Jude's quilt

Jude's quilt

I have slowly been making quilts for each of the kids. The unfinished pieces of Jude's quilt traveled with us from Delaware. I finished it up this past week in my sewing frenzy. I was initially inspired by this quilt - I loved the simplicity and white space between the lines. Jude's quilt is similar in pattern to a quilt I made for my sister's firstborn... and that makes me smile. 

Sisters

Jude on Arleigh's quilt

DIY fleece lined sheets

It is getting chilly here as all of you Americans post your lovely spring photos on facebook and instagram. I am happy for you... really. You deserve it after such a painfully long and bitterly cold winter. But I have to admit... I am jealous. Winter has never been my season.

I have been on a sewing rampage for the past few weeks. Partly because it is getting cold and I love handmade blankets... and partly because sewing is sometimes what I do when I need to check out a bit.

Fleece lined sheets - I made five of these bad boys this week. My kids have never been able to keep sheets on their beds. They usually end up in a big bunched up pile at their feet. But with the extra layer of slightly sticky fleece they stay in place quite nicely. The soft "vintage" (aka - old) sheets and they extra warm fleece make a nice and snuggy addition to the bedtime experience.

Step one (purchase materials)
- soft "vintage" sheets from your local thrift shop
- appropriate amount of fleece in a corresponding color
- double fold bias tape (quilt binding)
- embroidery thread
- safety pins

Step two (prepare work area)
- lay out your fleece on a flat surface (you can tape or pin it down to make sure it stays secure). 
- lay sheet on top (smooth out any bumps or wrinkles).

Fishing duck with jade stone necklace (a New Zealand tradition)

- start pinning. First pin around the border and then start filing in the interior.
-If you have a patterned sheet you may be able to find strategic and evenly spaced places to pin. You can eyeball it or use a measuring tape.

LOOK... it's the "Three Men and a Baby ghost...

Step three (connect the layers)
- use the embroidery thread to connect the layers.
- remove each pin (not the ones on the outer edge/border) and in it's place put a simple stitch and double knot.
- I chose colors that blend into the sheets - you can hardly see the knots.

Step four (bind the blanket)
- cut off any excess fabric - so that the sheet and fleece are the same size.
- Bind your blanket. I always wing it with this part and my corners look terrible. There are tons of you tube videos on how to do it properly - I should watch them.

knots spaced evenly with floral print... every other yellow flower

Enjoy!

Quilts tell our story

Quilts litter our family photos. Cropping up at birthday parties, movie night, nativity reenactments, hospital beds. Bringing color to rainy days and warmth to winter nights... stage props in the story of our lives.

There is something special about a handmade item specifically designed to cover and keep the user warm. When I tuck my kids in, I feel as though I have wrapped my hands around them for the night.

There are very few things locked up in our stateside storage unit that I miss... our quilts are on the top list.

A less complicated quilt

Stacy in Kijabe

My seven year quilt left me with a strong desire to never sew again... until  2009, when we spent a little over a month in Kijabe, Kenya.

Stacy was our neighbor - she (among many other things) was a resourceful mom of three and a SUPER fast quilt maker. She inspired me to believe that perhaps... someday... I might want to quilt again.

We made a special trip to a fabric shop in Nairobi where I bought a wide variety of colorful East African kikoys for my second (less complicated) quilt. 

Nairobi fabric shop

This very quick and simple quilt got me back on the bandwagon and ended up being a family favorite... also a special memory from a beautiful chapter of our lives. It has a thick and rugged denim back - which makes it a suitable resting place for all sorts of occasions...

Getting back to writing about our South Island Road Trip sometime next week...

Jude

best dog ever

camping

sick day

Quilting and depression...

finished - after seven years

When I was twenty I had my first run in with depression. I was a student at Texas A&M University and every Tuesday and Thursday would drive by a little quilt shop on the way to one of my off-campus education classes.

One afternoon I walked in and three old ladies taught me how to quilt. They started me with a five and a half inch log cabin block. If I had known anything about quilting - I would eased in a little bit and chosen a larger block with less detail. I pieced it with a machine and then hand-stitched every seam on this queen sized quilt. It took me seven years.

this weeks work...

In those seven years, a lot of life happened. I graduated from college, got married, worked, traveled, moved across the country, bought a house, had a baby... a million joys and sorrows filled the space between.

Thankfully my depression passed long before I put the final stitches on this quilt. It will always be my favorite... partly because it took me SO VERY LONG to finish. But mostly because it reminds me to be hopeful... and know that seasons change.

I have found that (subconsciously) sewing often ends up being the thing I do when I am feeling sad. This week I did a lot of sewing. Someone we love dearly lost her father quite suddenly. I made blankets - reflecting on the brevity of life and feeling heartsick for a friend.