2014 In Review

I’ve been offline with the business of the holidays.  Every December 31 I find it hard to concentrate.  I spend most of the day reflecting on events from the past year.  I think about things that went well, things that didn’t, and outcomes that I’m simply grateful for, and hopes for the New Year.  It’s like 365 days of ADD wrapped into one 24 hour period.

I’m grateful I’m still here…..that most of my family is also.  The hardest thing we endured in 2014 is losing both a sister and brother-in-law tragically in a motorcycle accident June 1.  We feel this loss daily, with a huge hole in our hearts that will never refill.  Our hearts hurt most deeply for their two boys, and their families.  The days since have been especially hard for them.  But we love them and have done whatever possible to help them through, physically and spiritually keeping them close and helping carry their burdened hearts.  Others left us too……a dear friend to liver cancer in February and another in-law to lung cancer in July.  We survived employment loss again this year…..we’re getting too old for this.  And a car accident in November that left us car shopping after Gary’s car was totaled.  Thankfully he was not hurt badly.

On the up side…….we mostly have our health.  My eyes seem to be the next thing on the list failing.  They bother me daily.  I’ve carved out time this year to work on my art, teach quilting classes, to volunteer thru church.  As you read about on this blog I canned for the first time in years, made jams, breads and baklava, grew veggies in a modest contest garden, made homemade butter, basically all the things I’ve wanted to do for a long time…..but didn’t have time for.  My list of hand crafted things I want to learn is still growing, and hopefully I can share them with you in the coming months.  I learned to live on a whole lot less money, which has been most rewarding.  Aaron and Dan surprised me on

my 60^th birthday….what fun!  I've enjoyed getting to know him.  We celebrated Aaron's first solo show in October.....very exciting.  I also celebrated my birthday with my oldest and dearest friend Kris……..she’s older by two days.   What a blessing!  And my mother still with us turned 94 this year.....we call her the Everyready Battery Bunny.  Amazing!

A small and determined group of quilters gathered back in May exploring whether a guild could be formed in our area.  I’m very proud that we worked throughout the summer and launched the BIG RED QUILTERS GUILD September 22, with 85 members as of today.  Our goal is to share our love and pass on our knowledge of quilting with each other and future generations.  It’s been very exciting indeed.

The holidays had many moments of fun and laughter.  Thanksgiving brought a new guest to our table…much fun.  Christmas Eve church services with our family and neighbors, board games, lots of food (including caramel corn), face painting……just good old fashion simple fun.  I’ve included some pics. 

The point is…….amidst the tragedy and loss I have much to be thankful for.  Those that are gone would want us to celebrate and enjoy life each and every day, to the fullest.  I will try to do that better, and grumble less.

In closing, I wish you and those you love happiness, health and peace.  Be close in heart.  This is where our riches truly reside.

Signing off for 2014………….

Happy Holiday Baking!

I am still busy making Christmas gifts.  I decided to make oven pads for a few gifts.  Pinterest was a great resource for ideas, but nothing exactly ‘stuck’ as being the perfect idea, so I began experimenting.  I wish I was one of those that can use a pattern ‘as is’, but for some reason deep in my DNA, I can’t.  I have to ‘continuous improvement’ the thing, tweaking, adjusting little things until its product perfect, along with the process.

I didn’t want to make an oven mitt.  What I REALLY wanted was to replace the two heavy duty washable terry oven pads I bought from Pampered Chef decades ago.  Throw them in the wash with some bleach, and voila!  They are like new……sort of.  Today they are thin, torn and looking like me…..worn out!  

So I started with a couple concepts I saw elsewhere.  Go big or go home they say…finished this runs 9.5” square.  A tad too big they could slide off, but a good start….you slip fingers into both half triangles and the pad folds around the rack or cookie sheet.  I guarantee this is square, regardless how my camera angle depicts it.

 

Next I reduced the finished size to 8.5” square.  Better, but not exactly where I want to be.  There were two problems……they still could fall off, and working with 2 layers of Insul-brite on the main pad plus 1 for the corner, plus 4 layers of face fabric, plus bias binding made it tough to sew so many layers and keep it looking nice.  You can see that in the examples.  So I kept tweaking……

Here’s the finished model……8.5” square with a 6.5” rectangle to slip hands into.  You can have a blast picking fun coordinates; I used what I had on hand. This holds the pad much more securely while covering your hand so you won’t get burned.  I reduced the Insul-brite to one layer on the main pad, one for the rectangle.  The patterns I found suggest one layer plus a layer of regular batting which doesn’t give you any heat resistance, only more unwanted bulk so I left that out.  30 minutes and you have a really cute hot pad.  

 

Sew……here are the materials needed per pad:

1 – 8.5” square Insul-brite

1 – 6.5”x8.5” rectangle Insul-brite

2 – 8.5” square fabrics

2 – 6.5”x8.5” rectangle fabrics

1 – 2.5”x48” long strip for binding, ironed in half to 1.25” wide

Cutting mat

Rotary cutting ruler

Rotary cutter

Thread

Scissors

Pins

Begin with the 6.5” square first – layer fabric face down, then Insul-brite, then fabric face up. Pin 9” strip of binding along 8.5” side.  Sew ¼” from edge.  Press open, folding binding over raw edge.  Pin in place and topstitch in the ditch to secure.  Trim excess off ends.

Next assemble the main pad.  Layer 8.5” fabric face down, then Insul-brite, then fabric face up.  Temporarily pin 6.5”x8.5” finished rectangle on top, carefully catching all layers and corners of raw edges.  Next pin the rest of your binding strip around the edge of the square making sure to capture all the layers.  The more pins the less shifting you’ll have.  This step is like finishing a quilt, so use your favorite method.  I didn’t get fussy….remember it’s a hot pad.  I left a half inch loose at the top, then sewed around the edge, trimming and tucking the last bit into the loose end and securing.  Trim excess if needed.  Press binding open, then fold and pin binding in place.  Topstitch around entire edge, making sure to capture all the layers inside.  Slip your hand inside and enjoy!

Zentangle Frenzy......

So like you I have been busy, but my sewing machine has sat idle, quietly taking a much deserved rest after a ton of use this fall then a routine maintenance and cleaning trip. Although the sewing side of the studio has been silent, the south side has been a whirlwind…..Sakura pigma micro pens, vellum paper stock, pencils and erasers and blending nibs strewn everywhere.  I’ve been drawing, zentangling to be specific.  Like a wild cat, zeroing in on my target, spending every spare moment of time putting pen to paper.  Zentangling is thought to put you in a ‘Zen’ state of sorts. For me, it’s like I followed the Pied Piper in an addictive trance.  Everything I see I dissect the pattern thinking how can I repeat in zentangle like fashion. My feet hit the floor in the morning, I immediately have a pen in hand.  I had to watch the weather three times the other morning because I was so focused on my drawing.

Some are for Christmas gifts, but most are just because.  The gifts will be matted and framed in black.  Sizes range from 4"x4" to 8"x11".  Here’s a snippet of what the 60 plus drawings I’ve produced since the 16th……