Put to good use

I enjoyed the stabilizer I reviewed in my last post so much I wanted to try it on something without batting. This time I photocopied some ginkgo leaves and embroidered some kitchen towels*. Love!

I did one denser than the other. I like the denser one better.

When I do free motion stitching on something that doesn't have batting, I find I need something on the backside so the stitches won't make the fabric pucker. I use a wash away stabilizer called Paper Solvy. I just cut the size I need from a sheet of paper, so one pack goes a long way.

Now the towels are being used in a happy new home. I love to see something I've made getting used. So much better than waiting in a drawer or on a shelf until it goes out of style. 

*photocopied in the fall when leaves were around, but not stitched until the new year. That's the sort of timeline I'm on right now! You understand.

Experiment

Objective: To quantify frustrations encountered with using a commercially available, sticky backed wash away stabilizer.

Background: The author's previous experience with a similar sticky backed product resulted in skipped stitches and grumbling. The author hypothesized that all sticky backed stabilizers were a terrible idea for free motion stitching and were for those people with embroidery machines.

Methods: Using a home printer, leaves were photocopied onto one sheet of the stabilizer. Leaf shapes were cut out and removed from the paper backing, then affixed to a quilt sandwich. The author stitched along the outlines and veins of the leaves, going over each line twice or more in a loose, sketchy manner. Skipped stitches and grumbling events were recorded.

Outcomes: Much to the author's surprise, no skipped stitches were encountered. The only grumbling happened when the author's child began her own experiment involving a paper bag and some water. The author's child eventually enjoyed matching the stitched versions of the leaves with their originals.

Discussion: This Wash Away Stitch Stabilizer* can be used without skipped stitches. The author sincerely recommends this product to sewists who like to finish things in a good mood. This study should be repeated using better fabric now that the author knows it won't be a disaster.

*C&T sent me the sample, but they didn't ask me to review it. I just wanted to share my good experience because who knows when you'll need something like this?

Get your patchwork on

Well, hello!

Is it true that the internet still exists? And sewing machines? And digital photos? That's super, because, whaddya know, I have a quilting blog!

I also have these two magnificent imps who keep me busy from too-early until too-late-thirty. It would be inappropriate to blame my absence on them, however. It's been some rough months folks. Wow. I come out of it knowing I am one pretty tough lady. That, at least, feels good.

So, I've excavated my sewing space. First priority was to complete this baby wrap. It's called a podaegi. Don't worry, the patchwork isn't holding the baby's weight, it's just appliqued on. The wrap was so simple to sew. I used osnaburg (from the home dec dept) because it has a little give. Not as cushy and gorgeous as a handwoven wrap, but much more affordable. I used these wrap-pod instructions to get me started. And of course that is Piece by Number's lovely circle of geese.

I love the versatility and symmetrical support. I love that there's no buckles. I love that it will fit him until I stop carrying him. It's our favorite wrap, and that's saying something for a babywearing zealot like me. I prefer to wear him on my back, which he generally loves. The front suits us fine too, though. And I must have knocked over my bottle of sleepy dust when I sewed this because he falls asleep right away almost every time I put him in it. I love the feeling of his little head resting against my back as I go about the house. Happy baby, happy mama.

I still feel disconnected from the online quilting world, and haven't really gotten back to reading blogs again. Sometimes so much is happening so fast, it makes me feel panicky and it's better for me to just stay in my family cocoon. But it's nice to know my sister and brother quilters are out there. I've been reminded that we have all gone through hard stuff and made the decision to keep going. Not only that, but made the decision to make a world with beauty in it. A world with meaning and purposefulness. I'm so happy we all decide to do that. Happy quilting folks, and hope to see you soon.

Wee heavy

Finally, finally this ginormasaur came out to live with us. Nine and a half pounds. Nine days past my due date. Great nurser. Snuggly and loud and already giving me some three hour stretches of sleep at night, bless him. He even flashed me a waking smile today, the little charmer.

We are enjoying some new words: "our son", "our children". It's like when we were first married and giggling over the words "husband" and "wife".

I feel he is a wise creature. He knew when to stay inside and then he picked the perfect day to come out. A slower labor, and another peaceful home birth, with our beloved midwife.

That's the happy news. We've also had sadness. In timing nearly too cruel to comprehend, my mother died a few days before my due date. Loving family came to me, friends brought us food, and over the next two weeks I regained my center and remembered how much I wanted to meet the little one I was carrying inside.

I think about her a lot. Doing all the things for him that she did for me. Wishing I could send her the birth announcement. It has been a time of great sadness, great remorse, great anger, great doubt, great emptiness.

And it's also a time of great joy, great wonder, great tenderness, great love, great growth. Never has my heart been so stretched. Life has a way of surprising us.

I am well cared for, we are all thriving. We know we are so blessed. I feel us finding our new balance together. I'm grateful to have my fabulous husband, sweet children, the warmth of summer, the compassion of friends, and a few months of maternity leave ahead of me.

The bumpdate

So this is still happening.

