Out and About

It has been kinda crazy around here, so I took advantage of a tiny break in the action to run away on the annual sisters trip to Fly Creek Cider Mill in Fly Creek, New York. (Kinda near Cooperstown, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame)

My two sisters and I head there every fall for a fun day of shopping and sister-stuff.

It's about a 90-minute drive with the opportunity to see lovely fall color along the hilly-twisty back roads. 

For several years in a row, feels like we've missed the color and managed to drive through snowy, gray weather for the annual trip. This year, we got a little of the color, but had a damp weather day, despite the prediction of sunshine.

No matter, it was still fun to guess the weight of the giant pumpkin (my guess, I'm afraid, was way low), feed the fluffy-headed ducks . . .

 . . . And, of course, get some apples (the selection is much better in October than November) and fresh apple cider.

And stop for a yummy lunch in Herkimer on the way back home.

It's a fun once-a-year day! 

Back at home, on Tuesday, Dave had a routine medical test (everything's fine) that required that I drive him there and back again. The doctor's office is located near the Syracuse University campus, so I took advantage of the short walk to grab some early-morning breakfast at the coffee bar. Marshall Street (the main shopping and eating street located in the heart of university hill) hasn't changed much since I went to school at SU way back when.

Back at home, I've only just started a quick little project that I hope to share with you soon.

The fabric is cut and the sewing is just getting underway.

Happy Stitching!
Joan

Old Friends, New Friends

Over the weekend, the Thomas J. Corcoran High School Class of 1979 (my alma mater and class year) celebrated 40 years of life after high school with a reunion event at The Palace on James, a local historic theater.

We were also treated to amazing decoration from Balloons Over Syracuse! The Palace was completely converted to a party atmosphere with Maroon and White balloons everywhere!

My friend and classmate, Kathy Eastman, and I were in charge of organizing the event.

No small task to gather class mates from 40 years ago for an evening of delicious food, adult beverages, and lots and lots of laughs and smiles.

As you can see from the picture below, we barely managed to pull the crowd together in one place for the group photo. Looking at the correct camera in unison was another challenge entirely. 

The party was a HUGE success, lotsa laughs, hugs, and remembrances. Some folks are already strategizing about the next meet-up. It's nice to have some good old friends who know you 'once upon a time.'

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This week, I also spent some time with my new 'friend' the Learning Curve Ruler. I mentioned this in-between project a few weeks ago, here and here.

I have finished all the units I need for a longish scrappy table runner.

Almost. . .

I started sewing the rows together, but planned out the pressing configuration for the two units or 'methods' I'm using - method 3 and method 6 as per the instructions that come with the tool.

With the curved elements coming together near the seam intersections, the seams stack up and get bulky. As shown in the photo below, I rotated or 'furled' the four-patch seams (circular arrows) while pressing the Method 6 blocks (in different rotational directions) on each end of each row. Then pressed the middle seam on the Method 3 unit (in the center of the row) so it opposed the two four patch seams on each end (mini straight arrows). That way, the seams that join the 3/6/3 units nested nicely and distributed the bulk evenly across the intersection (squiggly arrows).

There is a lot going on in this photo, and I know it's a little confusing. Basically, I planned ahead and used common pressing techniques as I constructed the elements to accommodate bulky seams.

Did you notice? The blocks aren't complete! Each one is missing its center.

I have the scraps picked out, and I've cut the blue dots from the yardage for the 'background' centers

Why not sew them into place!?

Why not, indeed!

The secret to the next step on this project is lurking somewhere inside the new Stitchery Crossover membership group. CLICK HERE to learn more! And to be honest, I'm not exactly sure what that next step is. BUT, I have an idea.

Perhaps, we can find the answer together.

Jus' sayn.

Happy Stitching!
Joan
 

Wooly, Wooly

Feels a little early to be thinking and creating 'holidays,' doesn't it?

Eh, maybe not. I bet you can find holiday decorations for sale without too much difficulty in most retail outlets at this very moment. And, I must confess that I started working on my holiday gift card ornaments back in January. (I had an idea early on, and I'm pacing myself comfortably this year, for a change!)

On Saturday, my embroidery guild hosted a workshop to make a crafty wooly tree. It was actually quite a treat to work on something "Christmas" without a clock ticking away the seconds as often happens as the holidays get closer!

Darlene, our workshop instructor prepared kits with everything needed to make the project - wool (ready to rip into strips), a dowel for the trunk, two kinds of tape and pre-cut floral wire for the tree branches.

After a bit of instruction, we set about to making our trees.

Once you cut the wool strips, and cross-snip the strips to resemble needles, you wrap them around the branches/wires one at a time.

It's messy business as the branch is treated with a line of tacky glue before twisting the snipped wool around the 'branch.'

Don't look too closely at my finger nails . . . the gel manicure on my thumb experienced a bit of a mishap just before class time!


You need a lot of branches!

The clothes pin holds the glued wool to the bottom of the branch for a few minutes while it dries.

Once you have a few branches, you can start adding them to the trunk using vinyl floral tape to secure them.

