I love PINK!

That's right. I love PINK! Love it in all shades, patterns and textures. Pink always makes me smile. :-) Thinking about the upcoming quilt retreat makes me smile. :-)

I have been thinking about what I will work on at the retreat. I definitely want to make something "springy" that weekend so I am taking along the strippy blocks (11-1/2" squares) that I made last summer from the fabrics you see in the picture. Dana of Red Barn Quilts shared the project and I got a good start on it. Then I had those back problems and sitting at the sewing machine was not possible. I set the project aside and now with spring just around the corner, I think it's the perfect thing to take to the retreat.


I'm hoping to have time to start a new project, too. :-) I found these fabrics (photo below) at JoAnn's a couple of weeks ago. I loved that polka dot and found some fabrics to go with it. When I first saw the pink polka dots, I was thinking of making it up in a pattern that I had seen on-line. Then I thought about another design and now I have a third idea in my head. I will probably change my mind again but once I cut into the fabrics I need to make sure that I have plenty of choices. That means that I had to buy a couple more fat quarters and 1/4 yard pieces in those pretty pinks and greens. I've also pulled pinks and greens from my stash. I think I have plenty of choices now. Somehow, I am going to incorporate those lime green heart buttons into the quilt. I like lime green, too, only not quite as much as I like pink.


So, why do I like pink so much? There's a story, of course. :-) I've already talked about how much I like music and I love to sing. My Grandma Goldie was a big part of my love of music but there was another lady who inspired me. Her name was Mrs. Parr, and she was my grade school (elementary) music teacher. She was the teacher that when someone asks......"what teacher had the most positive impact on your life?............ I never hesitate to answer "Mrs. Parr". She didn't teach just grade school music. Our school was a small town public school (in the 1950's-1960's) and so, she was also the high school music teacher, too. And that meant that every year I was in school, from kindergarten to my senior year in high school, I was blessed to have Mrs. Parr for my music teacher. Her committment to teaching us how to make beautiful music was just amazing. Especially in light of the circumstances in her life. She was widowed young, when her husband who was a State Patrol officer was killed in the line of duty. Teaching music, and raising her daughter, were the things she loved and.............she loved pink!
When I was was a freshman in high school, I began to take private voice lessons from Mrs. Parr and would go to her home for the lessons. Her house was easy to find........it was pale pink. Most every room in the house was pink, even the kitchen had pink accessories. Her living room was decorated in pretty pink upholstered pieces and there were lovely pink and rosy colored china on the shelves, and oh, so many pretty pink things in her house. Now here in my own house, I have a pretty pink bedroom full of pink and rosy colored china and knick knacks and flowery things. And every bit of it reminds me of Mrs. Parr! I love those pleasant memories. :-)

So, now, tell me............who is the teacher who impacted your life the most? I would love to know!

Sandi


A little edit here.....I typed this earlier and couldn't post it as we lost Internet access. I think our rainy weather and the heavy fog has something to do with that. This happens frequently when fog rolls in. It is really wierd to look out at all the snow on the ground and then hear heavy rain falling on the roof. As you can probably imagine, spring flooding is going to seriously affect a lot of cities and towns in the Midwest. I wanted Spring but I don't like to think of people being affected by the floods.

Music to my ears.........

I love music. I am so glad that I can hear music. I love to sing and I am often whistling (sometimes I forget and start whistling in church!). Perhaps it is the Irish in me and some long ago ancestor who passed along her singing genes, but I cannot live without music. I think my Irish heritage is where I get my story-telling genes, too, and there's a wee bit o'Scottish blood in the mix, too. Then there are my quilting genes and the quilt in this photo is an example of the "genes" my Grandma Goldie handed down........
I love the colors in this quilt and the handstitching. I am thinking of my Grandma Goldie today because this day would be her birthday. She passed away several years ago, but I still mark her birthday in my calendar each year. While she made the quilt that's in the picture above, her real gift was playing the piano. That's how she met my grandpa. The story goes that he wanted to get to know her so he began taking piano lessons from her when she was 16 and he was 15. My great Aunt Elsie told me that story and said it was so. :-) My grandma played the piano for church for over 50 years! During that time she played many times when my sister and I would sing for church suppers or bridal showers. So many of my quilting and music memories are tied together that it is hard to seperate them. Recalling Grandma as she played is "music to my ears".

