Another Loss

Another hand has stilled.  Another thimble put down.  Another empty spot in my heart.  Only two hands left now, mine & Sally's.  4 generations, suddenly only 2.

My grandmother died....but oh how she lived!  That's what I will remember...her life, her legacy.  After almost 98 years, she said it was enough.  She pushed the curtain back and joined my mother who waited for her.

I asked Grannie once which time of the nearly century she lived that she would live over again.  She smiled and didn't even have to think about it.  "All of them....exactly as I lived them the first time.  I wouldn't change a thing."  So many times I heard her share stories and always ended them with "we had so much fun."

She'll be remembered by most as an avid quilter...which she was.  Others will remember her talent with a paintbrush.  Some remember her needlework.  But I like what my brother said....

She was my Grannie and that's all, that's the most important.

The Fat Lady Still Sings

****Update****  My grandmother passed away, Saturday, March 26, 2011.  Thank you for your prayers.*****

My Grannie is a celebrity!  She has been featured on Tennessee CrossRoads, Quilter's Newletter magazine, and several newspaper articles and now......in the Tennessee Arts Commission book, Traditions.

 The pictures from this book are going to be on display at various locations throughout Tennessee for the next 2 years.  This month they are at the Renaissance Center in Dickson, TN, which is very close to our neck of the woods.

Dean Dixon took some wonderful pictures of artists in Tennessee.  It was a joy to watch him with Grannie during her photo shot last year.  I wish I could remember the lady's name that was interviewing her at the time.  They had her laughing and us too as Dean was trying to get a picture of Grannie sewing and trying to understand the concept of a thimble.

Here's a clip from one of the descriptions at the original showing of her quilts for this book:

Mildred Carathers was born in 1913 to a farming family in Taylor County, Texas; but both sets of grandparents were from Tennessee.  Her maternal grandmother, Mary Jane Reeves Forrester, came from Hickman County, while her paternal grandmother, Rebecca Allison McPeak, was from Wilson County.  Both were avid quilters.  True to her artistic roots, Mildred showed an early aptitude for quilting, learning piecework from her mother, Daisy Forrester McPeak, and quilting skills from the local Munsey Needle Club.  Relocating to Nashville in 1941, Mildred has hand pieced many of the estimated 1,000 quilts she has made over her life time.  Her children Eugene Carathers and Frances Lewis (who also quilts) brought the family full circle by moving back to Hickman County. 

 Grannie will turn 98 in May....however, she is not doing too well right now.  Losing her little girl in January has taken its toll on her.  She told me last week that she won't be with me much longer either.

If you could, say a prayer for this quilter that her final days will be peaceful and she will find comfort.

(Oh, if you are wondering about the title of this post.....Grannie always said that the "quilt" show wasn't over yet because the fat lady was still singing.)

In the Beginning....Adam & Eve learn to Sew

Over the past couple of days, I've taught a few ladies how to do something that Adam & Eve taught themselves fairly early in the beginning of time....how to sew.  They took leaves and sewed them together for covering....the first "go-green" family (and also how God taught them a good lesson on choosing quality material or quick and easy!)

Friday night I had 4 ladies come over and some threaded their needles for the first time!  Others were just wanting to have some fun and really work on perfecting their skills....along with helping me out.  Saturday, another 6 ladies came over and we did the whole thing again.  Everyone left with the beginnings of a Nine Patch quilt....granted there was some who fear they might just get one place mat made!

I've put together a slide show for the ladies, of some of the basic stitches and techniques we went over.  And also a slide show of the ladies.






The only thing missing from these classes was the one lady that has been my biggest supporter in every venture in my life...my mother.  She taught me well....I pray that I can teach others well also.  Here's one of her quilts that she made for one of the classrooms at church.

Machine Strip Piecing of the 9-Patch Block

In getting ready for the upcoming class on constructing a Nine Patch quilt block, I have put together a pictorial of my process for machine strip piecing and string piecing.  For information purposes.....I purchased my material (all the floral) in a fat quarter bundle. The solid was bought by the yard.  FYI....a fat quarter is a 1/4 yard strip of material cut in half or about 18" x 22" inches.

Supplies needed: 

• Rotary Cutter
• Cutting Mat
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Thread
• Needles
• Pins
• Scissors
• Sewing Machine
• Iron & board

 I would love any input if this was helpful or not.

View all

Get your own

On Pins & Needles

I spent last night getting my studio ready for the 2 quilting classes that will be meeting at my house this weekend.  It feels good to be organized again.  Sometimes stuff piles up and before you know....chaos!!

When I was cleaning out some drawers, I found a few pins and needles and I needed somewhere more organized for them to go instead of just in a container....so I made some pin cushions.  The yellow pillow was pretty much a no-thinker and works okay...it's just a little big for sitting next to the sewing machine.  The heart is an empty box of chocolates that someone gave my grandmother for Valentine's Day.  It had that cushy top and is perfect for keeping all my packages needles in one place (and it looks pretty on the table).  Then I got a little creative.

The coffee cup was from a presentation I was part of and I had been keeping it on my desk as a reminder....great devotional to go along with it that I'll be posting later at HolyCamp.  I covered the inside of the cup with glue then took some pillow stuffing covered with a scrap of material (no sewing required) and stuck it down into the cup (my cup is overflowing!).

