Marsbarn Designs...

Ornament making, time making

I set aside several mornings (and afternoons)
in December (oh, and maybe November) to 
making ornaments.  I think I've been lax in making
time for art for art sake this school year.  Too many
things (important things) kept pushing that time
into the ether.  But, well, Christmas has some
priority!

It isn't what we make. It's that we set aside time to 
make.

I am such a better person, when I sit a bit more,

and take the time to play and use my hands.

I keep thinking I'll make more time for writing, 

or reading, or blogging, or knitting.

But lately, that time only comes in waiting rooms.

And, while that is an excellent way to use that dead
time, it isn't as soulful as sitting at home and making
something that is just for fun or beauty.  

Two days ago, I read for 90 minutes, during the day,
when I could have been Doing Things. It was good,
but odd, and it was a statement.  "Here I am choosing
to do less." is what it said.  The world didn't end, but
dinner was a bit late.  We survived.  I plan on trying 
again.  I can sit. I can breathe. I can make.  

Little houses, or doing that project you keep promising you'll do

Three years ago, I bought a set of little
cardboard houses.  They were inspired by the
vintage Putz houses we see at antique shows.
I have a very modest selection of original
houses, but want to put my own spin on them.
Of course, this idea went the way of so many
projects, onto the shelf for another year.
The following year, the kits came off the
shelf, but then got set aside, again. 

This past Christmas, it happened.

I got the kits out, opened them, and started working
with my Mom and sister O to see what we could do.

For this first house, I used a vintage aeronautical map
for the walls, and stamps for the roof. My Mom came
up with the idea of the vintage stamps, and we all 
ran with it.

I bought a big bag of vintage postage stamps at a 
sidewalk sale in my neighborhood during a rare walk
between hospital visits this September.  We had so 
much fun with them.

Of course, once we started making these houses, 
it was hard to stop... so I had to buy more.

They are so fun,  

 they offer so many possibilities.  And the palate
of the stamps had the hues we wanted to work with.
I'm not sure it would have been as fun to do with 
project without them.  Perhaps, we just needed to wait
for the perfect convergence of supplies.

It's been a bit hard to stop making the houses.

I confess to buying more of the kits on Christmas Eve.
I had to have them transferred from another store,
and when they arrived, they'd been marked down
50% for the after Christmas sale. I, um, bought a dozen.

And then there was this house. My father sent me three
packets of butterfly wings.  (Wait!) They came with
the guarantee of being from a butterfly conservancy.
The butterflies live their full lives, and are then 
collected from the ground.  No lovelies were harmed.
Honest.  

I used the cover of an old dictionary for the roof.  

I've stopped making houses.. for the moment. Although,
I do rather like the idea of making a Valentines one...
or two...

things sewn for love, not money

It's been nearly a month since Christmas, and I've been 
very lax in posting about the things I made for the
holiday.

I was very pleased this year with the amount of making
I was able to do.  I often run into the trap of making for
pay, and in doing so shorting those I love.  This year, I
think I managed both.

I made a selection of Digbys (in two sizes!) for my girls
and a couple of younger family friends.  They are so
soft, so huggable, so fuzzy!  They are balm of sweetness
to make, and I have a new pile of them on my sewing
table.  

I also made a purple minion, complete with wild
purple hair and big teeth.  I want to play more with 
this idea, but for a first pass, I was very pleased!

When the bag is closed, the hair bunches up, which I
love.

This minion bag was one of those things I thought I 
didn't have time for, but then my schedule opened up,
and voila!  

I made other things, like a pair of lap quilts 
featuring woven wool plaids from Pendleton, but 
I didn't get photos in time.  I also (finally) finished a 
quilt that I started 3 years ago.  But, again, I was not
on the ball with the photographing.  

This sewing was a good way to end what was, at times,
a difficult year.  I now only have one WIP quilt lurking
on my shelves.  Perhaps, it is time to start some new
projects!

Digby, to the rescue!

Sweet G had to playtest the Friendly Monster stuffy.

You know, to make sure his fluff was all in the right 
places.

She named him Digby.

Digby can fly.

Go, Digby, go!

There are children in need of cheer!

That Digby moves FAST!

