"For I Am Sure"

A month ago, a friend of mine had a Terrifying Medical Thing happen. She’s going to be fine, although getting back to 100% may take a long time. Since she lives rather far away from me, it wasn't practical for me to offer to take care of her kids, run errands, clean her house, or any of a dozen things that a friend who’s dying to be helpful might offer to do. But what I could do (other than pray for her, which I did and do) was to help keep her warm. Thus, a quilt was born.

Because I wanted to make it quickly, it couldn't be too intricate, but I wanted it to be personal. I was inspired by this quilt, and I asked my friend’s husband if there was a slogan or Bible verse that was particularly meaningful to them during this time. He said that they really loved Romans 8:38-39, so I decided to put that verse on the quilt. I used 4 red fat quarters (fat quarters are pieces of fabric that are approx 18”x22” and fabric stores often have them pre-cut) and 7 gray fat quarters. I cut them width-wise into strips 2 ½” wide. Then I shuffled them up into a roughly random/roughly consistent pattern, and sewed them together, varying the seam allowances by as much as 2” to get a staggered sort of effect. I had a few strips left over.

 Now, Rom 8:38-39 has a lot of words (50, including the reference, if anyone’s counting), so appliqueing the words was right out. Embroidery would have likewise taken an age. So I decided to draw them. I got a fine tipped permanent fabric pen, and very very slowly and carefully drew the letters. First I drew them with single strokes, making the letters fairly big, and then would go back and draw a second line and color in the space in between to make letters fatter. This method worked fairly well, and I particularly recommend it for the amateur calligraphers out there, because you can correct your mistakes and nobody will ever know. After first drawing the letter, for instance an “o,” you can draw the second line outside the circle to make the letter larger or inside to make the letter smaller. Or if you magically drew it just the right size, you can use the first line as your middle line and draw lines on either side to fill in.

There is something about writing words slowly and looking at them a long time that makes you doubt yourself and your ability to spell, and I’m still not 100% sure that there are no spelling errors in this quilt. If there are – well, it was meant to be a labor of love, and it will not stop being that if there are spelling mistakes in it. However, I think I’m probably just making myself paranoid. When I was making an appliquéd plaque for my sister the first Christmas after she got married, I became briefly convinced that her name was Richardson instead of Richards. (It's definitely Richards, by the way. I checked.)

I pieced together the backing out of some black fabric and a few fun black and white prints. 

Paw prints! And daisies!

I'd like to apologize for my very boring picture of a gray quilt against a gray house. Somehow when we were buying our home, picturesque spots for photo shots didn't make the must-have list. Also, I swear this quilt is a rectangle. It's just the clothespins that are making it look like a wonky hexagram. 

I also incorporated the label (the red square) into the middle of the backing. (The label has an inscription; you just can’t read it from this distance because I didn’t make the letters thick.) This label in several ways made life a bit easier.

1. I didn't want to have to sew on the label by hand, and I was going to have to sew pieces together anyway to have fabric big enough for the backing.

2. I am new to machine quilting, and I knew that less experienced, uneven quilting tends to make fabric shift/slide/stretch. If I had put the red label on one of the edges, there was a fair chance it would have ended up more of a trapezoid than a square, which would have driven me bonkers. Putting it closer to the middle kept it square.

3. Two of the sides of the quilt had very uneven edges because I was deliberately sewing the strips together in a staggered way. Because of the shifting/stretching problem, I planned to do the quilting first, then trim all the edges to make them straight. If I had put my label on one of these edges, it would have ended up a rectangle instead of a triangle. 

4. I wrote the inscription on the label before quilting it. If I had make a mistake in the inscription after quilting the whole quilt, it would have been a royal pain to correct it.

5.  Because I was writing the inscription before quilting, I had no idea exactly how the quilting lines would go across the label. I didn't know if they would be spaced awkwardly in relation to the lines of writing, or if the quilting might be wobbly. If I took pains to make the writing perfectly straight and then the quilting lines were less than perfectly straight, it would have been very obvious. So I wrote the description on the diagonal instead and it worked quite well.

When I was squaring off the edges of the quilt, I discovered that the edges that needed trimming were almost exactly the length of my coffee table. This made the squaring off unprecedentedly easy. When I lay the quilt out on the table, Twinkle (who had seen me sewing together strips but had not seen the finished quilt) said, “Oh wow! Mama make the blankie!” How cute is that? 

When I was taking this picture, Munchkin insisted on taking some pictures of his own. Unfortunately my cell phone does not have a “macro” function, so these art shots were a little less artistic than could be desired and rather more like a three year old taking pictures with his mother’s phone.

After squaring off the edges, I made a bias binding and sewed it on using this technique, which is now my hands-down favorite for attaching the binding on machine-quilted quilts.

