What's a Thangle?

Thangles, dayglo tape, blocks, triangles on a roll. These are just some of the new terms I learned last night at my quilting class and yes dayglo tape is exactly what it sounds like. A roll of brightly colored tape used to mark our rulers (at least that’s what we did last night) in the various positions needed to keep track of where we will be measuring and cutting for different widths of cloth. I’m sure it has other uses but we haven’t learned them yet. And triangles on a roll are just that – a big roll of paper triangles to use as patterns to cut the fabric. How cool is that! We will be using Thangles instead of triangles on a roll which are basically the same thing except they come in strips instead of on a roll, but the lesson on how to actually use them will be next week.
Quilting, I (and my classmates) are learning is turning into an expensive little adventure, especially for those of us who also just purchased sewing machines. In addition to the above we needed thread, cutting mats, rotary cutters, pins, seam ripper and a quilt ruler. Having sewed off and on through the years I did have some of these supplies but not all. We also learned to never, ever leave our cutting mat in the car. A class mate left hers and by the time she got in the car to come to class it had bent out of shape from the heat (and it wasn’t even a very hot day). Now she has to purchase a new one and at $25 her cost in this venture has just gone up.
But all in all, we will take away a valuable skill and an item that will last for years to come –as will most of the supplies with proper care – and that is what we are anticipating. By the end of the class we should all be very familiar with quilt-speak.

The thread goes where?

Well, I’ve taken out the new machine to familiarize myself with all it’s fancy gadgets and workings. After several tries I was finally able to get my bobbin threaded after spending a few minutes figuring out the example drawn in the instruction book, yet I still don’t think I’m doing it quite right. It kept getting tangled up on the bobbin and ending up in a big mess that definitely would not work. So I managed to figure out a way to get the thread on there tight and managed to thread the machine. I then went through some old scrap material I still had (I keep everything!) to test some of the stitches. It sews beautifully!
However as I went through the various stitches, the machine kept making a beeping noise and stopping. Apparently it is factory set and although I moved the knobs to adjust the stitch length, it still keeps beeping. This will be very annoying if it does this while I’m in my quilting class so I found a class for next Monday morning – lesson 1 to learn how to work my machine. I had already been through this series of classes with my previous machine and now I’m back at square one.
Well it will be worth it, this has some really neat stitch options – ivy and starbursts among others and I can’t wait to use them on upcoming projects.

Quilting Here I Come…

Well I’ve done it. I signed up for My First Quilt Workshop at The Old Craft Store. It’ll be one day a week for the next 4 weeks and at the end I’ll have completed a small quilt – big enough to wrap the first grandbaby in (whenever he/she may come) or to use as a sofa throw or wall hanging.
Another reason I need my “nest” empty now, I need the room for all my stuff and the kids are way overdue on leaving - I plan on making one room my guest/library room and the other will be my sewing/scrapbooking/all-around craft room. Again don't understand those ladies who get depressed over having time to finally do what they want. What did you want to do before you became a mom - do it now. Life is short, bring the experience around to a positive light.
I nixed the idea of inviting my mom, she’d want me to pick her up, etc. and I’ll barely have time to get there from the office before class starts. Plus I don't think her sewing machine is one of those you can tote around and we need to bring our own machine for this one. I’ll also need to stock up on Slim Fast or something to drink on the way there as dinner will be out of the question and by the time I get out of there it will be too late to eat (don’t like to eat past nine at night). I’ll have some me time (hard to come by in a full house) and perhaps make some new friends, yikes and I’ll have to take a change of clothes, not too comfortable to be sewing in my work clothes. Hopefully this doesn’t turn out to be more stressful than fun. It is only one day a week though for four weeks. I can handle that.
Once I’ve learned the proper quilting process, my next project will be to make a t-shirt quilt out of all those old t-shirts that I’ve kept for the kids - T-shirts from camp, girl scouts, boy scouts, sports, school spirit, and vacation souvenir t-shirts.

Reviving an old hobby..

A few years ago I purchased a new sewing machine. I had sewn a lot when my kids were young making nursery items and as they grew I also sewed their play clothes and Halloween costumes. As I began working full time and the kids got busy with activities I no longer had time to pursue this hobby. Attending the state fair one year I came across a sewing exhibition that featured all sorts of sewing machines. I became inspired and later went to my nearest Joann's crafgt store and purchased one hoping to get back into sewing if nothing else for mending clothes and the like. I became so frustrated with trying to figure out how to get the bobbin to work I gave up and set it aside. The machine sat there for a couple of years gathering dust until a few weeks ago when I came across some free beginner sewing classes at the store where I purchased the machine. I became excited about sewing again and using their embroidery equipment and my machine for the embellishment made this little Easter drawstring bag. I did get a little discouraged when the fanciest stitch I had on my machine was this little double zig zag. Everyone else had much fancier machines with stitch options such as ivy, hearts, swirls, etc. Needless to say I was easily swayed to purchase an upgrade of my machine to get some fancier stitches. I found a place called The Old Craft Store that teaches beginners to quilt and can't wait to use my new machine and begin sewing in earnest again. My mother used to love to sew and I wish she had the confidence to attend classes like these to get back into it as well and so she can make new friends. That was something that really stood out to me that in the classes I attended and even when visiting The Old Craft Store, I saw no Latina's or anyone from any other culture. Growing up many women from our family and my mother's circle of friends sewed so it's bizarre to me that I see very few women of other culture's at craft stores (and I live in a large multi-cultural city). It's so satisfying to work on something that eventually comes together into something that can be used or worn for generations to come. Perhaps I'll get my mother to come along, she would like the mother/daughter time anyway.

