FNSI Accomplishment

The evening was full of "Dad activity" because he seems to need more and more attention as the sun descends the horizon, but I was able to simply pick up my needle between calls from his bed and accomplish more than I expected.
I am so glad I chose a relaxing project for my FNSI.

10 in square completed!

I completed my 10" square REDWORK of wild daisies and began the 5"square of four-petaled flowers.
Not bad for an evening, I think!

I absolutely love the contrast of garnet embroidery thread against white cotton in REDWORK! I am anxious to assemble my Notions Keeper and tuck it away for a gift!

My Plans for my FRIDAY NIGHT SEW IN

Drawn pattern for REDWORK

Encouraged by a fellow-blogger, the last Friday night of each month is dedicated to a SEW-IN. I have hopes tonight to accomplish the REDWORD for a Quilted Notions Keeper I am making. Although the photo is light, I think you can see my pattern is daisies and will all be sewn with the embroidery back-stitch. (check back later for a finished look)

My evening hopefully will find me relaxing in my living room recliner, while my weary body rests from my ambitious Fall cleaning. Yup, I've already begun to prepare for the Holidays. A smile is pasted on my face because my oven is cleaned, the cabinets dusted, the cans organized, and even the main walls are dusted down from cobwebs and summer dust.

Fabric Choices

Book Photo of Inner Keeper

It's also been a wearily stressful week in my efforts to care for my elderly Dad. He collapsed over the weekend, and by Monday morning, he was so weak he was taken to Hospice House for symptom management. Although, nurses and technicians took over the heavy work, I stayed at the House with him and emotionally worked through all that would be required now for his care. I happily announce that he is resting in his own bed now, and we've had a couple of more peaceful days. Thank you for all your prayers on his behalf and for my concerns.

So, my friends, please join me tonight in FNSI (http://www.handmadebyheidi.blogspot.com/#)!
Have fun...and let me know what you accomplished on this wonderful nippy Autumn evening!

Credit for my inspiration of a Notion Keeper was found in the book REDWORK with a TWIST by Pat Sloan. My camera captured a photo in my purchased book for your pleasure. 
Pat's blog site is: http://patsloan.typepad.com/quiltershome/contactq.html

Wow! I did it!

Well, the sandwich was ready, the feed dog down, the darning foot attached, the lines drawn on each 4.5" square, and the machine's tension checked.

Now it was time to make the first LOOP!
Practice showed me that I could do it, but this was the real thing...a quilt I wanted my sister to have!

With bated breath, I stepped on my foot control and moved my hands in a steady rate, like I had practiced over and over! One figure 8, turn the quilt and finish the loop with another figure 8!
It was done...and it really looked like it was supposed to look! Wow!

I did it! I really can free motion quilt...and it looks cute!
Oh, thank you, Eva Larkin, for your wonderful book and your encouragement to newbies like me!  

Dreams Become a Gift of Love

Since my last post, I've been wearing out the pages of Free-Motion Quilting Made Easy! I read, re-read the techniques Eva Larkin suggests. Then, I draw them in a journal or practice on 12" squares, which I've divided into 4.5" sewing areas! These activities have convinced me that practice does indeed make machine quilting easier. I won't hesitate to put many 12" squares under my needle before I feel comfortable with most of the book's free motion quilting designs. It has really helped me to think and quilt one small space at a time. My hands are beginning to move in a habitual sway now, which is so encouraging.
I have many more white practice squares, but my projects are need some attention, too!

As I care for my elderly Dad with my Hospice team, my heavy heart waits for updates on a very sick older sister. Knowing how hard it must be to only look at hospital colors and feel their stiffness, I fill my head with dreams which someday, hopefully, surrounds this queen of a lady with beauty and softness. Earlier this summer, I heard of a simple need she had, so I made several moisture proof mats for her hospital bed and couch. Just as I finished and had them ready to package, I was asked to hold on to them. She had fallen several times, alerting medical, and causing a period of observation in the hospital.

It seems she is struggling again with the symptoms of her 27 year old battle with brain cancer.

So, while I wait for the mats to be summoned, I've filled more spare time to add another dream to the package. With the leftover stash of pastel colored flannel fabrics, I cut 5 inch squares and assembled them. My hope is to use the techniques I've learned from the Free Motion Quilting book to quilt a soft feminine throw for the times she sits in her wheelchair or recliner.
Today, I finished the top of this little throw. I used 505 to baste  and sandwich it. This morning, I drew the horizontal and vertical lines in each block as Eva did. This quilting will remain quite simple, but hopefully, I've practiced some easy curves of the LOOP well enough to apply them to these squares.


Dear readers, please pray for my sweet older sister who now needs wisdom and endurance for the very basic necessities of life. Pray that she conquers the spirit of fear and allows her heart to rest in her Heavenly Father's Everlasting Arms as He upholds her and gives her the strength for the days ahead.
Thank you.