And then it was done! I’m so happy with how it turned out. This is such a fun, easy way to make a very striking, modern quilt, and I think the pattern is well suited to incorporating any sort of longish quote. What do you think? 

Title: For I Am Sure

Design: Staggered gray and red strips with a Bible verse written on the red strips

Materials: 100% cotton fabric, polyester batting, permanent fabric pen

Finished: March 2015

Fabric Stars

Help me I don't think I can stop ...

They're easy and cute and they use up scraps that are really too small to keep but I like the fabric so I hang on to them anyway ...

At this rate our Christmas tree is going to be decorated in fabric stars and nothing else.

Help.

Mothers of the World!

Dear Mothers-to-be Everywhere,

When you go to register for baby things, resist the siren calls of the clothing aisles. For verily, adorable pint-sized clothing doth buy itself. Particularly if you are having a girl, the cuteness of wee ruffles and bows will insure that you will be inundated with the stuff, and if you are so fortunate as to have a thrifty mother-in-law, scores of cherished hand-me-downs from when their father was a boy will now be yours.

Instead, get thee to the kitchenware counter, and order a full set of unbreakable (or at least ultra sturdy) "china" plates and bowls For yea, there are no gift showers to congratulate a mother on surviving the terrible twos and moving on to the more terrible threes and so you must think ahead. True, you are giving birth to a newborn, incapable of anything more athletic than clutching a finger, stretching when sleepy, and roaring their disapproval when unfed/diapered/slept, but remember the cardinal rule: children grow up.

The sweetly sleeping babe of today is the beaming, spaghetti-faced, plate-throwing toddler of tomorrow. Plan accordingly.

Let your new "china" be a full set, not merely a child's plate or two, for a child is as capable of grabbing your plate as their own. Let it be a dignified pattern that you will be proud to serve guests on, because who has room to store two full sets of china in their kitchen cabinets? Also, you will be looking at this "china" for the next 18 years or until your youngest child becomes a responsible human being, whichever comes first, so let it be a pattern that you like, or at least let it be sufficiently neutral (I recommend solid white) that you will not notice it.

As for specifics, melamine is my personal preference, being actually unbreakable (or at least two years of dedicated experimentation by my toddlers would make it appear so), however it is not recommended that you microwave it. I am confident that I have microwaved food on it on more than one occasion, and have lived to tell the tale. However, I cannot in good conscience recommend you do likewise, lest you suffer ill effects and sue me out of existence.

Should you reject melamine, there is Corelle, which is at least chip-resistant, although my experience is that they survive fall after fall without a word of protest, and then one day simple shatter on the kitchen floor. Perhaps the more eco-conscious mother would prefer wooden bowls and plates, although a lifetime of washing dishes by hand does seem more than a little daunting.

But, as mentioned above, children do grow up, and dish-washing is a lovely chore for little hands, as long as those dishes are, as previously mentioned, unbreakable. 








In other news, 'Stache, we are down a cereal bowl. Also an equivalent amount of mac and cheese.

Randomly on ... Thursday. Ahem.

1. Christmastime as a mother of children is unutterably different from Christmastime as either a child or as a childless adult. The entire spirit of Christmas hinges upon the capricious good mood of a young person or persons who often fail to grasp the magic of the season.

2. I would like, at this time, to apologize to both my mother and my sister Molly, for the great impatience and lack of sympathy I exhibited when we were children and she had an ear ache at Christmas and delayed our Christmas Morning by an unpardonable half an hour. Being sick at Christmas is certainly no fun (sorry Molly) and being the mother of a sick child at Christmas is downright wretched (sorry Mama).

3. If you haven't been able to discern from the above, Twinkle was sick over Christmas and while I hope and believe that Christmas wasn't ruined for anyone, I know that a bit of the sparkle was a bit tarnished, what with the juggling and cajoling and worrying and should-we-put-him-back-to-bedding. But that's life, I suppose. Christmas is only ever perfect in retrospect.

4. He's fine now, though.

5. If you aren't sick of Christmas candy and cookies yet, it's an excellent time to buy both, perhaps to take to a New Year's Eve party. Ornament cookie kits are 99 cents at Aldi.

6. I am knitting a black hole. Possessing a rather shaky knowledge of physics (upon examination of transcripts, it appears I escaped the halls of education without ever taking it) I am unsure of the geological implications of opening a small, wool black hole in downtown Chattanooga, but judging from Star Trek, perhaps my neighbors and friends would do well to purchase a bit of property insurance.

7. Our beloved (by me) Fontanini nativity set is holding up well to the dual onslaught of cats and children. 'Stache, being raised using a very precious and delicate ceramic nativity set in his childhood, tends to spring out of his chair in alarm whenever he sees one of the children playing with it. The fact that it is plastic doesn't seem to have fully reached his hindbrain. However, due to children (or cats) it seems that Baby Jesus has gone missing. Hopefully he will be found before the end of the Christmas season.