As I looked around the room, it looked like we each had a fuzzy buggy whip standing upright at each place after the first few branches are attached to the top of the 'trunk.'

Once all the branches are attached to the trunk (the trunk is maybe 15" tall), the tree looks a lot like a 'real' tree that is wrapped and ready to tie to the top of the car for the drive home. Only smaller. Lots smaller.

One more step to cover the shiny vinyl tape securing the branches to the trunk with brown floral tape for a more realistic look.

With the second wrap on the trunk complete, after a little branch fluffing, it's ready for some handmade ornaments.

And maybe a small string of fairy lights.

And maybe a step back to enjoy!

. . . with a festive beverage!

Here's the finished tree against a more 'calm' background.

Pretty cute, if you ask me.

If you're wondering about making a tree of your own, I don't really have a pattern to share, just some assembly notes from the workshop. However, I did a quick check online, and if you google "Wool Christmas Tree" you'd find some kits and videos online. I'd also add that having the kit with everything pre-cut and marked was really helpful!

Happy Stitching
Joan

It's Fall Y'all

This has been a crazy week with lots going on. Last Friday night, Dave and I were guides for the annual neighborhood ghost walk. Not what you might think. . . . There are two ghost walks each year, one in the Spring through Syracuse's oldest cemetery and another in the Fall  through a historic Syracuse neighborhood. 

If the 'spirits' favor us, we encounter historical figures from local history along our short route.

They are actually actors portraying their historical counter part. Always interesting! Always informative. Always a lot of fun!

Above, the 'ghost' of educator Edward Smith who made his contribution to the local area in the late 19th and early 10th century tells his story in front of the school that bears his name.

As darkness falls, Mary Salisbury, just stepping off 'her' porch in the foreground, tells of her life as the wife of the world-famous Syracuse China Factory owner. Once upon a time, you could flip over a plate in almost any fine dining establishment in any part the world and you'd find the Syracuse China stamp on the bottom of the plate or saucer.

The Ghost Walk through the Berkeley Park neighborhood continues this weekend. Local folks can make a reservation to meet these an other interesting ethereal characters at the Onondaga Historical Association. Call them to reserve your spot. It's really fun!

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There goes Dave again with another yard project. He found an untouched patch of grass on the side of the house that 'needs' to be a flower bed. He's had this seed of an idea germinating all summer, and finally got motivated (his garden has had a few surgical set-backs this year) to start digging. Truth be known, I think he prefers weeding flower beds to mowing. If it means more flowers, I'm all for it!

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And Monday was our wedding anniversary! We celebrated 19 years of wedded bliss with a nice dinner in the lakeside town of Skaneateles, about 20 minutes from our home. Do you know how hard it is to find a nice restaurant open for business on Monday evenings?

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Back at home, my needles continue to progress along with these alphabet blocks. Once I finish T (for Tulip and Tent stitch), I have four more blocks to stitch (X, Y, and Z are together in one block), then the fun part of making something quilty out of all these blocks begin.

Oh my, dare I say, I can see the light?

Phew! Seems like a busy week around here. Lazy summer days are certainly receding quickly into the past!

Happy Stitching!

Joan
 

More Sewing Around

With my BERNINA back in place after a long over-due servicing, I was back at my curvy project from a couple weeks ago using The Learning Curve trimming tool.

Last time I played with "Method 6" from Linda's instructions. This time I'm playing with "Method 3."

Whenever I can, I like to use scraps for a project like this plus a bit of yardage. However, the fabric size i need is 5-1/2" long. My ScrapTherapy scraps are cut 5" square. Most days, I can't get 5-1/2" out of a 5" fabric square.

So, I decided to do a little experiment. . . .

For my first attempt, I decided to cut the light blue dot (yardage) according to the instructions. The 5" scrap square is cut into two pieces, but is 1/2" narrower than recommended.

So when I lined the pieces up, I centered them on each other, then used the tool to make the cuts as directed.

I followed the same process as with the smaller Method 6 pieces to find the center with a quick crease.

Then match the creases, pin, sew . . .

 . . . and then press, toward the scrap fabric in each case.

. . . Then I used the tool again to trim down to size. Plenty of room to make a good cut, even if my scrap was smaller than the called-for size.

Linda recommends using a 1/8" seam allowance rather than the usual 1/4". If I follow the inside edge of the quarter inch foot, I'm coming pretty close to that 1/8"

There are lots of lines and dots on the tool to make sure you stay on track.

Next, I sewed two halves together to make the Method 6 unit.

They're a little wonky, but not bad. When the experiment with the 5" scrap square went well, I decided to cut both pieces - the scrap (already cut to 5" squares) and the light blue dot fabric.

Without that extra quarter-inch on either side, I may be losing a little bit of the stability along the curved seam. If that's true, it's a trade off I can live with.

I need to make a few more of each unit to have enough for a table runner, then I have another idea to complete all the pieces I need.

Stay tuned! I might be a while!

Happy Stitching!
Joan

So-So No-Sew

My BERNINA went to rehab last Friday. It was long overdue for it's not-so-regular freshen-up. I've been without a sewing machine for my daily hour or two sewing sessions to start my morning for about a week now. 