It's what we can do

In our elementary school community, we have a young
person who was diagnosed with a rare cancer this 
fall.  His mother is a teacher at our school,  and we 
wanted to find a way to reach out, to support this 
family.  

When someone is ill, seriously ill, there is so little 
we can do to help, especially when you aren't a close
enough relation to lend a direct hand.

The farther we are from the person who is unwell,
the more difficult it can be to find something that 
feels helpful.  While the first round of loved ones are
in a fury of activity doing what needs doing, and the
second layer of friends and family are supporting those
doing the hardest work, there is a larger community
of people who want to lend support. So, some mothers
and I worked with the students of the teacher/Momma
to create handmade gifts to remind the entire family
that they are not alone and that they are supported.

This stuffy was made for the sister of the boy who is
ill.  We thought she might need a fellow who is perfect
for hugging.  He has a cape, with her brother's initial
on it.  This "S" in shield was a theme we carried through
all of the gifts.  The children of the class signed the
lining of the cape, to lend their support.

This messenger bag was made for our teacher.  She's
taken a leave so she can be with her son during his
treatments, and we wanted her to have something
helpful, that she could carry with her.  The exterior
is a pinstriped wool, to suit her own sleek style,
with the "S" so her son is with her.

The interior is decorated by the traced hands of her
class.  The hand of each student was traced, and 
then signed by the student.  Our hope was that when
she looks into the bag, she will see some of the hands
that support her.

For the Dad in the family, we made a lunch tote along
similar lines as the messenger bag.  The interior
is lined with traced hands, but the exterior is a drab
green canvas embellished with the hero "S".

 

One of the Moms at school donated a new travel mug to 
go in the bag.  The Dad is having to continue to work
through this time.  We wanted him to feel supported 
as well, as he goes out into the world.

Our big project was for the boy himself. We wanted to 
make him a small quilt he could take to his treatments.
We wanted to make it functional, easy to wash, 
bright and colorful, as well as entertaining.

This boys loves superheroes, so we made him a cape
shaped quilt (as I told the kids, not all quilts have to be
rectangles!).  The top is narrow and the bottom wide.
I made a big version of the Super "S" to accent the soft
red flannel of the backing.

The pieced side of the quilt is an "I Spy" quilt.  
I hunted through my trove of scraps and cut hundreds
of 4" squares.  I tried for a wide range of colors, themes,
and shapes, so that as the family spends time in 
treatment they can continually find new things.  You 
can play a matching game with the quilt, or I Spy.
"I spy, with my little eye a cheeky pirate monkey!"
or "How many banana blocks can you find?"

To make this quilt, I asked a Mom helper to make a 
life size pattern.  She drew out a large grid with 3 1/2"
squares on it (the finished size for the blocks) on 
pattern making paper.  I drew out the lines of the quilt
top, and then had each child choose 4 fabric squares 
from the mountain of precut squares.  They then laid
their squares exactly where they wanted them on the
quilt.  My only instruction was not to place two identical 
fabrics next to each other.  Volunteer moms pinned 
the squares in place.  We added special squares that 
were signed by the students. After the children had 
finished, I asked the Mom's to take a turn filling
in spaces.  They really enjoyed the process of finding
underused fabrics, and making fun placements. I 
followed this pattern precisely when sewing up the 
top.  An assembly line of Mommas helped me sew
the top, and then to assemble the quilt.

 The children were so intent, so focused on this project.
They remembered me from last year's quilt project,
so there was no "get to know you" period.  We just got
to work.

There was a funny moment, at the beginning of our
class time, when I was describing the 4 projects to
the class.  I mentioned the mini cape they would be 
decorating for the monster stuffy, and a boy raised 
his hand.  "What will the stuffy look like?" he asked.
"Well, it will be a friendly monster, with lime green
shaggy fur, long arms, and big green googily eyes."  
As I spoke, his eyes got bigger and bigger.
"Really??!" he asked.
"Have I ever lied to you?" I responded.
With big, solemn eyes, he said. "No." 
"Is that going to work?" I asked him.
He nodded vigorously. 

On Friday, I brought the finished items in to show
the class.  They were very excited to see how
everything had turned out. Tomorrow, the gifts will 
be given to our family. I know that quilts and 
stuffies won't make this boy well, but it's what we
can do.  Some days, all that you can do is show
that you care, and to send your very best wishes.

