Memory Bear

Pieces cut and sewing begun

Goal number five on my October list was to make a memory bear. I'm using flannel from the sheet set my daughter had when she was around ten. This is the same fabric I'm using to weave the rug I posted about in the past.

The head is together

The reason I decided to make the memory bear was that when she saw the rug project, she said, I thought I would get a bear. Goodness! Look at all the time I've spent storing that sheet set and pondering what kind of project I could actually finish for her, when all it would have taken was less than a pillow case made into a bear!

Body sewn together, legs and arms started

Following the online tutorial was a challenge for me. I like following a printed pattern best. Over time and a few sessions with "Jack," I did manage to sew all the parts to the bear. 

Cutting batting scraps

Next up was stuffing the bear. I had a small bag of batting scraps that I used to partially stuff the body, the arms and the legs. I had planned to finish stuffing the bear with poly fiberfill. Then I decided why not continue using my leftover batting scraps. My four year old granddaughter, who loves to cut, took on the job of cutting the scraps into smaller pieces. I actually wore her hand out with the cutting job. When I cut the batting scraps, I use a rotary cutter so my hand is not going to tire!

She added her pile of scraps to the body but, there was room for more so it was back to the batting scrap pile to make more bits! My granddaughter did not like adding the bits to the body. It was much too slow a job!

Adding the mouth

She also was quite concerned that there were no arms or legs on the bear. She didn't see how it could be a bear with legs and arms! I was also informed bears have eyes and a nose. She said the bear needed a ribbon tie too. Such a lot of "needs" to make it work. . .she didn't know if I would be able to accomplish making an actual bear! For being four, she is quite the thinker!

Arms and legs ready for attaching

We did embroider a mouth. We decided the eyes could be buttons which we will work on today. We may also work on the nose. I ordered a set of doll needles to attach the arms and legs. This will likely arrive after she leaves. We did select a recycled ribbon from the wrapping paper that will make a great tie.

While I didn't finish the bear, the project is far enough along to share! Linking to: Finished Or Not Friday and Patchwork and Quilts 

Granddaughter Activities

 

Breaking up the frozen zucchini to make cake

My granddaughter and daughter from London are here for a visit. I asked what was on my granddaughter's to do list. Cooking came up first. We baked a rhubarb coffee cake which she said she liked; but, didn't eat much of her serving. 

Adding the toppings to zucchini cake 

We baked zucchini cake which she said was okay; but, ate every last morsel. Chocolate is a favorite food. I think she liked eating the chocolate chips that I placed on the counter best. I said those were for her and her tummy!

We also made a green salad. She loves peeling. . .the large carrot that she started with was pared to a small size by the time she deemed it was ready for shredding. She did a great job tearing the lettuce into bite sized pieces. Of course, she needed to "test" the tomatoes and cucumbers to be sure each was "good!"

Watching squirrel antics

She marveled at the antics of a squirrel eating a nut in the yard one morning. She helped bring home the recycling containers from pick up day with her papa. She watched the horses buck and play in the field  next to us.

The best seat in the house

One of her favorite positions was sitting/laying on the arm of the couch. This way she could see what was happening outside as well as keep an eye on the activities inside. She is so much like her mama in this trait!

Cutting batting scraps for stuffing the memory bear

We did do some sewing. Well, she did some batting cutting for me. I'm to the point of stuffing the memory bear. She LOVES cutting. It took several tries to find a pair of scissors that fit her hand well enough for her to cut. She probably cut for 20 minutes and recycled a small pile of batting bits for me. She even stuffed the bits into the memory bear. Stuffing, she told me, was boring. She actually said her hand was sore from cutting and needed to stop!

Her favorite activity is painting. We use watercolors. She has definite ideas about ensuring that there is a frame first on her paper. This time she wanted to make shapes similar to mine. She practiced. She also wanted to know how I achieved some of the colors. I showed her about mixing colors. . .I didn't share that the colors came from her wild dipping into the paint palette. I was working to clean the palette!

Our painting progress

She doesn't not like working on wet paper; but, she does like using a paper towel to dab excess paint and to create textures. She likes to paint on different surfaces and then is disappointed when the paint soaked through the paper!

This time, she was better at cleaning her brush in the dirty water and then dipping her brush into the clean water. She still paints on the table instead of the newspaper because she wants to see what color happens when the surface is brown instead of white. Again, she is so much like her mama!

Watercolor on regular paper

She returns from a long sleepover with her auntie, favorite uncle and cousins tonight. I'm sure she has been living her best life! She and her mama leave for London at the end of the week. It's been great having them here!

Sitting for sewing is still painful for my knee; but, I do keep trying the activity. I find I can manage about 15 minutes once a day. Fifteen minutes is a short time; but, it's better than no time! I had hoped to be sewing five weeks after from surgery; but, I'm not. 

