Bears Climbing the Wall

I have given up and taken the Spinning Octagons off the wall.  The girls are all away so I am using a bedroom floor to work on a layout and plan for finishing them - maybe.

But first I have to make a baby quilt for our soon-to-be born nephew   I had a super cute transportation themed quilt top done and then I learned the theme is woodland animals.   

The purchased inspiration fabric.

Of course I had nothing to work with so I had to break down and buy something.   But all inspiration had been used up on the transportation quilt and it didn't transfer to the new fabric. No problem. Life got in the way and I couldn't do anything anyways.

Recently acquired in a bag of scraps - but not much of it.

Fast forward 2 months:  I am a teacher.  School is out!  The first of 3 camps I am helping plan is ready to go. The second is in good shape.  So I have cleaned off the sewing table and rediscovered the machine.  Got the mending done.  Looked at some quilting books and was inspired at last.  

Bear Paws seems fitting for a woodland animal theme.

I still have the scraps from the big brother of the new baby's quilt and they actually coordinate pretty well, so I am trying to use them up work them in.  The center of the bear's paw will be the green of the previous baby quilt.  There is enough.  Trying to figure out where to use this:

There is about a 12" x 18" piece.  Thinking 4 large border cornerstones if nothing else.

I usually make things up as I go along, so I am not too worried.  It will happen.  I am just happy to be sewing and making progress on something that does need to be made soon.

Head on over to Patchwork Times  to see what others are working on.

Stash Report 061415

At last - activity on the sewing machine and fabric out.

I made a tablecloth for the girls to take to my MIL on their trip down to Guatemala this week.  She uses tablecloths for every single meal, so I know it will be well used.  That is a lot better than having the fabric linger in the closet.  The story is here.

Unfortunately no picture.  Maybe I can get the girls to take a picture of it in use!

Fabric Used This Week:  2.5 yards tablecloth for Dona Cristy

Fabric In This Week:  0 yards

Total In 2015: 1.5 yards
Net Used 2015:  26.55 yards

Linking up to Patchwork Times  to show how others are doing on busting their stash!

A Finish for my Mother-in-Law

The girls are spending the week with their grandparents and other family in Guatemala.  I usually gift my MIL with fabric but to be quite honest I think she just hoards it - a woman after my own heart!!!

So I made her a tablecloth with the remains of a bolt of fabric I had been gifted and had hoarded thinking I would recover the dining room chairs but knowing full well that I wouldn't.  I almost sent it as is and she could hem it since my sewing machine has not seen the light of day in many months, but at the last minute I cleared a space and hemmed all four sides.  

It went right into the suitcase and I did not get a picture.  But here is a glimpse from the little bit that got squared off the end.  

She uses tableclothes for every meal and I think she will like it.

Linking up with  Crazy Mom Quilts   and Confessions of a fabric addict  to show off finishes.

Does this count as a layout?

I have not been working in fabric, but in paper.  School is out, but instead of having more time I have less.  It is not supposed to work that way.  Part of the problem is that my team teacher and I do the planning for the summer camps.  It is fun to come up with themes we don't do during the regular school year and really make them "over the top" fun.

This year we are doing Around the World, Fantastic Florida and Super Heroes.  Super Heroes we always do the last week of school to finish the year with a BANG!! but for camp we can do even more.  This past school year we worked last summer's camp activities into some of our regular themes and that was super fun.  Cowboys during the 5 senses week.  Mother is a Queen used the Castle Camp activities, but focused them on mom for Mother's Day.  Pirates we just threw in there for fun and the kids LOVED it.

Anyways, I am making the travel posters for the Around the World camp to decorate the doors.  I have been collecting great photos from calendars and travel magazines.  I mounted them on poster board, added simple sayings and done.  Thinking about it took longer than doing it.  But that is often the case.

I needed posters for 4 classrooms and wanted each room to have one of each background color and make sure each of our focus countries was represented.  So each class got a vertical column on the floor. My "design floor" worked great.  I didn't actually make a patterned layout until I was all done.  Something about it make me think of a quilt.

It's a finish and it's Friday, but it's not fabric.  Next week hopefully.

Is this worth fixing?

My dad is in assisted living   It's an apartment situation with lots of oversight and an emergency button, etc.  My sisters and I have divided up the various responsibilities that he needs in order to keep his as independent and mobile as possible.

One if my jobs is the sewing and mending.  Summer has come to Florida so he got out his shortie pjs and they don't stay up because the elastic is shot. 

These have been fixed at least twice.  Looks like new elastic once and tucks another time.  I know my mother was biting her tongue by the second fix. 

This one looks worse but is actually the easier repair.  These were my grandfather's and he has been gone probably 20 years.  So I'm going to guess a good 30-40 years of wear   I found the cut off sleeves in my mothers stash and I worked that fabric into my scrappy mountains majesties quilt.

When I suggested we get new pajamas he started to cry.  As soon as I said it I knew it was the wrong thing, since the anniversary of my mother's passing was this past month. 

Earlier in the visit we had been talking about employees who cry in front of their employers to try to change an outcome.  So I told him that since he cried I would make the repairs.  Then he laughed.  

So I will be mending this weekend!!

Stash Report May 24, 3015

The STEM fair is all over so I guess I better count the girls' project as fabric as used now.

The Chill Out Cooling Quilt was an interesting project.  Check it out!!

Fabric Used This Week:  2.5 yards Chill Out Cooling Quilt

Fabric In This Week:  0 yards

Total In 2015: 1.5 yards
Net Used 2015:  24.05 yards

Linking up to Patchwork Times  to show how others are doing on busting their stash!

STEM Project Finish

Little S and Partner P had to come up with an idea/invention/problem to solve for their STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) project.  P had the idea to invent a blanket that would keep you cool instead of warm.  S asked if I had any fabric.  She was serious.  I guess the room across from hers is so full she never noticed there was actually fabric in it.  Or maybe she was afraid I would not share.  It was pretty funny.

So over the course of 3 weeks there were numerous days of picking them up from school to come to our house to plan 

Measuring the ice packs to calculate the pocket size.

and sew

P learned to sew and iron.

Chalking the sewing line for the envelope flap.  They even figured to make a single flap panel to cover pockets on opposing sides. 

Sewing the line to separate the pockets.

and then conduct an experiment to find out if it actually works.

Stuffing the ice packs in the pockets.  The envelope flap was so much better than the zippers they first imagined.

Yep, it sure does.

Chill Out Cooling Quilt - Success!!

There are some technicalities that need to be worked out, but yes you can make a blanket that holds ice packs and it will keep you cool for at least an hour - before it starts to drip with condensation!

The girls won 1st Place at the school and moved on to the country STEM fair (exhibition, not competition) where 2 people said they should go on Shark Tank with it.  Interesting!!  Can you fund college with a STEM fair project?

P's mother suffers from migraines and that is where the idea came from, so after the country STEM fair she got to keep it.

It was a very interesting experience - learning about STEM, working with a partner at home, teaching an 8-year-old to sew, teaching two 8-year-olds how to make a tri-fold presentation, county STEM exhibition, and especially meeting and making a new friend.  Kind of glad it's over though - except for the friend part!

I think that was the last thing that has been under the sewing machine needle and I'm sure ready for summer vacation and the hopes of sewing something myself again.  It's been a while.

Linking up with  Crazy Mom Quilts   and Confessions of a fabric addict  to show off finishes.