The View from the Second Balcony

Posted on July 30, 2013 by edges

As I have been working on a quilt for my great-nephew, I can’t help but think about my own great aunts — whatever few of them I have known.

They were bit players. In fact, if I am on the stage of my own life, my great aunts were not in orchestra seats. Not even Main Floor or Mezzanine. They were in the Second Balcony. I could barely see them.

But they were up there applauding.

Aunt Julie, my maternal Grandma’s youngest sister was possibly the sweetest woman I’d ever known. I can’t picture her face without a lovely smile. I never saw her when she wasn’t smiling — at least at me. Her daughter died of a heart attack at the age of 27, leaving behind a young daughter of her own. I couldn’t have been more than 5 or 6 at the time.

I also had a Great Great Aunt. My paternal great-grandmother’s sister. Very Polish. She lived near 26th and California and if you know anything about Chicago, you know that even 40 years ago that neighborhood was very old. Every time we climbed that long wooden staircase above the sidewalk up to the front door, I feared it might collapse.

When she saw me, she smiled and dug into her weathered coin purse to slip me a few coins.

“You get ice cream,” she said in her heavy accent, smiling as she pressed the money into my hand.

I have tried many times to explain to my son that there are many people in this world who love him, whose names he doesn’t even know. They include extended family and friends, neighbors, my husband’s father’s wife’s family (it sounds more complicated than it is), our parents’ friends, and on and on.

Now it’s time for me to be the Great Aunt, separated by a couple of generations. Second Balcony, here I come.

And I’ll be applauding so wildly I just might fall off.

Color scheme for the baby’s room is grey. This pattern comes from a new book by Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr, “Transparency Quilts”.

I Should Be Quilting

Posted on July 21, 2013 by edges

Yes. I should be quilting. I should be quilting because my nephew and his wife are going to have a baby that’s due in November and I am making them a quilt to match the baby’s room. (I’ll be posting that as soon as I actually begin.)

But the midwestern harvest is coming in and I spent the morning gathering radishes, onions, shallots, zucchini, and cabbage. The local farm tells me tomatoes are still 2 weeks away here. I am excited because for the first year in a long time, my tomatoes (knock on wood) are looking good. Last year I had thousands of cherry tomatoes, but not much luck with heirlooms and plum tomatoes. This year, all seem to be thriving– God willing, the critters stay away and the creek don’t rise.

So instead of quilting I have been sucked into a cookbook by Ina Garten that I got at Costco.

The book is called “Fooproof.”

Now, let’s be honest, we’re all friends here. This woman, with her “traditional build,” as Alexander McCall Smith would call it, has got to be a good cook.

I bought a box of her brownie mix once and I remember the instructions (and I’m paraphrasing/recalling):

Take the brownies out of the oven when I tell you. Do not wait until they appear to be done. By then it’s too late. Just DO WHAT I TELL YOU.

I like her.

Needless to say, they were about the best brownies out of a box that I ever tasted. Ever.

So I went ahead and made the crostini which you can see on the cover of her book.

Here’s what’s left by the time I got my camera. My husband is a big fan of bruschetta, but this was more of an elegant appetizer…and between the two of us we polished it off quick.

I was using tomatoes from the French Market in Geneva and some golden cherry tomatoes from HPM Farm in St. Charles. Picked some shallots from my garden with fresh basil and a few other local ingredients. Can’t say this was the easiest appetizer I ever made, but hands down one of the tastiest.

Please don’t nag. I know I should be sewing. But it’s mid-July and the veggies are so fresh, and the eating is so good. And thunderstorms at night mean it’s not a good idea to plug in the sewing machine.

Hey-there’s a sewing tip for the day! Unplug your machine when you’re not using it. You will save yourself a whole lot of heartache if you have a power surge or brown out. In fact, even when you are using it, you should have it at least plugged into a surge protector, or even better, an uninterruptable power supply. Either one will sacrifice itself to save your machine.

Think I’ll go bring in my onions which are out drying in the sun. And prune the roses. Weed the garden. Fill the bird feeders and go for a little walk.

