small hands

My sweet girl turned 11 last Friday. How did that happen? One minute I'm on 20 weeks of bedrest and trying to convince her to stay put until it's time, the next minute I'm having lunch across the table from a wise girl eating a chicken caesar salad.

She has been wanting Vans with hippos on them for a while, so that was her birthday present. We got them from the Bancroft Clothing Company in Berkeley, so that's her new favorite store. I used to shop there when I was in college. This May it will be 20 years since I graduated from college. That's just old. :0)

I got Tartine by Elisabeth Prueitt from the library, after waiting weeks and weeks (lots of foodies in my library system and only one copy of the book).






I think part of the reason is because Tartine is a short BART ride away from my house in Oakland, so instead of going through the trouble of making their recipes (like three days to make croissants*), I can just go check them out. I want to, on a weekday. [I have a fantasy solo field trip of taking BART to San Francisco and visiting Tartine, Lush, Lotta Jansdotter, and having lunch at House of Nanking.]


*This is genius, though. Beautiful results.

The day started out well. A good cup of coffee in a good cup.



I was in the mood for smothered pork chops and mashed potatoes for dinner, so that's what's cooking right now.




It has been a good day. Though there were rainclouds in the sky, the kids and I went to the Ashby Flea Market, Cole Coffee, Stonemountain and Daughter and the grocery store. Now we're back home and dinner is cooking.

I have three trials, starting April 4, May 1 and June 1. The pre-trial insanity has started and I don't want it to. [Why would my adversary think I have to listen to his b.s.? He wants $5 million from my client. I don't have to listen.]

Work In Progress Friday Saturday



I'm dealing with some monkey mind on this project (and would love to do some diverting piecing on something that is not even in the queue), but I keep moving.

I hope you all are enjoying your weekend.

This morning was pretty interesting. I had two hearings at 8:30, so the kids and I had to hurry, but I was on time. As I walked into court, a man with (six inch [?])nails piercing though his brows asked me if I was the Public Defender. I politely told him no. The hearings went well and then I got to go and volunteer in my son's class. I love visiting my little dude at school. I was sorely tempted to go home after volunteering, but I took myself back to work, reasoning that it's only Tuesday and I can't [musn't] be that sick of work yet.

* * *

I think I've figured out how to piece the Any Way You Slice It quilt.



I respect that Denyse Schmidt had to write the instructions so that people with all different levels of experience could create her quilts, but the template method is just really outdated.

What I do is this:

1. The instructions in the book say to choose about 8 or 9 different fabrics. It's very specific that you use a yellow, red, brown, turquoise, chartreuse, etc.

2. Cut each fabric in 12 by 16 inch blocks, per the instructions.

3. Stack 7 or 8 12 x 16 blocks on top of each other. If it is 7 blocks, then cut 7 pieces. In the picture above, I have 8 fabrics and I cut 8 pieces--one is not in the picture (sorry).



See, DS uses 7 pieces in the example, but in some of her blocks, she has 8 pieces.

4. Make sure that your corner pieces, which are triangles, are medium or large, not too small.

5. Take a piece from each stack, left to right, and sew it to a piece from the next stack. In all you'll make 7 or 8 blocks.



6. As you can see from the picture above, DS has a measuring tape around her neck. Get a measuring tape (more flexible and easier to use than a ruler). Measure each block and make sure that you can cut the block to be 10-1/2 inches square. Sometimes you may have to adjust a row or two (usually at the end) to get the right dimensions for the final block.

7. Keep your piles orderly so that they don't get all mixed up and you waste time or fabric.

* * *

Is that clear?

Anyway, it's going fine. My only concern at this point is that I have to make 90 blocks and I would hate to run out of fabric. I think I have enough. I was surprised that I had to search a bit to find the brown Flea Market Fancy print. I bought two yards from Hancocks of Paducah.

Hi Heels:

I completed 8 quilts last year, which is about average:

Ahhh....

I'm back in the garden. Yesterday, the weather was perfect for gardening, in the mid-50s/low 60s. This morning was chilly and windy, but after a big cup of coffee, I went back out there.

