New article "Rebuilding After the Crash"

[jackie]

Snez...After sewing for 3 yrs. you sound pretty experienced to me!

I taught myself and probably "broke" every rule in the traditional quilters book. But my work holds together, my stitches are even and it's very colorful!

I'll send you a few completed "star" blocks with some of the muslin diamonds. Actually they're really not blocks yet because they aren't put together wih batting/backing. But you'll be able to see how to stitch the points to the hex.

Also the page of materials and instructions and a color copy of the completed quilt (so you can really get a feel for the era this came out of) from the book.

It's a great old book (soft-cover, from the 1970's I think). It's called "SCRAP QUILTS" by Judy Martin and at the back there are about 7 pages of patterns for scrap quilts.

It shows an illustration, patterns that can be photo-enlarged and simple instructions such as "56 blocks set side by side (7x8) make a quilt 84"x96" for example, then you figure out how to do it.

I've never done English paper-piecing, but I'd like to try. The "Flower Garden" with the hexagons must be pieced that way, right?

I'd love to get some "star" blocks from you! I'D get the added bonus of a stamp with TASMANIA" (I hope) on it! I'm strictly an arm-chair traveler and go crazy when I get a stamp from far away. Tasmania is the ultimate in exotic for me!

Almost forgot to ask (both you and Jody) if you guys have MCS - I always pre-wash all my fabrics before I start working on them and might have used fabric softener (and regular detergent) then washed/dried.

I sure don't want to send anything that might trigger a reaction. If necessary I'll rewash the pieces in plain water(?) before sending.

I'm very lucky that I'm not sensitive to fragrances, chemicals etc.....but I know many others are. Just say the word!

Although, strangely enough, I've recently begun to smell (or "think" I smell) weird and off the wall odors!?

Like Cod Liver Oil, burning plastic and SMOKE, lots of smoke! Wonder what that's about?

Guess it goes along with the strange physical sensations I have (several toes might feel wet when they're not, a spot on my back that feels exactly like I've been stabbed and blood is trickling down, or areas that feel like they've been cut/scratched but nothing shows...weird!)

I'll be in touch.........jackie

 

[Jody]

Jackie,

The small pieces sound like the way to go. This all sounds really nice.

It's nice to be able to use your artistic bent and experience in something, and quilting is such a ... comforting thing.

I don't have any MCS to worry about, thank God. Thanks for asking.

I am sorry to hear about some of the weird sensations you get. Chalk it up to the mis-messaging of the central nervous system I guess.

I really appreciate all this enthusiasm for my launching into the quilting world.

 

[Snez]

Thanks so much Jackie, looking forward to the stars and instructions. Hopefully it won't be too much effort for you. It will be lovely to receive international mail.

Sorry to say this but you'll just get a plain old Australia stamp. I can send you oodles of Australian stamps. I do wish they did have Tasmania stamps- many times I do feel we are a country apart. We often call the rest of the country the mainland due to the Tasman Sea that separates us.

I've almost completed my daughter's Grandmother's Flower garden quilt top. I've found English paper piecing for hexagons to be very easy and very accurate- if you go to the Hobbies thread you'll find a link I've posted for instructions. See what you think.

No serious MCS- just sensitive to perfumes and some smells. Thanks for your thoughfulness.

Happy Quilting Jody and Jackie

Snez

 

[Jody]

Thanks, Snez.

 

[jackie]

Jody - Yikes! The newest news re:xmrv (damn...another acronym I've got to remember - my favorite is "ITVS"!) derailed me from my MISSION!

Quilts, quilts and more quilts. Since there's nothing I can do about the new retro-v possibility until my oct. 9, 3:00 pm appointment with dr. chia (if I appear excited/anxious - I AM!).

So its back to the creative world for me. I have the fabric swatches laid out before me like a gigantic paintbox of watercolors - I just stare and stare.

I hope you make the first quilt for yourself. It's pretty darn comforting when you've made it yourself.

A little photocopying, going to wrap up some needles, pins, quilting threads.

I'll send a sheet of vellum in case you see a pattern you want to trace to make a template...and voila!

Soon, very soon Jody.

Not to worry about the sensations. Philosophically, I quess ANY sensation is better than none and this way I know I'm still alive (that mystical line does seem to blur now and then).

I'm all wound up from yesterday so today - I'm going to COOL MY JETS! and ressssttttt...............jackie

 

[jackie]

Hi Snez! Nope, this isn't any trouble for me.

I've already made many of the stars (think I'll need about 346 for the size quilt I want - probably already at about 200).

I used reproduction depression era fabrics along with old cotton shirts I cut up! Oh, and my grown sons underwear that I talked him into giving me when they got all ratty - some of the patterns were perfect, little cars, dogs and boats!

These are the suggestions in the pattern book: "you can cut out and hand-sew each "star" in about 15 min. to 1/2 hour. If you put just one star together (in your "spare" time!?) each day, you'd have this impressive quilt top finished in less than a year".

Holysmokes!...this wasn't written with most of US in mind. I started mine about THREE years ago - I continue on because it's so much fun to sew and it's going to look SO CUTE when I'm finaly done.