I'm done with work now and pretty blissed out to be at home, in the summer, getting lots of time with my little girl and sewing machine before the babe arrives. I love how orderly the house feels. I love being in a little family cocoon and not needing to take care of quite so many others.

The best thing I've done is sew this skirt from some fabric I found at the thrift store. I'm wearing it about every other day. I'm not sure it goes with this shirt but at the end of pregnancy, anything that still covers your belly is fair game.

I got down with a vintage child's jumper pattern. The three year old refused to let me take a still shot (and that's a sticker from the doctor's office on the front). I could take a picture of it off her but now it's covered in park and ice cream and not so impressive. 

She chose this pattern from among what I found on Etsy. She picked this one because her favorite color is yellow and choosing for the style is simply not possible when you're SO INTO YELLOW.  I don't sew apparel much but it was kind of fun to do this one step by step, exactly as instructed. Being patient and methodical is nice at this moment.

In a related story, are you aware of how awesome these Wonder Clips are? I have 20 and use them all the time. There are so much easier than pins for thick, bulky or curvy things.

For the little bundle: a homemade "Baby K'tan" attempt that is hopefully lightweight enough for the summer. Sorry Baby K'tan, but a person who has three sewing machines and an Ikea cabinet full of fabric is not going to pay $40 for two loops of knit fabric. Crossing my fingers that I made it the right size.

And some homemade diapers. I have a drawer full of cloth diapers but I have some sort of crazy nesting urge that tells me everything will be ok if I just get a few more diapers. There is no logic behind this. At least I am sewing them myself from leftover fabric so it's not an expensive compulsion.

There is something so interesting about this stage in pregnancy. Maybe the baby will come tonight. Or maybe not for three weeks. The exquisite combination of patience and preparedness. I pick up the house in the evenings thinking, "maybe the midwives will be here tonight". Each little chore is like a prayer. Soon there will be four of us. If he comes soon, I'll be back with baby pics, and if not, then patchwork!

Hey cupcake!

Well. I have fallen off the face of the earth. How does one get back on? By telling a story?

My daughter's daycare asks the kids a question every day and records their answers for the parents. It's fun to get insight into their minds and helps us get to know her classmates. One day the question was "What was your favorite thing you did this weekend?" My daughter's answer was "Making cupcakes with Mama!" And the next day we found out about her gluten intolerance. Dangit.

I will start by saying that I know we are so lucky. It isn't diabetes, or cancer, or anything we can't fix. And it is a great chance to make healthy changes in the food we eat as a family. But I love being a mama who says "OK!" when my kid says "Let's make waffles!" or "Let's make cookies!" and I feel a little adrift, grasping at recipes online and boxed mixes where I used to feel so confident and capable. Having to decide whether I really want to use "potato starch" or "xanthan gum" in anything I cook.

I've gone from cooking 80% of our meals to cooking 95% of our meals. And I guess that 15% difference was the space that my blog lived in? Instead of writing posts during my online time, I've been looking up recipes or figuring out if I can grind my own brown rice flour in my blender. I recall a similar food-readiness obsession during my first pregnancy. That time it was freezer cooking. I was like a squirrel storing nuts for the winter. This time it's broader. Healthy homemade food that is quick and kid friendly and also gluten free. No biggie, right? 

I want to feel capable of feeding the family when #2 arrives in two months and rocks our world all over again. So instead of sewing I've been in the kitchen. These days I simply can't rest until I've made the carrot muffins with almond flour, or tried homemade yogurt in the new slow cooker. Hearing my intense state of mind you probably won't be surprised to learn I had a few days of contractions a couple of weeks ago, just to keep everyone on their toes. Happily the little guy is still inside, right where we want him, head wayyyyy down and leading me to waddle a lot earlier than I'd prefer.

And that's that. Everyone is adapting. A week into the gluten free diet my daughter proclaimed "My tummy and my booty feel better!" Which made me cry. And we just celebrated my birthday with... cupcakes. Gluten free, hedgehog cupcakes, that my daughter and I made together.

Things are getting back to normal, (or, the new normal), and I expect to back in the swing of things here soon. The days grow warmer and we have rediscovered our backyard and our neighbors. And I've even spent a bit of time here and there in the sewing room. Is there any better therapy?

I'm not sure what these will become, but that's just the kind of project I'd like right now. Hope you are all doing well out there, blog-folk, thanks for all the support and encouragement and checking on us! I wish I was better at responding to emails and blog comments right now but life is just happening so fast.... Until next time!

Branching design variations

Oh dear. It's a crazy week over here. Major deadline? Check. Discovering kid is gluten intolerant? Check. Bathroom remodel? Check. But look what I found in my drafts! A nearly finished post! Hoping to pay bills, check email and get back to reading/blogging soon....

My new favorite quilting pattern spawned some variations in my brain.

As a reminder, the original looked like this:

My research suggests you could use pointy leaves (I've stitched this and it looks great!)

Or graduated and stubby

Spirals

Or add flowers on some/all of the stems (I tried this with bigger flowers and leaves and it worked well too)

You get the idea: stitch a stem, put stuff on it, impress yourself! It's just so versatile. Step by step instructions on how to stitch the basic branching pattern (still my favorite) are here.