Before



After



I went to the hardware store and bought a new rake/cultivator tool and 6 bags of bark nuggets (alas, about 1/3 of what I'll end up needing). Then I got in the back yard and weeded and pruned the hell out of my rose bushes. I even dug up one of the first bushes that I ever planted, a Queen Elizabeth that was done, worn out, not producing much more than rust, really. I felt a pang, but we've had a good 11 years together and I planted a Heritage rose in its hole. I read somewhere that you're not supposed to plant a new rose in a dug up rose's hole, but when space is limited, I don't know how that's possible. I did get out the handy pick axe and make the hole a lot bigger and deeper.

A.J.'s Shake Your Booty in the Garden January 2007 Mix*

Ain't No Other Man by Christina Aguilera
Sexyback by Justin Timberlake
Amazon by M.I.A.
One by Bono and Mary J. Blige
Leave by REM
Heaven Only Knows by Emmylou Harris
Personal Jesus by Depeche Mode
The Difficult Kind by Cheryl Crow
Inside by Kem
Going Back to Cali by Notorious BIG
Y.O.U. by Method Man and Redman

*Not for those offended by profanity



I love that I've got the tools I need to get my gardening work done. I noticed that my hand strength is not quite adequate for weeding, especially the big old weeds I've got growing in my rose beds, but I'm getting stronger.

I love buying David Austin rose bushes from Costco each year because they're only $10. This year Costco cheated and double packed the rose bushes, so I had to buy two and pay more, $18. [I'm lucky they didn't 5-pack them; it is Costco after all.] I went ahead and bought a Christopher Marlowe and a Crown Princess Margareta. I'm excited to see their blooms and rose bushes promise (comparatively) instant gratification--blooms in the first year after planting.

This year for the first time I am planting dahlias. I hope they bloom. I don't really have room to plant them, but that never stopped me.

I am looking forward to re-planting an herb garden this Spring. I still have lemon mint sent to me years ago by Rebekka, who used to have a blog entitled Between A and B (which was so beautiful...I miss it). As a gardener will tell you, mint lasts and lasts.

I need a new gardening notebook, as I filled up my old one. I'm excited.

My son wasn't feeling well Wednesday evening. As soon as we got home he took to his (my) bed and wanted me to sit with him. After I cooked dinner, I sat beside him and read this book. Wow.



It really goes deeper than any other art/quilt book I've read, examining the creative process. It's a feast.

I knew my boy needed a day off, but I had a court appearance. Someone else could have covered it for me, but that someone else might have screwed it up and my boy wasn't sick for real. So I took him to his dentist appointment, then to my job so that I could work on some time-sensitive documents. Then I took him to my sister's house and went to court. After court, I picked him up and went back to the office. Then we went to the library to pick up a book I had placed on hold for him.



He sat in his car seat leafing through it and ooh-ing and aah-ing, because the Maasai are his people. I was the same way about the Nancy Crow book.

Gossamer commented: I've noticed the same fabrics in a few of your quilts. Is there one that is your "signature" favorite that you use in every quilt?

I don't really have a signature favorite, but I do use the same fabric in quilt after quilt because I bought it and have not used it all up and I intend to use it all up. In addition, to the extent that some of my fabric comes from sheets, that means I have a lot of it. Sheet sets = even more of the same fabric. I make a lot of quilts (though Nancy Crow has made over 300 quilts) and I shudder to think of the expense of buying different fabric for each one. I am determined to use what I have, though my current stash could not sustain more than 2 more years of quilt making, and I do add to it when I come across something new and interesting.

Last night, my son was at his dad's house and I was missing him. I finished the Strips and Squares quilt top, which helps me cope with missing my children.



I added the rest of the colored border and a second white outer border:



Forgive the need for ironing. Since I'm not quilting it right away, there's no point in ironing it now.

Yes, it does have a lot of white. The colors of the fabric are so bold that I don't think I could tolerate it without the white. That's just my aesthetic. I love Jane's quilts, but I like more white.