I KNOW. I’ll get to the sewing room soon.

I promise.

Introducing Local Artisans

Posted on July 15, 2013 by edges

I love craftsmanship. I love everything about the details of beautiful work that is not manufactured by some mindless, soulless company. I admire craftspeople because of their dedication to their craft, and their inability to produce something that is beneath their standards for excellence.

In this country, we see far too little of it, and we are always so anxious to purchase something cheap and fast. And when it breaks, or simply stops working, we are fine with throwing it away, tossing it into a landfill and forgetting we ever spent our hard-earned money on it.

The older I get, the more I appreciate slow. Slow food, slow information, slow, thoughtful work. And by slow, of course, I mean, the things that take a little time to create. I mean the things that take our hands, hearts, minds and skills.

The following are three local artisans we recently showcased at Sew Generously. Please take a look at their work and consider purchasing something they have made with their minds, hands and hearts. I’ve met each of them in person (well, I met Bill’s wife) and they are all lovely people with a dedication to quality.

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Robert and Paula Briick – www.bbbriick.com

They make innovative organizers for quilters, including quilt racks and ruler holders, and their design is so simple and clean, I ask myself, why didn’t I think of that? And of course, that’s what makes them special.

Robert and Paula Briick. I bought one of their quilt ruler holders for the wall.

Email them at builtbybriick@bbbriick.com

or call 1-877-858-5859

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Bill Williams works in exotic woods, and hand turns handles for seam rippers, pens and other tools. His work is shown here by his wife, Susan.

Susan Williams, wife of Bill Williams, Wood Craftsman.

A close-up of these hand-turned seam rippers. The exotic woods are gorgeous. I bought the one on the left. It was made of the same type of wood that was put into the dashboards of the original Rolls Royce.

These can be made to order. For more info call Bill or Susan Williams 630-377-9351.

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Gretchen Friel is an author who wrote the book, “Coffee Break for Quilters: A Patchwork of Original Poems.” She is just a lovely person. A mom and breast cancer survivor, her poems are inspirational, spiritual, insightful and will resonate in the heart of anyone who sews or works with fabric.

Gretchen Friel, author, “Coffee Break for Quilters: A Patchwork of Original Poems”

Contact Gretchen at treedeckpublishing.com, or you can purchase the book at Sew Generously in St. Charles or on amazon.com.

I Carried a Watermelon

Posted on July 14, 2013 by edges

My son had never seen a watermelon with actual black seeds.

He had never seen one so big. At the grocery store a kid came up to the cart and said “Wow, that’s a BIG watermelon!!” No one under 10 has seen the shape of a real watermelon. These days, everyone likes a nice round basketball sized melon with no seeds.

When I asked the guy at the grocery store for an oval watermelon he said , “I don’t think they make them that way any more.” Yes he really said that. Was I sure I didn’t want this nice seedless round one, or this new “golden watermelon”? I did not.

I found a real one.

So here’s my watermelon. In pictures. I haven’t made one of these in 20 years.

Vintage watermelon. I could barely lift it. But a nice oval shape.

Now I remember why I haven’t made this in 20 years. Quite a mess.

Finished fruit salad. A thing of beauty. And mighty tasty too.

If you’re still playing along, here’s your watermelon movie clip.

Sunset Over the Midwest

Posted on July 7, 2013 by edges

Peace.

Northern Illinois Quilt Shop Hop Complete!

Posted on July 6, 2013 by edges

Whew! 32 shops. 32 small business owners. 32 sets of directions from the GPS.

78 fatquarters purchased, 10 yards of fabric, 5 books, 4 wool packs, 2 boxes of stationery, 2 charm packs, 2 bracelet charms, a bottle of hand lotion, 1 seam ripper and a “purple thang” (which I still cannot find.) Oh, and a pattern, notions and fabric for my mom to make a handbag.

This is enough to keep me busy all winter and beyond.

Special shout out of thanks to my Reluctant Assistant– my 10 year old son– who tolerated and entertained me along most of the way. Don’t worry, he’s getting a quilt made of snack food fabric out of this!