8. We celebrate Christmas until and including January 6th, traditionally the Feast of Epiphany. This does wreak small havoc with New Year's resolutions, though. Five days of scrupulous observance to the new diet then a PARTY!!! And then on the 7th you have to climb back on the wagon again.

Randomly on Wednesday

1. The mittens were knit on the correct needles after all, so no reknits! Such a relief. Although they're still running slim, so I'm still a smidge anxious.

2. "Smidge" is apparently not a real word according to spellcheck, which I think is ridiculous because I hear it said all the time.

3. Apparently spellcheck isn't either, although spellchecker is. This sees illogical.

4. Munchkin can say "yes!" and also (this is important) he deigns to do so. For the longest time everything was "no," and then he would either say "no" or in order to say yes, he would repeat the option that he wanted. And now, finally, "yes." Definitively and with no room for negotiation, as is this dear child's wont. Music to this mommy's ears, I'm telling you.

5. We made a movie last weekend. We needed a little three minute movie to help fundraise for our adoption and a friend of ours is wise in the ways of iPads and movie editing, and so last Saturday she came over and we filmed it. It should be ready in another day or two, and I'll show it to you.

6. Oh, right. We're adopting.

7. We're in the process of adopting a special needs child from Hong Kong. There is (a smidge) more information on our fundraising page, youcaring,com/fennfamilyadoption, and I'll also be saying more on this blog as things develop. (If you'd like to donate, it's very easy and we'd be very grateful!)

8. There are three cats on my bed right now, all looking very casual, exactly as if they laid down by accident instead of making a beeline for the warmest spot in the house.

9. I have perused my Christmas spreadsheet (by which I of course mean examined, reexamined, and cross-checked) and it would appear that I have bought my last present! Huzzah. Even the boys' stockings (provided 'Stache doesn't consume all the candy canes). It's done. If 'Stache does eat the candy canes, then he will be responsible for replacing them. Which means I can:

10. Exhale ...

11. Exhaling is a truly beautiful thing. Try it. It's awesome.

14 Days

14 days 'til Christmas.

Fourteen.

One-four.

The Christmas Knitting Season (so called because the Christmas Knitting Sewing Quilting And Crafting Season doesn't exactly roll trippingly off the tongue) officially begins after Thanksgiving, when I make knitting (/sewing/quilting/crafting) plans exactly as if the universe, my husband and my children are going to let me do nothing for the month of December except put meals on the table and knit (/sew/quilt/craft).

The beginning of the month is generally a light-hearted, carefree romp in the land of wool (/etc.). Of course I'm not knitting (/etc.) as much as I planned, but that's ok, because I have so much time left before Christmas. 

Right up until today, when reality steps in and settles down for a cup of tea and a chat.

The list is ... impressive. Maybe not as many items left as there have been in previous years, but the scope, the audacity of some of the items leave one a wee smidge breathless. In no particular order ...

1. The Sweater

Status: about 12" of the body is knit. An elaborate yoke involving 3 colors of yarn and snowflakes and stars is planned. Gulp.
Prospects: Middling. I am (*strong, bracing tone*) confident that I can get quite a bit more done on it, and this sweater is for a family member who will (hopefully) be understanding and happy to get a lovely, custom-designed sweater for, um, next Christmas.

2. The Quilt 

Shown here mid-quilting

Status: machine quilting is done. All it lacks is hand sewing on the binding and making and sewing on a label.
Prospects: Good. The hand sewing is simple and lends itself well to multi-tasking. On the other hand, it is 360 inches of hand sewing.

3. The Mittens

Status: unsure. I had a major size problem and I am not sure if these mittens just run small or if I knit the entire first mitten on the wrong size needles. So I could be 5/8s done or 1/8 done, I'm not sure which.
Prospects: Worrisome. The 5/8 vs 1/8 difference really is quite significant, and this present is due before Christmas. Stay tuned, I'm sensing more drama from these mittens on the horizon.

4. The Cross Stitch Ornament
(not pictured)
Status: 1/4 done. Gulp.
Prospects: Shaky but positive. This present is due after Christmas, so maybe it will be ok.

5. The Crafty Ornament 
(not pictured)
Status: This ornament has not been photographed because it has not been started yet.
Prospects: Flexible. This ornament has to meet certain parameters for an ornament exchange, and I really want to do something awesome. However, I could change the plan to something easier if the deadline looms unexpectedly.

6. The Other Quilt

Status: This is an on-going present, where each year I do a certain amount of work on it (This is what happens when you give your sister a quilt top and promise her you'll hand quilt it and then go and have 2 kids back-to-back.) I've done about 1/20 of the work I planned. You'll notice that the picture is of a wooden box, instead of a quilt. That's because it is difficult to cram back into the box for storage, so I didn't want to take it out to photograph it. This also might lend some insight on how I got so far behind on this gift.
Prospects: Grim. Very grim.

