F – Day 6

Freesia – i love them…

E- Day 5

An old English proverb says:
Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
I am going to take that advice and head to bed early. That is my word of inspiration today. Early.
I did a impromptu survey of my friends at work for a word or subject that starts with E. What is interesting is many people first said excellence. That is is a good word to strive for and I have it in one of my quotes at work but what can you say about that?
Another subject I thought I could talk about is Embroidery. But where to start on that subject. I was listening to Pat Sloan’s podcast of her radio show on TalkNet radio. I They were talking about the old style iron on transfers of embroidery patterns. It made me think of Rodgers – a local 5 and Dime store here in the NW but is now closed. You could find anything and everything there. They had an old wooden cabinet that held old fashioned candy. You could also get the coolest embroidery pieces their. They were the blue ink on white fabric. They also had the black looking sick that my sister made into pillows for my 3 aunts. It was always fun to go look through them as a kid. I wanted t \this one or that one but my mom wasn’t real crafty so we didn’t get to buy them very often.
Today I love to sew pillow cases and even tried my hand in designing the pattern of the thread detail but I haven’t gotten very far.
Getting late. Off to bed.. Night NIght.

Thursday – I guess I didn’t post this but I did write it on Wed night.

D – Day four

 

Darkness – that is what I think of when I think of the letter D.  It seems like I have been surrounded by it.   

        

This fall and now winter I have been going to work in the dark and returning home in the dark due to long hours at the new job.  I only see the sunshine, if it shines, from the window of the office.  Even on the weekends it’s either gray skies or i am doing errands at twilight.  It has made me restless and tired.

Maybe I am looking at it all wrong.

 

A man must dream a long time in order to act with grandeur, and dreaming is nursed in darkness.

Jean Genet

C – Day Three

Cooking is the inspiration for today. I made spaghetti and garlic bread. It was good but could have been better.

B – Day Two

Well today is the second of January. So that brings up the letter B. I have thought about this letter as I was doing chores today. Words that came up were blood, blogs, books, buggers, blue, boyfriends, babies beach and many more crossed my mind. Side note, I confess I started this post at 11 but now when i am posting it’s more than half past 12.

I think I will write about books. I love books. I love the feel of them in my hand. I love to curl up on my bed among all my pillows and get lost in the story. So many times books have kept me company when people have not. I have learned so many things, discovered so many worlds and they have led me on journeys outside of the stories because something I have read has peaked my interest and I want to learn more about it.

When I learned, I learned quickly. I wasn’t a child who learned before school but learned when I was in kindergarten. For my first four months of kindergarten I went to a city school. There kindergarten was more centered around fun. In January we moved and I started at a school in the burbs. There they taught me to read. My classmates started in September but I started in January. By the end of the year I had caught up and by passed a lot of the students. I will always remember the yellow books and taking new ones out of the bins. I don’t remember stumbling over words as I learned them, once the window was opened I grabbed hold and have never let go of such a treasured gift.

One of the books I remember when I was a child was a story on Clara Barton. I remember having to do a book report on her and copying the front cover of the book for the cover page of my report. I was back at the burb school so it was between 4th and 6th grade. Another book I remember from that time was a book on learning to make Ukrainian eggs.  I was captivated by the book that taught me how to put the wax on and then dye the eggs and then put another layer on. The method is called Pysanka. My parents even got me a stylus to use to put the wax on. I have loved the art of it since but have never gotten back into it. Melting the wax was hard. I wonder if I still have my stylus?

The summer between 6th and 7th grade ( or somewhere in there) I can remember being crazy about a book where the girl went to camp for the first time. I so wanted to go to camp like she did, do what she did. I just remember reading it over and over again. I was heading in to middle school and it was a huge step and I think I lost myself in the simplicity of the girls life. I wished I remembered more, but all that comes back to me are snippet's of her going to the camp store or of her cabin hiking somewhere and spending the night under the stars. I loved that book and still think about it occasionally remembering the sensation of anticipation to read the book, more so than the story itself.

When I look back at the books I read in High School I can’t believe what I was reading or that my mom even let me. I have a feeling she never knew. I was reading romance books – not even having a clue on what I was reading but loving the “love” stories.

I have always had a book with me. I even buy my purses with the thought in mind… Is it big enough for my book? Sometimes I even have 3 or 4 going at once. I have no problem keeping them straight (at least most of the time) but sometimes I struggle with reading one because I so want to go read the other as it has captivated me.

I have a confession to make. I will read ahead and also will read the last few pages to see who ends up with who or who did the crime. Some say that is a terrible thing, but for me it makes the reading of the book so much enjoyable. Now that I know kinda of what happens I can focus on the story rather than looking for clues for what is going to happen next. In the last few years I have been listening to Books on Cd – let me tell you not knowing how it will turn out just kills me. lol.

I have a hard time reading the classics. I like stories I can releate to. Sometimes when I read classics or even new books if I don’t understand the feelings the characters are having or the “voice” of the book I have a hard time finishing it. I get board easily and can’t finish it. I do try though, and will continue to try because sometimes books capture you and you don’t even know why but it can take a bit to get into it. I am the eternal optimist that I will always like the book and find it very hard to concede defeat and not finish it. So I always give it a chance no matter what book it is.