I bet you're pretty proud of yourself for nearly completing your daughter's quilt. I just love the look of that pattern - I saw one in a victorian type catalog recently (quite small) and it was going for a ton of money (understandable with the amount of work involved).

I'll check out the link for the paper piecing. I can't remember if I've already mentioned this but do you know who Kaffe Fassett is?

If not, he's an artist- textile, fiber etc. - used to live in the UK, I believe - who designed and made needlepoint, knitting and now is into patchwork quilting.

He has a huge line of fabrics he designed and patterns, too. He uses a LOT of English paper-piecing in his work.

The stuff is absolutely GORGEOUS. Very intriquing geometrics and organic florals and shapes from nature and in a RIOT of color!

I'd like to treat myself sometime (found a source, westminster fabrics, selling for about $9 us per yard but a little would go a long way).

My sister gave me two of his books for my birthday - he's heavy into "tumbling blocks" which make me kind of dizzy to stare at - but I WANT to make them anyway!

Maybe I can photocopy a couple of those pages for you also.

Glad to hear you're mostly non-MCS!

And I'm just as happy with a plain old Australia stamp! Haven't had one in years - have a second cousin in his 70's living in an assisted living home "down there" and he stopped writing me letters a few years ago.

I'm actually pretty worried about him (he was my dad's cousin and all the other relatives are gone now)... I THOUGHT he had been moved to Brisbane - but I'm not sure.

He spoke all the time about the "SALLIES" taking care of him!!?? Pretty cryptic but he WAS a rambler and I never could figure that out!

Wish I could find out about him but he may be "gone" too, now.

I'll send your stuff as soon as I'm able! jackie

 

[Jody]

Jody - Yikes! The newest news re:xmrv (damn...another acronym I've got to remember - my favorite is "ITVS"!) derailed me from my MISSION!


I'm all wound up from yesterday so today - I'm going to COOL MY JETS! and ressssttttt...............jackie

Good idea, Jackie. Rest is where it's at for now.

In time we'll know if there's anything useful for us re: the retrovirus research. We don't want to blow a gasket about it for now.

This is so kind of you. Thanks Jackie.

 

[Snez]

Jackie

Yes,yes...
I adore Kaffe Fassett's line of fabric and all his books - even the knitting is very appealing even though I don't knit. I own the "Glorious Needlepoint" book by him and have created the luscious tapestry pear as a cushion (15 years ago)- it is almost like a painting!

The vibrant colours he uses in all his textile crafts are a joy to behold. I have borrowed all the Kaffe books on quilting from the local library- and have daydreamed and drooled over them.

Like you, I get much pleasure from taking out my fabric stash. I enjoy playing around with them and think of all the endless possibilities and patterns that could be mine.

I have a friend that can easily complete a handpieced small scale king size quilt in less than a year. She is so prolific. I cannot match that nor would I want to. I get excited and am passionate about quilting but I would not want it to consume my life, so I am happy to pick it up when I feel the urge and let it go when other priorities take over (like rest).

So 3 years or more is pretty impressive for a handpieced quilt, particularly if you have other ones on the go plus the challenges of CFS and being a carer.

Looking forward to more discussions on this topic...

Snez

 

[Sunday]

Hi, just wanted to add my praise to the pile, Jody, for your post: it described it so accurately. I've only discovered this site recently - I was crashy and desperate for some relief. Besides treatments that might help me, the company here is so welcome. I'm lucky enough to have friends who are chronically ill (well, maybe it's not so lucky for them), but it is so nice to be in a community of people to whom I do not have to explain my nincompoopiumism. I'm feeling so much now that thing of what happens when you drop stuff.

I'm also very interested to see all this talk about hand sewing, I used to be quite a good hand-sewer though it's deteriorated with time. Never could get the hand of a sewing machine, though. I love it that modern people are hand sewing large quilts, and using actual scraps instead of buying all new materials. That Texas Star quilt sounds beautiful and isn't it nice to be able to make something and see the results.

 

[Jody]

Sunday,

A Praise Pile is a nice thing to have. Thanks.

Aren't these crafters great? So much to learn from them. I'm enjoying them too.

 

[jackie]

Hey Gang! I SWORE I wasn't going to post for a few days....I'm TOAST!!!

So what do I do - I creep on over here, anyway.

But as long as I'm already here I can give praise to Jody for her article!

And...let Snez know I haven't forgotten her and our quilt discussions....AND say Hi to Sunday. HI SUNDAY!

About using scraps (I don't remember if I've previously told this or not?!) - after my Dad died (he had Alzheimers and lived with me) I took his favorite shirt and cut it up into pieces.

It was one of those great traditional pin-striped button down collar numbers - narrow red and white stripes that get all washed out with time and turn that cool "pinkish" color!

Every time I make a quilt I sneak a square of that shirt fabric somewhere on it. And I never tell......my Dad would have gotten a kick out of that!

'night all.........jackie

 

[Jody]

Thanks for the encouragement, Jackie.

Now, go get some rest.