Strings and things

Got fabric???

Waste not want not they say. 

It is so hard to throw fabric away.

My quilt guild receives an abundance

of unwanted fabric. 

And it multiplies in the night!

This was my challenge.

Using one bag of unlovely scraps...

 could I make something lovely???

After inspiration here http://sotakhandmade.blogspot.com

 I began to sew......

Grab a strip out of the bag...Don't think about it too much,

  just sew it onto another piece.

Keep sewing randomly until you have a block of fabric

Square it up to the size you want ... Mine are 12 1/2''

Keep sewing !!!  Learn as you go what you like.

Don't be afraid to experiment.

Perhaps it is not as lovely as the inspiration

 maybe even bit more quirky than lovely 

but it is what it is and

it is now a finished top!

Somebody will find it cozy. 

I would take it on a picnic : )  

Every handmade thing has love sewn into it

whether you like the fabric or not. 

It  makes me happy in an unusual way.

I have made something useful out of nothing.

I looks like a grandma quilt.... I am a grandma.

Perhaps it is the Stripes around the edge adding calm to the chaos.

Perhaps I'm happy because it is simply finished! 

Several of the blocks have little bears as the center.

So I will call this my "Sending you a Bear Hug"  quilt.

It will be a Charity quilt given to someone who needs a hug. 

If quilts could talk each piece of fabric would tell me 

about the person who once loved the fabric enough to buy it.

The best part of the creative process was making these little houses.

 I left the light on in the attic of one little house

 because that is where I sew : )  

This will be the label on the back.

This is not a precise process.... proving anyone ,

YES anyone

 can sew 2 pieces of fabric together

 and MAKE A QUILT!!!

Make it happen.   

Fabric makes me happy!

TaTa

Janita

She sews Strings and other Things.

 Stretching the boundary lines here  : _) 

with color options I have not chosen.

October sewing for me has been focused on sewing for others.

I belong to a charity sewing group 

called 

Helping Hands.

We make quilts out of fabric passed on to us.

It is not always pretty fabric

It is mostly stash that others no longer have a desire to keep.

It is our job to make it pretty.

Once a month we gather..... 

We cut , we stitch, we create

With the desire to bless others in need. 

Lately I have not been able to meet with the group

 as I am usually babysitting my grandchildren.

So I spent some time sewing at home this month. 

I started with a Walmart bag of scraps.

I love scrap quilts others make.

I am a however bit challenged

 with how to make it all work together.

I found some little bear squares in the bag...

and began to wrap them with strings.

Kind of like a BEAR HUG. 

Most of the blocks are log cabin style though a few are 

more creative in using scraps as the larger bits got used up.

For 25 blocks.....

The whole process of this quilt was

If the string fits.... sew it on.

 I tried not to place clashing colors together.

I tried not to over think this.

I tried to love even the unlovely.

It was not easy. 

It is a mix of 

Big Chunks,  medium Strips  and Little Bits.

I did try to make a couple of traditional log cabin blocks,

light on one side, dark on the other....

I somehow felt..." I should" because

after all I was making a log cabin block.

But in the end when looking at the whole quilt

  I decided it created a hole of white

where those blocks were.

I will not do that if I make another. 

Some blocks have have matching strips

others do not.

I have never made a quilt like this and

 I am just going with the flow !

And then I got tired of sewing with fabric I didn't like.

I was starting to doubt the whole process.

Would anyone want this quilt????

I needed a pick me up.  

My string piecing was getting more challenging

as the bits were getting smaller

and suddenly.....

Creativity jumped the curb. 

I made a couple of string  houses!!

And Smiled.

 After all as a charity quilt I will be sending 

BEAR HUGS  from My house to yours ; ) 

(The light in the attic is because I sew in the attic.)

This will be my quilt label on the back of the quilt.

Favorite thing about this quilt is the pops of lime green.

Makes me think of a child  now in heaven who loved lime green.

So Mr.  TJ Goemaat......

