there's no place like gnome.

What maintains Lindsay’s sanity – part two

#2: my sewing machine

My Kenmore appliance that sits atop my little IKEA table saves me from insanity many weekends. This object that keeps me sane initially cost less than Friends on dvd, though the fabric, thread, and other necessities I have bought since have brought that total expense much higher. Who knew fabric to create a quilt was so expensive? Phew.

The sewing machine keeps me entertained and keeps my hands busy. I find it hard to just sit still. I’ve always known that I like to be crafty but who would have guessed this little hobby of my mother’s – sewing – could be passed on to me. I have always preferred paper to fabric but the winds of change may be blowing. A few quilt squares at night after a day at church and then often a good number more on the weekends – when my social life is non-existent – keeps me busy and out of trouble.

I enjoy turning on a familiar movie and then bouncing back and forth from the rotary cutter to the sewing machine and then to the ironing board; repeat. Typically Lord of the Rings is a favorite to have in the background; fairly certain I watched each of the three extended editions twice while completing my first quilt. I have seen them so many times and enjoy them so much that I know just the right spots to look up and glace at the television; usually just in time to see Aragorn sitting in the dark corner of a pub or guiding his army of dead green men. Aragorn’s my favorite … and perhaps a close contestant for “wmls #3.”

The quilt continues. Last night I completed twelve squares, bringing the total to 35 thus far. (How’s that for a Friday night? Cutting, sewing, and ironing. Yes. I am 85 years old.) To keep track of the color combinations I have already created, I strung string on my wall so as to easily glance at the completed squares, though I fear I have ran out of string for the twelve I made yesterday.

According to my calculations (which are quite possibly very wrong – we’ll see), I need 18 more squares to have the correct number to create a twin size nine-patch. I bought a deep brown solid for the back of the quilt and still need to determine if I wish to do a single strip of three inch squares around the backside. Perhaps.

I am excited about how the quilt is progressing. Nearly each time I complete a square, I think to myself, “Oo! This is my favorite!” until the next completed square is done and then that one becomes my favorite. I figure this is a good sign that I am enjoying the colors and combinations and hopefully this will transfer to eventually enjoying the quilt as a whole.

Today I pulled out some Tanzanian batik fabric I bought in Iringa last January and think I may include a few squares of that into the quilt. Mungu ibariki Afrika.

I have made a bit of progress on my newest quilting project, the nine-patch. I have met a bit of opposition in regards to the fabrics I have chosen; some people (*clears throat* N.S.) think the color scheme is a little off and a little not coordinating.

This person threw me into skepticism regarding my choices … but I stand by them. The quilt that is my inspiration is a scrappy quilt – there is no common theme or traditional connection of sorts. That’s what I’m going with. Scrappy.

Right now, things may look a little … off … but I’m confident when it’s put together I will love it, call it my own, and use it as a throw on my sofa.

Let the second quilting endeavor begin. More lessons to learn, more frustrations to be had, and more practice at picking out fabric that will work together … I still think it’s hopeless.

The quilt is complete. It’s finished. It’s done. And I’m proud. It’s pretty much not quality, not going to lie, but I’m still proud. It’s a little long and I’m not sure I’m too nuts about how much white it ended up having within it. Love it still.

The quilt adorns my bed but I also like to cuddle under it while watching television. Like tonight. After a l.o.n.g. day of two worship services – one at which I preached, one 1.5 hour service of confirmation at which I assisted – and bouncing four confirmation parties, I am absolutely beat. Perfect evening for a movie (Transformers II – thank you again netflix), a few chapters of my for-fun book, and an early bedtime.

Next weekend I have a trip to the cities planned, a trip which will include hanging out at seminary, lunch with a favorite friend, AND purchasing fabric for my next quilting endeavor. Considering a more traditional quilt with, of course, a more modern twist … perhaps a nine-patch? I’m thrilled to pick out fabric for a new project and also very excited that my friend, Kate, a senior at seminary, is now quilting too so we can fabric shop together!

(PS Like the rubbermaid totes that need to be stacked in the corner of my bedroom because of lack of storage? Tasteful. Attractive. No other option.)

It’s pinning time. The final step of quilt completion. The binding. The next photo of the quilt that will be posted will be a photo of my very first quilt adorning the bed in my apartment. In between sermon writing and watching The Proposal (which netflix promised to deliver tomorrow), I will be doing the zigzag stitch to the best of my ability. Goal for completion: Sunday evening.

Turns out quilting is difficult! My goodness, I am struggling with this whole machine quilting! I put the backing, batting, and top together a night last week and did it quite sloppily, I fear. I was so excited to start putting it together that I didn’t wait until I had proper space to do it. This quilt will be so far from perfect but will keep me warm and I will be proud of it because it pretty much is the first thing I have sewn. Really though, the stitching is not straight, the backing is not tight and isn’t always the precise size. SO far from perfect but I will still love it and cuddle with it and call it my own. Here it is, struggling to machine quilt —

The quilt has made progress!

The fabric is cut into strips …

Then the fabric is sewn together – this is one half of the top of the quilt.

It’s still hard to imagine it with another half and finished … but I think I will like it. I think it suits me. The real difficulty with the quilt is when it comes time to put it together with the backing and the middle bits … if this is only half of the quilt size, where do I find floor space to lay the entire quilt out flat? You can see my coffee table and kitchen table get in the way … and this is pretty much the biggest piece of floor space I have available. It will be a creative challenge.

After completing this, I made myself stop for the day. I so easily get wrapped up into finishing projects but want to take my time with this one and give myself something to do on some other days in the week! Plus, I was naive in my estimation of how much a quilt costs to make; if it were cheaper, I’d make one every other week to entertain myself but money can be somewhat of an issue.

This title was part of my status on gmail last Wednesday to which my friend, Kim, told me “I wish I was your new toy.” As much fun as Kim is to play with, the new toy was, sadly, not her or any person but an inanimate appliance. I decided last spring that my internship hobby would be learning to quilt. I’m not sure how or why I came to the conclusion but since then have told many people so they can hold me to my word.