I don’t think I will ever be a convert to “The Nook” or “Kindle” or any of the other hand held machines. I love going into bookstores. I love the art of picking out a book, do you go with the cover or the description on the back? I love holding it in my hand when I read, the action of turning the pages, the musty smell that can drift up from the pages when you turn them. To me reading a computer screen does not match up to that feeling of a paper based book will give me. Seeing the notes in the margin or the turned over corners set by the people who read the book before me is irreplaceable. Looking at your bookcase and seeing all that you have read, it’s like they are old friends. That is what books are to me. They are my friends. I don’t want to lose that friend.

A New Year

They say that what ever you do on the 1st day of the Year you will do the rest of the Year. If that is true I am going to have a drab year. Today I slept, watched movies and helped my mom who is confined to her bed as she is depilated by back pain. Encouraging her to walk to the bathroom, doing her laundry and fixing her meals.

That is real life. Enough of that.

Let’s live in the life of Tadlafleur.

I have been giving my blog a lot of thought this week. In fact my whole creative life. It has been null since I started my new job at the end of Aug. Working many over 50 hour weeks with a 45 minute commute each way has eaten up the time. I haven't even blogged very much or much of anything other then work, eat, sleep and start the day over again. Hopefully that has calmed down and we are caught up and I actually get hired on as a real employee not a temp. - but that is for another day, another post.

I have seen many blogs that are talking about having a word to inspire you through out the year. I still haven’t sat down to find that word for 2011. I want to find a word that inspires me in creativity, work, life, love and every other way that counts. What it is I don’t know. I have to find some quiet time to come up with what I want this year. This is where I want to start to get my creative flair back on track.

One of the things that I thought would inspire me is to blog everyday this month. I wrote out in my inspiration journal that I take almost every where with me the numbers 1- 31 for the month of January. Then I was stuck. Today I really wanted to blog but I didn’t have a theme to carry out through out the month. I kept putting if off as I didn't know what to blog. Lying here today watching the movies it came to me. Why don’t I use the letters of the alphabet. A-Z that will get me through 26 days. I will come up with a theme for the last 5 days. It shouldn’t be too hard as that will be my birthday week.

So that is the plan – I plan to blog everyday with the letter for the day. Some days it might be inspire me to write a blog , post a photo, post progress on a craft or even just a quote. But do something everyday. I don’t think many people read my blog but it will get me doing something.

Review of the last year..

Quilt wise – I feel very disappointed in my progress last year. I think i only completed one quilt top. You would think with all the time off I had before September I would have made more progress. I think my goals were 2 tops in each half of the year. Didn’t even come close. I have so many UFO’s that it could keep me busy all year. The one quilt top I did do was a UFO. In 2008 I downloaded the BOM Appliqué by SuzGuzDesigns. Read more on my A post. Next year I hope to do better and perhaps join a group somehow that can give me quilters companionship and support.

Craft wise. Finished my cross stitch tablecloth that took 15 years. Yahoo!!! Started to design some embroidery patterns. Stopped when i started this current job but didn’t like the direction it was going any how so will try to get back to it. Made some really cute invitations for a party I had from my group of friends called the Faith Ladies.

Movies- Boy have I taken advantage of my library. I have rented so many movies and have found some really good series. Big love (watching season 2 right now), Joan of Arcadia (both seasons) , Everwood (season one) and Once and Again (season one) . In my own “library” i have all of the series for Avonlea, Gilmore Girls, The West wing and Emily of New Moon. Any other good series I can watch?

Books- I have read a ton of those too. I have found some wonderful series by just searching the library shelves. I listened to all of the Cedar Cove series on CD on my commute. I loved them. I just found a series called Sweetgum Knit Lit Series. She has only written two books but i hope she continues this cast of characters. I need to read her other books.

Work. - Was placed as a temp at a growing company. Have made myself invaluable I hope so that they will hire me on permanently. And who knew I would care about my job again. It’s refreshing and invigorating. The culture at this facility has really boasted my spirits and confidence work wise and has given me some of my happiest work experiences.

Well i didn't know this was going to be such a long post. Once I got started this evening – i haven’t been able to stop and that is why it’s posted on the 2nd not on the 1st. And I can’t leave a post with out a photo – so here is one from the beach in Rockaway in the Summer of 2009. I wish i was sitting in that sunny weather with the sound of the ocean rather than in 20 degree weather with the sound of the heater in the other room. Happy New Year.

A- Day One

There were many ideas I had for A. Aspire, attention, appliqué, apple, application, advise. Even used a word generator website – came up with Atoned, Agreeable. To be truthful I don’t know what word I would want to write about.

Maybe even about. That could be the word. As I sit here in the dark, almost midnight I can think of so many words to describe the state I am in but a word that starts with a is being difficult.

When writing my New Years post – i started writing about appliqué. I haven’t done much of it. The few pieces I have done have not been that great. So let me start my new goal writing about my current appliqué project I completed.

