September and a makeover is needed

Last night I finished the September CQJP block... Which means I get to actually get to start the October block IN October which is the same as being caught up...Again a folded ribbon is the "star" of this block.  Susie did this one as it was one of the most difficult of the ones I wanted.  I am going to have to fold a few more ribbons for the last three months.

 

I started out this morning ready to hit a lot of thrift stores in search of a new suitcase that would fit my needs for a special trip coming up soon. .. And if I didn't find one I was set to go to Macy's and buy a new one...  I found it at the very first stop... the Volunteers of America . Brand new for $20.  It is exactly what I wanted except it is orange.. VERY ORANGE....  It needs a bit of a makeover...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was also looking for a bag/tote to use for my needlework and in place of a carry-on.  I found a fabulous one. large, lightweight, soft and has tons of pockets and NEW.    I saved so much money I treated myself to lunch at the Panda Express.  I love their "Honey Walnut Shrimp" with rice. 



Another Stitch and Travel bag you should see!

I can count on one hand (the hand that has only 4 fingers) the stitchers that I am truly in awe of and Lisa Boni is one of them.. Her attention to detail is unparalleled and there is a feeling of elegance and simplicity in everything she does...  You must go to  Lisa 's site and see how she has fitted out her travel bag...

It is obvious that she has given a lot of thought to what would meet her needs and fitted everything into her clever case.  AND every single thing in her case is coordinated... just amazing.   If you are thinking of putting together a travel bag, you must make a list of everything she included to use as a check list for yourself. 

What I thought was amazing was how she found her pattern and how  she could look at this pattern and think "travel bag."  But she did and adapted it  to her needs.  You can see it next to the child that it is fairly good sized. 

I can see how I might adapt this pattern a little differently so I will order it.  I often buy patterns "just in case" because they disappear quite quickly. Nothing is more frustrating than to think of a use a year later and the pattern is obsolete and unavailable... that's why I have a lot of unused patterns.

Marilyn Nepper's "Stitch & Travel" Kit.

Marilyn Nepper from Canada has been a long time reader of my blog and we have become friends over the years.  She sent pictures this morning of her "Stitch And Travel" kit.  It's obvious that she put a lot of thought into this project so she would have just what she needs when away from home.  One thing she has in her bag is a packet of templates.  I've never carried an extra set but often wished I had them so I think I will add that to my travel kit.. 

Originally I used a different fabric and was putting in a zipper all around but instead I decided used a lovely sari   put the flanges with the snaps.

 

Addendum from Marilyn:  Its 12"x12"x3".  And it would be nice with a cq cover too but at the time I made it, that wasn't in the time frame."

 

 

 

 

 

The first page is for hoops although I don't use them often.  But it’s a good place to store them.  There is a pocket  on the left side. (back of cover)

Then there is the page with the scissors, needlebook, thimble case pin keep, emery bag, thread roll and pencil/utility case.

Last page is a template envelope and a beading case made from a vintage cigarette case with felt glued inside. (I use a metal CD case lined with felt for bead soups)

Pockets on inner front and back covers for the blocks, a book or two and my chatelaine.


The inner page is attached with velcro so can be taken out if need be. Now I think that is a great idea and will keep that in mind...

 Lisa B. said she would send pictures of hers...  Anyone else?

Tips for Stitching Away from Home.

Over the course of my stitching life  it seemed I have stitched almost as much away from home as at home.... in waiting rooms, meeting rooms, at ball games, on decks, banks of rivers, hospital rooms, airports, on planes, etc. etc. Being able to do this has helped to pass countless long boring hours...  A blog reader wrote and asks if I had tips for doing this.... I sure do.... start with being prepared.

This bag ALWAYS hangs on this chair ready to go packed with the most necessary tools  In 5 minutes I can add some additional threads, beads, or trims and be out the door.

Take a long hard look at your most indispensable tools and keep an extra set in your bag.  For me it is these four tools:  Do note: both hemostats and scissors are on retractable badge holders so if for some reason I do not have my chatelaine, I can clip them on my shirt and not be searching all over for them.

 (1) a tiny pair of hemostats 

(2) A  favorite scissors.

(3) An awl. Mostly for making holes for button shanks but also a very useful tool  for teasing ribbon work as well. 