The lid pin cushions are an oldie, but a goodie.  My mother always used one that my brother made her when he was a little boy.  It's really easy too and I wish I had thought of this idea I found on Etsy.  Take a canning lid with two pieces.  I took some of that pillow stuffing and rounded it to the size of the inner lid.  Then covered that with material, pulling it tightly, and popping it into the outer lid.  I glued the material down on the back (or inside of the lid) and then took another piece of material cut into a circle and placed over the bottom (purely optional and for looks).

My grandmother made the two red ones and they were made with the same concept, except using two lids glued together and extra trim to cover where they are joined.  She also put a plastic ring on the side of one so that it could stand up.  We put this one on the Christmas tree, since it is made with red velvet.

Oh....see the basket of material?!  Mother was big into re-purposing things.  This was a meat container (one of those red, plastic ones).  She had several of these that were cleaned and sanitized for re-use.  I didn't much care for a meat container sitting on the table, so I covered it with a fat quarter, (gluing it to the bottom and inside sides), then gluing another piece inside.  I added a piece of trim just because.

I also put together one of my 9 Patches.  I'm still going to add some more applique.  I love the Grandmother Dutch Doll.  I'm thinking a butterfly needs to go in one of the blocks.  This is just a sample I did up with way too many mistakes.  I wanted to showcase the different looks using different sizes of the 9 Patch block and different ways that you could turn it or use it.  This will also be what I use when I start practicing with machine quilting.

Now...I'm on pins and needles as I have 2 days before I teach my first class.  I've got a few more of the 9 Patches to put together tonight.  I'm doing this one in oranges and after looking at the pictures, I realized that I had turned one of my solids the wrong way and had it upside down.  Oh well....maybe no one will notice!

Stitching Together

Sunday has become a day that my daughter comes home to visit and spend the day with me.  Sally pulled out her Churn Dash quilt top not long ago and has been quilting on it.  She tried it with the hoop, but that didn't work for her...neither has thimbles, she went through about 4 yesterday before just giving up on the idea completely.

Adam joined us (he's been a little under the weather) and we pulled up some Netflix on the computer and got Sally hooked on Life on Mars.  I think we watched 5 episodes yesterday afternoon.  The "lady" beside Adam is Sally's mannequin that we picked up at at yard sale.  (The black hat...I made for my mother to wear after the chemo treatments started making her hair too thin to go out in the cold.  She loved it.)  I finally gave Adam one of my sewing machines and a screwdriver and he went to work seeing how they work and cleaning it for me.

He decided to count the sewing machines we have...as you can see from these two pictures...we have several.  Between me and Sally (who took a few with her when she moved) we counted 17 machines.  Okay...I know that sounds like a lot and I'm not really sure that is accurate, and not all of them are housed in my house....and not all of them are functional.  However....we love sewing machines.  I am proud to say that I have my great-grandmothers, my grandmothers, and my mothers sewing machines.

I've started quilting on one of my mother's quilt tops.  It was really hard to finally put needle to her work.  This pattern is a sailboat pattern, turned to make a square.  I love the image that the sails make when they come together.  I guess I got a little sentimental quilting this top.  I dug into my mother's last piecing project and pulled out her thimble, needle and thread.  The center was quilted with the thread that my mother had threaded and placed in her pin cushion.

I also worked on an Iris Grandmother's Dutch Doll block that will be added to one of the contrasting blocks in my green nine patch.  The dress is tacked down and the rest is pined for tacking today at lunch.  She's made with some of Mother's stash.  The block she is on is a 14 inch block.

Now....how observant are you?   From the first two pictures...how many sewing machines can you find?

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things!

Soap!  Yep....it's one of my favorite things.  I use small pieces of soap on my thread to help with threading those super small needles and keeping my threads untangled.  I simply run my thread over the edges of the soap and I'm good to go.  When the soap gets super thin, it's great for marking dark material for quilting.  It comes off easily with a wet rag.

I also love these little rulers and templates.  They are great for marking my 1/4 inch seam allowances and for making squares.  The little pincushion was my mothers'  It's made on the end of soda cap, with a little piece of elastic to wear on your finger.  I usually just sit on the table where I'm working.  The wooden pressing tool is also great for projects away from my iron.  I'm not the best at finger pressing...so this is great.

When I am near an electric outlet, I love my mini-iron (which I've mentioned before, but it bears repeating!).  This mini-cutting board/pressing mat is another favorite that goes with me when I'm taking projects with me for the day.  When I take all these things....it's like I'm taking a mini sewing studio with me.

When I'm at home...I like my little computer set up so that I can sew and watch Netflix's at the same time.  It's also good for watching some tutorials on quilting while I'm at the machine.  I keep a piece of batting next to the sewing machine and that lovely min-iron for quick pressing without a lot of moving around.

And now for my projects that I finished and started this week.   Block of the month for January and February done.  Now working on the March blocks.

I started piecing my 9-Patch blocks.  I did a few by hand and then I started doing some string piecing.

 Now I'm working on some more 9-Patches, 1 inch blocks.  I'm doing another method with those today, but I got all the strips cut and laid out.  This will be Saturday's project.

2 weeks until I teach my first quilting class!!!!  8 ladies have signed up and they seem excited about visiting the quilt shops. I'm pretty excited that I've gotten more ladies excited about quilting.