The one quilt top I did do was a UFO of 12 inch square appliqué pieces I had been working on my breaks at my job in 2008 and 2009. In 2008 I downloaded the BOM Appliqué by SuzGuzDesigns. I had 2 fabric charm square packets a friend gave me of Moda fabric. I can’t remember the line’s name but the color ways were soft yellows, blues, pinks and greens. The patterns were flora's, stripes, checks and tone on tones. With some other fabrics from my stash I decided to use it as my project to hand sew at work. I cut out the 12 background pieces I needed and then tackled each month at a time. I think i prepped the first 4 months one Sunday at Jim’s. School was out for the term or I had no homework that day. I just remember him sitting in his chair, snoozing on and off while we watched Nascar and I worked on prepping the pieces. I used the fusible web method on many pieces and then the stitch the wrong sides to the web and turn inside out for the hearts so that they would have a bit more depth.

Above is an example of April. I worked on the pieces when I could during lunch or breaks. I kept the project in a cute photo box on my book shelf. I got the first 6 months done and then completely messed up the 7th and had gotten the appliqué pieces cut out and half way prepped for month 8. To be truthful – on many of the pieces for that month I ironed the wrong side to the fusible.So I was going to have to do it again.

I used the blanked stitch as my appliqué method. I had also found some really cute thread at Joanne’s that melded into the colors of the quilt. You could definitely could see an improvement on each piece but since then I have learned tricks for the fusible that would have made my pieces work so much better. But the goal was to gain experience and that is what I did. Work and school and life got to busy and I never got back to it.

This fall I decided to complete a UFO and this was the one I chose. On Sunday I decided to not finish the other months but just to use the good six one’s i had left – so I put sashing around them and bordered them with a light green and then a piano border of the 5 inch charm squares I had left. The finished look is just what I wanted. Romantic,soft and blending into each other. I have cut out my binding and now will finish it in the new year. I also took the hearts I had made for block 8 and will randomly place them on the borders when i complete the quilt. Maybe even on the back.

I don’t have any current appliqué projects on the back burner or even in my list of things i want to do. I like doing it but i haven’t come across something that has made me “crave” to jump into a project. I would like to try needle turn and will continue to be inspired by projects but I think at this time I am more drown to piecing or other types of needle work.

My squares.

So I have found something for A. Tune in tomorrow for something with B.

Give this a read through....

Have you read more than 6 of these books? The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books listed here.

Instructions: Copy this into your NOTES. Bold those books you've read in their entirety, italicize the ones you started but didn't finish or read an excerpt. Tag other book nerds. Tag me as well so I can see your responses

1 Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings – JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series – JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 The Tin Drum - Gunter Grass
8 Nineteen Eighty Four – George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials – Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
11 Little Women – Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 – Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong – Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye – JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch – George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind – Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby – F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House – Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited – Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield – Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia – CS Lewis
34 Emma – Jane Austen
35 Persuasion – Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis De Berniere
39 Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh – AA Milne
41 Animal Farm – George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meany – John Irving
45 The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables – LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd – Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies – William Golding
50 Atonement – Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi – Yann Martel
52 Dune – Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm – Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
62 Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History – Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road – Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure – Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary – Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick – Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens
72 Dracula – Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island – Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses – James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal – Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession – AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple – Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web – EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven – Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection – Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince – Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks
94 Watership Down – Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice – Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet – William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables – Victor Hugo

Someday.....

Inspiration from My Sewing Serenity.

Someday I want to crochet a rug like this. Maybe even make a braided rag rug. Someday I also want to hook a rug.

This is a cool one for inspiration.

English Romance

English Romance by dotmatrix30 featuring beach handbags

Mojo is back..

I started this as a quilting blog but I have not been doing much quilting since I was laid off last year. You would think with all the time off I would be doing one a week or once a week but I have been focusing on finding that job.. which is a job in itself and haven't taken the time to get any of them out.
Today I wanted to sew. I am going to participate in another bazaar in the fall. Maybe this time I will get some things done and not disappoint my friend. So today I devoted to cutting the project. .
I cut out the piece of fabric I need for one project from a fat quarter. I had 19 fat quarters that I got in the clearance bin from a quilt shop on the West Side. Then I got ambitious. I decided to cut up the left overs into blocks of 4X4 and rectangles of 3X6. I even got a couple of 3X3's due to misreads of the ruler. lol I don't have a plan for them but I am going to set up containers holding them and continue to do this with leftovers.

Below are photos of the process.

The stack of fat quarters.

The cutting.

The squares and rectangles.

For my project.

I have also started a label for another quilt I did a long time ago. I like to embroider my labels. This quilt has a yellow tulip in the middle that I got as a kit at a local shop that is no longer open. I then did a piano border surrounding it with scraps that I had from the 80's and other scraps from other quilts. I then took that completed square to the Sisters Quilt Festival and found the green border. I love it and had it hanging for many years in my cube at work. I decided to call it the Golden Empress after the yellow tulip. (side note to myself... that could be a good title for something lol) I made the quilt around 2000 but I can't remember when and I am just now getting the label done. Bad quilter.

I am still continuing to work on my needlepoint pillow. Here is a shot of the yarn.

That is what I was working on today. It felt so good. I need to do it more. Happy Quilting.