If you are heading out on this hop, remember you have until Aug 30 to complete. No need to rush. Here’s a look at the last 3 shops I visited:

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Quilter’s Destination in Arlington Heights

Very big, bright store with loads of fabric. I wanted to spend more time there, just browsing. They told me that they are featuring more events, so lots of new growth and exciting things happening at this store. They did not have a shop hop basket made up yet.

What I bought: A Kaffe Fasset book, sale fabric.

Reluctant Assistant comment: Not present.

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Quilter’s Heaven in Northbrook

Located in the heart of Northbrook in a wood frame house, this cozy shop had plenty of fabric to choose from. They also do longarm quilting on site. Their shop hop basket was really well put together, (hard to see in the picture, but it’s a nice large basket with fabric, a book and other notions.)

What I bought: More fatquarters.

Reluctant Assistant comment: Not present.

Quilter’s Heaven in Northbrook

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Sewing Source in Lake Villa

This is a large shop that also sells Janome machines. I had picked up my mom prior to this shop and she found some lovely fall fabric to make a handbag. Everyone was very helpful. Their shop hop basket is not a basket at all. I thought this was rather brilliant. Their raffle item is a bias tape maker from Simplicity. They also have someone who sharpens scissors and travels to area Joann’s Fabrics to sharpen scissors, including the one in Geneva Commons.

What I bought: Some striped fabric and the handbag pattern etc for my mom.

Reluctant Assistant comment: Not present.

Sewing Source in Lake Villa

Out West and Back

Posted on June 29, 2013 by edges

My Reluctant Assistant and I finally headed out on Region 3 of the Northern Illinois Quilt Shop Hop.

For those of you who are unfamiliar, Region 3 spans the greatest distance. It starts in Clare and heads out to Galena, back through Rockford. We totaled over 250 miles on our car yesterday. Ambitiously and unrealistically, we attempted to do the whole region in one day. Alas, some of the stores toward the end close at 4 pm , and we just couldn’t physically get there in time. So we will be making another trip out to the Rockford area very soon.

We both have to admit that even though we spent a lot of time on the road, this trip was very enjoyable. The scenery is lovely as we headed farther west, and we stopped in some towns that I did not really even know existed. I find it somewhat depressing that many small towns just aren’t what they used to be, and many had empty storefronts that were clearly affected by the recent economic downturn, along with many other factors, I suppose. But that will have to wait for another blog post, as the quilt shops all seemed to be thriving and very well-stocked.

My advice: Take your time through these little towns and really experience them. Like us, you don’t have to complete it all in one day, and you’ll get to experience a piece of Americana.

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Basketcases in Clare

When you find yourself in the middle of cornfields and think you are hopelessly lost, then you are almost there.

The view from the parking lot at Basketcases.

The store is on a farm, in what looks like a barn. Very charming. The bulk of the product is upstairs, but be sure to look around everywhere. They did not yet have a basket created for the shop hop.

What I bought: Charm pack of Halloween fabric

Reluctant Assistant comment: “Very cozy. They had 2 dogs in the shop!”

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It’s for Quilting, Etc in Rockford

Located in a wood frame house setting, this is a very inviting place on the outskirts of Rockford. Small rooms inside the building can keep you hunting for hours, but we did not take that long!

What I bought: Several fatquarters and a “purple thang.” But for the life of me, I cannot find the “purple thang.” I’m sure it got shuffled around in the course of the day, and for all I know it is still stuffed in my car somewhere. For now , it is in the Bermuda triangle that was the Region 3 trip.

Reluctant Assistant comment: “So much fabric in this place , it’s almost claustrophobic!”

It’s For Quilting in Rockford.

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Lucky 2B Quilting in Pecatonica

A vibrant little quilt shop in this small town. I got excited about their basket for the shop hop. This is the one I really want to win, so far. Their basket is 3 blocks from one of Edyta Sitar’s Laundry Basket Quilts patterns. The basket includes the patterns and the laceys (laser cut appliques) for the 3 blocks.