And with thoughts of music and the fact that St. Patrick's day is coming up in just a few days, I have something special to share...... There is a chance for you to listen to some lovely Irish music if you live in the area of Mankato, MN. I've mentioned Amy Korteum before but let me introduce her again. This is Amy, on the harp, and her musician friends who are playing beautiful Celtic music............more "music to my ears"!

Yes, they are playing in the great outdoors but this was taken last summer when they were the featured artists at "Music on Main" held in downtown Henderson, MN. :-) You all know it's March and here in Minnesota there is still a lot of snow on the ground! I can remember how beautiful and lively the music was, Amy's sweet voice as she sang those folk songs........and her wonderful laugh!!! If you want to know more, go here, and you can check out Amy's website and even listen to a bit of her music. You'll also see where she will be playing in the next few weeks. I wanted to go the concert this Saturday night but I am not going to be able to do that. Instead, I am planning to go to her solo harp concert later this month. If you live nearby, you should really go and listen to her music. A testament to her talent is the recent award of a grant that she was awarded from the Minnesota State Arts Board. She will be visiting Ireland this summer where she will be playing and studying at a traditional harp festival and also participating in private instruction and competitions. It is a well-deserved honor! And that's no blarney!

Have a good day all!

Sandi

New work space and a hot tip!

I mentioned recently that I have been moving stuff around in my sewing room and think I finally came up with a better arrangement for my sewing machine workspace. I am a messy project person with fabric all over the place and I have oodles of "projects in progress". I like to have them nearby so I can grab a project and work on it, if the mood for that project "hits me". :-)
I used one of my 4 x 8 utility tables and I made a cover for it. I wanted something utilitarian but also something pretty. :-) The "rose hearts" were the symbol I used to use on my business cards so I added them just because I like them. :-) This is the table before I put my sewing machine on it.............

and here it is when the table is all set up for sewing. And what's underneath? ....... lots of "projects in progress" and my supply of rick rack, bias tape, and a bin full of zippers. I really like this arrangement.

I have tried several tables and desk set-ups for my sewing machine but none worked as well as this one does. :-) Before I rearranged and set up the table, you can see my cluttered work area behind this clothesrack in the photo below. Yes, it's a good thing I rearranged. That's not what I want to focus on, though. Take a look at the rack..............

I have never seen a rack like this one but it's one my dad bought at an auction. The only time I use it is for displaying quilts at our library quilt shows. I decided it needed "new life" in my sewing room! One of the things I realized as I rearranged my room, was that I really needed some way to keep fabrics handy for projects that I am currently working on. Otherwise, I seem to be pulling fabrics for a backing or something and making a mess. This way, I can place pieces on the rack and see them at a glance!!!

Before I brought the clothesrack up to my sewing room, I cleaned it really well, and then........ I added the trick that will keep those rods from leaving marks on my fabric. I covered the wooden rods with heavy duty aluminum foil! That's right. The foil is a barrier to the acids in the wood!! I also cover wooden closet shelves with heavy duty foil. It's a tip I learned at our local historical society from then Curator, Megan Schaack. Several months ago, I asked her to verify the info for me again which she did and even double-verified it by asking Bob Herskovitz of the Minnesota Historical Society if "aluminum foil really is a barrier for wood". He replied......."Yes, it's absolutely OK. The foil is impenetrable for acid fumes/vapors from the wood. " So there you have it...............the best tip I can offer you to protect some of your favorite linens, quilts, etc. I've even used the foil to line baskets and boxes that will hold quilts and blocks in progress. :-) I know it works as I have used it for several years now. Prior to using the foil, I placed cotton flannel on my wood shelves but that doesn't work. I have discolored linens from the wood oils that seeped through the cotton and/or the tissue. I also wrap my really old vintage needlework magazines and patterns in foil before placing them in my dresser drawers. I just put a label on the package so that I know what is in it. I figure if it works to preserve linens, it can't hurt and might protect the fragile pattern pieces and pages. :-)

You will see in the photo above, that Kaiser the Wonder Beagle has found another use for my "fabulous fabric rack". He likes to sleep with his head under something and decided this was like a tent so he laid down to take a nap under the fabric. His nap only lasted as long as it took me take this picture and then I shooed him back to my sewing chair. :-)

Good Monday to you and hope this is the start of a great week!