(4) This threader intended for needlepoint... larger yarns and needles.  But I find it fabulous for threading Kreinik threads which separate like crazy and works for perle, etc. as well..  It is a MUST for me and I  have a special pocket for it on my chatelaines.

 

You will notice I do not have a thimble because I do not use one.  Your list of tools will be slightly different... but it is so nice to have the right tool when you need it.  But for me it is the rarest of occasions that I do not have a chatelaine I designed for my own needs. It is great not only for travel but for workshops and retreats where you are working amongst others.  The biggest plus is you can't mislay a tool if it is attached to your body..

This is an older chatelaine and you notice I had to put my name tag on separately but my newest chatelaine has my own name  on it.







This is an older one and does not have the tiny forceps which I now want with me. But I have gone through several   chatelaines until my latest one meets all my needs.  Every item has its own pocket and nothing is dangling about to catch on things.

I did make a pattern when I taught a class for it but need to update it and do printed directions and plan to offer it as an online class by late summer.

So I always have a chatelaine in my bag.  This one only looks like it is crazy quilted.  It is actually whole cloth embellished.. trompe l'oeil

 

Next I have a piece of a velour blanket approx. 12x15"  It is handy to keep a supply of various needles and pins on it so I don't need a needle book and if I have something special like the beads in the little bag, I attach it so it won't get lost.  It's fuzzy surface is great to keep beads from rolling about.

And an added bonus is if I am using it  with beads, I do not need to put the beads away when I have to leave.  I fold the cloth in thirds one way and in thirds the other way and pin it.  When I need it next I just unfold and all is ready to go.

Next at the last minute  I pop in a ziplock bag with my needlework, the valuor pad and just a few threads, ribbons, etc. and am out the door...

Now for the nice but not necessary... First is a work surface.   In the car I use a padded lap tray which are readily available in craft and thrift stores... But they are bulky and not always useable.

So I keep a folding TV tray in the trunk of my car.  I buy the cheapest, most lightweight one I can find at a thrift store.  The old vintage ones are the best because they are the lightest and have the lip around the edge. 

But they are harder to find and now I have one like this.  It does have a bit of a lip and is so light I can carry it and my bag in one hand... 

They are the most useful for places you are going to be for a while like a hospital room with someone sick and you need to be there... Also they are nice in hotel or motel rooms as you can easily set them where there is the best light.  They are also nice to set out on a balcony or deck. It takes up next to no room in the trunk of the car and that is where I always keep it.

And then there is the issue of light.  I cannot recommend a light more enthusiastically than this one.  It was actually designed  for a music stand. Each head had TWO LED bulbs so it is very adjustable and can be easily focused where you need the light.  If you don't have a table to clip it to, a book works just as well.

 It operates on both batteries or AC/DC.  Of course you get a brighter light on AC/DC which is usually how I use mine.. Much of the hospital time I have spent sitting in a semidark room.  This clips right onto my folding tray.  It is less than $20 and available at Amazon.

Recently we went to the hot springs... I like to wake about 5:30 and DH likes to sleep until seven.  Not much to do in a dark cabin,  I used this light clipped to my folding tray table and stitched until he woke up. 

If you have something that works for you when you stitch away from home, let me know and I will add it.

Lower right!

As I've on the finishing end I have been jumping from block to block trying to keep things balanced but the last step is always the buttons...and they're on here.  I'm sure there will be some last minute tweeting at assembly time but for now this block is done.

The fancy stitches are done on all blocks and I've just been beading ....and quite heavily but only tone on tone... It doesn't detract from the images but adds depth and complexity to the block..

I love to include tiny beads, button and jewels to fill out a trail of buttons... something learned from Sharon B..  It's so exciting to be using all the buttons I've been collecting for this project for the last three years.  You can see in this closeup that the beads on the brown gimp match it exactly.

Almost 2 years ago I went to LA to visit Susie and bought lots of trims, etc. for this project in the garment district.  One was this "rhinestones-by-the-yard" trim.

When I use a piece of trim from that trip I can remember the store...the smell, the diversity of items, the excitement of each find.... it is sewing on wonderful memories as there is certainly nothing like it here in Spokane.