7. The Pajamas 

Status: Obviously still at the fabric stage. The brown flannel is supposed to be a pajama top for Twinkle and the blue print is for pajama pants for 'Stache.
Prospects: Waffling. I really want to finish Twinkle's top in particular, so he and Munchkin could have coordinating pajamas for Christmas morning. However, the world will continue to revolve if he doesn't. Red footies are always holiday-appropriate. The saving grace for both of these pajama projects might be that this year we'll be having 3 different Christmas mornings (his parents, my parents and our own), so I might shoot for finishing them in time for the last one (ours). On the other hand, with 3 different Christmas mornings, we're clearly going to be having a bustling Christmas season.

Which, if I'm honest, is exactly the way I like it. Cookies, stockings, parties, knitting (/etc.), family, hashbrown casserole, Christmas lights ... all with just a dollop of stress and anxiety to keep it real.

Finishing High

I really, really (really, really really) love finishing things. The laundry is a never-ending task, the dishes will be dirty again almost as soon as they're washed, meals must be prepared on a continual basis, but once a sweater is knitted, (with a few tragic exceptions) it stays knitted. It's a little thrill that I like to call a "finishing high." 'Stache tends to roll his eyes a bit when I say this, sort of like when I refer to knitting Fair Isle as being "so exciting!"

I finished a little Christmas cardigan twice recently. First I finished all the knitting, and then left it in the presents drawer for about six months.

I've never had a sweater that was put together this way, although it does make sense. You knit each of the pieces separately until you get to the collar, and then you join them together and knit the collar, so that the collar doesn't have any seams. 

Anyway, I finished the knitting and enjoyed finishing it. This, to me, is the perfect size for a fiddly cabled sweater: tiny, so you are still enjoying it by the time you're done. And then, when I got out the pieces and sewed them together and put on buttons, it was like I was finishing it all over again. 

Title: Baby Grandpa Sweater

Design: adapted heavily from Raglan Cables Set: Cardigan and Hat by Patons

Materials: almost all of 440 yards of Cascade 220 Superwash worsted, in 1946 silver gray

Finished: Dec 2014

I fiddled with the number of stitches so that I could use worsted weight yarn instead of the DK called for, and changed the neckline to be a crewneck instead of a V-neck. I also knit the button bands as part of the sweater fronts instead of knitting them separately and sewing them on. By the time I made all these changes, the main thing that was still the same was the stitch pattern, which I rather liked. 

I also finished another sweater recently, but that one has a rather more tragic past. 

I had knit the body, and one sleeve, and was working on the final sleeve when we went on a trip. I was particularly proud of this sweater, because it was made entirely of leftovers from another sweater. (This sweater is for Munchkin, and the original sweater was for my brother, who is over six feet tall.) Most of the time leftover sweaters are a never-ending cycle wherein one has yarn leftover, and so one buys another ball or two to make something with it, but then there's leftovers from that, so you buy more yarn ... But this one was going to work out perfectly, I was sure. 

And it did. Right up to the point where I left one of the sleeves in the hotel room. 

Unfortunately I didn't discover this until several days later, and when I called the hotel, the clerk was unable to find it. Also, a small dark sleeve is a bad thing to lose and a worse thing to ask a non-knitter to try to find. Very difficult to describe, sleeves. 

After a suitable period of mourning, I looked online for more yarn, but was unable to find the color I needed, so I ordered via sister express. My mother bought a skein from the original store, and after a while my sister Molly happened to be home for a visit and got the yarn from my mom and then came up at the tail end of a business trip for her and her husband's business, Youth Digital. (Check them out! They're pretty awesome, in my totally unbiased opinion.) 

And then, finally, the sleeve was knit again, and I sewed the pieces together. There's always a bit of a lag when you're knitting the final sleeve. However much you liked the pattern to start with, it's gotten a bit stale by the time you're knitting the last sleeve, and when the last sleeve is actually the third sleeve, it's gone past stale and right to dusty and unappetizing. 

But it's finished now, and a very cute little sweater it is too. 

Title: Candlestick, size 4 years

Design: Hilary Smith Callis

Materials: Berroco Vintage. I have lost the labels, so I can't identify the color beyond heather gray and navy.

Finished: November 2014

I followed the directions exactly except that I did 2x2 ribbing instead of knitted hems for the cuffs and neckline. Also I did 2 row stripes for the sleeve instead of the larger stripes in the pattern. I loved this pattern - it's such a great, classic sweater! 

There would be a picture of Munchkin modeling it, but it's for Christmas, so you'll have to wait!