Because I am borrowing my girl's sewing machine, it has inspired her to start a sewing project. So I have to wait for an opportunity to sew. I can always make her go do something else, like homework, but usually she needs the computer to do her homework, which is right next to the sewing machine. This weekend, the three of us played "Studio Apartment" and spent a lot of time--oh the togetherness--in my study. My son built a fort in the corner, using fabric and safety pins and one of my quilts. There was much bickering and insanity.

My daughter was at her dad's house last night, so I took advantage of her absence and sewed like mad. I am close to finishing the top; I have to finish the colored fabric border and then put one more border of white.



The plan was to make a border like this one



though my border is not so dominant as that one.

I am looking forward to seeing it when it's quilted, but I plan to piece another quilt first before I quilt this one.

I promised my brother and his fiancee an Any Way You Slice It quilt and I want to get it done.



On Christmas Day we discussed my making them a quilt and on Kwanzaa I gave them a stack of quilting books, including this and they chose this quilt. They don't want me to tie it, which is good because that's not my thing.



The problem is that the instructions in the book are counterintuitive for me (take this pattern, increase it on a copy machine by 400 percent, cut the pieces exactly like this, etc.), so I'm thinking a lot, trying to figure out an alternative to her instructions, before I cut any fabric.

The February 2007 issue of Country Home is really good. There's something about all the red and pink and fresh flowers in the photographs that feels like a Spring preview.



I know this home office is completely staged, that it is unrealistically clutter- free, but it's so pretty. I have a fantasy of putting a love seat in my study that my kids will want to sit on, rather than my desk chair or my lap.



The composition of this photograph is brilliant. A girl with a Louise Brooks haircut, two matching cute little dogs and the most amazing birdcage I've ever seen, on a sunny and presumably warm porch. I can even appreciate the gingham of her dress.

Heels: I bought my daughter a Kenmore Model Number 385.19233. Here is the information on it. She was 9 when I bought it and I really wanted to encourage her interest and talent in sewing.

Linda: I am interested in hearing from folks who buy fabric bundles or precut squares. Most of my piecing involves using strips, but they can sometimes be odd widths like 2-7/8". Does buying them save time?

Work In Progress Friday



I started this Strips and Squares quilt in October 2006. I struggled with it a bit in the last few days (and I'm still a bit apprehensive about how much color is going to be in the final version), but the mental fog cleared this morning. [It's typical that I get into a groove and then I have to go to work. I was a tiny bit late for court this morning because of it.]

I have been piecing it with my daughter's sewing machine. Wow. It's so much better than mine, smoother, faster. Not to diss my faithful machine, but I have machine-envy. Since I got more fabric from Portsmouth Fabric Company, the piecing should go without any more delays, time permitting.

It is very cold here in the Bay Area, by Bay Area standards. You mean I have to wear a coat in January??? The children are hoping for snow, but I would be very surprised if we get any.

I hope to work in my garden this weekend. I am grateful that the days are getting longer. When I pick my kids up from school, the sun is still shining.

My little guy really wanted toe socks for Christmas, but I couldn't find them in a store in time. We ordered these through Amazon and before I gave them to him, I took off the "Ladies" sticker. I don't know why gender is associated with toe socks, but it appears to be a female thing. He loves his.



I made Melissa's Norweigan Apple Cake from this recipe. It didn't really need the icing, because it was plenty sweet, but it was delicious and my kids loved it, too.

I finished my first quilt of 2007.





I wanted to bind it with the Blue Lotus fabric below, but I bought the last two yards I could find on the internet anywhere, so I'm being careful and not using indiscriminately.



Since I have tons of this fabric--Ralph Lauren Kimberly (and I like it)--I used it for the binding.



It took about 3 hours to sew on the binding, so I watched Casino while I sewed. Casino is a great movie, and a great movie for sewing because the voiceovers are so interesting to listen to that you don't have to watch it. The television version of Casino is terrible because there is so much swearing in the movie that the dialogue is murdered by the deletions/dubbing.

Angels in America is another great film to listen to while sewing.

Here's how the quilting looks in the back:



The quilt is 92" by 108" and it feels freakishly huge, though it's not the biggest quilt I've ever made.