I did get a pain prescription from the surgeon and that has helped me move a bit more fluidly. I am currently working on training my brain to believe that this new appliance is working great in my knee. Convincing my brain that I don't need protection from the muscles continues to be an ongoing project!

In case you are looking for an at home activity, come join us at the Portland Modern Quilt Guild (PMQG) virtual retreat. We have two speakers; we will be playing games and we will make lots of progress on our projects!

NON-PMQG Member Workshop Fee

$10.00

Linking to: Oh Scrap, Sew & Tell and To Do Tuesday.

Radium Girls Plan--post 1

Project fabrics

Goal number four on my October list was to document my plan for the book Radium Girls by Kate Moore. As I read the book, I thought about passages that could inspire a quilt project. This was a tough listen; but, a good listen. 

I hang book quilts in my home. As I make them, I ensure that each contain a positive vibe. A tough listen, makes finding a positive vibe more challenging! 

Thumbnail sketches

As I listened, I noted words and a few thoughts on a piece of paper. I've already shared that I purchased a fabric with watch faces for this project. I kept telling myself that I was looking for a modern design.

Next, I drew a few thumbnail sketches. In the book, the dial painters had a tray of either 24 or 48 watch faces to paint with radium. They did this with a lip, dip, paint method, meaning they slipped the end of the paint brush into their mouth, dipped it in the radium and then painted. They swallowed the excess radium,

Looking on line, I learned that the girls sat at long tables or in desks in long rows when they worked. Drawing number one and two were based on the girls sitting in their rows.

Drawings three, four and five were based on a smaller tray. I thought I had settled on drawing three as my project.After a few days into my recovery from knee revision surgery, I wanted to flesh out more ideas.

Drawing my pattern

I looked online to see if there were photographs of alpha and or gamma rays. There were not. I thought about purchasing a panel with a skeleton and stitching it in glow in the dark thread. 

Then, I drew a more modern layout of a few circles. I then thought about the watch face fabric. What if I used a chunk of it rather than looking at it to be appliquéd in
circles? What if the center fabric was a dark fabric representing the unknown result of the lip, dip, paint process? What if the right fabric was a green fabric that represented the radium? What if curves were larger in the foreground and smaller in the background! Thumbnail number nine brought about so many questions, that I decided to make a pattern.

I've begun the process of making a pattern. Once I have refined the pattern, I can transfer it to freezer paper and use the freezer paper to cut out my shapes. I can either hand or machine appliqué the pieces. I'm also thinking about quilting possibilities.

Linking to Finished Or Not Friday and Patchwork and Quilts.

Prewashing

Fabrics to prewash

Goal number three on my October list was to prewash and starch some fabrics for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. In the photo were also background and accent fabrics for the Marigold Mystery.

Since my knee revision surgery on September 14, I've been working on standing and sitting. I've also been working on flexing and bending! I had a set back last week. I'm working through the pain and hope each day will be better than the last. So far it is a toss up whether I'm making forward progress or not! I am approaching this recovery with patience and persistence!

Black fabrics ready for starch and pressing

Generally, I test each fabric for color fastness so that means a separate hand wash for each item. I knew I didn't have the ability to follow that protocol for all those black fat quarters. I--gasp--broke protocol and washed all of them at once in the machine! These fabrics will be used to make a border for my Rainbow Scrap Challenge project.

I did wash the yellow and brown yardage separately and by hand. Neither fabric had a color fast issue.

Instead of using the heavy starch process I often use, I went with a gentle spritz of Best Press. I did manage to iron all of the fabrics the same day. I did take several breaks; but, I was able to stand and press without causing more pain or swelling to my recovering knee.

Ready to be added to a project

In a day or two, I will try again to sit and sew at my machine. Fingers crossed that my body is ready for a little stitching actions! Linking to Oh Scrap, Sew & Tell.and To Do Tuesday.

Quilt Show Entry Recap

The Quiltfest Northwest Quilt Show, which is put on by the Clark County Quilters, happened October 8-10, 2026. I had six entries. Members were limited in the number of projects we could enter. Kudos to my friend, Rosanne, who took my quilts to the show and picked them up for me. I had dropped them off at her house before my knee revision surgery. My husband picked them up at her house the day after the show. Also, kudos to Rosanne for videoing the various quilt show categories so it felt like I saw the show! I truly couldn't have participated if it weren't for her!

Story

My Temperature Quilt 2022-2023 was a project that I hand pieced, hand appliquéd and quilted it on my domestic machine. I entered it in the hand pieced category. Seeing a photo of it hang was awesome, because I don't have that perspective in my home. I was surprised at how great it looked!

2022-2023 Temperature Quilt

The judge's comments were:

Hot and cool colors well positioned to indicate change in temperature. Generally, good piecing technique. Quilting direction well done to indicate dimensionality of block. Excellent binding.