Perhaps I need a crew to keep me in line

So, life continues moving forward.

Big E is back at work! 

Which makes us all very happy! Knees are an important 
thing, and knees that bend are a good thing.

And while I would like to think that as life slowly moves
toward normal speed, I would be able to blog as often
as I did when nothing was normal....

I can't.  I keep writing these posts in my brain, but 
they don't automatically transfer from brain to screen.
It is vexing.  I keep thinking, "I posted that!", but I 
didn't.

So, here is my deal.  I am going to try and make the
time to sit and write.  I like writing. Writing is good.
I still have things to say, and I really think I can
bridge that gap between mental meanderings and
published blather.  Really, I do.

After all, I've found the time to sew up some friends. 
Maybe they'll help keep me on target. 

Marbling fabric, take one

I blame iced coffee for the desire to marble things.
There's that deep brown canvas in a clear, tall glass,
and then you pour in the  milk, and watch the magic
happen as the milk curls around the floating islands
of ice.  Ahhh... so lovely.

It took me a while to gather all of the supplies.  For 
some reason, finding a blender for mixing the floating
solution was a real stumbling block.  The thought of a 
craft blender seemed... extreme.  Sure, I already have
an arsenal of pots and pans devoted to batiking, but..
a lovely friend came to my rescue and gave me a used
blender.

And the marbling is fun.  And addictive.

These are all from our first run at marbling fabric.
Next time, I need to take the time to iron the alum
impregnated fabric.

The laying down of the fabric is still a bit hit and miss.

See that band of color at the bottom, where the tones
are deeper?  That's something about how I put the
fabric on the floating dye.

I think this one is my favorite. I like those huge feathers.

Big E made this one. Those white voids are bubbles.
Yes, even Big E thought this was fun.  All four of us
played with the dyes.

I'm waiting for more Kona White to arrive for our next
round of marbling.  I used a variety a fabrics for this
first attempt, different colors and weights.  I liked the
white best. 

 

A fortnight of many things

I was going to say it's been a busy week, but in truth,
it's been a crazy-busy fortnight. 

There have been ginger molasses cookies (both soft
and crispy, because I forgot one tray in the oven) and
banana bread that's been and gone. I picked strawberries
and made my first batch of jam for the year.  

G wore a Wash inspired Cosplay outfit to school for 
character day.  "This land.. we shall call it ... This Land"

We celebrated Auntie O's birthday with homemade
pizza (white sauce, dates, walnuts, prosciutto, YUM!),
listened to a mandolin and guitar concert organized by
Auntie O, and listened to a local author, Brian Doyle,
whose book (Mink River) G and I devoured last summer.

Sweet G, Little e and I participated in a Taekwon Do
demonstration, after which G and I sprinted to the 
studio so we could test for our next belt level.  We're
now Brown Stripes (which makes Big E giggle like a
boy when he hears it.) 

And in the midst of all these things, and so many more,
(Such a BUSY pair of weeks) alchemist has finished
her yearly bloom, but Little Lucy (our aggressive 
wee pink rose) is getting ready for her turn to display.
The small, hot, dry bed on the west side of our house 
has been weeded, and new bearded irises have been
planted for next year.

And then there was the sewing. So much sewing. 40+ bags
were sewn for a shop update, plus a pile of special orders.
A good portion of those bags have been packaged and 
sent out to lovely customers.  

But, what stands out most brightly, in this period of 
intense activity as the school year winds down, was 
the quilt presentation.  Oh, the tangled webs one 
spins when organizing a year long, school wide secret.
I'm thrilled beyond words that it was successful, and
that I have been forgiven for all of my mistruths. No
one is holding a grudge for my misdirection, which I
must admit, became a small concern of mine toward
the end.  While indulging my inner 12 year old
improvisational "story" spinner has been fun, my adult
self is the tiniest bit squeamish about carrying so many
lies, white though they may be.  This must be another
sign of adulthood that no one warns you about.

