Quilting as Exercise

Since the beginning of the new year, I have read lots of resolutions, and many of them have to do with accomplishing particular projects of one type or another. A lot have to do with finishing WIP's (works in progress). I have my own share of wips, (and w's not yet 'ip'), but mostly they are embroidery projects. Just things I have started to have a variety of projects to work on.

But the quilting thing is trying to suck me in to starting another project before the first one is done! (Technically, I have already done that, I suppose, since my small class project top is still waiting to be finished, but I am giving myself an exemption, since I haven't learned that part, yet!)

I have been reading my quilt books and magazines and thinking about the next quilt that I want to start, even though I am only about half way through my 'wonky log cabin' top! I fear it is a slippery slope that I have stepped onto! I have decided that I probably need to be a bit strict about finishing one quilt (at least the top!) before I start the next, though. I know myself! It could get out of control, if I don't practice restraint!

So for now, at least, the 'rule' will be that I cannot start another project before the current one is complete (unless it is a gift with a deadline...)

Yesterday, we had a busy morning with errands. When we got home and lunch was over, and laundry underway, I started working on my wonky log cabin top. It takes me quite a while to do a block, mainly because I have a very inefficient set up for the process.

My sewing machine is practically at the front door of the house, my cutting area is in the dining room and the iron is in the kitchen.

The thing about the wonky LC is that not all the blocks have the same amount of 'logs', but they all have at least 13. So, twelve times from the cutting table (selecting the next piece), to the sewing machine to add it to the block, to the kitchen to press and then back to the cutting table for the next one.

I could re-arrange so that I would have less steps, but I am trying to increase my activity this year, so I figure that it makes quilting almost a cardiovascular workout!

So see? All my goals are aligning! Learn to quilt, use the stash and lose weight!

PS. I found out my efforts to eat better and exercise more are getting results! My cholesterol is down 51 points (from definitely high to under the top 'normal' threshold) WOO HOO!!

Club Doings

Yesterday, I received an email from a woman who was trying to research a photo of ladies around a dining table, marked "Just-a-Mere Club, Arkansas City, KS 3-31-1930-something". She had come across this post that was spurred by an article in the New Yorker Magazine.

The email got me thinking, again, about the ladies clubs in the last century, and these books:

I found these in the family flotsam and jetsam.

They are the Secretary's books from the D.M.C. Club of Greensburg, Kansas. Another one of the many 'ladies clubs' of that era.

They are the official minutes of the meetings, beginning with December 29, 1921 (not the beginning of the club, just the first entry in the oldest book) and ending with December 8, 1950. Not the end of the club, either. Just the last entry in these books.

My Great Aunt Ruth was a member of the club (beginning 12/19/1945, according to the minutes). No idea how they ended up in our family archives, because I don't see in the records where Aunt Ruth was ever the club secretary.

Mostly, the secretary was Myrtle Linegar...

...pictured here on a Christmas card with her twin sister. (Can't tell you which is Myrtle and which is her sister...)

The pages in one book are very fragile (1925 through 1929) and some of the entries are very brief. Often with just the day and date of the meeting, the Hostess name and roll call topic, (current events was a popular one, as well as gardening tips. One was Irish jokes...) and a mention of the activity of the day. Often it was, "An enjoyable afternoon was spent with fancy work and conversation". It seems that taking pictures was another popular activity during the 1920's, sometimes described as 'kodaking'.

During the war years of the '40's, making items for hospitalized soldiers was a focus, but mostly the activities were social. And always food. From 'delightful luncheons' to cook-outs of 'weenie sandwiches', there was always food!

Often, meetings would be cancelled during the 'busy times of harvest' in June and July, or due to 'bad roads' in the winter.

The club membership was about 8 or 10 in the '20's and rose to almost 30 in 1950. I think it kept growing, because I remember going to holiday meetings when I was a child in the early '60's that were held at the VFW hall due to the size of the group.

My original thought was to transcribe the minutes. I got through 1922, but some of the pencil writing is very tiring to decipher, so I stopped transcribing and just read. Many of the member names are familiar to me as friends of Aunt Ruth, although some of the secretaries referred to members by first name, and others used a more formal "Mrs. R.A. Linegar" which is harder for me to keep sorted out. Some even used 'Mesdames Linegar and Gregory'.

I am going to try again this weekend. My eyes just work better during the day with natural light. Some of the pages seem like they could crumble to dust at any minute, so I don't want to wait too long.

Maybe I will check into voice recognition software. Then I could read the minutes aloud and then just edit.

I am sure Myrtle would have appreciated that kind of technology!

Disaster!

...goal-wise, anyway...

Just four days ago, I set a goal to quit 'growing my stash', until I started using some of it. I was well underway, using about 20 fat quarters, plus a couple of yards of sashing fabric.

But, I didn't have enough of the yellow sashing. It is Kona cotton, banana yellow, and I bought the end of a bolt at Jo-Ann's before Christmas. There was a bit more than a couple of yards on the bolt and the person at the cutting table said that Kona had been on sale the week before, so I assumed that was why the stocks were low. There would be more.

My 'design bed'...

A few days later, I was in the 'way up North' part of town with some time to kill before an appointment, so I stopped at the other, larger, Jo-Ann, but they were out of banana, too.