Sandi

A "springy" Sunflower..........

So, do you get the "springy" part of this post? Yep, it's the bedspring that is the basis for this pincushion you see in the photo below........
note: photo and project shared with full permission from Mary the original designer


The idea was inspired by Mary Flanagan in a tutorial that she shared on her website....just click here. I'm a member of the Crazy About Pincushions Group and one of the members posted the link to her site. I thought it was really cute but I had no bedspring. Tammy, a fellow member who lives just an hour away, brought me a bedspring last summer. I spray painted it green and it sat on the TV in my sewing room for six months. Finally, in January when the snow and cold were driving me crazy, I got out the wool I knew I wanted to use and started creating. I am going to show you how I made my version of Mary's Bedspring Pincushion. Before I do that, though, I want you to know that I contacted Mary and have her permission to share this with you. She was very pleased that I had asked her permission and responded with a nice note and said......"Please feel free to post your version of the pincushion and fly with it........this is my original, but it was certainly influenced by some other thing I saw on a bedspring that was not a pincushion." So with Mary's permission, I will show you how I made this little sunflower.
First of all there are no patterns needed but you will have to use your creativity and remember that no two flowers are alike so if one petal is shorter than all the others, who cares?
What do you need?
You need a bedspring. If you can't find one at a thrift shop or in an old boxspring, check out an online upholstery supply source and order one. They aren't very expensive, so go for it. :-)
You will need wool in greens, golds, browns, etc. Just grab a pile of stuff from your stash or go to your favorite shop that carries wool and you will find just what you need. You could also order from Mary's site!!
You need pencil, paper, sewing supplies, sharp scissors, thread, etc.

To begin, you will need to trace the circle that is to be the top of your pincushion onto paper. This is the pattern for the wool circle that is needed to start your pincushion. Using your paper pattern, cut out the wool circle from your color choice and glue it to the top of your bedspring so it looks like what you see in this picture...........
Next, cut a strip of green wool for leaves that is 3-4" wide and approximately 8" long. Exact measurements are not necessary in this project! I made a zig-zag cut right up the center of that strip. You will end up with two strips with points and you can sew them end to end into one long strip.
Take needle and thread and sew a running stitch along the straight edge of this piece. You will see that it is gathered at one end although I am holding it so that you can see how the piece was cut............

At this point, you may choose to use a hot-glue gun to secure the leaves to the pincushion edge.
I chose to stitch the entire pincushion by hand. You can see that I used pins and secured the gathered leaf strip to the rim of the bedspring.

And in the photo below, you can see that I have stitched the leaf strip in place.........

The next step is making the sunflower petals. Cut a strip of wool approximately 8" wide and 14" long. You will use a method similar to how the leaves were made. I made a rough draft petal pattern from a 4" wide strip of paper and you will need to make your pattern for this. You want the petals to be different sizes and shapes, so just think back to grade school and pretend you are working with construction paper and white paste. :-)

In the photo above, my paper pattern is pinned in place...........and in the photo below, you can see that I have cut out one section and that I am ready to trim up a second section. Note the position of the paper on the second set. You don't want the second set of petals to be quite as long as the first, so make the second set about a 1/2" shorter.

As you did with the leaves, you will sew a running stitch along the straight edge of the petal piece. Gather until the petals are just the way you want. If you have too many petals, just cut one out. Not enough, just cut more! Position the first set of petals, then pin, and stitch in place. Then add the second set of petals. And you can glue them if desired.

