If only....

Late 1800's crazy quilt

I've been wandering around the intertubes again, getting inspiration for the first crazy quilt block I'll be making this weekend. I'm truly amazed at the creativity out there, and a little intimidated by it, truth be told. If I could do one patch even half as gorgeous as any of the ones I found on various sites, I'd be happy.

One site was of particular interest to a noob like me who has no clue yet what she's doing, because it showed the 9 patch quilt fabric layout for each block, before it was embellished. This, was the end result. Just gorgeous, and if eyes don't deceive, every one the same patch just with different fabrics and turned different ways. It was done by Allie Aller. Color me green with envy, but a green definitely matching those patches.

Stash!

I pulled out some fabrics from my stash, and the old embroidery tin, to get ready for the new projects starting next week. I didn't have as much embroidery thread as I thought, and it's a 1.5-2 hour drive to a place where I could shop for some, so I leaped onto eBay and bid on an auction and won! The package arrived yesterday, and I couldn't be happier. The thread is just beautiful, and including shipping, cost about a third of what it would have been in a store. I like those kinds of savings.

2012 is Filling Up!

I'm certainly filling up my calendar for 2012! This morning I heard back from CQJP, and I've been accepted, so that's set for 2012. And I signed up for 21 - that's TWENTY-ONE - genealogy webinars by the Southern California Genealogical Society that will be presented in 2012.

I attended a couple of their annual Jamboree seminars that they broadcast live last year, and they were excellent, so I'm very excited about the upcoming series. I've been plodding away at the history of my family for many decades, now. A huge breakthrough was made last March when I finally found the townland of my Irish ancestors on my mother's side. I'd only been looking for it for forty years.

CQJP?

Photo courtesy of peregrine blue

I spent the early morning wandering aimlessly around on the internet again, and stumbled across several sites talking about something called CQJP. CQJP? What's that? Out of curiosity, I looked it up. The Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2012 (CQJP) is a project to foster creativity in those participating, by making one crazy quilt patch per month that's a minimum of 36 sq inches in size (6" x 6", 4" x 9", etc.) There are some other rules, but that's the important one

When I read that it's not a competition, the only person you're competing against is yourself, that sounded appealing. That's about my speed, and I certainly couldn't compete against anyone but myself since I've never done one before - the photo is one I found on the internet. But I've always wanted to. They just look so beautiful when done well, with interesting bits of fabric put together with other interesting bits of things. And I've got a whoooooole stash of interesting bits of fabric and interesting bits of things. Hmmmm. Sounds even more appealing.

Practice, practice

We have a local thrift store whose proceeds support a food bank, so I donate items there, and usually check for good deals regularly. On a recent visit, I bought a Christmas kit for 25¢, not expecting it to be much, and was quite pleasantly surprised to find it a complete kit for making two felt applique Christmas stockings. The kit is from "Goodies from Grandma" in Ames, Iowa. I couldn't find a website for them, otherwise I'd have it linked.

The photo isn't quite as wonderful as I'd hoped, but you get the idea of what they look like completed. The only embroidery work was a blanket stitch around all of the appliques, as well as to bind the stocking parts together. Oh, I lied. I also used French knots for the eyes, after my eyes couldn't find the holes in the black beads provided. Grrrrrrrr.

A Bit of Cloth, A Bit of Time...

Having signed up for TAST 2012, I started thinking about how much embroidery I've done in my lifetime. Not that much, I'm afraid, even though it's an artistic endeavor that I really enjoy. I've done pillowcases, clothing, decorative pillows, towels, many of them as gifts to others.

I realized I only have one item that's been saved over the years. This is it. It looks a little odd because it's  behind glass in a frame. The fabric it's on is blue jeans, and it's a little worse for the wear. It's forty years old, after all.

TAST 2012

I've set a goal to focus creative energies for awhile, so I started poking around on the internet to see what was appealing, and came across something called Take a Stitch Tuesday 2012 (TAST). It's a sewing self-challenge to learn new embroidery stitches and use them creatively.

My mother taught me to sew when I was a young girl, starting with embroidery. Here's an opportunity to learn a new stitch every Tuesday, and exercise some creativity with it. And it reminds me of my mother, rest her soul. So TAST sounds appealing: a good fit - surely I could handle one stitch per week - an organized goal for the coming year. I already feel more focused.

If you're also looking for something interesting to do in needlework this coming year, you might check it out. It's open to everyone, and it's not a competition, except with yourself. Does that sound appealing to you?