something's missing

I've had the feeling that something has been missing in my life, hard to put my finger on it because there's more than 1 thing missing!

Mostly, when I think of things I miss, my kids and grandkids are #1 on that list.  When Brita and Dan were kids, one of my main goals with parenting was to make sure that my kids would grow up to be fully functional adults who could take care of themselves.  That meant when Dan had a job that required ironed pants and shirts, he had to learn how to iron for himself.  And now he is really good at ironing, even though his work attire now is probably the antithesis of ironing!  So, with that frame of mind on childrearing, it shouldn't come as a surprise when they grow up and away, right?!  Doesn't mean I don't love knowing that they have happy lives far from their original home, but also doesn't mean I don't miss them sooo much!!  But that's not what this "something's missing" feeling was about.

Maybe that "something missing" has to do with the lost and founds happening to me lately?  I really strive to keep my home and belongings organized, mainly so I don't run into that problem of things going lost.  Just within the last few weeks, I've "lost" some important things:  my #37 foot for my Bernina 730, my Socks with 2 Circs knitting book and my mechanical needle threader.  I'm happy to say that the first 2 things turned up in unexpected places, and I'm still working on the 3rd one.  I know it's here somewhere!

Finally, it dawned on me that what was missing was this!  Yes, writing and sharing pictures on my Frayed Edge blog!

I have casually drifted away from regular writing, and I think that's been bothering me.  Partly, the drifting happens because of the time that it takes for me to organize my pictures and words.  I really labor over it, probably more than it needs.  I want to avoid saying the wrong thing, so sometimes just saying nothing is my preference.  Also, it bugs me when spelling and grammar are left by the wayside, so I always need to check and double check.

A lot of times an idea pops into my head that something I see or do would be fun to put on the blog, but then a moment passes and I'm on to something else.  So that's something I am going to work on.  Most of what I have intended this blog to represent is the sewing, quilting, knitting, etc., that I like to share.  Along with that comes the scenes from my everyday life, involving family, vacations, cooking, books, etc.  So all of that gets lumped together, hopefully someone reading this will find it interesting in some way or another.

We have had some beautiful sunrises lately, and the days are definitely getting longer!

Not very long ago, I wrote that we were doing some updating on the room that used to be Brita's bedroom.  I now call it my "overflow sewing room", since I use it for storing everything that won't fit in my actual sewing room.  This is also the room that has the crib for visits from the grandsons. The first picture shows the work on the floor happening, by this time the rest of the wallpaper gunk had been removed and new paint applied.  The flooring is easy to do in those long uninterrupted areas, but putzy to do around nooks and crannies.  The second picture shows things going back into the closet, hopefully in a much neater and orderly way than before!

That sorting and organizing job has yielded some interesting finds of things that I had forgotten about.  For example, these 2 Pendleton wool shirts--

 Both of which did not fit me, but were in perfect condition.  So, I wondered who might really appreciate them.  I decided they needed to go to Montana, since the style and fabric would be appreciated there, and they should be arriving on Dan's doorstep soon.  He says he knows people there that would be glad to have them, so it's a win-win!

I just had 2 recent finishes on these things:

Last fall I started working on a new concept for a custom tote bag for a friend.  I used pieces of other tote bags that I have collected with this in mind.  It has taken awhile to work out the plan, but now I am very happy I took the time to make it into something she will be proud to use.  I used the design for my own pattern, Aisle Style, which is loosely based on the measurements of a paper grocery sack.  I quilted the outer bag to Soft & Stable, also called headliner because it's used in the ceilings of vehicles.  It gives enough body to stand up on its own.  I had these nice leather handles that attach with a metal clip that is pounded together to grip the edge of the fabric.  I might have to keep collecting and make one for myself!

And someone has a birthday coming up, the big #2 celebration calls for a personalized quilty blankie for this little guy!  As so often happens with the second child, Jack gets a lot of things handed down from big brother.  So it's time to make sure he has some things with his own name loud and clear!  And I put Cuddle fabric (plushy) on the back, so it's even better for snuggles!

That's enough, probably more than enough, for now!  