Story

I had two entries in our Thread Tales exhibit. The first Sashiko and Roses is a small quilt. It was for the book, "The Stories Clothes Tell." It is hand appliquéd and free motion quilted on my domestic machine. It was my first attempt at Sashiko stitching.

Sashiko and Roses

The judge's comments were:

Excellent contrast between dark background and white sashiko thread which visually pops. Strive for less visible appliqué stitches and smoother curves.Triangle points shout meet accurately at binding. Borders frame and unify central quilt well. Pebbles and quilted ovals create a good background and frame for the roses.

Story

The second entry in the Thread Tales group was Grow which was inspired by the book The Secrets of Sunflowers. It was a Sew Along that Preeti Harris led. I used only scraps for the leaves and a batik for the background that had lived in the stash long enough! I quilted it on my domestic machine.

Grow

The judge's comments were:

Good use of light and value in each block. Good use of prints for variety of prints for visual interest and texture. Excellent piecing technique. Creative use of machine stitches in background. Good contrast between the circles and the straight line piecing and quilting. Excellent binding.

The quilt was award a red ribbon in the Thread Tales category and Best Quilting Domestic/Longarm Stationery Head ribbon.

The fabrics

I had two entries in our Amigas challenge which was using three Kaffe prints. We had few rules to follow. We could add as many fabrics as we wanted, use any design--made up or commercial. Use any technique. We had to use a recognizable amount of each fabric. It was a good challenge for my brain!

Story

Scrappy Kaffe was originally destined to be the back of Dash; but, it decided that it wanted to be a front so I listened and let it! It was a great way to use the Dash leftovers. In the end, I had little to put back into my scrap saving system!

Scrappy Kaffe

The judge's comments were:

The choice of quilting design showcases the fabric collection well. Print and solid fabrics are distributed well throughout and create good visual balance. All-over floral design compliments the geometric piecing well. Good piecing and binding techniques.

Story

Dash was the project I had initially made for the challenge. It was a challenge to use those three Kaffe fabrics in the same project. I quilted it on my domestic machine.

Dash

The judge's comments were:

Direction change of purple inserts creates excellent visual movement. Concentration of solid fabrics in specific areas is very effective. The combination of stippling and curved quilting complements the overall design. Excellent binding technique.

It was awarded a blue ribbon.

Story

My final entry was for the guild challenge. We were to use red, white, blue and gold fabrics. The piece needed a star and a stripe. Additionally, it could be no more than 24 inches wide; but, there was no limitation on the length!

Divided

I used scraps to make my entry! I quilted it on my domestic machine. There were 23 entries for viewers to vote. The results of this contest will be revealed at the November guild meeting. It was a great show! I look forward to being able to attend next year!

Linking to: I Quilted This, Finished Or Not Friday and Patchwork and Quilts.

Piecing the Back for Lala's Chain--post 3

Leftover scraps from the project

Goal number one on my October list was to document piecing the back for Lala's Chain. You can make your own top after visiting Melva Loves Scraps sew along page. First I gathered all of the leftovers from the project. There were quite a few scraps! Yet not enough for the back. I looked in my stash and found a striped fabric.

Beginning the planning and piecing process

Laying the top on my bed to ensure I made the back big enough, I began laying out the chunks and cutting some pieces of the stripes to make the back. I do try to set the smaller pieces toward the center of the back.

Completed pieced back

Piecing a back takes some time. I spent a day piecing this one! In addition to the interest a pieced back brings to the quilt, I love that I've used the leftovers. These were all pieces that did not go into my scrap saving system. I count that as a double win!

Ready for the longarmer

The top and the backing were at the longarmer. I chose a panto of bicycles. This week, I received a call that it was quilted! My husband picked it up. I look forward to binding and finishing it as soon as I can sit at the machine again! I used fourteen and a half yards in this project. Much of the fabrics were scraps and all of it came from stash! That is a total win!

I won't count the yardage until I finish the project. Not counting the yardage is another incentive to finish the project! Linking to Oh Scrap, Sew & Tell, and To Do Tuesday.

Rug Weaving--post 2

First Happy Thanksgiving to all the Canadians! 

Goal number two on my October list was to document my rug weaving process.  Last April, I took an online course from Ilka White, a fiber artist from Australia. I posted about my experience. Since then, I've worked on growing this project!

Torn strips ready for weaving

I start with 10 strips of the navy sheet and the light blue flannel sheets. Sometimes, if I'm close to the end of the sheet, I'll rip the remaining bit. 

About to add three flannel strips

As the strips become too short to act as the weaver, I'll add another strip. Ilka recommends keeping the strips about 18 inches. I decided not to cut the strips into those lengths. First, it meant less times to add a strip and second, less strips mean less knots. The longer length didn't bother me with the weaving.

