will be announced and contacted through the messaging system provided on the blog. Once the winners provide me with mailing addresses, the prizes will be shipped.

Fine print: I follow my own blog, but I am not going to put my own name into the hat. I promise.

And now, for the moment you’ve all been waiting for, PRIZES!!!!!!

Prize #1: The small, yet powerful, Zippy Strippy! Designed by Terry Atkinson of Atkinson Designs (that was fun to write), this bad, little bag is full of surprises. What are you going to put in there? Your make-up? Writing utensils? Sewing goodies?

Prize #2: The ever-functional Cash and Carry! Also designed by Terry Atkinson of Atkinson Designs (that was also fun to write), this adorable little zipper bag perfectly holds cash, credit cards, and change. Or you can get creative with it! I use mine for my iPod.

Prize #3: The most practical yet, $5 off your next order! Finally an excuse to request that special something you’ve been eyeing! What will it be??

Now, who doesn't love bribery?

Conqueror of Hand Quilting

Take that you adorable little blocks!

We did it! We hand quilted 40 blocks! Sarah hand quilted like she was born for it!

This was a completely new experience for me. I always hand sew my binding, but I’ve never hand quilted before. I’m not sure if we can technically call it “quilting” since there is no batting in these blocks, but I’m going to do it anyway. In my eyes, it’s quilting. We top-stitched through multiple layers of fabric in a decorative and functional fashion. That’s quilting.

Now, our blocks are in the mail and the time has come to wait.

But, as I promised, I will not wait idly. It is back to the applique for me. I have fused all the designs onto the blocks and it is ready for stitching. I started that earlier this evening, but I’m honestly not impressed. My stitching is not what I would like it to be. Instead of disappointing myself, I’ve decided to take a day of rest. And by “rest” I mean blog about my sub-par applique.

This is a pretty serious blow to my fragile ego. I like to think of myself as proficient when it comes to applique, but these circles are killing me. They’re so small! How am I supposed to satin stitch this!? Oh, the woes of applique. Now I know why everyone avoided this pattern! I don’t mean that though. This is truly an accomplishment for me, even if my applique looks like it was stitched by a blind, epileptic monkey.

Now that I’ve confessed my shortcomings, I will actually go rest. Oh, please send me words of encouragement!

I’ve come too far to give up now!

Walking Away

It’s completely different from giving up.

I’m not abandoning my applique. Not even close. I’ve come so far, and I’m so proud. But sometimes other things come along that take the foreground.

It recently came to my attention that a person very dear to me needed reminding of how much she is loved and appreciated. My aunt often goes without any gratitude whatsoever. After the recent death of her husband of 58 years, she needs her family more than ever. So, we have decided to show her how much we care with a quilt.

While I was up visiting her over the holidays, she showed me a quilt she designed that she calls the “Circle-Square Quilt.” It is literally just that: a circle folded into a square. She pieces by machine and then hand-quilts her work. She is a lover of yo-yo’s and often uses them as embellishments.

While brain-storming the perfect craft to show our gratefulness, it dawned upon us to use her creation. We will use not just her design. We will hand quilt it, and we will appropriately adorn it with yo-yo’s.

We are planning to make each square (from a circle!), hand quilt each, and then mail them off to her family and friends to have them sign words of encouragement, appreciation, and gratitude. While we wait for the squares to return, we are going to screen print a picture of my aunt and uncle onto fabric to use as the center block.

The “we” that I keep mentioning is me and my cousin, Sarah. This is her first quilt, and this is my first time making this quilt, so we are learning together.

We are learning for someone who truly deserves our effort.

Cutting Cornerstones

I cut it!

I traced it! Then I fused it! And then, I cut it! And it was awesome!

As you can tell, I am REALLY excited about this quilt! I have embraced the fact that mine will not be as perfect as the one I saw on display, but I’m going to give it my best shot! This will definitely be a milestone for me as a quilter, and I’m really looking forward to the journey.

When I saw this pattern, I didn’t buy it on impulse as I may have lead you to believe. I really thought about it. I actually left the store, went and got a cup of coffee, and sat and thought about it. I wasn’t concerned about wasting money on a quilt pattern I would never sew – obviously, I have files and files of them. I was thinking about the woman who designed it. I was thinking about what the hell she was thinking creating it in the first place. It’s intimidating. I think a lot of people see it and shy away from even trying. As an aspiring pattern writer, that is one of my biggest fears: publishing a flop. I can’t imagine the time and effort Sandy Fitzpatrick put into designing this, or the disappointment she would feel because people are too scared to step outside their comfort zone.