Simple enough, I grabbed my year-long alphabet stitchery project. I would have enjoyed relaxing in my comfy chair in the living room rather than my sewing cabinet chair. . .

However, Doodle and Woodstock (the two conures) like the morning routine AS IS. And they like to spend the daily morning sewing time in their cage in the sewing room. To change their routine would subject me to noisy squawks as they made their annoyance with a change to their itinerary known.

I know, it's crazy, but it's just easier this way. Some days, I'm grateful that THEY let US continue occupying the house with them. 

As for the stitchery project. I'm on the letter S for Sheep and spiderweb stitch which is giving an added fluffy dimension to the sheep. As I've been discussing in this newsletter from time to time, I've taken a departure from the execution of this pattern to add quilty elements to the project.

If you're interested you can grab the original charts here. 

With just a few letters left, I am looking forward to sharing more on the final stages of this project soon.

To keep things interesting this week, I switched things up a bit to add some beading to the stitchery routine.

I think I shared a similar starfish project a couple weeks ago. My embroidery guild is making some for a holiday tree charity event at the local art museum. Unfortunately, I don't have permission to share those pattern notes here. 

However, even better (I think), I am happy to share this YouTube video that walks you through all the steps to create this two-sided version of the starfish. I like this version even better because the starfish are finished on both sides.

Now, if you're not familiar with beading, these instructions may not make much sense.

The two-sided starfish feel a bit more 'stable' than the one-sided version making them a bit more versatile for things like zipper or key chain fobs.

Here is one I attached to my purse zipper with a jewelry ring.

Next week, maybe I'll have a few more sewing machine things to share. . . or not! You never know what will turn up around here.

Happy Stitching!
Joan

A Curvy Treat

Once the kits for The FLOCK ship  around the 12th of each month. I sometimes find myself with a little bit of extra time in the sewing room.

With the September FLOCK shipment running smoothly and slightly ahead of schedule, I was able to pull out a cool tool I purchased earlier this summer at a quilt show from Linda Warren Designs. The tool is called The Learning Curve. (By the way, not an affiliate, just a fan.)

I've been aching to play with this nifty trimming tool for a while now. A couple of projects seemed to override my curiosity. So this week, I grabbed a bit of my morning sewing routine to give it a go.

You know I like scraps! So I started with my ScrapTherapy bin full of 2" and 3-1/2" square pre-cut scraps, and grabbed about a half-yard (for now, just to get started) of a light aqua polky dotty print (not shown here).

The tool comes with real basic instructions. More pictures than words, and that's okay. The tool is pretty intuitive. You make the block elements in pairs; they are oversized, and you use the tool to cut the curves and trim them after sewing. I started with a pair of 3-1/2" squares, one scrap and one polky dot. Stacked them, then trimmed for "Method 6" on the instruction sheet.

There are a bunch of different block options this tool can do, identified by 'method' number.

Okay, so, yeah. This is curved piecing. But Linda makes the whole curved thing very easy and forgiving. She doesn't necessarily advocate aligning things or using pins, but this 'old dog' likes the comfort of a few pins in the set up so the sewing is mindless--the pins aren't necessary , but they are just my preference . . . I started with the two curved pieces (the 'pie' and the 'crust'), then made a pinched crease on the curved edge in the middle of each.

I placed the two pieces right sides together (yes I switched fabric colors on you for my photos), pie-shape on the top, crust on the bottom, and one pin to line up the middle.

I then added two more pins on each side of the curve, easing the fabric edges around and securing them.

Notice that the pin points 'point' to the location of the soon-to-be seam. But they are far enough away from the fabric edge so I won't be running over the pins when I sew. That way,  I can leave them be and take them out after the sewing.

Next I sew along the curve. Linda recommends an 1/8" seam and a short stitch length.

I ease in any edges that get a mind of their own as I go along. But as previously stated, the curve is gentle and forgiving, so you can be a little off and you'll be fine.

Now, after pressing the seams to one side (either side will do, but I pressed toward the scrap and away from the dotty yardage fabric) I have what looks like a hot mess. ends don't match, but the curve looks pretty good. . .

Enter the trimming tool (the well-marked dots on the tool (red arrows) are the key to success!) to turn the hot mess into a nicely trimmed. . .

 . . . 2-1/2" square (for 'method 6'). With curved-pieced center.

You make the units in pairs, and pretty quickly, there are enough to start to see bigger units coming together. As you can imagine, rotating a couple of these units changes everything.

However, my sewing time for the day was over. So I'll have to continue on with this project when I find another sewing/playing window, hopefully soon!

Overall, I really enjoyed playing with The Learning Curve, and I can see an interesting project emerging. . . slowly and gradually as I can fit it in.

The tool is certainly good for curved piecers at any level, even beginners!

About the only setback I saw was some pretty size-able trimming scraps. But since I started with scraps, I'm good with using them up!

There would be similar fabric usage - or worse - using other curved trimming tools, so the ease of use and the impact here is certainly worth the extra bits of fabric, in my mind.

More on this project soon! I'm kinda itchin' to get back to it to see what's going to come next . . .!

Happy Stitiching!
Joan