Saturday, March 31, 2012

Get Crafting

Here are 5 reasons why I think you should craft:

#1 It’s relaxing. While you’re out in the terrible December weather, finding a parking place in the chaotic mall only to get elbowed in the face trying to get the last of your Christmas gifts, I’m at home, by the fire, watching It’s a Wonderful Life while I’m leisurely sewing the binding on my quilts for Christmas.

#2 It’s fun. In the hours you spend hunting through stores for the perfect clutch to go with your new dress, I’ve already made one for mine. And it matches better.

#3 It’s green. Once you start inventing, everything is a treasure. And once everything is a potential treasure, you’ll cut your trash in half. Do me one favor – if you start pulling used tissues out of the trashcan for a holiday wreath, wash your hands afterward.

#4 It’s cheaper than therapy. When I have a bad day, I come home, sit down at my sewing machine, and just make awesome. It makes me feel better. It makes me feel like I’m actually good at something, even if the rest of my day suggests otherwise. And then I get to parade my masterpieces all over the internet and get affirmation from the rest of the world that I am, in fact, good at something.

#5 It’s inspiring. Far and away the best part about being crafty is the gifts you get in return. I’m not saying that I do it for the gifts, but I certainly do appreciate them. When someone picks up a forgotten talent to thank me for a quilt or when someone tries something new because I inspired them, I am more proud of them than I am of my own work. And you know how egotistical I am about my sewing.

Now, go get your craft on. Don’t make me tell you again.

Friday, March 23, 2012

A Quilting Tale – Continued

Previously on Life’s Short. Sew Fast. … After four intense months of power quilting, Becky retires her fledgling talent as she sees no reason to pursue the hobby.

Four month later …

In March of 2011, I began planning a baby shower for a coworker and his wife. They were having a little girl. We were trying to decide what to get them in the way of baby gifts, and someone mentioned a quilt. I am in the unfortunate habit of speaking before I think, so I volunteered – completely neglecting my retirement.

The rest of this story won’t surprise you one bit. In the mad rush (I had about 3 weeks to make this quilt) to find a pattern, fabric, and crank this quilt out, I realized that I really like quilting. I really like finding patterns. I love buying fabric. I like to watch the quilt come together. I like imagining what the person will think when they see it, where they will put it, if they’ll think of me when they use it.


I don’t know if the little girl I made this quilt for likes the quilt, or even uses the quilt. But it doesn’t really matter either way. This quilt was a turning point for me. It changed my mind about quilting. There isn’t an end to it. There will never be an end for it. There will always be beautiful new things to create. And I will never tire of creating them.

So here’s to my stubborn persistence! I hope you never tire of enjoying my creations.

Friday, March 16, 2012

#Winning

Not how Charlie Sheen does it though.


Well, here we are. It's Friday March 16th. The day I draw the winner for a quilt! I am currently not at home (I'm visiting with Scott this weekend), and I forgot both my laptop and my camera. So I can't physically show you the quilt that some lucky, lucky person won. But I will tell you that you can see the unfinished project on my previous blog: Sew-cation Day 5, Victory Speech


That's right someone won my personal-best, record-setting quilt made from a jelly roll. Forty five minutes and forty nine seconds. That's how much effort I put into this thing. Of course that doesn't include the effort I put into gloating about it afterwards. That was probably double the time.


And, the winner is - drum roll please - .............. ALYSIA STINSON!!!!


Congratulations, Alysia! I know you'll love it - it's purple and green!


On that wonderful note, have a delightfully crafty weekend, everyone!

Thursday, March 15, 2012

A Quilting Tale

The end of my story.

Today I want to tell you about my last quilt. Not my most recent quilt, my last one. I will always think of this quilt as my last quilt ever, because that’s what it was supposed to be. Funny, huh?

So, we’ve seen my first and most fun, my second and scariest, my third and most perfect. So here is the story of my very last quilt:

In the fall of 2010 it dawned upon me that my parents’ 25th anniversary was fast approaching in December. After some serious brooding about memorable gifts, Heather and I settled on making a memory quilt. That idea was the motivation for me to start my first quilt – as practice. My second and third came because I really needed a lot of practice.

I designed the pattern myself, based off the large blocks on Terry Atkinson’s “All About Me.” Heather and I did some serious stalking and assembled a list of people to send blocks to. I pieced the blocks, mailed them out, and patiently waited for their return. While we waited, I had a large center block screen printed with their wedding picture and embroidered with words of congratulations. I bordered it with my aunt’s silk maid-of-honor dress.


When the blocks returned, I assembled, pinned, quilted, bound and ultimately presented my parents with their anniversary gift. They were touched. My mom cried. And that was it for me. I relinquished all of my quilting supplies – safety pins, my mom’s mid-arm, left over batting – to my mom and called it quits. I remember her saying to me “You’re not going to quilt again?” And I thought, why? Haven’t I done it all?