I'm spreading some love to a child in your honor with this quilt.

Hope someone finds it to be cuddle worthy.

 And as long as it is a full color fest here....

 Yea for a touch of  

ORANGE and PURPLE!

Happy colors in my life.

Inspiration picture perfect color combo.

Saying goodbye to October : (  

After struggling most of the summer

My Bacopa seems to love October!

Thank you  for all the goodness of each day :) 

Janita

Low tech woman in a high tech world.

I wonder how so many of you keep up with it all??? 

Wow it has been a long time ago since I really posted.   The last time I posted  was in January ...... where there is always a Fresh New start  filled with new motivation to do better and be better.  I was going to try and be FAITHFUL in so many ways.   Now it is MAY and I am not so fresh and motivation seems to come and go. I have been FAITHFUL in a few things but finding it hard to be faithful in all the areas in my life where I need to be faithful.  If I focus on one thing then something else lags behind.  For now getting more exercise has taken over as a priority.   I have been faithfully exercising but it has been hard.  I have let this old body go for way too long because exercise and I have never been real  buddies. I would rather do anything besides exercise.   Are you young?????   Let me encourage you ,  find time to exercise today, tomorrow and the rest of your life.  It may not see important today but  when you are 54 you will be greatful you did not let yourself go.   Stay Strong your whole life long!

FEBRUARY, MARCH and APRIL......I know you were here but how did you pass so quickly.  This is the story of my life; living the days , weeks and months wondering how to slow down time. There are always so many things I want to do  but find I just don't have time or energy to do it.  

This is what has been filling my days for the last 3 months.

EXERCISE:  It's happening only because someone is keeping me accountable.
I have been swiming, riding the exercise bike , and walking.   I am feeling stronger, the old, granny syndrome is somewhat lessened (I don't feel quite as creaky and stiff all the time) and my husband is proud of me that I am actually exercising but the excess weight is not coming off as quickly as I would want so that has been a bit frustrating.   But rather than be discouraged I am fighting on and not letting the fat win.  I am able to swim 20 laps in the pool without feeling like I am going to die!! For me, that is an accomplishment!  And thank you Pat Sloan for your weekly interviews,(listen here) without you and my I-pod  the fat burning miles on the bike would be pure torture.

MEMORIZING SCRIPTURE: 
I have memorized 8 verses in Romans 12 .  Slow and steady wins the race right :)

DRINKING MORE WATER: It is a constant effort to remember.

REACHING:  We are sponsoring a compassion child.  http://www.compassion.com/
I have found it to be enlightening.

Everything else...... keeping my kitchen clean, reading my Bible, OPAM(one project a month)  etc..... I have been on and off the bandwagon... I have not been faithful.  Life pulls me in so many directions daily.  I will Always be a work in progress and will continue to keep trying.  Thank you God that you love me anyway.

sweet little Addilyn Grace

 

 

And now lets have a little fun catching up with photos.

 

 

FEBRUARY.......

addilyn and emmy

I made valentines day pillows for my daughters....  this is how Ariann has hers displayed.  I am a pinterest copy cat..... I created my own pattern.  They were a huge hit with the girls.  I made 4 total.

I made one for myself  :)

I love the ticking back

 

 

 

MARCH....

 

Happy Easter

 

 

 

 

 

 

MARCH....   trying new things.

STRING BLOCKS for the 2012 Craftsy BOM

 http://www.craftsy.com/class/The-Craftsy-Block-of-the-Month/50

 

 

 

SPIDER WEB BLOCK

Made mine mini.

 Lets just say it was a learning experience. 

I am not totally happy with it.

  I tried to conserve on fabric and the star is a little puckered. 

 From a galloping horse no one will notice so it will be used in the quilt.

I tried to make others and they didn't exactly turn out either.

I forgot one minor point in the directions when I was marking my lines to sew on.

I didn't allow for the seam allowance.  OOPS!

So for now I am not planning to make a big quilt in the

 spider block pattern any time soon.