Cut one circle from your choice of wool to make the pincushion center. I used a saucer from the cupboard as my template. :-)
You also need to make a circle that will serve as a base for the pincushion center. Trace the center area of your flower and then cut a circle from heavy cardboard.

You can use cotton or poly batting for the center of your pincushion. If you wish to use dried walnut shells, stitch up a little pouch filled with them and then cover with your wool circle. I used poly for my project. I wanted this pincushion for purely decorative purposes. I don't plan to actually use it so I don't need a product that will keep my pins sharp.

Sew a running stitch around the wool circle for the flower center.

The photo above was difficult to take. My husband was out-of-town, so you can see that I am trying to stuff the center, gather the edge and take the photo. Get someone to help you with this part, even if you aren't trying to take a picture. LOL!

When the pincushion flower center is stuffed and gathered over the cardboard, secure it with a sturdy knot!!!! Stitch or glue the flower center in place and you will have a finished Sunflower Pincushion just like this...........

I would like a whole garden of these and if I just change the color and the shape of the petal, I could have zinnias, marigolds, pinks, blue bonnets, wild roses and more!!

This was so much fun to make, that I heartily recommend it! A HUGE THANK YOU goes out to Mary for the inspiration for this project!!

That's all for tonight, even though I'd like to share more. It was a very busy day! We enjoyed a great anniversary celebration in my Yahoo Wooly Buddies group and this is posted for all of my friends there but I hope you will have fun with it, too! I got good news at the doctor's office regarding my back issues, and ........ I won something really cool ..............tell you more soon........time to get some sleep......

Night all!

Sandi

Anniversary Celebration for Wooly Buddies!

On March 4th, 2008, I took the leap and started "Wooly Buddies". It's my Yahoo group for those who enjoy making penny rugs, doing wool applique, rug hooking, anything that has to do with wooly fibers! I can hardly believe that I have had the group two years.
When I first started it, I had almost no idea what I was doing. I often had to ask questions of my son and luckily had a couple friends who also hosted groups that kindly gave me help! This Friday evening, we are going to celebrate with some wooly fun in the group but I am also going to share some of that fun here on my blog. :-) I'll be posting a tutorial on Friday evening that I think you will all find fun and, of course, there is a story that goes with it because there is always a story connected to everything I do. LOL! Just like the poster below............

I've shared this photo before but it fits with this post so I'm using it again. My dentist gave it to me a year ago this past February. He's like lots of dentists who have posters on the ceiling of their offices. I always enjoy looking at them. I mentioned that I really liked this one. I told him it reminded me of my "Wooly Buddies" group and that we were about to celebrate our one year anniversary. He's heard me talk about quilts and penny rugs with Dana, his hygenist, so he understood what the group was about. When he finished taking care of my filling, he offered me the usual pack of gum.......or would I rather have the poster?! Well, I took the poster, of course. So now, "Ewe need to be patient" and I will be back with a tutorial that is going to have a bit of a "spring" to it. See you again on Friday evening............

Sandi

A hint that spring is near.......

And what hint would that be?...........Jelly beans and bunnies, of course! When I was at the grocery store just last week, the shelves were stocked with an array of jelly beans, Peeps, marshmallow eggs, bunnies, chicks and Easter baskets. It would put a smile on any one's face!........even this funny bunny!
And he's a bunny with a secret but he's going to share it with all of you! Pssssst......listen carefully........there's going to be a fun giveaway at the end of the month. That's right! You won't want to miss "Hoppin' down the Bunny Trail and a visit to a whole bunch of Good Eggs!"
And who are these "Good Eggs"? Well, there's Pat and Pat, and Mary and Mary Grace, Jacquelynne, Sue and Anett. Then there's Gene and Debi, Kaye and Barb, Cleary and Connie and Arlette. We are all bloggers in all parts of the world that have connected through blogging!
I gathered up these good eggs because each one has enriched my blogging journey in some way. I went back to when I first started blogging and made a note of those who posted a comment or helped me learn the ins and outs of blogging or who just extended their hand in friendship. With that list in hand, I sent out an e-mail to a couple dozen bloggers and shared my idea for a "little hop down the bunny trail". I got positive replies from those that are participating. Some replied that they were not able to participate at this time. I didn't get a reply from everyone I sent the info to and that might be because some who were sent the message said they received it as Spam. So let's say, you might have been one of those people out there that I might have sent that message to and that I would count as "Good Eggs". It would be fun to have you join this little "hop down the Bunny Trail". If you think you'd like to join us, here's all you have to do............