The next week, I looked at my regular Jo-Ann, but still we have no bananas!

I called the smaller store in the "way up North the other way" land and none there, either.

I checked the Jo-Ann web site and no banana amongst the 35 colors listed.

Corn.

And Buttercup.

No banana.

I decided it can't be a case of 'discontinued favorites'. I just became aware of Kona banana a couple of weeks ago!

I called Dearest Sister and asked her to check at her Jo-Ann, but none there, either, or in the neighboring town, where the grandbebes live.

It was too late at night to call on resources further East, so I went to the web.

When I found it on-line, on sale at 20% off, I bought five yards. I will probably use a couple more yards in the quilt I am working on. And I will have about 22 of the Moda fat quarters left over. I like the yellow with the prints, so I am sure that it will be perfect in whatever other project I decide for them.

The banana hasn't arrived, yet. I guess I have a few days to stitch up something to 'make room' in the stash for five yards.

But now, I am in the hole!

And - I found an ad for 3 bolts (15 yards) of Moda classic white for $100 on Craigslist. It seems like a deal too good to pass up!

What do you think?

Do I have the discipline to say no?

Is it too late for a 're-do' on my goals?

Maybe that is the solution! I will change the goal to: Refrain from increasing the stash by more than 100 yards a month...

When New is Better Than Vintage...

I love vintage things, especially quilts. We all know that about me, by now.

And, over the years, I have collected fabric, tools, patterns and books about quilts, and have just recently begun accumulating the knowledge of how to actually make a quilt.

This is one of "Aunt Martha's" booklets of patterns. I use the word booklet, loosely. It is barely more than a pamphlet. It has the patterns for 14 quilts, in 15 pages.

The 'Trip Around the World' quilt (the middle one on the cover) has always intrigued me and I thought that it might not be too complicated, since it only has one pattern piece. So, last year (way last year...) I decided that perhaps I could figure it out.

I was mistaken.

I suppose that Aunt Martha could assume a certain level of experience back in the day when home sewing was a given. There is no mention of skill level for any of the patterns.

This page is the extent of the instructions.

I read it, and re-read it. And read it again.

From the way the directions were written, I could not see anyway to put it together without every piece having two set in seams. I was thinking that there should be a way to put the pieces together in rows. I could see rows! I just couldn't see how to get the pieces into rows without getting the color pattern all mixed up.

Finally, I just put it away.

Over the weekend, I picked up a quilt book at Jo-ann and found this pattern that has kind of the same feel:

The book is "American Jane's Quilts for all Season's ...and Some For No Reason" by Sandy Klop. The pattern is called "Fiesta Ware". And, there are FIVE PAGES of instructions!! That I can figure out!!

The book says that it requires about 9 yards of fabric for the top. If I can use fabric from the stash (I might have to purchase the 3 yards of black...) that will make room for 6 yards of new fabric!

So this addresses two goals for the new year! Quilt making and stash usage! A win-win!

I probably should have started working on the goal of organizing my studio, first though. I wonder if The Mister would mind if I just take over the dining room...

The New Year - Listing Goals (but not resolutions!)

Happy New Year, to all!

Yesterday, Dearest Sister announced her two year! Blogaversary!

I remember the day she opened the blog world door for me - we were talking on the phone and she directed me to log into her Ravelry page. I was all 'huh?' Why would people take photos of yarn...?

Then, she directed me to her blog - and her blogroll. I spent the better part of the next couple of months discovering bloggers and reading their archives like a crazy cat woman lurker.

DS has always been a writer of her thoughts. A journal keeper, a list maker and a goal setter.

I am none of those things, but I aspire to be a bit of each. In the past, I started journaling a couple of times. Never seriously, or for any length of time, though. She is also a much more careful writer than I am. I just pound out my thoughts, edit for clarity and brevity and publish. She blogs about what she thinks and has learned (her eldest teases her about her 'hippie talk'). I am more about 'look what I made'!

She sets goals to master new skills - and generally achieves them - and more. I am more about trying something new now and again, usually sticking to the bunny slopes.

Through the process of blogging, I have made progress toward those goals, though. Mainly because I have been inspired by so many others and found so many things that I would like to do. And so many things broken down into baby steps to make them approachable!

So, as this is the beginning of a new year, AND a new decade, I have decided to make a list of goals.

• I am going to continue my journey to become a healthier weight with better eating and regular exercise (I haven't made any 'forward progress' in a couple of months, but I didn't go backwards during the holidays, so I am counting that as progress)
• I am going to stop increasing my fabric stash. Not to stop buying fabric, just to start using it up at least as fast I bring it home!
• Ditto for yarn, which is easier, since I am only really tempted by cotton yarn for dishcloths...
• I want to make a quilt. This is a carryover, but still a work in progress, so I am listing it. And I want to make more quilts!
• I am going to create a better organization system in my 'studio' so that I will have room to really see he potential in the materials that I have.

Maybe next year, I will add 'knit a garment', but for now, I think this list will suffice.

Even if blogging has not made me a 'writer', it has at least been a documentation process. And, I hope it will help to hold me accountable for accomplishing some things. (We will see how well that works this time next year!)

Be sure and pop over to congratulate DS! She is giving away a gift certificate to Atomic Sisters Etsy Shop!