New Quilt

She’s Got the Music in Her

Encouragement

Today I was reminiscing in my mind how far I have come with quilting.  When I was in junior high school, my home-economics teacher told me I would never be good at sewing.  The reason being I could not follow simple directions.  The very first project we had in sewing was to make a skirt, with exactly one inch pleats.(Not simple instructions)  I ripped that sucker out so many times, the fabric was see through.  I finally threw it in the garbage, and got a F in the class,my mother did go  to bat for me, got the grade changed to a D, so I did not have to take her class again.  But this teacher made me not want to ever touch a sewing machine again.

When I was in my early 30’s I got interested in doing crafts, and  baby blankets.  I found a 1949 Kenmore sewing machine in an old barn on some property my parents bought.  I took it to Sears, asked them if it was fixable.  They cleaned it up, serviced it. It cost me $25., I took it home and started messing around with it.  I loved that sewing machine.  It had the best stitches on it.  It  was a perfect machine for me to get my feet wet  to try sewing again.   I found I was pretty good at sewing things that were flat.  No inset seams, no pleats, and no teacher barking at me.

I went to work full-time, and between working, raising kids, and taking care of property, I lost interest again in sewing.  Mostly for the lack of time. I finally got rid of the sewing machine.  It was just collecting dust.

Seven years ago we retired.  I found myself with too much time on my hands.  I was telling my neighbor I was tempted to buy a sewing machine and learn how to quilt.  She informed me she had taught quilting for 20 some years, and would be honored to teach me.  Guess what, I bought a sewing machine, she taught me how to quilt, and I have not looked back.  (This teacher was nice)

Anyone who has ever had people in their lives that have made them feel like a failure,  you are not the failure,  I have come to the realization, those people are the bigger failure.    Don’t let anyone tell you,  you are not good at something.  If it is something you want to do, find people who will help you, encourage you, and help you laugh at yourself when you screw up.  I am so glad I did, I have found a passion, that has turned into an addiction, and I have actually had the privilege to teach my granddaughter, my best friend, and now another friend wants me to teach her how to quilt.

If  there is something you really want to try, don’t derail yourself, and above all don’t let others derail you.  Your biggest regret will be not trying.

Have a wonderful day!

Dealing with your Stash

The longer you quilt, the bigger your stash gets.  It can be overwhelming to deal with.    The other day I pulled out some quilt patterns that I have been wanting to make.  I went through my stash, pulled out colors that I thought would look good in the pattern.  I got some big ziplock bags and started building kits with them.  I put a note in each one of what I needed to add to make it complete.  A couple of the patterns would make great table toppers or wall hangings, and I had enough in my stash to accomplish that.  I now have kits ready to sew.  The biggest thrill of doing this, my granddaughter came over.  She is a new quilter, does not have much money to buy fabric.  I let her go through what I had put together.  She got to shop  and left happy as a clam, and I was very excited to see her be able to get something for free.