God works.....

in mysterious ways. I was running late getting off work so i knew i wouldn't be making it to the Mass for Ash Wednesday. Had just enough time to get dinner made and take my daughter to to help out at the Wednesday night CCD. The place was super packed - people standing out the door not able to fit into the church that's how crowded it was. It might have helped if they had scheduled a second Spanish Mass but since this was the only one the whole world seemed to be there. So after dropping my daughter off I drive back home - as usual I'm going a bit fast and almost missed seeing a little old lady sitting on the edge almost of her driveway and waving frantically. I quickly stopped and rolled down my window to ask if she needed help and turns out she had fallen while taking out the trash into that sitting position and couldn't get herself up. Lord only knows how long she had been sitting out there hoping someone would come by and help her. I kept picturing my own mother who also lives alone and although there are many helpful neighbors around, if none of them happen to go outside she could be stuck for hours in a bad situation. I helped her up and got her standing and she mentioned she still had another trash bag to take to the curb. Once I knew she was steady on her feet I left her in the driveway and went and got her other trash bag and took it to the curb. She appeared to be living all alone as well. Her little pomeranian dog came to the garage door and yapped at me but wouldn't go any farther - some help he would have been. Couldn't bark loud enough for even the neighbors to hear. I knew God had directed me down that street to help her as I usually go home a different way. I know many people have helped my mom out when she was in a bind and I was glad I could pay it forward to someone else and this lady was not seriously hurt thank goodness. If I couldn't be in Mass tonight I'm glad I was able to be in his service by helping out a neighbor.

What Empty Nest?

Most people’s children leave the nest when they turn 18. Some leave for college or travel the world and others just to be in their own place. I constantly read or hear about so many mothers upset about empty nest syndrome – feeling their lives now have no meaning and they have nothing to do since their children are gone. I envy those women with empty nests! My youngest will be graduating from high school this year and just like her older brother and sister – she will not be leaving to go off on her own. The same as it was for me and my two sisters – however unlike my mother who did not want us to leave and did everything to prevent it – I DO want my children to go out and spread their wings. Alas the economy among other things has kept them at home while they work and go to school. Grandma (my mom) is no help either constantly telling them they don’t need to go off into a dangerous world and should stay home until they marry, etc. as is the tradition in our culture. And while most moms would probably be thrilled to still have her “babies” at home – I am not. Having married young (19) to get out of the house and had children young (21) at the insistence of my husband, I was looking forward to some ME time and trying to improve the relationship with my husband and having some fun. Don’t get me wrong I LOVE my children but what once was a perfect house for a mom, dad and three small children is definitely not the case now that we are five adults. And to make it even worse we only have 1 ½ baths with the main bath only accessible from our bedroom! With everyone working odd hours and needing to take showers also at odd hours – needless to say it ruins the mood. And again the economy doesn't help making buying a bigger house out of the question right now. I long for the day when I can stay in my PJs all day Saturday….watch an R rated movie without feeling uncomfortable if the kids walk in during a sex scene….be spontaneous in the bedroom, living or kitchen for that matter….a whole day of uninterrupted work on any one of my many hobbies…be able to take off on a moment’s notice for a three-day fun-in-the-sun weekend. There is so much to do and see out in the world that I not only long for the day I have an empty nest but for the day I can retire from work to devote more time to experience everything. A great article in the New York Times sums it up best - http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/health/20well.html?em.

Ash Wednesday

Not having had a very good Catholic upbringing I’m not sure what we should be doing on this day other than going to Mass, getting ashes on our forehead and not eating beef or chicken. The reason I say I didn’t have a good Catholic upbringing was because yes we went through all the obligatory motions of going to Mass every Sunday, participating in the various events at Church and attending CCD (Sunday school) but I never knew the why of a lot of our rituals and traditions and I never asked. This is what my parents said we did and we obeyed without question – didn’t question anything back in those days. I didn’t pay attention to what the priests said because frankly they were boring and I couldn’t relate to anything that they said to my life and how to apply it. As I followed the same pattern with my family, the cycle continues of this is what we do because it’s always been done, end of story. I think it’s sad that most of us do not have the knowledge that we should about our Catholic faith. And I find more fulfillment and knowledge when I attend other faith sponsored events instead of at ours. Don’t get me wrong ours leave you feeling good and can restore the spirit but I don’t always feel that I know the why behind things and how can I do this on a regular basis at home, must everything always take place at church only to “count.” I have found some great resources at Women of Faith (not for catholic) and the Magnificat Breakfast and Dr. Italy’s Web site. Now I just need to discipline myself and get back into regularly practicing my faith. I haven’t even decided what I’ll give up/sacrifice this year. And if we should not go about with sad faces demonstrating our “suffering” of having to give up chocolate or whatever and meat on Fridays why is it ok to go around with the ashes on our forehead all day long for the world to notice. I know that’s the ritual but it seems contradicting. So it is we shall get Ashes on our forehead and another season of lent begins.