I like the look but I am a bit frustrated by the process.

 

                                    

 

The little blocks are my little oopsie- daisies

 

You can see the seam allowance is a little chunky.

Which makes the webs overlap a bit.

And I've still got puckers :(

 

I wanted to use 4 little spiderweb blocks together in one block.

 Looks like I'm going with plan B! 

Might use them on the back or in the border as cornerstones.

 

 

These are the blocks I have made so far.

Jan, Feb, March

 

 

APRIL ...... UFO Busting

 

I finished the top of a charity quilt.

I hope they like penguins..... cause there are some in this quilt. 

Unlovelies turned lovely. Anything goes.

Fabric is donated to my quilt guild.

I started this a couple of years ago.

(So much more fun to start a project and much harder to finish Projects)

I think I might be a Queen Candidate for UFO's :)  (Un Finished Objects)

 

I decided it was time to clean out the sewing room

and get some projects out the door.

SO......HURRAY for a finish!

I designed the lay out.

Used lots of charm squares.

It fits a queen size bed.

 

and Now it is  

MAY.....

Unbelievable!!! SNOW!!!  That was a first for me. 

Thankful it didn't last long.

 

 

Stay tuned for tulips!!!!   HURRAY!

 

Thanks for stopping by :)

Janita

 

 

  





       

ALL FINISHED! Red White And Blue Denim Debut

"Sleeping Under The Stars" 

 Denim Charity Quilt

The top was finished in 2010

Then life took a stroll through many various trails

 of living with a family,

This treasure got folded up

 and laid in a pile somewhere in my sewing room.

  It was enough that the top was complete.

My attention deficit kicked in

and other FUN projects were started,

and in the very back of my mind I knew

 I wanted to tackle quilting this myself .

That took more than an ounce of motivation

 to push the start button and get started.

This is the second quilt that I have quilted

on my little sewing machine.

I am gaining in knowledge ....

 It is not perfection by any means

but perfection is far down the list of what makes a quilt loveable.

Now THE WHOLE QUILT

 is FINISHED!

And now I am going to overload you with pictures

of all of the

denim glory of this finished quilt.

It is a mixture of Denim, cotton, and flannel.

The back is flannel

It does have batting inside.

This quilt started with

The four corner blocks which were orphan blocks

that  needed a home where they could be loved.

My quilt guild sent them home with me and I was told to

"do something with them"

It was a challenge to make myself work with fabric

that I thought was a bit on the "ugly" side.

BUT now

When I look at the whole thing

I LOVE IT!

so here is my baby creation.......

perle cotton stars

blanket stitching around this appliqued square

appliqued stars and a true blue pocket

  anyone remember "MUDD" jeans?

Tied with perle cotton  for a touch of country charm

and a BOO BOO. 

 I marked the cotton blocks with a lead pencil

and then decided I did not want to quilt circles

 in those corner blocks.

The lead pencil  did not wash out  the best.

The fabric color is now faded  in those squares

from scrubbing ....

oopsie.

Cross hatching here

 just because one or two blocks might be a nice touch

and not make me crazy.

Here is one of the "ugly" corner blocks

  now beautified with the added stars.

(I love the skinny bars quilting in the border.)

Quilted stars matches the star blocks on the back.

Back of the quilt

Does anyone in america not love stars and stripes together?

loving .....loving......loving.....

 wondering how am i going to give this away????

stars and stripes

swoon.

pretending it can stay here....

I hope it is loved where ever it finds a home.

I think any child would love it.

I love it.....

and i am making another one for me

(and my grandchildren). 

  YIPPEE!

This quilt does not have a pattern  it was designed by me.

 Quilting was done with my walking foot

because that is all I know how to do. ; )

If you stopped by

I'd love it if you would

say hello down below : )

Hope you are staying cool on this summer day!

happy sewing trails to you!

Janita

linking to.swimbikequilt 100-quilts-for-kids-link-up