I need to get ready for the Super Bowl, after all!

works in progress

You might recall that last summer we had a major overhaul of our kitchen and bathroom.  Turned out wonderfully, and of course, leads to other desires to update our home.  Like dominoes falling, so goes the home improvement projects!  In our second story area, there is still carpet in the bedroom (AKA sewing room #2) and loft/office that needs to go.  I'm tired of ignoring the stains, putting rugs over the worst spots, etc.  A couple years ago, Bob masterfully replaced the old carpet in my #1 sewing room (I basically have 3!) with DIY wood flooring from IKEA.  We would like to continue with that idea over the rest of the carpeted area, but there is an obstacle in our way.  When the house was built, we didn't have a good grip on what was going to happen with the log posts that support the railing, and the floor that they rest upon.  The carpet was installed and cut to fit around the posts and wrap over the exposed edge, which worked.  Now, however, when we rip out that carpeting, we have to go back to square one and modify the design.  

This is the way it looks now.

We need it to become more like this, with wood underneath the posts and covering the edge.

We have been pondering what would be the best approach to get this done and procrastinating because we either have to decide to bite the bullet and hire someone to take over, or figure out how we are going to do it for ourselves.  We are great DIY'ers, but we do have our limits!  Well, I couldn't wait any longer, and one night last week I just started prying and pulling until I could get the edge of the carpet loosened and pulled up.  This is what we found:

I remember when this carpet was laid, the workmen were not very happy about putting the carpet around the posts, and now I understand why.  They had to cut little pieces of that tackstrip stuff to fit around each post.  Then attach the carpet and bring it over the front edge to attach there.

Well, I guess we are committed now, because there is a chunk of carpet missing and bare wood that needs to be dealt with!

On to things I can handle more easily--

a little candlemat that I made from English paper piecing diamonds, along with wool and fabric.  It will be a little pattern for my Paper Pizzazz class at Bear Patch in a couple months.  It's an easy sew, and turned out well.  I especially like the fact that I found a cute little basket and candle to go with it!

And below is an arrangement of fabric stapled to canvas frames.  Like a fabric collage.  I want to hang these on the bedroom wall, they coordinate with the quilt on our bed.  Well, a couple of these are not actually stapled at the time I took the picture, because the stapler failed.  Not to worry, I figured out how to take it apart and free up the jam inside and I got the stapling done.  Now I have to get the spacing figured out and hang these up!

putting the puzzle together again

I am thoroughly enjoying the state of my sewing room! It is sort of in pieces, and I am taking my time putting it all back together again. I showed you some pictures not long ago that depicted the "before". Then I left on vacation, not quite sure if this would be something that Bob would be interested in doing without me. Well, I can tell you that I have the world's best husband! Not only did he carry out the original plan to repaint, he also ripped out the old carpet and laid new laminate wood flooring! This DIY project started out with the need to hang my fabulous Vanishing Design Wall, a gift from Bob for Christmas (which shocked my socks off that he remembered I liked it from some brief conversation awhile back, I guess he really does listen sometimes!). Here is my new design wall in place:

When I decided which wall I wanted it on, we took down some shelves and knick-knacky stuff and posters, etc., on that wall. That left some big screwholes on a basically ugly sponge painted wall. The original blue was Dan's request when we built the house in 1989, then added the white overlay about 10 years later when the room became my "studio" and Dan moved to his new kingdom in the remodeled basement. So it was due for an update. That brought me to decide to just continue with the removal of "stuff" and picked up a bucket of pale gray paint for the walls. Since the closet was all full of built-in shelving and bushels of fabric, I decided it didn't really need painting like the rest of the room and just left that all there. I departed on my trip, and Bob and I chatted on the phone about the state of the paint. To my surprise, he decided this would be the time to change the floor, too, which I totally agreed with but was a little leery that this would be a long project, plus I wasn't home to pick out color and type. Well, I needn't have worried because when I got back home there were only about 2 board-widths left to be laid! And it looks maaah- velous!

I am taking my sweet time with putting things back in there because I wanted to cut down on the clutter and distraction that was in there. So it looks kind of bare, but that's OK for now. Because the flooring needed to extend into the closet, Bob had to clear that out and remove all the shelving units, which was a daunting task. The only downside for me is that he ended up handling every bit of fabric that I had tucked away in there, bringing him to the realization that there was enough to keep me going for a long time! Ooops! I am sorting and weaning the collection down a bit as I make my way back through it, and thinking about the best ways to organize it that might be an improvement on what I did before. The drawers hold my small cuts (fat quarters and less) and are sorted by color. That part is done.

There's a bit more to go.....

But I was inspired to add a saying to my wall to reflect my thoughts--

No heavy hearts allowed! Now back to the sorting!