Then there's "dear" Allie

This is the last post about the retreat classes I took... The Wichita Victorian Stitchery Retreat is an annual event hosted by Val Bothell of the Pink Bunny...If you ever have a chance to go, don't miss it.  I always wish I had taken more pictures but for the best pictures go to Cathy Kizerian's  website...  She not only captured the spirit of the event, she got names!!!!

Now about "dear" Allie and I think of her that way so often that "dear" has become a part of her name...   I couldn't resist this picture of her and a pumpkin she posted this fall....Allie has a great sense of whimsy I love.   She is not only a great teacher but I count her as a special friend... She has mentored me with my AAQ pieces and spent time at the retreat going over the suffrage blocks.

Her classroom walls were just covered with her beautiful work and all of it so joyous...  You can see the piece on the wall behind me... You have to see her work up close to really appreciate it. Be sure to visit her website for a feast of color... and check her teaching and workshop schedules..

Allie was teaching classes on piecing which is my weakness.  I keep taking piecing classes hoping to find something that makes it easier for me....The afternoon was spent applique piecing on a large foundation which Allie thought we would cut up as a border.  But I found that doing a large piece to cut up for DYB squares would work great.. It makes so much more sense doing one large piece and cutting it up rather than 6 smaller blocks...

Cathy K. took this  toward the end of the day and I was fading fast but I love that the shot included my chatelaine which I could never do without and wore from sun up to sun down.  It is getting a little tattered though after so many years and I need to make a new one.

And this is post #999

Notice the buttons

In the process of sorting through boxes and boxes of photos looking for garden photos for the BJP, I'm finding all kinds of things I'd forgotten about. This photo of HWCH and myself is one of them....

In the fall of 1998 I saw a tiny ad in the newspaper for a guided group tour to China. It was $999 a person for 9 days and included airfare RT from Seattle, all transportation in China, visits to Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, and Suzhou, all hotels and all meals.. We went in January and this was the best travel bargain of our lives. We were the only ones signed up for January (and it was a bit cold) so we had a van, a driver and a guide just for us.. And because we were the only ones there was extra time so we got to see lots of extra stuff. We were flown from Beijing to Shanghai but the rest of the itinerary was cross country in the mini-van...

Also because this was going to be a total language barrier I made buttons of myself and granddaughters and my dog and wore them on my coat....hoping they would be an point of interest to Chinese women. And they were as many times a woman would point to the buttons in understanding and give me a big smile or ask questions through our guide. I wore picture buttons traveling on all trips thereafter.

Walking on the Great Wall was one of my life's ambition and it was so overwhelming. You can see that there weren't many tourists in January and the ones that were there were Chinese.

Trimmed blocks that hang or sit on stand and travel!

This large tote has about a dozen finished blocks in it which can be taken with me anywhere and displayed easily.. I could easily get another six blocks in this bag... It stores away easily at home. The post is actually from a post I did a year ago which should be a tutorial ... I always have trouble explaining what I do so I hope this makes sense. It seems the easier things are the harder they are to explain... Any questions or input would be appreciated...

Using the heavy pellon was Jo Newsham's idea and she wrote about it in the CQMag online. To read her approach http://www.cqmagonline.com/vol07iss04/articles/848/index.shtml But I wanted mine to have trim around it and be able to travel, hang or sit on a stand so I made some modifications.

I measure the area of the block that I want to trim. I mark that on the heavy pellon and add 3/4" for the trim... Then I put the block face DOWN on a heavy blanket so the embellishments won't be crushed. I put the pellon adhesive side down on the block, lining up and pinning the corners. Then I cover it with a damp cloth and press slowly until the pellon is firmly adhered to the back of the block. I trim off any excess fabric up to the edge of the pellon. Then I sew a piece of 3" bias strip down each side. press it back and sew a 3" bias piece across the top and bottom.... And end up with what is above right...

Then I turn it over and put a strip of Heat & Bond on the backs of the bias strip. I pull the strips firmly against the edge of the heavy pellon and when I turn it over I have what you see on the right. I tuck under the corners and finish them by hand...

Then as finishing touches I added a strip of gold cording on the inside of the trim. I secured the tassels with loops with a button so if I have to hang the block it can be done with pearl-headed pins so it hangs nicely.. or I can just display it on a stand.

I found a bunch of these stands at the dollar store.. They are lightweight and fold easily...

I love having the block all ready to go and looking their best...