Give Away This Week

This is a picture of the give away for this week. This is another Mariner Compass block. The pattern is paper pieced and the fabric is from Jinny Beyer's line for RJR. The colors look pretty true on my computer so I hope this will show an accurate presentation on your computer.



I'm also giving away the scissors shown in this picture.

The colors of the fabric in this photo do not look as good but the colors on the scissors look fine. I don't get it. Anyway, leave a comment, say hello and some lucky winner will be chosen by Snowflake.

Last night was more un-sewing. I can't believe I'm doing this. I have never taken this much sewing out before in my WHOLE LIFE! I can't stand it. I hate un-sewing.

I used to be a very type A person about everything. Everything had it's place and it had better well be there. Everything had to be clean. My crystal sparkled. My desk was neat. Then I discovered quilting.

I used to make my own clothes. I have been sewing since I was 11, which was a very, very long time ago. I was good, even if I do say so myself. I had to learn how to sew. My Mom used to make my clothes. In an effort to be thrifty, she bought 10 yards of black plaid fabric. She made me a black plaid dress, a black plaid skirt, a black plaid blouse, black plaid pants...you get the idea. It was hideous. I had to learn how to sew, to avoid being embarrassed to death. The first dress I made was an orange & white stripe shift with short sleeves and 4 inch slits up the sides. The first time I wore it to school, I got so many compliments, I was hooked on sewing.

There was a lady who lived across the street who had a "real job" at an airline. When I was a kid, women stayed home with the kids. She found out that I sewed. She brought over a ton of fabrics and Vogue patterns. I had never seen a Vogue pattern before. I didn't even know how to pronounce Vogue. She asked me how much I would charge to make these clothes. Not knowing any better, I told her $2 a piece.

I was a dumb kid at 12. I used to watch Man from Uncle and was in love with Illian Kuriakin. When my sister told me that the US had a secret service organization, I told her she was lying. I was as naive as they come.

I sewed for this lady for about 3 years. I learned a lot from those Vogue patterns. This lady was the perfect model. She was tall and wore a perfect size 12 Vogue pattern back in those days. She required very little altering.

I loved making clothes. I loved the couture finishes that the Vogue patterns included. I loved making those nice French seams. I loved that Hong Kong finish on the seams of unlined jackets. I loved hand sewing those little gold chains on the inside hems of the Channel knock off jackets. I loved the rustle of taffeta. Everything about those clothes was perfection.

I, on the other hand was always short with curves. There are not many clothes in the store that will fit this shape. I enjoyed making my own clothes. I had things that were unique and for the most part fit. One of the hardest things to do in sewing is fitting yourself. By the time you are in front of the mirror all pinned together, everything shifts.

When I discovered quilting, it was such a relief of sorts. I could satisfy my desire for perfection in those quarter inch seams. I could satisfy my love of color by putting together fabrics that "don't go together" and then they do. Of course, this meant that I could be sloppy in my "real life". The vacuuming didn't always get done. Dishes piled up in the sink. You could write in the dust on my coffee table. I didn't care. I was in my own little world in my sewing room. Where pieces of fabric would come together in harmony. Everything was right in the world. Didn't I tell you that quilting was good therapy?

Oh, well. I'm optimistic that when these pastel pieces get sewn back together, these piles will be a long lost memory.

So since I am doing so much quilting, I am wearing store bought clothes. Thank goodness for spandex. It helps everything fit and life is good.

Here is a picture of my boy Silas again, playing in the tub.

Don't forget to leave a comment for the drawing. Snowflake likes playing with the bits of paper with the names on them. She just doesn't like having to give them up.

ttfn :) Yuki