And I have to say, a computer crash really takes the wind out of one's sails.
I've spent about a week recovering data and transferring it to a new machine. I'm still not sure I got it all -- I'm sure I'll realize I need some obscure file about an hour after I take my old laptop off life support. On the upside, my new machine is fast and shiny, with a hard drive three times the size of the old one; on the downside, it came loaded with Vista. Don't get me started on that.
Vacation seems like forever ago. I sunned, I swam, I golfed, took tons of pictures, enjoyed 45-degree mornings and 75-degree days with blinding sunrises, and managed to pump a fair amount of money into Michigan's quilt shop economy. Between three shops I purchased a jelly roll, some adorable snowflake prints that I have no idea what I'm going to do with them but were just too cute to resist, and a Woodland Bloom charm pack for a very special project this week: I was on Monkey Girl duty.
My goddaughter has been reminding me for the past six months that she learned how to sew, which qualified her to make a doll quilt when she came to visit this summer. Who was I to dispute her expertise?
I'd seen a short program on Quilter's TV with Billie Lauder (sorry, can't find a link) where she sewed two squares into a tube, sliced it down the middle, rotated the top piece and made another tube to cut in half to produce a nice, tidy four-patch. It seemed like a good, easy place to start, so when Monkey Girl arrived, in addition to making a special shopping trip for Kraft Mac 'n Cheese, chocolate pudding, peanut butter (and, for good measure, a jar of Marshmallow Fluff) and a little fruit just so I could say she ate healthy, I had her machine all set up and the squares ready to go.
Over the course of an afternoon, she made four-patches out of all of the squares. Her seams were a little wobbly but not horrible (I set up a "fence" made of about eight layers of painter's tape a quarter inch from the needle to keep her on track), and we only had to redo a couple that wavered a little uncontrollably when she picked up speed, but all in all, it was great progress...until she proclaimed to her mother that "parts of quilting were boring."
I suppose that's to be expected of an eight-year old. She liked making the "checkers," as she called them, and liked arranging them. The ironing and trimming and piecing the sashing? Not so much. I was left with making the actual tops while she colored and ate Fluffernutter sandwiches, which was fine. I managed to get one quilted before she left, packaged up as a surprise for her birthday next month.
I've spent about a week recovering data and transferring it to a new machine. I'm still not sure I got it all -- I'm sure I'll realize I need some obscure file about an hour after I take my old laptop off life support. On the upside, my new machine is fast and shiny, with a hard drive three times the size of the old one; on the downside, it came loaded with Vista. Don't get me started on that.
Vacation seems like forever ago. I sunned, I swam, I golfed, took tons of pictures, enjoyed 45-degree mornings and 75-degree days with blinding sunrises, and managed to pump a fair amount of money into Michigan's quilt shop economy. Between three shops I purchased a jelly roll, some adorable snowflake prints that I have no idea what I'm going to do with them but were just too cute to resist, and a Woodland Bloom charm pack for a very special project this week: I was on Monkey Girl duty.
My goddaughter has been reminding me for the past six months that she learned how to sew, which qualified her to make a doll quilt when she came to visit this summer. Who was I to dispute her expertise?
I'd seen a short program on Quilter's TV with Billie Lauder (sorry, can't find a link) where she sewed two squares into a tube, sliced it down the middle, rotated the top piece and made another tube to cut in half to produce a nice, tidy four-patch. It seemed like a good, easy place to start, so when Monkey Girl arrived, in addition to making a special shopping trip for Kraft Mac 'n Cheese, chocolate pudding, peanut butter (and, for good measure, a jar of Marshmallow Fluff) and a little fruit just so I could say she ate healthy, I had her machine all set up and the squares ready to go.
Over the course of an afternoon, she made four-patches out of all of the squares. Her seams were a little wobbly but not horrible (I set up a "fence" made of about eight layers of painter's tape a quarter inch from the needle to keep her on track), and we only had to redo a couple that wavered a little uncontrollably when she picked up speed, but all in all, it was great progress...until she proclaimed to her mother that "parts of quilting were boring."
I suppose that's to be expected of an eight-year old. She liked making the "checkers," as she called them, and liked arranging them. The ironing and trimming and piecing the sashing? Not so much. I was left with making the actual tops while she colored and ate Fluffernutter sandwiches, which was fine. I managed to get one quilted before she left, packaged up as a surprise for her birthday next month.
Doll quilts for Nelly, Samantha and Kirsten -- American Girl Store, eat your heart outI'm not so sure we'll be sewing next summer.
Monkey Girl works on her first quilt project
She's off to spend time with more family before returning with Mom & Dad to Bermuda, so my house is once again at peace, and Archie can come out from under the bed. The question is, though: what do I do with all this pudding?
5 comments:
Sorry about the crash. I too love teaching my grandnieces to sew as I taught their mothers (my 3 nieces) to sew.Your niece is adorable. I'm sure she loved spending time with her aunt.
Eat it, of course!
The quilts are really cute.
sounds like a fun time. (not the computer crash part. my husband H-A-T-E-S vista. so very much.) i like the doll quilts. so fun and cute.
The doll quilts came out so cute!
Hope Archie has recovered now, and the computer too. Yikes, I hate computer crashes.
what a fun thing to do. she did a really great job...that's not an easy task for such a young one! sorry about the computer thing...totally sucks!
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