What's on my needles

Again, I am making a dishcloth. :)

I found out my niece is getting married in September so I thought I would make her a few items. Her mom is a quilter so I will let her do that. 

While at Hobby Lobby this  week I found some cotton yarn called "I love this Cotton" and boy do I! It is so soft and has a slight sheen to it and feels so nice going through my fingers. 

Diane

What's on the needles

I've never been able to do this type if post before now, since I am just now learning to knit.

I'm showing three if the dishcloths I have made. 

Pardon the picture, it was taken while driving through Texas from Oklahoma at about 65mph.

 

 

Turning a corner?

Last night I slept for the first time without dreams! At least I don't remember any, so I'm pretty happy. I have had sleep issues for years and basically learned to live with them, but since April I have been happy to not sleep. Horrible, sad, anxious dreams do not leave you feeling able to face the world with a smile.
Ray finally convinced me to go see my GP so yesterday was the day. We talked, and cried (her mother died several months ago) and she offered some help and suggested I try taking something. I told her I didn't want to take anything that made me want to sleep walk, drive or eat! I don't want to feel like a zombie or drunk. And since medications generally make me nervous did she gaurantee no scary results?
Her response..."There are no guarantees in life or medicine." I like an honest doctor. She told me to try this pill tonight and if it didn't help just don't take anymore. If it does maybe we have found a way for you to sleep without all the anxiety you are having.
Well Doc, you were right! Thanks!

Sewing in my sewing room is still not happening much. Some times I can go and sit while listening to a book and press or cut or even get a couple of seams done, but weirdly out of the blue I start crying and have to leave the room. It's crazy because sewing was always how I managed my feelings. If being a mom was getting hard or a child was making me wild eyed I knew my sewing room was where I could go to work it out. Now it seems All I do in there is think of Moma and cry.  When will this stop?
Lately I have been sitting in the living room and knitting or crocheting. After 20+ dishcloths and multiple face washcloths I'm wondering what else I can make.  Kari may come over today so I'm sure I will send some of this home with her. She is always so sweet to take stuff home.  She may just chunk it in the trash, but is so sweet and just oohs and aahs over it and puts it in her car.

I still have that wedding quilt looming over me. I have come to the conclusion. It will not be finsihed before the wedding.

Maybe I'll take a walk.

Diane

What I do when I can't concentrate

When I can't concentrate on writing or reading patterns or I don't have the energy to think I refold fabric and make the stacks neat again.

This time I decided I was already tired of the newest fabric arrangement. I can't see them in the closet. I think I mentioned that when I was movingthe sewing  room. 

I thought I would try putting the fabric in the Ikea shelves so I could see them easily. Thinking I might actually use some of the still loved but older fabrics.  

I also sorted the three shelves on the far right into boy quilt fabrics, girls and either. That way when I want to make something for a child I can get right at it without spending so much time sorting through. 

We will see how this works. 

Working on less  than 3 hours of sleep at night for weeks. I'm a walking zombie. When will this get better? Soon I hope.

Sweet children

My children are so sweet.
My youngest brought these to me.

Back home

I'm back home from Texas. I haven't done much more than a couple loads of laundry.
I can't seem to focus. I feel guilty living so far away and my two sisters and sister in law are left to check on Daddy.
Thirty years ago we moved away (with many moves over the years) so I have to live with that decision, but guilt does creep in on occasion.

I have two goals for today.
1. Go into my sewing room
2. Cook a meal

We will see how it goes

Diane

Moma, me and our love of sewing...

Me and my Moma shared a love of all things sewing. It all began very early for me. Moma sewed everything we wore. With 4 daughters that meant many hours at the sewing machine. I loved waking up from my nap as a child and the only sound in the house was the purr of the machine and the click of Moma's scissors.
Grandma Emfinger taught me to embroidery when I was about six years old and Moma taught me to crochet. We made many pillowcases with embroidery and then crocheted the edges. That was how we spent the time riding in the car to and from the lake while Daddy drove, well that or shelling peas or making butter in a mason jar.
When I got to jr. high and high school I got to take home economics classes. My final grade project one year was a complete outfit. We decided I would make a gown and house coat for Jennifer. We had so much fun picking the fabric, the trim and buttons. She taught me to take my time on the curves and gently pull the threads to gather the sleeves to make them fit. She dried my tears when I had to rip the sleeve out the third time since I kept sewing too fast and not doing a good enough job and my stitches showed on the front.
She never could teach me to make a button hole so I put snaps on the housecoat. Me and Moma got an A+ on that outfit. Well I got an A, Moma got the +.

Moma made my wedding veil when I married. She gathered and stitched and appliquéd the trim and beaded until it was almost too heavy to wear. She said she loved every minute. I loved the results but mostly I love that she wanted to do that for me.

After I married I was introduced to quilting and I found my sewing passion. Mom followed me into this, but only ankle deep. She loved quilts, she loved looking at patterns and shopping for the fabrics, but while I saw a Dresden Plate or Log Cabin quilt top in the fabrics, she saw skirts and blouses.
Moma loved to travel but didn't get to very much. We had the opportunity to go to a quilt retreat in Pennsylvania and we jumped at the chance. We drove from Mobile AL to Bird In Hand , PA and Moma oohed and aahhed the whole way.
We had so much fun!
Several years ago Moma gave me the old brown Singer that sewed so many miles of stitches. It made every dress, shirt, slip, prom dress, choir formal, Easter dress, and shirt for Daddy for 25 or 30 years before she wore it out and bought another. The old brown machine is only good for memories now but I don't walk past it that I don't think of all the love that came out of it.
The Barbie doll clothes she made for me and Dorie while we were taking our naps so they would be a surprise for Christmas. We had the best dressed Barbies in town!
The new birthday outfit every year, usually green, for the St Patrick's Day girl.
New dresses for the first day of school.
My prom dress, 4 bridesmaids dresses and my veil that was all made in a 6 week period because no one else's mom sewed and me and mom found the "perfect" pattern and fabric.

But mostly I remember the life lessons.
" slow down"
" measure carefully"
"Read the instructions"
"Spread the fullness out evenly"
" it isn't worth doing unless you're going to do it right"



We buried Moma yesterday.