Mom's old Singer
I was beginning to think I didn’t remember “how” to sew. My Mom’s 60-year-old Singer was parked at my place. She, at 90, had deemed it “frozen again” from lack of use. But, secretly I knew it was fine. I was harboring it for a Christmas project (Xmas ’08), which I never did, and still may not get around to for ’09.
Surrounded daily by state-of-the-art sewing machines and the quilters who use them, it’s hard to believe the newest machine I have at home is 60, but I mostly gave up my sewing career when I started at C&T in the publishing business. Not having stitched ANYTHING for possibly 6 years on any sewing machine, I was pressed by the feeling of the economy to mend a tiny hole in my favorite pair of jeans— “If I do this just right no one will EVER know there used to be a hole there!
It didn’t take much time to love the feeling of sewing with Mom’s machine… the same one we used to sew doll clothes, Christmas presents, 8th grade graduation dresses, college rush outfits and numerous costumes. I loved the soothing quality it provided as it confidently, chugged along. And better yet, I was thrilled at the results, which were much more satisfying and economical than a trip to Macy’s for a new pair of jeans.
Ahhhhh… What a relief to know I still had “it” in me… The joy of sewing!
Let’s face it, you’re nosy… (I’ll be honest, so am I, that’s why I read blogs!)
…and you’re not alone. I have a nosy rosy friend, Christina, who asked me to send her pictures of my workspace so she could see where I worked. She said “people love seeing that kind of stuff!”. She’s right! I LOVE when design magazines print stories on different design studios around the country or when our authors share photos of their sewing rooms.
Teresa and Casey have already posted images of their workspaces and I bet you all loved seeing those. Who doesn’t enjoy peeking into someone’s little world? It’s like getting a house-tour from a new neighbor…you learn a lot about someone by what they chose to surround themselves with. So here you go, Christina and all, here’s my little 5′ x 5′ world at C&T:
The entrance to my cube. I rotate pictures of my little girls (note the ultra-sound image) each month so everyone can see how big they're getting!
Continue Reading…
A creative life is filled with challenges and rewards, puzzles and curiosities. This ongoing series of poems attempts to express the “Aha”s and “What if”s, the deep pondering and casual observations of an inquiring mind trying to make sense of reality. May it serve, for you, as a bit of “Everyday Inspiration” along your own creative path.
What would happen
If you went like this:
“Snap”
And it all
(mementos, memorabilia, clutter)
Went away?
Would you feel
Lighter?
In addition to making things from fabric, I also do Ikebana—Japanese flower arranging. I’d made a few vases from Linda Johansen’s Fast, Fun & Easy Fabric Vases and realized they’d be perfect. I put some glass jars inside the vases to hold water and cut some wisteria pods and some Queen Anne’s Lace. Voila.
We are expecting a new baby in the family and I thought it would be fun for the older sister and older cousin to make something special for him, so we made a baby quilt. Here is the result of our efforts:
The girls are 4 1/2 and 6, so I had to think of ways they could be involved without expecting too much for their ages. To avoid any worries about rotary cutters, I cut an assortment of bright 5″squares before they arrived at my house.
Their task was to arrange the squares on my design wall, organizing the colors and patterns in a way that pleased them. They also got a little lesson on scattering colors and patterns, but I had to let go of my usual perfectionist tendencies, so it was a lesson for me as well. When that was done, we sewed the squares together. The girls took turns sitting on my lap and guiding the squares through the machine. I put the machine on the slowest speed, and controlled the foot pedal. They are old enough to understand the danger of the needle so they were quite careful.
I was very aware of their short attention spans, so when they grew bored, I let them play and I finished up by sewing the rows together. Later I layered, machine quilted, and bound the quilt.
They are quite proud of their finished project and excited to give it to the baby. I hope they have found sewing fun, and hopefully we will do many projects together in the future.
On a recent trip to London, I stopped into the grand old West End department store, Liberty of London. It’s a lovely building—founded and built by Sir Arthur Liberty in 1875, in the Tudor Revival style with a classic half-timbered front. Inside, it features ornate woodwork, old-fashioned staircases, and open galleries with decorative wooden railings around a 4-story skylit atrium.