Laundry Basket Quilt Pattern – 3 blocks included in Lucky 2B Quilting’s Shop Hop Basket .

Lucky 2B Quilting pattern for basket

What I bought: Cut fabric and a charm pack of batiks

Reluctant Assistant’s comment:

” A normal quilt shop.”

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Yellow Creek Quilt Designs in Pearl City

This quilt shop is partnered with an antique and gift shop called “Sew Many Antiques”. The two owners are sisters, and they have written a number of books. The owner promised to ship me a signed copy of her latest book, which she is also hoping to add to her shop hop basket ( a new shipment of books was due to come in soon.) Also, ask her for directions to Galena. Her route is very direct, and takes you right to 20 and into the heart of Galena. Your GPS will likely take you on a very long ride.

Yellow Creek Quilt designs in Pearl City

What I bought: A couple of quilt charms for a charm bracelet, some hand lotion (they have their own label) and a copy of the owner’s book.

Reluctant Assistant’s comment: “I liked the bank vault in the back room!”

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Phatquarters in Galena

This is a very tidy store that I have visited once before when they were in a different location. They moved to the main street in Galena and are right in the heart of things now. The store itself has a lot of Bernina accessories, with a large classroom in the back.

What I bought: Some fabric, and a small Bernina measurement guage that I had never seen before.

Reluctant Assistant comment: (Actually, he was totally distracted as I had promised we’d stop at the candy shop in town.)

Phatquarters in Galena

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Galena, of course, should be a day trip in and of itself. The day we were there, it was over 90 degrees, so while it was not raining, it was certainly sweltering. We stopped first at Chocolat where I got my self a bit of chocolate. If you go, try the strawberry rhubarb dark chocolate truffle. Almost worth the 2 hour drive by itself.

Next stop for us was the Candy Kitchen in Galena, an old-fashioned candy shop, complete with kids in front of us paying with nothing but nickels and pennies. My son wandered through here for awhile. Being from the suburbs, I don’t know if he’s ever really seen a penny candy shop like I knew growing up. I think it was a real treat for him.

Candy Kitchen in Galena

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The next stop was Orangeville. My GPS did not recognize the address of this quilt shop, so I called there and the gal working could not give me directions. So I had my GPS get me to the general area of Orangeville and told her I’d call back then.

The route from Galena takes you onto Meeker, and then onto a road called Stagecoach Trail. And it is almost exactly the way it sounds. It’s a two lane highway that swerves and curves its way through very picturesque farm country and is a real delight. The day we drove through, we had clouds moving in and out of the sunlight casting artful shadows over the hilly terrain.

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Once you are in Orangeville, be on the lookout. It’s probably best to call for directions. You literally pull into a side street that turns into a gravel road that leads to the driveway of the quilt shop. The shop is in the basement. Oh, and don’t mind the sign on the street that says Dead End.

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Uniquely Yours Quilt Shop in Orangeville

This quilt shop is in the lower level of what looks to be a home. They have a wide selection of fabric and even some that I have never seen before. They also have a very large selection of patterns and books.

What I bought: I found more of the fall fabric that I have been collecting.

Reluctant Assistant comment: “If you’re looking for fabric, it’s worth the ride, but wow, it’s in the middle of nowhere!”

Uniquely Yours in Orangeville

A Rose is a Rose

Posted on June 27, 2013 by edges

The upcoming Software Sampler from Bernina features some of the gradient and blending tools in the V6 Designer Plus software. I needed to create a sample and wanted to spend my time on something I could use…not simply a store sample. So I decided to create a design of roses that would in some way match up to the peonies I needle punched some time ago. I thought maybe I could use up more of the wool and embroider some matching designs.

This is not an intimidating thing to do, it just takes the courage to map out a sketch and think through the order of the stitches. For those of you with machine embroidery capabilities, it also takes some software. But the truth is, if you can trace something in pencil, or draw it freehand, you can easily turn it into machine embroidery. All it takes is a little time and practice.

As you can see, I started to test out some colors and blending ideas as well as just the basic shapes. At this point, the sketch does not have to be perfect, the drawing only has to give you a basic idea, although, the more accurate here, the less guess work in the software.