She thinks...."I can do it!"

I recently found a real treasure while browsing the shelves in a Used Book Store. With real desires to learn the perfection of quilting by machine, I was excited to find this simply written book of instructions. Showing simple steps for understanding, practice and guidance, I saw possibilities for improving my quilting abilities!
Focusing on the sewing machine, Eva starts with the very basics of tension and stitch appearance. She also instructed me to check my machine for cleanliness, needle condition and size, and thread weight. The date of the last really good cleaning and tune-up assured me that a little check for dust would make my machine ready for practice! With a little brush, lint and dust disappeared from the little pockets of the bobbin case just under the cover plate.

Without much effort, I am learning little tidbits that improve the whole experience of machine quilting.

 Besides the instructions, there are little boxes to highlight suggestions and exercises to encourage practice on each instruction. There is a list of supplies for readiness, plus Eva's favorite products are suggested with tips for what she has found works for her. She encourages a readiness for practice sessions, with 4.5" squares drawn on 12" square sandwiches. I've made a special drawer for these close to my sewing machine hoping that if these squares are at my finger tips, I will be encouraged in many hours of practice before I attempt a large quilt.

Eva encourages drawing the intended designs several times before attempting to quilt them. I bought a graft-papered notebook and carry it around for my leisure moments of drawing and practicing all the designs she inserted in her wonderful book!

The most vital message I carry away each time I read or practice the exercises in this book is: "I can do it!" 
Eva takes every effort to show how easy beautiful quilting can be when the large project is measured in small increments of beautiful stitching within the control of 2 hands being very close to the needle.

My first attempts show a real need for practice. My goal is to give a practice hour each day of sewing with the goal toward the improvement my quilting and stitching by machine.

And I'm seeing ongoing progress and improvement, convincing me over and over again that...
         "I can do it!"
             maybe you can, too!

My favorite movie

                                            There's nothing better than a positive outlook on life! 

To teach a child to find gladness in every situation should be the goal of each parent, teacher, and friend. How different our world would be if raising "POLLYANNA" children was an adult concerted effort in our culture! 

I believe we would see improvement in schools and neighborhoods. Child play areas would be safer and there would be a drop in crime, drugs, and a huge decline in gangs! 

Rather than "what's in it for me?", we would again enjoy the innocent gleam in bright expectant eyes reminding us of that adorable "loving and unselfish attitude that sees good in people, circumstances, and even disappointments"! 

May you find at least one person today that gives you this smile of goodness and peace! 

My First Charmed Bag

5" tumbler

I spied the bright yellow and black design of Lemon Tree and knew immediately this CHARM was ideal for my dream quilted bag!
I chose the "Natalie Dawn 5"tumbler" http://www.missouriquiltco.com for the shape of my blocks.
Assembling the charms gave me enough fabric for the front and back panels, leaving six charms for inside pockets.

Tumblers sewn into one piece

Once I had the tumblers sewn together, I sandwiched with cotton batting and a stiff interfacing. Then, I quilted the front and back, using the "stitch in the ditch" method.

Inside pockets made with charms

The pockets already make me smile. I know it'll be so fun digging into my bag and finding these cute little side pockets! It might even make it easier to find the tiny things!

Solid black quilted for stability

For the bottom, bands, and straps, I chose a solid black fabric, quilting the bottom & side bands in one inch squares to give a stable, but cute look. The zipper is 22" allowing a good view of the contents of my finished bag.

Wrong! Little black bands need to go on top!

Ach! My difficulty began in the middle of assembling the assortment of pieces to make this 3-sectioned bag. The flat instructions convinced me that I needed dimensional visuals to combine the inside sections with the outer pieces! So, I carried all my pieces to a nearby fabric store where 4 of us mulled over the instructions, leaving me even more confused!

Dream Bag!

My dreams of carrying this quilted bag were sacked and stuffed in the project bin to wait for an attitude adjustment! I knew I needed help to calmly read and visualize the instructions again. Hindering my progress was not the well-written instructions, but quite evidently, a mistake in my assembling efforts.

Two weeks later, I brought my mess to a co-worker. She looked at my meager attempt and the assortment of pieces. She read, re-read the instructions, checking all my markings, then re-reading again! She decided to carry my project home and look at it in leisure, but, to my surprise, she returned shortly to excitedly showed me where I had made my terrible mistake! Two pieces were sewn upside down, muddling my attempts at the next step!

Taking shape!

From that moment on, I longed for the workday to end so that I could run home to my sewing machine! It would take a little "reverse sewing" (ripping out) before I could re-piece the order of assembly, but I now I had vision!

The mess is beginning to take the shape of a quilted bag.
One more good FRIDAY NIGHT SEW-IN should give me ample time to complete this beautiful bag and have it ready to accessorize my yellow/black suit for Sunday church!