This project really was a joy to pull together.  After most
big projects (although I've never had a project quite
this large), I have a temporary aversion to the project.
After auction quilt projects, I don't want to quilt again
for at least a half year.  After the book making
projects, I don't want to be in the classroom for a while.
But, with this project, I'm not feeling that same need
for distance.  I'm tired.  Yes, I am tired. But, I am 
really looking forward to making another quilt, or
perhaps even (hold your breath here) finishing  a 
WIP (work in progress) quilt that's been sitting on the
shelf for years now.  What a lovely way to end the
school year.  Now, to survive the last five days of 
early mornings.

Secret Retirement quilts, fin.

(As always, click on the photo to enlarge it!)

The quilts are done, done, done, done, and gone 
to their rightful homes.   

This is the front of our Principal's retirement quilt.

And this is the back.  Each of those islands is one
classroom of children.  4 kindergartens, 4 first grades,
4 second grades, 4 third grades, 3 fourth grades, 3
fifth grades, and a special needs classroom.  I made a
map for the quilt that identifies which block is which
classroom. With the teacher-made squares, there were
625 blocks in total. 

This quilt, which one of the 4th grade boys in the school
said was "the biggest blanket in the WORLD!" is our
school secretary's.   She also received a map identifying
which column is which classroom.  

And this lovely quilt (which was assembled by another
mom, who did a fantastic job!) is for a kindergarten
teacher who has taught at our school for 29 years,  
although only 26 of those years were spent in
kindergarten. She and our school secretary came to our
school at the same time, so it is fitting that they are
leaving together as well.  This quilt contains blocks  
made by each child in the school who was taught by
this teacher, as well as all the teachers at the school.
There were 145 blocks in total. 

We also made little booklets of "Signature Cards"
which were made up of 3x5" index cards signed
by each participant. They were bound together
by classroom. Some contain messages, some art,
and some just the artist's name. 

The presentation went very well. The students kept 
their secrets, and all of the recipients were surprised
by their gifts, even our school secretary.  Yay!

Mr Fuzzypants: How I assemble a quilt

Hello. I, Mr Fuzzypants, will explain to you how I 
assemble a quilt.

First, you spread out your batting.  Have your human
iron it first.  You can play under the ironing board and
try to catch their toes through the curtain of batting.
It's good fun, and it's best to get all the wrinkles out
before you begin.

Try to get everything as smooth as you can.  My batting
here is a quite a bit larger than my quilt, which is fine.

Lay your quilt top on top on your batting.  You want to
smooth it so there are no wrinkles or lumps of batting.

This step can take some time, and having a second set
of paws hands can be quite helpful.

Once everything is as flat and smooth as you can get it,
have someone with thumbs place pins through out
to hold the layers together.  I use straight pins here,
because they aren't going to stay in for very long.

I like to have a show playing in the background while
the excess batting gets trimmed.  I'm watching Star 
Trek here.  I dig the young Spock.  He has great ears.

With the layers firmly pinned, carefully fold and pick up 
the quilt top and batting as one. 

Now, spread the backing out.  The human pieced the
back as well, but there's no need.. you know. You'll 
notice it's wrong side up.  This is a good thing, the
human tells me. 

Now, the human has gone and taped the back to the
floor with low tack painter's tape.  She thinks this makes
is easier to lay the top on, because the back won't slide.
BUT, I think is a waste.  With the back taped to the floor,
I can no longer race across the room and slide.  Stupid
human.

Now, lay the top and backing piece on top.  Shifting it
carefully  until it is properly arranged.  The human
always makes the back larger than it needs to be, so
she can cheat and trim off the excess.  Cheater,
cheater.  There's a lot of smoothing and grumbling
at this point, so I took a nap.  

Now you get out your safety pins, which are totally evil,
you know.  Ever tried opening and closing a safety pin
without thumbs?  Discrimation!  Pin, pin, pin. Pah!

Now, take a little spit bath while your human crawls
around on hands and knees while she turns and pins the
edge of the quilt, removing the tape as she goes.  

Then she flips the quilt over to double check the back
is smooth and without wrinkles or folds.  At this
point she removes the straight pins from the back. 

My human is LAZY!  Instead of cutting a separate
piece of fabric for the edging, she just folds the back
around to the front, tucking it  under itself, pins it in
place, and then she zips around the outside with the
sewing machine (which I am no longer allowed
to sleep on while she sews.  More descrimination!).
There the edge is finished, and now I can sleep on it
while she gets ready to tie the layers.