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Inspired

3 Nov

by “Elm Creek Quilts” the book series by Jennifer Chiaverini

I photographed each quilt from my stash.

These were gifts from paternal great grandmother as well both paternal and maternal grandmothers.

  • Crazy Quilt by Great grandmother Mandy Hall, very elaborate embroidery
    Crazy Quilt by Great grandmother Mandy Hall, very elaborate embroidery
  • Log Cabin by Mam-ma Tuggle
  • Grandmother’s Fan by Mam-ma Tuggle
  • Flower garden
  • Pink Dogwood by Mam-ma Hall
  • Dutch Girl by Mam-ma Tuggle
  • Butterfly by Mam-ma Tuggle
  • Flower garden (unknown quilter)
  • Double Wedding Ring (unknown quilter)
  • Bow Tie (unknown quilter)
  • Scrap Bag (unknown quilter)
  • Mom's silver thimble
    Mom’s silver thimble

This thimble collection is a great pairing with personal quilt collection. It is is combination of utilitarian, simply pretty, souvenirs, even local election thimble “give-aways”. I found Mom’s silver thimble. 🙂

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Mask you say…from a bandana?

6 Apr

The possibilities…for starters:

My stash of 24…all washed and ironed!

Cowboy style?  Perhaps with red or blue ones…not tie dye, pink camouflage, commercial or holiday.

I like the idea of having one around my neck and quickly pulling it up over nose and mouth.  A triangle fold make for at least 2 layer coverage, if not 4 layers with another fold.  Recommendations are to wash after each use.

My favorite application for bandanas is a drawstring bag.  I made one in Girl Scouts kept it for years.  That one was inspiration for birthday party favors in the 90s (before digital photography).  Check out this post by

 

Upcycled Bandana DIY Drawstring Bag

 

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She Wood Know

4 Dec

New Year’s Resolution!  2020 Woodwork Project

Check this out:  Creative, Functional, All Skill Levels, Event space for parties.  Launched February 2018.  Brownsburg, IN

https://shewoodknow.com

Owner:  Mary Perrin, former school teacher, wife and mother of three

Featured in this month’s issue of Avon Magazine, a Towne Post Network Publication

Products made on site include:  Dining tables, desks, sofa tables, shelving, media centers, home decor, creative kits…

 

Other news from Atlanta Greenbuild Expo:

 

 

 

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This corner of the yard

15 Aug

has been reserved for compost of tree, shrub and yard debris for years.  The black compost bin in the background hasn’t stayed together even with a “zip tie” fix.  Time to shop!

Found on Amazon.com

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0085O6NXQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The cylinder in the foreground has an open bottom.  It was unrolled and secured with three plastic pieces that work like a key and lock inserted in slots.  The size is adjustable.  It is possible to expand the circumference an additional two feet.  Also, I could go smaller.

Last summer between kitchen, garden and yard waste, we yielded about 200 pounds of compost which we used at our remote garden site (future post).  We are on track with another 200 pounds…Eight  repurposed  cat  litter  buckets  filled (20 pounds each).  Two  more  to  go!

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From Houzz: Inspiring spaces for crafting

31 Jan

 

Outstanding examples of lovely work spaces!

I especially like the weaving room.  It is so important to have a way to showcase projects.

At home with Elfcroft, I sew solo.  My sewing room also accomodates knitting, needlepoint and legacy projects that may not make the finish line…

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Coincidence? Mini Libraries

3 Dec

I saw this tweet the same day I finished stocking a library cart for the barn we inherited from my father-in-law.

I found a stainless steel 3 shelf cart with rails in the barn.  We kept his books on WW2, hunting deer, bees, tree and bird identification, playing craps, a couple of 1995 issues of PB mag (PB does not stand for peanut butter :), investment and music books from the 1920s.  The chair (not much on looks) is by a window.   Perfect!

Mini Rolling Library, In Memory of Grandpa

….So like the  little library in the cemetery honoring the deceased, our little library cart holds content dear to its former owner.

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Dirty job: composting

27 Jun

Yard compost bin

Yard

Kitchen compost bin

Kitchen

 

Compost bins

 

 

 

 

 

Composting is both a dirty job and “Black gold” to enrich vegetable garden….this season’s yield…200 pounds!

For eighteen years, I have used a three step process to mitigate the slime and smell of kitchen waste.  This year I added a fourth step.

  1. Compost kitchen and garden waste (very slimy and smelly)
  2. Compost yard waste (primarily trimmings of perennial flowers).
  3. Add kitchen compost to yard waste = black gold
  4. Top off with ashes from fire pit for enrichment

All gardening starts with dirt.  Yes, it is less expensive and messy to buy compost by the bag at garden centers.  Homemade is better.

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What a relief!

16 May

definition

in relief:  1 Art carved, molded, or stamped so as to stand out from the surface.

Found solid black due to tarnish.  No indication for type of base metal.

Leonardo DaVinci’s “Last Supper” cast in copper, 10″X5.25″ with stand for table (not for wall mounting).  From:  Charles Frazee estate.

 

noun:  1 a feeling of reassurance and relaxation following release from anxiety or distress:

https://www.wikihow.com/Clean-Copper

Check out How to Clean Copper method No. 6

Ketchup

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Support of hospice care with prayer shawls

18 Apr

The season of Lent concluded Easter Sunday as did this project offering prayer shawls for hospice care ministry.

The challenge using this bulky acrylic/nylon yard from my stash is that all the edges rolled!  I am grateful for the knitters who have posted instructions for “blocking” on the web.  This solution required some trial and error.  These small shawls got straightened out.  I will avoid buying bulky yarn in the future.

 

 

 

 

One more thing!  I had this nice “satchel” style bag…marketing material from an exposition.  Well…It occurred to me that a large appliqué (from my shower caddie project stash) would cover the advertising.  It is just the right size to hold seven folded “blocked” shawls.

Well…I meant two/three more things.

Last month, I was introduced to the pattern for these caps.  Two of them now belong to long time friends who are undergoing chemotherapy.

May God bless everyone during these difficult times.

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2017 Recycling solution from sewing room

7 Feb

2014, I purchased flannel fabric in one to three yard lengths.  Each Days for Girls International kit includes 8 reversible, tri-fold, flannel pads.  My strategy included sewing pads from 8 different colors and patterns for each kit.  By year-end, I had over 30 types of remnants.   Variation due to cutting, shrinking from washing and fabric width created a significant amount of remnants in strips and block shapes.  I recycled these scraps into two light weight blankets.

In the three years since the original post, I tightened my strategy on purchasing flannel to reduce the waste (given my experience with shrinkage and end of bolt pieces).  The most significant change was to buy 4.5 yard lengths.  My 2017 striped flannel piece represents is a reduction of over 75% scrap.

Stripes

2014 pieced flannel strips, 18 fabrics in 18 different widths

2017 flannel recycling

2017 flannel recycling

 

 

 

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