Weaving one pass

It is't difficult to weave this design. the weaver and the strips are the same color. It is an over and under process row after row!

Inserting the crochet hook

When I reach the end of the strips, I insert a crochet hook into a nearby finished loop. 

Positioning the crochet hook
to pull the tail through the loop

I pull the tail of the weaver through that loop. 

Beginning to pull the tail through the loop

Usually, the loop I'm using will be the same fabric. 

The strip almost pulled through the loop

I do try to fold the edges of the strip so the right side of the fabric is out.

Once the strip has been pulled through the loop, I go back to adjust the tension in each of the strips. This process takes a little time too; but, the result is worth the effort.

Detailed view of the strips

At the end of September, my rug measured 31 inches in diameter. I have torn all the bottom sheet and have started tearing the top sheet. I am past the half way point of this project!

31 inches of woven rug

My husband asked if I knew how to finish this project. I said that although Ilka had told us how to decrease the strips and had included the directions in her class handout, the answer was no! The class was too long ago to remember what she said so I hope that when I get to that point, I'll be able to achieve the finish!

34 inches of woven rug

I've been working on the project during the times when I am working on my sitting ability. (I had knee revision surgery the middle of September and I'm not ready to be seated in front of a sewing machine yet!) I was surprised to measure the rug before snapping the latest photo to find it is about 34 inches in diameter. Now that the rounds are larger, it takes longer to gain those inches! Note that it is almost as wide as my kitchen table!

This isn't slow stitching; but, it is a handwork project so I'm linking to Slow Sunday Stitching. I'm also linking to Finished or Not Friday and Patchwork and Quilting.

September Recap and October Goals

Surface view of rug

My September goals were:

✔1. Document making a special pillow case for the youngest granddaughter.

✔2. Document the activities the youngest granddaughter did during her visit.

✔3. Piece the string blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. This month the color is purple.

✔4. Share what I did at the summer virtual retreat.

✔5. Share my progress on the book club quilt Garden Flowers.

✔6. Make progress quilting the butterfly.

Strips ready for weaving

✔7. Make progress on my rug weaving.--Post surgery, I started with three  one hour sessions of PT to work on sitting. I've spent 45 minutes of each session weaving my braided rug. The second week, I was up to 45 minutes five times per day. I have torn all the flannel strips of the bottom sheet and they are attached to the rug for weaving! The rug is now too big to fit on my sewing room workspace. It is on the kitchen table. 

Every time that I think I'm feeling comfortable with the process, I note an issue trying to happen. I can see that I need to add more stitches as the rug is trying to curl. I am loving the results so far! It now measurers 31 inches which is six more inches than last month!

✔8. Make progress on Lala's Irish Chain.

✔9. Determine what to do for the next book club quilt. We are reading Radium Girls by Kate Moore.

Thoughts of a project for Radium Girls

--I drew some thumbnail sketches. Picked one to pursue. After thinking about it, I decided to come up with a different design and use the main fabric. I even chose different fabrics. Now to make the pattern. .  .

✒10. Do what I can to make progress on the Magnificent Mystery and Floral Baubles sew alongs.--I didn't work on Floral Baubles. Sitting is still not all that comfortable.

✔11. Recover from knee revision surgery--Because 23 months after knee joint replacement surgery, I still have pain and loss of mobility. 

Focus fabric for the Radium Girls project

It was another terrific month in spite of spending half of it outside of the studio rehabbing my knee! I hope to feel like sitting at the machine to piece and quilt in October! I do feel like living life is just around the corner for me!

Fabric Accounting:

Current Month:

Fabric in: 8 yards

Fabric out: 0 yards

Net gain for the month: 8 yards 

Year to Date:

Fabric in: 57.25 yards

Fabric out: 124.75yards 

Net loss: 67.50 yards 

Fabric purchase this month. Fat quarter 
bundle for string project.
Yardage for Magnificent Mystery project

Best Book of the month: The Forty Year Grudge by Liza Tully. This is the second book of the Merritt and Blunt mystery series. It's a cozy mystery. A murder occurs during a small gathering of sorority sisters who are together for their 40 year reunion. I thought I knew who did it and why; but, I was wrong!

My October goals are:

1. Document making the back for Lala's Irish Chain.

2. Document my rug weaving process.

3. Pre-wash and starch some background fabrics for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

4. Document my plan for the project for Radium Girls.

5. Make a Memory Bear. I cut out the pattern pieces from the flannel sheet that I'm using to make the woven rug.

I'm listing a few goals because this may be a difficult list to achieve. I sure hope that I'll be stitching. Three weeks into my knee revision recovery, however, my body is not ready for sewing. My last PT session set me back. I've returned to using the walker to get around the house. No position is currently comfortable. Sigh. . .I so want to be doing other activities!

Linking to Oh Scrap, Sew & Tell and To Do Tuesday.