But I really went for the fabrics—those charming prints that just say “England” to me and to lots of other fabric lovers. They include the signature Tana Lawn florals and the wonderful William Morris-style prints, along with many others. They were there in abundance—bolt after bolt, tastefully displayed on the elegant wood shelves and nooks of the historic sewing department like works of art. Unfortunately, they were also priced like works of art (for me, at least). Around 18 pounds (about 27 dollars) a metre. I couldn’t afford to buy, but I browsed all the charming notions and small items made of Liberty fabrics. I got some lovely buttons and was tempted by the amazing trims but didn’t have time to do them justice.
So I had to be content with my little purchases and with the delightful experience of just being in that elegant building. When I got home, I rummaged in my sewing room and found Liberty items from other trips I made to London years ago. Then, the store sold lots of cute little items that I could afford. Here’s my tiny collection:
Hankie, tape measure doll, scissors doll, my new buttons, and the prize—my sewing basket, which my Mom bought me as a gift. Now that’s a real treasure!
As part of an ongoing series on the acquisitions process, I am going to talk about what you can start doing today if you do want to submit but just aren’t ready yet. You can be working on some things to help you prepare.
First of all: Have a plan! Take the time in the beginning to really do a proper business plan. This doesn’t have to be a big formal 30 page document with 5 year projections of profit and loss statements (but if it is, that’s great too). Just sit down and really concentrate on what you think you are willing to invest—both time and money-wise—and what kind of financial return you expect to see.
If you see yourself only being able to spend 2 hours a day, then budget out that time in terms of what you can achieve for what return and stick to it, unless something changes. You could decide to hire a babysitter, get a housekeeping service, cut back your day job hours, etc. to free up more time to develop your business. Look at what you are going to have to sacrifice in order to get that done.
This doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of opportunities as they come up, but if you know that teaching locally is really what you love, then having to sacrifice teaching time to write a book (or a magazine article or lots of tutorials on your blog) can cause you to burn out. In this scenario, you aren’t doing what you love, and you are being reactive.
There comes a point where most really successful artists have to decide between (1) running a business and managing the brand that they have created and (2) continuing to be creative. That progression can happen really quickly where all of a sudden you see that you can’t possibly get everything done yourself. So, sitting down in the beginning stages and taking the time to project the seemingly improbable is crucial. Once you determine how you will maintain a balance between the business and creative sides, you can help promote yourself in a much more targeted and controlled way.
Next and last time…top ten tips for publishing a craft book!
Related Posts:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
There are so many rotary cutting rulers out there, it can be hard to choose. A while back, I received several rulers from OLFA, and I have to say they’ve become my go-to rulers.
They are called Frosted Advantage. And the frosted back does two things:
- It makes them non-slip, but still easy to move and position on the fabric.
- It’s easy to see the markings on all types of fabric.
I still have and use other rulers, but these OLFA Frosted Advantage are my favorites.
Triangles are such a common shape used in quilts. There is a simple method to determine the size to cut the shape so it fits in the quilt top.
For Half-Square Triangles:
These triangles are commonly used to make corner setting triangles when the blocks in the quilt top are set on point. They also form the basis for many quilt block patterns. Typically, the straight of grain of the fabric is on both short sides. To obtain 2 triangles, cut a square in half diagonally.
The cut square size = the finished size of a short triangles side + 7/8”.
For Quarter-Square Triangles:
These triangles are commonly used to make side setting triangles used when the quilt blocks are set on point. They also form the basis of many quilt block patterns. The straight of grain of the fabric is typically on the long triangle side. To obtain 4 triangles, cut a square twice diagonally.
The cut square size = the finished size of the long triangle side + 1 1/4”.
Happy Quilting.
Ready for dipping your toes into another exciting technique. This week’s giveaway Simply Stunning Woven Quilts by Anna Faustino will guide you to the plunge. These quilts are so cool!
Take one look at this book and your curiosity will have you plunging in to find out “how did she do that?” This book meticulously lays out lessons and projects for you to learn 11 amazingly easy techniques that combine the art of weaving and quilting. Some of the quilts are vibrant, almost psychedelic while others are subtler, gently enhancing subject matter.
For your chance to win a copy of Simply Stunning Woven Quilts leave a comment here or on Facebook and tell us if you like to experiment in new techniques or stick to one for a while and learn it’s every angle. Look forward to hearing from you. Good Luck!
Comments will be closed at 9am PST on Monday 8/10/09