Heather: I believe this is a One Patch quilt. A nine patch looks like this:



Now I have to clean up and organize my house. The kids go back to school tomorrow and my girl starts the swim team, so it's going to be terribly hectic.

Work In Progress Friday

I am such a fan of Alexia's quilt that I really wanted to make one myself.



I pieced this quilt during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, between quilting the Dolley Madison Star quilt and the Bear Paw quilt. I wasn't sure what size squares she used, so I drew some squares and decided on 4-inch (which means you cut squares of 4-1/2 inches).

I also came across this quilt, which has smaller than 4 inch squares. One of the reasons I really like it is because you can use up your scraps.



I am free motion quilting it, in part because Alexia did hers that way, in part because my girl said "No more straight lines" referring to my quilting.

What I've learned so far:

1. Practice free motion quilting before you start on your project. It takes some getting used to and it takes awhile before you get the quilting to look the way you want it. For example, my initial quilting was tighter and smaller than I ended up wanting it. It doesn't ruin the project by any means, but free motion does not mean random and takes much more intention than following a quilt line.

2. Free motion quilting uses up a lot of thread. I have gone through about 1500 yards of quilting thread and I need more. I've been using Gutermann quilting thread, but it was sold out, so I bought Coats and Clark Machine Quilting thread instead. I don't like it--it's not thick enough--and my initial stitches are not satisfactory.

I plan to get more of the kind I like during my lunch hour and hope to finish the quilt this weekend.

3. When using the free motion quilting foot, increase the tension to avoid problems in the understitching.

Inspiration



I've wanted to read this book about George Nakashima for a long time and my local public library finally got it. I was a little disappointed that more of his work wasn't pictured, but I was also completely inspired by some of the pieces, especially this one:



In terms of inspiration, when I look at it, I ask myself--What kind of quilt would look good in the house that had a chair like this? What kind of quilt would please the aesthetic of Mr. Nakashima?

Back to work? Why yes, back to work. My kids have another week off, so I dropped them off at their dad's house without all the sturm and drang of finding homework, preparing lunch, getting clean clothes on, etc.

One of my Christmas presents to myself was a Splink doll. They're brilliant and this was one of my favorites. I was so pleased to take it out of the box and feel it. The craft-person-ship is amazing, the colors are a feast, and I treasure it.

We spent New Years Day cleaning up, taking the tree down [I felt a little verklempt putting the ornaments away, but happy to get the tree out to the curb], baking banana bread, vacuuming, recycling, laundry. In the afternoon, my son and I sat in the living room, me sorting, him putting together a Bionicle and singing. I was amazed at his patience and stick-to-it-iveness with the Bionicle and loving his rendition of Dreamgirls and Sound of Music songs.

Because he's obsessed with Kenya, his ears perked up at the BBC report on the Ethiopia/Somolia war and refugees moving to the Kenyan border. He asked me why they were fighting and I didn't know, so we looked on the BBC website and found the answer. I explained it in simpler terms, which helped me understand it too. I love that his interests/passions make me more informed.

New Years Eve was really challenging because my boy had been on a sleepover the night before and he got a bit mental as the evening wore on. At one point, both of my children were crying and I despaired, but Chinese food delivered to the house soon put them right. He was asleep when midnight rolled around, so my girl and I watched the countdown and then went to bed.

Yesterday I made collard and mustard greens for luck and the children tried and hated them. I didn't like them either when I was a kid, but I am happy to have the leftovers for lunch today.

It was so nice to have a week off of work. [My colleague went to Nicaragua for two weeks and came back tanned and rested and really not wanting to return to the salt mines.] I had checked my e-mail a couple of times last week and marveled at my blood pressure going up and my head wanting to explode, but mostly I just vegged.

My sewing machine gave up the ghost [Gasp!!], so I borrowed my girl's. So, this is what it's like to use a "fancy" machine. Hmmmm. I could get used to this. Now I am debating whether to spend money to get mine fixed or buy a nicer one. Reduce, reuse, recycle, repair. I'll probably get it fixed. Repair and donate, then get a better one?