1. To "hop along", just send an e-mail to me at stitchinglegacy@gmail.com . Then grab the button you see on my sidebar and post it on your blog. Note.....you must send me an e-mail to participate and I need your blog link so I can add it to the list of participants. Also, if you comment here, please leave an e-mail or a link to your blog. If there is no way to contact you, I cannot notify you if you win!

2. The giveaway will run from March 24th to March 28th. There will be just five days to "hop down the bunny trail" and visit all of the "Good Eggs" blogs. The post that you do for your giveaway should be the only one that you have to do for this event. All comments should be gathered on that one post and a winner drawn from those names. You may set your own times between March 24th and 28th for when you will take comments. Please note on your giveaway post if you are willing to mail international.

3. You'll need to select an item you wish to giveaway. It doesn't have to be anything big or fancy. Just make it something fun and springy, sweets, treats, a pattern, fat quarters, etc. It's been a long winter here in the U.S. and many other parts of the world, too, so a little springtime fun is what you want to offer. It can be an Easter themed item or spring fat quarters or anything as long as it doesn't have anything to do with snow!! You can also share a funny bunny story or a good egg story when you post. :-)

4. You will be responsible for mailing out your giveaway item. U.S. packages will probably reach winners before Easter, not sure on International.

5. I will take "Good Egg" names for the next dozen days..........which means that March 15th is the last day you can send me info and be added to the "Good Egg" list. I do have a limit of "Good Eggs" that I will take and that number is 12 dozen......you know, think back to math, it's a "gross". There may not be that many that want to participate but I'm not taking any chances since I will be typing the list and posting links to all participants from my blog. :-)

Now you need to know which one of the "Good Eggs" that I mentioned above is the one who inspired me to do this little event. That would be Debi! She hosted two great events the first year that I started blogging and I participated in both of them.........."Fall into Fall Giveaway" and "Whirl into Winter" Giveaway. I know that many you that read my blog came my way because of those giveaways and I am so happy about that. I've had lots of Giveaways since then and there will be more. In fact, ................... I thought a giveaway might be fun right now! If you would like that funny bunny and his armful of jelly beans......Lemonade, Key Lime Pie, and Berry Smooth......then just leave a comment on this post and this post only. If you can guess what his name is, please tell me and if you are right, there is also going to be some really good chocolate sent along with the funny bunny and his jelly beans. I'll draw a winner for the bunny and the beans on March 15th. So go now, and leave a comment if you are looking for a "hint of spring"!!!

It feels like spring here in Minnesota as we are having temps in the 40's which is even warmer than the weatherman predicted. Awesome! Have a great day everyone!
Sandi

Please note........this little "jelly bean bunny" giveaway is just to get you excited about the "hop down the Bunny Trail" later this month when I'll have something really fun and springy for our "Good Eggs" giveaway!!

Happy Birthday Wishes........

to my sister, Judy!! I think she must be just a few months old in this picture and it appears she is none too happy for some reason. Our mother, Mary, doesn't seem too worried and I am looking on as if she is just the sweetest little thing in the world. And she was and still is. Have a great day, Judy!
As I look at that photo, I am amazed at how much my own daughter looks look her Grandma Mary. I'd love to have that couch that we are all sitting on although if I remember right, it was pretty to look at, but a little scratchy to sit on. LOL! My mother did my hair in those ringlet curls and as my sister got older, she did Judy's hair in ringlets, too. It's so much fun to look at old pictures! As I was looking for a special photo to post for Judy's birthday, I found one that I will share of us at Easter. And speaking of Easter, I've got something special coming up that will keep you all hoppin'!! More on what that might be in my next post.

Have a good day!

Sandi