I don’t know Sandy Fitzpatrick. I don’t even think I know anyone who knows Sandy Fitzpatrick. But if she ever happens upon this blog, I want her to know one thing:

I’m outside my comfort zone, I’m scared, and I’m having a blast! Thank you!

For the Love of Sewing

When I purchase patterns, I rarely do it with intention, because, let’s face it, that would be no fun at all.


Sometimes I buy patterns because I like the quilt. I don’t necessarily want to make it myself, I just want add water to the pattern and have it magically appear. Other times I buy patterns because they look manageable and adorable – like puppies. And, like puppies, once I get them home they pee all over everything until I resolve to file them away under “What the hell was I thinking?”

I saw this quilt in person before I knew you could purchase the pattern. I will tell you, it is absolutely breathtaking. The applique is pristine. The quilting is remarkable. It really makes a statement for the quilters and sewers out there. There are so many quilt patterns that speak to our other hobbies, but I’ve never really come across one that really struck me as an appropriate representation of our obsession. Until I saw this, of course.

Published by Hissyfitz Designs, Sandy Fitzpatrick designed the “Stitchin’ Addiction” pattern. The pattern is not nearly as horrific as you may imagine. Sandy Fitzpatrick has broken it into manageable steps – no, I’m not lying to you. She suggests that you fuse your interfacing and cut out the designs for all the blocks, and then store the pieces for each block together so that when it’s time to sew, you’re ready.

I have all my fabric for the quilt top, as well as interfacing. I seem to be running out of excuses, so I guess I’m ready. I’ve also forbidden myself to buy anymore fabric until I make progress on this quilt top.

So, I’m definitely ready.

Small Projects

The little projects are the warm-up before the marathon.

After the rush to get my Christmas projects done in time, I thought I would take some time away from my machine. I estimated about a month of time to recuperate. I could read the books that have been piling up, organize my pattern collection, clean out my fabric stash. I started with the fabric. The accumulation always seems to grow when you leave it alone for too long. Sifting through the memories reminded me of my favorite projects: the quilts that changed my hobby into a passion, the bags that fueled my creative future. The files of unused patterns begged the question why they remained unsewn. Of course, when given new patterns and old fabric, there is only one thing to do. Just like that my recovery period was over.

I welcomed 2012 with one of my favorite patterns (featured as January’s Pattern of the Month on my website): Amy Butler’s Perfectly Pleated Clutch, and one of my favorite lines of fabric: Kate Spain’s Fandango. The chemistry of the two made me so happy, I made another. And that one made me so happy, I turned the page to Amy Butler’s Everything Wristlet. Although not as effortlessly rewarding, it is still a fun bag – and an essential accessory. Now, mere days into 2012, I have 3 birthday gifts made, and I have my sea-legs back. I’m ready to dive into the next project – the big project.

I probably should have started 2012 with a book.

The Sewer and The Machine

They are inseparable, an idealistic picture of teamwork.

In September, I won a brand new Janome DC2011 from Sew Together in Advance, NC as a prize in the 2011 Triad Quilt Shop Hop. I got the call while I was driving home from work, and I thought it was a joke. Then, when it hit me, I pulled off the side of the road and cried. I had been sewing on a 20 year old hand-me-down Kenmore that my mother had passed along. I had never owned a new machine before.

With the machine, came a class from Sew Together on how to properly use it (another first for me). Over the years, I had learned through trial and error how to make my Kenmore function properly and keep it running. In the class, I learned all the things I was doing wrong. I learned how to clean my new machine correctly, to keep it running better, longer. I learned how to use a zipper foot, how to make a button hole, how to put a button on with the machine! I learned how to use different feet, different stitches, and all of it I learned how to do correctly.

Recently, someone asked me if a new sewing machine made all the difference in my work. I said absolutely not, I am still the same sewer I was on my Kenmore. While that is true, the machine itself has not changed my sewing, the classes certainly have. I have more confidence in my work now. My stitches are cleaner. But the biggest change I’ve noticed in myself is that I enjoy applique. In fact, I’ve come to love applique so much, that I’ve decided to undertake a project which is almost entirely created by applique.

Now, I just have to steel myself for that project.