The scan of the artwork is then loaded into the V6 software, and you can simply begin to create the shapes right on top of the image. Once the basic shapes have been digitized, just delete the image from the background.

Digitize section by section, piece by piece, in the order that you want the design to stitch out.

On this design, I was particularly careful about stitch density. Since this design was being created in the jumbo hoop, it had the potential to be very stitch-heavy. I wanted to keep the count down. The way to do this is to go into object properties under the fill tab and make adjustments to the fill stitch size and spacing – on each shape as you digitize. This can be time-consuming, but is so worthwhile. The total stitch count on this design was under 17,000 stitches. Without adjustments, it could have gone up to 30,000 or 40,000 or more.

A good look at the stitch spacing and length. You can see this will not be a dense design.

The test stitch-out was successful. I highly recommend using slow redraw to check the progress of your design as you digitize BEFORE actually stitching. I think I will make a few changes before I do a mirror image of this design for the other side of the peonies (see below.)

Stitching in progress.

Roses and peonies.

Obviously , this quilt is still sorting itself out in my mind. But it’s beginning to come together. Machine embroidery possibilities are endless. It just takes a little time to learn the basics. You can do this too, I assure you – with almost any image. I am clearly not a master digitizer. The only requirement is a willingness to jump in and try things.

Region 2 Complete!

Posted on June 21, 2013 by edges

Finally made another quick visit to Thimbles in Lockport and that completed our Region 2 portion of the Northern Illinois Quilt Shop Hop. We’ll be moving on the road again soon, but with temperatures shooting up into the 90’s over the next few days, I think we’ll be cautious about how far we head out. We are actually going to try to do Region 3 in one day. That’s a trip out to Galena and Rockford. We’ll see how that goes.

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Thimbles in Lockport

I enjoyed myself here. The store is a delight – lots of samples and fun fabric, charming to wander and discover. Staff was welcoming and friendly.

What I bought: This fantastic cartoon fabric all about home sewing. They had a sample of it made into a bag and I loved it!

Thimbles in Lockport

On the Road Again

Posted on June 19, 2013 by edges

Continuing with our summer road trip to 32 quilt shops as part of the Northern Illinois Quilt Shop Hop, my reluctant assistant and I managed to get in another 2 shops. It would have been 3, but I’ve come to realize that I will likely NEVER remember to double check a store’s hours and days when they are open. For the record, Thimbles in Lockport is not open on Tuesdays.

But here are the other 2 shops we managed to get in:

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Roberts Sewing Center in Crest Hill

With over 7000 bolts of fabric, they bill themselves as “A Quiter’s Paradise”. The store actually looks rather small as you enter, but take a look at the next room! It’s almost a warehouse of fabric! My reluctant assistant took off like a shot to find some fabric he was looking for, and I was overwhelmed.

What I bought: Serger thread, fabric, and a book on hexagons.

Reluctant Assistant comment: “More fabric than you can imagine and some that you can’t!”

Roberts Sewing Center in Crest Hill. It’s a quilt pattern, with all the fabric in a kit.

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Sew Generously in St. Charles

Light, airy place with fresh fabric and friendly staff. This is my home base, by the way, so I may be a bit prejudiced. My reluctant assistant feels quite at home here, as do I. This much I know: it would be hard to find owners who are kinder or more eager to help customers. It would be hard to find sales people who are more knowledgeable or better co-workers and friends. Enough from me.

What I bought: On this particular trip, I bought the fabric for a “transparency quilt” for my nephew’s baby-on-the-way.

Reluctant Assistant comment: “The employees are very, very nice.”

Sew Generously in St. Charles

Edgestitch

Sewing is life. Life is art.

Category Archives: Creativity

The View from the Second Balcony

I Should Be Quilting

Introducing Local Artisans

I Carried a Watermelon

Sunset Over the Midwest

Northern Illinois Quilt Shop Hop Complete!

Out West and Back

A Rose is a Rose

Region 2 Complete!

On the Road Again