Rey

This year Miss P chose another strong female character for her Halloween costume- Rey, from Star Wars.

She did this costume all on her own. All I did was tell her how to dye fabric with tea and order the military bag from Harry’s Army surplus, and fix her hair.

She tea dyed muslin for the drape and leg ties. The arm wraps are tea dyed medical gauze.

She learned about the wonders craft foam in cosplay while making her Wonder Woman costume last year, and used the same idea to add the shape details to her staff.

She made the double belt from one of her dad’s old belts and another strip of leather.

She loves that the costume has a place to put her candy so she doesn’t have to carry an ‘out of character’ bag.

Here’s a collection of all of her previous Halloween costumes.

Thoughtful Sunday

“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”

Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery

Eggshells - Domestic Abuse Quilt Series #11

Eggshells - 16” x 16”

The term “walking on eggshells” is to be overly careful in dealing with a person or situation because they get angry or offended very easily; to try very hard not to upset someone or something.

The most insidious aspect of living with an angry or abusive partner is not the obvious—nervous reactions to shouting, name-calling, criticism or other demeaning behavior. It’s the adaptations one makes to try to prevent those episodes. One walks on eggshells to keep the peace, or a semblance of connection. A person will choose what to say or do based on what they think their abuser’s reaction may be. A person may play out several scenarios in their head - if I do A then the reaction may be X, if I do B the reaction may be Y, etc. Sometimes they can play out all possible scenarios and all of them have the potential to cause a bad reaction from the abuser. This situation can put a person in an abusive relationship in a very stressful situation and lead to anxiety.

Ten million Americans experience domestic abuse every year.  Ten million.  Someone I love and care about is a victim of abuse and has been for over twenty years.  Odds are you or someone you know is a victim as well. I have learned a lot about domestic abuse over the last two decades and the number one fact I have learned is that most incidents are never reported.  Ten million people every year and that number doesn't reflect the full scope of abuse in the US, as many people aren't able to safely share and report their stories.  I am a doer.  I like to make and fix things.  Sadly, I cannot fix things for the person in my life who is being abused.  But, I can speak up.  And I can sew.  And hopefully I can make a difference. (Statistics from the CDC)

If you have a friend or family member who is experiencing abuse here are some things you can do to help. The most important thing to remember is that the choice to leave or not is theirs. You can't make them leave a bad situation but you can be supportive and helpful in their choice. They will need someone they can count on when/if they do decide to end or leave the abusive relationship.

Domestic Violence knows knows no boundaries when it comes to race/gender/sexuality/age/socioeconomic status/geographic location/culture.  

Remember, domestic abuse affects ten million people in the US every year.  If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, please know that the folks at the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1 800 799 SAFE or thehotline.org) are ready to listen and support you, as well as refer you to a local program or organization. If you observe someone being abused, you can also call the hotline.  A good samaritan call can save a life!

--

All of the quilts in the Domestic Abuse series so far can be viewed here.

Thoughtful Sunday

At first people refuse to believe that a strange new thing can be done, then they begin to hope it can be done, then they see it can be done- then it is done and all the world wonders why it was not done centuries ago.

The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett, 1911.

Strength - Domestic Abuse Quilt Series #10

Strength - 16” x 16”

A person in an abusive relationship can show great strength.

It takes great strength to survive each day with an abuser.

It takes great strength to move forward and make a plan, or to stand up to one’s abuser.

It takes great strength to speak one’s truth, often reliving past traumas to be heard.

It takes great strength to keep on with one’s life and move forward when others don’t believe you when you speak up.

Ten million Americans experience domestic abuse every year.  Ten million.  Someone I love and care about is a victim of abuse and has been for over twenty years.  Odds are you or someone you know is a victim as well. I have learned a lot about domestic abuse over the last two decades and the number one fact I have learned is that most incidents are never reported.  Ten million people every year and that number doesn't reflect the full scope of abuse in the US, as many people aren't able to safely share and report their stories.  I am a doer.  I like to make and fix things.  Sadly, I cannot fix things for the person in my life who is being abused.  But, I can speak up.  And I can sew.  And hopefully I can make a difference. (Statistics from the CDC)

Domestic violence knows knows no boundaries when it comes to race/gender/sexuality/age/socioeconomic status/geographic location/culture.  

Remember, it affects ten million in the US every year.  If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, please know that the folks at the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1 800 799 SAFE or thehotline.org) are ready to listen and support you, as well as refer you to a local program or organization. If you observe someone being abused, you can also call the hotline.  A good samaritan call can save a life.

See all of the Domestic Abuse Quilts here.

Retreat Week at Old School Sewing

I recently had a group of students come for a week long workshop/retreat on tiny piecing.

The participants rented a local house for the week and had studio time each day.

Here’s a sampling of their work partway through the week.

We had a great time and I’m working up a few other retreat theme ideas for the future.

Contact me if you are interested in booking a retreat for yourself and a few friends.

Wordless Wednesday - the tiny churn dash edition

Holly Girls Retreat - a trip around the world

I had a lovely week at Holly Girls Quilt Retreat. This year’s theme was “Trip Around the World.” Of course, I had to make mine from one inch cut squares.

I had my usual spot with a view of Elk Lake. Using a layout from an antique quilt I arranged all of my squares of Oakshott cotton and prepared to piece it together.

I pieced the quilt into nine smaller parts before putting it all together.

I had an organized system of making little fourpatches and keeping them in order. By making fourpatches first I could get all of the seams to twirl as shown in my tutorial.

I love the finished look of these tiny little Oakshott cotton squares.

The back has an interesting look too. Since the squares finish at 1/2 inch, the seems meet each other when pressed.

I loved this technique and kinda want to make another one. I’m planning to quilt this one in the ditch to avoid interrupting the flow of color between the squares.

I worked on a couple of other projects at retreat so stay tuned for those.

Thoughtful Sunday

Knowledge will not always take the place of simple observation.

"The Elephant and His Son," Fables, Arnold Lobel, 1980.

Sewing Camp

I offered one week of sewing camp this summer and I was delighted with this group of campers. They made pillow cases, draw string backpacks, and pj pants. In the photo below they are cutting out their pj pants. 

They were pretty efficient at getting the projects finished so we had time on the last day to try some embroidery stitches. 

The barn works very well for camp. Early in the week we used this wagon for cutting, pinning, and pressing. The last day it was a great gathering spot for learning embroidery.

I have five featherweights set up in the barn and each of the campers claims a sewing spot for the week. 

They were all pleased with their finished projects. I even saw a few of their items with ribbons on them at the community fair!