I made four quilts in four months. That’s pretty remarkable for a new quilter. I made four quilts for four people who meant the world to me. I felt like I had accomplished something. And I felt there was really no reason to go on. So that was my last quilt.

To be continued …

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Three’s a Crowd

That’s why I have to give them all away!

I’m having a day away from the sewing machine. I broke two needles yesterday sewing through thick fabric, so I’ve granted my sewing machine an official day of rest. Of course, for me it is agony because I have so much to do. I suppose I should enjoy not being hunched over a sewing machine though.

Here’s a fun quilt for new sewers. It was my third in a long string of speed quilting. It’s called “A Century of Progress.” I took it as a beginner’s quilting class at Wish Upon A Quilt. I was, of course, the fastest in the class of three. But that should come as no surprise to you since a mere 17 months later I was the fastest in a class of 60.

In the class, we learned how to properly cut with a rotary cutter. Suffice it to say my “cut-measure-crap!” method was seriously frowned upon. I also learned some neat tricks about sewing. At the time I didn’t know what a “leader” was. It’s a small piece of fabric that gets your stitches going before you actually start sewing on your project. Some people call them “spiders” because they have lots of thread hanging off of them, but I like “leader” better. Another fun thing I learned was how to do a partial seam. A partial seam is where you begin to piece uneven sized fabrics and stop part way through the seam. You continue adding to the block until all that is left is the unfinished seam. You close the seam and then the block is done!


It turned out to be a nearly perfect quilt, so I gave it to my little sister, Heather.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Buried

Under fabric, and sewing my way out.

I've been buried under piles of fabrics, and desperately trying to convert them into finished projects. I may be the only person in the world doing this - but I'm working on my Christmas gifts. Between Christmas and birthdays, I sew anywhere from 40 to 60 gifts each year. If I started in November, or even September, I would never finish. For Christmas 2011, I started in December of 2010 and I was still down to the wire with some quilts. This year, I didn't start till January. But I think I'm time-managing better, since I'm not just sewing for myself anymore.

In the lulls between orders, I've been cranking out Christmas gifts. I usually make a grand list right after Christmas for the following year. It's got Valentine's Day gifts (for Scott and April), a year's worth of birthday gifts, anniversary gifts for Scott, and Christmas gifts. Valentine's always comes first because it's usually the most fun. This year, I made Scott an anchor out of wine corks! I made April a journal cover and a hand-sewn, stuffed owl. Then it's on to the birthdays - and oh, do we have a lot of birthdays. I usually try to do small things for birthdays - purses, tote bags - but I end up making quilts for my mom and my sister. When the birthday gifts are done (which they are nearly, except for Heather's quilt), it's on to Mother's and Father's days gifts. I like to go for small and sentimental, or at the very least, practical. Then we have a quick detour for an anniversary gift for Scott before it's onto Christmas!

I love Christmas. I love Christmas fabric. I especially love that Christmas fabric comes out long before Christmas!!

I have a method to my madness when it comes to Christmas gifts. I break my list up in two ways. The first way is divided by family. The second is divided by gift. I give a lot of the same gifts each year. Mostly because people love them, but it's also easier to make 12 of one thing than it is to make 6 different things.  It streamlines the process, and I end up finishing multiple gifts at once instead of just one.

So this week, I finished up my first two quilt orders. I feel accomplished. I really enjoy bringing people's ideas to life. While I'm waiting on the materials for my next five quilt orders to come together, I've been working on my Christmas gifts. Namely several very, very challenging purses that are kicking my butt. They have some intricate details in them and a craftily installed zipper. They're taking far longer than I anticipated, but I'm glad I started now and not in November.

This is probably one scenario where making more at once is a bad idea.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

What’s on Second?

My first ever queen sized quilt, that’s what!

After I finished my first quilt, I decided they would make delightful Christmas gifts so I went on a quilting-spree. My mom sent me a book of patterns for quilt-tops made only from fat quarters. By that time, I was quite familiar with and fond of fat quarters, so I picked out “Turning Twenty Again!” for my second quilt.

I made it for my then-roommate, who had her room done in black, white and pink. The assembly of the quilt was wonderful! The instructions suggested cutting several fat quarters at once, so the cutting was easy. All the blocks were assembled the same, but they each turned out different because of the arrangement of the prints.


My favorite part of making this quilt was the bonding time I got to spend with my cat. While I was trying to lay out the pieces and decide what should go where, she was determined to physically LAY on each piece.

Imagine a 4 month old kitten trying to sprawl out on an unfinished queen sized quilt in an attempt to claim it as her own.